One of my 12th grade girls in my small group went through a really rough period this year. Here is her story.
The Inheritance
Air is different here. This world is thick, and
Darkness weighs upon my shoulders like a heavy water-logged cape. Clear liquid
drips from the ceiling but turns to ash and scalds my tongue when I attempt to
drink. I am so dry, so thirsty for something that cannot exist here. Each
breath is solid with thick toxins, giving a false sense of humidity and warmth.
I don’t belong here and it’s killing me. This world is buried beneath a
thousand layers of reality, everything is fake and false. Truth cannot survive
here. I am a neglected spruce in the desert with limp limbs for branches and
grimy matted hair for needles.
So
weak. There is no past and no future. The present is fading and I can feel
myself dying. It’s not like I imagined. There is no pain, only Sadness clasping
at my throat gently with wispy fingers as if preparing a mummy for burial. My
keepers can see it too. They are huddled and hunched in a sharp corner,
speaking in low languid voices I loathe. They reside in darkness and feed upon
the decay of the scum that rats refuse to touch. The keepers rise suddenly and
begin to advance towards me while dancing a grotesque and evil dance. They
twist angrily and pair up with Despair, Abuse, and Shame which twirl them as
they chant “Wither my pet, Wither!” My only companions are greedy for my
suffering. It is time for me to slip away now…goodbye...wait…what…how?!
“Ahgheiwpsdnc!!”
the dark inhabitants cry out as they flatten themselves against the ground,
involuntarily bowing in anguish to an invisible force. Trying to shield their
ears, pluck out their eyes, but nothing can block this power surging through
the dungeon. One is retching violently and begins to shrivel. The other
frantically digs to escape; dirt flies everywhere but no progress is made.
But
like a silent trumpet calling upon the living, I see an impossibly pure river
of silver and gold light rush into the dungeon as an unwavering voice proclaims
“I have come for my bride, my princess, my daughter.” At the first syllable, every
spirit and keeper explodes into piles of ash that are instantly swept away by
the mighty father’s breath. This man had journeyed to the nadir of existence, a
place where spirits often boasted that light could never penetrate, and where
Sadness’s most precious prisoners are kept in chains made rusty by their own
tears. He has come for me? I don’t believe it. Am I worthy of rescuing?
I
want to question him but he has gathered me in his arms like a priceless
treasure and is running through the passage to the outside world. As he runs, a
redeeming light heals everything in our path; Captive flees in horror but is
incinerated by the unstoppable river. My father’s arms are strong, secure, and
steadfast. His touch is gentle and his cloak is light and soft. I am
transformed from a ghostly prisoner to a swaddled baby, still helpless, but
warm and dependent in a way that is perfect. I belong here in his arms and will
remain forever.
We
burst through the ground like a giant first punching through a wall, but my
father protects me and I feel no impact. Ouch! Truth and Reality slap me
forcefully but also playfully. Now I remember. Colors, people, songs, sugar,
family, oxygen, creativity, love. I want to live here in
this world but I know I am still dying.
Wait!
My dad is a surgeon of the soul. My body becomes transparent as I feel him
delicately unclench my paralyzed fist from my heart and lift it from my chest.
I trust him completely because we have met before. He was my father before I
was taken, during my imprisonment, and now. He never stopped searching for me
and I never stopped longing for him.
He is looking thoughtfully at the heart;
there is no life to be seen, only a sickly gray lump that has more resemblance
to a hairball than a vital organ. But he transfers me to one hand and with the
other massages the heart back to life. It turns black first as deep shame
floats to the surface and is removed, next it becomes white as he purifies it
with his mercy. Finally, he pours a refined and rich red liquid onto the
surface. It takes me a moment to see it is coming from a hole the size of a
nail in his otherwise perfect palm. He is reviving my heart with his own blood.
It is now red and healthy and he nestles it softly where he created it to be. I
feel so strong now, so clean and pure and joyful and accepted and beautiful and
forgiven and loved.
Now
he speaks softly in a loving voice only meant for me: “For now on use your
hands to serve me and I will protect your heart. You are my bride, my princess,
my daughter. You are an heir to the kingdom of heaven. You were never lost to
me and I will always come looking for you. I love you.”
