Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
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The next few
days passed in a blur. I didn’t pay
attention to anyone or anything. I
filled my time with trying to find food.
Working wasn’t an option to a girl, and one with no skills either. I didn’t want to steal, because even though my scrolls were gone, I surprised myself with the amount I knew by memory. Besides, harsh penalties
had been spelled out for stealing. And surely,
I thought, God’s laws would be upheld in His own city.
That thought
was crushed as I accidentally wandered into the rough part of town. I stumbled past a sick, or maybe she was
already dead, child. Then I opened my
eyes and I realized where I was. I knew
I’d hit the rough end. Someone was
huddled in the corner, doubled over as if in pain. I at first thought he was hurt, but as I
watched I realized he was cradling loaf of bread, presumably stolen, and he was
trying to take covert bites of it. He didn’t
quite hide it enough, however, and the cry of ‘food’ raced through the
area. The terrified thief attempted to
grab one more bite before throwing the loaf away from him. He was too late. The sudden crowd pounced on him, fighting and beating
the bread out his hands, all desperate for a bite. When the scuffle moved one, I saw to my
horror the bread was gone, and the thief lay, lifeless on the ground. All that for a piece of bread. I thought,
nausea sweeping over me. My hand touched
my pocket where I’d stashed an apple core I’d found on the ground. But no matter how hungry I got, there was no
way I wasn’t going to expose it to this ravenous crowd of savages. Clutching my stomach, lest I be sick, I
turned and fled.
I didn’t
know where I was running to, I just ran as fast as I could, as fast as I could go. I eventually ended up at the temple gate, sobbing
and crying over and over, “If you are truly God, why did that happen?”
I continued
to stand there, sobbing and crying my heart out. Then my grief turned to anger as I stormed,
“You were supposed to be a God of love, but there is no love. Everywhere I go there is violence, neglect
and no one has space for anyone. How
long will you hold yourself aloof?”
And then,
almost without realizing it, I found myself running into the Temple past the
courtyard, past the Holy room, and standing in front of the Holy of
Holies. I put out my hand to pull aside
the curtain, to see and demand answers from this God.
As I touched the curtain, the heavy drapery
suddenly trembled, then ripped, from top to bottom, in front of my eyes. I caught a glimpse of gold, and then I fell
prostrate before my God. Loved.
The End
The inspiration for this story came from the song "Take Me In."
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