a Hope in the Darkness.

It was a crisp, fall day. The kind of day where the sky is shining blue, the grass is bright green, and the leaves on the trees are so orange and red that you wish you could take a million photographs. A girl was on her way to something new. She wished she could tell you what that was, but that would have been impossible. She had been walking for hours, taking everything in. breathing. Her wavy dark hair blew with the breeze, and as she came to a clearing she looked up. There stood a huge, red barn. It had two great big, wooden, sliding doors. And it looked as if it had been painted yesterday.

“How?” she wondered, “how could it look so nice? No one lives out here.” She slowly approached the building, wondering if possibly she had wandered onto private property and should turn away. Inside though, she knew that she was somehow exactly where she needed to be. She slowly lifted her hand, and gently touched the big red door. It was as if everything were in slow motion. Next she brought her other hand to join the first. Then as if taken over by a burst of energy, she slid the door with all her might; and, and.. it opened!

She stood in awe for a moment at what she saw inside. Then she walked in.

Inside were shelves and shelves of books. Books of all sorts, different sizes, different colors; but all in perfect condition. She walked in cautiously, though less unsure now. When she got to the middle of the Barn she looked up, and there she saw a loft. And in the loft was a man. He was sitting in a big, leather chair, looking down happily at her.

She looked down at herself and then back at him, trying to figure out why he was looking at her with such a contented look. Though some people in this situation would have been frightened, the girl was quite at ease. She looked around and saw the latter to the loft, and then she walked towards it.

“No need.” The man said when he saw where she was headed. “I’ll be right down.”

And with the most graceful movements the girl had ever seen, the calm man made his way down to her. When he was beside her, she realized how big this man was. But not a strange big, or even a scary big. It was a comforting big. His kindness was as evident as his power. She couldn’t stop looking at him. He chuckled.

“You don’t know exactly what it is you’re looking at, do you?” He asked.

She hardly felt worthy enough to speak so she slowly shook her head.

“All of this,” He said as if he had already knew what she was going to say. “Is yours. Each one of these books has everything about you, everything you’ve ever learned, and everything you’ve felt in them. And then the rest of the books are things that you’ve yet to learn, experience, and feel.”

Her eyes grew wide. She looked around her and there were so many books she couldn’t even count them all. Could this possibly be true?

“But.. how?” she whispered.

“Oh, it’s very easy to understand. If you’re willing.” The man said again with a smile. “you see, I am your Keeper. I know everything about you; where you’ve been and where you’re going..”

“But that,” she interrupted. “That’s exactly what astonishes me. I’m not so sure I can go on. I’m not so sure it’s worth it anymore.”

The man smiled to himself, almost with a sadness, then he put his big, sturdy arm around the girl and continued:

“Don’t you see? I know you can go on. That’s why you’re here. You may think it’s not worth it to take another breath. But look.. Look at all of the books. You’ve got so much left that I have written for you. It’s not over, trust me.”

She was still confused, but inside of her she knew it would be foolish to not believe this Man.

“Won’t you trust me?” he asked again. “You’ve got so much more to live for.”

She looked around once more, and then looked for the first time into the eyes of the Man. She almost lost her footing, his eyes were so deep. So full of a love that she had never experienced before. This was a love she has often longed for, but never found. And not only was there love, but there was truth. A deep truth in His eyes that made her believe.

She smiled. “Yes, yes I think I will.”

The Man smiled and laughed a hearty laugh full of joy. Then He hugged her with a big hug and said, “I promise you, if you keep trusting me, we’ll make it out alive.”

Suddenly everything went dark. The girl opened her eyes and she was back on the bedroom floor. She could see the shadows from the streetlights outside, and she could hear the rain pounding on the window. The blood was still fresh, and the room still lacked another human. But now she had a peace. There was Someone who was with her, this was going to be okay. She slowly sat up, still feeling dizzy from the pills. She tried to prop herself up, but her arm was still stinging. She leaned against the bed and looked to her right. There, on her nightstand, was a bible. She had never seen it before. She reached over and grabbed it, then opened it, and then she read it.