Angel of Darkness

I opened my eyes to an endless expanse of soft, comforting clouds, but the memory of a searing pain in my back, like burning iron rods, lingered.
"Ahhh!" I cried out, my voice catching as I hit the ground with a resounding thud. It hadn't ended with the fall; the agony had only intensified.
Looking up, I saw a gate, shimmering with an ethereal glow – the entrance to Heaven. A chilling thought pierced through my disorientation: Am I dead? Or is this some bizarre dream?
I pinched myself, a sharp sting confirming the grim reality. This was no dream.
Then, a figure approached, radiating a gentle light, an angel. She lifted me with surprising ease. "How did you feel when you fell?" she asked, her voice soft as a breeze.
"Like I fell on burning iron bars," I managed, frowning at the strange incongruity.
She tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face. "Strange. You ended up in Heaven, yet you felt fire? You should feel warmth—like returning to a mother's embrace, nurtured with the blessing of life itself."
Her words settled an unsettling feeling deep within me.
