Don't Blink, Lehonti

My little brother Aidan introduced me to weeping angels, an alien/monster on Dr. Who.

I think this is a good indication that he really, really hates me.

 I was in torment for months. 

Me. 

A 24-year old. Grown. Woman. With her Own Apartment. And Insurance Payments. 

Because these things are terrifying.They are the masters of red-light-green-light game. They advance while your eyes are closed... or when the light blinks out... or when your back is turned... and next time you turn around:

I had to sleep with a night-light. I had to peek out the door of the bedroom before I could run down the hall for midnight bathroom breaks. My husband literally made me cry--from fear--one night when he jokingly jumped me after I turned the light out. 

Weeping angels are not just creepy. They are the freak-creepy-est-creepy-stinking-scariest single figment of the imagination in the entire universe. So why? Why are they so incredibly creepy? 

Well, exhibit A:

becomes

I scared myself WRITING this....

So anyway. Why are they so creepy? Because in a BLINK, 

they turn from Angel to Demon. 

As your back is turned, as your eyes shut, as the light flickers, their innocent facade changes and reveals what they are (well, hopefully reveals--if you missed it, you=dead): 

monsters. 

Fortunately for everyone's sanity, weeping angels are the brainchild of a very talented writer. 

see? not real... not real... not real..........

However, the same idea shows up in literature and history all over the place as one of the freak-creepiest things around. Really, all over--even in the Book of Mormon. 

Alma 47 reveals one of the scariest Weeping Angel characters ever: Amalickiah. My animation major friend drew this character with armor designed around a snake-skeleton (see his stuff here), because he is the ultimate Snake-in-the-Grass. Amalickiah started out as a "good guy"--on the Nephite side. In chapter 46, he's slithered and slunk his way into a position of power, and many are "led away by Amalickiah to dissensions" and, when Moroni responded with a little thing called the title of liberty, slunk off into the wilderness to hide out. 

But he wasn't done. 

Don't blink, you'll miss it. 

SERIOUSLY DON'T BLINK.                                                BLINK AND YOU DIE. 

Amalickiah gets himself in with the Lamanite army, instead. He offers to "take care" of some dissenters led by Lehonti for the King. Lehonti obviously doesn't realize what Amalickiah is. He doesn't trust him at first, but then lets himself get lured into freak-creepy land. He comes slowly down off his safe mountain, meets with Amalickiah... get poisoned by degrees and dies. 

He blinked. 

"gotcha"

Oh, and the King whom Amalickiah just "saved" from Lehonti? Gets stabbed to the heart when he's going for a hug. That's rough. Oo, and then Amalickiah marries the king's widow the queen, effectively making himself King of The Whole Stinking Lamanite Army. 

How the deal did a wilderness scrounger end up as King of the entire Lamanite army??

The King blinked. The queen blinked. People let down their guard and trusted ole' snake in the grass--and he only needed one moment of trust. 

So has this ever happened to you? Obviously the worst-est snake in the grass, demon-pretending-to-be-angel is "that old serpent" the devil. Satan is a pro at pretending to be smooth and polished, perfectly harmless marble, but he's not. When we turn our back, he pounces.

Have you ever blinked? How can we keep from "blinking"? Share your story or ideas in the comments below. Best comment gets a picture of a weeping angel sent to their inbox every day for the next two weeks. If you're still sleeping at night after that, I salute you ;)

Signing off, Dia