Do Your Best
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Do your best to avoid the slaughter. Do not let yourself be drawn into it. The blood of innocents will stain you forever in the eyes of God and man.”
The voice was so deep, so powerful that I could scarcely hear it; yet its message seemed to echo through my mind with undeniable clarity. It sent a chill down my spine.
I shook my head as if to clear away the echoes of terror. “What are you saying?” I asked.
“It is said that even the evilest act can be redeemed by the purity of one’s intentions,” the voice replied. “Pray for guidance from above. You have been chosen to lead these people, but they do not know this. They fear you. They may believe that you would sacrifice them to save yourselves. These fears must be overcome if they are to follow you.”
My father had spoken often of the importance of prayer. I knew he meant well when he told me about it, but I also knew how much faith he put in the power of his own prayers. In recent years, however, I’d grown tired of hearing him preach, and now here was this strange stranger telling me to pray. Wasn’t there something more practical we should be doing?
“You cannot go forward until you have cleansed your souls,” the voice continued. “Your actions will speak for you. Only then can you take the steps necessary to change the course of history.”
“Who are you?” I asked. There was no reply.
After several moments, I tried again. “Why do you say things like that?”
This time, the answer came quickly, almost too quickly. I sensed that the speaker was angry.
“Because it is true!” he shouted angrily.
I felt a familiar sense of unease. Something wasn’t quite right.
“How did you find us?” I demanded. “Are you another ghost? Is that why you’re talking to me? What do you want?”
There was a long pause before the voice spoke again. “I am not what you think,” he said. “And you are not who you seem. But you already knew that.”
I looked at him suspiciously. “Where are you?” I asked. “Can you see me? Can you touch me?”
He laughed bitterly. “No, I cannot see or touch you. I’m all around you, but my existence only exists in your minds. I can only reach out to you by speaking through your thoughts.”
“Then tell me where you are!” I cried.
“In your hearts,” he replied.
A sudden blast of cold air filled the room. It blew past my face, bringing with it the sharp tang of salt water. For a brief instant, I thought I saw the outline of a large ship on the horizon, but it was gone just as quickly.
The End