Falling

 

(This writing is for the  text prompt above   

for Free Write Friday using what is called 

stream of consciousness writing, no editing, 

no proofing just writing!  Please check out  

Kellie Elmore's blog  for more information on 

Free Write Friday's, use the  twitter hashtag 

#FWF and join the fun and just write!)

“Hold on!” she screamed.  The rain continued to come down hard causing her hair to hand over her face as she knelt at the edge of the cliff.  Water streamed down her face in steady rivulets.  The sky was a dark grey steel color, broken sporadically by flashes of lightning followed by loud rolling thunder.  Her grip remained steadfast as the muscles in her shoulders began to ache from the strain.

He struggled to get a foothold against the side of the cliff, but with each attempt his foot would only slide down the muddy wall. He knew neither he nor she could hold on for much longer.  As he breath came in ragged gasps he mind returned to memories from the past.  Memories of dancing in the rain under the streetlights on the rain soaked pavement of the city sidewalk.  

His life had been a series of setbacks, facing each day alone seemingly misunderstood.  But on an overcast spring day a light had entered his life as she stood behind him in line for his morning coffee.  His life had come to a point where he expected nothing from anyone and often that is what he got.
 

She smiled her blue eyes twinkling as their eyes met.  As he felt a rush of adrenaline he quickly looked away pushing away the hopeful longing thinking this would be just another disappointment on a dead end road just as it had been so many times before.  He was determined not to let his heart be broken. Something would not let him stay in that place, so he slowly turned around to look back and she was till staring intently right at him.  For the second time that morning his breath caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. The journey down a road less traveled lay invitingly open now before him.

That first unlikely encounter led to long conversations, a growing friendship and trust.  She seemed to understand him and more so accept him for who he was.  They were kindred spirits and he believed that fate had finally found him.  The weeks and months that followed were the happiest of his life.  The adventures they shared ad brought them to this place hiking into the remote back country wilderness.  The sudden thunderstorm had caught them unaware and now he hung dangerously from the edge of the cliff, tightly clutching her hand as she struggled to keep herself from falling. He looked up and into her eyes realizing that these few moments were all he had left.  A small smile crossed his lips as he felt her grip loosen slightly as their fingers slowly began to slip apart.  Terror flashed in her eyes, a fear so overwhelming she could make no sound.  

As their eyes locked once again she saw a contentment and peace reflected back from him.  Calm settled over her from some distance place as she leaned slightly forward in an effort to keep her hand secure in his.  But slowly their fingers were sliding steadily apart as the rain continued to fall.

Just as their fingers slipped to where they were only holding on with their fingertips and their grip came apart, they both smiled as the outside world faded from view.  She felt a relaxing peace and assurance like she had never known in her life.

She leaned her body slightly forward further over the edge in an effort to keep her grip on his hand.  Suddenly her knees slid in the wet mud and she let her momentum carry her over the edge.  Their eyes locked  and they both saw the blinding bright light bursting open the dark around them as they fell.

Maleko ©2012

Overwhelmed by Wonder

He found himself standing at the base of a wall that stretched out of sight to both the left and the right.  As he slowly looked upward the wall appeared to grow and continue on into the gray overcast sky.  The air was still and silent with no sound of any living thing.

The wall comprised of dark grayish black bricks approximately one foot square made of solid granite.  He reached out his hand and as his fingers contacted the bricks they were cold to his touch and they sat tightly against each other so that no spaces could be seen.  Dark green moss and lichens grew between the slabs and spilled out of the crevices and down the side like a flowing green river.

Where he stood the grasses around his feet grew wild and came up to mid-calf.  The ground contained no traces of any previous human or animal presence.  He felt as if he were standing where no one had stood before.  As his eyes scaled the wall in front of him, he noticed no doors or windows, only the solid impenetrable mass of rock that prevailed before him.

As the moments passed, he thought of the lies he had believed and the wall he had built around his heart and life.  He thought about the choices he had made and the pain this had brought through his cowardliness and despair.  The wall mocked him with a silence that evoked a vision of the prison that he had created and how that kept him from pursuing the dreams he had imagined over the years in his mind and in his heart.

