The Unnamed Animal In The Darkness.

By: Rocky M. Magana

For ZOE & Teradactyl Breath.

"I hope you girls always remember your name, and I hope you guard it with all your might. You are light in

the darkness."

Acte I

"For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together

until now."-Romans 8:22

I am an animal, or a beast; I am not quite sure...There are no others like me in my wild. I am the only

one. None of the other animals have my legs or skin. None of them have my teeth...

I am the only one.I am the unnamed, the abandoned, the one who has been

forgotten.This story starts on the foggiest morning you've ever

seen. It was the sort of cold that crawls into your bones.I awoke to the sound of crying in the wind.Tears splashed against my face. But these tears did not

belong to the sky; they came from somewhere much different. They came from a dark and lonely place that is four times bigger than the largest desert on earth.

They came from the bottom of the ocean, they were whale tears.

"How do whales cry?" you ask.The answer is, just like everyone else.After that, you might also ask "How is possible for their

tears to travel so far inland?"That answer is very complicated; for starters, it had to do

with how many tears they cried. I bet your wondering how many that is; it was so many that they no longer swam in water. They swam in their tears.

As these tears washed ashore, an angry wind from the north caught them in its wrath, and carried them across many countries until he could carry them no more; exhausted the

north wind dropped them, and as he did, they fell like rain.And that's how I woke up with my face covered in whale

tears.As I wiped my face dry; I wondered why the whales were

crying? Sure everyone knows that whales are sad a lot, but very rarely do you ever see them cry.

Soon though, I realized that it wasn't just the whales who were crying; the eagles on the mountaintops were tearing out their feathers and beating their breasts. The squirrels were running back and forth with their faces in their hands, squeaking like their hearts had been ripped out. There was even an ant in the dirt who was spinning around in a frenzy.

Standing up, I looked around and saw that all of creation was crying out.

Something terrible had happened while I was sleeping?It was like all of the light in the world had just died.Like the sun had gone out.But I knew this wasn't true, because I could already see

the first rays of dawn on the horizon.True it did look more subdued than normal; but not to the

point that you actually thought it was going to die.How could the sun die?It's the sun, it's always been there.If it wasn't the sun that had broken the squirrel’s hearts,

then what was it?The higher the sun grew in the sky, the more I realized

that it wasn't the sun that was subdued; there was a great darkness coming out of the east.

It was this darkness that was making everyone act so

crazy.What kind of darkness could be so dark that it could

threaten to blot out the sun?Suddenly a distressed porcupine appeared from behind a

log with all of his needles standing on end "Hey porcupine" I said "what's the deal with this darkness?"

This question seemed to really worry him "O' it's terrible, simply terrible, everything that held everything together is dead!" he exclaimed as he quickly waddled away.

I had no idea what he was talking about.Everything?What was this everything he spoke of?Surely it wasn't a monster. Monsters tear things apart,

they don't hold them together.Next a magpie came flying by with a wobble in his wing

"Hey magpie" I called "what's this dead everything I hear about?"

"It's true, everything is dead, or dying, or as good as dead! We're all goners!" cried the magpie as he crashed into a nearby tree, knocking himself out cold.

At this rate I'd never get to the bottom of everything.Then, in the distance I saw something that gave me hope.

Atop a rolling green hill sat a herd of majestic white stags.If you do not know, the white stag is the wisest of all

animals.If anyone knew what was going on it would be them.Quickly I ran across the soggy ground, splashing through

tear puddles.The hill they sat on was slippery; but luckily for me, I'm

a good climber.Once atop the hill, I found the clan of stags kneeling in a

large circle with their antlers pressed in the ground.The grass stained their white coats, but they didn't care.They weren't crying or freaking out like the other

animals, but there was still sadness in their eyes. Their silence was worse than all the panic.I was afraid to speak.But I had to.Otherwise I would never know.I had to know.If the white stags were worried, then there must really be

something wrong.Clearing my throat, I growled to make my presence

known.No answer. And not just that, they didn't even look up to

see who was growling at them.I tried once more; this time roaring from the bottom of

my stomach."Yes little beast, we heard you." came an annoyed reply

from one of the white stags."Then why didn't you answer me?" I asked."Because matters of greater importance are at hand than

the ego of an unnamed animal." replied the stag impatiently."Yes, that's why I'm here; I want to know what the

everything is, and who killed it? Does it have to do with that darkness?"

