THE BEGINNING OF LIFE Leah Fisher
Twelve years of chaos, seven of war. His eyes searched out the window in silence. Ever since the day when Death had knocked on every door, it had never been as it was. There was something apocalyptic about the scene, echoes of what would one day come and the leader who would guide the nations towards folly. His stomach twinged with hunger as he considered the war-torn land, laid barren by the bombings and the robbing of its men. He could still taste the fading flavor of the potato-salad and bread that had once nourished him, if only a little. He was grateful for that and for the hope that was within him. It was Sunday, a week past Easter, and he had maintained, as he always did, a healthy form of optimism. The light of the morning brought with it the sound of the coming artillery, the foreign advance breaking through the defensive lines as surely as the sun’s warm rays broke through the grayness of the clouds to cast their glorious brightness. Soon it would all be over. He closed his eyes to the world
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Fellowship & Fairydust
and thanked God for His answer to the prayers which he had never wished to pray. The destruction of his nation was not a cause for celebration, but the eradication of evil was another matter. They had to be punished. Their sin had mounted to the Heavens and come before God for recompense. The blood of the earth which they had spilled called up to God for vengeance and innocence itself cried out for wrath. It would be a blessed thing to see his own surrender. The lines were drawn up long ago, and he his side had chosen: the salvation of the world for the destruction of his nation. For, such was the judgement of God. Now, if only the question could be answered of whether he would live to see it. It seemed almost irresponsible to wonder, but he could not have helped it where he stood. Freedom was near, no matter how it might find him. Death was but an end to dying, which all the world was already, anyway. But freedom? That was something different, something sacred, revealed only in God.
