A World Beyond. A Free Inspirational Short Story

 

 

A World Beyond. A Free Inspirational Short Story

By Alison Lawrence

Copyright: Alison Lawrence 2023

All rights reserved

"I just can't do it anymore, Hope. This thing is bigger than either of us can handle." Dylan turned away from his wife and looked out of the window. "It's destroyed us, and what we had together."

"So, you just want to give up? Walk out on us; leave me to deal with everything?" Hope's anger grew as the terrible reality gripped her heart. Dylan was giving up.

"You'll be OK, Hope. I'm just an outsider. You're always busy with Jace. You lost interest in me a long time ago."

Hope forced herself to stay calm. She'd dealt with a lot of melt downs over the years. Dylan would come to his senses if she said the right things. "I know it's been hard on both of us. But I am still interested in you Dylan. I love you. Please don't leave." She crossed over to the window and placed a hand on his stiff shoulder. "And think about Jace. How much he'll miss you."

Dylan sighed. "No he won't, Hope. He won't miss me at all. Maybe things will be easier with me gone."

Hope sank into silence. Deep inside, she knew there was nothing she could say that would convince Dylan to stay.

***

At ten past three, Hope heard the familiar sound of Jace's footsteps on the path. The school bus had dropped him off.

He placed his backpack on its peg, then ignoring Hope's cheerful greeting, he walked purposefully towards his bedroom. Knowing he needed solitude, Hope went to the kitchen to make them all a snack and a drink. She needed to keep her hands busy. She needed to keep going.

"I made you some coffee." She handed Dylan his mug. He turned briefly away from his laptop screen. "Thanks." His gray eyes softened, but he quickly returned to his work. Hope opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again quickly, remembering how cold and determined he'd been earlier. She returned to the kitchen, and picked up the tray she'd prepared for Jace and asked God to soften Dylan's heart over the weekend.

***

"Do you know Mom, they filmed Lord of the Rings in New Zealand? They have hobbit holes there. And Tolkien and C.S Lewis were friends and…" Hope placed the tray on Jace's desk and nodded and tried to seem interested as Jace delivered a monologue about his favourite films and characters. Now and again, she would gently correct him or ask a question. Eventually, she directed Jace to his snack and left the room, forgetting to remind him to say thank you. Over the years, she'd gotten used to Jace's peculiar ways. In her heart, she knew Jace loved her and was thankful, even though he couldn't seem to tell her. Dylan, on the other hand, was convinced that his son felt no affection towards him at all, and he had no interest in Jace's world.

***

"Jace, it's supper time." Dylan called out impatiently. He hated waiting for the slow moving fifteen year old. Getting Jace to touch down in the real world even for a short while, tried his patience. As soon as Dylan finished saying grace, Jace began. "Did you know, Dad, they made Lord of the Rings in New Zealand? You can see the whole set there, where Bilbo Baggins and Frodo and Merry and Pippin live. I'm going to go there one day, and Gandolf…"

"Jace, they are not really there. It's just a set. And do you realize how much money it costs to go to New Zealand? Now, eat your supper."

Jace frowned, before retreating into his world, and Hope sent a pleading look Dylan's way. The meal was finished in silence.

Dylan offered to wash the dishes, perhaps as a peace offering."I'll be moving out on Sunday. Greg has agreed to let me share his place for a while. I'll stay in touch, and make sure you have enough money." Hope clutched the plates she was carrying. He made it sound so casual. "Couldn't we go for counseling Dylan? It's not too late." She begged. But his back was turned resolutely away, and he said nothing. Hope dumped the plates and escaped to the bedroom, almost knocking into Jace as she fled. Jace was staring at the kitchen, and the expression in his large blue eyes was puzzled and confused.

***

Dylan slept on the sofa that night and hardened his heart to his wife's tears. After breakfast, he began the process of rounding up all that mattered to him. He limited himself to two suitcases. He would spare Hope what pain he could by boxing up the rest. A cold, dismal silence had wrapped its icy fingers around the house, but Dylan worked on steadily. Finally, he broke the silence in the master bedroom. "I'm sorry, Hope. I know this is hard, but it's for the best. Maybe we'll all be happier with me out of the picture. Can we at least be friends?"

"I don't want a friend, Dylan. I want a husband. A husband who loves me, and who loves our son despite our circumstances. That's what I want, and I believe it's what God wants too." Hope saw how Dylan stiffened at the mention of God. She'd touched a sore spot.

"There you go again. Always trying to guilt me. I've done my best, Hope. What do you want from me?" 

Hope just turned away and let the tears come. It was no good. She knew she wasn't perfect, and Jace had taken up a lot of her time, but how could Dylan be so selfish? Bone tired, she retreated to the bathroom to wash her face and to pray.

***

Jace sheltered from the storm in his own room and watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He'd watched it several times in the past week, but that didn't bother Jace. The familiar scenes comforted him and brought order to his world. He cried when Aslan was killed, and rejoiced when he came to life again. Mom had said Aslan was a picture of Jesus, and that's why he loved the movie so much. Jace knew that everything was upside down in the world outside his own: Mom was crying, and Dad was angry. He also knew, with certain, child-like faith that Jesus would help, and he spoke to his friend once more.

***

Supper was a bleak affair. They ate little, and spoke even less. Dylan made up his mind to leave first thing in the morning before Hope and Jace got up. It would be easier that way. Looking at Hope's tear-stained face and Jace's bewildered eyes, was killing him. Hope jumped up from the table as soon as she could, and escaped to the mind-numbing chore of cleaning up. Dylan expected Jace to retreat to his room, but instead, the lanky, solemn boy stayed in his seat. He hoped Jace wasn't going to begin one of his monologues. He just didn't have the strength for that. But he didn't. Instead, he looked Dylan straight in the eyes, and spoke clearly. "Mom is sad, we're all sad. Jesus too. And Dad, you must make things right." He stood with an adult-like dignity, and returned to his room. Previously, the silence had been profound. It was deafening now. Dylan stayed at the table for more than an hour. Finally, he rose and walked over to his suitcases, which were waiting by the front door. He worked whilst his family slept, tears running down his cheeks. Around midnight, he walked quietly into Jace's room, and did something he hadn't done since Jace was a baby. He leant down, and kissed him on the forehead, then carefully tucked the blankets around him. Next, he opened the master bedroom door slowly, and peeked in. Hope was asleep, curled up on her side. Exhausted, no doubt. He did the only thing he could do at that late hour. He got into bed and wrapped his arms around her. A fresh start waited in the morning.

***