GLenn and Billy
Glenn woke Billy up early that beautiful morning, telling him they had something exciting and adventurous to do. Glenn said they were going to Indonesia to meet some of his very best friends. Billy eagerly agreed to the trip right away. He knew Glenn loved having fun and going on exciting adventures, so he was certain the long journey would be worth it.
There were no direct flights from Hawaii to Indonesia, so the adventurous pair would have to stop for a connecting flight in Sydney, Australia. Glenn and Billy started their morning with a hearty breakfast of fluffy pancakes and freshly cooked eggs. Billy ordered a towering seven-stack of pancakes, and Glenn looked at the enormous plate and jokingly asked, “Is that the all-you-can-eat buffet?” Billy laughed and said, “I’ll probably go back for more.”
Once aboard the little red airplane headed to Hawaii, Glenn told Billy about their planned stopover in Australia. Billy immediately asked if they could stay for a couple of days so they could enjoy some exciting surfing action along Australia’s beautiful coastline. Glenn said, “Sure, that’s fine, but the great white sharks are especially annoying this time of year.”
Glenn and Billy checked into a magnificent beachfront resort and got themselves a luxurious room overlooking the sparkling blue ocean. They always stayed in the presidential suite, enjoying the finest accommodations available. They both had their own credit cards, but whenever the expensive hotel bills arrived, they simply used their remarkable Anything app to pay them off.
The first day, the two travelers relaxed in their spacious presidential suite, enjoying delicious room service and watching television. After getting plenty of rest from their long journey, they woke up early the following morning and enjoyed a light continental breakfast. Glenn looked over at Billy and enthusiastically asked, “You ready to go surfing?” Billy jokingly replied, “Mama said we got to wait thirty minutes.” Glenn burst out laughing as the two friends headed toward the nearby surf shop to rent their surfboards.
When they arrived at the beautiful sandy beach, Glenn immediately noticed an unusually large number of lifeguards watching the powerful ocean waves. There were ten lifeguards stationed along the shoreline, two WaveRunners patrolling the water, and a surveillance drone circling high overhead. Billy casually shrugged and said, “No big deal. These big resorts pay for all that extra protection to make you feel safe.”
Glenn was still a little curious about the red and yellow flags fluttering in the steady ocean breeze. The colorful flags were positioned about a hundred yards apart, marking a designated swimming and surfing area. Glenn approached one of the experienced lifeguards and asked about their meaning. He explained, “In America, when we see red and yellow flags, it means rip currents and caution.” The friendly Australian lifeguard smiled and replied, “Down under, it means you need to surf only between those two flags. You’ll be fine, or I’ll come get ya.”
Billy did exceptionally well that morning, skillfully catching one rolling wave after another. He even managed to ride through a couple of impressive curling tubes, disappearing briefly inside the powerful walls of rushing water. Glenn did okay himself, but it certainly wasn’t his best day on a surfboard.
As Glenn was riding his final wave back toward the sandy shoreline, a massive great white shark suddenly appeared in the water, swimming directly toward him. Without warning, the lifeguard’s piercing emergency siren sounded across the crowded beach. One of the rescue WaveRunners raced toward Glenn, and the lifeguard quickly tossed him a sturdy rescue rope. Glenn grabbed it tightly, and the powerful WaveRunner rapidly pulled him through the choppy water to the safety of the shore.
Of course, Billy couldn’t resist making fun of Glenn after his unexpected encounter with the enormous shark. With a mischievous grin, Billy asked, “Was you scared?” Glenn firmly replied, “No! I don’t think that shark was chasing me at all. He was just swimming in my direction.”
The adventurous pair left Sydney the following day, heading toward the beautiful tropical islands of Indonesia. After their plane landed, they decided to rent a luxurious 100-foot yacht, complete with an experienced captain and a full professional crew, to help them explore the thousands of exotic islands scattered throughout the region.
Glenn opened his remarkable Anything app and began searching for the locating beacons belonging to his longtime friends. He soon discovered that three of his buddies were staying on one of the more than 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago.
Fun note: The mysterious tropical island where Glenn’s friends were staying had its powerful protective shields activated, making the entire island completely invisible to anyone approaching from the outside. Fortunately, Glenn’s Anything app could guide him directly to the hidden island, regardless of its sophisticated shielding system.
