Foot Prints
He was the strangest little boy I'd ever met, wise beyond his ten years. He huddled on the couch in my office his head turned towards the window, his slight frame looked cold and fragile, his big blue eyes focused on something only he could see. I'd been assigned to talk to him after his mother had been found dead. They believed he knew what happened but when asked about his mother, he simply replied.. "She left footsteps for me to follow."
When I pulled my chair up across from him, he never flinched, he simply said, "you are the one they want to talk to me, right?"
I was amazed at his voice, seemed out of place within such a small boy, it was exact, firm, his words enunciated perfectly. So matter-of-fact.
I decided right there, with him there would be no games, I instinctively knew it wouldn't work. I decided I would ask him what I wanted to know directly, still before I spoke, he knew my decision.
"You are going to get right to the point yes?" He still looked away. I was caught off guard and had to clear my throat. He laughed then. I was quite uncomfortable, how would he know? "Just believe that, I know."
Nothing more to do, just ask, I poised myself, cleared my throat again and asked, did he know what had happened to his mother..
I was not prepared for the answer, in-fact, I was not prepared for him.
He turned full face to me...
"We are different from mankind, we were sent here to observe you, to watch, to try and understand why you are all bent on destruction. See our Father is very generous, he has the gift of life in His hands, it is our job to discern whether or not, your kind, mankind, deserves it."
I blinked once and tried to smile, he turned his back to me and told me, that I was like the rest, that I have an opportunity but, because of my skepticism I would lose the privilege to [everlasting life].
"You are a good woman, different from most, you haven't become jaded and cold, you still care, but, the question for you is, will you pass the opportunity up?"
I stammered, my head spun, as if he had gotten inside there and thrown me off balance. How would I answer this question? He shifted on the couch and told me I didn't have to answer, He said there would come a time when I would have to make a decision.. He never said another word.
**************************************************************
Sea weed curled around my legs, the sand sliding from under my feet gave me the feeling I was moving. It was so beautiful, waves swept and broke over the out cropping of rocks, it sounded like thunder.. Gulls flew overhead, sweeping down, pouncing on some morsel of food they'd found. Families hid under their umbrellas, mothers shouting at the children to be careful and not go out too far. I sat there in the sand feeling the day could not have been any more perfect.
I'd lain back and closed my eyes, when I realized there was no sound, no gulls, no crashing waves, no children, no mothers, I sat up and looked around, I could see the families, I could see the waves, I could see the birds, I could hear nothing.
Glancing over towards the ocean, I saw the children, they beckoned to me, they were out too far! Didn't their mothers or someone see them, was I the only one?
I moved quickly towards the children, when I got to the spot where they should have been, they were gone, there was nothing there but footprints.. I called to the people on the beach, they ignored me, why couldn't they hear me? I looked at the prints, they were small, the children.. oh god I had to save the children..
I followed the footprints out, they went further out than they should have. Water should have covered my head, and suddenly, there it was, it rushed in upon me, gagging me, choking me, the salty foam spraying my face, running into my eyes. flailing about I tried to gather my wits about me, I couldn't see the shore now, I was out too far.
**************************************************************
A very bad dream, that's what I thought. I sat up in the bed, I didn't know who's bed it was. I didn't know where I was but, I was safe.
I surveyed the room it was long and had many beds,, there were the children fast asleep. At the end of the room was a figure, I walked towards it, asking where I was.. He turned in the chair, there were the blue eyes this time they looked at me, I listened to the exacting, firm confident voice, in it's own way soothing me.
"You took the opportunity, you followed the footprints, you saved yourself by trying to save the children."
I stared at him for a moment what was he talking about?
He stood and held out the little hand to me, I walked over to a window, "Look!"
The sight stunned me, it took my breath away, I had to hold onto the wall, I gripped his hand and tears flowed freely, I watched the ocean roll out, I watched it move away from the shore, way out into the deep.. The people paid no attention, they ate and lounged under their umbrellas. I watched the water gather itself together, it climbed higher and higher towards the sky.
I hammered against the glass, they didn't hear me, I paid attention then because I realized, I was looking at the Earth, I was looking at my world, I watched people in traffic, in their homes, I watched a lion catch a gazelle, I could hear the birds in the rain forest, polar bears swam and climbed onto the glaciers to eat their fish.. And the wave grew and grew..
***************************************************************
The children were planting some cherry trees, we had built cottages and raised some food. The Earth was new, the Father had decided not to destroy all of mankind.. There were many more that had followed the foot prints.
From the time I had been a little girl, there had always been talk about the destruction of Earth.. That conversation was taken with a grain of salt,, but here we were, a mere two thousand or so, we were grateful, we were alive and we were careful to teach the young ones why it had happened, we taught them respect for each other and for the world, for the Earth.
