Beyond the Gray Sky (Chs 1 and 2)

Chapter One: Alone

She ran.  She ran like it was the only thing she had left in the world. Maybe it was.  In that moment, she had nothing; she was nothing.  Everything she had held dear was taken from her in one instant.  It was as if she could feel her entire being sucked from her body when she heard those words: "Your parents did not survive." It was in that moment that she became a shell, too numb to feel.
         The funeral had happened so fast, she hadn't been sure if she was experiencing it.  Like a statue, she remained motionless in front of the caskets, oblivious to her sympathizers except for the circling comments they had amongst themselves. "I can't believe they are gone." "It's so terrible, a plane crash." "Poor girl, she's all alone."  Alone. That word panged inside her.  Was that what she was now?  When she was aware of her surroundings, she looked at all the faces around her.  They all just seemed to blur together; no face evoking any emotion or memory within her.  These people were foreign to her.  Yes, she was alone.
         She had held her composure through most of the ceremony, feeling nothing, almost like it wasn’t happening.  It was almost as if she was floating above the room watching it happen to someone else.  Like a sponge, she took it all in, the pastor’s words, mourners’ sobs, but she released nothing.  In her mind it was all mixing together, the voices and the people, until finally she was standing in the cemetery.  It was while she watched them lower the caskets into the ground that she finally broke.  Suddenly she knew where she was, she knew what was happening, and she knew what was going to be.  She didn’t know how to be alone.  Her whole life her parents had taken care of her and loved her.  They were the only people she was close to. And that’s why she ran, because it was the only thing she had left in the world.
         Time passed in an instant until she found herself sitting in the park in the solitude of the night.  There was no way she would go to her house.  It was going to be taken away soon anyway she was sure.  At only nineteen she couldn’t handle the debts that were about to be passed on to her.  Not only had she lost the most important things in her life, but she knew her life was about to change forever.  First the house would be gone.  She’d have to drop out of school, without her parents she didn’t have the means, or the will.  Worst of all, she had no where to stay.  There was no where she could go.
         Engulfed in these thoughts of loss, she remained on the park bench, finding no solution.  “Lord, what am I going to do?” she muttered as she dropped her head into her arms.
         “You poor child,” said a voice next to her, causing her to jump in surprise.  It came from an old man who was now sitting next to her.  Before she could question him he continued to speak.  “He knows what has happened to you and He wants to help you. You will find Him here.” The old man handed her a card with an address written it. She took the card and looked down to read it.  1417 West River Street. 
         “Who is “He”?” she asked looking up only to find that the man had disappeared and strangely enough, even though he was just standing before her, she found herself unable to remember his features.

Chapter 2: What Lies Beyond

“1417 West River Street” she read aloud before looking up at the address on the church before her.  It was a match.  She rested her hand on the door and sighed.  It was disappointing.  For some reason, that old man had given her a glimmer of hope, but it was obvious to her now he was just merely trying to convert her, not realizing she was already converted.  Regardless, she went inside, wondering if maybe she could find something comforting within in those walls.
         Walking in slowly, her eyes immediately went to the large cross hanging above the pulpit.  She quickly scanned the pews.  There was no one there but her.  She walked up to the first pew and looked up at the cross.  “He said you were waiting for me, well, here I am,” she sighed before kneeling.  She folded her arms and bowed her head as she silently prayed for some guidance.  Suddenly, a breeze blew through the church, and she opened her eyes in search of the cause and upon doing so, she noticed that the candles surrounding the pulpit were now lit.  She stood up slowly, fearful of what was going on. 
         “Don’t be afraid, you’ve come to the right place,” said a soothing voice coming towards her.  Quickly, she turned to face its owner.  It was a young man this time.  He was walking towards her, and it appeared to her that he almost had a light radiating from him.  Like the old man she had encountered previously, even though she was looking right at him, she found herself incapable of distinguishing his features except for whether he was old or young.
         “Who are you?” she asked taking a step back.
         “A messenger” he said, approaching her.
         She took a few more steps back, “A messenger? For who?”
         He stopped in front of her and his eyes looked right into hers.  She relaxed a little; something about his eyes was very tranquil.
         “I think you know” he said as he looked up at the cross.  Her eyes gazed up at it as well, as she realized what he meant.  She then looked at him again in disbelief.
         “You’re kidding, right?” she asked, wondering if this was just a terrible joke.
         The man just smiled at her.  “Your life is not a joking matter.”
         She was taken aback by this comment.  “What do you know about my life?” she asked suspicious.
         “Only what He wishes me to know”
         She crossed her arms and cocked her head. What was this guy’s game, she wondered.  Was he one of those tricky televised preachers that pretended to know of people’s burdens, just to lure them in and ultimately swindle them?  What could he possibly know about her life?  It was impossible for him to know.  He knew not of her pain, her loss, and her desperation and she was offended.  She did not need someone trying to manipulate her when she had far greater concerns. 
She looked up at him, her eyes narrowed as she mockingly asked, “Yeah? And what’s this message He has for me then?”
         The compassionate smile remained on the man’s face.  “Hope is not lost for you.  He has heard your cries and he has a great purpose for you.”
         Her arms fell to her side and her jaw dropped slightly.  Something ran through her; a peace of some sort.  For some reason that she could not understand, those words were enough for her to think that maybe it wasn’t a joke.
         “Behind this church is a large field,” the man continued, “And on the other side of the field you will find a forest.  Go into that forest and you will find something there.  This is where your destiny lies.”
         In a trance from his words, she finally asked, “What will I find there?”
         As he took a step back he said, “This you must discover on your own.”  Suddenly, a breeze blew through the church again and she turned once more in search of the cause.  When she turned back around, the man was gone and the candles were no longer lit.  She looked around the church slowly.
         “Hello?” she called, only to receive no response.  Had that man really been there or had grief driven her insane?
         She walked to the back door of the church and stepped outside.  Just as the man had told her, there was a large field and in the distance beyond it she could see the top of the forest.  Perhaps she wasn’t crazy. She took a deep breath before proceeding towards the field, wondering if what she would find could really turn her life around.