Hearing this, the stag raised his head off the ground and looked at me.

His bright red eyes burned through me.I knew I had made a mistake, I had been too bold, but it

was too late for apologies; he was on me in a flash, pressing his hooves into my chest, and shoving his antlers against my throat "How do you not already know? Even the sloth and stick bug are weeping. Are you not at least as smart as a sloth! Yes the everything is dead" the stag's voice grew very soft "but that is not his name."

I struggled to breathe "Please I beg you, tell me his name."

"His name is Jesus Christ..." said the stag relenting his antlers and turning away to hide his grief.

Sitting up, I placed my head against his side, and rested it there. I could hear his big heart struggling to beat through his lungs "Will everything die without him?" I asked.

"Yes... everything will die." replied the stag. Regaining his composer he walked away.Sitting in the mud, I called out "But where can I find

him?""Go through the darkness, that is where his body is."

answered the stag as he resumed his spot in the grieving circle.

And so, I set off into the darkness, to find the dead one named Christ.

To find the thing that killed everything...

Acte II

"For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because

of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also will be

delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of God."

-Romans 8:20-21

As I headed into the shadow, things suddenly felt very lonely. Being alone was nothing new to me. That's just how it is when you're the only one of your kind; but this new loneliness was something different. It was as if everyone and everything in the world was gone. I know it doesn't make sense, but that’s the way it was.

Nothing made sense.The further into the shadow I marched, the worse my

loneliness became. Hopelessness began to set in, and for the first time I understood what the other animals were crying about.

Now that the sun was no longer obstructing the darkness, I could see it at its fullest.

It swirled, and turned the entire eastern sky into a whirlpool. Sucking in even the smallest particles of light, it was like a black hole had opened on earth.

I was terrified.I wanted more than anything in that moment not to be

alone; to see and be seen by another animal. Lonely and desperate, I came across the dry bones of a dead ox. This was not exactly what I had in mind, but even these were comforting to me. Just knowing that at some point something else was here and was alive, gave me a small spark of hope.

As I stood there staring at the bones; tons of questions began popping up in my head.

Did the ox live a happy life?Did he ever fall in love?

What was his favorite color?But most of all I wondered if these were old bones that

had been here a long time, or if they were new bones that had just fallen apart?

Were they part of the everything?Was I?I stopped in my tracks. I was afraid to go any further.What if the darkness caused me to fall into a pile of

bones too?But if I was ever to find the thing that killed everything, I

had to press on.Taking a deep breath, I steadied my heart and took a step

forward.My foot didn't fall off."Safe so far." I thought to myself.I took another step. I still felt okay. I took another, and

another, and another; until at last I was walking safely without fear of my bones falling out... at least not yet.

You will find though that it is when we feel safe that we are most vulnerable. This situation was no different.

Before I knew what had happened, an orange and yellow blur had darted from the nearby tall grass and circled around to my front. Sliding to a stop, the creature roared in a way that I could only dream of roaring.

It was the most fearsome Lion I had ever seen.He was at least two times as big as a normal lion, and

even in the darkness he didn't look scared. Pacing back and forth, he said "I see you've found my

bones."

"Oh you did that?" I replied, trying not to look too surprised.

"Of course I did that." answered the Lion holding his head high "I am the king of The Wild; there is none more courageous than me... I am your king" but then he did something strange, he stopped mid sentence, like he was overcome by a strong conviction "I am.." he said once more, trying to force the words out of his mouth, but he couldn't. His flashing eyes transformed into sad lumps of coal. His chest heaved in shame; letting out an enormous sigh, he walked away.

