Today is a make up day, since I normally don’t write on Sundays. Since it is Sunday, I decided to write a story about one of the religious themed ideas I came up with awhile ago. I tried my hardest to show not tell when explaining how this prayer like ritual works. Let me know what you think about my efforts to do so, or how you think it works after reading the story!
Jonas knelt down in front of the alter, after waiting several hours for his turn. He breathed slowly to calm his nerves. The summersaults of us stomach didn’t help either. Jonas had some difficult questions that needed answering, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to ask them, at least not this way. The ritual requires the utmost concentration and focus so the priest’s gave Jonas the time to calm his nerves and prepare for the Holy Communication.
Jonas has always been a religious man, and prayed every day, but he had been running into a really rough patch and needed not just blessing but specific answers. His friends said he should participate in the next Holy Communication to get the answer once and for all. But when you are sitting around a table frustrated with life committing to participating in a Holy Communication is pretty easy.
“But what if the answer is no?” “What if He doesn’t answer my question?” “What if I die?” These were all questions that were bouncing around Jonas’s head as he began the ritual. Even though this was his first time, Jonas knew exactly what to do. Every person is trained from childhood how to participated in Holy Communication. It was the crowning ritual in the religion. His hands and moved with exact precision and he said the right words at the right time, but his mind wouldn’t put aside the fears.
“You aren’t going to die,” said Jonas’s good friend Jake on the way to the church. “That last time a first time communication ended in death was almost 10 years ago, and the person doing the Communication was 92 and at that point the Age Effect was tramendous.”
“I know, but the fact that it’s possible still makes me worry. I mean I’m not a young buck anymore. At 45 years old 1 hour Communication could age me a year.” replied Jonas.
“Thousands of people participate in Holy Communication every year, many of them multiple times and the death rate is minimal and nobody cares if you look a little older…”
“Minimal?!” cut in Jonas, “How can you attribute anyone’s death as minimal. I don’t even know why death is even a possible outcome! If I had a kid and the kid wanted to call me up to talk I wouldn’t roll a dice and if it lands on a two push a button to zap him on the other side. That’s just crazy!”
“Jonas you are just getting worked up. You know that God doesn’t randomly kill people who he is Communicating with. The connection requires a great amount of focus and work to maintain. If you let up then your mind is lost forever in the connection. Think of it more like you holding up a collapsing tunnel. If you stay focused and keep the celling up you are fine. If you stop holding it up the tunnel collapses with you in it. It’s all up to you, and you are probably best to do it.”
“If I were a kind God I would make Communications as easy as walking down a trail, not burrowing into the hill side!” stated Jonas in a matter of fact tone.
“Well, then why don’t you ask him why death is a possible outcome of a Communication?” replied Jake.
“For several reason’s. One, you are only guaranteed one question per Communication and I don’t want to waste it on that question; and I don’t want to have to do this again if I have to. Plus people have already asked that question and the answer is ‘worship requires work’.
Jake pulled into the church’s parking lot at that moment and turned to Jonas after stopping the car. “Jonas you are probably the most religious man I know. You’ve spent the past 40 years preparing for this ritual and your focus and strength is unparalleled. You will be fine. Take comfort that by this time tomorrow you’ll know how to get your life out of this mess.”
Jonas reviewed that last bit of the conversation in his mind, which did bring a little bit of comfort. “Well I guess it’s now or never,” and with that Jonas began creating the tunnel to God.
In his mind’s eye there was blackness. He pushed at the blackness, desiring to be a tunnel instead. At first he wanted a trail, but those are the kind of thoughts that get you killed so he tucked that thought away just after it slipped into his stream of conscience. A tunnel is what he needed, a tunnel between him and God. He pushed as the blackness and eventually gave way to slight hole.
He pushed and strained against the hold till it was a tunnel that was about a foot shorter than he was. “The bigger the tunnel the least likely you’ll get lost in it.” That is what everyone says, so Jonas pushed harder, putting every ounce of concentration on it. After several minutes of mental strain Jonas had a tunnel big enough to drive a bus through. Feeling pretty confident about that size he began the trek through the tunnel.
Jonas took one step into his tunnel and was instantly on the other side. “Whoa!” Jonas thought, “They say the hard part is creating the tunnel, the journey is quick but that was ridiculous.” A smile started to spread across Jonas’s face as he approached God’s throne. In Heaven fear, doubt, and worry just wash away. Jonas felt better than he had in serval months. Maybe this whole Holy Communication thing isn’t that bad after all.
“Approach Jonas son” boomed God. “What question do you seek from me?”
Jonas’s heart skipped a beat, then made up for lost time. Jonas slowly walked up to God’s throne, all while keeping his eyes towards the ground, and bowed down on one knee. Jonas opened his mouth to speak but nothing came, so he closed his mouth.
