Imagine… A Sunday, late morning, a mother and son make their way along the Road Less Traveled. They are on their way to church for the first time in a little while. The sun hangs high in the sky, a perfect circle of fire ignited to illuminate all that is beautiful in the world.
Imagine, too, at the same time, in a place far away from The City, somewhere in the southern low country, and under the same vibrant sun, an old man steps out onto his porch. He takes a long look out onto the open fields that surround his home.
Back in The City, a young man emerges from the Tower of Gilead. A large green duffel bag is slung tight over his shoulder. The young man looks back at the courtyard of Gilead, a place of broken homes and dreams, where too many children, like a young boy and his older brother, will wake up unloved. The young man walks through The Madness, past the old candy shop, now boarded and shuttered. Closed for good. It is believed the young man is off to be a soldier. He is leaving The City behind, never to return.
And along the Road Less Traveled, the little boy and his mother pause at a playground. The park is devoid of any children. Nevertheless, the mother tells her child, “We’re early, go play.”
The boy darts over to the swings and, in no time, is flying high and free. He is alone, but he is happy. The boy wonders whatever became of the pretty girl who flew high and free alongside him. Maybe she was just a dream.
Imagine a mother easing back into her seat on a park bench. She fiddles with an ankle bracelet that once belonged to a child. It’s been adjusted to fit her just right. It belongs to her now.
God is... Peace
God is... Grace
Imagine, at this moment, back in the southern low country, the old man rings a bell on his front porch. He does so with no emotion. Children skip and dance from the thicket of trees just off on the horizon. The old man stares at them impassively. He takes a seat on his porch and watches the children hop across the stream that runs deep out in back of his home. The children laugh and are filled with joy as they race towards Hannah’s open field to play.
And imagine, too, that the echo of the old man’s bell reaches The City. A mother hears its chime in the distance and takes a long, inquisitive gaze down the path of the Road Less Traveled. She smiles. The mother waves her hand to get her child’s attention. The boy calls out to the mother, “Do we have to go?”
“No, there’s still time before church.”
Instead, she motions for him to take a look at what she sees—a group of joyful children, sprinting up the block, towards the park. A little boy smiles.
At last they come.
Imagine that.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-SIX
“Make it your ambition to live a quiet life...”
—1 Thessalonians 4:11
Dusk settles in slowly, as the last remaining rays of sunlight find protection behind soft gray clouds. The Old Man sits on a battered chair on the front porch. He rocks back and forth and watches the last of the children at play in the open field of Hannah’s. They soon begin to make their way home, hopping across the stream that flows unbroken. As the children become no more than little specks of mist on the horizon, the Old Man notices a little girl. The pretty girl is no older than eight. Her skin is chestnut, and she has raven-colored hair that is vibrant and untamed. The Old Man rises out of his seat and anchors his attention on the little girl as she sprints towards the stream. The child pauses at the water’s edge and turns around to look back at the store. The pretty girl smiles and waves at the Old Man. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she hops across the stream and disappears into the thick brush on the other side.
The Old Man is pleased. The time has now come to go inside Hannah’s and close up shop for the day. His work is done. The children are safe and out of harm’s way. All is right with the world.
Let it be so.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Douglas S. Reed is an educator and author of the novel Garden's Corner. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Management from Syracuse University and a Master of Science degree in Primary Education from Lehman College.
Formerly a resident of New York City and an elementary school teacher at Public School 62 (Bronx, NY), Douglas S. Reed currently teaches at Elliot Primary School and is the Founder & Head Coach of Team Hurricane Basketball Academy. When away from the classroom and the basketball court, you’ll find the author living quietly and peacefully on the beautiful island of Bermuda with his wife, Lisa and stepchildren Jalen and Mia.
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