(This very short story is based off a dream my nana had; it inspired me to write the story so that I can picture it all happening.)
The voices of the crowd around me grew almost as loud as the noise inside my head, asking questions that couldn’t be answered and making conversation about each one’s journey into the unknown. Where were we going? We didn’t know, but we did understand we were going somewhere, and we all moved forward as an excited mob. I was eager for adventure but also nervous because of the lack of a plan, the insecurity of no control. Looking from person to person, hill to hill, tree to tree, I tried to decipher even where I was, where we were, but didn’t recognize a single person or thing. We should have been able to help each other, to come together and figure out our path; yet each person, though moving with the crowd, had only their own journey in mind.
I looked up toward the front of the crowd, still searching for something familiar, when my eyes caught on an unusual group of men. They stood to the left of the crowd, four or five gentlemen conversing with One Who was unlike any person I had ever seen. The men, though shining with a wisdom and purity I could hardly comprehend, could not compare to the Man clothed in purest white, face glowing with love and truth, courage and loyalty. How all of these traits could be seen just by observing Him, I cannot tell you, but I knew, as I knew nothing else, that this Man was good.
I had continued to flow with the people, my eyes held onto those remarkable men, when suddenly I slammed into the back of the woman in front of me. After briefly apologizing and receiving forgiveness, I realized that the whole crowd had halted. Instinctively my eyes peered forward, around shoulders and hats and children riding on backs, to identify the holdup. Soon I found two men in the very front of the people, barring us from moving ahead. Their eyes were kind, but their faces were firm. They began to speak, but at first I couldn’t hear them because of the tumultuous crowd. In a moment, however, their voices broke through and brought a hush over us.
“Where are you going, so we can point you in the right direction?”
We all looked at each other as we had done so many times before, but couldn’t find an answer. “I don’t know,” each of us said when we couldn’t deliberate any longer. Excitement came over me as I said those words, because I was ready for adventure, for joy, for true life; finally, someone might be able to help me, to help us.
Suddenly, I felt a gentle grip on my arm. Looking up, I realized that the Beautiful Man was pulling me over to Him. He had reached past shoulders and hats and children riding on backs to take my hand. An electrical peace flowed through His hand into my arm and throughout my body. As He drew me to His side and wrapped His right arm around my shoulder, He looked at the men barring the people and said, “She’s with Me.”
Oh, what joy, what ecstasy came over me! I had finally found a purpose, a Person to belong to.
No—that’s not right. He found me.
I gazed up at Him adoringly as He finished His conversation with the four wise men, and then together we turned and started up a hill. Where were we going? I didn’t know, but I understood that this Man did.
And that was all I needed.