We remembered the Foot Prints that had brought us here, we now followed the new Foot Steps..
When I pulled my chair up across from him, he never flinched, he simply said, "you are the one they want to talk to me, right?"
I was amazed at his voice, seemed out of place within such a small boy, it was exact, firm, his words enunciated perfectly. So matter-of-fact.
I decided right there, with him there would be no games, I instinctively knew it wouldn't work. I decided I would ask him what I wanted to know directly, still before I spoke, he knew my decision.
"You are going to get right to the point yes?" He still looked away. I was caught off guard and had to clear my throat. He laughed then. I was quite uncomfortable, how would he know? "Just believe that, I know."
Nothing more to do, just ask, I poised myself, cleared my throat again and asked, did he know what had happened to his mother..
I was not prepared for the answer, in-fact, I was not prepared for him.
He turned full face to me...
"We are different from mankind, we were sent here to observe you, to watch, to try and understand why you are all bent on destruction. See our Father is very generous, he has the gift of life in His hands, it is our job to discern whether or not, your kind, mankind, deserves it."
I blinked once and tried to smile, he turned his back to me and told me, that I was like the rest, that I have an opportunity but, because of my skepticism I would lose the privilege to [everlasting life].
"You are a good woman, different from most, you haven't become jaded and cold, you still care, but, the question for you is, will you pass the opportunity up?"
I stammered, my head spun, as if he had gotten inside there and thrown me off balance. How would I answer this question? He shifted on the couch and told me I didn't have to answer, He said there would come a time when I would have to make a decision.. He never said another word.
**************************************************************
Sea weed curled around my legs, the sand sliding from under my feet gave me the feeling I was moving. It was so beautiful, waves swept and broke over the out cropping of rocks, it sounded like thunder.. Gulls flew overhead, sweeping down, pouncing on some morsel of food they'd found. Families hid under their umbrellas, mothers shouting at the children to be careful and not go out too far. I sat there in the sand feeling the day could not have been any more perfect.
I'd lain back and closed my eyes, when I realized there was no sound, no gulls, no crashing waves, no children, no mothers, I sat up and looked around, I could see the families, I could see the waves, I could see the birds, I could hear nothing.
Glancing over towards the ocean, I saw the children, they beckoned to me, they were out too far! Didn't their mothers or someone see them, was I the only one?
I moved quickly towards the children, when I got to the spot where they should have been, they were gone, there was nothing there but footprints.. I called to the people on the beach, they ignored me, why couldn't they hear me? I looked at the prints, they were small, the children.. oh god I had to save the children..
I followed the footprints out, they went further out than they should have. Water should have covered my head, and suddenly, there it was, it rushed in upon me, gagging me, choking me, the salty foam spraying my face, running into my eyes. flailing about I tried to gather my wits about me, I couldn't see the shore now, I was out too far.
**************************************************************
A very bad dream, that's what I thought. I sat up in the bed, I didn't know who's bed it was. I didn't know where I was but, I was safe.
I surveyed the room it was long and had many beds,, there were the children fast asleep. At the end of the room was a figure, I walked towards it, asking where I was.. He turned in the chair, there were the blue eyes this time they looked at me, I listened to the exacting, firm confident voice, in it's own way soothing me.
"You took the opportunity, you followed the footprints, you saved yourself by trying to save the children."
I stared at him for a moment what was he talking about?
He stood and held out the little hand to me, I walked over to a window, "Look!"
The sight stunned me, it took my breath away, I had to hold onto the wall, I gripped his hand and tears flowed freely, I watched the ocean roll out, I watched it move away from the shore, way out into the deep.. The people paid no attention, they ate and lounged under their umbrellas. I watched the water gather itself together, it climbed higher and higher towards the sky.
I hammered against the glass, they didn't hear me, I paid attention then because I realized, I was looking at the Earth, I was looking at my world, I watched people in traffic, in their homes, I watched a lion catch a gazelle, I could hear the birds in the rain forest, polar bears swam and climbed onto the glaciers to eat their fish.. And the wave grew and grew..
***************************************************************
The children were planting some cherry trees, we had built cottages and raised some food. The Earth was new, the Father had decided not to destroy all of mankind.. There were many more that had followed the foot prints.
From the time I had been a little girl, there had always been talk about the destruction of Earth.. That conversation was taken with a grain of salt,, but here we were, a mere two thousand or so, we were grateful, we were alive and we were careful to teach the young ones why it had happened, we taught them respect for each other and for the world, for the Earth.
We remembered the Foot Prints that had brought us here, we now followed the new Foot Steps..
