Eugi’s Weekly Prompt- A Thing Called Peace

The old soldier looked out of the hospital window watching the world, in all its brilliant color, moving along. He’d done many things he regretted having to do and, even though he’d do most of them all over again, his heart could not find peace. He wasn’t even sure that peace was really a ‘thing’.
His nightmares, and night terrors, were infrequent now but the flashbacks were sharp and persistent. His doctor blamed them on his end-of-life, heavy, medication. For what it mattered, he understood that his personal journey was drawing to a close. He prayed that all his uncertainty, and self-doubt, would soon fade into oblivion.
Abruptly, a hand on his shoulder made him jump! When he turned, there stood his father just as he remembered him, in his working overalls- he even had his trademark ‘five o’clock shadow’- looking down at him. Chester braced himself for a shaming lecture. His father had been a stern, somewhat cold man, who had always demanded the BEST from his son.
Instead, he watched his father’s steel gray eyes soften.
“Son, I’m proud of you. I’m sorry ’bout leaning on you so hard. But, I loved you too much not to prepare you for harshness that life was sure to offer. I can’t rest until you forgive me.”
Chester lurched to grab his father’s hand, in both of his, when he began to feel weightless.
He shouted, ” You did your best. I’ll always love you. You’re forgiven!” and his father disappeared.
Alarms started to ping and Chester watched several nurses rush to his bedside.
Then a bright light enveloped him and he heard his own words repeated in a most comforting, yet commanding, voice.
“You did your best. I’ll always love you. You’re forgiven.”

Chester found out, in THAT moment, Peace was most definitely, ‘a thing’.



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