I wrote this as an assignment for school but am praying that the Lord would allow me to write more and hopefully someday it will become a book. I already have the second chapter in mind and where i want the story to go. So please pray that if the Lord wills it that i would be able to finish this not for my glory but His!!
Side note to Esther: yes the young girl in here was named after you, should this ever become a book it will be dedicated to the two godly ladies God has used in my life to direct me towards Him that being you and Lynnae Callison ( Lynnae's character does not come into play until later in the book!).
Cold chains clink together; the darkness is so thick that one cannot see what is ahead or behind. I can feel warm liquid oozing through the sores on my feet from stumbling along the path all day. Dragging our feet with each step, we walk sullenly. Not knowing what lies ahead or what our final destination will be, we lifelessly stagger forward.
Letting out a sinister whisper, the Dark One suddenly interrupts our mundane lag; he informs us that this is where we will stop for the night. Pulling over to the side of the rocky path, we all begin feeling for a tree to lean against. Finding the tree line we slump slowly against the enormous trees. Moans go up all along the line from the battered lot of us; our legs and feet are cut and bruised from the brutal trail. The shackles, that bind our wrists, burn against our skin from the strain of being linked together with over fifty other people.
As I lean against a tree, my mind races with thoughts of what would happen next. “Will he ever free us?” I wonder. “Will we get the delicious cakes again tonight?” Just thinking of the scrumptious cakes makes my mouth water.
Turning to the person next to me, I inquire if he thinks that we will get the cakes. “I doubt it. He only gives us them a little at a time. Sometimes we go for months without them. I think it is because he wants us to thirst and hunger more and more for them so we will not take him for granted.”
Suddenly, the Dark One heads down the line of chains, toward me. Repeating the same phrase he does every night, his voice, almost snakelike, cackles as he passes each person. “Freedom and all your desires are what I have promised, and them you shall have once we reach our destination. You are in the right; you have chosen the truth and the way. You all will have great riches and blessing.”
I can tell by the groaning of the ones who sit ahead of me that the “cakes” are not being passed out tonight.
When he finally stops in front of me and finishes his speech, I ask him why it is so dark and why I feel like there is still something missing. He promised me only four days ago when I stumbled onto him that I could have everything I wanted. He promised me a better life and so far I have found nothing but emptiness and despair. “All you have given me is darkness and an empty feeling inside. Where are the great riches? Where is the light?” I inquire.
“You have had the cakes; have you not? No one is bossing you around anymore. You are free from your authorities. Are you not?” A cold chill creeps up my spine as I hear his voice. Dejected and alone, with no real answers given to my question, I slump back down against the tree.
Before long, I fall into a fitful sleep. The chains that bind my wrists are pulled this way and that. Causing me to be pulled around against my will, as others ahead and behind keep tossing and turning their bodies. Waking suddenly with a jerk of my chain, I rub my hands against my face, noticing that it has sunken in considerably. I know I need nourishment but not the kind I have been receiving from him.
His so-called nourishment, although tasty, never fills me and only leaves me desiring more. It never fully satisfies the hunger that burns deep within my soul. I know there is something missing. I know that this is not true freedom. But how can I get out? And if I did where could I go?
As these thoughts dart through my head, I suddenly catch sight of a small light on the path from the direction we had come. It looks as if it is moving towards me. I rub my eyes to make certain that I am not imagining it. Sure enough, it is a small light. Just looking at it warms my soul, and yet a sense of awe and great power comes over me at the same time.
As it edges closer, it begins to light up everything around and behind it. Colors – I can actually see colors now! The green grass and brown tree trunks send me a glimmer of hope. All along the road and amongst the trees, flowers start popping up out of nowhere. As the light begins to illuminate those farther down and closer to the light than me, I can finally see what they look like. Their hair and faces are gray. Deathlike, gnarled hands shade their eyes from the blinding light. They look like skeletons. Some reach for the light, while others who have been with the Dark One for a long while struggle at the chains as they try to get away from the light.
I begin to see people on the path. But these people are nothing like us; they have no chains. They are well fed and have beautiful faces. They are people of many ages and all colors; each person is clothed in white. Satisfaction beams on their countenances!
