Storytime: The Risen World

Doing something scary on this episode -- reading out an original story! I've always had a special love for expressing myself through writing, and I hope this episode encourages you to step out of your own comfort zone. Dare yourself and be proud. Courage is within you. 

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Transcript

The Risen World by Jasmyne Michelle Harper

A new soul was called into the office of the Lord.

      “It appears you are ready to choose your world,” the Lord said.

       “Oh yes,” the soul said. “I would like to be a girl in this world.”

       “Well done,” the Lord said. “You shall.”

        “And I’d like to have skin as dark as the night sky that stars are said to shine in and hair even darker. A laugh that’s loud and long. A body that’s firm and strong.”

        The Lord laughed.

        “That’s a lot of requests. We shall see if it can be done.”

        “Good,” the soul smiled. For it was never known before stepping into the office of the Lord, if the Lord would grant what you asked.

        “Now would you like to examine the worlds?”

        “Yes,” the soul said. The room was bare except for a large oak desk with two glowing orbs sitting upon it.

          “The gold one,” the Lord said, “is the Great World. Joy and happiness are ways of life. People are kind; they trust one another. They never forsake each other. They love one another. No one is unhealthy or without a family. There’s peace and compassion on every road. Some of the best parts of me are in this world.”

         “And this one?”

 The orb beside it was an indigo, pulsing ever so slightly as though it may come crashing to its own destruction at any moment   .

          “The World of Passion,” the Lord said. "There are wars every day. People lie, cheat, and steal. People murder. No one knows what love is so no one shares it with anyone else. Some bodies are healthy but every heart is sick. All are selfish. None are kind. There is no guilt because there is no shame. Where sins are understood, repentance is never taken. No part of me is in this world.”

           “I don’t think I want this one,” the soul said.

 She paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue.

           “You can speak freely, child” the Lord said. 

 “Is there . . . a third?”

 “A third?” The Lord said.“Of course.”

 She let out a breath.

          Rumors of a third were constantly stirring from the upper levels of heaven but newborn souls were never quite sure. 

 “The third world is very special to me. It will take much more wisdom to enter a body and lead a life in that world. In that world there are wars every day. People murder, lie, cheat, and steal. People reveal the most despicable parts of themselves in that world. There is almost no care for one another.

            “Yet there exists a great peace and yearning for justice. There is the presence of my wisdom. There are people who adore my names. There are people who share my love in the most candid ways. I loved this world so much I sent a savior long ago to heal it. Yet it is not fully healed. It is not fully done. But at an appointed time, I shall renew this world.

 “Everything in this world is in a state of constant change. Although it is hard to see sometimes, every part of me is in this world.”

 “Well . . . I don’t know if that sounds quite right either,” the soul said. “Maybe the Great World would be best for me. I’ve never been in a body before. I’m not sure if I’ll be very good at it. Perhaps I should start off easier the first time.”

 “If your first life is lived in an easy world, you may find it difficult to enter any other world when your body’s time is over,” the Lord said.

 “Oh, right.”

 The soul had lost the excitement in her voice. No requests of what body she should have or where she’d like to live, no requests of what troubles she may face or what her mission could be.

            “You are unsure,” the Lord said.

            “Yes.”

            There was a silence. A stillness in the presence of the Lord as wisdom came. She wondered how many other souls had dared not to ask and decided that she would not be so afraid. 

            “My Lord,” she said “. . . what is wrong with the other worlds? The ones that will not be renewed. Have you abandoned them?”

            “I have not abandoned them,” the Lord said. “I will never abandon any world. But I’ve found that in the creation of the Great World and the World of Passion, their flaws are the same despite their differences. Flaws that have made both worlds fail.”

            “What are those flaws, my Lord?”

            “The first flaw is the greatest. It is the fact that in one world there is so much despair and that in the other there is unending joy. For each lead to the same fault: no one ever seeks me. Faith has never touched either world. The second flaw is a result of the first—in both worlds due to endless joy or desperation—nothing has ever grown. They were at the peak of their existence at the moment of their creation. Time has stood still. They have nothing to renew, for they have never grown old.”

            “Then I suppose . . . I could choose the third one,” the soul said.

            “As you wish,” the Lord said.           

            “But what does it mean to grow—will it hurt?”

            “Only for a time. But with me you will always be ready.”

            “How do I know I am ready to enter this world at all?”

            “Because you have sought the flaws of the others.”

            “And if I fail in this third world, My Lord?”

            “You may try again.”

            “And if I succeed?”

            “Then we have become great friends. For my greatest companions are only made in this world.”

            “But there’s still so much evil.”

            “Take heart, daughter. It is honestly written that I have overcome this world.”

            Satisfied at last, the soul took a deep breath—practicing for the many she would have to take in the future in pain and joy alike.

            A third glowing orb appeared on the desk. Blue, the rumored color of the sky in the third world. As the Lord said, it was constantly changing: light blue in some parts, pink or purple, orange in others, an entire kaleidoscope of movement. She could only imagine what it would look like with human eyes.

            “Does it hurt to be born, My Lord?”

            The Lord laughed. “I promise you won’t even remember.”

            “Then I’m ready to go.”

            She stepped forward but stopped short of placing her hand on the blue orb.

            “My Lord . . . you never told me what this world is called.”

            “Take heart, daughter. You shall name it for me.”