Lover (Part 3 of 3)

"Why, Dad? Why did he choose Her?! I chose Her first! She's mine!" The Son could hardly stand still. His eyes were wet with tears. He finally was able to talk to Her, but all She said was, "That isn't my name. My name is Harlot," every time He addressed Her. She wouldn't let Him speak. She wouldn't let Him explain. She was only caught up in the foul, loathsome thief. She called to him like he was Her lover. How could she not remember the love He had given Her first?

"Patience, My Son," His Father said calmly. "She will see your love for Her. She will know how much you care." The Son nodded at His Father and sighed deeply. He, then, walked away to try and find Her again. "Be careful, My Son. That beast is looking for a way to make you fall."

The Son knew this. In fact, the loathsome creature had already tried. The Son neared the water's edge and looked up, as He had every day before. He searched far and wide for Her, and, at last, He spotted Her. She sat near the water, only 100 yards away, and the foul beast was no where to be seen. The Son walked over to Her in order to talk, but as He neared, the beautiful Woman looked up with tears in Her eyes. "Go away!" She screamed at Him. "Look what talking to you gets Me!" She showed Him Her arms and legs. He saw bruises spotted over them, and, He too, began to cry. "Why are you crying?" She asked harshly. "These are not your burdens, nor are they from your hand. I disobeyed my lover, my Cad. This is my just reward!"

The Son listened in horror at Her warped and twisted words. "No. It isn't your just reward," He said quietly. "You deserve more, my--"

"DO NOT SAY THAT NAME!" She was yelling again. "My name is Harlot! I am not that foul name you say!" She stood up quickly, then, and ran off into the wood. Her sobs and cries of anguish came loud through the trees.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

"It is time, Father! He is hurting Her. That foul beast is beating Her! I cannot stand it! Let me go and claim My Bride!" The events of that afternoon hurt the Son deep in His chest. It brought out feelings of pain and anger so deep, that He wasn't sure that they were His feelings.

"Yes, Son. It is time. You are ready, but remember this: You cannot touch him. You may only touch the Woman. Go, now, and be strong, My Son. She will love you."

The Son, determined now, ran back out towards the water. His anger and desire and jealousy pushed Him to the breaking point, but He ran faster still. He was weakened when He found Her, yet, He knew He could do this. For Her. For His Father.

"Why have you come back?" The tears still had not stopped flowing down Her cheeks, and now, there was blood on cheek as well. "He will only beat Me again! Do you delight in my pain?"

The question startled the Son. "No! Far from it!" It was time to tell Her. "I hate Your pain, more than My own. I despise Your tears of sorrow. As to why I am back, I have come back for You." He let that statement sink in for Her. "I have come to take You home, away from the beast you call Cad. He does not love or deserve you, but I do. I love You more than My life. Your redemption has always been My purpose." A smile came across His face as He said those last words, for He had an idea. A pleasant idea, but it had to be done quickly. "You, Beloved, are My Prize! You are what I will gladly die for." The Woman said nothing. She stared at the Son in shock at His bold words. At that moment, He matched His bold words with a bold, unexpected action. He took Her in His arms and kissed Her lips. All the passion He had saved up came through in this moment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Harlot couldn't believe her ears. He loved her? What she had always desired was true? She was in shock. She couldn't believe it. Was that how He truly saw her? As His Beloved? He couldn't, though! She was dirty. Unclean. A harlot. How could He love her? She looked into His deep eyes and found herself drowning in them. The desire was there. The fervor for her she could clearly see. He really would forgive anything and do anything for her. She knew she didn't deserve Him, but she wanted Him. The next thing she knew, He had her wrapped in His arms and His lips were pressed tightly against hers. The joy of that moment surpassed all of the pain she had ever felt. She felt at home in His arms.

The kiss was cut off too quickly. He smiled wildly at her. She smiled back at Him. She knew, now, her Lover. As soon as she thought the word concerning Him, her mind filled with images that she did not recognize. The one that lingered the longest was one of her in His arms again, but she was without clothes as when she first awoke. His smooth voice said quietly to her, "Wait for me, here. I will return for you." Realization hit her between her eyes. He was calling for her when she first awoke! He had always loved her and had searched and fought for her the whole time! Her mouth dropped open in surprise and understanding, but He just smiled wider.

A rough voice cut through the quiet. "What are you doing with HIM?!" She turned to see Cad walking towards them, visibly furious. "Leave Her alone, beast," the velvet voice said. "She is mine and She always has been." The color of Cad's face turned a deeper red to an almost black. A snarl ripped from Cad's chest and his eyes turned black. He pulled a knife out from behind his back at leapt at her. The knife was aiming right for her, but she soon only felt the grass on her back. She looked back to where she was standing to see Him, her Lover with the knife sticking out of His chest. Blood poured from His wound and covered the ground below Him. He looked at her and smiled. "I told you I would die for you. Wait for me, Beloved." Then He fell to the ground, dead.

