I dropped the razor and peaked out the bathroom door.
Still dark; I could barely see kitchen curtains flutter. fdfdfdfdfdfdfdfdf.
With a gasp, I closed the door. I knew that sound. I hate bats.
I fished my razor out of the sink water and remembered what the owner of the house had told me, "Occasionally, bats come up from the basement."
It wasn’t really my problem. My family and I were just staying there until we could move into our new place. My day was already full. I did not have time to deal with a bat.
But, knowing the women and children still lay sleeping, what could I do?
Being the brave, all American, man of God that I am, I finished shaving, looked at my reflection in the mirror one last time and said...“Kill that bat.”
I opened the door, faced the window, heard the fluttering curtain and... ran as quickly and quietly as possible to the outside door; leaving the women and children inside, alone, to deal with the vampire.
Once outside, my courage that had somehow vanished only seconds before, began to rise; as did the sun. I might as well take a look at this huge vampire bat, from a safe distance outside the window.
As I rounded the corner toward the back of the house, I heard, fddfdfdfddfdfdf; only louder than before. I inched toward the window.
With the rising of the sun came the rising of the wind. The closer I got the louder it grew. I imagined a huge bat flying right into my face, with fangs and claws open for the kill.
Should I turn back? No, I have to see it. Closer and closer, louder and louder, five feet away, four feet, two feet, inches…
The object of my fear stared back at me.
My chin quivered. A tear appeared on my cheek.
I stared at my reflection in the window and whispered, "My God, what kind of man am I?"
The plastic, fastened to the inside of the cracked window shuddered as the wind whistled through the pane, fdfdfdfdfddffdfd.
I can laugh about it now, but not then.
My character was weighed in the balance, and I came up wanting. I failed.
I ran from a fear created in my head, rather than facing it with the courage in my heart.
Like most fear, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Like all tests, God was there, with His perfect love that casts out all fear.
I heard Him whisper in the rising wind, "Fear not, I AM, with you. Always."
My scared, ashamed, rejected reflection began to shine with a new determination and courage.
That day I learned to face the biggest fear of all….fear itself.
I wrote this story over a decade ago. By now the window's been fixed, the bats are gone...but to this day, fear remains.
Today, fear, not facts, fuel the media.
It wears several masks and uses different words and names, but all the same it echoes the same, fdfdfdfdfddffdfd.
Back when this story was being written, we were told we'd be all be dead today because of global warming. Today it's called Climate Change, but still fueled by the same thing: fdfdfdfdfddffdfd ...fear.
Currently the coronavirus fdfdfdfdfddffdfd is quarantining countries and tanking economies.
But the same God who was with me then, in the shuddering plastic in the wind, is with us today, saying the same thing.
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
3 comments:
that was good i really liked it you should be a writer that was good
That's okay, Doug. A bat once flew at me in the basement of our old place, before I knew we got bats. My husband heard me scream, came to the top of the stairs to find out why, then told me to run upstairs. So you're in good company. :P
Snort! I can laugh only because I'd have probably done the same thing. But I think it took more courage to write about it than to face that fear.
Great post, Doug!
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