Chapter 21 - Epilogue

New York was probably as noisy and crowded as its predecessor. Penny walked along the sidewalk along a busy street, checking the route with the map on her phone. In her other hand she held a glass of ice-cold coffee. The heels clicked loudly on the asphalt, the thin chiffon of the dress pleasantly touched the skin. At such moments, she was glad that a few hundred years ago she had learned to make wings small and inconspicuous, no bigger than fly wings. Otherwise, the crowd would have had a hard time.

She almost missed the right sign: it was gray and nondescript, it was at knee level due to the fact that the store was located in the basement.

"Welcome to Everything for Hang Gliding," the salesman greeted her cheerfully, with carnival wings on an elastic band looming behind him. "Sweetness or joy?" I mean, what should I offer you?

Penny rummaged through the correspondence with Ethan and found the right message with a link.

"I need everything on this page and something else." It's my husband's birthday, and I don't understand it at all.

The seller took his phone in his hands, took a closer look and nodded.

"Excellent choice!" "Eisù" has the best radio stations and headsets, which will allow you to communicate even at a distance of three to four hundred meters with minimal interference.

He disappeared into the back room and in a couple of minutes appeared, carrying several small boxes in his hands.

"That's all you need. As for "something else"... Maybe you can take another parachute? We have a new arrival, there is a lot to choose from.

"No, you don't need a parachute. Maybe warm clothes? For height.

— What season do you want it for?

"For now." We will fly in California. Tomorrow we have a vacation, in a couple of days we are leaving.

"Excellent!" The salesman beamed and led Penny away to look at the equipment.

Already at the checkout, packing the goods in a bag, he attached a keychain with wings to the purchases.

"This is a gift for the holiday," the seller explained. "All Saints' Day, you can't do without angel wings.

"Really?" Penny snorted, but accepted the gift. Ethan would like it, he loved to fill everything around with wings and their images. As if Penny's wings were not enough for him.

Blush at the memories of when Ethan was most inspired by her wings, Penny almost listened to the salesman's answer.

"My great-great-grandmother used to hunt with the High Inquisitor himself!" She was the daughter of the Bishop. The clerk sat up. "Angels are honored in our family, if they had not come to earth, we would still be hiding in corners. So let someone else consider traditions to be old fairy tales, for me they are sacred.

"And what was your grandmother's name?" Penny asked, handing over the card for payment.

"Corinne Hifner in her maiden name, perhaps you have heard?" Her memoirs are very popular, on the New York Times' recommended reading list. She was with the Grand Inquisitor on his final mission. The one where the first angel appeared.

"Corinne,," Penny snorted. "She survived after all, and also gave birth to children.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Penny smiled. "Happy holidays."

"And you, miss."

Penny stepped outside, chuckling. The phone in her hands vibrated, and she swiped her finger across the screen to take the call. She squinted contentedly at the sun beating into her eyes and grabbed a bag as light as a feather.

"Ethan, have you finished your shift yet?"

"I had to fight off like a crowd of zombies in that cemetery," he whispered, lowering his voice, "but yes. In the next month, I'll be anything but a police lieutenant.

"Congratulations on defeating bureaucratic evil, the most invincible evil in the world," Penny teased. "I'm on my way home, and you won't believe who I just met."