A
man was on a journey when he saw a shortcut down a dark alley. Dark
alleys were nothing new to this man, as he has travelled through many of
them over the course of his journey.
Neither were shadows, as he has
even faced his own, but there was something odd about this one because
it seemed to move as he looked at it and it wasn’t his.
He paused, sensing something.
“Who’s there?”, he asked the darkness.
The darkness chose not to respond.
“You might as well show yourself, i can feel you here.”, he said to the silence.
“You
have become much more aware my friend…” came a whisper from the
silence. “There was a time when you were oblivious to me looking over
your shoulder.”, it continued.
“There was a time when i was oblivious to a great many things around me…now is not that time.” The man replied.
“As we both see…long has this meeting been coming.” said the whisper on the breeze blowing by him.
“Aaaah…so is it my time then?” The man whispered back.
“Yes it is…so no, it is not…not yet.”, was the message brought back by the breeze.
The man paused again while he listened to this.
“Before
you were born, GOD knew you and called you by name…You answered that
call and followed Christ until you found yourself anointed before ‘The
Mighty One’ and came back with a message…completing ‘The Sign of
Jonah’.”
The messages carried on the breeze continued;
“The
greatest of evils have always avoided you because of the light within.
Those whom have crossed your path in the past have been defeated, when
you turned the other cheek and did not strike them down to make them
stop…each one, making you stronger.”
“The ‘Art of the Warrior’ and ‘Art of Shen Ku’ have served you well.”,  the whisper went on.
“But now…”, the whisper paused and the wind changed direction.
“Now,
you are so aware, your will affects their reality…”, the whisper said
anew. “And they fear their time is ending…as it is.”
“Now, they are feeling desperate, and when you turn the other cheek they may not stop…”
Again
the whisper paused, as the wind increased in intensity and the Shadow
grew, bringing forth words with it. “Then, shall I be forced to
act…Only the survivors that are wise, shall learn their failed
lesson.”
“But i am not in danger now…why reveal yourself?” the man
asked, his hand holding his hat to his head, beard and cowl blowing
freely.
The wind calmed again and the words again became a whisper as
Death drew closer; “It seems senseless to hide now that your senses can
detect me normally…normally i remain undetected until their time.”
Then the man glimpsed for a moment, a tiny glimmer from under a shrouded hood within the shadows.
“Though this is not the first time for you is it?” came the whisper from within.
“No.”
said the man thinking back. “No, i remember a few times in my life,
even as a child, when i thought i was going to die and seeing you say;
“Not this time.”, but it was hazy to begin with, and then i’d forget
about it because i didn’t understand why.”
The glimmer passed away as the shadows shifted, but the whisper remained.
“Because
of your covenant…None shall end your time before it’s time…that’s
not their call to make.” Now Death seemed to engulf him and reform over
his other side. “Those that try too hard to make that call, shall find I
come for the one calling instead.”
The man stood in silence as Death continued talking.
“Because
of your covenant…If you fail to turn the other cheek and strike them
down before it’s time…You will no longer be able to bide a moment for
the rest. You must then use the Keys of Death and the Gates of Hell
Christ gave you to complete the last half of your journey…till the
‘End of Days’ and you take your seat as Judge…for it shall be the
least that serves as the most to separate the sheep from the goats.”
The man’s head dropped. “Can you tell whether i win their hearts and convince them to stop before it’s too late?”
“No.” Death stated, as a matter of fact.
“Free Will keeps the options open. People have until their last breath
to save themselves, but most still wait until their next one to
start…though it may not be coming.”
The wind died down, but the whisper did not.
“The
longer you walk, the greater your chances…But the further you are
from them, the less they understand you. The more you seek to help them,
the more they seek to kill you…It is a fine balance indeed, not an
easy journey.”
“No…but one worth walking.” The man said, as his
head raised up again to look Death in the eyes. “The further they are
from me when they do understand, only brings them closer. Then the ones
still further away can begin to see the light…and every one i can get
to go through the doors i stand before is a victory…because i am, the
last.”
Here, the man paused again, as a tear rolled from his eye
carrying the weight of his next words. “Though i will weep for any who
did not listen, they will also be tears of joy for the ones who did.”