Super Youth Pastor and the Pit of Despair

It seemed like decades, maybe even centuries has passed. He remembered watching The Princess Bride as a child. The pit, that life sucking machine, yes it seemed he had been sucked into that very pit with no one to hear him scream.

Darkness surrounded him. Mind numbing darkness that seemed to rob him of the memory of light. That word seemed foreign to him now. He tried to focus, to remember … what color was, even the faintest glimmer, a spark, a part of the shadow that wasn’t as dark. The effort drained him and his body collapsed.

He thought back to when the darkness first pulled him in. He remembered fighting the dark. He remembered getting free to the endless stairs many times in the early days. He could see light at the top of the spiraling steps. It was so distant but the warmth gave him strength. He remembered running forever, but the light seemed to stay fixed, like trying to run to the stars. The darkness caught him over and over. Each time the darkness seemed to overpower him more quickly and the light seemed further and more faint till he had no will to leave his dark prison.

He remembered screaming in anger and crying in depression till he was exhausted in the early days. It had been a long time since he cared enough to cry much less yell at his jailer.

Yes, even those memories were fading. Had he ever run to the light? Had he ever cried out in defiance at the dark? Had he even wept bitterly? Maybe he was born in darkness. Today he began to hope he would soon die in it. That thought made him angry, but soon the darkness took even that. He wanted to feel angry and the darkness wouldn’t let him have anything he wanted.

Again he though back. He remembered hearing the voices of others trapped in the pit. When he could defy the darkness it would awake old feelings within him. He was a protector. He remembered finding poor trapped souls and guiding them to the light, but then he doubted himself. Did he ever find anyone in this dark world? Was the light real? He couldn’t fix it in his mind any longer. Maybe those voices were a trick of his own mind. Maybe this whole world was a trick of his own mind. There was no light, and if there was no light there couldn’t be darkness. There was only nothing and so he could never leave this place. There was no where to go. There wasn’t even a place to leave. There was only this … existence.

The Messenger watched from a distance. He knew the darkness was aware of his presence, but waited. If he moved too soon the darkness would know who the message was for and stop him. The Messenger grieved for all those trapped in the pit, but most of all for Super Youth Pastor. The Messenger was well aware of the battles SYP had fought. He knew of those that had been freed from this very pit because SYP wouldn’t leave anyone behind. He remembered the last time SYP broke free and began running out of the pit. The darkness let him hear the voices of those trapped in despair. SYP stopped and the gate of freedom and ran back seeking others to help. Many found freedom that day, but SYP wouldn’t give up while he knew others needed him. He kept going back till he couldn’t go any further. He guided one last captive to the stairs of light when the darkness closed around them. He fought the darkness. He did everything to help one more get freedom, but when the prisoner he was trying to help turned on him something broke.

The Messenger was watching that day too; he wanted to fight but the time was not right. A smile curled across his face. Soon.

SYP didn’t believe his eyes. His mind was lying to him again. He blinked, but this phantom was still there. It was painful, the light burned into him and he began sobbing. Great tears pooled at his knees. After all this time in the darkness, after all this time in despair, on the very edge of completely giving up, the light came to him.

The Messenger didn’t have much time. He knew SYP wasn’t ready to leave, so he gave him the gift and whispered to him, “He is coming, prepare yourself.”

The darkness was back. It boiled around him, as if to scour any hint of light. SYP laid there in the pit, a river of tear flowing across his cheeks and he smiled. The darkness couldn’t see the gift the Messenger had left. Super Youth Pastor kept the hope in his heart where the darkness couldn’t see.

Who is coming? What must our captive hero prepare himself for? Will he ever be free of the Pit of Despair? Join us next time for more Adventures of Super Youth Pastor.