Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Before and After (05/14/09)
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TITLE: He Who Created Me | Previous Challenge Entry
By Cecile Hurst
05/17/09 -
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No wishing. No thinking you were anything more than you were: left, forgotten, useless. No hoping for more. Ignore all falling stars.
My view of the starry night sky was eclipsed by the shadow of yellow light that flowed from an overhead lamppost. I remember curling up next to the undergrowth and watching a park tree’s leaves that stretched out overhead shift black-green in the breeze from between the slates of my paint-chipped bench I slept under, fighting the desire to seek out the stars.
Until one seemingly fell into my lap.
One of the countless that weren’t left in the park had tossed it carelessly aside after a quick perusal. It had fluttered down unto my bench and landed face up for me to see. The left half of it was black with large white shapes: B-E-F-O-R-E. The right half was white with large black shapes: A-F-T-E-R.
I stared at it for the better part of the afternoon. I was still intent upon it when he happened up to me.
“Do you understand what you’re reading?” he asked.
“Reading?” I blurted out, startled, for no one had ever talked to me before. “No,” I answered. “I’m very familiar with these kinds of shapes – you can find them on most everything, but I don’t know how to read them… do you?”
“Yes. I was left in a church.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, trying hard not to hope for more.
“This word in white says BEFORE; and this word in black says AFTER.”
I blinked. “What does it mean?”
“It means there’s something better to come.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“All you have to do,” he continued calmly, “is have faith in He who created you.”
My whole body trembled with the thought. “But He left me…”
He looked at me kindly with his shinning eyes and started to turn away. “Have faith,” he called over his shoulder, and hopped off my bench.
That night I stretched out under the stars and followed each one that fell. I was scared to have faith. Fearful of putting my hope in something only to have it spurned. But surely if He’d gone to the trouble of creating me He wouldn’t leave me forever, wouldn’t always forget me, wouldn’t deem me – His own design – as useless…
“I have faith,” I spoke to the hush of the dark. “I have faith in He who created me,” I smiled even as a tear escaped from one of my beady little eyes. I finally succumbed to sleep. Drifting into dreams I felt I was being wrapped with layer upon layer of warm silky love.
When I awoke it felt as though a thousand years had gone by as I slumbered. I struggled to open my eyes. Everything felt moist and heavy. I moved in my mind and my limbs didn’t respond. Panic surged through my veins.
Have faith.
I sang the words to the pulse of my heart. I breathed. I extended. I shook. I focused.
I stood up.
My legs quivered beneath me. I felt I was balancing on stilts – floating on threads, like a balloon tied to a delicate blade of grass, like all it would take to blow me away was a sudden gust of wind.
Then the wind blew!
I clung harder to my bench but the wind blew harder. I could hear the leaves above me ruffle and ripple. Something was pulling me – it was like sails were attached to my back.
“Help!” I cried.
And Someone chuckled.
“Little one,” said the Chuckler, “You’re faith has brought the better to come – now stop fighting it and fly.”
So I closed my eyes and let go.
I was flying! I was no longer a caterpillar! I am a butterfly! Praises be only to He who created me.
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I did find a few mis-spelled words--so do proofread and use spellcheck. Other than that, this was right on topic--good job.