"Hey!" I said "Where are you going?"The Lion didn't answer."Hey Lion!" I said once more.Still no answer.Knowing I was running out of options, I decided to do

the most daring and dumb thing in my entire life; taking a deep breath I yelled "Hey coward!" and stuck my tongue out at him.

As soon as he heard these words, he turned back around charged right at me, saying "I am no coward! I am merciful... I could eat you, and then you'd be a pile of bones like that ox! Who are you to question me; you don't even have a name! Don't you know that my taste for blood grows stronger by the second? It's something that I cannot control. My mouth waters at the thought of you in my jaws...” but then something inside of his head seemed to click, and sadness overcame him once more "I'm sorry" he cried "I'm no king... I want to be, I do... but I just can't stop eating. I kill anything

that gets close to me... When I'm waging war I'm a hero, but here back home, I'm nothing but a monster... please, you must run away as fast as you can, I don't know how much longer I can keep these urges at bay... they've gotten so much worse since everything fell apart."

I know it may sound strange, but these words were music to my ears "This is great!" I said "I’m on my way into the heart of the darkness, and who knows what's waiting for me out there? A fearsome warrior like you is just what I need! Please, come with me and protect me."

I could tell that The Lion really wanted to go "What if we get in there and I can't control myself. Aren't you afraid I might kill you? No I can't go... I won't have your blood on my head." said The Lion shaking his head.

"What does it matter if I'm killed by you or the thing that killed everything, I'm dead either way. At least with you I have a chance. Please, you know I can't do this without you."

Thinking matters over, The Lion showed his fangs and said at last "Okay but you must keep your distance, for when you're this close you smell much too delicious not to eat."

"It's a deal." I said, quickly jogging about twenty feet away "How about this? Am I far enough away yet?"

"Go a little further; I can still smell you far too well."But as I turned to go further, I suddenly felt something

slimy and squishy under my foot."Ouch!" cried the something.Looking down, I saw a silver and black snake slithering

between my feet "So sorry" he said wrapping himself around my leg "I couldn't help, but overhear your conversation. I was

wondering if by chance you might need a snakes help too?""I don't know, I hadn't thought about it." I said shaking

my leg "How do I know I can trust you?""Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?" smiled The

Snake."Because you're a snake, and everyone knows that you

can't trust a snake.""Oh is that so?" replied The Snake slithering around in a

frustrated manner "But you trust The Lion who admitted he wants to eat you? I could have struck your foot when you weren't looking and you'd already be dead. But I didn't... and I'm the one who can't be trusted?"

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend you." I said, offering my leg for him to wrap himself around again.

"No thank you." answered the offended Snake "I do not need a pity leg... It doesn't matter what I do, does it? I can love my enemies and bless those who persecute me all I want, and I will still always be a snake. I can’t help the fact that my form was the one the enemy chose when he tempted her into eating the fruit... If I could change into another animal for you I would... But I can't. No matter how many times I shed my skin, it always comes back the same... I detest what was done as much as anyone; for I too was created from his imagination... I mourn the death of Christ as much as anyone... I can't fix what's been broken; I can only try to help pick up the pieces."

By the time he was done talking I felt about as small as a mouse "Please forgive me" I said "Obviously I was mistaken about you. It would be an honor to have you as my

companion on this journey." then, turning to where The Lion was, I hollered out "Isn't that right?"

"Yes." came The Lion's reply "It would definitely be nice to have The Snake come along."

And so, once more we set off, pressing further into the darkness, with The Lion leading the way and me and The Snake trailing far enough behind to keep our scent out of his nostrils.

Acte III

"For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes

for that which he sees?"-Romans 8:25

"...When vice is daring, let not be virtue sneaking... evil beasts must be

rebuked cuttingly"-Mattthew Henry

We walked for a long time, talked little, and smiled even less. We were deep into the shadows, and the further we walked, the more our hearts dove into darkness.

I kept an eye on my companions at all times; trusting no one.