He knew that the truth and life lay beyond and on the other side of the wall; his destiny.  He believed that his future that lay outside the wall was a life of discontentment in a world of darkness.  Every fiber of his being screamed in desire to pursue the truth but his strength just as quickly began to wane with the realization of the futility of his own inability to breach the wall.  His head dropped, his eyes closed in silent despair.  A light breeze gently rustled the grasses around his feet and they brushed against his pant legs, his ears detecting the barely audible sound..

Slowly opening his eyes and lifting his head, he felt the presence before he saw the stranger standing next to him.  Dressed in common well worn clothes of blue jeans, button down shirt and a weathered brown leather jacket, the man portrayed a silent power and confidence, born from wisdom and conflict.  Turning towards the stranger, he found himself staring into the most compassionate face and eyes he had ever seen filled with love.

The stranger smiled warmly and asked in a soft kindhearted voice, “Would you like to go beyond this wall?”

Thoughts of whether he could trust this stranger quickly crossed his mind while his heart screamed he just might. Following his heart for one of the few times in his life he found himself nodding a slow and hesitant yes.  Suddenly he was able to see through the wall and he immediately shielded his eyes from the blinding light that shined outwards so brightly and appeared to be everywhere at once.  As quickly as the light has come it disappeared and before him was only the solid gray darkness of the wall.

Glimpsing the light steeled his resolve and he knew he wanted more than life had offered him up to this point, though he knew not what that was. 

He asked the stranger, “What tool could you use to crush this wall?”

“Myself,” the stranger stated simply with a playful smile.

No hint of arrogance or conceit in the stranger’s voice just a confidence that seemed natural and fitting, born from battles waged and victories won.  This confused him but somehow he felt the truth of the stranger’s simple answer and he longed to see this straightforward statement fulfilled.

As Aragon upon reaching Helm’s Deep, after being feared dead pushed open the doors and strode into King Theodon’s court, in the Lord of the Rings, Return of the King so did the stranger.  The stranger turned to face the wall and raised his arms above his head, hands outstretched to the sky.  Taking one step towards the wall he reached towards the wall placing both hands against the coldness of the bricks, leaning forward with his body pushing into the wall. 

As the stranger leaned his body towards the wall arms extended forward and pushing, solid dark wood doors suddenly appeared swinging inward.  A light spilled out from behind the doors, streams of radiance cascading over the land.  The stranger’s visage shone brilliantly as the light appeared to shine through him casting no shadow on the ground.

The wall slowly began to dissolve into the light with a glowing iridescence.  The gray bricks were being replaced by what appeared to be an almost invisible clear glass that contained no blemish or scars.  Behind the wall a land emerged where colors and form spoke words of truth into his mind, but no sound could be heard.  The streets paved with gold, a shining city appeared from within. Crystal buildings and towers adorned with pearls and jewels stretching upwards to a brilliant blue sky.  The light reflected off the crystal glass streaming rainbows of color in every direction.

His heart leapt for joy, the lies he had believed for so long, like chains, dropped from around his heart.  At long last the truth was before him, the purpose for which he had been created was clear.  He was meant to reflect back the light and love that he had now been shown, sharing that light with others.  He knew he would stand firm in the truth of that light, letting the fears recede and knowing the darkness could not overcome it.

The stranger stood silently watching with a smile upon his face.  Never had he felt so loved, so wanted, so treasured and he ran beyond where the dark wall had stood.  He moved further into the light leaving behind the less of himself and becoming more, completely overwhelmed by wonder!

©Maleko 2012

Eternal Magic - Part 3

Eternal Magic - Part 1 
Eternal Magic - Part 2 

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Job 12:22 KJV

The creatures continued to advance; Sadee Jayne’s barks became filled with aggression and fear.  Within the mind of each family member at the same time the word ‘surrender’ was heard as clear as if it had been spoken by someone standing next to them.  They each looked at each other in turn, with a dawning recognition in their eyes.  A freezing chill settled deeper in the air and began to penetrate their hearts as the fires light began to wane.  They knew they could not save themselves and the realization drove them to their knees still holding tightly to one another. 

