The Widow's Prayer
By: Cherie Bernatt
Worry twisted Mariel’s face and pinched her eyebrows close together as she studied her son’s letters. She printed the war emails as soon as she received them, knowing full well she would want a piece of her son with her wherever she went, not just when she sat down to the computer. She unfolded the newest letter from its home tucked deep inside her purse and re-read it for the umpteenth time.
Mom,
Nothing much new here. Some of the other EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) guys went to the Afghan Bazaar with me. I attached a picture for you. It’s the only fun thing to do here, too bad it’s only once a week.
We have a convoy mission tomorrow. Dangerous stuff; pray for us.
Love and miss you,
Matthew
That was eight days ago. She hadn’t heard from him since.
Mariel sat anxiously looking out the window at the pouring rain. Grey clouds blocked out any ounce of sun that tried to get through and the water poured down in torrents as she prayed for her only son. “Dear God, don’t take him away too. Please.”
She had already lost her husband a year earlier, and the thought of being alone, with no one to care for, all but killed her. Her chest tightened as moisture pooled in her eyes.“Let me know what’s going on, Lord.”
Through the fog an Air Force car pulled alongside the curb and stopped. A young officer stepped out, carefully avoiding the deep puddles as he headed towards Marie’s front door.
“Oh no,” her stomach twisted in knots. Panic coursed through her veins and she was at the door before he had time to ring the bell.
The rain poured over his shoulders and she ushered him into the front hall, all the while searching his face for answers. Was Matthew okay? Was he injured? Dead?
“Ma’am.” He took his wheel cap off and stared at the floor, apparently working up enough courage to say whatever was coming next.
Mariel was afraid she already knew the answer, but she had to ask. “What’s the matter Officer?”
Mariel’s stomach churned as she waited for the answer. The perfectly pressed officer stood with wheel cap in hand clearly afraid to make eye contact with her.
“I’m afraid we have bad news about Matthew, Ma’am.”
She knew then that her Matthew was dead; the officer didn’t have to say anymore. The look on his face told her everything, but she refused to believe it. “No, God. Don’t let it be.”
“No,” she shook her head.
“No.” Tears filled her eyes and her legs gave out. She fell to her knees and sobbed as the officer bent over her and offered what little comfort he could.
Mariel never forgot that day. For years after, as she said her prayers it replayed in her mind with painful accuracy bringing back fresh waves of loneliness until she was on her knees in tears once again.
The years passed and Mariel slowly acclimated to the empty house, the empty bedroom, the lonely holidays, and the unfulfilled desire to care for her child. Slowly she filled her time with things other than her son and his life.
Oftentimes, those who sympathized related her loss to their own feelings of emptiness as kids left to college or got married and moved away. Few understood the permanency of her empty nest though. But Mariel smiled as best she could, and accepted their kindness.
She still prayed for her son everyday, but her prayers changed. “Keep him safe. Let me see him when I get there,” she begged.
At 84 years old, Mariel lay shriveled and lonely on her deathbed, aged and riddled by cancer. She passed on, praying that God would once again let her see her little boy.
As this world grew cold and dim, warmth and peace surrounded her as God welcomed her home, to a place that was so unlike her lonely empty house. Her new home was filled with those she loved and said “good-bye” to long ago; her parents, her husband, and many others.
As she crossed the threshold of her new home, Matthew stood there, in bright white, arms outstretched.
“Welcome home, Mom.” His smile grabbed hold of her and she ran to him in her new perfected body. Mariel hugged him tight as tears of joy spilled over her. Her son was back in her arms, and her house would never be empty again.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Avalanche
By: Cherie Bernatt
Jacob’s fingers burned as he dug feverishly into the snow. Panic coursed through his veins and he tried hard to ignore the pain as he struggled to free his daughter from the snow. He knew she was down there somewhere. He tried to remember exactly where she was standing when the avalanche came.
“Oh God, help me.” He pleaded. “Help me find her!”
He dug deeper, then wider, afraid he was in was the wrong spot. He moved over a few feet and began another hole. He was still hot from the exertion of skiing but his hands were freezing from the contact with the snow. The gloves he usually wore were sitting beside him in the snow, abandoned to give him a better grip as he dug.
“SARAH.” He yelled. “SARAH WHERE ARE YOU?”
There was no response. “SARAH,” he continued to call out as the pile of snow beside him grew. He couldn’t feel his fingertips anymore and knew the blood levels in his hands were dangerously low. If he didn’t find her quick he would loose his fingers and she would die of frostbite. Her tiny eighty-pound body would not survive long buried in the freezing snow.
“Oh God,” he cried, “not my little girl! Don’t take my little girl. Let me find her!” He stopped his panicked digging just long enough to close his eyes and concentrate. “God please,” he begged for the life of his twelve year old. “You are my savior. Save my little girl.”
He looked up into the white sky as tears threatened, his nose stung fiercely from the wind. “God please.”
He dug further to his left and saw his first glimpse of pink! Sarah’s snowsuit. Hope exploded through his body filling him with extra-human speed. In an instant he had her uncovered, out of the hole and laying on the ground.
“Sarah,” he rubbed her cheek. It was cold. Her eyes were almost closed, and she was groggy and unresponsive. He had to get her warm, and fast!
He unzipped his coat and picked her up. He hugged her as close as he could to his own body to share his warmth then pulled the sides of his coat around them both. He couldn’t zip it up, but he didn’t care. She was close to him and would be able to get her to safety.
