The following is an extremely vivid dream I had this week. I woke in fright and after much consideration, I think the theme of this is ‘genuine faith’. There are three parts:
The wind whipped around the four of us as if it too wanted us dead. Gunshots popped nearby and with each one the children in my arms winced and cried out. In a few moments they would be upon us and would do God only knows what to myself and the children; but the woman quivering beside me had been one of them. They would be especially cruel to her. Like deer we had been driven higher and higher through the woods until we came at last to the bluff. I told them all that things would be fine, and this was a lie. Looking down at the flaming houses and thickening smoke below, I realized just how ridiculous the lie was.
Somewhere in all of these desperate thoughts I was brought back to my last day on earth by the pleading eyes of the boy. He did not say anything; he just tugged my shirt and with his eyes asked every question I had no answer for. I had nothing to hope. Then, emerging from my doubt like a messenger bursting through the crowd, my faith came back to me. I bowed my head, fell to my knees and sobbed. All three of them were staring at me; I could feel their wondering eyes.
“We have nothing to fear.” I sat back and faced them. “They cannot touch our destiny.” I could sense relief in the children, but the woman still looked fearfully to the woods. “Yes, you too. They have your past.” I gestured toward the trees. “But they cannot touch-”
From the thicket a man leapt with a shout of gibberish and a flourish of his weapon. He laughed violently and fired into the air. As he did, all time seemed to slow. His eyes connected mine; they were so fierce and full of rage and I could not look away so I pushed back toward the ridge. Slowly, unavoidably he lowered his gun and aimed it directly at the woman’s belly. The wind pushed her black hair into her face. We all screamed but our mouths only opened, and the sound of the gunshot echoed off my tongue. I fell back from the present ruin and saw only devastation below. Turning from the hellish landscape to a gun barrel in my temple, I closed my eyes for death and then it was gone.
The world was upside down for a moment. I thought he had shot me, but I saw the woman and children tumbling in the air beside me and this time I could hear them screaming. My stomach was in frenzy and my dead hands and feet clawed out for anything as the swirling back and orange rushed at us. Then darkness.
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Read Part 2
