The world from Aquila's eye

The Present

She sighed again. No, she had not lost her Spark, not the way Rat had meant.

But Rat wouldn't have understood had she explained. He didn't believe in her Savior, so he wouldn't understand that she was just busy using her Spark to fight a deadly battle. That's why her eyes apeared dull.

But what Rat and her other friends missed when they looked into her eyes, was the determination not to let the Enemy win. She still had the Spirit's Fire burning in her Soul.

She breathed in the crisp, cool air. She loved the smell of rain.
Thank You, Abba, for the smell of rain. Thank You for this day, but most of all, thank You for flying with me through this battle that rages in my soul.

She remembered words her father had read to her years ago, from a scrap of paper he'd found in the bin.

"People will insist on giving us the strangest gifts," he said. Her father never said people threw things away; people gave them things.

"Anyway, this is what it says:
Yea, though I walk through valley of shadow and death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

The rest had been torn away, but they could still read the message God was giving them: that He'd always be there for them, no matter what. And He has done so to this day.

Her parents had grown up together, so they learned to read together as well; from a young boy called Jimmy. Of course Jimmy didn't know that his lessons had paid off, as humans couldn't understand animals, even though animals could understand humans.

She smiled as she thought of Joshua. Joshua was an adorable 2 year old boy. He was fascinated by everyone and everything. Aquila would normally not go very close to humans, as they were dangerous and unpredictable, but if Josh was playing alone outside, then she'd go and play with him.

Sometimes he would show off his new toys. Other times he would just sit and babble on to her in his two-year-old language.

Often Rat would also come visit. Then Josh would go fetch his twin sister, Mia, and the four of us would play doll-doll.

Those two were truly gifts.