Friday, February 1, 2013

Some Silly Excuses

            I had a feeling this would happen. I've run out of stories that I wrote last semester for my creative writing class, and now that I'm not being forced to write stories, guess what? I'm not writing stories! Through no volition of my own, however. I really want to write more and I have plenty of fun ideas bouncing around in my tumble-dryer of a writer's brain...I just...don't write. You know? Plus I'm busy, this being my senior semester and me being a commuter and yadayada cry-me-a-river/world's-smallest-violin-is-playing-my-sad-song. Anyway, if nothing else comes out of this post, I wanted to at least state my intention to write more. And more often (oftener?). Maybe this post is just an attempt to guilt-trip myself into doing something productive besides homework. Whatever it is, let's hope it works.

            To tide you over (or quite possibly to tide myself over), here's a short fictional imagining of the Annunciation. I quite liked writing this scene, and I may look into expanding it into a novel or something. Who knows? Not me, apparently...(not I? Oh grammar...)


The Annunciation

            I sensed someone behind me. I turned around, expecting my mother. Instead, there was…light. A presence of light, focused in a human-shaped form but filling the room at the same time. I stared at it, not knowing what to think.
            “Mary.” The voice was commanding and yet gentle. Stern and soft at the same time. It came from within the light. No, the voice was the light. The presence was speaking to me. I took a step backwards, trembling.
            “Do not be afraid, dear one. The Master is pleased with you.”
            Gathering my courage, I spoke. “Pleased? With me? But why? I’ve done nothing great.”
            “If you did think you had done great things, child, you would not serve The Master as faithfully as you do. He has chosen you not because you are great, but because you are among the few who would give of themselves completely to honor His will.”
            I didn’t know exactly what to think of this. But I knew my visitor had to have come for a reason, so bravely I asked, “What must I do?”
            “The Holy Spirit will conceive in you a child, a son. His name will be Jesus, for He is The Savior. He will be the Son of The Master, and with His Father’s power will do mighty things among men.”
            My mind had only caught three words: conceive a child. “But I,” I spluttered quickly. I started to blush. “I’ve not—not been with a man. I cannot conceive as a virgin.”
            Even though the form in front of me had no visible face, I sensed it was smiling. “Nothing is impossible for The Master, Mary. It shall be as I have told you.”
            It was waiting for me to say something. I searched my mind. Finally I lowered my eyes and said, “So be it. I am willing.” I looked up and the light was gone. I stood there staring for a moment, then slid down against the wall to the floor, breathing hard. My mind was racing, replaying the scene over and over. Then—then—it hit me. Hard.
            ‘The Savior’, the angel had said. ‘The Son of The Master’. This was our Messiah! The Lord himself, this was His promised return. Finally! And I was to carry Him! In my womb? Why did He come as a child? Why now? Why me?
            With a start, I became aware of the tears rolling down my cheeks. I touched my face and looked at my wet fingertips. I broke into a huge smile. Suddenly I was both laughing and sobbing, why I didn’t exactly know. I couldn’t catch my breath. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. I whirled around, but no one was there. I looked up and caught a twinkle of light just as it disappeared. I felt His smile. And I laughed. 

1 comment:

  1. I stumbled onto this post while wandering the web.
    The story intrigued me, by the time I finished I had a small smile on my face and a gentle peace in my heart.
    Thanks,
    M

    ReplyDelete