Hannah: An Easter Story

Hannah lay curled in the fetal position against a rock. She had formed a little mound of dry, sandy dirt from the desert floor into a pillow, and now her baby-soft, brown hair spilled about her like luxurious silk. Her skin still had the extreme softness of very early childhood. Her chubby fingers were dirty from digging. She had only her clothing as shelter from the deep cold of the night. She lay dreaming of her mother, father, and three brothers. She missed them terribly.

As the harsh rays of dawn struck her face and body, a new danger peered over the rock at her. These two fellows looked harsh, ugly, and violent. They wore beat up leather. Many tools for human capture clinked together from their belts: ropes, hooks, manacles, nets, and more.

The First said, "Can we take her?"

"No," the Second answered. "She's an Innocent. We touch her, and we'll be sent down to the deepest of the Pits."

"Let's go then," said The First, disappointedly. "Maybe we can catch one and drag him through the cactus forest." He looked depraved as he said this.

The Second replied slowly, "Yeah, we could do that." Then he said thoughtfully, "Wouldn't you rather try to lure this one, though? We might even get a chance to get out of this heat if we could draw an Innocent to the Pits."

"I thought you said we couldn't touch her?" The First looked at The Second pointedly.

"I said we couldn't touch her. We have perfect freedom to talk with her, though." The First laughed mirthlessly.

Hannah stirred as she sensed danger. She sat up, protectively drawing her clothes tightly about her. She watched them warily.

"Hello, Dearie," said The Second in a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing sort of voice. "You look like you're lost. Would you like some help finding someone?"

Hannah shook her head, not daring to say anything. The two fellows stepped around the rock. They stood their distance, but Hannah felt the evil that emanated from these two.

"We're going to the light," The First croaked. "We've been there before. It's a wonderful place full of candy and food and water and anything you could ever want. Why don't you come with us?"

Hannah just shook her head in terror once more.

The Second continued with a cold, snakelike grin, his words as slick as oil, "I know why you're scared. You've been betrayed. Now you're here. You're cold at night. You bake all day long. What you need are some friends."

"Yeah," The First concurred, his face looking like a weasel. "We would love to be your friends, and we know lots more people who live over in the light." He pointed to the light on the horizon that burned like magnesium.

"I'm not going there," Hannah whispered in a cracked little mousy voice. "That's Gehenna."

"What makes you say that?" asked The Second, looking affronted.

"I just know it's Gehenna," she answered. She was beginning to feel a little more brave. These two were not touching her in any way. Perhaps they couldn't.

The First, not as bright as The Second and still fairly new at the art of deceit (he preferred brute force), spoke up at once. "So what if it is? It's a great place, a wonderful trip that you will not want to miss."

The Second looked away, so the little girl would not see his anger at his partner. He cursed him under his breath.

"Gehenna is the burning place, the devil's place," Hannah answered with the complete confidence only a five-year-old child can have. "I will never, ever go there. My family taught me all about it, and I'm not going there."

The Second took on a new tact, "But your family doesn't care for you. Where was your mother when the accident happened?"

"I don't know," Hannah answered in all honesty.

He said in a mock-concern voice, "She was gossiping with her friends. Why wasn't she there for you?" The First looked at The Second in admiration.

Hannah said nothing. She looked down at her hands.

"Where was your father?"

She looked up defiantly, "He was working of course. He works very hard to take care of our family."

The Second answered conspiratorially, "Of course he does, but did he make sure those boys knew not to take you swimming? Did he make sure your mother kept a close eye on you and your brothers? No. No, he did not." He flashed her what he hoped was a winning smile, but he could not lose his permanent, menacing look.

Hannah looked back down at her fidgeting hands.

"And what about those mean-spirited brothers of yours, throwing you into the river when it was so deep and the current was so strong that nothing you could do could have saved you? They wanted to kill you, Hannah. They lured you to the river, and they threw you in. They didn't even try to save you when you didn't come back up. You were always just a thorn in your family's side."

Tears coursed down Hannah's face.

The Second felt like he almost had her now. "They've told you lies all of your life, Hannah. Gehenna is the fun place. They wanted it all to themselves. You can have it, Hannah. Come with us."

Hannah yelled, "NO! Get away from me! You are things of evil who twist the truth and try to steal souls. Well, you can't have MINE." She turned on her heel and began walking resolutely away from Gehenna and the fellows toward a much softer, gentler Calling.

Hannah walked all day every day on aching, leaden feet. The sun beat down on her so that she felt like she was carrying a hot cast-iron skillet on her head. There was no food. She hungered desperately. There was no water. Her thirst drove her almost to madness. She saw no one else all around her in the huge, empty desert. The loneliness ripped her heart to shreds. And the two fellows hounded her.

They remained within her line of sight all the time. When they got close, they would say things like, "'Henna for Hannah! It's calling you!" She ignored them. They would torment her by eating in front of her and holding out the foul-looking fare to tempt her. She turned up her nose and just walked away, her resolve strengthened by the revulsion. (She suspected the food was nothing that should be allowed into the temple of her body, and she was right, for the flesh came from no animal.)

At night, Hannah curled up by some forsaken rock and fell into exhausted, troubled slumber.

Hannah did not know how long she walked. The fellows followed her until she finally reached the outskirts of the soft glow to which she had been drawn. Then they ran away. She hoped never to see them again.

The closer Hannah got to the soft glow, the happier she felt. She felt like she was going home after the longest journey of her life. Eventually, she came to a man clothed all in white. The glow emanated from him. He was speaking directly to her heart. Come to me. Come to me, my beloved one. She sat down on the soft grass that grew all around him and just listened to his sweet, soothing voice.

