“Stranger in the Swamp”
It's hard to describe what she went through. A pretty blonde girl, who just turned 18. Anna was shy, built small, and a devout church goer. She still lived at home with mom and dad, who raised her right. At least by societal expectations. From the outside looking in… well it would appear they had no daughter.
No she did not participate in the church choir or stand out much in school. Anna only walked by the swamps near her home and whispered stories of grandeur to herself. The only way most people knew she was there was by the footprints she left in the mud.
She dreamed. She dreamed constantly. And while her parents ignored her behind closed doors in favor of bible studies and dinner parties in their quant home, she read and wrote. She dreamed of leaving this podunk town and wanted to live a quiet life in the city. Maybe she would be an author. Or maybe just a grocery store clerk. She only dreamed of living far away and out of the swamp that seemed to close in on her. She dreamed of somewhere where the sun shone brightly, and she could breathe clear, crisp air.
She was a sweet girl. A girl who wanted to live a good, god honoring, quant life. Which is why what happened to her hurts so much. Why it shook the small town so hard. Maybe, no one would have felt so bad if she was a whore or a thief.
A girl like her would have never ran into him, if she had taken the road she always followed home. But, that day, Anna decided to walk the long way home. She knew she had no backbone and she could not say no to her mother. So, little by little she began to make her own choices. After all, how could she make the choice to leave her home town if she could not? So, starting small, she took the long way home.
The fog was thick. And it reminded her why she wanted to move far away. The air smelled like pond water and rotten wood. But, she could do this. She pushed her anxiety down, and continued to walk.
She was lost in her thoughts when a figure walked out from behind a large tree. Anna stopped dead in her tracks and felt her stomach drop. She knew the people who live in this swamp. She knew them from church and from school. But, this did not feel right.
Then again, how could Anna ever live in a city if she could not walk by strangers? Everything in her told her to go back. Turn around. The sun was setting, and she could see the clearing through the thick trees that led straight home. And turning around would be another hour and a half of walking, so she persisted.
The closer she got to the figure, the harder her heart pounded. But as she approached, the clearer his face became. And he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
He may have been wearing dirty clothes that indicated he had been in the mud all day, but his hands and his face were clean. And his brown hair was pulled back out of his face. He seemed to be a ray of light shining through the dark foliage. His gold, sun kissed skin seemed to glow. Anna simply could not help herself.
She had to get a closer look. Did he live nearby? Has she seen him in church? Or on her way home from school? No. No she had not. Which may be why she could not avert her eyes. Anna just had to know who this man was.
This strange man gave her a kind friendly smile and held out his hand. He offered to walk Anna home, and she knew she should not take his hand and accept his offer. But it was getting dark. So, she let him walk her as far as the clearing.
He was kind and did not say much, except that his name was Matthias and that he lived nearby. At the edge of the clearing, Matthias kissed her hand and silently walked back the way he came into the fog.
When Anna got home her cheeks were still hot. She swallowed her beating heart, and joined her parents in the kitchen for prayer and dinner. She wanted to say what had happened. The words hung at her lips, but would not fall. Would they really care anyway? Would it matter if she said she had met a man? No, it wouldn't make a difference.
The next day, again on the way home, her handsome stranger met her. And again, he smiled at her.
She worked up the nerve and swallowed the swelling in her chest, to ask who he was. But he did not give her a satisfactory answer. He took her hand and walked her to the clearing. They chatted about small things. About how old she was and what she planned to do when she got home. At the end of their walk, he gave her hand a kiss.
And it became a routine. Their routine. Every day, he met her. Matthias started to inch his way closer and closer to the school she came out of. It took her breath away. Every time she saw him she smiled. Anna didn't care if other girls saw her with an older man. She started to not care what people thought.
And finally, her last year of school had come to a close. As the sweltering hot summer drug on, Anna still made it a point to find Matthias after bible study or between leaving work and home. She talked more and more about her plans to run away, and about church, and her parents. Anna grew to love their walks and Matthias seemed content to let her talk and would periodically nod in agreement.
Matthias even promised to help her run away. Anna often dreamed of them building a life together. She dreamed he would hold her in his strong arms and take care of her. She desperately wanted to feel loved and seen, and Anna started to believe that she had found what she was looking for.
One evening in the middle of summer dark, deep clouds rolled in as Anna ate her dinner. Her mother and father were not home when she got ready for bed. She brushed her hair out and laid back on her fluffy pillow. She hoped she would dream of Matthias. Every night, she let herself slip into her imagination. In her mind, she lived far, far away. She drifted off. Slowly, she felt a dark deep sleep drift over her body.
And when she awoke, it was pouring. The lightning had struck and lit the room up with bright light. Anna shot up and almost ran out of bed. A faint red light was visible through her window. A tree had been struck and was on fire. She knew she should not go outside. She knew she should say a prayer and go back to bed. But, it was raining and the fire had not gone out.
Again, she told herself that she could not leave with Matthias and stand up to her parents if she could not make the decision to go outside. Anna took a deep breath and went outside. Her nightgown immediately clung to her body with cold rain, and her house shoes sunk deep into the mud. She knew she had to go inside, but she simply could not turn around. Whatever that light was, whoever that light was, was calling her name. She felt compelled to go to it.
Anna began walking and was reminded of the time she first saw Matthias. She was walking in the dark swamp, just like she is now. She was approaching a stranger, just like she was now. Because when she got close enough, she saw it was not a burning tree. It was a stone house. A run down stone house. There was no fire, but she could smell it. The invisible smoke was thick. It seemed to coat the inside of her mouth, her nose, and if she didn’t know any better, her brain.
Slowly, she approached the front door. It creaked open, and the warmth inside called her name. By now, she was cold and shivering. It was the kind of bone chilling cold that makes one feel like they are dying.
