A Ripple of Faith

A short story

 

A RIPPLE of FAITH

 

 

The ripple of the water now holds within it a very unfamiliar sound.

Grabbing my attention, I stand up quickly as I shove my paper and glasses into the top pocket of my freshly ironed blouse. As I glance over to the river to see what has caused such a change in the repetitious but calming sounds, I see her.

A woman floating lifelessly before me down the cold, darkened stream while the current holds her like a water bed as she lies with a blank stare and her hands held upward to the sky in a surrendered position.

 

I was by no means quite ready to believe what I had seen before me. I then swiftly closed my eyes so tight to the point that it had almost hurt. Please, I said aloud, “Tell me my eyes are playing a horrible trick on me?” Please! I slowly opened them again, this time hoping the frightful image had now completely disappeared. No, she was still there alright. Oh my God, she was there!

 

My heart felt heavy with the burden of bewilderment and helplessness. I confirmed her death as her beautiful brown satin dress had now attached itself to a tree hanging out into the water from the shoreline where it appeared it had fallen long ago. It seemed as if it had almost grabbed a hold of her to bring her cold long journey down stream to an abrupt end. As I walked up for a closer look, I could now verify her pale, lifeless body was just that, lifeless and frozen in time. 

 

I looked closer into her eyes and although her face was so pale, so ghostly, she looked so familiar. Still trying to assure myself that my eyes were correctly focused, I quickly fumbled into my shirt pocket for my glasses. As I franticly shoved them onto may face the new revelation before my eyes terrified the hell out of me. The woman before me was..wasssss....ME? Me? How on God’s earth could it be me? I am right here and very much alive, aren’t I? I scoped my body up and down

confirming my own presence before me.

 

How could this be me, I’m here? If I was to even try to run and get help now, why they will think I’m crazy when I tell them what happened and who I found?

 Am I to tell them that I came across my dead body floating down stream in Swan Valley River?

 

 Totally exhausted by the thought of it all, I suddenly dropped to my knees as the weight of my body was now buried deep into the damp wet dirt at the waters edge.

 I took one last look at myself dead before me and with one immense gasp, I let it all out. My tears now flowed liked the river before me, fast and furious.

I wept like a mother who had lost a child but indeed it was I who had lost me?

 

With no other options I franticly decided to release her dress from the snag that kept her there before me. Perhaps if I free her she will float down stream with the current and she will never be seen again. As I leaned over to free her from the gripping branch, the paper I had put inside my pocket in haste had fell out and onto her body. It awakened my senses to why I was ever here in the first place. To be alone in solitude, to write a final letter to my friends, my family and any one else who might just give a damn if I am dead or alive. 

 

My suicide note was now held in the hands of my ghost? As I saw the words, “I can’t go on any longer’” I now wept even harder. My tears now moistened the paper below as they fell like droplets of rain smudging out the words. I looked up to the sky, still down on my knees I cried frantically out to God.

 I do, I do want to go on and I don’t want to die!

 

 Please God forgive me, forgive my thoughts and forgive my sins.

You have blessed me with so much, it is me that took all I had for granted.

 I will be thankful from this point on and I will live to do better and be to be strong.  

 

 Please help me. Please!

How will I, how will I ever get through all of this and go on?

Please, tell me how!

Send me a sign God; I desperately need your guidance now more than ever.

 

My head fell down in shame and through my tear filled eyes I began to see a slight smile emerge on her face and come to life. Eerily enough her recognizable eyes now opened and looked directly into mine. From her lips she now faint fully uttered the words to my final demise..

“By the grace of God, you have now just saved yourself”!

 

All off the sudden the snag that previously held her so securely into place had now broke her free alas as she began to drift swiftly downstream once again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[bluessadmood]

Oh Janice dear you have such deep insight into yourself..and such dreamy soul
I have always thought what will happen to the body when the soul goes..what will happen to the soul when the body goes..
First I thought this was a crime scene.then soon i knew it was not ..i was almost there with you..looking at you..your imagination gave you a glimpse of you after you are gone..it was a horrible scene put in front of you your mind your soul put that scene in front of you to tell how you have sinned ..you forgot the blessings life and God has given you ..everything was shown in front of you what mistake it is to take a life like a waste..life should never be wasted like that too precious it is ..its value is known only by its creator..all these images were put in front of you..and as if I was there too I was looking at a tragedy but you managed to save you when seeing the terrible note of saying goodbye ..but to who..
Nobody will waver back for you have taken a journey on your own .never blessed by anyone ..but you..and that moment you saw what grave mistake you did..and knew it was like a dream ..a dream in a dream .and you could reverse it ..i was there I felt so happy for you ..for you decided that taking a life is not your right..its taken only by the one that gave it..and you woke up ..it was a heavy dream ..that weighed hard on you..but you were still there to live your life and be forever happy for that gift..