Short Stories
Beautiful young ladies come of age making their passage into womanhood at the masquerade ball. Quiet and shy they wait for the music to begin and then……?
She is the daughter of a man of means; an influential man who businesses were flourishing and was well-known in the proper circles of this well-to-do in society. At the age when all young girls are educated in the way young ladies should act in public, she was sent to a fine school for young ladies called Rosewood Academy for Young Ladies. In addition to the usual school curriculum, the girls developed proper skills of deportment, meeting others and refining pleasant conversation in social situations, in dress, and dancing. All the young ladies in her class had performed admirably in their studies and were ready to be presented to the community for the first time at the masquerade ball held in the Governors Mansion.
The glittering ballroom with its beautiful crystal chandeliers, ornate gold carved decoration of the moldings around the ceilings were a magnificent sight to see. The wallpaper was a beautiful stripe in shades of blue, cream, and shining gold; rising up to the ornate molding at the ceiling, it made the walls seem even higher that they actually were; the walls had beautiful large ornate gold mirrors that dressed the walls at eye level providing a spectacular sight.
All the ladies are dressed in lovely gowns of every color and style, as young men in crisp black tuxedos just gaze at them and smile; they eye the young lady who will be their choice for the dance. The woman they were destined to meet is no surprise as they hide beneath their clever guise.
Even though the lighting was subdued, the atmosphere of the room was electric with anticipation as each young lady waited for the music to begin. They nervously fidgeted with their gowns, hair, gloves and jewelry, hoping that they will attract a man in good standing, who is pleasant, and honorable, and hopefully very handsome. As she gazed at the gentlemen; she wondered who would be the one, the one who would ask her to dance. At last the music—a small orchestra, finally began playing a waltz and the men approached the ladies with a hand extended as an invitation to visit the dance floor.
Shyly she took the hand of the man who offered it and as they reached the middle of the floor, she was swept into his arms and off they went…..one two three, one two three, one two three….across the crowded shining floor they flew. She looked at his face which was hidden by a mask; “Do I know you? Have we met before, somewhere, maybe on the street or in a store on one of my shopping trips with friends?” she wondered. Somehow he seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
As she was whirled across the dance floor, she tried to discreetly evaluate her appearance in one of the mirrors as they passed by. Had she chosen the right dress and hairstyle? What about her choice of jewelry? Am I too aloof? Should I start the conversation or is that being too forward? She was feeling rather unsure and unable to share her queries with anyone. She wondered why he remained silent and did not engage her in any conversation; his behavior was very odd in that regard and she had never been to a dance where her partner did not speak a word to her. Proper etiquette or not, she finally decided to break the long silence between them. “The committee members responsible for decorating the ballroom did a wonderful job, don’t you think so?” The man in the mask did not reply to her attempt at starting pleasant conversation. He just looked at her beneath his disguise; the mask was very ornate, much more so than she would have thought. It was rather thickly constructed, covered over in velvet, finely stitched with sequins and black beads that followed the contours of the outer edges and around the eyes of the mask As she looked at his features and the mask he was wearing, she decided to try once more at beginning a conversation with him.
“Sir, what is your name? You look very familiar to me, have we met somewhere before, perhaps at a play in the city?”
Again, the stranger did not reply; his gaze was riveting, even a bit unsettling as their eyes met out there on the dance floor. “I feel as if he sees right through me into my soul and knows everything about me and my life.” she thought.
She looked into his eyes once more. He smiled a big Cheshire catlike smile of white teeth that gleamed brightly in the dimly-lit ballroom; their eyes locked. Without even a word spoken between them, she heard his accusations in her mind just as clearly as if they were being spoken aloud. She looked around at her classmates just to assure herself that the words were inaudible. Every objectionable thought, and feeling she had ever had and every thing she regretted doing in her life tumbled out of her subconscious to her conscious mind as if they were spoken aloud for all to hear. She felt violated; he had intruded on her privacy like a burglar stealing what rightfully belonged to her alone. “Why is he taunting me by bringing them to mind, today of all days, my very special day? How does he know these things about me? The music continued on and the man’s eyes remained fixed on her, but his smile and expression turned into one of contempt.
