R. L. Copple

         Seth's face glowed in the light from the campfire as he played with his flatbread. He glanced at me and back to the fire. Crickets chatted away in the background, but Seth remained silent.

         "Something bugging you?" I dipped a piece of the flatbread into the stew and stuffed it into my mouth. A rare treat for us on the road, so it seemed strange Seth didn't eat.

         He glanced at me. "Sisko..." He paused as if collecting his thoughts. "We've been on the road together for almost five years now. We've been through a lot. You've taught me many things about life, and I've seen you do some amazing miracles with your ring."

         Light danced on the ring's golden surface, highlighting the inscription in Hebrew, "It is better to give than to receive." The words of the priest seemed a distant memory now. If I used the ring for other's benefit, I would be blessed. If for myself, I would be cursed.

         Yet, in a way, I did feel cursed. Seth reminded me of his sister, Gabrielle, who I hoped one day to marry. But five years is a long time. Would she still be waiting for me? Yet, the memory taunted me. A curse I would bear until God released me from my task of seeking out people to help.

         Not that I needed to find them anymore. Word had spread during the last few years, and people would seek me to ask, even demand, a miracle.

         Seth continued ripping his flatbread into tiny pieces as he talked. "But, it has been a long time since I've seen Gabrielle and my father. I need to return, at least to visit."

         How I would have loved to join him. I stared into the moonlit night. A vast and empty desert stretched into the horizon, rimmed by soft light. "But my path takes me across the desert, not back to your house."

         "I had a feeling you would say that." He focused on my eyes. "But, as much as I hate leaving you, I feel I have to. I'm sure of it."

         He would leave. I could see it in his eyes. It would be lonely without him. "You've got to do what you've got to do. Just one thing."

         "Name it."

         "Tell..." It seemed hard to tell something this personal to her brother. "Tell Gabrielle, if she is still waiting for me, I will come back."

         A grin spread across his face. "Consider it done." He finally dipped a sizeable piece of flatbread into the stew and ate.

 

 

         The next morning, we packed, we hugged, we turned, and traveled our separate paths. I wished I could go back with him, but my heart pointed me across the desert. I knew from experience to follow, but who out there needed my help?

         So I walked. And walked, and walked, and walked. Hours grew into days, and days blended into a never-ending succession of cold nights interrupted by a burning sun.

         After several days, my food supplies dwindled to nothing, and hunger gripped my stomach like a vice. I had depended on Seth's hunting skills for my food. I attempted to catch what small animals I could, but frequently missed.

         Though I still had water left, I could only now see the outline of distant mountains indicating the end of the desert. It would still be many days till I reached them. Unless I found more water, I would be dead long before then.

         The hunger lessened, but I felt weak. I rationed my water and found what edible vegetation I could. As each day wore on, I knew I would not last. I would not make it.

         One day, the last drop of water dripped onto my parched tongue, seeming to vaporize on contact. Death would soon come. But I kept moving in the slim hope I would find water.

         The next day, the hunger returned. My body felt like freshly cooked noodles as I baked under the relentless sun. Each step sent aches through my limbs; my feet dragged like heavy weights. I stopped to rest more frequently. Each time, I struggled to rise and continue. But hope and faith that God would not end my ministry in this desert would push me on.

         However, one day I could barely hold myself up. I sat down on a rock. My body demanded I lie down and die. I wavered in the wind even as did my beard and hair.

         "Father, I've done so much for others. Am I to die now? Why did you send me out here? To become food for the vultures circling over me?"

         The ground swam. I shook my head. I had to do something, or I wouldn't last much longer. How many people wouldn't receive a blessing if I didn't survive? Certainly I helped others by ensuring I lived on. It can't end this way.

         "Father, provide me with food and drink."

         A loud crack tossed my limp body off the rock and onto the ground. Water flowed from it. A primal craving took over. I crawled to the water, placed my parched mouth into the stream, and gulped, wetting my mouth and cooling my throat. Strength flowed into wasted muscles. After several minutes, I laid back against the rock, sated.

