A Short story

Written by Curtis Timmons

Paragraphs 1-39

Joseph is a ten year old child who was very frighten after he had awaken all alone in a dark cave. He called for his mother and brother, but no one answered, he called for the doctor who he remembered seeing before he felled asleep and again, no one answered.

“How did I get here” he said to himself. “Hello, is anybody out there?” he yelled towards a wide hole of the cave from were he could see the dark sky outside from inside the cave. He flinched at the sight of speckles of lighting when it flashed in the dark sky. He then gain the courage to stand up, he begun walking towards the hole that lead to the outside were he found himself standing onside a cliff of a hill.

As Joseph stood on the cliff he notice that the hill was far from the ground level as he could see over the tall thick trees that surrounded the hill, when he looked down in front of him, he saw an easy pathway from the cliff side that lead directly into a thickness of the forest. “Is anybody down there” he screamed to the forest of thick trees below and again, no one answered.

He was then frightened as another speckle of lightning covered the dark sky and was about to run back inside the cave until he realize that the entrance that lead him to the cliff side was suddenly sealed off. He push onto the wall investigating for any holes that could lead back into the inside of the cave. He begun panicking as the lighten flickered more and more, “Please, I wanna go back home” he cried as he was hoping that anyone or anything could save him and get him from such a lonely and dark place.

Then suddenly amongst the panic of fear and confusion he heard a whistle. He then stopped his panicking as he slowly turn around to facing the cliff side were he heard the whistle again. He could sense that the sound was coming from some where in a distance over the trees and the sound was soothing to him. The sudden hearing of the sound made him feel at ease, he was not feeling so much afraid anymore in such a lonely dark place. “Hello, were are you?” he called out to mysterious sound. And then he heard it again “phweeeeeesssh,phweeeeeesssh” the sound said very loudly and very soothing and welcoming. Joseph did not understand what it meant or who it was, but he felt he had to be near it. He then carefully started walking down the pathway of the cliff as he made his way down the hill and towards the thickness of the dark forest. The more he heard the sound the more it did not matter how scary the woods look as he entered inside of them, their was something about the sound that was pleasing to him, something about it that made him feel safe. The more he rand towards it’s direction the more he was sure that the sound of that whistle was going to help him find his way back home.

As he moved through the dark forest he suddenly begun to panic as the sound had now begun to fade away, he heard sounds of footsteps coming from behind the trees but, he did not know where the sounds were exactly. He heard voice’s of laughter as it sounded like other children. “Hello, brother is that you” he called out in hopes that it was his older brother was playing another one his tricks on him; he didn’t like it when his brother played tricks however, at least he would feel better if the laughter came from someone he knew.

He was now standing in one spot of the forest moving around in circles as the laughter seemed to be circling him from behind the trees. He wanted to run back towards the hill but, he could not see over the tall trees. Then he felt something as it tapped onto his shoulder from behind, he quickly took off running as he did not look back to see what it was. As he rand, someone had leap down from one of the tall tree branches that toward over him and felt onto his back forcing him onto the ground.

“Please, don’t hurt me” he begged the voices that continued laughing over him as he lay on the ground; hands covering his face, afraid to open his eyes. “Get up, we were only playing with you” one of the voices said to him. As Joseph uncovered his face and slowly stood up from the ground in fear, he notice that the voices were three children that look to be around the same age as he, one being a girl and the other where two boys.

“It’s ok, we are not going to hurt you” the girl said as the two boys continued laughing at Joseph. Then she looked at him and asked, “What’s your name and how old are you?”

“My name is Joseph and I’m ten years old, where am I and how I did I get here?”

Then the two boys suddenly stop laughing as they showed a more serius expression about themselves. “My name is Lilith” the girl said to him. “And I am 11 years old.” Then she proceeded to introduce other two boys. “And these two are Hiero and Kumor. They are both 12 years old.”

“Nice to finally meet you Joseph, I was beginning to wonder how long is was going to take, for you to come down for the hill top.” Said Hiero as he reached over to embrace Joseph with a big hug.

“Hill top?” Joseph repeated as he quickly freed himself from being suffocated under the arm pits of Hiero. “Are you talking about the tall hill that I came down from?”

“Yes, he is” Kumor interjected. “Every child begins their journey on that hill top, the same way you started in a cave and came down the path that lead into the forest, is the same way that we entered the forest.”

“You were up there for three days,” Hiero spoke again. “We were starting to get a little woried, most kids come down on the first are second day,” Hiero started laughing “Congratulations kid you have made a new record” he said with a big smile on his face.

“I don’t understand?” Joseph shook his head in confusion. “Why was I up there? And who are the other kids that you are talking about? If you knew I was up there then why didn’t anyway come help me?”

“Come down” Lilith spoke in a soft voice, as she placed her hands over Joseph shoulder. “I will explain to you what is happening only you if promise not to panic. Do you Promise?” Joseph shook his head ‘yes’ and then she took a deep breath and said, “Joseph, the cave that you awaken inside of is were all kids of misfortune begin their journey in the after life; this is purgatory.”

