Writer note: This idea came to me as I was driving to church. I was singing a song called "Traveling Light" that seemed to fit Lisa's struggle of getting over her past traumas, and thought it would be a good idea to try. This will probably be a two part story.
Waves beat gently at the bottom of the cliff, echoing above the ledge. The ankle-length grass swayed soothingly against her bare legs. She was walking down a well-beaten path, not knowing where it led or why she was following it. It was a path she couldn't control. Sometimes it led her to places that brought much joy. Other times it led her to places she did not wish to be.
For the longest time though, she stood there on the path rooted to the ground, just staring forward to where she could go but too scared to take that step. Standing still pained her and she wept bitterly over the reason why she couldn't move. It wasn't her fault she had stopped, though at times she did blame herself for what had happened. It was stupidity to blame one's self for something they couldn't control and she knew this, but it happened regardless of what she thought.
There was a bag on her shoulders. It use to be light as if nothing was in it, but over the years it had weighted down her shoulder with stones that she could only describe as miserable. The longer she stood still there, the heavier the bag became and it only made her want to fall down from the burden and give up on the journey for good.
But today she was moving again, though only several yards, not much to make any difference. It was the boulder she needed to get to. A force was drawing her to it, and she yearned to be there.
She stopped abruptly when she found there was a Man sitting on the boulder. At first she was afraid. She had never seen anyone on the path before. He looked at her expectantly, His eyes full of love.
"Come, child," His voice rolled over her like a soft wave of warmth and her heart was filled with delight. As He spoke those words, light seemed to shine from his very being and she found herself seated next to Him on the boulder. Her bag of stones lay beside her, and when she looked down at herself, she realized that her adult body was like a child's body.
She looked up into the face of the Man and asked, "Why are You here on my path?"
"I am here to carry your burden," He answered and gestured to her bag slumping next to her on the boulder.
Her face contorted in fear. "But it's my burden. I must carry it."
"You do not have to, child," His voice was solid and authoritive, but still held the love that shone from his eyes. "I have the strength to carry it. All you must do is surrender it to me." He held out his hand. "It is your choice to give me your miserable stones."
She clutched the bag to her chest, the weight of the stones pressing hard on her legs. She hated these stones. All they brought was pain and hate and fear. So why was it so hard to let them go?
"It is always hard to let go of a burden that has consumed you for so long," He said, reading her thoughts. "But letting them go is the only way to move forward."
Always look forward – someone special had told her. She wanted to look forward again, and move down the path that she had been stilled on for so long. Her trust in this Man was growing every second she was by His side. He smiled down at her, and from that smile she knew that she had the strength enough to do what needed to be done.
She reached into her bag, hesitatingly at first. As soon as her fingers wrapped around a stone, she pulled it from the bag and handed it to the Man. He grasped it then turned to his other side and placed it in His bag. One by one, she gave Him her miserable stones until her bag was light again.
"Is your bag heavy like mine was?" she asked innocently as He placed the last stone into his.
He laughed softly. "Child of Mine, I may carry your burden and all who give me their burdens, but my bag is as light as yours presently is. For I have strength enough to carry the entire world's burden."
She gazed at Him in amazement. How could one Man have such strength?
"That is answered in here." A small book appeared on His lap and He lifted it to show her the cover. It was brown with a gold oil lamp on the far right corner. She studied the small book, taken in every detail so not to forget it.
She looked up into the Man's face, smiling brightly. "I'm ready to move forward now."
He stroked her wavy hair once. "Go, child."
She took up her bag and started down the path renewed, her burden light once again.
Lisa popped her eyes open. She groaned. It was morning. Work called.
As she climbed out of bed, she caught sight of her purse sitting on the top of her dresser. Her eyebrows knitted together. Didn't she have a dream about carrying a bag with stones in it? She laughed uncomfortably. What an odd dream that was!
She moved on, pushing the dream to the back of her mind and beginning her day as she always did every morning.