And there he stood. The devil was her first thought, then her lips slipped out the word loud enough for the mystery figure to turn around.
Yes, it was satan. The satan her pastor warned her about. The satan with the big black horns and deep red skin. And he was still just as handsome as when she had met him deep in the swamp. He did not speak. He offered his hand to her. She knew that hand was going to take care of her. Those hands were going to hold her when no one else would. Those hands were going to save her from the swamp and take her far away. All she had to do was take it.
So she did.
All her cares and worries were washed away. Matthias sat in a large chair and slid her onto his lap. She let him read to her. He slid glasses up onto the bridge of his nose, and began reciting her favorite bible passages. And she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sleep.
When she awoke, she was at home in her bed. Her nightgown was fresh. She pulled back her white frilly bedding and her feet were clean. Her hair did not smell like smoke. Anna breathed a sigh of relief when she laid her head back down on the pillow. This had all been a bad dream. And maybe she would tell Matthias about her nightmare.
Anna's head was thumping. It had been an effort to pull herself out of bed. But, the sun was shining high in the sky, and she could smell food being cooked. She dressed and met her parents in the kitchen. They made small talk, but her parents wrote her off and did not seem to care about what she had to say. And this might be the first time Anna had felt angry at them.
A little fire started to flicker somewhere deep In her hollow heart. Matthias would not have ignored her. She knew talking about him would get their attention. But, no. She would keep him to herself. She would have her life and they would have theirs. How was she supposed to leave her hometown if she couldn't separate herself from her parents? Anna kept her words to herself and shoveled potato pancakes in her mouth. They would be sorry when she was gone.
-
There he was, standing a hundred yards away waiting for her after she left bible study. Her parents seemed to be preoccupied with another group of people. Again, a spark of anger made its way up her. She forced herself to calmly walk towards their tree. She had not seen him in a week. Anna took his hand and instead of leading her home, like he normally would when her parents were not looking, he led her to the stone cabin. Every time she went, it seemed to be further from her home.
But she did not care. Her knees were sore from walking. Her head was throbbing. So she happily slipped onto his lap again and listened to his deep voice read deuteronomy. By now, he had read her the entire book twice. Or was it three times? It was just another line on a long list of her secrets. Their secrets that she cherished.
Anna mentioned her dream to Matthias after it happened. And since then, he had made it a point to find her and read to her. She slid happily into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. It seemed like the fire in his chest fed the flames of her own.
Again, she woke up in her bed. Anna had no recollection of walking home after visiting the cabin. But, she usually doesn't. The sun was setting and she met her parents for dinner at the table. Her parents looked up and their eyes widened. Her mother opened her mouth, to ask if Anna was ok. But in these last few weeks, Anna's temper had grown short.
Anna snapped back at her parents. That one sudden movement made her head throb. Was she really fine? She put her hand on the edge of the table and pushed her chair away. She stumbled out of the dinning room and began to shake. She slowly made her way into the bathroom. For the first time in weeks Anna looked at herself. She really looked at herself and her mouth dropped open too. She doesn’t remember looking this frail yesterday. But then again, was she paying attention? Was anyone but Matthias really paying attention?
Anna pulled up her shirt and could count each rib in the mirror. Her small breasts were non-existent and her eyes were dark. And yet, she did not care. She did not care about her looks or her weight. Matthias never cared and would love her today like he did yesterday.
Anna's legs shook as she stumbled through the dining area. Her parents pleaded and wept like they had known all along. Why didn't anyone say anything? Why would they care now?
Her mother's concern angered her, and added fuel to the fire that had been burning in her chest since July. Anna swung the back door open. The same door she had opened her heart to. The door that led her to him, many months ago.
The autumn setting sun stung her eyes. But in the distance she could see her handsome devil. He was looking right at her. All this distance away, they could make eye contact. Anna could hear him beckoning to her. His deep voice coaxed her towards him.
She ignored her mother's tears and pleading and summoned the strength she had left. Step by step, Anna made her way across the little clearing and towards the swamp where her savior stood, holding out his hand.
Her mother's pleading became quieter. And Matthias’ hand changed shape. His fingers grew longer and his nails blacker. His skin was red when she had made it over to him.
Anna's lungs could not keep up. Her knees wanted to give out and her back was screaming. But, the fire in her heart kept her moving and gave her the last bit of strength to grab his hand.
Gently, Satan led her deep into the woods. His lips did not move. But, somehow his voice swirled around her frail body. Promising to save her. To take her far away and hold her in his arms as he read to her.
The sun set and the sky went dark.
-
A search party was started. The pastor had led a group of his most dedicated members of his congregation out into the swamp. Anna's mother described the tall red beast. Not everyone was brave enough to take a stand. But a few men, including Anna’s father, were brave enough to drive the devil out of their town.
Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the devil would take her soul, if he hadn't already.
Every member of the search party had combed the trails that led through the swamp. They did not dare venture off the path, in case the devil came for them. Just when the group was about to turn around and head back, the sun started to rise, and the pastor saw smoke from an unknown chimney.
Anna's father made a run for it. But, it was too little too late. When he made it to the small stone house, the door was already open. He could see blonde hair through the crack in the door.
By the time the other men caught up he was standing over his daughter's body. It was as if skin was stretched over a skeleton. Her mouth was wide open in terror. Her eyes were blank.
She was a poor sweet girl, whose only sin, according to her pastor, was selfishness. She was selfish for what she let happen. She was selfish for wanting to run away. Or was she?
Was she selfish for wanting a better life? Was she selfish for wanting love? Was she a selfish girl for following her heart? No. Her only flaw was that she was naive. She was trusting, and she did not listen to her conscience. She was groomed by the devil, and anyone in that position would simply not be able to walk away.