Little Wonders - Rob Thomas

~*~*~*~

“Saturday. October 25, 2102… that’s today?” she asked. 

“It was 2012 when I fell asleep!” 

~*~*~*~

So began Eden's adventure last year when she woke up 90 years into the future. She's changed a lot so far. She still has a long way to go, but she's getting there. 

I know that my characters aren't perfect. In order for them to turn into the kind of characters I want them to be, they have to go through hardships and trials to help them grow. Along the journey, I give them happy moments and hopes for them to hold on to. I like giving my characters a mission of some sort. I also like giving my characters someone to go on that mission with, whether or not they initially enjoy it. They learn to appreciate the company later on. I like writing. I like watching my characters face particular situations and see how they decide to handle them. 

I like writing because it reminds me that I have a story that's being written. Every single day. I am given choices that can impact those around me, as well as myself. My story has its ups and downs. I've had hard times and great times. 

These last five weeks have been particularly wonderful, even with the daily dose of school/work/social stress and family travel/visa registration issues (which have been all sorted out for another year, as far as I can tell). 

I'm not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm still growing and I have a long way to go, but I'm getting there. One hour at a time. 

Every day I am reminded of the incredible blessings God has given to me. Everything from the beauties of nature, to the opportunities in life, to the loved ones I hold dear. 

The greatest blessing of all? 

Salvation. 

Hebrews 5:9, "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"

Hebrews 12:1-2, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Endurance and Victory. 

Never Alone. 

Always Hope. 

~*~*~*~

The Promised Land: (Part 22) Get Out Alive 

“If this guy knows everything, what’s to stop him from going to the orphanage?” Eden asked as they drove along.

“I was not the original contact for the package,” Ezra explained from her spot in the driver’s seat.

 “You weren’t?” Eden looked at Caden, who was resting in the reclined captain’s chair beside her, then looked to Shiloh, who was riding shotgun.

“No,” Cay rasped, adjusting the bag of ice on his wrist. “The original died in the massacre.”

“So if he’s looking for the dead contact in Jericho, why are we headed there?”

“Supplies.” Eden could tell he didn’t feel like talking. Not that she minded if he didn’t speak. It wasn’t exactly pleasant listening to his hoarse, crypt keeper voice. He rarely had anything uplifting to say anyway.

Twisting in his seat so he was lying on his side, Cay moved another bag of ice from its place on his throat to his bruised jaw. Eden absently stared at the bright red cloth covering most of his neck.

“Nice scarf.”

“Thanks.”

“Matches your eyes.”

Caden sent a short-lived glare in her direction before letting it drop with a snicker. “Either he’s starting to appreciate my sense of humor or he’s too tired to care,” Eden thought with a smirk. “I’ll count that as progress.”

She looked out the window and watched as they entered the city of Jericho again. The place was still very foreboding. A chill snaked up her spine just thinking about her last visit. Ezra turned a few corners and drove through a part of town Eden hadn’t seen before. As they were slowed down, Eden looked back at Caden. He looked like he had been dragged into unconsciousness solely by fatigue. When Ezra stopped the van, he awoke with a bloodshot, deer-in-the-headlights expression.

“We’re here.”

Getting out, Eden looked at her surroundings. They were parked next to a row of buildings that were stripped of their former glory. Several were unmistakably the ruined buildings of fast food chains, the very ones of Eden’s bygone era. There was no sign of life in any of the buildings or on the street.

“I am getting some serious zombie apocalypse vibes from this future,” Eden thought to herself.

The twins went inside a once-upon-a-time fast food restaurant, while Ezra stayed in the van. Leaning over the see the mysterious woman through the window, Eden muttered, “I don’t mean to be sound rude or anything… but…”

“Why am I creepy?”

“Er, no.” Eden blinked. “I was just going to ask why you’re not coming. But I like your question better.”

Ezra gave a faint smile. “Forgive me. It is a trait many people have trouble ignoring.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Eden thought to herself. She walked around to the other side of the van and got in the passenger’s seat. Closing the door, she sat in silence for a moment. Looking Ezra in the eye, she asked, “You can’t really see the future, can you?”

The older woman shrugged. “I see many things, most of which have not happened yet. I only see pieces. Like a giant puzzle, but few pieces ever fit.”

“Why are you helping these kids?” Eden glanced at the door the brothers had already walked through and lowered her voice without realizing it. “By all rights, they should be back at that orphanage themselves, not gallivanting through the land playing toy soldiers and Wolverines.”

Ezra sighed. “A number of years ago, I watched my family die before it ever happened. No matter what I tried, I could not stop the inevitable.” She stared at Eden with a look the sophomore could not place. Sorrow, perhaps. Regret? “I did not choose them, just as I never chose you. But these pieces fit. Somehow, you are here to help change this world.”

Eden found herself scooting closer to the car door. “Sorry, I want to help, but I’m kind of a one trick pony and saving the world isn’t my trick.”

“Change starts with action. Action starts with thought.” The strange woman inclined her head forward, as if waiting for a reply.

“Eden,” Caden’s voice echoed through the empty street as his dark head poked into view from behind a door. “You coming?”

The gypsy smiled and whispered, “Think about it,” as Eden left the vehicle.

The blonde followed the twins into an old, yellowed building. The door closed behind them with a tiny jingle. It was dimly lit inside, not unlike most buildings Eden had been in while in this land. Very few things lined the walls, mostly large equipment which would be hard to walk out of the store with unnoticed. Most of the wares hung on racks behind a large counter. Eden approached the counter with the familiar feeling she got when trying to decide what to order from a menu. A loud DING rang through the store, making Eden jump nearly three feet in the air. Caden stood by a desk bell on the counter.

A gruff voice answered, “Hold your candy carts, I’m on my way!”

Eden raised an eyebrow. “What did he-”

A loud crash interrupted her as a tall, narrow man stumbled into the room and over something before managing to catch himself on the counter.

“… uh, hehe.” Standing up quickly, the man brushed himself off and cleared his throat. “Welcome to Sparrow’s! I’m Linus,” he said with his trimmed mustache curling up at the ends. “You’re just in time, sugar cubes. I’m in the middle of moving shop. What do you need?”

Shiloh handed the man a list, while Caden watched. Eden noticed his eyes glow with a red tint as his face twisted into a frown. “That kid really needs to work on his trust issues,” Eden thought. The man studied the list for a few minutes before setting it down and pushing the sleeves up on his light blue hoodie. “That stuff ain’t cheap, gumdrops. Show me whatchya got.”

Caden took off the bag he kept with him at all times, pulled out three firearm magazines, and stacked them on the counter. Linus took the time to inspect each one of them. As he set the last one down, he looked back at the list.

“Well?” Caden demanded.