Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Red (10/01/09)
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TITLE: By A Scarlet Thread | Previous Challenge Entry
By Bill Schwan
10/02/09 -
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He looked at the open door to their bedroom and saw beneath a red cross on the sign the oxygen technician had posted a week earlier the legal reminder, also in red, regarding the dangers of open flames when oxygen was in use.
“What’s up?” Pam asked as she adjusted herself to relieve a cramp in her lower back.
“I was just noticing the color scheme in here. Abbie is in school and your mom will be here in about an hour. Would you like something to drink?” Dan asked and moved the glass he had brought with him close enough for her to reach.
“Sure. What about the color scheme?” she asked and took a long sip of ice water.
“All the red seems designed to reinforce the notion that we are in a dangerous situation. Why couldn’t they use a soft blue or pastel green when they build these monitors instead of highlighting the desperation of the situation?”
Her smile was bittersweet not only because she completely understood his sentiments but also since she was looking at the palate from a wholly different, yet surprisingly comforting, perspective. As if to reinforce that perspective, she reached down to her side and touched the thick book next to her hip.
After discussing some financial matters and sharing emotional concerns with each other, Pam returned to the subject of the color scheme in the room.
“I get your frustration with the displays on all the equipment, but I’d like you to know why I happen to find it comforting. It reminds me of a theme running throughout the Bible. Redemption always came with the shedding of blood. There’s an essay in my bible called the Scarlet Thread of Redemption. If you’ve never read it, you really should sometime. In my situation, that redemption is very personal and I appreciate the colors of the equipment because of it. It reminds me that there is a solution for all of this, and not just my pancreatic cancer, but for everything. Sickness, sin, hardship, pain, and all manner of suffering were dealt with on the cross. Do you remember the community Messiah sing at the church last year?”
“Of course. How can I forget after you volunteered me for a bass solo?”
“Technically, it was an air. Do you remember the words?”
“’The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised; and the dead shall be raised incorruptible’.”
“Exactly. You see, God has provided a solution to my sickness and pain, and to your sense of loss and grief as well. When things overwhelm, remember your solo.”
He bent over, kissed her forehead and said with a smile, “I thought it was an air.”
Two weeks later, after the hospice worker flushed medications down the toilet and he signed the necessary paperwork, he lingered in front of the bathroom mirror. He splashed his face with cold water and examined the reflection. He was not surprised by the redness of his eyes and found himself remembering an essay in the back of Pam’s bible. He closed his fist around an invisible scarlet thread and held on for dear life.
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FYI: "Bible" should always be capitalized, as the title of a book.
This managed to be sweet, not maudlin, and I enjoyed your writing style.
Congratulations on your win, Bill. You must be thrilled! :0)