         Well Father, that's half the request.

         With water no longer a problem, hunger took center stage. Then I saw them, two chicken-sized birds, pecking at the ground by my feet. They ignored me as I drew my sword and brought it down on their heads.

         I built a small fire from the scarce, dried brush and feasted on wild bird. From the first bite, the succulent meat danced on my tongue. Before I came to my senses, I had stuffed myself.

         Now I needed rest. I saw a clump of trees not too far away. They would make good shade to take a nap. After filling my flask with water, I struggled to reach them.

         I had not gone far when I heard voices. The closer I came, the more it dawned on me what I had done. I climbed the small sand dune bordering the trees. Peeking over the top, I saw a caravan. A small group of people worked on various chores. In the midst of the trees, a small spring-fed pond lay placid in the center. Fires cooked food, wafting sweet smells upon the air I breathed.

         My stomach wrenched. It turned, and a pain like none I had felt before wrapped itself around my abdomen and squeezed me hard. I vomited out the food I had eaten. I had broken my vow for nothing. After the wrenching subsided, I watched the people again.

         God had already provided. I didn't have to break my vow. I slammed my fist into the sand and laid my head upon the ground. I had failed to trust and sealed my own fate in the process. I now stood a cursed man.

         But the food and sound of people drew me into the camp. I scrambled over the top of the dune, and the people soon jumped from their activities to help a sick and lost young man.

 

 

         Helen wiped a damp cloth over my forehead. "I can't believe you crossed the desert. You picked one of the worse routes to do so."

         "I didn't pick it. Must have been the only way to reach you."

         She wrinkled her brow. "Me?"

         "I mean everyone here. My name is Sisko."

         She stared into the distance, and then her eyes widened. "You don't mean the young man who does miracles?"

         "Ah, I see you've heard of me." It had become commonplace now; it no longer surprised me.

         She dipped the towel into the pond and squeezed out the water. "Well, maybe you have been sent then. We do have sick here." Her brown eyes flashed with hope.

         A husky man approached the pond's edge. His face carried dirt and scars, yet he bore the eyes of a young man. "So, it is true what people are saying. You are here."

         I stared at the man. "Have we met before?"

         "Yes, back at Dragon's Inn. The miracles you did there totally changed the village for the better." He cracked a slight smile, but worry shown from his eyes. "My name's Jack."

         "Oh yes, I remember now." That had been three years ago.

         "Look, my wife is desperately ill. Can't you come and heal her?" His gaze fixed on me, as if he feared I would say no.

         "Of course. I'm not feeling too good myself right now, but I can come."

         I struggled to my feet with Helen's help. The potato soup they had given me had stayed down, and I felt better. Still walking proved an effort. But I followed to his tent.

         Once inside, I watched as a brunette woman lay on a pallet. She breathed in gasps, with pauses in between as if she had to build up the strength. I felt her forehead. A burning fire raged within her. She would die if I didn't do something.

         I had done this so many times; I had long since stopped paying attention to my heart. It always said yes. How could it not? "Father, heal this woman, beloved by her husband, from this infirmity."

         Nothing happened. "Sometimes, it takes a few moments."

         The man glanced at me and back to her. His faith didn't waiver, and neither did mine. It would happen. It always did.

         Her body shook, and I withdrew my hand. She jerked out of control. Her eyes flung open for one moment and stared at mine. I'll never forget those eyes. Death and helplessness emanated from them.

         Then she fell still. Very still. I felt for her breath on the back of my hand. Nothing. I listened for her heartbeat. Silence. Her open eyes stared at the ceiling.

         We all stood there for what must have been several minutes. I couldn't believe it. Every time I had prayed, a miracle happened, except now.

         "I'm sorry. I'm afraid she's dead." The words sounded hollow coming from my mouth.

         "You killed her." A building rage underlay the tone.

         I shook my head. "No, I didn't kill her. I just didn't heal her."