He left the skis and gloves and ran. Sarah’s legs flopped loosely against his own as he ran towards the backwoods ski cabin. Their rented winter cabin was just inside the tree line. It had a breathtaking view of the steep mountainside and was close enough that Jacob had succumbed to his daughters pleas that morning to watch him ski rather than help his wife make breakfast.
He kicked himself for being so stupid. He should never have let her stand at the bottom of such a steep slope alone, especially when new snow had fallen the night before and he was unsure of it’s stability.
“Rachel!” He yelled for his wife as he neared the cabin. He felt Sarah’s breath on his neck and thanked God for signs of life.
“God, Thank you.” He whispered as he ran. Let her be okay. He prayed silently.
Rachel opened the door and terror spread across her face the instant she saw them. “What happened?” She stepped backwards as Jacob burst across the threshold.
“Heating blankets, get the heating blankets,” he ordered. Rachel disappeared into the bedroom to get them while Jacob rushed Sarah to fireplace. He tore off her snowsuit and starting massaging her limbs, trying to increase circulation.
He looked for any reaction on her face. She had to be okay; She wasn’t down there very long. And God, … God would make her okay.
Jacob inspected her limbs and her digits as he massaged them. Nothing white or yellow, that was promising. No frostbite. But hypothermia was still a very real possibility. Just a few minutes buried in the snow could severely lower a person’s body temperature.
The massaging was helping, so was the heat from the fireplace and the heating blanket Rachel had placed over her little body. Color was returning to her face and Jacob could feel a strong steady pulse at her neck.
He and Rachel joined hands and prayed, “Dear God, thank you for letting her be alive. Please show us; … let us know she is okay. Please.”
Sarah’s eyes slowly opened.
“Daddy.”
By: Cherie Bernatt
Jacob’s fingers burned as he dug feverishly into the snow. Panic coursed through his veins and he tried hard to ignore the pain as he struggled to free his daughter from the snow. He knew she was down there somewhere. He tried to remember exactly where she was standing when the avalanche came.
“Oh God, help me.” He pleaded. “Help me find her!”
He dug deeper, then wider, afraid he was in was the wrong spot. He moved over a few feet and began another hole. He was still hot from the exertion of skiing but his hands were freezing from the contact with the snow. The gloves he usually wore were sitting beside him in the snow, abandoned to give him a better grip as he dug.
“SARAH.” He yelled. “SARAH WHERE ARE YOU?”
There was no response. “SARAH,” he continued to call out as the pile of snow beside him grew. He couldn’t feel his fingertips anymore and knew the blood levels in his hands were dangerously low. If he didn’t find her quick he would loose his fingers and she would die of frostbite. Her tiny eighty-pound body would not survive long buried in the freezing snow.
“Oh God,” he cried, “not my little girl! Don’t take my little girl. Let me find her!” He stopped his panicked digging just long enough to close his eyes and concentrate. “God please,” he begged for the life of his twelve year old. “You are my savior. Save my little girl.”
He looked up into the white sky as tears threatened, his nose stung fiercely from the wind. “God please.”
He dug further to his left and saw his first glimpse of pink! Sarah’s snowsuit. Hope exploded through his body filling him with extra-human speed. In an instant he had her uncovered, out of the hole and laying on the ground.
“Sarah,” he rubbed her cheek. It was cold. Her eyes were almost closed, and she was groggy and unresponsive. He had to get her warm, and fast!
He unzipped his coat and picked her up. He hugged her as close as he could to his own body to share his warmth then pulled the sides of his coat around them both. He couldn’t zip it up, but he didn’t care. She was close to him and would be able to get her to safety.
He left the skis and gloves and ran. Sarah’s legs flopped loosely against his own as he ran towards the backwoods ski cabin. Their rented winter cabin was just inside the tree line. It had a breathtaking view of the steep mountainside and was close enough that Jacob had succumbed to his daughters pleas that morning to watch him ski rather than help his wife make breakfast.
He kicked himself for being so stupid. He should never have let her stand at the bottom of such a steep slope alone, especially when new snow had fallen the night before and he was unsure of it’s stability.
“Rachel!” He yelled for his wife as he neared the cabin. He felt Sarah’s breath on his neck and thanked God for signs of life.
“God, Thank you.” He whispered as he ran. Let her be okay. He prayed silently.
Rachel opened the door and terror spread across her face the instant she saw them. “What happened?” She stepped backwards as Jacob burst across the threshold.
“Heating blankets, get the heating blankets,” he ordered. Rachel disappeared into the bedroom to get them while Jacob rushed Sarah to fireplace. He tore off her snowsuit and starting massaging her limbs, trying to increase circulation.
He looked for any reaction on her face. She had to be okay; She wasn’t down there very long. And God, … God would make her okay.
Jacob inspected her limbs and her digits as he massaged them. Nothing white or yellow, that was promising. No frostbite. But hypothermia was still a very real possibility. Just a few minutes buried in the snow could severely lower a person’s body temperature.
The massaging was helping, so was the heat from the fireplace and the heating blanket Rachel had placed over her little body. Color was returning to her face and Jacob could feel a strong steady pulse at her neck.
He and Rachel joined hands and prayed, “Dear God, thank you for letting her be alive. Please show us; … let us know she is okay. Please.”
Sarah’s eyes slowly opened.
“Daddy.”
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A China Delivery
Here is another one of my short stories. :)
http://www.faithwriters.com/wc-article-level1-previous.php?id=31282
http://www.faithwriters.com/wc-article-level1-previous.php?id=31282
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