Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: CROWD (07/06/17)
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TITLE: Too many to count | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
07/07/17 -
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Earlier that morning he had bid farewell to his mother and twin brothers. One day, Kassim and Imran would have their own chance. Today was his day. The sun unleashed its full intensity and blessed his mission. The hardest part was now the wait.
Jamil watched the security forces regain control of young and old crammed together like sardines. No one seemed to notice him settling into place. His instructions were clear. He rehearsed them and smiled as he imagined the surprised looks on all who gathered.
“Are you ready?”
Jamil glanced over his right shoulder and saw the wink of his partner. He gave a brief nod of acknowledgment. “I’m ready, Mustafa.”
“Are you nervous?”
He clenched his jaw and ignored the reality of what was ahead. “It is an honor to be chosen,” he said.
“Look at all those people crammed together like dates in a package,” Mustafa noted. “It reminds me of the time I was stuck in an elevator with twenty children. The cable released and we plunged five floors with everyone screaming. By the grace of God we were saved.”
“And why do these people remind you of that day?” Jamil inquired.
“These stand like children shoulder to shoulder, back to front, nowhere to go, crammed into a place with no escape. Can you imagine being claustrophobic in that mob?”
“Soon we will fly,” Jamil smiled. He playfully tugged at the harness belt. “We will float in the very heavens far above it all.
“Why were you chosen?” Mustafa whispered as he leaned toward Jamil.
Jamil angled his head and whispered back. “It isn’t mine to question. I believe that the honor comes because of my father’s sacrifice when I was young. I want to make my mother proud.”
“Do you think that we should have done this in a stadium full of screaming fans?”
“There are enough people here to fill any stadium.”
“Look at all those faces out there,” Mutafa said. “Which girl would you choose if you could stand by one of them when all this ends?”
Jamil scanned the earnest faces of a group of school girls jabbering to each other and pointing at a flock of doves flitting in a small copse of alders nearby. “They probably see the birds as a sign of peace,” he chuckled. “It would be hard to choose.”
“What are you thinking?”
Jamil furrowed his brows. “My mind is crowded. The thoughts are too many to count. Why do you care what I think?”
“Is there any fear in your heart? Any regret in your soul? Do you wish that someone else had been chosen?”
“Today is a day for embracing the whole and for enjoying the moment. Soon it will be over and there will be no more time for thinking.”
“Do you fear God?”
“Why should I fear God?”
“What if something goes wrong and you meet him face to face and all of life is not what you thought it was?”
“I have been praying. The rest is up to Him.”
“You really do believe, don’t you?”
Jamil nodded and closed his eyes briefly. “It’s time. Get ready.”
“Don’t forget. Count to six and then pull the belt hard. No regrets.”
“No regrets, Mustafa, no regrets.”
Mustafa moved confidently ahead of Jamil and positioned himself near a door. The wind playfully tugged at his jacket. Jamil settled across the space at another door.
Together, they nodded in sync and then stepped off into space. Blaring colors flared from their packs as they arced in a gentle spiral.
The crowd below was like a field of wildflowers spread out across a desert plain. Jamil reached for his harness and began to count. He looked above at the Cessna quickly moving away and pulled.
The jerk pulled him skyward as the chute opened.
Blazoned across the chute was a strong message. “We are all neighbors.”
Mustafa was floating nearby with his own message. “Love one another.”
The final thousand feet tugged him downward as gentle as a rocking hammock. The faces in the crowd below took on distinctive features but the roar of approval was unmistakable. A message from the heavens had been welcomed on earth.
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I'm so glad they weren't. Well done.
Blessings~
Blessings~
The surprise ending was a blessing as my heart was growing heaver by each word I read.