The snake seemed to handle the pressure of the darkness okay; I imagine it was because he was used to it. Darkness had run through his veins since birth; it was only through vigorous self discipline that was he able to maintain some form of goodness.

The Lion on the other hand was not faring so well.By the time we reached the lower passage in the

mountains, the black hole was thirsty for blood.Leaping to the top of a rock above me, The Lion licked

his chops and stared at me. His eyes were hungry.Trying to redirect him, I called up "Can you see how far

we have to go until we come out on the other side?"He did not answer. His eyes grew wide.Knowing this was not a good sign, I called again "I said,

can you see how much further we have to go?"Still no answer.He knew he shouldn't eat me. He was there to protect me.But sometimes no matter how hard you try not to do

something, you only want to do it more.Thankfully though The Snake was there, quickly he

slithered up the side of the rock and said "Hey Lion, get that

look off your face, you're here to protect us. You can’t eat us!"With these words The Lion's gaze broke, and mercy

returned to him once more "Yes, of course" he said "but just to be safe, you better go back down there where you're kind of safe."

We were quiet for the rest of our time in the mountains. It wasn't until we came upon a stream where the current was too strong to swim that I finally spoke up, saying "Any bright ideas on how we get across this?"

"We can look around and see if there is a place where it's shallow enough to cross." said The Snake, bending his nose close to the water.

But the darkness made it impossible to see anything with any certainty.

"It's no good" I said "It could be two inches or twenty feet deep and we'd never know the difference..."

Suddenly, my words were interrupted by the rustling of leaves and the crack of snapping wood. I turned to see where the sound came from; as I did I was met by the outline of a large tree falling straight at me.

I dove out of the way as the massive oak whizzed by me (leaving the scent of muddy bark in the air) and crashed into the creek bed, making a makeshift bridge on which we could cross.

No sooner had this happened that The Lion darted out of the darkness and said as he passed by "Hurry up, I don't know how long it will hold."

He made it look so easy that it removed all fear from our minds.

Quickly we ran across the tree."Thank you." I said to The Lion.But he didn't answer; he simply sprinted back ahead of

us, disappearing into the black.From there we marched through the valley of the shadow

of death without ever seeing another living creature.Had it really happened so fast? It had only been one day

and there was already no life left in the world.The everything was working fast.With no sun or moon or stars by which to call day, day,

and night, night; we had no way of telling which was which, and thus had no way of knowing when we should sleep, not that we could have if we wanted to.

Instead we pressed deeper into the darkness. Deeper into our own fear.All sorts of thoughts crept into our heads, turning to The

Snake I said "What if we never find our way out of this, what if we just wonder around lost forever?"

Confidently placing his head on my foot for comfort he said "In the beginning there was darkness, and everything was a void. And then out of the chaos, God said let there be light, and there was! Ever since that day, it has been the job of light to illuminate and banish the darkness. Today the darkness will have its way, but never fear, the sun will rise again, and all will be made right."

"But how do you know?" I said pleadingly."Because it has to." replied The Snake.We spoke no more on the subject. An uncomfortable eeriness hung over our heads as we

traveled. After a while we couldn't even make out the silhouettes of our surroundings anymore, everything was black.

We knew something sinister awaited us out there somewhere, we just didn't know where, or in what form it would come.

"Are you still up there Lion?" I called out desperately."Shhhhh be quiet!" The Lion replied sharply.No sooner had he said this, that out of the unknown came

the most terrible wild howling's you've ever heard.It was impossible to tell if these were cries of pain or joy;

for it sounded like a little of both. Soon we realized that these were not the howls of one crazed creature, but rather two separate animals; one in torment and the other in revelry.

Strangely we were irresistibly drawn to the cries.I tried to run away, but my feet would not obey.Drifting into the black, we did not know what sort of

pitfalls or terrors awaited us.The howls grew louder and more piercing with each step;

until at last it seemed as if we were right inside of them. Looking ahead, I saw a large white circle that shined as bright as day suddenly appear before our eyes. In the center of the circle laid a dead wolf. This is where the tormented cries had come from. But there was no sign of the second animal. Was he lurking out there somewhere in the darkness, ready to attack?

