This story, which has been called "Battle to the Death", but is now tentatively called "Free Me" has been on my mind for about a year, so this is just a little exercise. To make it short, this is almost THE story.

I am not completely satisfied on how it came out, but at this point, there's nothing I can do. I really wanted to have more little stories of the past weaved in, but I could barely get them in. (I do like how it ended though!)

Keep in mind that this is NOT the story, and not how the story will be written. This is just a small portion of the main theme.

Blessings, Megan

~~~

If a crumb is on the floor, ants will immediately swarm around it and bring it to their colony.

William Mills was the crumb and police officers were the ants. William stood frozen as if someone had pinned him to the ground. But then an officer seized him and shoved him onto a bench.

Skyscrapers, boasting of their height, glared down at him. Pedestrians with big sunglasses, leather mini-skirts, and high-heel shoes strutted down the sidewalk. The sunglasses hid not only their eyes, but also their cheeks. Snatching off their glasses, they stared at him.

Icy—piercing—enraged, was their glare.

William wished he could erase what he had just done. If only he did not spend his time foolishly; if only he had not been betrayed by them! Two officers searched his pockets.

He shut his eyes.

Shoving and stomping, a crowd chanted, “We’ve got him! We’ve got him!”

William, shutting his eyes even tighter, ignored the commotion. He could almost see his wife Fiona and his daughter Ernesha. Ernesha will probably hate him. But not Fiona. Will Fiona send him a letter all crinkly with tears again? No, she will not-- if he would tell her what really happened.

The crowd, in fury, chanted even louder.

Where does Fiona get her everlasting love? He should have driven her crazy by now. Nothing he did to keep from being around trouble-makers worked. Why keep trying?

With difficulty, he asked the officer to call his wife Fiona and tell her where he was. She needed to know. But what would she do without work and with Ernesha?

A few minutes later, an officer held a phone to his ear. “Fiona Mills – We have your husband William Mills. Please come downtown immediately.”

William heard her gasp. He knew her gasps well enough. This one was of disappointment, shock, and pain. His heart shattered like porcelain.

His thoughts traveled back to seventeen years ago when he asked Fiona to marry him. They were sitting under a canopy of trees that barely filtered the sun. The sun glittered on Fiona's golden locks. He could still hear her say after she had said ‘yes’, “I will do--not just anything; but everything, you tell me to do.”

After she said that, her face just glowed with ethereal light which stayed there ever since.

Normally he would have smiled at the memory, but not now. He didn’t deserve her love for God, but he himself could never accept God’s love. To him, Love itself was a foreign act, not simply just a foreign word.

“…Yes. We’ll have someone come drive you.” The police officer, turning towards William, asked, “Is there anyone else you need me to call?”

He bowed his head and shook it. Shame flooded through his veins.

Even Fiona broke her promise about obeying him in everything. Why couldn’t she understand the reason he didn’t want her to tell Ernesha? Now Ernesha knew how bad her father was. He just asked for one thing--one simple thing, and Fiona couldn’t do it. Would she tell Ernesha this time?

Two young, blond hair officers huddled in a corner a yard away. “It’s going to be for life for sure.”

“I’ve never seen such a stupid fool.”

Rage swept up from the very bottom of William’s toes. He sprang up like a roaring lion, but his chains, which bound him so tightly around his wrists until red streaks showed, halted him.

“Will! Will!”

He jerked his head up. No one called him that – except Fiona.

Their eyes met and there they stayed.

“Will, why did you do it?” Fiona cried. The sight of Will sitting there with everyone mocking him -- it was humiliating. Everything about William and what he did -- hurt too much. Bringing a shaky hand to her throat, Fiona shook her head slowly as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It’s not what you think —“

A nearby officer leapt up and pushed William into a waiting car, slamming the door before he could finish.

William raced to the window and pressed his face and his palms against the window. Someone lifted Fiona high above the sea of heads. Taking a deep breath, she smiled bravely and waved her handkerchief.

The car engine roared to life, slamming William into the back of the seat in front. He craned his neck as far back as possible and tried to take in the memory of his wife.

Outside skyscrapers whizzed by. Quickly twisting his head away, William stared down at his chained wrists, he thought of Fiona and the freedom she possessed. Where did she get that? Probably she was born that way. Fiona said once that sin only binds people up tighter and tighter. ‘And only Jesus could break them free!’ She claimed that ‘true freedom comes from Jesus only if you let him change your heart’. But that was ridiculous. How could someone invisible do that?

When they reached the police station, the officer guided him to the cell and locked it with a heavy key. And then all was quiet. There was nothing interesting to look at except a white brick wall that was turning yellow. A tiny barred window hovered over him. No water, no bread, no blankets. Just a stone bench. William shuddered. Will no one have mercy?

As he sat on the cold bench, something scratched his leg. His hands were still chained so he had trouble digging into his back pocket. A picture of Fiona and Ernesha! How did anyone miss this?

A quiet joy warmed his heart. At least a bit of the ones he loved were with him. If Fiona were here, she would have said that God kept the officers from taking the picture. And then she would have thanked God right there.

Perhaps God was alive.

Perhaps God did love him – even if just seemingly a little.

Perhaps God would free him, figuratively—and literally.

Because right now, William really needed freedom.