A scream of pure agony ripped from her chest, but it was coupled by a scream much rougher and another so loud and painful that it shook the Earth. It was as though the earth was crying for justice. After her scream broke off, she looked and saw Cad as he truly is. Dead black skin with dead red eyes. All his beauty was stripped away leaving him exposed. She stared in horror at him and saw the pain in his dead eyes. He turned and ran away. He seemed afraid to be in this place any longer. After he entered the cover of the trees, she turned her eyes and attention back to her Lover. Tears, once more, fell from her eyes. Sobs broke loose from her chest. A calm, soothing voice reached her, "Do not weep, Daughter. For He will return for you. He died to free you so that you could live to love Him."

After these words were spoken, the wind blew and her pain eased. She raised her face into the breeze and welcomed it on her cheeks. After the breeze died away, she looked back down to her Lover's body, but it was not there. The pool of blood stayed and the knife had been removed, but the body was gone. Panic gripped her and she began to cry once more. She had only just remembered her Lover, but now, He was dead and she couldn't even bury the body.

"Don't cry," a softer, gentler voice said. "Everything is right, now." She turned to look at the voice. She felt her whole body lift off the ground. He was there! Her Lover HAD come back. "How," she asked suddenly. "You were dead! How are you here now?"

"I had to die. If I didn't, you would still not be free. My Father looked upon My sacrifice with favor. I did it correctly. I did it for My Beloved." He bent down and kissed her again softly. "Now, and I know this will seem cruel, but I must go. I must see to Our house. I want it to be perfect for you, My Beloved. My Bride. Wait for Me, here. Do not forget Me!" Then, He disappeared.

She didn't have time to agree or to protest, but she knew she would remember Him. How could she not? So, she waited, not always patiently, but she waited. Men came by, but she did not notice them. Her eyes were fixed on where her Lover said to wait. Time passed, but she hardly noticed. She was fixated upon her Lover. One morning, she awoke as the sun came rose across the water. She stretched her arms and stood to stretch her legs. Then, the voice she had waited for spoke, "Hello, My Beloved. It is time. Come, My Wife, let Us go home." She grabbed His outstretched hand, pulled Him close, kissed His lips, and said, "Yes, My Lover, My Husband. I am ready to go home."

They turned and walked towards the sun, across the water, and went home.

"Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for Her."
- Ephesians 5:25. Bottom line: The Church is the Bride of Christ and He died to set us free so that we could live to love Him.

Cad (Part 2 of 3)

He sat with his back resting against something. He couldn't tell what it was. A pervasive darkness covered his eyes. If it wasn't for the knowledge of his muscles working, he wouldn't even have known if his eyes were open or not. He turned his head in all directions possible, hoping for a light to break into the darkness. But there was nothing. He feared standing, for fear he would fall even further into nothingness. The events leading up to this were clear in his head and played in an endless cycle.

"Get out!" The Voice roared with such authority that Cad could barely whisper his response; a response that landed him here in this blackness. Say what you want about Him, but the Old Man could get angry. Cad closed his eyes in a deep depression and began to cry, again. He screamed out in rage, mostly directed to the Old Man, but also to the Brat and himself.

As his scream died, Cad opened his eyes again and saw a light growing. "Finally," he thought, "I'll be able to see something in this wretched place!" Just as he finished his thought, though, the light broke out over the ground and revealed the second most beautiful sight Cad had ever seen. She stood there, with the Brat. "Perfect! I still can't get away from Him!" Hate seethed out of every possible place. The two looked so happy; so in love it was disgusting.

Cad walked slowly toward the couple, trying to decide what he would do. He wasn't exactly sure of how he would do it, but he would steal the Girl from Him. As he neared, Cad caught the last of what the Brat was saying to Her, "Don't fear, my Love. I will come back to this place for you. Just remember Me and My love. It won't be long." With that, the Brat kissed Her and walked away. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. This place was for Her and She was for the Brat. The desire to have Her drove Cad insane. Her beauty was incomparable to anything in this place, and Cad vowed to destroy it. Her innocence was his for the taking. Cad smiled to himself and walked forward.

"Hello, lovely," Cad said, purring as if he was calling a cat. She smiled at him, but said nothing. "What," Cad asked, hurt. "Do you not have anything to say? You sure looked friendly with Him." Cad sneered the designation and refused to name the Brat. She looked down at her feet and said nothing. Cad, though, was determined. He continued coaxing Her and, after a while, began a conversation. Soon, they were walking and talking about everything.

"How is it that I do not know who you are," She asked after a few trips around the small lake.

"Because He doesn't want you to know me."

"Why not," she asked. "You don't seem bad and you are very nice."