He waited several more seconds then tried again. “I’ve come for guidance on what I should do.” squeaked Jonas. After several seconds God answered, it a very patient tone, “That is fine, I shall give you guidance, ask your question.”
Jonas mentally berated himself, “dummy don’t just saw I want to ask a question, ask it.” God chuckled slightly and reassured Jonas, “don’t be too hard on yourself, most people can’t even ask the question the first time.”
Jonas’s eyes went wide he hadn’t made the connection before that an all knowing God could read his thoughts. At that same moment, the last of his fear left as he was comforted by the patient and encouraging answer and was finally able to relax.
“God I’ve spent my whole life trying to serve you. I haven’t come to you before this point because I haven’t wanted to bother you, but I don’t know what to do any more. When will I find a woman that I can be joined in marriage?”
Jonas had 10 times more questions he wanted to ask but after days and days preparing for this Communication, Jonas figured this questioned answered would resolve most if not all of his other questions. Plus if it doesn’t, this whole experience wasn’t so bad, maybe he will try another Holy Communication the next one around.
“Jonas, Jonas, Jonas. I’ve been trying to help you with this one for many years. I’ve put many women in your path and you just pass them by. If you would have Communicated with me sooner then you may not have missed the opportunities I sent you. You are always looking for something better around the corner. What else can I do when you wont accept the gifts I’m trying to give?”
Fear started to enter into Jonas’s mind. Fear that he lost his chance and he would have to live and die a single man. This fear at first seemed very distant, almost like someone yelling from a mile away. But as he focused on it got louder, and with it so did his tunnel just behind him.
“Please God. I’m sorry if I wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t realize you were answering my many prayers. It just seemed the woman I’ve meet weren’t what I needed. Please give me another chance. Please!” At this Jonas looked up to plead with God in desperation and immediately regretted it. For as soon as he made eye connection with God the Communication was over, and Jonas started to get pulled back down his tunnel, that now could only fit a car.
God stood as Jonas was being pulled away, and with compassion in His eyes said, “One more time, just one more time.” Jonas could barley make out the last words as he was being pulled faster and faster through his every shrinking tunnel.
Jonas was frustrated at himself for foolishly looking up and ending the Communication. He still had questions to ask, like when was this other chance? Who should he be looking out for? His tunnel was getting smaller and smaller, but Jonas didn’t even notice he was too focused on what questions weren’t answered.
The tunnel was about the size of a small rock cave when Jonas finally ended on the thought, “When I came to Communication I thought I would never find a wife. Though I don’t know when God will give me another opportunity, but at least I know I will get another opportunity; and that is something to be thankful for.”
The tunnel stopped shrinking and a moment later Jonas was back in his own mind, surrounded by his own darkness with a small tunnel opening in front of him. Jonas slowly opened his eyes to see the alter before him and a very worried priest to his side.
“You’re back!” said the priest in hushed tones, but full of relief. “I thought I was going to lose you. I noticed a few minutes ago that you started fidgeting and swaying and those are signs of someone losing their focus. And right at the end there your body started going limp.” The priest sat back on the chair next to the alter and signed again. “How did you stop from losing your mind in the tunnel anyway?”
Jonas was a bit taken back. He didn’t even realize that he was almost lost. He thought about it and looking back his tunnel had shrunken considerably from when he started. “I guess I didn’t like the answer I got and that shook me up so my tunnel started to collapse. I ended my Communication with God accidentally, but that is probably a good thing since it gave me a chance to make it back through my tunnel before it collapsed completely.”
The priest nodded at this and tucked that information aside for later pondering. No one, to his knowledge, had ever been that close to being lost but lived to tell about it. “Looking back,” continued Jonas, “I sensed the tunnel shrinking around me as I was being pulled back. The shrinking stopped when I accepted God’s answer and was grateful for it even though it wasn’t want I was hoping for.”
The priest leaned forward and asked in a hushed tone, “So you are saying that by accepting God’s answer, even though it isn’t what you wanted to hear, saved you from being lost?” Jonas looked at the priest with a bit of a half smile and nodding, “I guess so.”
The priest leaned back and stared off into space for a moment. He then snapping back to reality and said, as he got up, “Well if you accepted God’s answer, I suggest you go and do something about it.” He gave Jonas a wink and they shook each other’s hands and Jonas walked a way with a bit of bounce in his step. The priest smiled as the next person in line kneeled before the alter.
The priest leaned close to this new worshiper’s ear and said, “Don’t worry my boy. Focus and build the biggest tunnel you can, and once you get the answer accept it and you’ll do just fine.” The young boy nodded vigorously and the priest just smiled as he sat back, and thought, “no more deaths on my watch.”