Words of belief, of devotion, of love and worship quickly passed across their lips into the cold frigid night in an effort to accept what seemed an inevitable fate.  A long forgotten magic and wisdom began to dance in the air as the small family huddled together still clasping hands.  Silent prayers were fervently whispered and offered up to the throne of heaven as stars swayed in the sky as if hanging from invisible string.

Suddenly, the last rays of the setting sun emerged from behind low lying clouds on the western horizon, blazing light across the landscape.  The owl had disappeared quietly into the night as the air became filled with a power so tangible you could almost hold it in your arms.  A brilliant gold illuminated the darkness and the shadows.  The creatures were filled from the center with a pure white light that pierced them from within as the suns light reached them before they could retreat. 

Each creature recoiled and writhed in pain, erupting in low screams just barely audible for the human ear to hear.  Slowly each creature began to melt inward, as ice on the sidewalk on a hot summer’s day, back into the earth from where they had come.  The image of the apparitions completely disappeared as the kingdom advanced heralding a power that calmed their hearts.

The prayers of the three had became bolder with power and expectation as they turned from pleas of rescue to voices raised in worship to an eternal hope offered freely from heaven.  The owls’ ability and vision to see in the dark had supplied a warning and revealed a truth that darkness can be overcome by a deeper magic that shines a light into all dark places.  After the creatures had completely vanished a silent calm had returned to the night.           

The sun dropped beyond the horizon as night settled over the land once again and the campfires’ light blazed brightly.  The realization of the power they had just witnessed combined with feelings of whether the experience had all only been a dream.  The family vowed to remember and share with others, that there is an eternal magic that reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deep darkness into the light.

    THE END  ©Maleko 2011

Eternal Magic - Part 2

He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Job 12:22 KJV

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

Civilizations have both revered and feared the owl as a symbol of the underworld.  The ability to navigate easily through the night has tied the owl through history to the secrets we all hold in the dark places in our hearts.  Often thought throughout the ages to be a shape-shifter that heralds the coming of evil or dark wisdom, a link to spiritual things the material world has long forgotten.  But some see the owl as a warning for those who would heed its presence, sent as a guide to discover hidden timeless truths which hold forgotten wisdom.

The owl’s hoots became more frequent and intense as Sadee Jayne voiced low growls in the dark while standing stiff, poised for attack, strained against the full length of her chain.  The air suddenly was charged with an unseen energy.  Flames suddenly shoot upward out of the campfire into the sky, but no heat could be felt from the raging inferno.  At the edge of the glow cast by the fires light dark shadows began to emerge from the tree line filling the night with an oppressive terror released from the depths of the earth.  Shadows, numbering in the hundreds, were slowly moving forward and appeared at once human in shape but with no distinguishable features save for glowing metallic eyes.  The silhouettes showed familiar human like appendages; legs, arms, hands but the edges remained hazy as if advancing from out of a foggy mist.

In fear the family of three quickly clasped hands forming an unbroken circle as the shadows continued to advance slowly out of the darkness drawing nearer and nearer.  It was possible now to discern that the shadows appeared as creatures from the spirit world that had taken on physical form.  The little girl shrieked in fear as the apparitions continued their slow march forward.  As the three began to pray their prayers slowed the forward movement of the dark figures for a moment when voiced with no hesitation or doubt.  But with any break in the prayers and the cadence of their voices, then the slow plodding march forward of the figures would begin again.  The creatures appeared to gather strength and resolve that as they came closer.

No sound could be heard as the creatures crossed the ground seeming to float just above it.  Did they lack a mass to their form?  Visions of demons danced through the head of each member of the family from stories they had heard; grotesque and cruel, things most people only seemed to believe in their nightmares.  But this was real and only a greater power, which had existed long before these creatures could stop the attack.  It was a deeper kind of magic that echoed across eternity, one in which these creatures long ago turned from and chose not to believe.  Prayers become more fervent as the terror inside rose and they clung tightly to one another.  The parents frantically shielding their beloved daughter’s eyes from the gruesome figures that now hunted them.   (END PART 2)

Blood Stains

After swallowing the last gulps, he set down the empty can on the corner of the coffee table.  The hoped for solace that drink normally brought seemed to evade him on this night and exhaustion remained, yet sleep seemed to reside only on some far distant shore.  The silent darkness of the house that used to be a home only served to allow the persistent voices in his head to scream louder, eventually driving him out the front door and into the night.  How long he stood next to the tree, barefoot in the grass, he had no idea. The other houses that lined both sides of the street were dark and all the world seemed to be asleep in peace.  All was quiet except the low hum of electricity as it traveled through the wires to feed the glowing street lights.

