And that is Our Story by James Gerard (top 100 books to read .TXT) 📖

understand my friends.’”

 

“‘Who are you talking to?’ I asked the old one.”

 

“‘I am not like you,’ he roared, ‘I am you:

 

I too had the intention to hide myself under my kin’s cover of thunder, and to roll into the enemy’s village with the intent to pillage and plunder.

 

Like you, I was prepared to slay and to slaughter both our enemy’s fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

 

I am you.   I sought to free our captured kin from those who believed they won from him the victory of wills on the olive green fields.’”

 

“‘Please,’ I said, ‘I’ve done no such things. For today was my first battle. I have neither slew nor slaughtered, pillaged nor plundered. I have never gained the freedom of any of my kin—’”

 

“‘Silence!’ the old one commanded me. ‘Let me tell you young one a story by which you will understand. Now, look into my eyes and tell me what you see.’”

 

“And that’s when I saw. I saw me. For just as he was plucked from the olive green fields, I was too. While he had ran around the feet of our clan’s mighty warriors with a poisonous snake in hand to strike at our enemy’s feet, I ran around our clan’s giants using them as my shield and sword.”

 

“But what about the snake? Why did he use a snake as his weapon? For I had my sword and you had your giant warriors as a shield, but a snake?”

 

“Let me tell you a thing young one. Once I understood why he had pulled me from the battlefield, I saw his power. In time, I also saw my power.”

 

“His power?” the young one was curious to know.

 

“Yes, his power. Once he saw that I understood, he called out for me to open my eyes, and I did. And when I looked, I saw a field filled with serpents. The serpents were once his weakness but now were his power. They neither coiled nor rattled, bit nor battled. His army of serpents brought out all the mighty warriors’ fear, and that fear was used against them. Through that fear, the attention of one left out in the field was made aware. That one was me.”

 

“But why? Why did he decide to pluck you out of the olive green fields?”

 

“That young one, I do not know. Except to say, if I had not been, then today you would have certainly died in battle just as I would have and just as the old one who had plucked me too.”

 

“I still do not understand. Why has this been done?”

 

“Young one, the answer will come one day. When, I do not know.”

 

“And what of your power?” the young one asked.

 

The old one looked to the mountain peak far, far away and shouted, “He still does not understand my friends. The weapon that once was my weakness has now become my power.” He then turned back to the young one and commanded, “Open your eyes and see my power.”

 

The young one was struck with awe and fear as thousands and thousands of giants stared back at him with fire in their eyes.

 

The old one laughed then shouted, “Now he sees my power.”

 

The giants then smiled. The young one’s fear went away as they stared back at him with thousands and thousands of smiles.

 

“And do I have a power?” the young one asked.

 

The old one picked up an old, wooden cross from atop the mountain and threw it at his feet.

 

“What? Is this a grave marker or an old, wooden sword? It has the appearance of a sword, but the hilt is too long, the blade too short, and the splinters on the grip are hurting my hand. What kind of power is this?”

 

“Today it is your weakness, but tomorrow it will be your strength. You will figure this out one day.”

 

The old one extended his arms out to the nearest giant. The giant cradled the old one in the palm of a hand and placed him atop one his shoulders.

 

The young one looked at the wooden weapon held firmly in a hand and shouted, “How could this be my strength? It could not even slice its way through water.”

 

“One day you will understand,” the old one shouted from a distance.

 

As the young one watched the old one and his army of giants walk away, he had doubts over the wooden sword, but then realized he would not lie to himself.

 

With bounding leaps, he jumped from rock to rock until reaching the olive green fields below.

 

*                           *                            *

 

Too afraid to join the fierce fighting, the young one could only gasp in horror as many a tall and mighty warrior fell in the olive green fields. Too weak to command her pony to the left, she could only tremble as they came crashing down all around her.

 

The young one thought she had chosen wisely. She believed that by riding such a young yet reliable horse, she could stay protected hidden among the men and women riding the strong and mighty stallions. She figured that would save her from the swords and spears and javelins and daggers from the enemy that would take her life.

 

As the valiant men and women from both sides continued to fall, she heard a loud clanging of metal coming from the heavens. She wondered how that could be since the noise from the battle was deafening.