         He turned to me. Through clenched jaw it sounded as if a dam would soon burst. "You killed my wife. You'll do miracles for everyone, except for me."

         "No, honest, I don't understand what happened."

         Helen backed away from me. Jack grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the tent. He cupped his free hand and yelled to the camp, "This man killed my wife. He is a murderer. I demand justice."

         Justice? What did he have in mind?

         A crowd gathered around us. "Where is Sir Edward? I demand justice for my wife's killer."

         A man approached clad in mail. A flat blade sword protruded from its sheath on his belt—obviously the leader of the caravan.

         "Why do you say this one, who is famed to perform miracles, has killed your wife, Jack?" His eyes flashed with a strength I hadn't seen in many. But what kind of strength?

         "I brought him to heal my wife, but when he placed his hands on her and prayed, she died. He must have prayed for her death." His face glowed red.

         Sir Edward remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke. "Let's bind him and bring him to the king to be tried in proper courts."

         "No!" Jack's face grew redder. "I demand his death. An eye for an eye."

         Sir Edward narrowed his eyes. "My decision stands. He will be brought to trial."

         Jack shook with anger. "I'll do it myself, then." He grabbed a knife from behind his back, raised it into the air, and drove it toward my chest.

         I reached out and caught his arm, but the force of it knocked me off my feet. He fell with me, moving the knife straight for my heart. The ground knocked my breath out. My strength could not hold his off. The knife continued to sink toward its target.

         A blade swung over my body, knocking the knife from Jack's hand. It hit the ground with a thud a few feet away.

         Sir Edward stood over us, sword in hand. "I said, he will stand trial. Is that clear?"

         Jack growled something unintelligible and slammed his fist onto the ground. He released me and stomped into his tent.

         I relaxed. I had faced death before, but with God beside me. Now, the calm had vanished with Him. I might as well die. I had broken the vow to God, and now I lay a broken man.

         Sir Edward's stern face hadn't flinched. He pulled me to my feet. "You are a prisoner under my protection till we reach Siloth. If anyone harms you, they will face justice as well."

         I wanted to say, "Thanks," but didn't think he would appreciate such sarcastic comments. So I held my words inside.

         He pulled me till we reached a wagon. He reached inside and threw some blankets on the ground. "We pull out tomorrow. I suggest you get rest and eat to gain your strength. I'll have one of the ladies bring you something."

         "You're not going to tie me up?"

         "You're not going into the desert in your condition, you wouldn't last long. Besides, then I would have to track you down." He stared at me as if reading my intentions. "And I probably wouldn't bother taking you to the king."

         I nodded and sunk onto the ground. He was right. It would be foolish to run.

         Questions ran through my mind. Why had I failed to trust? Why did I sell myself for food? Better to have died fulfilling His will than as a cursed outcast. What had happened to me? Where did I turn onto a wrong path? I thought I had been doing His will, but I failed.

         I stared at the ring on my finger. I wished I had never gone into the steam house, never received this ring and task. I could have lived a normal life like my parents.

         I grabbed the ring stuck fast for ten years around my finger. Slowly I applied pressure. It moved. I jerked, and it slid off. The ring appeared dull and dead in my palm. I clamped my hand around it and sunk my head to the ground. Tears fell freely. I had longed to be free. Free to return to Gabrielle. Free to live my life where and how I wanted. But having been freed, I knew I didn't want to lose that gift. Its loss drained my life of meaning. Meaning the steam house had given, and I had squandered for food and water I didn't need.

         I sobbed for a long time, and no one bothered the young man who already punished himself for a crime they knew nothing about.

 

 

         The next morning, the caravan packed up and moved out. Another few days, we came to the end of the desert. Siloth lay a few hours into the hills, and the time seemed to drip by, but we eventually entered the city's gates.

         I had been brought before King Circo and briefly examined. Then they locked me in the prison cells until my fate had been decided. So, there I sat and ate for many days, awaiting my judgment.