His right hand was leaning on the knob end of a baseball bat as if an old man in need of a cane.  The thought of why had he carried this outside flashed through his mind and was just as quickly gone.  It was the very bat she had placed beside the front door in case she should ever have a need of a weapon close at hand.  He grabbed the handle with both hands, he had always enjoyed the feel of a wooden bat in his hands and the weight just felt right.  His grip fit perfectly as his fingers curled around the handle.  Holding the bat filled him with a dangerous sense of strength and power.

He could feel his heart beating louder and louder in his ears, his blood coursing through his veins as surges of energy careened through his body as his muscles began to tense.  The world around him slowly faded away from view and before him stood only the tree.  The round trunk stretched upwards anchored by firm roots hidden deeply within the ground.  Branches grew outwards in what appeared to be many haphazard directions, most branches alive with leaves, a few dead and dry.  The tree was life, a voluminous text telling a story and detailing each experience and dream along the way, each branch a turning point in his life.  The leaves held tight the emotions that accompanied the events of each memory that was remembered.  The lifeless branches revealed little as the memories of these experiences had faded from his mind over the years.  As he stared up into the tree's canopy each branch morphed into distinct memories of a life built on hope for the future and then wholly lost as fate seemed to conspire against the desires of his heart.

The frozen silence of the night was shattered by a loud crack as the wooden bat struck the tree trunk.  He did not even realize that he had swung the bat, but as each memory blazed before his eyes he swung the bat over and over. The tree quivered only slightly with each blow, standing strong and resilient against the vicious onslaught.  Each swing was fueled by grief and rage over what was lost, never to return.  Memories flashed hot, the bat hurtled through the air against wood again and again, until his shoulders began to ache.  The quiet was shattered by the crack of wood on wood as the bat slowly began to splinter from the force of the repeated blows against the tree.  He continued unrelenting as the fury rose inside him like a volcanic eruption long held in check within the depths of the earth, driving him past the limits of exhaustion.

The cascade of blows finally began to slow as his strength waned, at last he stood gasping for breath, head down, the bat lying motionless in the grass at the bottom of the trunk.  The tree was silent before him almost mocking his unsuccessful and feeble efforts at destruction.  He eventually fell to his knees and finally came to a sitting position with his back against the very trunk that had noiselessly absorbed blow after blow of his merciless rage and anguish driven attack.  He sat soundlessly through the remainder of the night, his body physically shattered; the fatigue blunted the pain and allowed his mind a small respite from the chorus of voices in his head.   

The sun began to rise, and light crawled out of the dark of the night revealing the dawn of a new day.  He sighed and moved every so slightly as his shoulders throbbed, his hands and fingers stiff and aching, but his mind and heart laid bare to the nonsense questions to which there were no answers.  As the mornings light grew ever brighter unhindered by his sorrow, he looked down at his hands which were stained in a murky crimson of his own dried blood.  As he stared at the sight, angels whispered about innocent blood that was shed once, in the ultimate sacrifice long ago, so the crushed hopes of this world may be redeemed and reborn in eternity and a small smile crossed his lips as he raised his face to the warm glory of the rising sun.

~Maleko (October 2011)

Out of the Black

 "Out of the Black in Pink" 

(Colored pencil drawing of a horse silhouette on black paper, 

3 x 4 1/2 inches, with a Paint Shop Pro border added. ©Maleko 2011)

My hope is to show that light can be found in the darkest of places if we only look, for the light always dispels the darkness. The simple silhoutte of a horses head emerges from the dark background, showing just a glimpse of the color and beauty that the darkness so often attempts to hide.

 "Out of the Black in Yellow" 

(Colored pencil drawing of a horse silhouette on black paper, 

3 x 4 1/2 inches, with a Paint Shop Pro border added. ©Maleko 2011 )

Life & Art; A Statement of Vision

I am an artist attempting to capture a moment that may offer a fleeting glimpse of transcendence.  Seeking to pull back the curtain that often hides the beauty, the mystery, the peace, the mercy and love that we all crave. 