She tried to free herself from his vice-like grip, but it was no use. The music of the orchestra changed tempo and the change of the dance pattern caused her to falter slightly. His words continued torturing her mind as they made their way around the dance floor. Looking over his shoulder, she could see other young ladies struggling to free themselves unsuccessfully from the grip of their own partners. Frantically she searched her mind for some method of gaining her freedom from this dark angel; He seemed so strong and skilled in the mastery of his craft of deception, lies, and using truth to his own advantage.
Her mind began searching through subjects studied and life experiences gained like accessing a library’s catalog, her thoughts were drawn to the Bible verse from Revelation that she had learned many years ago in Church School. It never meant much to her then, but it seemed to fill her thoughts and became stronger and more important every minute.
‘Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.’
She felt another presence that flooded her heart and mind that overshadowed the hold this dark angel had over her conscious thoughts. Suddenly she felt surprisingly strong within, and had an understanding of what she had to do, not only for herself, but for the other ladies who were her close friends and fellow students. This presence of Light continued to fill her, taking control over the space previously held by this demonic being.
She continued to dance as she contemplated a strategy that would help them all gain their freedom. She began to think of the words of the scripture, enabling the words to fill her soul; she realized that the words almost exactly fit the rhythm and melody of the music the orchestra was playing. The words and the music were getting stronger within her and were providing her with the courage to do what she needed to do.
The man in the mask realized that something was undermining his control over her thoughts. His gaze was riveting, probing into her mind for the answer to this change in demeanor. He was stunned as her eyes met his in a gaze that rivaled his own. She had a lovely voice and loved to sing. She began to hum the melody of the music as they danced very softly at first, and as she become more confident the humming became louder and audible to the ladies around her.
The ladies sensed that they should do the same and soon all of them were humming the tune. The man in the mask was taken aback by this unforeseen matter and sensed the same from his fellow dancers. She was able to keep her thoughts well-hidden from his probing mind as she waited for the proper time to unleash the rest of the plan that would free them.
When she felt the time was right, in a loud melodious voice she began to sing the words of the scripture to the orchestral refrain. The men in the masks gasped at the sound of her voice and the words that she sang. Her partner sought to influence her thoughts once again, stifling these words of faith. The presence of Light was too strong for him to influence her mind any further, the only thing that he could hope for at this point was to find a chink in this newly-found armor that she possessed and seize the first opportunity he could to regain his influence over her.
Once again the orchestra leader tried to aid in the mastery of the masked stranger’s control over their partners—a new step, pattern, rhythm, and melody surely would end the control the young lady had over her mind. Flawlessly she stepped into the new dance tempo and step; her masked partner was shaken at her ability to resume the dance without even a misstep between them. After the first refrain of the new musical selection, her partner was shocked as the words of the scripture re-emerged with a new melody and rhythm.
Now the other ladies revealed the strength of this presence of Light shining in their hearts as well and joined their sister in the song of faith. With peace and joy in their hearts, the ladies sang God’s Word as a declaration of their faith in Christ and for the freedom from their accusers.
The dark angels gasped with an awareness of their impending doom. As the ladies continued the jubilant song, the dark angels were tortured in the same manner the ladies had been; their minds overwhelmed by the words of the scripture they released the tight grip on the hands of the ladies. Pain and a feeling of panic overwhelmed them like waves of the ocean crashing on the shore during a storm. They grabbed their heads from the excruciating pain; their eyes bulged and the weakness in their legs caused them to lose their balance.
She was amazed at the dramatic turn of events; her riveting gaze on the man in the mask, never changed, neither did her song. Her partner in the dance became her opponent in her obedience to God’s light in her heart. The man in the mask looked directly at her—eye to eye their eyes met. His voice came to her mind once again, but not in the arrogant sneer of an accuser of the brethren, just a tortured opponent who had lost in his own twisted game of lies, deceit and dominance over one of God’s own.
All the masked men let out a final tortured scream and as vapor appears for a moment and then vanishes just as quickly, their images began fading and vanished. In like manner, the orchestra vanished leaving the ladies alone in the glittering ballroom with its beautiful crystal chandeliers, ornate gold carved decorations of the moldings on the walls and ceiling. The Presence of Light remained with them as they calmed themselves and considered the events that occurred during the course of the evening.
She felt a deep sense of thanksgiving for the presence that came to them in their time of need. In her beautiful melodious voice she began singing…….
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Lynne Fickett
7/8/07
Scripture taken from NIV—Revelation 12:10-11
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I got caught up and read fast and faster as the girl saw who she was dancing with.
I was intregued!
Good Job.