         In one sense, I didn't care. Death had taken hold inside. Might as well make the outside dead too. If they did release me, I didn't know what I would do, where I would go. Would even Gabrielle have me back now? Not likely. She loved the boy who could heal and give her security. I had none to offer now.

         The clanking of metal broke into my thoughts. Feet shuffled on dusty rock floors. As if in answer to my fears, two people I had never expected to see again stood at the cell's door.

         "Gabrielle? Seth?" My heart leapt. I ran to the cell bars and thrust my arms through them. She hugged me back. It had been so long since I'd felt her in my arms; I sobbed. She ignited a spark, and I wanted to care whether I lived again. But would she?

         She pulled out of my arms. Her eyes radiated sadness. "Sikso, what happened to you? They announced the judgment on you today. They tell me you are scheduled for death."

         Seth patted me on the shoulder.

         I held up my hand. "I've lost it. I failed God and you."

         Seth gasped. "The ring! Where is it?"

         "In my pocket. But it came off because I used it to feed myself when I starved to the point of death in the desert. Now I'm cursed, and they claimed I killed a woman instead of healing her. And maybe I did. I don't know.

         "But whether I did or not, the ring came off. I've lost my reason to live."

         Gabrielle put her hands on her hips. "Now, that doesn't sound like the Sisko I know." She glared at me. "You've changed, and not for the better. I thought you loved me."

         I jerked my head up. "Of course I love you. I wanted to marry you."

         She shook her head. "What do you fear losing the most? That is what you love the most."

         I opened my mouth, but didn't speak. What almost came out, I didn't want to say aloud.

         She leaned against the bars, her face inches from mine. "You loved the prestige, the power, the cheering people who respected you as the mighty healer." She frowned. "That's what you are most afraid to lose--not me."

         I turned my face from her. "Are you a mind reader now?"

         "No. It's written all over your actions and words."

         I dared to gaze upon her face.

         Tears trickled down her cheeks. "The first and only thing you've talked about since I've arrived has been the ring. Nothing about us."

         I couldn't bear her eyes. I slumped onto the floor; my head buried in my knees. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. I heard Seth sigh, and then footsteps. The soft crying of Gabrielle receded until the metal gate latched shut.

         Her words stung. Not because she accused me, but because she spoke the truth. At some point, I had begun caring more about what I could do for people than I cared about the people themselves. The loss of my ability had consumed and mired me in self-pity. I had cursed myself long before the ring did.

 

 

         The day came at last. I heard the gate opening, and two guards approached my cell. I fingered the ring in my pocket as they unlatched my cell door. It had been on my finger for so long, it might as well be in death. I pulled it out and slipped it back on. A fire glowed on its surface.

         The guards tied my hands and led me from the cell. The sunlight blinded me at first, but my eyes adjusted. The square-roofed buildings lined the streets. Floods of people spilled onto the road as they led me to the city's courts. Some people jeered, others cried. I wondered whether they cared, or if they mourned for their son or daughter who would not receive healings.

         Stop it, stupid. That kind of thinking put you in this mess.

         Then my eyes caught Gabrielle working her way through the crowd. She burst through the lines of people and enveloped me. Tears streamed down her face.

         "Sisko, maybe your love for me has died over the years, but mine for you hasn't. I love you." Her reddened eyes told me she had cried all night.

         I grabbed her hands, and her thoughts flooded my mind. Shocked that I could still feel them, the intensity of her emotion crashed through my pride. "I love you too. My selfishness had buried it."

         "I know." She kissed my cheek before a guard pulled her away. I stared at her receding form; our faces locked onto each other until the crowd swallowed her from sight.

         As we entered the courts, rocks pelted me. I could feel the warm flow of blood on my neck, and welts ached under my clothes.

         They led me to a platform. On one end, a wall had been erected. From the wall, the floor expanded out in the shape of a bell. Opposite the wall, five archers waited, arrows already strung in the bows.

         They placed me against the wall and tied me to hooks protruding from it. The small arena of the court held a full crowd. Many also stood on the ground by the stage. I spotted Gabrielle and Seth. Then I saw Jack and Helen. Jack's eyes locked onto mine, and he smiled. I smiled back, and he scowled.

