Tales From Gertrude's Perspective

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Gertrude. Gertrude had blonde hair and grew up with the best family in the world. One day she moved far far away to a foreign land called Arkadelphia. It frightened her to leave her familiar world and start new adventures. She was afraid of the trolls living under bridges that she might encounter along the way. She grew to love this land called Arkadelphia, however, and made it her home. She loved the people in the community, even though it was a dysfunctional community. She loved the church she was involved in. She loved the things she learned in this new place. She came to realize that Arkadelphia, while it may be strange, was a wonderful adventure and she came to realize how and why God had her in this place. One of the things she loved most about this land was the friends she made. She realized that God had placed two of the best friends in her life, among others. The three of these girls, while very different, did almost everything together. They laughed, they cried, the prayed, the argued, they studied, they played. God had brought three girls from different places to do life for a few years together.  They had other friends as well that made the adventure exciting, but these three friends are what Anne of Green Gables would call bosom friends-the truest kind. Chasing prince charming, fighting off the evil witch, and eating lollipops are just a few of the favorite adventures that these three would find themselves in.
One particular night, the moon was high in the sky and the fog was heavy on the moors. It was time for adventure. The girls had said goodnight to all of their other friends at the strange place that served tacos late at night, and decided that sleep was not yet on the agenda.  The stars called to the girls and begged them to gaze upon their beauty and look in awe at the God that created them. The girls went to a familiar field where music came from and spread out some blankets. As they were walking to their beloved field, a bright blinking light summoned them. The girls were confused at what this light could possibly be. Could it be a star? Or is it an airplane. Gertrude concluded that it was most definitely the aliens coming to take them home. As exciting as this adventure would be, it is not how this one ends.  The aliens moved on, and the girls continued with the original adventure.
The girls lay gazing at God's creation in the cold for quite a while. This was the best kind of adventure; one where only heart-felt chats and loads of laughs happened. As the morning approached, the stars got brighter. Friendly bats kept them company as they lay in the grass planning tea parties.  As their time drew to a close, a sudden yipping noise occurred in the forest past the musical moor. This noise was quite faint at first and the girls were unsure whether it was a pack of dogs or a group of newcomers to Arkadelphia.  The noise grew louder and louder and the girls' imaginations ran wild with possibilities. Is it the ogre and his children that just moved into town, or how about the new breed of  freshmen? Could it possibly be a pack of dogs or coyotes coming to attack them? If it were people, why would they be in the forest at night? And if dogs, would they come chase these innocent girls? And if they ran, would that draw the dogs'/people's attention? The minds of Gertrude and her friends raced. The question of what to do lay heavy in the air. Not for too long, luckily. They decided to make a run for it! The chariot was not too far away, and despite a few mud holes, it was safer than standing in the open field in the thick fog. The run to the car felt like a thousand miles to the girls. It was treacherous; clothing was almost lost and boulders were avoided.
Safely back in the chariot, Gertrude threw horses into gear. Shocked at how this peaceful night turned so adventurous, the girls decided the best way to end it was bed time. They had stayed up too late anyway, and they knew that chinese checkers matches and legos awaited the morning.
As Gertrude lay in bed trying to calm her still-beating heart, she smiled in gratefulness at how faithful God is.  She would have never guessed as she was leaving her home that the strange Arkadelphia would hold so many good things. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips and dreamed of the latest Barbie drama that would be played out the next time her friends were over, and the adventures bound to happen. And Gertrude was happy.

-The End-