As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth.
- John 1:9
I was a boy when He came for me. I can still recall that moment:
I felt someone touch my arm - a sensation I had never known. It startled me. He whispered something in my ear. They were the clearest words I had ever heard. I couldn't understand them, but I knew they were meant to comfort me. I felt something fall from my wrists, then from my ankles and neck. I was consumed with a sense of relief, as if my body had been strangely lightened. My neck bent downward, and I beheld my own body for the first time. At my feet lay the iron shackles that had bound me. With great effort, I raised my head to look upon the Man who had broken them. His body was similar to mine, only much larger and thicker; and He was bleeding. Then I looked into His face. Our eyes met, and in an instant I knew the meaning of kindness and goodness. He took hold of my hand and helped me to my feet.
I looked around and began to observe the true nature of my surroundings. I had been chained to the wall of a cave. There was a great fire in the middle of the chamber, and there were men working, carrying strange objects, casting moving shadows on the wall. I realized with astonishment that these same shadows and the muffled voices of the workers had composed my entire reality not an hour before!
My Liberator led me (carried me, really) slowly out of the cave. The sun was blindingly bright, but its soothing warmth soon made me forget the pain it brought to my eyes. We came to what must have been a river, and my Liberator began to bathe me in it. I felt the cool water wash away years of filth from my body. I cannot remember how long I lay in the river, but when He brought me out, I felt as if I had been reborn.
My Liberator spoke to me gently. He lifted me up, and we started to move. He must have carried me for miles. As He walked, I fell into a peaceful sleep.
When I awoke, I was in an enormous bed, engulfed in soft blankets. I opened my eyes and found that my blindness had passed. The room I occupied was warmed by a small fireplace. There was a plate of hot food next to the bed. It smelled wonderful. After a few moments, the dark wooden door began to open. A Man stepped in, and I recognized the face of my Liberator, whose eyes still spoke perfect kindness.
During the days and weeks that followed, my Liberator and the others that lived with Him began teaching me how to properly use my muscles and my mind. In time, I learned many things. I learned that the Man who broke my chains was a great King, but that I was to call Him Father. I learned that the others who lived there had also been rescued from the caves by my Father. They are my brothers and my sisters.
Once my legs gained their proper strength, my Father began taking me on long walks through the countryside. He introduced me to waters, rocks, plants, animals - all the wonderful things I never knew when my world was full of shadows. He watched lovingly as I reveled in new experiences: climbing trees, swimming, and running through the grass. He asked me questions and listened intently to my thoughts and feelings. He even let me ask Him questions, and He answered many of them! We loved our walks very much.
One day, after I had learned to read, my Father brought me into an enormous room He called the Library. The walls were completely covered with books, and I was surprised to find a deep desire within myself to read all of them.
"Most of these books were written by one of your brothers or sisters," my Father said, "but this one..." He reached toward a table in the corner and picked up a very thick, very old-looking book with a worn black cover. "This is the one I wrote. It is very special." He handed me the Book and said, "You may read any of these any time you like." Then He smiled and left the room.
I sat down, eagerly opened to the first page of my Father's Book, and read His dedication: "To my children, with love."
After that day, I spent much of my time in the Library, pouring over books of all sorts: history, philosophy, poetry, adventure stories. I especially loved my Father's Book, which seemed to contain absolutely everything. I hardly ever left the Library except to eat, sleep, and, of course, to walk with my Father. I even started to write a book of my own, but I did not get very far.
On my eighteenth birthday, during one of our walks, my Father turned to me and said, "Son, I think it's time for you to start working in the caves."
"What?" I thought, "The caves where I spent my childhood chained to the wall? The caves where my eyes were mercilessly starved for true light and beauty?"
He could see the fear in my eyes. "Yes, son." He spoke with understanding. "There are minerals deep within the caves that must be mined. Many of your brothers have already begun working, and today you are old enough to join them. It needn't be at all like the prison you remember, for you will not be chained, and you may come back to the surface any time you wish. We will still be able to have our daily walks, and..." the corners of His mouth turned slightly upward, and His eyes twinkled as He said, "the mines will provide a comfortable living, should you ever desire to take a wife." I blushed. His smile turned to laughter, that laughter which was always so deep and strong and joyous that no one could help but join Him. "I know you've had your eye on Miss Philea, boy. Don't you try to deny it!"
It was true. I was very much in love with my adopted sister Philea, and if working in the mines meant she and I could start a family of our own, then I was ready to work in the mines!
His face still pinched with laughter, my Father grabbed my hand and said, "You would have My blessing."
I embraced Him and asked, "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow morning."
That was nearly three years ago. Since that time, life has been very different. Mining is hard work, but I feel stronger week by week. I am not deprived of beauty, as I had anticipated. For one thing, there are gorgeous rock formations in the caves that I hadn't noticed on the day of my rescue. I still spend hours in the Library, and I still take regular walks with my Father, although the lack of sunlight makes it difficult to track time, and I have failed to meet Him several times. Philea and I were married shortly after I began mining. We built a small house on our Father's land, and have lost no time in filling it with children. We are very happy.
Although the author is clearly the same, the strained pen and change in tone indicate a later date of composition for the following:
Cruel Time has worn on. I hate the caves. They are dark, cold, and putrid. The work is relentless. In the morning, my heart is heavy with dread over the task that lies before me. In the evening, it is heavy with guilt over the task left unfinished.
I have tried to find comfort in my family, but even when I am home, my mind constantly wanders back to those dank and dreary caverns. I have tried to ignore the work. I have even brought books from the Library down to the caves with me, but I cannot read very well in the dim light, and it brings me no pleasure. I hardly read my Father's Book at all. In fact, I hardly speak to Him. I am doing the work He sent me to do, after all! Am I angry at Him for sending me back to the caves? I do not know. I am conscious of very little, save for the endless clink of pick on rock.
The journey between the caves and my home is at least an hour's walk. I must endure the rough, monotonous terrain twice a day - through rain and wind, through extreme cold and heat. How I loathe it. Some nights I have slept in the caves in order to avoid the next day's journey. This preserves time and physical energy, but being absent from my family is difficult.
I have decided to move them tomorrow. I plan to pitch a tent near the cavern's mouth where they can be comfortable, but where I may remain close to my work in the mines. I hope it will prove beneficial.
Thus ends the diary of my brother Desmios. It was found in the home he and Philea once shared, covered in dust and cobwebs. Our Father is still searching for Philea and the children, but Desmios we found, deep in the caves. We tried to bring him out, but he would not be stirred. He sat there stupefied, entranced - staring at the shadows on the wall.