As we entered the circle to investigate, we were met by three other creatures who stood opposite of us. One was a lion, another was a snake (both of which looked just like my

companions) but the third creature, was something different entirely. He was an awkward and hideous animal of which I had never seen the likes of before. He was fur-less, and his face looked dumb.

"I'll say these two look just like you guys, but this third animal is disgusting." I remarked; taking notice of his every flaw.

"What do you mean?" said The Lion "I see perfect copies of both of you, but who is this other creature before me, with his raging eyes and massive fangs?"

"I say you are both off your rockers" exclaimed The Snake "We are looking at reflections of ourselves. I know this because the only creature that is as gross as this one before me is me!"

Suddenly The Snake from the other side piped up "It's true, I am you, and you should be true to your heart. Why do you put yourself in danger? Why fight against your nature? You belong on this side; why stay over there where you're hated?"

"I am not hated, I am part of creation!" fired back The Snake angrily.

"You are a regret in the eyes of the Creator. Why serve someone who hates you?" hissed The Other Snake.

The Snakes confidence wavered "I am not hated.""Then why does The Maker still punish you for

something you didn't do?" smirked The Other Snake "You did not give her the fruit, but yet even after all your worship, you're still cursed to crawl on your belly."

Meanwhile me and The Lion were busy arguing with our

own counterparts."Give me your name or I'll tear you to pieces!" roared

The Lion."Yes! Give into your hunger! But why eat me when your

two friends are clearly the better meal? You are free to hunt in this darkness without fear of guilt! We are gods here! Come on, let’s run and eat until our bellies burst!"

"No!... No I can't! I am their king, I must be good!" cried The Lion, writing beneath the weight of his temptations.

"What is good?" asked The Other Lion "Is denying yourself an appetite you were created with good? Or is being happy good? Is this tormenting conscience good? How can it be good if it makes you unhappy? Kill your conscience, and you will be free to do what makes you happy. You will be good, for there is no evil in happiness."

"You're right, it can’t be bad to be good?" replied The Lion as his face darkened once more "They do look delicious."

As for me, I was still not quite sure what it was that I was looking at. I know the others said it was me, but I couldn't believe it. This animal’s nose was too big, and his muscles were too small. His ears stuck out, and he was fat in all of the wrong places. He looked old and weak. His eyes were familiar though "Who are you?" I said.

"I'm nobody, and I'm from nowhere. I used to be a different animal, who came from another, who came from another, who crawled out of filth and ooze. I am nothing, I have no name and no purpose." replied The Other Nameless Animal.

I had dreamed about the day I would meet another of my own kind, and now that it was here, I felt sick. I never knew what I looked like, but I had hoped that I was beautiful.

I was not.Softly I said "You are me huh?""Yes" replied my reflection "I am you in all of your brutal

ugliness. I am here to show you that you truly are nothing; that you are nameless for a reason... It would have been better if you were never created. You serve no purpose. You're dumb and weak, your fangs are dull, and you can’t even fly. You are a mistake; that’s why there are no others like you... Look at your friend The Lion, he's majestic. He has a purpose." I looked at The Lion and saw how dark his face was "Give yourself to him and let him eat! Let the mistake that you are be done with once and for all."

The three of us were in the worst kind of danger."No I am created and not hated!" cried The Snake with

tears in his eyes."Yes they will be a good and bloody meal." said the

hungry Lion.And I said "You're right, I'm worthless. I should just get

eaten and be done with."

Acte IV

"In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the

Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be

uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind.

Because he makes intercession for the saints according to God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are

called according to his purpose."

-Romans 8:26-28

The Lion was upon me in a flash, his claws poked into my flesh and his fangs were dripping with hunger "Go ahead" I cried as I closed my eyes "eat and be satisfied!"

"I will not feel bad about this! It will make me happy!" roared The Lion opening his jaws.

All hope was gone. We would never find the place the darkness came from. We would never find the place where Christ died.

