Winter Branches

by Jane Lebak

A guardian angel whose charge went to Hell, Reflection is stuck. It’s been two years, but still he keeps thinking about William. Always William.
He’s not sure he can ever be fruitful again. But someone else thinks he’s a fruitful branch sleeping through a winter season.
Originally published in The Sword Review magazine, Winter Branches won second place in TSR’s fiction contest and fourth place in the 2007 Reader’s Choice Award for short fiction.
Winter Branches is also part of the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle, along with Even A Stone, Winter Branches, Hired Man, and eight bonus shorts.

19 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2015

About the author

Jane Lebak writes about angels, smart women, and angels who have to put up with smart women. Her stories are a random assortment of genres, both fiction and nonfiction, long form and short form. Some of it is pretty weird. One editor told her, "You think so far outside the box, I'm not sure you know there is a box."

Boxes are for cereal. Fiction wants to be free.

Jane lives in the Swamp and spends her time either writing books or ejecting stink bugs from the house. She is pretty sure no one reads these author bios.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: this story also appears in the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle by Jane Lebak.

The story of an angel whose charge did not convert. An angel who feels like a failure. Who does not feel worthy of having another charge to care for. A story of grief and of loss. It is a short story that really makes you think, and feel.

This story also appears in the Seven Angels Short Story Bundle which can be read on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Jane Lebak.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Jane Lebak]

It had been a while, and I just wanted to revisit this story.