Light in a Dark Place | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Light in a Dark Place | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jennifer Woodley
03/05/23
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Light in a Dark Place

The western sun had bid a lazy farewell, but still the heat hung heavily as twilight deepened. Tim slowly lowered himself to the sun-baked ground and caught his breath. Beads of sweat trickled in pathways down his forehead. He had been stumbling wildly for over an hour frantically looking for his dog, Ricky. He had disappeared earlier, madly chasing a rabbit and had never returned even when Tim called long and loud for him in the late afternoon. Ricky - a mangy red cattle dog cross something. His only friend. His only confidant. His only joy and comfort.

Brokenness had caused Tim to live alone with Ricky in the backwaters of western Queensland. Far enough away from the tragedy that set Tim on a journey of despair, disappointment and drunkenness. Tim, heart heavy and body weary, began peeling away the crusty layer of mud that covered his feet. If only he could peel back time, and life could be how it was when Ella and he walked hand in hand, planning a future together. But then everything went wrong. Very wrong. Like the thick coating of mud that now covered the soles of his feet, his own soul felt retched; black and lifeless, starved of the hope of former days.

Crushed with confusion, Tim pondered why Ella had gone. But hadn't he turned this monologue over in his mind before? How many times? he wondered. The same answer always came back, too many times. There was no reason in her leaving. Trying to understand why only heaped hurt upon hurt on Tim's already weary soul. He and Ella had been so good together.

Relief from the despair and disappointment began to creep its way into Tim's life. Never one to mix with crowds, he chose to isolate himself from his few friends, preferring to drown his sorrows and the nagging feeling that he was to blame, alone, with wine and worry. But drunkenness and fits of restless sleep only brought temporary relief. For a brief time, inebriation shut out his pain, his few friends and the new found faith that had brought such joy and light into his soul. Waking from another night of listless tossing and the swirling stench of cheap wine still clouding his thoughts, Tim admitted that his despair had led him to turn his back on everything that he truly needed and instead choose the one dark thing that he was best without.

To escape the misery and monotony, a mining job in far western Queensland caught his attention and for company, Tim adopted a stray dog that he picked up on his way out west. Ricky was a ray of sunshine bringing a flood of light to his dark, lonely soul. Right now Ricky was the one good thing that Tim could trust and make him smile. Tim knew that in his funny dog way, Ricky loved him too. Tim's heart ached for Ricky. He didn't want to lose again.

The mud thickened into long squiggly cracks on his soles. There was a strange satisfaction in peeling it off in chunks. As the moon rose silently, Tim could see the pale skin shining underneath. He wondered, had God, like Ella, left him in the dark? Back then, when everything went wrong, it certainly seemed that way.

A sudden rustle from the nearby salt bush made Tim jump. Then a cold, wet tongue landed enthusiastically on his cheek. Ricky had returned, bounding with energy and covered in mud from the tip of his ears to the soles of his feet. Tim let out a whoop of laughter and light filled his soul.

“Perhaps, Tim muttered out loud, “God is watching over me all the time. But like the clean, smooth soles of my feet hiding under the mud, God's just hard to find. All I could see at the time was mess. I've heard it said that God never leaves us. It's just hard to find him when you're covered with mud.”

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