         "Attention, all hail the king!" Silence covered the crowd like a blanket. Eyes turned to the king's throne on one end of the arena.

         He stood and scanned the crowd before landing his gaze upon me. "We are all gathered here, in the sight of God and man, to administer justice, as is my duty to perform from time to time. We have before us one who has performed many miracles, and for that many are grateful. But he placed his hand to one and killed her instead. He committed an abuse of power. As God's dealer of justice, I have sentenced him to death before a squad of archers."

         At this the crowd roared, but the king held out his hand, and they silenced once more.

         "Sisko, do you have any last words before we execute your sentence?"

         All eyes turned to me. Eyes that would have been turned in hope of healing now stared at me with disdain and judgment. I didn't know what to say, but as I opened my mouth, words poured from my heart.

         "Honorable King of Siloth and its citizens, I stand before you a condemned man. I condemned myself through selfishness and allowing my love to turn from God and people to my gift. So, God departed from me. Whether I killed the woman, or fate laid its hands on her the same time I did, I cannot say. But I did not pray for her death. If this is God's will, then so be it. I am ready to release my life if it be His desire. May God have mercy on me, a sinner."

         The crowd mumbled for a few seconds until the king gave the order. "You may proceed with the execution." He sat down.

         A man I could not see barked out orders. "Check your bows. Rise. Aim. Pull..."

         The man let two or three seconds pass by—an eternity when arrows are ready to shoot.

         "Release!"

         My body slammed against the wall with the impact. My chest burned. Overwhelming pain grew until numbness overtook it. Screams and gasps filled the air. I examined my chest; five arrows protruded from it. My body seemed distant, and my vision dimmed. My life disappeared into a black void.

 

 

         Oddly enough, my sight returned, yet now I floated over the scene of my death. I watched Gabrielle leap onto the platform and fall upon my body. She sobbed and wailed. My heart, though no longer physical, broke at the sight. If I could have cried, I would have.

         Then I felt a pull. It grew stronger and stronger until the scene I watched receded. A force pulled me into the heavens. The world accelerated away from me into a little ball until the blackness dotted with stars swallowed it whole.

         Still, I flew among the stars until they blurred, and time crawled to a standstill. Then as I focused in the direction I raced toward, a light grew. Though brighter than any I had ever seen, I could stare at it without harm.

         The closer I came to this light, the more I felt myself expand. No longer confined to the five senses—worlds, people, and the vastness of creation awakened to my soul. Like releasing a coiled toy, my senses increased a hundredfold.

         Another feeling dominated as I approached. Joy. Pure, unadulterated, joy. Not a giddy happiness, but a sense of complete belonging, perfectly content in my existence. The perfect joy didn't flow from within me, but a sense of infinite love enveloped me, united with me.

         The light grew until I raced into its circle. I shot onto this strange world. A few feet over land, I slowed until I rested on a grassy knoll in the midst of a forest.

         I had never seen a forest like this one. The colors flowed rich and vivid, as if each contained its own fire radiating within. No, reflecting a fire permeating everything, radiating from seemingly nowhere. No sun lit the sky, but the very air throbbed with its energy.

         "Welcome, Sikso."

         I turned to see a man, clothed in garb reminiscent of old Rome. "Who are you?"

         He spread his hands. "St. Valentine. Surely you've seen my pictures?"

         "Yes." I studied his face.

         "Well, they aren't exact duplicates of how I look anyway." He grinned as if this pleased him.

         "Where am I? This place is beautiful beyond description."

         He sat cross-legged on the grass beside me. "Many names for it, but essentially, it's Paradise. A taste of Heaven."

         "A taste? If this is a taste, I can't imagine what Heaven is like."

         "No man hath seen nor heard." He laughed.

         "But I failed. Why I am here instead of Hades?"

         "You confessed and held repentance in your heart." He touched my spiritual chest.

