Life and Fantasy and "What do you think?"

February 16, 2008—“What do you think?”

I promise it is Saturday as I write this. I’m still at the retreat. Anyway, here is an update on Marion’s world:


When Marion returned to the room, Adon was still snoring soundly. It was still dark outside, and Marion guessed it was about four in the morning. He would have another good hour of sleep before he would have to embark on his journey again.

He next awoke to Adon shoving his shoulder. “Marion, get up. Get up! I thought you wanted to leave early!”

Marion bolted upright. He could see a faint glow of light in the sky. Damn. The sun was already rising. He threw off the blankets and began to gather his things. “Are you ready to go?” he said gruffly. “Grab whatever you can get to eat downstairs and some for me. We’re in a hurry.”

Adon did as he was told, and left the room. Marion gather his cloak, his bow and arrows, and whatever money they had left. After one last look out towards the valley, he left the room and descended the stairs.

Hessa was waiting for him at the door with a freshly baked oat cake in hand. “You know where to find him?” she said.

Marion nodded, taking her cake. It was warm and smelled wonderfully of cinnamon. She smiled at him, and Marion had a curious sense of regret at not being able to see her smile again for a long time. Then he was out the door with Adon at his tail.

Marion was lucky he had a keen sense of direction. It didn’t take them long to find the start of the path to the barn again. But the path was quite different in the day than at night. The trees seemed less dense, the shadows less sinister. The barn itself could be seen from between the trees, and it appeared like just another cottage in the woods.

“Where are we going?” Adon asked when Marion took a sharp turn down into the woods.

“You’ll see,” Marion answered. The less that was said, the better. Fortunately, Adon didn’t ask again until they were upon the gate in front of the barn. Marion pushed it open and passed through. Adon frowned. “This is private property.”

“I have permission.” He pushed on the door to the barn. Adon followed as he crossed the aisle, placed a hand on the door of the stall, and peered over the edge. “What do you think?” Marion asked, more admiration in his voice than he intended to reveal.


February 15, 2008—Life and Fantasy

I know this is being posted late, but I am at a retreat where there is no internet service, so I am forced to write it now and post it later. Really, honestly, it is Friday evening. I am at what is called an Engaged Encounter retreat. It is for Catholic couples who want to be married, and it is a way to prepare yourself for marriage, through prayer, Mass, discussions, talks, and writing. So far it sounds like it will be amazing but a little tiring. It’s funny now when I look back at the fairy tales we have been learning about in class. In many of them, there was love at first site and the prince and princess were married soon afterward, and they live happily ever after. Today, that is so rare that the Catholic Church, which believes that that the marriage bond lasts forever, will not even marry a couple unless they have been engaged for at least six months and have gone through sufficient marriage preparation. I think that is wonderful. As much as we would all like to believe it, there is no such thing as love at first sight, and no one should marry on a whim. Now, I do believe in romance, and I do believe in happy endings, and I will marry my prince. We just have to prepare ourselves for it, that’s all.