The valley of silence 2
416 Words
“…Eternal One, if You hear me, speak. If You still walk with us, say something — anything. I’m afraid.”
No response.
But then — not from the skies, not from her mind — but from deep within her, something stirred.
Not a voice.
A reminder.
“When the Word cannot be heard… let it be lived.”
She opened her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I don’t need to hear You to believe You’re near,” she whispered.
She stood, walked toward the lake, and stepped onto the shore. The others turned, watching silently.
Ariah raised the lantern.
“Let the truth shine, even in silence.”
She placed the lantern on the ground, knelt beside it, and began to sing.
Not loudly. Not confidently.
Just a gentle tune — the song Mama Nyra used to hum when she was little.
At first, it sounded strange. Small. Out of place.
Then Mira joined in. Her voice cracked, but it carried warmth.
Jalen hummed — low and deep, like a drum.
And to their shock, Tovin began to beat his palm softly on the ground, matching the rhythm.
Their little song echoed in the valley like a memory reborn.
And slowly… the silence began to break.
A baby cried in the distance.
A man gasped.
A woman covered her mouth and wept.
Dozens of voices — whispers at first — began to stir the air like leaves in wind.
The valley was waking up.
Ariah stood as the lantern burst into golden flame — not bright enough to blind, but enough to warm. Enough to remind.
She looked to the villagers now gathering.
“You were not created for silence,” she said, voice steady. “You were made to sing, to speak, to declare the truth — even when the world tries to quiet you. The Eternal One has not forgotten you. Don’t forget Him.”
And the people — once mute — raised a sound the valley hadn’t heard in years:
Praise.
Later that night, as they prepared to leave, Mira turned to Ariah.
“You didn’t just break a curse, Ariah. You taught them to fight with something stronger than swords.”
Ariah looked back at the valley.
“I just remembered something the shadows always try to make us forget — that our greatest weapon is worship.”
And as they climbed the far ridge, the first full sunrise in years broke over the valley.
The light was spreading.
- Writer