While cruising through the beautiful tropical waters, Billy noticed a towering volcano rising above the distant island landscape. Glenn casually explained that volcanic eruptions happen somewhere in Indonesia nearly every year. “You just have to stay out of their way,” Glenn told him. Billy grinned and asked, “Oh, kind of like the sharks?” Glenn replied, “Yes. Just stay away from them.”
Glenn continued checking the detailed navigation screen on his Anything app, carefully directing the yacht captain toward their secret destination. After traveling farther into the open waters, Glenn finally pointed toward a particular location and told the captain, “Drop anchor here.”
The experienced yacht captain looked at his navigation instruments and replied, “We’re still too far from the islands. I can’t let you take the tender out that far by yourselves.”
Glenn immediately opened his Anything app and printed out a copy of his personal International Yacht Training license. He confidently handed the official-looking document to the captain.
The captain carefully examined the license before replying, “Your license is perfectly fine, and I’m sure you’re a very capable captain. But the islands you want to visit are still ten miles away. I can’t allow my 30-foot, twin-engine tender to travel that far out of my sight. These islands are surrounded by dangerous, unpredictable ocean currents. You’ll have to travel with two of my best captains.”
Glenn wasn’t about to give up that easily. He looked directly at the captain and said, “Look, I have an International Yacht Training license, and Billy and I just want to go about three miles north and do some deep-sea fishing.”
After considering Glenn’s request, the captain finally agreed to the short fishing excursion, but with one firm condition. “Only three miles,” he insisted. “We have to keep you within range of our radar lookout at all times.”
The yacht’s professional crew immediately began the tedious task of preparing the luxurious 30-foot mini-yacht for its little fishing expedition. They carefully stocked the smaller vessel with nearly every comfort and luxury available aboard the magnificent 100-foot yacht, right down to the miniature bottles of refreshing water and expensive gourmet caviar.
Glenn felt completely in his element as he settled confidently behind the polished steering console, powered up the powerful twin engines, and pushed the throttles forward. The sleek mini-yacht surged through the sparkling tropical waters, leaving a long trail of foamy white water behind it. Glenn loved being in charge, especially when operating a powerful boat on the open ocean. It was his sweet spot in life, and he enjoyed every exciting minute of it.
As Glenn and Billy traveled closer to the mysterious island, they naturally couldn’t see anything unusual on the distant horizon. Glenn’s friends had activated the island’s powerful invisibility shields, completely concealing the tropical paradise from the outside world. There was also an extraordinarily powerful ocean current surrounding the island, preventing ordinary boats or anything else from reaching its protected shores.
Glenn used his Anything app to contact his three buddies and let them know that he and Billy were approaching their secret location. His friends quickly responded, explaining that they were sending two specially equipped aerial drones to pick them up.
One of his friends instructed, “When the drones hover over your heads, strap yourselves securely into the airlift seats and hang on tight. When you’re ready to go, just pull the blue cord.”
Billy looked a little apprehensive as the two unusual flying machines approached and hovered noisily above the mini-yacht. Their powerful spinning propellers created swirling gusts of wind across the deck. Once Billy was securely strapped into his suspended airlift seat, he nervously remarked about the surprisingly strong winds.
Glenn reached over with a mischievous grin, grabbed Billy’s blue release cord, and gave it a quick, unexpected pull. Instantly, Billy’s drone lifted him off the deck and carried him high into the windy tropical sky.
Billy’s drone immediately began catching powerful crosswinds, causing his suspended seat to swing awkwardly from side to side as he traveled toward the invisible island. Meanwhile, Glenn’s drone seemed to be flying remarkably smoothly, gliding through the gusty air without the slightest difficulty.
Glenn soon caught up with Billy and effortlessly passed him, trying desperately to keep Billy from noticing how hard he was laughing at his friend’s uncomfortable, sideways flight. Billy continued swinging beneath his drone, struggling to maintain his balance as the powerful winds pushed him in different directions.
However, the broad smile quickly disappeared from Glenn’s face when his own drone suddenly seemed to lose power. Without warning, the flying machine began dropping dangerously close to the choppy ocean surface. Before Glenn could figure out what was happening, his dangling feet plunged into the salty seawater.
The drone suddenly climbed again, lifting Glenn back into the air, only to drop him into the ocean a second time. The unexpected plunges continued several times, thoroughly soaking Glenn with the warm tropical seawater.
Unknown to Glenn, his mischievous buddy Bill was secretly controlling the drone from the island, deliberately lowering him into the ocean just for the fun of watching his hilarious reaction.
