Under an oak tree

Though it is her favorite sport, Annie refused to play basketball. She kept low watching the cheerleaders. Her fierce eyes grew cold.  She put the joy of her trey aside but plunged herself to fight the haunting dark shadows. "Ann! Annn!" her mom shouted. She unwillingly hit an angle, but her mom couldn’t catch a glimpse of her. She could still smell that scent left behind her scarf. As soon as she got home, she washed it with a fine detergent. Her mom, "Honey! What are you doing?" She rolled her cold shimmered eyes, " Nothing". She tried to rub off that stingy incense from her mind. She scurried upstairs and fell on the bed like a corpse. She didn’t move but couldn't help staring at that crimson scarf placed on the table. She shut her eyes tightly hoping something would change.  In the morning, she woke up to the sounds of chaos in her head, more annoying than an alarm clock. She sat up gazing at the bells that hung down from the ceiling of her room, where depravity took its place. But nothing changed. It was just another day. She went down to the backyard, retrieving her loathful bygone. She sat helplessly under that old oak tree, clutching her knees close to her chest as if she cuddled a baby. She got drowned within nowhere in the midst of the silence. She has never heard this silence, so loud.  She fought the nausea as she was unable to hear of it anymore. She decided to burn that crimson scarf and right there she did it with all passion hoping she could get rid of it. But the stench is still on her mind chasing her, not leaving her even for a second. She fastened her shoe lace, took a bicycle and headed towards the beach. Poor Annie did not realize that, this incense never died instead crept into her very nerves.

Staring endlessly into the horizon, while the waves from a distant rushed to sink her feet, she dig her fingers deep into the sand. She took a handful of it and threw out aimlessly in the sea. Nothing changed, things remained the same. She could still smell that stench he had left on her scarf though it was burned. The cauterized notions kept pricking her. She felt the blood taking waves swiftly in her body from the head to the sole, her heart beating faster than ever. A rupturing trauma churned her stomach to grave. Smoke poured out of the nostrils of the air. The infernal stench now has odorized into every cell in her body. All she wanted is to disappear. She wished she could go along with the waves rushing back to the cradle. She closed her lids causelessly for a moment. She heard someone whispering into her ears with a sweet voice, "I will deliver you because I love you!"  All of a sudden the voice has made everything calm. The waves rising up and down with all estrangement deep inside her heart came to a sudden halt. The quarantined isolation unexhausted her nerves without leaving her in bewilderment. She deemed to believe the voice, with a reckoning faith. It was the first time she heard of Jesus from her Sunday school teacher preaching at the temple last Sunday.  She heard it again and got up from that place. She realized it was Him. She scampered towards her home like a scuttling worm.

She then took a Book covered in black, placed in a dusty rack. She rode her bicycle in haste. She entered the gates of the temple behind her school lane. To her amusement, she wept in silence. Coming back to her room, she looked in the mirror and smiled a little. The shadows under her eyes have disappeared. She saw herself as a brand new creation. A slow voice behind, she felt someone calling her, “Annie, dearie!"  It was her mom. In a flash, she hastened towards her, hugged and kissed all over her face. "Ann, Honey! Where have you been?" Her brown eyes turning blue, she said, “Mom!” her eyes shining vigorously.

"Yes, Hon!” she bit her lip, waiting keenly for an answer.

"Mom! Jesus loves me!" A huge creep on her face, hugging even more tightly, as it lasted for eternity. She couldn't smell that stench again. Never the stench! Never again!!

Description: Annie, an 11 year old fictitious girl encountered a strange situation in her life, close to molestation, by a 35 year old man. He left the stench of his indecent acts for her. Her inclusion in it, kept badgering her thoughts. An 11 year old girl would probably not know the exact meaning of this absurd mistreatment. Yet she undergoes a mixed tinge of feelings. She created a space in her heart which was clergy and stingy. She has reminded that there is someone who could take away her burden when she has heard from her Sunday school teacher.  When she had let some time and space for Jesus to come in and take over her mental anguish, her faith expanded in Him. She was never that timid little Annie, but turned to be a wise and a bold teenager. Her faith in Christ has been justified.

Photography by Mercy Susanna

Y E S H U A

Under the argent beam of moonlight, she called out names at the corner of the street. She tried to capture young men with her eyelids. “Come in, let me fill you with the deepest desire you have. Let's drink deep of love. Come let’s enjoy ourselves and spend the night together.” Men walked clinging to their bottles filled half with wine. Watching and waiting, as the dry leaves rustled in the breeze, she saw a man dressed in white, pass by. Jingling earrings hanging down her shoulder, she came towards him with her neck outstretched. She put her hand on her hip, a creep so cunning on the face and rolled her painted eyes, “What’s your name?” He turned and watched her in silence. His eyes filled with compassion, perplexed her. She couldn’t look into his, for longer. A lump formed in her throat, she couldn’t breathe for a while. Her mouth went dry. The lines on her forehead disappeared. Her face calm and still, eyes filled with tears washed her inside out. Quiescent ripples on her lips; with a hushed voice she called him, “Yeshua!” In a flash, she picked up her scarlet robe behind and draped it around, in disguise. Falling on her knees she cried out, “Lord! Lord!! How hast thou looketh into these eyes of a harlot?” He touched her famished soul with His. Conciliation steadied her fickle heart. He saw her profound regret. He said with an intense tenderness, “Woman! Your sins are forgiven. I’m making you a pure bride. Never look back.”




Storytelling
Based on Scripture-Proverbs 7-17,18; John 8:11

E V E R L A S T I N G

"Your kingdom is everlasting kingdom,

 and your dominion endures through all generations.

 The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look to you, and give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."

Psalms 145:13-16

Our God Almighty is powerful, compassionate, merciful and gives everything in abundant. He is faithful and not partial. He loves everyone equally. But we think that He does not, as every person is different , for the things we possess. Some rich some poor. Some fair some dark. Some weak some strong. Some good some bad. Some blessed some cursed. We do fight these questions in our head. But God loves everyone of us equally. That is how and why He gave His one and only Son to the whole world. Not some, but everyone as mentioned in John 3:16. Yet, we desire to sow the bad seeds and buy destruction to our lives. We live in bliss, ignoring the common grace which was shed as the blood on the cross for every human. We reap what we sow despite being good or bad. Let me quote from Galatians 6:7-8 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps  what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Believe that God is ever faithful, ever loving, and everlasting. 

Blessed be! :)