This is Part 2 of my short story on the topic of revenge. As you read I want to give you a reference for the last line of Part 2. It comes from Jesus’s words in Matthew 6:23. I hope this story encourages you to think deeper about revenge and what it costs us.
He begins. “There is a saying that was coined about a few generations back regarding this castle we are currently speaking in. It goes like this. The light in Dark Castle bends wherever it pleases. Therefore, if you have large feet you must tread carefully, but if your feet are small you will be safe and sound. Please tell me. What is the meaning of this saying? ” I sit back in deep contemplation. Is that it? The riddle is not only extremely short, but I have never heard of such a saying. How odd. What does having large or small feet have to do with the refraction of light? Is the portion about the bending light meant to throw the listener off the trail? Creases line my forehead as a whirlpool of endless questions engulf my mind. For some reason the information feels incomplete. The portion about the feet seems to be the most important part of the riddle. But there is something very odd about mentioning how the light bends.“Are you having trouble?” The Conqueror inquires. “I don’t understand how the size of one’s feet affects the bending of light.” I respond. He smiles gently. “Ok then, answer me this. “What is the size of your feet? Are they big or are they small?” I look down at my feet and feel the creases in my forehead deepen. My feet seem slightly larger than average. “Large I believe?” He nods in agreement. “They are large indeed.” My mind begins to race. Why is he asking about the size of my feet? And then as if on cue, I feel a memory beginning to resurface. Bubbling up out of the whirlpool of my thoughts to rest just on the surface. A memory of my mother.
My mother was a smart looking woman with brown hair and even browner eyes. From the age where I was old enough to hold a grudge and express my anger, my mom would frequently sit me down. Her crown would always tip slightly forward as she leaned toward me, rested her hands on my shoulders, and forced me to look her in the eyes. “People naturally walk toward error.” She would say. “So those who are unable to forgive and let go of grievances grow large and heavy feet. They keep growing until it is impossible to walk anymore and they are stuck.” “Stuck where?” I would always ask. “Where even the light itself bends to avoid you.” I would laugh. ”Light doesn’t work that way!” And she would just smile. She always talked about light as if it were a sentient being rather than a phenomenon. And she would always end the conversation the same way. “You become stuck in error when you perceive that which is alive to be dead. But, if you continue to move forward there is a chance for you to overcome error.” I never could understand what she meant. Since I could remember, Dark Castle had always been dark. And was justice not making sure that wrongs are properly accounted for? It’s written in our law. The law all rulers and subjects in the land live by. In a metaphorical sense, you could say that I was bringing a small bit of light back to Dark Castle. Ensuring that at least the darkness coming against me was forced in submission to the light. My body jolts slightly when the Conqueror speaks, interrupting my memories. “When the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness”.
End of Part 2
Streams of Comfort 
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