Author's Note: I wrote this in my spare time for my religion teacher who is a total nut job. It's kinda crappy and un-edited. All well.
Summary: A young girl loses her mother to cancer, thus losing her innocence as well. A visit from a kind stranger turns her life upside down. (Modern Jesus story)
Disclaimer: I don't own Jesus...
A Companion
Silently, a young girl sat at the base of an old oak tree, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped securely around her legs. Her hair fell around her face in a curtain of brown, somewhat shielding her from the world outside. She stared longingly through her brown locks at the small group of children who paraded around the small swing set, chasing each other in a game of tag. A few girls about her age hung out around the slide, each of them taking their turns going down the long, yellow tube and sliding out into the sand. Their carefree laughter rang out and danced around her, burning her ears and making her want to leave.
But where was she to go? No where. There was no place left for her, except for home which wasn't an option. Her home wasn't a safe haven anymore. It was a place that reminded her of her loss, of the life that faded away into nothing. Her house used to be warm and inviting, welcoming any and all who wanted a place to relax and spend time with family and friends. Recently, it was like a ghost town. Her father wasn't there anymore. No, he was too busy with his own agenda now that her mother was gone.
The girl continued to watch the children play for a little while longer, wishing she could be as innocent as they were again. She wished she could be careless, not understanding what was happening in the world. She watched as a small child tripped and fell, skinning his knee and bursting out into tears. He reached up, screaming for his mommy who came running, offering kisses for his "boo boos" and a sense of comfort.
Comfort. That's what she desperately needed. Someone to kiss away all her pain and make it all better. The one person who would give that comfort was long gone, buried in a world of hurt, pain, and sorrow. Memories came rushing back, clouding her mind with the smiling face of her mother. Her mother lying in a hospital bed, sick, dying. Her mother lying in a casket. A grave marker amongst a sea of other older tombstones.
Her hazel eyes drifted to the ground as she blinked back tears. Defiantly, she raised a hand and wiped away the tears she did not want to shed. A few tears managed to escape, leaking from the corner of her eyes and sliding down her cheek. She watched as a small drop hit the dirt, staining the ground.
Her head snapped up from where it was resting when a brown lunch bag was dropped to the ground beside her. Her hazel eyes widened when she saw a man before her. He was dressed in casual clothing; a white button-up short sleeved shirt and khaki shorts with sandals on his feet. His medium length brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. A few loose strands hung in his face, swaying in the light breeze. She stared at his face the most. Something about him was just way too familiar. Maybe it was the kindness and compassion visible in his brown eyes, they reminded her of her mother. Or maybe it was the light beard that covered his cheeks. It was like the beard her uncle had that scratched her face whenever he tried to give her a kiss.
The man sat down next to her, offering a kind smile, trying to ease her worried mind. She stared at him with wide eyes, not sure if she should get up and run. The smile he gave her made the thoughts of fleeing disappear. In despite of how she was feelings, she looked at the man and smiled at him as well.
"My child, why are you here all alone? Do you not have someone to count on?" he asked, reaching into the paper bag and pulling out a napkin. He spread it out on the ground and weighed it down with two rolls of bread and a bottle of grape juice that he had pulled out from the confines of the lunch bag.
"I'm all alone," the young girl whispered in a broken voice as she watched him break the bread, wondering what he was doing. A brief frown over took his features, but he quickly changed his expression into that of happiness. He would save this girl. He muttered a single prayer before holding out a piece of the bread to her.
"Take this and eat of it," he said kindly, waiting for her to hold out her hand for the offering.
The young girl stared at his hand before looking up to meet his gaze. She was overwhelmed with happiness when she saw the amount of compassion in his eyes. No one had looked at her with that amount of compassion in their eyes except for her mother, who was now deceased. Without anymore hesitation, she reached out and plucked the bread from his hand and placed the small bit on her tongue. She quickly ate the bread and offered the strange man another smile.
"Thank you sir," she said with gratitude, her smile growing wider. She had not smiled in such a long time that in doing so made her cheeks hurt. The man returned the smile before reaching for the grape juice and unscrewing the top. There he said another blessing before holding out the juice to her. The girl wrapped her hand around the bottle, waiting for him to give the small command she knew he would.
"Take this and drink of it," he whispered with a small smile, releasing the grape juice into her hand. She placed the top of the bottle to her lips and greedily sipped the juice. The cool liquid quenched her thirst for not only the need of a drink, but it quenched her thirst for love and acceptance. When others shunned her, this man sat by her and gave her his friendship, if only for a moment.
"Tell me of your troubles, my child. I will do my best to ease your worried mind and send you forth into a world of great bliss," he said with conviction. She couldn't help but smile up at him, even though something in the back of her mind was telling her to not say a word. Despite the little voice in her head advising her not to speak, she opened her mouth and told the man of her troubles. He listened well and offered little interruption until he was sure she was finished telling her tale.
As she finished the story of her life, she took in a deep breath and looked up at the man expectantly. For a moment, he did not answer, staring off into the distance. She was worried that she had bored him with her woes and fears, but those worries were dispelled by the contemplative look on his features. He was going to try and help her, and for that she was grateful.
Moments passed before he offered his words of wisdom. He spoke of many things, mostly centered around Scripture. He told her stories of God's love, of how he never left an individual. She found it odd for she had not listened to the words of God in a long while, but she listened none the less. Passage after passage etched themselves in her mind. Once he had finished his preaching, he smiled once more at her.
"Do you understand, my child, of God's love? He will never leave you in times of peril for he cannot abandon you. He does not have it in him to forsake anyone. If you confide in Him, all will be well," he said, patting the young girl on the head softly. He tousled her hair slightly as a sign of affection before standing up.
"Where are you going sir?" she asked standing up as well.
"I am going back to my Father. I have done what I was called to do," he said with another bright smile before taking his leave.
With admiration, she watched him walk away. A new feeling of hope began to well up in her chest, threatening to burst through. As he walked away, he turned his head to peer over his shoulder.
"Remember, child, walk in the light of the Lord. Do not turn away from him. Open you heart and allow Him in and you shall never be alone or unloved. But if you shut your heart to him, you will be stripped of God's graces. With Him, you shall experience true happiness and bliss. But without Him, you will be cast into a world of hurt and turmoil," the man called over his shoulder. Once his message had been given, he simply disappeared.
Wide-eyed, the young girl rubbed her eyes. She could not believe what she had seen. Was she going insane? She opened her eyes once again and looked around for her one companion. But he was not there.
"Had he really been here?" she asked herself, putting her weight against the old oak. She shook her head slightly before turning to the playground once again. A smile spread across her lips as she saw a group of kids starting another game of tag. Without a care in the world, she ran to the group, asking if she could join in their fun.