章 23: The Root Of All Power (Short Story)
Confidence is flexible. The miniscule of a moment can knock it. Everything becomes a question. Was it worth it in the first place? Is it just a happenstance? No wonder low self esteem exists. The planet Earth is blanketed by water with patches of land. It is either floating or sinking. The world can raise as fast as it can bury. Nothing will be there to rely upon.
Meet Clouse. He knows of the system. No, not the political system. That has its own category. He is shooting for bigger. The worldly pattern. He explores the little to the big spectacles. The slimmest of details people miss or a symbolic figure sending a message that cannot be figured out at first glance. He inspects these things. He lives for these discoveries.
And yet, his list has one mystery unsolved. Scientists have their theories, their conclusions. The big bang theory to the Earth forming itself. Clouse rejects those claims. More hides behind the wall here. In hand, he owns a thick booklet. The sentences tie together so beautifully, a baby would grin endlessly. Still, not every question he had was answered. It was only one of the biggest sources he had. It was not enough.
On a sunny, summer afternoon, Clouse leaves his home to walk around the city. He passes by neighbors of whom he knew for a few years. Little kids innocently played with one another and formed long lasting friendships, even though they did not know it at the time. Clouse half smiles. The cool breeze balances out the heat of the sun. It didn't take long for Clouse to adjust to the outside weather. The hairs on his arms were tickled by the wind, but, not in the way another person could describe it.
Clouse stops. He turns back to see if he was being followed. The coast was clear. Puzzled, he continues on more cautiously. The street grew longer once reaching the main road. Clouse felt the sensation happen again the minute he was halfway down. This time, a little push ushered him along. He soon found himself moving without much effort. The mechanics of the operation openly invited an answer. Clouse heard nothing. For now, he leaves the force in total control.
Twist after turn, the path in front unclearly came to view. Clouse raises an eyebrow. Nevertheless, he keeps moving. He opens the booklet and holds both sides of it. Instantly, the pages turn themselves. This is when he abruptly stops. There were a few blank pages in the back. Clouse carefully gazes at the words presented before him: The Highway of Holiness.
Suddenly, the gears turn in his head. Clouse looks down below and realizes the tracks in front have no cars passing by. He spins around. It was...abandoned. Or was it? He did not understand. Clouse faces front. The scene before him seemed normal as ever. Maybe there was a blockage somewhere. Clouse became determined to find out. He closes his booklet and starts to walk again.
No one could be seen for miles. Clouse nearly wondered how a city such as this can suddenly be empty of humans. The houses were the only indication of a neighborhood. In the midst of confusion, Clouse heard whistling. He turns, yet the sound belonged to no particular individual. The whistling happens again. Clouse was about to walk back to search for the culprit when the scene in front of him called louder. Pulled forward, "the force", as he called it for the time being, helped to guide him along.
Clouse could not stop until he reached the center of...where he happened to be. Silence surrounded him. Overcome with strong perplextion, the idea to yell in testing to see if another human figure existed did not register. Suddenly, the only resource he brought vanished. "Huh?" Clouse reacted. His hand held nothing now. Above him, the daytime star shined brighter. Too bright. However, no heat radiated. Clouse slowly looked upwards. He expected to be blinded indefinitely. Instead, he gasps. Then all at once, he's gone.
It takes a few moments. Clouse's eyes are slow to flutter open. Disoriented, he sits up and takes in the area. Nothing has changed. The man rises to his feet. Clouse still did not have his booklet, but what he did discover made him forget about it for a second. His body. Shocked, Clouse crouches down to see his human flesh lying motionless on the ground. He raises his arms up and sees that they are blue. Blue and wispy.
"What?" Clouse could not comprehend this, "What is this?"
The world felt so distant despite his feet touching the floor. Clouse touched himself. Like smoke, he puffed, but only for a moment. He wanted to grab his booklet. He had no ability to do so. His mouth opened to speak on the matter. In came a bright, shining sphere, quick to meet his gaze and shut him up. Clouse moved back in caution. The dot stayed still. Narrowing his eyes, Clouse reached his hand out towards the flying sprite. It moved back this time. Clouse took a step forward. He reaches out again, but the sprite moves too. Slightly smiling, Clouse finds himself more enticed by the little fellow. The sprite takes a liking to him as well. It circles around him a few times before coming to a halt. Seconds later, it shoots off.
Clouse cannot help but follow the little wonder. He trained his eyes on it to avoid getting lost. As he kept going, he did not look down for a second. The road that once held his feet up started to disappear. The sprite sky rocketed upwards. Clouse tried to follow with his eyes, but the sprite was gone. Beside him, a staircase formed. Curiosity swirled from within the man and he could not turn this down. Despite fearing the outcome, Clouse climbed the steps.
One by one, each step went away when he left them behind. The blue skies withered steadily. Clouse barely made out the location. Nothing seemed familiar. Another push, this time from below, bumped him up higher. Clouse managed to land on his feet, but had to find his balance. The stairs were no longer there. Clouse spun around. All was white. He did not know what to make of it. But, He did.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." [2 Timothy 3:16]
The words spread across the wall so boldly. So powerfully. In awe, Clouse walked over to read it. A smile broke out on his face. Another scripture pops out to his left, saying:
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." [Romans 10:9]
"Woah..." Clouse was speechless. He had so many questions that failed to be asked. Clouse needed to make sense of this. He knew that. Clouse snaps his head in His direction. Although not uttered, words revealed themselves. The man is slower to respond. He took his time to grasp the message written to him:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made." [John 1:1-3]
The scripture opened his eyes. New sight came to fruition. In a flash, everything zipped. He could barely catch his breath. Clouse once again found himself waking up. His dizzy head needed a few seconds to adjust. As he came to, Clouse looks downwards. His hands were covered by flesh. He touched himself and saw his skin. He scowers the area. All presented itself as normal. Clouse huffs out a laugh of delight. All those days of never knowing. All those days spent seeking the truth. Now? Now, he found his starting place.
Clouse nods to himself and picks up the booklet he left lying on the ground. More blank pages had been added. The notes he carried now only filled half of the notebook. Clouse closes it. The smile returns. Desire grew fondly and he wanted to know everything. He felt teased when he yearned for the whole concept. But, that was it. That was all that he could see for the time being. And...that was okay.
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