But perhaps the oddest thing is they have a Master like we do. However, this Master is very different. He is not harsh or cold, and He does not bind his slaves in chains. He does not walk slumped over. Having no sly grin but a warm expression, He wears white, and His face shines brightly.
Passing by, He turns His gaze toward me. His brown eyes pierce into what feels like my very soul. I know that He can see all of my short comings — all of my sin. I suddenly feel exposed; I have no where to hide and no excuse to give.
A feeling of uncleanness overtakes me; I am unworthy to even hold His gaze. But instead of sneaking away farther into the woods, something else within His eyes catches my attention. A flutter of hope runs through my ravaged being. I can see love and compassion mingled with divine power and holy judgment. As He continues along the path, the people following Him begin to exit. Starting to talk to some of those around me, they show no judgment just compassion and empathy.
Looking at the stretch of trail before me, I see a girl heading straight towards me. Clothed in a white robe, she looks like she is about ten years old. Her red curls cascade down at her sides. Her face beams with happiness and a joy which I have never seen before. She kneels down beside me. I quickly turn my back to her in shame and begin straining against the chains trying to get away.
As I do this, I look towards the Dark One. He is just a ways off looking straight at the One in white, who had just passed by. I can see fear in the Dark One’s eyes, mingled with hatred toward the Master of all these beautiful people.
The Dark One’s gaze quickly turns toward me, and I can hear a faint whisper slither from his mouth. “Don’t listen to them; they lie. Don’t heed a word they say. You will lose everything and will be miserable. You will have no fun! None of your desires will be fulfilled; stay here with me! I will be back as soon as they have passed on. Don’t go! I hope you are here when I return.” With that he slinks farther into the woods.
“Would you like to be free?”
The girl’s calm voice grabs me. Turning around, I lower my eyes to the ground. “Is that even possible?” I ask. “Just look at me! I’m clothed in black, with chains around my wrists; no one can break them! And look at you clothed in white; you have no chains. You should not associate with me. I do not deserve this attention from you. I am not worthy.”
“You are right,” she replies. “I have no chains, and I am wearing white. I have been set free, but I was once like you. I was once bound by sin and clothed in black as you are now. I know what it feels like to be bound in chains. I know the despairing feeling of hopelessness as one hungers for something more.”
“Tell me then how it is you came to not be like this,” I ask as I look into her emerald eyes.
Her voice feels like a breath of fresh air as she begins to explain. “He unlocked the chains. My master gave me these white clothes; He set me free!” Pulling out a piece of bread from her pocket, she continues. “You look starved; would you like some bread?”
The bread she holds looks so delicious and warm; its aroma trickles from her hand to my nose. My stomach begins to growl. “Tell me just one thing; does it satisfy? Will I still feel hunger pangs after eating it?”
“Yes and no,” she states. A puzzled expression forms creases on my forehead.
“Please explain. I do not understand how something can satisfy and yet leave one hungry for more?”
“It satisfies alright,” she continues, “but you will always want more. That is a wonderful thing because there is always plenty to go around; we never run out!” she exclaims excitedly. Offering the piece again, she puts it before my face. Grabbing it, I take a bite and swallow. Suddenly the hunger pangs cease. At the same time, my heart stirs within me. I am satisfied for the time being and yet still want more.
“What is this freedom you speak of?” I inquire. Her green eyes flood with joy as she begins to tell me all about her Master. She explains how He holds the keys to unlock the tight chains that bind us.
When she finishes her explanation, another question bursts out of my mouth like water from a flood gate. “Would you ask Him if He will set me free?” My voice trembles with excitement. “Oh yes!” she exclaim. Rising to her feet, she skips away toward the path.
I watch her master as she makes her way toward Him. He appears to be kneeling on His knees. I can see His mouth moving; it seems that He is talking to someone, but no one is in sight.
“Master, a young lady wants to be free; she has tried the bread of life and is desperate to be liberated from her sin, guilt, and the Dark One.”
“I have been praying for her. I knew you would come soon; let’s go,” he replies. I can tell by His voice that He is overjoyed at the news, and it almost seems like He is trying to keep back tears from spilling down His face.
