J. Michael BrowningThe world swirled, and Rose slept on.
One: The Story of Rose
Dutiful as she was determined, Rose was young and courageous beyond her years. She had devoted herself to a life of sacrifice, struggle, and intrigue. You see, Rose searched for those that were lost. She gave with all she was and never asked for anything in return.
Rose surrendered herself countless times to the calling. She watered and harvested ideas to ensure they had dreams to aspire. She provided the blank canvas, so the lost that was now found could fill it with inspiration.
This was the dream, and Rose slept on.
Two: The Lost
She knew what to do. The calling, the thoughts, and the feelings were too strong to resist. And so she gravitated towards the edge where a prickly swath of thorns split the light from the darkness. She'd traveled here many times before and was ready for what was waiting.
There, swaying between the shadows, was a little girl lost and confused. Rose slowly approached, whispering the lullaby her mother would use to soothe and shoo away her fears as a child.
The lullaby was necessary, as it was the only thing that would calm the fear. She knew that when she didn't utter the words so engrained and enriching to her own heart, that she would lose them.
Always.
So she did. She would whisper the words that her mother spoke so many times before to save the lost from the darkness's edge.
There was light, and Rose slept on.
Three: The Trial
Rose and the young girl slowly inch their way away from the darkness. This journey is never comfortable and is always fraught with an endless barrage of questions. Each question is as unique as the girls she encountered. Each question poses the risk of recession, of losing ground gained. Each question risks the loss of a little girl saved.
Rose tries to prepare the girl. She stands her up straight and gently lifts her chin so as not to shy away. Because you see, before them seated in rows eerily situated like those in a jury box, are 12 chairs – 11 of which are filled.
The empty chair is meant for this young girl to the right of Rose. She knows it as she knows herself.
The faces of those that are seated are blurred and unfocused. Any distinguishing features of the saved that have come before are hidden behind a shroud of hazy, end-of-summer light.
While unrecognizable, Rose sensed familiarity. She was sure she knew them just as well as she knew herself.
But it wasn't about her, it was about the lost little girl. So Rose put aside the quelling repute. The embattled road ahead was not meant for her, so she lost herself in the task at hand.
The jury was seated, and Rose slept on.
Four: The Long Sleep
Rose knows she's keeping a secret from herself. She's known for some time. But for Rose, she's not what's important. She knows what's necessary.
The Girl.
The time has come, and Rose prepares herself for what is to be inevitable. She stands up straight and gently lifts her chin so as not to shy away. Because you see, Rose now finds herself before the seated rows that are eerily situated like those of a jury box. There are 12 chairs. Seated in each of those chairs are those that have been saved.
It feels almost as if an eternity has passed just to reach where we've arrived. The battles faced for Rose to guide these lost girls to their seated positions of inquisition did not prepare her for the fear and guilt that has ridiculed her seemingly endless journey.
While these 12 composed, strong-willed, and defiantly independent girls both inspire and define her journey, it fails to capture the loss. For each filled chair, there were thousands lost to the darkness. And each loss cut deep as if Rose were losing just a bit of herself each time.
The air is thick with anticipation, and the anxiety has Rose whispering a soft lullaby to herself, doing her best to be calm for what comes next.
“Who are you?”
The question posed by the jury she had helped hand-curate caught Rose off-guard. While their appearance was still hazy and clouded, she knew that each seat was filled by a young girl she had devoted her life to save.
How could they not know who she was? How could they not realize that she was the one that risked it all to bring them back from the brink of darkness?
Rose knew that her response would wreck all she had worked for. It would relegate those saved back into the darkness once again.
Rose, poised and determined, responded with the only answer that she knew.
There was silence, and Rose slept on.