by Thomas Engen

Created on: March 06, 2008

2 Streets Over

Abdiel sat alone in the dark room. Daylight peered through the crude door illuminating a small slice on the dirt floor. He sat at a wooden table focusing on that shard of light. It was all he could see and he wished he couldn't even see it. Total darkness might have allowed him to think better, the light reminded him of the truth, and it was the truth of this day he didn't want to face.

He was the youngest of three brothers but having been born sickly, he would often stay home while his brothers labored. Abdiel would humbly do the daily chores around their simple clay dwelling, all the while thinking less mundane thoughts. His mind made up for what his body lacked.

There was no work today, yet his brothers were still gone, and all that time to himself made his thoughts grow like vines. Sometimes vines can bring joyful sweet grapes and sometimes painful bitter thorns, and there was no fruit today. His thoughts coiled and twisted and the thorns dug deep. Abdiel thought the darkness might keep them from overtaking him, but it didn't.

He could hear in the distance a gathering crowd, laughing, yelling, and waiting. It wasn't to far away, but like a banquet where you're not invited, the muffled sound reminds you that you're not there.

He didn't want to be there, he knew why they gathered. Today was a special day for most but not for him. In fact, he would rather not hear or see a thing right now, but the clay walls and wooden doors didn't allow that. He sat as still and quiet as he could to make up for it. Abdiel noticed that beam of light was slowly moving across the floor, and getting sharper.

Then the sound of footsteps rose above the crowd noise, footsteps that were getting louder and closer. The slap of hurried sandals on hard rocky ground with a clear direction, toward him. The door flung open and dusty sunlight poured in like it had been piling up outside. A back-lit figure stood framed with an eclipsed glow. Abdiel squinted and shielded his eyes from the light, trying to see the person that interrupted his darkness.

"Abdiel!" a loud voice filled the room, "aren't you going to come see them go by?!"

It was his brother Matthal, heavily panting holding his sides from the run.
"You're going to miss them, everyone is there!" he huffed.

Matthal grabbed a stool and propped the door open.
"It's so dark in here, open the shutters, you shouldn't be sitting in the dark. Come on, let's go watch. Elam is waiting for us!"

Abdiel looked at his brother for a moment

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