It takes only moments for them to reach me; joy floods my being as I watch Him approach. When He stops just in front of me, I bow to the ground in reverence to Him. Stooping down to my level, He lifts my chin and smiles. “I can free you, but you must understand that I will be your master now. No chains will bind you. You can leave at anytime. At any point, you can stray from the path and from my very presence. It is my pleasure to free you, and I hope that you will always stay near me. And should you stray, I will always pursue you, but never bind you and make you come back.” His voice sounds smoother than the rocks at the bottom of a fast flowing river.
With that said, He reaches into His pocket and pulls out a golden key with an inscription: “Paid for with my blood: your justification.”
Suddenly my shackles snap with a loud crack. Rusty, orange dust falls from them as they crash to the forest floor. It feels like a weight has been lifted from me. Starting at my feet, my clothes begin to transform to a pure white. My face shines with thankfulness as my gaze falls on the Master before me.
“Thank you!” was all I could manage to stammer. But before I could gather my thoughts and thank Him more, some other followers of His ask Him to come and unlock others like me from their sin-ravaged lives. My Master quietly slips away with them.
“I am so happy that you are free,” sitting next to me on the forest floor, the red- haired girl giggles with delight. But something about the Master struck me and I need answers.
“Little girl, what is your name?” I ask, tired of just calling her, “little girl.”
“Esther,” she replies.
“Esther, please tell me, why does our Master have scars on His wrists and feet, and why when He unlocked my chains, did they start bleeding? Where did He get them? Why does He have them?”
Suddenly, sadness and remorse pervades her face.
“Because in order to obtain the key that unlocks our sin chains, He had to suffer and die a terrible death. Those holes that you saw were made by nails; He died on the cross to obtain the key: our key to freedom.”
Great grief streams through my being as she talks. Suddenly my freedom became more special to me; my freedom had cost something great. It had been free for me; however it had cost my master a great deal.
My legs spring into action as my eyes dart everywhere looking for the One who has set me free. Finally, I spot Him back at the rock kneeling and whispering.
I sprint towards Him. He lifts His head with a smile as He sees me approach. “My daughter, is there something wrong?” He asks concern dripping off every word. Finally before Him, I kneel to the ground. “Thank you, Master; thank you for dying so that I may be free. I had not realized moments ago what it had cost you to set me free from my chains. Master, you are worthy of all my praise, all my love, and all my devotion. I will follow you!”
Once again, He stoops low and lifts my face to His. “Little child, you have been set free. I am glad to hear that you have chosen my path.”
Turning my face toward the ground, He points out another path next to His.
“This, child, was the path you had been following.”
Looking at the two, I can tell that the one I had been on has many rocks and the one He leads is smooth. The one on the left is wide; but His on the right is narrow. Looking farther down the paths, I can see that My Master’s leads into fields of flowers and past peaceful streams.
But down the path I had been on, I see that it leads through fields of desolation. No grass can be found anywhere. Dry cracked earth, speckled by thorn bushes, is all that is visible. And at the very end, I can see that it would have led to my death in a lake of fire.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death,” His voice whispers softly in my ear. I turn to face Him as I wrap my arms around Him. His arms envelope me in a tight embrace. “Now again, I tell you that you have a choice. You do not always have to follow me. It is easy to stray off of my path because it is narrow. Although you have escaped death, you can still wander from me and get lost and hurt. Always stay close to me. Keep eating the bread of life everyday, and stay on the path. One cannot serve two masters; either he will love the one and hate the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You left the Dark One today, but He will always be out to get you to stumble. You must decide every moment who you will serve. Will you serve and follow me? Or will you stray away with the Dark One? The choice I leave to you, my daughter.”
With that He begins heading back down the path as I and many from the Dark One’s legion follow behind Him.
Not wanting to give up on their master or their sinful desires, still others cling to the trees and to their sin.
“Tell me, will we see others like me along our path?” I ask Esther as I join her on the new path.
“Yes, maybe even soon. You will find that it is a special occasion indeed. The Master has given us the privilege of sharing our story with them and of leading them to Him. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Yes indeed it is,” I reply taking her hand in mine. “I can hardly wait!”
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