 Offering subtle glimpses of grace in which we are spoken to in that still small voice through the images, objects and scenes in our life that we so regularly overlook.  I endeavor through my art to use pictures and words to encourage and shine a light into dark places, allowing grace to be unveiled, to help others bear the pain in this life.  

 

To share the journey, however brief is often a wonderful gift. If I can reveal a moment that reaches your eyes, moves your heart and touches your soul then I have succeeded.  But only if you take that spark and use to ignite the ember that burns in others into a blazing fire!  I believe in the ‘ripple effect’, touch one life and you just may touch the whole world.

Dancing Within the Blaze!        ©Maleko 2011

Christmas Magic & Mystery!

"Nativity"   Watercolor Pencils   5"x7"

There is a magic & mystery in this season, but we so often fail to see or experience it.  We so often get caught up in the commercialization, consumerism and competition.  We run on and on ever faster trying to out give, out spend and simply out do everyone around us.  These distractions so easily rob the Christmas season of the mystery and throw a veil over the magic.

We forget the simple joy of twinkling    lights on a tree, sitting in silence listening for God's voice.  The magic and mystery contained in a baby born in a manger over 2000 years ago.  The shepherds were awestruck in fear when angels appeared and announced the Messiah's birth.  Wise men from other lands endured hardship and traveled great distances to see a new born king. Have we in our modern day lost that wonderment and passion of this event that split time in two? 

For there up in the sky was a star to follow but few dared to risk and embark on the adventure. Would we today leave the safety of the story we have created for ourselves to follow a star?  God always gives us a star to follow both literally and figuratively if we would only take our eyes off our circumstances and look up.  My prayer  this season is that each of us finds a moment and basks in the eternal glow of the magic and mystery! 

Merry Christmas!   ~Maleko

"Silent Night" - Christmas Greeting Cards - $3.99 to $27.99

"Silent Night"  A clear winters night and a lonely church stands a cold vigil underneath a brilliantly shining star in anticipation of a baby's birth, emerges from a broken gold Christmas ornament.          (An original design drawn in colored pencils on white paper by Maleko © 2010)

Greeting Cards (Pk of 20) $27.99

Greeting Cards (Pk of 10) $16.99

Greeting Card $3.99 

Product Information
Greeting cards are for more than holidays; they are a great way to express yourself and to keep in touch with friends and family. A personal note on a beautiful card will make a lasting impression and a touching keepsake.

• Available in your choice of paper stock
  • High quality, chlorine and acid free matte paper consisting of 30% post consumer waste and 50% total recycled fiber
  • Twelve point, one-sided glossy paper
• Full color/full bleed
• Twenty cards per package/envelopes included ($27.99)
• Ten cards per package/envelopes included ($16.99)
• One card / envelope included ($3.99)
• Measures 5" X 7"

 Click on the greeting card links above or MalekoArts CafePress to be taken directly to this product at the  store and to view other products and designs.

Click this Christmas link to view other Christmas designs available.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

What do you BELIEVE in?

I just posted my first video on YouTube!  It is set to the music of the TSO 

song "BELIEVE" from the 2009 Night Castle album and initially recorded

by Savatage. This video is in response to a contest the band is running to 

create a video of what you believe in set to the music.

I believe in faith, family, friends and the 

ever present beauty that is found in creation. 

Beyond the pain and sadness that comes in 

this life is the ever sustaining power of grace. 

 The times when there seems to be no justice 

only mercy, we always have our hopes, 

our dreams and the faith to believe.

MalekoArts YouTube Channel - to view video click here >>>

Redemption & Mercy

                                                             

In the night, in the deep, in the dark; 

In the quiet, in the stillness, in the moment

Transcendence arises all around;

Twinkling stars sing as a chorus of voices

The mind searches for redemption;

The heart aches for answers of truth

The dance we live are dreams foretold;

The music ends and fade to black

The silence descends to cover again

Can a soul once lost be retrieved

A spark of light betrays the night

A hope not lost is once more renewed

Reminded again of legends of old

Sometimes the only justice, is mercy

(Copyright Maleko 2010)