Pilgrim's Process

I have started my first venture into a major work of fiction.  I devoted a lot of time this summer to writing "Pilgrim's Process," which will be my Pilgrim's-Progress-type book.  I've gotten about twelve chapters in, but unfortunately life has gotten really busy lately, so the project is on hold for now.  We'll see when I get the opportunity to continue writing.  Here is a taste of what I have so far:

            “The Great Maker saved us, and he teaches us to obey his commands.”

* * *

The burning log crackled as the fire ate its way deeper into the wood.  The warmth of the fire was a welcome reprieve from the cool of the summer evening.  The children listened intently as the Patriarch told tales of the Great Maker.  The light reflected on their faces as they sat around the fire and participated in the ritual.  All of the children in Fidelis gathered each evening to hear tales of the past, of distant lands, and the Great Maker.

Pilgrim loved hearing the Patriarch tell stories.  He listened with the other children as the Patriarch continued to speak.

* * *

“The Great Maker created everything.  He created mankind.  He created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea.  He created the rocks and the tree.  The sun, the moon, and the clouds of the sky. 

“There was a time when the world was at peace.  Men worked together to do great things.  People did not need to lie, or cheat, or steal from one another.  People worked their farms and built great cities.  Everything they had came from the Great Maker, and they praised him for everything he gave.  He was their leader and they followed him.

“Generations were born, lived, and died.  Parents taught their children of the Great Maker’s goodness and provision.  And they in turn taught their children about the Great Maker.             

“But, children, there was a time when men decided that they wanted more.  They wanted power.  They wanted wealth.  They wanted control.  They wanted to be their own masters, and they began to plot and scheme.  They threw away the teachings of the Great Maker.  They invented weapons.   They built armies and marched against each other, claiming lordship over land and man.  They killed one another to get what they wanted.  They sold each other into slavery.  Darkness covered the land.”

“The Great Maker saw what was happening and anger welled up within him.  Not only did they turn away from him and reject what he had given, they had destroyed the order and beauty of his creation. 

“The Great Maker sent an army from the West to punish the evil people.  After what the people had done, he could have wiped them out entirely.”  The Patriarch smiled as the children looked on with eager interest.  “But the Great Maker sent his son to show us the way.  His son came and led the army that fought back the darkness, and restored light into the land so that we can live in peace.  If we follow him, peace will remain in our land.  Now children, it is time for you to go to bed.”

The children rose from their seats and went home.  Pilgrim thought about what he had been taught, and looked forward to dreaming about the Great Maker defeating his enemies and restoring peace.

 Chapter 2

Fifteen Years Later

“James, look out!”

            Pilgrim turned to see a sword swinging toward his head.  He raised his shield to block the blow from the attacker, and in one swift motion he plunged his own sword into the stomach of his assailant.

“Thanks, Peter!” Pilgrim acknowledged his friend from a distance who had just saved his life.  He took a moment to see what was happening around him.  The town was in chaos.  An army of Outsiders was attacking the city.  Houses were burning.  Women screaming.  Children crying. 

Why here?  Why now?  Pilgrim thought to himself.  Only an hour earlier, life was normal.  Fidelis was a peaceful community that was safe from the outside world.  Or so they thought.  The wall around the city had protected them in the past.  Not this time.  The Outsiders broke through the wall and poured into the city. 

Most of the army of Fidelis had accompanied the king in a search for food after the crop had failed.  The forces left in the city did not have enough strength to repel the invaders.  The bravest of the citizens had grabbed whatever weapons they could to defend the town.  The fortunate ones met the attackers with swords and knives, but the others grabbed farm tools, rocks, and anything metal that could be used to defend Fidelis.  Few of them were trained for battle.  They were cut down quickly.

Pilgrim had grabbed his sword and shield and joined the fray.  As one of the community hunters, he had learned how to handle himself in a fight.  Luckily for him, he had friends watching his back on the battlefield.

“What now, James?” Peter asked as he ran to join Pilgrim.  Loyal friends since childhood, the two of them worked together hunting in the forest for food.  Peter looked like he was ready to take on the world.  While most of the citizens were fleeing the city, Peter was wearing a leather helmet and leather breastplate.  He was equipped with a sword, shield, bow, and arrows.  Billows of smoke and ash rose from the buildings around them.

“Well, Pete, it’s time to save our city.”  Pilgrim and Peter ran toward the shouting and clanging of swords off in the distance.

* * *

The warriors of Fidelis fought with valor and honor that day in a battle that would be recounted through the ages.  Though the army had not been able to withstand the initial assault of the Outsiders, they were able to regroup along with several citizens to push back the Outsiders and retake the city.

Pilgrim and Peter fought side by side and vanquished many foes.  They were at the front line chasing the Outsiders from the city.  Pilgrim was about to continue the chase outside the walls of Fidelis when he was stopped by Commander Ravenswood, the head of the Fidelis Defense Force.

“James, that’s enough!” the Lieutenant called him from behind.  Weary soldiers who had been fighting minutes before gathered their breath.  Some sat to rest.  “We don’t know what their defensive position is outside these walls,”  Ravenswood explained,  “We don’t want to run into a trap.  We barely have enough men to protect this city, let alone to send out troops to chase these outsiders.”

Pilgrim watched the fleeing enemy through a gaping hole in the wall as they ran farther and farther into the distance, and disappeared into the forest.  This isn’t right.  Pilgrim thought.  Too many innocent people died today.  He thought about all of the children screaming, the people who were needlessly slaughtered at the hands of those monsters.  They have to pay for what they did.

“I know that you want revenge,” said Ravenswood, as if he knew what Pilgrim was thinking.  “We all do.  But getting ourselves killed won’t help the situation.  We are already vulnerable to another attack, and we can’t put ourselves in a more precarious situation.  I can’t send men out of the city walls to help you if the Outsiders turn around and counter attack.  I can’t let you go out there.”

Pilgrim looked back at the Lieutenant, and turned and scanned through the broken city wall at the mass of trees that hid the Outsiders.  He began to walk toward the break in the wall, intent on chasing the Outsiders into the forest.  He can’t tell me what to do.  I’m not in the army.  This city needs justice, and I know those woods.  He was about to pick up his pace and sprint toward the trees when he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, and everything went black.