After their wild and unforgettable aerial adventure, the two powerful drones finally carried Glenn and Billy safely across the protective ocean currents and gently deposited them on a beautiful, secluded sandy beach.
As soon as their feet touched the soft, warm sand, Glenn and Billy looked around in amazement. The mysterious invisible island had suddenly become visible, revealing a magnificent tropical paradise filled with lush green vegetation, towering palm trees, and beautiful stretches of pristine white sand.
The two adventurers stood admiring the breathtaking scenery as three friendly figures approached them along the peaceful shoreline. Glenn immediately recognized his old buddies and greeted them with a big smile.
As his three friends walked up to welcome their visitors, Glenn turned toward Billy and proudly introduced them.
“That’s Harold, Bill, and John,” Glenn said.
Bill told the guests to follow them to the magnificent mansion. Bill took one long look at Glenn’s soaking-wet figure and apologized for the weak batteries in the drone. “Sometimes they’ll do that,” he assured Glenn with a little grin. “The buffet is ready. We can eat a good dinner and get y’all settled in for the night. Tomorrow is going to be the best day you’ve ever had in your life.” Glenn replied, “Well, I don’t know about that. I’ve seen a lot of things in my lifetime.” Billy, however, was excited about the upcoming adventure. He had never seen angels in action before.
After enjoying a delicious dinner, all five guys gathered in the comfortable lounge to relax and talk. Billy suddenly remembered that he and Glenn hadn’t brought any extra clothes from the yacht. Bill assured them that everything they needed was already waiting in the large walk-in closets in their luxurious suites. Glenn said, “I’m a size 32 in pants, sir. Anything bigger looks baggy on me.” Bill smiled and explained, “These clothes are made in heaven. When you put them on, they automatically shrink or expand to fit your exact body size.” “Cool,” Glenn replied with an approving nod.
Glenn excused himself from the group, saying, “I have to make a phone call.” Using his Anything app, Glenn connected to the powerful radio aboard their 30-foot tender. The tender’s radio then contacted the captain of their 100-foot luxury yacht. Glenn explained that he and Billy were having a wonderful time fishing and roughing it aboard the smaller boat. He informed the captain that they would be staying aboard the tender for a few more days. After receiving Glenn’s message, the captain made an announcement over the yacht’s loudspeaker. “All observation crew, report to the bridge. Everyone else is off watch. Enjoy your downtime.”
Early the next morning, Bill and Glenn got up and enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Bill wanted to show Glenn their plans for the upcoming military exercise. The mission would require them to travel through a harsh, muddy swamp and climb a steep, rugged mountain to reach their destination. As they approached the edge of the thick swamp, Glenn asked if they could use the drones for the difficult trip. Without saying a word, Bill sat down on the sandy ground and told Glenn to sit in his lap. Bill extended his arms and legs straight out in front of him, almost as if he were relaxing in a comfortable lounge chair. Glenn carefully settled into Bill’s lap and rested his arms along Bill’s outstretched arms. Suddenly, off they went, soaring effortlessly into the open sky.
As an angel, Bill could fly better than any sophisticated drone ever invented. Glenn was not the kind of fellow who giggled, but as they flew over the murky swamp, through the thick green jungle, and up the side of the towering mountain, Glenn laughed and giggled like an excited little boy enjoying his first airplane ride. The cool mountain air rushed past their faces as Bill skillfully maneuvered through the open sky.
Once they reached the top of the mountain, they landed gently in a grassy clearing overlooking a small village far below. Bill pointed toward the cluster of buildings and said, “You see that village down there and all those people walking around? Well, they aren’t real. They’re computer-simulated people created especially for our military war games.” Glenn studied the village for a moment and replied, “Cool. But is the island we’re standing on real?” Bill answered, “Oh, yes, the island is real.” Glenn looked puzzled and asked, “Then what keeps ships and other vessels from accidentally crashing into it?” Bill explained, “The island is surrounded by massive winds and powerful ocean currents that keep all approaching vessels safely away.” “Cool,” Glenn replied.
Bill continued, “That’s why Billy was coming in kind of sideways on his drone, and you were dipping down into those ocean waves.” Glenn laughed and said, “Yeah, I was getting a pretty good bath because you were controlling my drone. I saw you put that controller down when I finally landed.” Both men burst into laughter as they remembered Glenn’s soaking-wet arrival. After enjoying the spectacular mountain view, they headed back toward the mansion.
