June: On Conflict and Courage

GoFundMe for my wife's cancer fund:

https://gofund.me/3682c6720

June 24

You manage to get going again—one foot in front of the other. That’s all it takes. Keep telling yourself it’s all in your head.

Just up ahead—at the corner of the street—you spot the silhouette of a figure. Tall—four legs? Something big in their hands. You’re not sure what it is, but your curiosity, or more likely your fear of what’s behind you, drives you on.

Now you see it. It’s a person. She’s standing on a chair with a big stick, looking into the mist—in the direction from which you’ve come.

“Hey! What are you doing up there?” you call out. 

Her eyes flick down to you, then back up. “Just being ready,” she says, voice flat and even, her long wet hair plastered to her forehead.

“So there is something behind me . . .” You turn slowly, but it’s empty. Just mist and flickering lights.

“Dunno,” she says. “But if there is—no matter what comes from those shadows—I’ll be ready for it.”

• Reflection title: Carry a Chair and a Very Heavy Stick
• Creative inspiration: Terry Pratchett, Maskerade
• Reflection Question: Even if there’s no huge and terrible monster following me now—what will I do to prepare for a future where one might be?