NIV
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psalm 57:10
The red-haired girl pulled down her hood. Her eyes opened and exposed her emerald green pupils to the dim light. Her gaze was crystalline, it looked like diamond, amber or gems.
The girl was walking along with her friend, a tall, slender boy with dark blue hair. His eyebrows were pronounced and the axis of his gaze was fixed forward.
The pair of friends had arrived in Hope, the most famous port in the area, and the one with the best quality.
As the two explored the local fair, they encountered a kind woman who shared directions.
The sun was shining down on the place, its rays falling delicately on the leaves of the treetops, where little birds sang praises to the Most High.
As they laughed and chatted, the young men crossed a long stone path surrounded by trees, until they reached their destination...
They were back Home.
When they arrived Home, their grandfather was already waiting for them.
"I thank God that you have returned safe and sound! How good it is to see you again. Come in and tell me how your adventures went."
Once the young men came in, they told their grandfather about their experiences. They told him about their most important journeys, and some impressive details.
Meanwhile, their grandfather listened attentively and prepared food for them.
"You two seem to get along very well, you make a great team!"
After saying that, he served them each a plate of food.
After a while in silence, Grandpa spoke:
"And tell me, how long are you going to stay this time?"
They both looked at each other blankly.
"You know what I mean! You both always travel! And together! When are you going to leave again to travel?"
The boys replied that for this time, they planned to stay and rest in Hope longer than usual before returning to their adventures.
"That's good. Hope has its own thing going on too. I don't think I ever told you this but, there's an amazing place here that you guys haven't gone to see yet."
Grandpa left for a while and came back with a large map.
As he showed it to both of them, they recognized the city of Hope drawn all over the map.
"We are in the core of Hope, right in the center, if you go further to where the Rose Garden is, you can cross over and go around the Museum, until you get to the Surrounding Woods, and just before you get to the other town, you will see a lake there. Over it there is a bridge, and next to it there is a small stone structure. It is very tall, and although it is no longer in use, it is functional and clean and in order, as I was left in charge of it. If you go up the stairs, you can get to the top, you'll feel like you're in a lighthouse on dry land, and you can see the whole city from the top. There's nothing else like it."
So they both took the map, said goodbye to their grandfather, and embarked on a new adventure.
Arriving at the Rose Garden, they both noticed the abundance of roses and their varieties, all beautifully arranged and strategically planted to decorate the place. The accompanying statues were white and unobtrusive, so that the show was still the roses. In addition, different types of statues could be seen in the Rose Garden. These were Saints, Apostles, Knights Templar, and different important Christians throughout time. All the statues were in a praying position, and looking forward, with their heads bowed, and at the end, at the highest part, there was a statue of a rock and Jesus sitting on it, explaining his sermon. [The Sermon of the Mount].
Further on they came upon the Museum, which contained relics and various stories shown through material form about the History of the Church, but they went around it, both going around the right side of the Museum, until they came to the surrounding woods.
In these there was nothing particularly impressive, but it was a particularly peaceful and quiet place, ideal for a picnic or to play with your children or pets, it was almost, almost, a park.
When they finished, they could already see the bridge, the Observatory and the border with the other city.
Before crossing the bridge, they knelt down, and making sure no one was looking at them, they prayed to God. They had already prepared themselves; they had a glass bottle ready in a box where they would have to put a message. This had to be a message of encouragement to whoever would read it, with a scripture attached and a gift included.
They both put some money in the bottle, and a bracelet that was similar to those that appeared in a painting of King David. This one was inscribed, "Christ Lives." And on the other side, it said, "Christ Reigns, King of Kings."
When they corked the bottle, they threw it into the river until it reached the person it was meant to reach. Once their eyes could no longer see the bottle, they crossed the bridge and went up to the Observatory.
The view was splendid. It was like being in a skyscraper, you could see everything from there. From the Great Local Church, to the business buildings, the schools, the fair, the town hall, and much, much more...
And the harbor. Hope Harbor.
"What do you like best about Hope, John?"
"I think what I like most is how the town looks golden from the sunsets and the sunrises. And I don't need to be up here to realize that."
"It reminds me of Heaven when it looks like that."
"And you?"
"So for me, what I like the most is, with no doubt, the people here. Everyone in this place is so kind and warm, even though I've met some very nice people in my life, the warmth and homesickness of Hope added to that factor makes me feel anchored here. I can't imagine living anywhere else."
"Would you like to settle here in the future?"
"I think so. It's quiet. It's nice to have a home to come back to and a bed to lie in after a few adventures. As they say, there's no place like Home."
"Good point."