Meanwhile, John, Harold, and Billy were busy loading equipment and supplies aboard the unusual Aerobug. The Aerobug was a remarkable flying machine that looked somewhat like a helicopter but operated more like a hovercraft. It also had sturdy wheels similar to those on a swamp buggy and could float across the water like a small boat. It was a versatile machine designed to travel across almost any kind of terrain.
The following morning, all five adventurers gathered at the spacious helipad to begin their exciting military mission. Bill had received a special scenario from the home office outlining their war-game assignment. Their objective was to take control of the simulated village by force and evacuate all enemy occupants from the property.
Glenn’s buddy Bill would be operating the new bubble evacuation device. Knowing how much Glenn enjoyed experimenting with unusual inventions, Bill wanted him to try out the fascinating new equipment. Bill picked up the bubble machine and aimed its large barrel toward the distant village. The unusual bubble gun was approximately three feet long, with a wide barrel-shaped tube resembling the T-shirt launchers commonly seen at concerts and football games. Instead of shooting T-shirts, however, this remarkable device launched enormous bubbles into the surrounding atmosphere.
These were certainly not ordinary dish soap bubbles floating around in the backyard. The specially designed bubbles contained powerful atmospheric absorbers capable of sucking oxygen out of the surrounding air when they burst. After carefully demonstrating how to operate the bubble gun, Bill handed additional guns to the other crew members and instructed everyone to spread out and slowly advance behind the floating bubbles.
As the crew carefully made their way down the rugged mountainside, hundreds of enormous bubbles began forming a giant, shimmering wall that stretched across the landscape. On the opposite side of the massive wall of bubbles, the simulated villagers were going about their daily activities, unaware of the approaching exercise. As the bubbles drifted forward, many began popping and exploding, rapidly absorbing the oxygen from the surrounding air. The advancing wall forced the simulated villagers to abandon their homes and flee toward the eastern side of the island. Within approximately three hours, the entire village had been completely evacuated.
With their mission successfully completed, two of the angels, John and Harold, sat down on the grassy ground and invited Billy and Glenn to climb aboard. Billy looked confused, having absolutely no idea what was about to happen. Glenn grinned and told him, “Go ahead, Billy. Sit down in Harold’s lap. Just humor them. I told you my friends were a little strange.”
Billy cautiously settled into Harold’s lap, still wondering what kind of foolishness these fellows were planning. Suddenly, all three angels lifted off the ground and soared high into the bright blue sky. The angels began performing spectacular precision flying drills, maintaining identical flight patterns as they maneuvered through the open air. They performed thrilling barrel rolls, breathtaking deep dives, and sharp aerial turns, showing off their extraordinary flying abilities.
Even Glenn, who had already experienced one of Bill’s exciting flights, became a little frightened by the daring maneuvers. He shouted over to Billy, telling him to hang on tight. Billy already had both arms wrapped firmly around Harold’s left arm, gripping it for dear life. “I’m holding on! I’m holding on!” Billy hollered back as the angels continued their wild aerial acrobatics.
When the three angels finally returned to the aerobug and landed safely on the ground, everyone was laughing and having a wonderful time. Billy and Glenn could hardly believe the incredible adventure they had just experienced. The two friends enjoyed another relaxing evening at the beautiful mansion before returning to their luxurious yacht the following day.
Just for fun, Glenn talked the yacht’s captain into taking them to watch the spectacular volcano erupt before heading toward the airport. Glenn and Billy still needed to fly back to Australia to catch their connecting flight home. Watching the powerful volcano explode and send enormous clouds of smoke and glowing lava into the sky was another unforgettable experience. All in all, it had been one remarkable trip.
On the long journey home, aboard their little red airplane, Billy couldn’t stop talking to Glenn about the angels they had met. Glenn explained that he had known quite a few angels over the years. Some he had encountered during his adventures on Earth, while others he had met during his visits to heaven. Glenn smiled and told Billy, “You know, those angels are just like us. They love to have fun, laugh, and enjoy themselves. They’re really no different from the rest of us when it comes to having a good time.”
Glenn then told Billy, “Take a look at the apps on your Anything app. See that dark blue one? Well, that’s Bill’s direct line. If you ever need him for anything, all you have to do is tap that little blue app, and he’ll show up.”