When she first got there, only one other person was there, a man who looked beaten and bedraggled physically but held a glow of pure love, peace, and devotion on his face. Hannah did not know that she had that same look on her face. Soon other people came.

In all the time Hannah had been walking, she had not seen any other people. Now they began to gather around from who knew where until Hannah could not have counted them all even if she had a hundred years to do so. They all had the same look of adoration on their faces. Hannah would have been content to just sit there forever and listen that beautiful, loving voice.

When it seemed that no one else was going to come, The Man reached out to Hannah and the first man who had been sitting by his side all this time. She took it and instantly felt no hunger, no thirst, no dirt, no aches, no pains. She felt only love, peace, joy. Someone took her by her other hand and very soon, Hannah knew that every single person within the multitude was connected together.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Strangely, Hannah was not scared at all. The desert broke up exploded from around them, and they began to soar up in a kaleidoscope of color and sound. Hannah was not scared. No one seemed to be. They all felt perfectly safe as if this were the most natural thing for people to do. Beyond their bubble of color, Hannah saw miles of thorns and wickedly violent lightning, yet they all felt safe as could be.

When they stopped, they arrived in front of an enormous wall. The man touched the wall and a gate forged of the strongest materials and covered with the finest pearls appeared. Hannah knew instantly that no evil, no sin, could ever enter here. The Man kissed the gate, and it swung inward. All the people came in as if they had wings on their feet. The wall seemed to be a mile thick. As they walked, Hannah saw old men tossing aside canes. She saw old women gradually returning to the beauty of their youth. She saw injured people heal so rapidly and so completely, Hannah knew they had arrived in heaven itself. When everyone was safe inside, then the gate clicked shut behind them and disappeared within the depths of the great wall.

Hannah looked around at the most beautiful place she had ever seen. Flowers grew everywhere, a gentle stream ran nearby, and a waterfall played tinkling music. Everyone stopped to take a nice, long drink. It was the most delicious water Hannah had ever tasted. Gemstones of all kinds lay about for anyone to just pick up if they desired. Some people did. Hannah did not bother. Fruit trees grew nearby, begging to be plucked. Hannah reached out and picked an apple. It was sweet, juicy, and caused all of her senses to come alive.

The Man smiled so happily it was almost as if this man's life had culminated to this point and everything he had ever wanted for each of the people following him had come true. After everyone seemed refreshed, the man stood up and began walking.

Hannah followed The Man. The other people did likewise. They walked across the meadows where a soft, warm breeze delighted their faces. They walked by mountains covered with flowers like a blanket. Hannah felt like she was walking on a cloud.

Finally, they came to a road paved with gold. The Man continued down it, and so did his followers. They began to see people who smiled as they watched the crowds coming in. It seemed that all of these people were very happily working at something they enjoyed very much. Hannah could see little shops here and there. She watched in wonder as some of these people took off in flight, for they all had wings upon their backs.

Now the flowers and trees and grasses were landscaped as if they were approaching the most wealthy palace in all of history. When it came into view a hush befell the multitude.

The immense palace was more beautiful than anything any of them could ever have imagined, yet it was not gaudy by any means. Hannah had lived in a very tiny town in a minuscule house with her family all of her life. It was so clean that its white walls sparkled in the fresh, warm sun. The windows appeared to be gilt with gold. Fountains played here and there in understated splendor. It truly had to be the home of the Lord of Lords.

Inside the palace now, Hannah breathed in cleanliness and beauty. Amazing pictures adorned the walls.

The Man took his flock into a huge hall and everyone found a place to sit. Soon a feast began, and all the people celebrated their first meal in heaven. It seemed that there was just the right amount of food to eat, and no one felt like gorging himself. Everyone celebrated to their heart's content and was able, somehow, to speak with The Man at length.

After the feast, Hannah felt very tired. An angel lady brought her to her very own set of apartments and explained that these were for her to use forever, and her family members, when they came, would get to live nearby. The angel lady bade Hannah good night.

Hannah walked around the most luxurious apartment she had ever seen. She had a soft, scrumptious bed with pillows and blankets in vibrant colors piled upon the bed to her heart's content. She had a bath tub of her very own that poured water and bubbles just to her liking that smelled delightful.

After her bath, Hannah lay on her bed, and she noticed a picture frame. Within it, she could see her mother, father, and brothers. She lay watching them for a long time. It comforted to watch her family going about their business and just to see their faces after such a long absence. Her brothers had all grown a lot.

She was about to blow out the candle and go to sleep when she noticed the little animals made of gold that set upon the little table next to her bed. She picked up a little dove, and her mother's voice filled the room.

"My dearest little Hannah," her mother's voice said, "I am entrusting my words to God, so that you might hear them and know how much I love and miss you. I have every hope of seeing you again, My Love. You see, we have learned so very much from a prophet named Jesus. We believe he is the Son of God! We have become baptized—the whole family! We have the promises of God that we will see you in heaven one day. We are so sad that the authorities have killed him, but we have learned of his Resurrection!"

Hannah hungrily listened to all of the prayers. She found that she could listen to each one as many times as she liked. Her brothers had begged her forgiveness, heart and soul. They had not meant to hurt her. They all spoke of their love for her, and asked her for her prayers since she would be living right in the heart of God.

When Hannah finally fell asleep in perfect comfort and filled to her very core with love, she knew perfect happiness.