We had failed... And then, at the very last moment before evil won, the

loud piercing voice of The Snake rang out "NO! I will not stand by and watch evil win! I will do what is good and not what is just easy! I AM CREATED, AND I AM LOVED REGARDLESS OF WHAT MY FATHER DID! I AM THE SNAKE! THAT IS MY NAME AND HE KNOWS AND LOVES ME BY IT!"

At the sound of his voice, the very fabric of the darkness to shuddered "And you" he said turning to The Lion, as he slithered onto my chest between us "you are the king of The Wild, but you are not The King of Heaven; and I will not let you kill him before he knows his name, you have no right to destroy that which has not been set aside for you. He is created and off limits to you, SO BACK AWAY! Or I swear by the God who still lives in these dark times, I will strike you dead where you stand. We may be forsaken, but you're still a

Lion, not a monster... come back to us, we love you!"Rising up, The Snake hissed; ready to die for me.Furiously The Lion roared.But The Snake held his ground "Come back to us Lion,

you are loved so much!"At hearing these words, light slowly returned to The

Lion's face."What are you doing? Kill them and be happy!" cried

The Other Lion.My reflection cheered him on, saying "Kill them, kill

them!""No..." growled The Lion, as he turned towards his own

image."What? Don't you want to be happy? KILL THEM!"

ordered The Other Lion."Yes... I do wish to be happy." said The Lion "I wish it

more than anything!"With those words, The Lion roared and leaped through

the reflections, shattering them. Like tiny pieces of glass, our self images fell and

disappeared into the darkness forever.Looking through the hole that was left where our

reflections had been, we discovered that we were no longer in The Wild, but rather on top of a skull shaped mountain.

Before us stood the thing that we had been searching for; the cross on which Christ was crucified.

"Is it real?" asked The Lion fearfully."It looks real, too real to be a trick." replied The Snake as

he crawled near the hole to take a closer look.

Putting all thoughts of danger aside, I crawled through the hole that led out of the darkness to see what was on the other side.

"How do you feel?" yelled The Lion through the hole.Hollering back I said "I feel fine, it doesn't feel like I'm

going to fall apart at all."Seeing that my arms and head hadn't fallen off, the other

two quickly crawled through the hole and joined me.Taking in our surroundings; we surveyed this new

country that stood at the back of the darkness. It was like nothing we had ever seen before.

The cross of Christ looked like two tree trunks nailed together. The wood was very rough and coated in dry blood. Splinters poked out all over.

I ran my paw over its rough wood.Bloody splinters stuck in my paw.And then it hit me like a bomb. This is where he died.

Nailed to rough wood and bloody splinters. This is where evil had its way. This is where we put him with our wickedness. Because our reflections were alive in our hearts, and in our weakest moments, we allowed them to grow claws and do terrible things. Because of me, he died.

Because of me everything fell apart.It was me...I put him on that cross.I killed everything.Something strange swelled up inside of me, and all at

once I felt like I was full of hot breath and tears. Behind me I could already hear The Lion and Snake weeping. It sounded

like the cries of the squirrels and the torment of the eagles. It smelled like the tears of the whales, and felt like the silent mourning of the white stags... It was then that I knew for the first time the only thing worth knowing...

That left on our own, we are all lost.We come up short.We are unnamed.There had been hope here, but it was gone now, leaving

only its scent in the air.We were exhausted from our journey, and these last few

moments had drained what little bit of strength remained in us.

"What do we do now?" asked The Lion."I don't know." said The Snake "I was so focused on

getting here that I never stopped to think about what comes next. What do we do now?"

"I'm not sure." I said "I thought that once we got here, there would be some sort of monster we'd have to kill and then everything would be better. I never realized that the monster was inside of us. I'm sorry; I've brought us so far on a wild goose chase... We'll head home in the morning; we found what we came for."

"Go home? Back through the darkness?" exclaimed The Lion.

"Yes back through the darkness. Hopefully our monsters have stayed dead." I said as I laid down on the cold ground.

