Angelic Visitations

1.

Nephi stands over Laban, sword in hand, barely containing his awe. He quickly recognizes that the angel before him is not the one that so recently stopped his brothers’ hands against him. Nephi was grateful for that angel. He is not grateful for this one. He doesn’t want to believe the message he receives, but he can’t deny the power emanating from the messenger. Nephi does as he is commanded and severs Laban’s head.

2.

To Abinadi, the angel is one of mercy, sparing him the worst pains by taking him as soon as his message is delivered. As the flames rise in searing pain, Death’s cold grip comes as a relief. 

3.

Alma reacts to the angel of death with horror. Although he had always known that he would one day meet Death, one day felt far enough away that it might as well have been never, and certainly was not now. 

As he lies unconscious on the hot, dry ground—his father’s contorted face searching his own for signs of life—the dark visitor shows Alma things that have been, that are yet to come, and that, he has to admit, are here now, in this moment, but possibly also forever.

No powers or priesthoods are required to reveal the sorrow of Alma’s choices and the depth of his rebellion. Death’s mere presence exposes it all. Alma is scared. He cries out. He searches for a second chance, for a power greater than Death—who draws closer, Alma can feel Death’s cold breath on his face—He searches for a miracle. 

Years later, as Alma approaches his second meeting with the Angel, he recalls the first. No matter how much time has passed, he can still feel Death’s coldness. He remembers the harrowing torment, his whole being wracked with pain. He remembers the power that freed him and would free him again: the marvelous light and hope of the only power that could. 

4. 

When, after two days and two nights, Lamoni’s servants prepare to lay him in his sepulcher, Lamoni’s wife wonders if her husband is dead. She sees the pallor of his face after days of not eating or drinking. She sees his absolute stillness, his eyes not even moving underneath the eyelids as they often do when he sleeps. She thinks he is alive because he does not stink, but isn’t sure, and lacks the confidence to stop them. 

Then the angel appears. And although he so often brings only death and despair, this meeting brings a rare promise of life. She is overcome with relief when the angel explains that Lamoni’s days have not run out…yet. This is no end. She nods her head vigorously before bowing it in gratitude. As the angel vanishes, she rejoices in the message he brought her. Her husband is not dead. 

5.

When Mormon meets the angel of death, he feels no fear, no awe, no hope, but only curiosity. Who is this hooded figure? And why does he always come around when things are at their worst? As he begins to notice the patterns, as he sees Death at work in homes and on streets and battlefields, he recognizes him and instead of fear, feels pity. He recognizes the difficult job that no one wants, none would envy, and only Death can complete.

Soon, they are regular companions, sometimes spending days together. They study plates. Death’s eyes follow Mormon’s as he reads. Mormon realizes that this dark shadow has not only met but known, intimately, each of his ancestors during their most agonizing and lonely moments: Nephi, Jacob, Alma, Helaman.

Mormon and Death pore together over maps and plans, count armies—Death with resignation, Mormon resisting always the temptation to ask how many he will lose to Death's cold reaping. And sometimes, when Mormon finds himself all alone—writing, eating, walking, waking—Death's absence is a relief and a burden. He knows he should feel greater peace, but instead, he counts the days since Death’s departure, wondering if the next time they meet will be the last.

6.

Moroni fails to notice the myriad charms Death used to win over his father. He is neither curious nor compassionate. A mere boy, Moroni has no desire to be in the specter’s presence, no tolerance of his demeanor, no respect for his occupation. His primary emotion is anger, not only because he knows that he and Death will meet one day under very different circumstances but also because he sees Death’s influence on his father, and it makes him uncomfortable. 

Moroni’s anger only increases as Death takes Mormon away from him, then takes his entire family, then his friends, his enemies, his childhood heroes and playmates. As the Angel takes them all, Moroni feels justified in his dislike, knowing he was right to be wary.

The angel of death does not take Moroni. 

At first, Moroni is happy to never see Death again. The dark presence that haunted him as a youth seems to have finished his work and moved on, and he couldn’t be more pleased. But as the years go on, Moroni begins to miss him. He misses the righteous anger, but he also wonders if maybe he had been mistaken about Death’s purpose. He wonders if he was too hard on him. 

Even later, Moroni realizes he would like to see Death again. He begins to think of him as an old friend who was taken with everyone else. When they finally meet again, Moroni looks at the angel with a joy his younger self could have never anticipated. 

Chanel Earl is a writer—mostly of fiction—who currently teaches writing at Brigham Young University.

Art by Evelyn De Morgan.