"Ohh, I would give anything to see that slimy scaredy cat Shadow again but at least he is above and I below. Water may separate us but love never will. Wait, wait, wait!! Sixth, did you just say you love Shadow? How is that going to work? What will Croak think because he loves you but you love someone else. One cannot serve two masters for they will hate the one and love the other. Uugh. Brain, why are you arguing with yourself? Is there nothing better to do down here then talk to yourself in order to stay sane? Am I really starting to turn into a hopeless romantic? Maybe this is how everybody else died down here and never got out. They had to do anything to keep themself sane because they knew the moment they stopped….that's when they dropped. Oh God where art thou? I need Your help more than ever. Tell me what I am to do? Please give me a sign? Any will do. I just need to know You're real."
"Over here little girl!!"
"W.wh...who said that? The night may be full but my eyesight has adjusted enough to let me strike a blow."
"I don't want to hurt you but to help. You are tired, hungry, and thirsty so let me help."
"How do you know those things. I can't see you but you must see me and see this sword in my hands. There is nothing down here but utter darkness so whatever food and water you may be thinking of I know it's not down here. Now if you are a hallucination or a voice in my head then please don't fill my head with lies."
" Gril, I am neither a voice nor a hallucination. I am real and if you come with me then I will show you the rest of my tribe. We may be small but are here to help any traveler."
"There are more of you? I've been told that all of you cast down here have died out. Am I to believe that that is not true?"
"You're correct. Everyone down here has been outcasted and given the choice of death or permanent exile in Nowhere. The reason none of us have made it out nor wanted to leave is because we've made a home for ourselves down here. There is food...water….shelter...no harm and a community. We've had kids and grew and grew. Please let me show you. At last rebrand your sword; for peace is what we seek. Take my hand and let me lead you."
"O...k but just let me warn you that if I smell any sense of…..wooooooo!!! You're fast for an old lady. Slow down a bit."
"Hey, watch your tongue before I cut it off. You may have a sword but that doesn't mean I need one."
"Sorry, I didn't mean old. I meant young at heart."
"That's better."
"Where are we going?"
"Close your eyes and let the breeze sing through your ears. Once you smell smoke then that means we are there."
"I trust you."
"And......…...OPEN your eyes!!!"
"Lady, I don't know what you define as small but what I see before me is anything but small. This place is huge and not too shabby if I do say so myself. How did you get all the lights downhere? Huu, is that…..bacon I smell? Wait, where is everybody?"
"You ask too many questions, young one. Come with me and I'll introduce you. HOUSE WARMING AT MY HOUSE EVERYBODY!!!! Let's welcome our newest traveler."
"Dang, girl. Even I can't yell that…...oh my!!! There...There's so many of you here. Most new tribes and such I have read and watched about never welcomed anyone new like this. They would always be on guard and cautiously take them to their leader for questioning. Do I not pose a threat to you even in my armor?"
"Girl, we don't get a ton of travelers down here below the water and even when we do no one is perceived as a threat. The real threat are the Mists that hideout in this darkness. They only attack the stragglers and ones that are seperated. Very rarely do they attack a big group in hopes of seperating one or two of them."
"Mists you say? I was just in a group and it was a Mist that pulled me down here. What even are they?"
"No one knows for sure what they are but some think that they're just lost souls so entangled in darkness that their features have changed and to stay full they need to feed off of the fears of people who feel alone or forgotten. Can you hear them out there?"
"Those cries and wails I'm hearing are them?"
"Yes maam and their cries never stop because they can never be changed. They cry day in and day out hoping to bring down someone so that they are not alone."
"That's sad."
"I know. From the bravest of us to the weakest of us we all need one thing and that is to be loved and feel loved. It is in all of our DNA because that makes us who we are."
" I can understand that but are there not days where one of you feels adventurous and looks for a way out of here?"
"We know where the escape out of here is!!"
"Wait, what? Why have you not taken it?"
"There is no need to take it. Two Mists guard it but it is easy to sneak past."
"You still haven't given me a proper answer. Why do you not leave? You rather sleep here in tents with little light instead of up there where there are lights galore and houses of amazement?"
"Can I let you in on a little secret. Why bother saving someone who doesn't want or feel needs to be saved? We have everything down here except annoying people taking up our day. There is peace, rest, health, and friends. The only things we don't have are a sun, a moon, stars, or a fast paced lifestyle. There are also no high risk challenges and dangers we have to face if we were up above. We sleep underneath the twinkle of the water's light and wake up to that same twinkle.
If your aim is to bring Christianity down upon us and talk of a Savior then you can just turn around now."
"No, that's not what I had in mind at all but now that you bring it up wouldn't you like to hear of His grace and forgiveness? You don't want to hear how He helps the lost and has defeated sin so that we no longer live in darkness but in light with Him?"
"Little girl, the reason we've been outcast down here is because we all have gone against the teachings of Shadow and Dragon. Dragon teaches of power everytime your faith in God is increased but he doen not speak of much more. We believe in more. We believe that He is our Savior and will one day come back to get us but day in and day out we held onto this faith but with no results. Then one day Shadow heard of our new Faith and although he was fine with it; Dragon that was in him feared we might start a revolution and turn all the people against him so he had us all outcasted. The only people that come down here now are ones that believe that God is more than just all power and might. They are ones that are against Dragon but since we can't get enough backing; he is free to send us here to die. The God; your God; that we thought would save us has abandoned us so we stop asking ourselves why and instead live here peacefully as best we can. John 14:23 says, ``Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them; and make Our Home in them.""
"Never thought about it like that. God tells us to preach the Gospel to all the world and He won't come back until all have received the Gospel but bringing light to the ones that "need" it most and have never heard before may seem like that is all but it is not. They're broken beat, left for dead, running in the dark and entangled in sin so yea when they hear of a Savior who will and has taken away all of that if the follow Him then I think you would be stupid not to take that Helping Hand. But what of the people that have heard the Good news, tried to grow on it but when it caved all around them they just gave up? If you would let me then I want to share with you the parable of the Sower?"
"You will not let this go will you?"
"Nope. I've been raised with one mission and one mission only. Go into the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you for surely I am with you always; to the very end of time."
"You know your verses. If that's what you want then wait until tomorrow to bring it. You have to be above the water anyway in order to baptize people down in it!!"
"Tommorow!! The next day is when we're leaving. That is how long this plague will be. It was foretold to us."
"Well then. If you only have two days then that means you only have tomorrow to convince us all that God is still alive and then on the third day we can start making preparations and head to the way out."
"One day huh? This whole journey has been nothing but trying to get to the waters of life only to find out that the waters of life mean eternal life with Jesus and not a cleaner pond for my friends. Now the water is above us out of reach and I have one day to bring you there."
"Don't worry. I feel you will succeed because I'm rooting for you. For now intermingle with the crowd and I'll tell everyone why you came."