The Warrior's Beckoning

I STOOD BEFORE the chest that held Hatred and Rage, lost in silent contemplation. The task I had to undertake would be strenuous and long. And the weather was not good. Dark clouds crowded the daylight sky, threatening to wash away all my hope. I knelt down, grasping the chest and pressing it close to my body. My dad opened the door for me as I carried the chest to the doorway and down the ramp. As I loaded the chest into my car, I couldn’t help wondering what role the weather would play in the outcome. Would it rain and thwart my plans? Or would the rain hold off, at least long enough for the hole to be dug? On faith, I would go. On faith, I would succeed.

  I started my car, sipping an energy drink as the engine roared to life.

  After much contemplation and planning, I would finally bury it all…bury them…Traffic was heavy as I pulled into the main highway. Was it to defer me from this endeavor? Or mere coincidence and nothing at all to do with me? I could only wonder.

  Despite the looming storm and heavy traffic, the drive was rather smooth. I arrived at the church seemingly just minutes after leaving my house. There, I found Carlos waiting for me inside. I told him my plan, which had been in the making for quite some time, and he was supportive, though the weather was not.

  As I went to pull the shovels from my trunk, I wondered if Carlos happened to have a video camera. He said that he did, and, in fact, it was in his car, but its memory was full.

  I shrugged, thinking that a written account would be much more valuable.

  I parked next to the van, which was very close to where I planned to bury the chest. It was a bare area, with little grass. I began to dig. I established the perimeter of the hole and slid the shovel down into the dirt to pry it loose. Realizing that I would need to place the chest near the opening to be accurate, I retrieved it from my car and set it down next to where I was digging. I made the proper corrections to the perimeter and dug deeper. Soon my body began to ache, as if to defy my spirit, but I would not give up.

  I worked quickly, believing that it would rain soon. However, when I sat on the chest to rest a moment, I gazed up to the sky. The sun was becoming visible, and the rain clouds above me were scattering. “Thank you, Lord,” I said aloud.

  I stood once more and estimated how far I had dug; the hole was about a foot deep. I continued to dig, widening the perimeter as needed. The sandy ground proved easy to remove. I jabbed the shovel into the ground, and then I went to the church entrance. Jason met me at the door. I told him of my progress and went for water, which briefly rejuvenated my aching body. My spirit remained strong, so I did not break for long. I returned to the hole and resumed digging.

  I hopped into the hole to dig more effectively. The edge of the hole was almost to my waist now. To climb out, I jabbed the shovel just beyond the edge and used it to brace myself. I placed my right foot on the opposite edge and my left foot by the shovel. Using my right leg to boost myself, I jumped up and out, nearly falling back but quickly regaining my balance.

  I picked the chest up and placed it in the hole, which turned out to not yet be wide

  enough. As I sized up the perimeter, I saw a white daddy longlegs spider crawl across the top of the chest. I pulled the chest out, making sure not to injure the spider, and slid the shovel down against the walls of the hole until it was wide enough. I hopped back into the hole and dug deeper. I got out of the hole the same way as before, and again I almost fell back in. I made my final adjustments to the perimeter of the hole and hopped back in. I dug until the edge was above my waist. I hopped out as before, but this time I did not stagger.

  Wanting to see how the chest would fit now, I picked it up and tossed it in. I thought I should make the hole still deeper, but when I knelt down to pull out the chest, I found that it was wedged in the hole. I could not remove it. That decided it for me. The hole was deep enough.

  I began to cover the chest, filling the hole completely and methodically. I smiled in delight as I packed the last of the sand down with the shovel. I had done it. I had buried Hatred and Rage…for good. The sun seemed to shine brighter now, and the last of the rain clouds had vanished.

  The Lord was with me, and he gave me the strength to make it. Thank you, Lord.

  • • •

  I left work early to remove the chest and choose another location. It did not feel right. I had bought a pair of gloves and some trash bags from Dollar General and was pulling into the church’s parking lot when a better idea came to me. I would excavate the chest, but I would use the same hole, just dig deeper. Then I would fill it back in with dirt to ensure that it could not be removed and to ensure that no danger would come to it.

  I quickly dug out the outlines of the chest and removed the dirt on and around it. I straddled the chest as I attempted to lift it out, to no avail. My legs began to sink into the dirt on either side of the chest. With all my might, I pulled once more, and the chest began to loosen. “Give me the strength, Lord,” I said aloud, pulling once more with a mighty heave.

  Success. I removed the chest from the hole and dug deeper. My body ached from the efforts of the previous day, but I pressed on. The sun slowly nestled into the horizon as I dug down the last few feet. A feeling of peace and serenity surrounded me.

  The hole was approximately five feet deep now, the edge measuring up to my shoulders. I paused for several moments, pondering how I would climb out. The sides of the hole were unstable. I placed the shovel before my feet, in hopes of using them as a step, but they were not high enough. I then placed the shovels against one side of the hole, side by side. I pressed my back against the other side, and, with my right leg against the right shovel and my left leg on the left shovel, I managed to walk my way up against the sturdy shovels until I could push myself up using my arms.

  It felt as if my body was about to break. My breathing was heavy, my heart rate rising. I went to my car and ate a protein bar, and I drank bottled water. I loaded the chest before driving home. The last of the sun’s light was beginning to fade. But I would not be deterred.

  I attached my flashlight to my belt and put my gloves on once more. I placed the chest in a wheelbarrow and carried it to the hole. I dropped the chest into the hole, only to find that it hadn’t seated itself properly. It was tipped.