"I do not know, love. Perhaps He doesn't trust you? Or, perhaps, He doesn't want you to know anything else?" That answer left Her thinking. Cad was sure he almost had Her. "Would you like to know me more? I can show so many things that He never would."

Her eyes lit up and turned the brightest blue with excitement. "Yes! I would love to!"

"Come, then. I will give you food and rest, and you will know me." Cad led Her into the forest and plucked an apple from a tree, whispered an incantation over it, and gave it to Her. She bit deeply into the apple and Cad watched Her eyes turn from the brightest blue to a dead, pale blue in a second. Cad smiled at his cleverness and said, "Come. You must rest now." He lay Her down behind a bush and let Her sleep.

While She slept, Cad whispered over Her. "You are now called Harlot. You are dirty. Used. Unwanted. He does not call for you. He calls for someone else. He doesn't want you." After he said these things, he let Her sleep.

A few hours later, Cad returned. He watched the Brat walk right past Harlot calling her by her other name. Cad chuckled inwardly and approached the woman crouching behind the bush and covered in leaves. "Harlot," he called softly. The woman turned to face him. The smile that was on her face fell into a disappointed grimace. Cad smiled, for he truly had her now.

Harlot (Part 1 of a 3 part story)

Tears filled the woman’s eyes. She was different, changed, but she did not know why. Something felt different. She could not tell if it was her, or the atmosphere of where she was. Everything just felt weird, empty. She was in the same place as before she woke up, it felt oddly familiar, but different.

She got up to walk around, but even that was awkward. Everything felt heavy, like time had slowed down and gravity was thrust down upon her. She stumbled often, searching, always searching. She walked down the lake shore, eyes roving the tree line for her lost—something. Everything felt so foreign! She trudged on through the heavy sand while the tears finally found form and rolled down her cheeks. A sob tried to break through her mouth, but she kept it locked inside. She knew if she let one through, then another would escape, and then she would fall into a helpless, useless, worthless state of being.

To her left, in the tree line, she heard a branch snap. A cold shiver ran through her body as a slight breeze blew in from her right. She rubbed her arms to warm herself. Her skin felt icy and damp. She looked down at herself to see why she was so cold. The water from the lake lapped at her feet silently, her arms and legs had cold bumps all over them, and her stomach was—uncovered. Her whole body was uncovered! "That is why I am cold," she thought, "I’m—I’m naked."

Panic replaced the cold she felt. She was naked, and someone could see her. Her mind began to race and her heart began to pound in her chest. She ran towards the nearest covering and hid behind it. A few minutes later, a man walked near her hiding spot. He, too, was uncovered, but He saw no shame in it. He did not dive behind a bush. Perhaps He did not realize it yet. He called for someone, but it was not her. She had no memory of another woman, but was certain this man was calling for someone else. She was naked, dirty, shamed. Who would ever want someone like that? He continued calling a name, but it was not hers. “Harlot” never left His lips. She only knew herself as “Harlot,” that was her name, not this word the man called.

The man walked closer to Harlot’s spot, and she cringed and scooted farther and farther back into the brush. He kept calling that hideous name though, and jealousy flooded her heart at the sound of that name. Harlot wanted this man. She wanted to be the object of His desire, but He called for another. She would show Him, though. Once she covered herself, she would devote herself to winning His affection!

The man left her, finally. Harlot looked out from her spot and saw that He was, indeed, gone. She immediately started working on fashioning some sort of covering for herself. She gathered a large amount of long-veined leaves and smaller, but adequate sized leaves. She broke off a small twig and started punching holes in the smaller leaves near the top. After doing that, she took the long-veined leaves and began to tear them and rip them into thin enough strips so that it will be able to pass through the holes in the small leaves making long rows of leaves attached together making a rough attempt at coverings. She ran the rows of leaves around her torso, each side fully reaching around and overlapping. She made several more rows; enough to cover from her armpits to above her stomach and from her waist to her mid-thigh. She then tied the rows covering her chest together forming one piece and the rows covering her waist together forming a second. Harlot’s tension and shame fell when she finally settled into her coverings. Now, she could face Him, and deserve Him. Her heart began to get lighter, she felt a little less dirty. She stepped out into the sunlight and basked in the warm rays.

A voice broke the silence behind her. "Harlot." Finally, He called her. Harlot smiled as she turned to face Him, but, it was not Him. Now that she thought about it, the voice that called was completely different as well. His voice was smooth and sweet. This other voice was rough and harsh. This second man was decent looking, and, to Harlot's great pleasure, clothed as she was. "How is it you know my name, sir?" Harlot searched the man's eyes for any type of recognition.

"Come now, Harlot. Do you not know me? Have you not already lay with me?" Harlot's mind spun. Is this man...could this man really be the one she was to be with? She, tentatively and suspiciously continued the conversation. By the end, however, she was certain that this man, he called himself Cad, was her friend and, perhaps more than that.