The Return

At my church I support a group of creative writers.  We have a monthly zoom call and homework!  This is my homework for this month.

The Return

The wind moaned. It shook the locked and bolted door. The rain rattled down. Raindrops bounced off the windowpanes like the rat-a-tat of a gun. Despair’s icy fingers slithered under the door and through the gaps in the window frame. Despondency’s tendrils wrapped around the sobbing figure lying on the bed. It clung to her the way ivy clings to the crumbling façade of a decaying building. Clutching a thinning blanket, which did nothing to keep out the cold, the figure sobbed louder.

The door sprang open. A light shone in. A light so bright it was impossible to look at. ‘Come, follow me’ a gentle voice whispered. The girl on the bed trembled with fear.

‘Come, follow me’. The voice was louder now. The girl rose and took faltering steps towards the light filled doorway.

Outside, the storm had passed, and the sun’s rays were beginning to warm the land. Still unable to see who it was that was behind the bright light, the girl whispered: ‘Who are you? What’s your name?’ 

 ‘My name? My name is Respair. I bring hope after a time of despair’. The girl sighed as warmth returned to her body and hope arose.

She turned to look at the light. But it had gone. As she looked, she saw a lamb walking towards the sunrise. 

 

A 15th century word, as a noun, respair means “the return of hope after a period of despair.” As a verb, respair means “to have hope again.” 

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice