Once upon a time there was a young man who lived in the land of Freedom.
He was very happy and he loved his family and the land of Freedom.

In the evenings, when his work was all done, he would sit on the front porch with his
family and strum his guitar.   Everyone loved to hear the happy voice of his guitar
and they would sing along as he played.  The young man thought that life
was grand and he thought that it would always be so.

One day the young man received a letter.  It came from the King of Freedom and
as he read the letter, he realized that he was needed to fight for Freedom
in the land of War, which is located in the midst of the land of Danger.

The young man did not want to leave the comfort of his home and family
and go to the land of War because he loved his family and he also knew that
he would have to pass through the terrible, shadowy land of Fear.
Yet, his heart told him that he must go and become a good soldier and
fight against the wicked King of Evil so that his family and all the children
in the land of Future could also remain free from the terrible bondage of
the King of Evil who was determined to destroy Freedom.

The young man packed his bags and left his home, but before he could go to
War, he had to pass through the land of Obedience to learn how to fight
against the King of Evil.  He studied and became gifted with many skills along
with others who had been summoned to the land of War to fight against the
wicked King of Evil to be able to defeat him. The King of Evil was not easily
overcome since he was full of lies and trickery and he had already
terrorized and murdered many people.

The King of Freedom and the King of Kings had conquered the
King of Evil many times, yet it seemed every time he was overthrown,
he would soon return.  He might look different or be in another location
but he was still the same wicked King of Evil who comes to
kill and destroy the lands of Peace and Freedom.

Although the young soldier was now far from home, he remembered the teachings
of his parents and grandparents as he grew up in the land of Freedom.
He knew that the wicked King of Evil was very strong and could only
be defeated by the King of Kings who is more powerful than all.
Everyday the good soldier would ask the King of Kings to go with him
into battle and the King of Kings never ever failed to be with him.

The good soldier fought for a long, long time in the land of War until
one day he got to come home again to the land of Freedom.
He was very happy to come home and his family and friends were
overjoyed at his return.  However, there were some who did not greet him
when he arrived nor did they thank him for protecting
them from the terrible King of Evil.

You see, the King of Evil works very hard to turn people against Freedom
until even those who enjoy the fruits of Freedom sometimes choose to
listen to the lies of the King of Evil.  Many of these people move right into
the land of Deception without ever realizing that their houses have moved at all!
Deception is a terrible place to live because it is a land filled with lies
and everyone is dishonest there.  The land of Truth is very difficult to see
from there because the view is hidden by Deception and if you ask directions
to the land of Truth, those who live in Deception will
only tell you lies about which way to go.

The good soldier was very glad that he had stayed away from the land of Deception.
The King of Kings had protected him from many other traps and pitfalls
in War and Danger and he was so thankful he had returned home
from the land of War for some did not return but had given
their very lives to protect Freedom.

Although he had no noticeable injuries from being in War, he did have
many invisible scars from the battles that he fought.
He didn't tell anyone about the invisible scars but those who
knew him well could see them in the sadness of his eyes and hear them
in the voice of his guitar, because no one can go to War and ever be the same again.

Because of the good soldier and others like him, the land of Freedom is still intact.
Mothers and fathers are tucking their children safely in bed at night in Freedom
and the children in the land of Future will still be able to inherit the land of Freedom
because the good soldier believed in honor and truth and that evil
must be overcome at each and every opportunity by every generation.

As the good soldier grew older he was content in knowing that he had
served Freedom well.  Every night before he went to sleep he thanked
the King of Kings for His protection against the King of Evil.
All of his life the good soldier would remain alert and watchful,
and as with all good soldiers, he pledged to become a
champion of Freedom for as long as he lived.

But the story does not end there, for the land of Freedom must always
be safeguarded so the King of Evil will not prevail.
The story will continue until the universe of Time is over.

Years from now in the land of Future, the story will begin…

“Once upon a time there was a young man who lived in the land of Freedom.
He was very happy and he loved his family and the land of Freedom where he lived.
One day the young man received a letter…”

By
Pamela R. Blaine
© October 2003

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”
-Edmund Burke