Flash Fiction: Bored Angel

My head hurt.  "Ow."

I blinked my eyes open.  "That hurt like hell."

I looked at myself, sprawled on the ground.  There was blood there too.  My blood?

"It looked like it hurt.  You okay?"

I spun my head around.  Bad idea.  It only made my headache more.  I did identify the person speaking to me.

A young woman gazed down at me, with dark hair.  Three pairs of black wings grew out of her back, each wing six or seven feet long.  The black feathers fluttered in the air around her.  She wore a simple white gown.  Her eyes glowed, and she floated in the air above me.  An angel, she had a halo of glowing verdant light.

"Watch out.  You want to be careful with that sort of thing.  You could make it worse you know."  Pause.  Well, not worse than somethings I suppose."

"Who- Ow."  Yep it hurt more.

"Not really that important right now.  Or anymore, really.  This is it for you."

"Excuse me?"  I still didn't get it.

"That fall you took was lethal.  I'm sort of in the business of collecting on things like this."

"Wait, the angel of death?  Thats what- you've got to be kidding me-"

She cocked an eyebrow at me.  "Azrael.  And I don't do it for everybody.  A lot of you people die, and alot of you need help with things.  You're one of those cases."

"Cases?"

Azrael shrugged.  "I'm not a psychopomp.  I've met those.  And the other kinds of people who do that sort of thing.  Certain of you merit containing.  You never knew it, but you are one of those.  Your energies aren't allowed to leave this plane."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"A wolf long ago made a bargain, and you are one of those who pay the price for it.  No worries, this isn't imprisonment.  Its one of those... things.  You come back.  Whats the word?"

"Reincarnation?"

"After a fashion I suppose.  You get to come back after you do a thing or two."

"What is that?"  I asked the Angel of Death.

"Well," Azrael smiled, "help keep a really bored Angel company for a little while."