Curling up at the foot of the cross we huddle together in a pile and tried to sleep, but the night was freezing and it would not let us.

Lying there, I stared up at the cross. It felt like it was staring back at me. I stared and I thought, and then I stared some more; and then at last when the night was growing late, I opened my mouth and prayed with all of my heart "Dear Jesus, help us, we need you now more than ever! Save us from this darkness. Bring your light back to our world once more!"

Then I close my eyes and drifted off to sleep.We did not dream that night because we slept in

darkness; and the darkness was all we could see.Then suddenly out of the same darkness came something

new, something I had not felt for what seemed like a lifetime. It bathed across my face and skin tingling it with its kisses. My senses awoke; this familiar something was warmth!

The cold of the night was overrun by the approaching warmth of day!

Suddenly the ground below me began to rumble. Sharp rays of light shot through my eyelids; but it was not normal light, it was hope resurrected. It was everything that the darkness sought to destroy.

Shooting across the sky, the light herded the darkness on the horizon.

The darkness squealed and quaked with fear.O' this light, it was so bright! Brighter than the sun!

Brighter than ten thousand suns!Like a mighty wave of Calvary, the incomparable light

crashed into the quivering darkness; obliterating it back to the nothingness and terror from which it came.

My heart broke into a million pieces, because once the darkness was gone the light turned and crashed into me as

well; filling me with itself.The light filled me until I was overflowing with it.It was then that I knew the truth, that truth is only known

by one name; a name that is more beautiful than all other names, a name that means we are forgiven...

I looked to my left and saw The Lion and Snake, and they were filled with light too. The Lion's fur was like blazing gold, and his mane was like fire. He looked brave, not just fierce.

The Snake was still a snake, but he seemed to be okay with it, and this made him look more beautiful than all the flowers of the field.

It was then that I noticed how strangely they both looked at me. It was like they saw me for the first time. Like I was special. Like I was set aside for something higher.

It was as if I hadn't just been spoken into existence like they were; but that I was formed by hand, down to my very last hair. And that even this last hair was beautifully designed just for me.

Walking to the edge of the cliff, I looked down below me and saw a cave with a large stone next to it. Near the stone lay two of my own kind, only they were clothed.

Out of the mouth of the cave stepped the one whose death had caused everything to fall apart.

He was ALIVE! He had risen from the grave and defeated the darkness!

Looking up, He saw me. I wanted to hide, but I couldn't. I was too nervous to move. He motioned for me to come down to him. If I had wings I would have flown down in a

second, but He didn't design me with wings; so instead I sprinted to him on the fantastic legs He gave me. I ran with all my might. I ran so fast. Faster than I ever knew I could; so fast that death couldn't catch me even if it wanted to.

Before I knew it I was standing face to face with Him. I still couldn't believe my eyes, just the day before I didn't even understand Him, and now I loved Him so much that it felt like I was going to explode.

Looking at me he said "You are a human, but that is not your name, because you're so much more than that. It was for you that I died, and it is for you that I have risen. You are a prince and I love you just the way I made you; for you were created for a specific purpose, and only you were created for your purpose... I name you a child of God... I name you mine... Now go and sin no more, for now that my light lives in you, you will never again be lost in darkness."

Saying this, He walked away, but He never left me.And that dear brother's and sister's is the story of how an

unnamed animal traveled through the darkness to the other side to find the heart of his Savior...

To find his name waiting for him. Because I've found my name in Him, I have hope.Because of Him the slavery of the darkness is defeated;

and we are free to dance and sing in the light.Because of him, we are free to tell silly stories.Because of him, we are free to love and be loved.Because of him, we are free to feel valued above

everything.We are free to transform our world into the place we

want it to be.We are free to feel passion.We are free to think and create.We are free to worship and serve.We are free to be humble and wise...We are free to look at our reflections in the mirror and

like what we see.

WE ARE FREE O' DEAR READER!BECAUSE OF HIM, WE ARE FREE!

THE END.