 

Then another deafening roar came from the sky. The clamorous sound came from what seemed like thousands and thousands of metal swords ringing out a command. The young one fell to the ground and curled up into a ball with her pony close by her side.

 

From the ground, she dared to take a peek at the olive green fields when an eerie silence fell upon the battlefield. All the warriors stopped where they stood and where they had fallen.   As if frightened by the gods themselves, all looked to the sky and began to beg for mercy. As soon as their pleas started, they stopped. It appeared all the valiant men and women were frozen with fear. For now they could neither move nor speak.

 

The young one gasped as all the men and women, those from her clan and the enemy’s, were mysteriously knocked off their feet in a matter of seconds. It was as if a strong and mighty sword came in and cut their legs out from under them.

 

She gasped again, then immediately hid her eyes as the sky let out a single sound. It was the sound of thousands and thousands of swords clinging and clanging. It was as if they were commanding the mighty warriors to flee.

 

Without hesitating, all the valiant men and women jumped to their feet and went screaming from the olive green fields.

 

The young one too jumped to her feet and was ready to flee on her pony. She was more than willing to obey the command of the thousands and thousands swords, but was unable to do so. Although she could not see the mighty sword that came cutting over the battlefield, she knew that its blade had her pinned by the legs. She could feel the blade press harder against her as she struggled against the weight. She cried and begged for mercy, but there was no escape. It seems the fight on the olive green fields would be her first and last battle. She closed her eyes to shut off the sight of the executioner. “Please, I beg you for a quick and merciful death.”

 

Within a matter of seconds, the plea was answered.   The sensation of the sword sweeping underneath her then flinging her into the sky was overwhelming. She then opened her eyes to see the blade come swinging at her, but none was seen. Instead, the young one, in a matter of seconds, went from flying into the air to wading ankle deep in the shallow waters of a sea. An old one was standing before her.

 

The old one stared back with such a look of fury that her body began to quiver and she quickly cast her eyes to the shallow water. Not wanting to offend the heavens if he were one of the powerful immortals, the young one asked, “Are you one of the gods?”

 

“I was just like you,” the old one screamed.

 

The young one cringed with fear at the sight of fire in the old one’s eyes. She tried to splash her way through the water, but her legs would not move.

 

“What are you afraid of?” the old one shouted. He walked up to the young one and softly said, “How can you be afraid of that which you do not know? I demand to know.”

 

“I…I do not understand,” the young one cried.

 

The old one took a step back. He shouted, “Yes you do,” while pointing a finger towards the sky. He then took a step towards the quivering mass of flesh and smiled. “Be afraid of him that you do know and you will do well.”

 

The young one sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted to flee, but it still seemed as if the blade held her legs down. “Please, I do not want to die.”

 

The old one smiled. He bent over the young one and whispered, “I was just like you. I was you. Yes I was.”

 

“Please!” the young one cried, “tell me what you want of me.”

 

“Look into my eyes,” the old one whispered.

 

The young one wiped away the tears and obeyed.

 

“My eyes see the youth I was, and your eyes see the old one you will become.”

 

“I do not understand,” the young one responded. She wiped more of the tears from her face and questioned the old one. “It is true, you were once young and I will be old, but how could we be the same?”

 

The old one laughed out loud. He turned from the young one and looked at his sword of wood. “She does not understand my friend.”

 

“Who are you talking to?

 

“I am not like you,” he roared, “I am you:

 

I too had the intention to hide myself under my kin’s cover of thunder, and to roll into the enemy’s village with the intent to pillage and plunder.

 

Like you, I was prepared to slay and to slaughter both our enemy’s fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.

 

I am you.   I sought to free our captured kin from those who believed they won from him the victory of wills on the olive green fields."

 

“Please, I’ve done no such things. For today was my first battle. I have neither slew nor slaughtered, pillaged nor plundered. I have never gained the freedom of any of my kin—”

 

“Silence!” the old one commanded. “Let me tell you young one a story by which you will understand. Now, look into my eyes and tell me what you see.”

 

Imprint

Text: James Gerard Burch
Images: Right to use purchased from grandfailure-Fotolia.com
Editing: James Gerard Burch
Publication Date: 10-15-2015

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Dedicated to those of us in search of an escape from the madness of the world.