“Purgatory.” Joseph took a step back releasing himself from Lilith’s grasp, as he was in shock. “Are saying that I’m dead?” he asked her with wide eyes of tears as she shook her head ‘Yes’ before adding that she-too was dead, so was Hiero and Kumor. “No, that can’t be true, I cant be dead” he begun to cry out loud. “What about my mom and my brother, are they dead too?”

“We don’t know that” Kumor answered. “What is the last thing that you remembered before awakening inside the cave?”

“I remember being inside of a hospital” Joseph answered as he tried desperately to wipe away his tears. “There was an accident” he continued. “My older brother was playing with a gun that he found, he was playing a prank on me, he aim the gun at me and didn’t know it was loaded. The gun went off and I was hit by one of the bullets. I was rushed to the hospital and remember mom being very angry at my brother. I was in so much pain as the doctor was trying to remove the bullet. I remember my hearing my mom’s voice as she screamed ‘Please do not leave me’ before I felled asleep. The next thing I remember was awakening inside the the cave on top the hill.”

“So your mother and brother are most likely still alive” Kumor explained. “And the moment you felled asleep was the moment you died.” Kumor said before grabbing onto Joseph, who nearly felled to the ground from being over whelmed by all that has happen. “It’s going to be OK, I promise you Joseph. Lilith, Hiero and myself, have all been here in purgatory for years.”

Then Joseph regain his balance and stood up strait. “For years” he said, “But, what about Heaven? I thought that people go to Heaven when they die.”

“It takes a special kind of person to enter Heaven without crossing into the realms of purgatory” Hiero said to him. “Their are many different stages of purgatory, it all matters how you left the physical world.”

“What do you mean; how you left the physical world?” Joseph asked.

“Remember when Lilith told you that this where all journeys begin for the kids of misfortune?”

“Yes, Lilith said that this is where all kids begin their journey in the after life.”

“Not all kids, only the ones who were mistreated by others, and were murdered in such a terrible way.”

“Murdered” Joseph rejected. “I was not murdered.

“Are you sure about that” Lilith said as her eyes sharpen on him. “You said your brother shot you with a gun, did you not.”

“Yes, but it was a mistake” Joseph replied.

“I don’t believe you.” Lilith responded angerly. “This is the stage of misfortune children, only kids who died of injustice or live a terrible life will enter here.” Lilith said as she walked closer to Joseph. “Hiero, Kumor and myself, have all died from a great injustice. Many kids who enter this stage did not have great childhood’s” Lilith’s eyes begun to tear up as her stare intimidated Joseph. “Some were poor and didn’t have an chance to be happy at the start of birth as their family sold them evil people for money and some were greatly abused no matter their social status. Every child that has entered this stage was mistreated or left for dead. And now The Lord has put us here and asked us to forgive the ones who wronged us.”

“Forgive the ones who wronged us, why must we do that?” Joseph asked.

“To enter Heaven” Lilith screamed as she begun crying loudly.

Kumor rushed over to Lilith trying his best to console her, she shoved his hands away from her and ran off towards the darker area of the woods, Hiero grabbed on his shoulder to stop him from following behind her, “Let her go, she will be fine” Hiero said to Kumor.

“I just don’t like to see her when she gets this way” Kumor said with saddning expression.

“Was it something that I did?” Joseph asked Hiero and kumor.

“No, you did nothing wrong” Kumor assured Joseph “We all did nothing wrong.” Then Kumor said as looked over to Joseph. “Look around you Joseph, do you not see how this forest is very dark and yet we all can see each other without the help of a lantern.” Joseph looked around his perimeter in amazement of how they were all able to see each other in the dark. “The reason we can see each other so clearly is because of our souls, look your hands Joseph and you can see it glowing.” Joseph smiled as he could see the glow from his his hands. “Everything about us is no longer flesh, it is all soul. Our souls will always be our light in the darkness.”

Hiero smiled at Joseph “Myself and Kumor have been here for hundreds of years.” Joseph look at them both in shock, “Hundreds of years” Joseph repeated in astonishment. “Yes, and Lilith has has been here for thousands of years.” Hiero added. “Why has it been so long, will I be here for thousand of years?” Joseph asked Hiero. “No, all it takes to leave this place is letting go of your past life and forgiving those who wrong you.”

Then Kumor took a deep breath before explaining more. “The reason Lilith has been here for long is because she could never forgive the ones killed her and her family. Her family was executed by the church for their paganist practices, she has never forgave them and she has strong hatred for The Lord. These reasons has kept her in purgatory. She has to forgive and let go of her hatred so she can enter Heaven.” Then Kumor took another deep breath before continuing. “As for me, I was just a farm boy in my physical life, the village that I grew up in was raided by bandits and all my people were killed. Hiero was raised in royalty, his family were betrayed by The Nights Templar.”

Joseph was astonished by the information he was receiving, he then remembered that when he was on top of the hill that he heard a sound of a whistle and asked the both of them what it meant.