         "But I'm cursed. I broke the vow of the ring."

         He shook his head. "Dear Sisko, are you so unaware of God's mercy? Yes, you will have to deal with the consequences of your sins, just like King David, and yes, even me. But God forgives those humble of heart."

         "But shouldn't St. Peter have been here to meet me?"

         He waved his hand. "St. Peter's busy. Besides, God assigned me to you specifically."

         "Me?" I felt confused and joyful at the same time.

         "Yes. You have a decision to make."

         I furrowed my brow. "A decision? Here?"

         He pointed to a spot against a tree, and a window grew until the scene I had left in my former life appeared within it. Gabrielle hugged my dead body now lying on the platform. Seth consoled her and cried himself. Guards stood around, giving them time.

         I caught his eye. "Why are you showing me her? Aren't you the patron saint of love?"

         He laughed again. "Yes, I sort of ended up with the title. Not sure what I did to deserve it, but I'm honored. Though many in your old life have perverted it something awful. Still, a nice holiday, to let people know you love them by showing affection in some way." He grinned. "Not every saint gets his own holiday celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike."

         I scrunched my eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

         "Oh, I forgot, that all happens many years after your time. Ignore it."

         I focused on Gabrielle. "Then, why show me lost love? Am I to be punished even in Paradise? Eternally reminded of my failure with this window?"

         "Oh, of course not. You see, you are getting special treatment. You've tasted heaven, but do you love her?"

         I saw her hugging my dead body. I recalled her last touch, and what I felt. "Yes, I do love her."

         "Enough to give up all this you now taste and return to her?"

         "Give up?"

         "I don't mean permanently, but for now."

         "You mean, go back?" Something inside me didn't want to, and yet it did.

         My eyes soaked in the surrounding perfection and then landed back to her in the window. "My decision, then, is to give up perfect peace and joy for pain, suffering, dealing with evil people, to lose my expanded senses, and be crammed back into my physical body in order to be with her?"

         He slowly nodded. "Yes, that about sums it up. What you are feeling now is greater than any physical sensation you could ever have of pleasure. It is a spiritual pleasure of union with God. There is nothing to compare with it in the corrupt world you lived in."

         He spoke the truth. I wouldn't go back for mere physical pleasure. Nothing in the old life even came close to what I felt now, a mere taste of what would follow. I could go deeper into this bliss and experience full union with God.

         Gabrielle had stood. Seth held her in his arms; both still sobbed. Selfishness had perverted my love. Love isn't about what I want, but about meeting the other person's needs. I knew that. The steam house had revealed that in me. But somewhere along the line, that had changed and my love had grown introverted.

         "If I can go back, I must return. I'm not done with what God called me to do. I didn't finish it the right way."

         "So, you'll give up Heaven for now to be with her?" He raised an eyebrow.

         Doubt raced into my mind, but I chased it out. "A fire burns within me. What joy and peace is truly perfect when marred by failure to love as I should? I must go back."

         I saw his face glowing with radiance. I felt his satisfaction with my decision internally.

         "Now that, my dear Sisko, is true love. To release what you most desire, to bring a little of this joy to another who needs it. You have chosen well."

         "But what about God? Shouldn't we love Him above all others?" I scratched my head.

         He smiled. "When you love another, you are loving God first."

         "But I can't do miracles anymore. How can I help people?" Strange to feel sadness with pure joy.

         "The ring was a sign, a vow, a calling for you. God uses all sorts of things to accomplish miracles, from dead men's bones to a handkerchief or a donkey." He drew closer. "Your ring didn't bring forth the miracles. Your hope, faith, and love in God did. You will still yet do miracles. Maybe not ones people will flock to you for, but miracles nonetheless. The miracles Heaven will notice, but not men."

         I nodded. It made sense, and how I had missed it till now seemed senseless. I checked the scene back in the old life. A guard shoved the arrow shafts through the body and pulled them out the back.

         I took in the scenery, the vivid colors, the pure peace, contentment, and joy; I purposed to store it away in my soul so I could share it with others.

