The Angel

Set in the future when Earth has become heavily overpopulated, advances in space exploration has led to the discovery of a planet with a similar environment to Earth. Colonisation of Eden is progressing but the majority of settlers are men. Contacts on Earth make arrangements for willing young women to move to Eden and co-habit with the men, as companions. These women are euphamistically referred to as "Angels." Beth is an intelligent young woman who elects to move to Eden to live with four brothers'. The relationship she builds with each of them is unique and mutually repectful. Recognising that Luke, the eldest brother, has an emotional scar, maintaining a distance from her, only serves to draw Beth closer to him. She gently unravels the painful burden Luke carries and he confides in her. Events, wrongly, make him believe that she has betrayed his confidence and he flees the homestead believing it is Beth's intention to leave Eden and return to Earth. Amongst the strange indigenous species of Eden is a breed of creatures that by nature are trusting and helpful to the human settlers. in appearance they are a cross between a Gheisha girl and a Siamese cat. They communicate with each other telepathically and their comprehension of spoken instructions is sometimes misunderstood, leading to some minor disasters and some very entertaining antics. The Cats are very drawn to Beth and she develops a bond with them; over time she discovers that she is able to communicate with them. It is this ability that, with the Cats assistance, enables her to rescue Luke when he becomes lost and injured whilst away from the homestead. Once recovered from his ordeal, Luke realises that he had misinterpretedthe situation that drove him away and almost lost more than his life.