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Topic: Confused (08/16/07)
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TITLE: Aching Arms | Previous Challenge Entry
By Rachel Barclay
08/23/07 -
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I woke from a heavy, groggy sleep. I was lying in a beautiful lavender room washed in slanted shafts of light. Was this it? Was this the other side? Had I really succeeded?
A familiar fear seized me and I knew with immediate dread that my state of reality hadn’t shifted. But where was I? My heart was in my throat as I felt like I’d been kidnapped. I thought that if I had to face this world again, that someone would be grieving for me. Maybe this was real proof that no one cared or understood. I knew I would have been better off if those tablets had taken full effect.
How could you be so cruel, God? All I wanted was to know your eternal peace and hold my baby in my arms again. My face crumpled in pain as I wept my confusion on to the crisp pillow.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? How could you leave me in this place? My body heaved uncontrollably until it was too exhausted to shed any more grief. I lay very still feeling rejected by heaven itself.
I had been alone for so long in this strange place. Did no one care still? I palmed my blurry eyes as the lump in my throat ached for more tears to spill down my cheeks. I began to take in more of my surroundings. It was a very peaceful room. No wonder I had, for a brief moment, thought that I had succeeded. The quietness was like none I had ever known before. There was a beautiful garden out the window and on the bedside table was the biggest bunch of flowers in a crystal vase. A card leant on the side of it’s reflecting diamond pattern. I reached out to read it and noticed a drip line in my arm. This place was too beautiful to be a hospital. It had to be someone’s home, but whose?
I flicked the card open and as I read I cried a flood of healing. They cared more than I ever imagined.
Dear Livvy,
We’re so glad you didn’t succeed in your last venture. We all miss Clarry, but life would not be complete without you. You are our pulse, pumping the life blood through our veins. We’re sorry we didn’t tell you. We love you. Forever.
Eddie, Mara and Clint
Suddenly the door burst open and little Mara jumped on the bed, “Mummy, Mummy, you’re awake! We come all the way in the car to see you. Daddy said your special rest time is finishing on the weekend and you can come back home.”
“I’d love to, Sweetheart. I can’t wait.”
With fresh tears I knew this side of reality wasn’t so bad afterall. I still had babies who needed me to hold them. God lifted away the months of heavy grief through the smile of this small child, whose lightness and warmth eased the ache in my arms for my tiny infant, Clarry.
And the house was my dream house by the sea. Eddie had gone all out to show the depth of his love. There was no more doubt. Confusion now knew its end.
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From what I can see, it looks as though you've uploaded a Word document, and unfortunately the formatting causes problems when seen online.
For FaithWriters, all documents need to be plain text. So if you copy and save your work to notepad or save as a plain txt file, then upload, you should be okay.
You can also copy and paste straight into the submission box, but take it from notepad or a plain text file first to avoid any formatting glitches.
Again, I'm so sorry.
Love, Deb (Challenge Coordinator)
It wasn't until after many months of submitting entries that I found the "preview" button. If you hit this you can see what your document will look like before you submit it. Then you can make corrections or changes before you submit if they are needed. Feel free to contact me of someone for more help with this. Blessing!
Very nice! I liked how we and the MC slowly realized where she was. Were the names on the card the husband and 2 kids? Seeing her daughter made her realize she could/would embrace life on earth a little longer.
The story flows well. Good writing and good descriptions. Nice!