Part One

Her Broken Wings (Part One)
By Phoebe Lee Mathius

She was shivering. Drops of perspiration wet her brow as she trudged along what seemed like a path. The soles of her feet were raw with cuts and bruises. Hugging herself, she desperately tried to keep warmth from escaping her body. Suddenly, an excruciating surge flooded her senses, causing her to fall to her knees.

"My Lord, where are you?"

She began sobbing in agony.

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Psalm 13:1

As she tried to get up, pain consumed her yet again. It was almost as if someone had thrust a blunt dagger between both her shoulder blades. It was then she realized something warm was flowing down her back, down her legs.... forming a pool on the ground.

Blood.

She couldn't turn to inspect her wound. The pain was too great. She didn't want to see it anyway, she thought. It would only...

She began to weep.

"When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me--" Psalm 73:16

She continued trudging along that endless muddy path, her blood marking a trail behind her. She didn't know where it was leading her to but she had been following it for hours now; wincing at every step, aching at every breath.

"It is so dark, My Lord. I have not seen such darkness."

She grabbed the trunk of a tree in feverish exhaustion. She cautiously arched her neck backward to try and catch a glimpse of the sky. There was no sign of it. The forest canopy was too dense.

"My Lord, I'm lost. I'm afraid."

Funny how the forest had looked so different... even beautiful; through the windows of the palace. It didn't look as enticing anymore, from where she was standing.