         "Okay, I'm ready. Thanks for helping me."

         He hugged me and a pure brilliant light ignited in a burst of joy, diminishing even what I had experienced thus far.

         "The honor, Sisko, has been all mine."

         A yank on my soul lifted me off the ground. A resistance to leaving flooded my mind. It said stay, but my heart said go.

         St. Valentine cupped his hands as I ascended into the sky of Paradise. "And don't forget, share the miracle of true love."

         Now the light of Paradise shrunk into the distance as I raced faster and faster into the depths of space. Along with it shrunk the feeling of pure peace and joy. I ached for it, and the desire to return burned within me. Newly acquired senses dulled as I hurled through time and space, like someone shutting down and disassembling parts of me so I could fit back into my body.

         Everything blurred into streaks. Whole galaxies flew by at astounding speeds. Then a blue, green, and white-capped ball grew in size. I flew down into it, though clouds, and toward the city in the hills. I shot straight for my body without slowing down, until I slammed into it like sunlight into a flower.

         I felt half dead, like some force crammed me back into my broken shell. I jerked as sparks shot through me and my heart pumped. I felt the wounds seal and strength returning to my body. I opened my eyes and sat up.

         Guards with mouths open wide stood before me and backed away. Some women screamed and fainted in the crowd. Gabrielle and Seth stared at me wide-eyed. Shock turned to joy. Then they sprinted to me. Gabrielle flung her arms around me and held me tightly.

         I smiled. I felt a little taste of Paradise in her love. "Why so surprised? I said I would come back for you."

         "Sisko..." Seth stood over me with a giant grin on his face. "This has got to be the most amazing miracle I've seen you do yet."

         I chuckled. "I didn't do it. But even if I had, it is nothing compared to the miracle you two have done for me." I squeezed her tighter. "You've literally redeemed me with your love. With God's love."

         As I hugged her, I saw the ring on my finger, sparkling in the sunlight. I released her and pulled at the ring. It didn't budge. "Looks like God's not done with me yet."

         She frowned.

         I shook my head. "Oh no, this time what God has for me to do involves you. Will you marry me?"

         Her face lit up. She flung herself onto me. "Oh yes, yes I will marry you!"

         I knew nothing in this world could compare with the love I experienced in Paradise, but hers was amazingly close. Very close, indeed.

 

 

Copyright 2007, R. L. Copple

R. L. Copple is a father to three children and a husband since 1982 to his wife, Lenita. He earned a B.A. in religion from Southern Nazarene University in 1984, has served as a pastor, and written on many religious topics on a small scale, including his own web site for Christian Orthodox questions and issues. Having a lifelong interest in fiction, it was 2005 that he focused on writing stories to capture the imagination. He has two novels in the editing process and has also published several short stories and poems. You can find a complete list of published works and his blog at < www.rlcopple.com >.

  

 

Cover: "Abandoned"

Once busy, alive, and new.  But no longer.  The outpost rusts into a forgotten past.

Created in Bryce 6 and Paint Shop Pro

Copyright 2007, L. S. King

A homeschooling mom, and a grandma, L. S. King taught martial arts for years, and also coached gymnastics. She loves Looney Tunes and the color purple, and adores Zorro, which might explain her fascination with swords and capes. When on the planet, she lives with her husband and youngest child in Delaware.

She is one of the "Overlords" of the e-zine Ray Gun Revival found at < www.raygunrevival.com >, which also features her space opera serial Deuces Wild.

Visit her website Loriendil's Dreamland at < www.loriendil.com > to read her published short stories, her blog, or to catch up on back stories of Deuces Wild.

 

Support The Sword Review 

The Sword Review is a publication of Double-Edged Publishing, Inc., a nonprofit corporation designated as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Double-Edged Publishing believes the written word is a powerful tool, capable of shaping ideas and changing lives.

Mail checks to:

Online donations can be made and more information can be found via The Sword Review or the Double-Edged Publishing websites: