The Story So Far:
Average Joe (A.J.) has longed to defeat the monster named Fear to reach the kingdom of Transformatia and be granted citizenship by the Gracious King.
On his last attempt, A.J. was soundly defeated by the monster. On his way back to Conformity, he meets a strange man named Noble, who tells him that he can’t quit because he has seen the city from afar and knows that it is real.
Noble tells A.J. about the Archive Room in the local library which holds the key to success in defeating the monster.
After he heals from his wounds, we see that A.J. has found the Archive room and has begun to prepare for a final triumph in his quest to reach Transformatia.
Table of Contents:
Looking back, A.J. reflected on that day and the many hours that followed of sitting at the table in the archive room . . .
He had been eager to find out what the difference was. “I might as well start at the beginning”, he thought.
And so he did.
After his brutal defeat at the hands of the monster, all he had wanted to do was find a safe place to brood and try to forget about ever-changing his circumstances.
Sometimes the doubt was almost overwhelming. Was it all for nothing?
Despair would overtake him and he would think, “I guess the reference librarian was right after all. Who did he think he was, anyway?”
Then the thought of facing her and admitting she was right was almost more than he could bear.
How humiliating that would be.
A.J. shook his head and breathed deeply to clear the anxiety. He knew it would take him a long time to fully recover from that disastrous defeat.
Sometimes, he just wanted to forget about the whole affair. But, forgetting was not an option once a person had tasted and seen that victory was possible.
That last time, he had been so close that he actually saw the shining city just over the border. Exactly as Noble had said.
Noble told him that he had overcome the Monster and made it to the City of Grace, the capital of Transformatia.
Where was he now? How A.J. wished he would show up as he had so many questions.
A.J.'s mind was drawn back to the very first book he took from the A section on the first shelf – AS A MAN THINKETH, written by a man named James Allen, someone he had never heard of before.
He remembered feeling his pulse quicken and his excitement grow as he read how thoughts can affect our character, our circumstances, our health, and our achievements in life.
The conclusion was that you can change much about your life simply by what you think about.
He was far from understanding it all, but this was radically different than what he had been taught to believe.
His mind was lost in contemplation.
When he focused again, he was startled to see a framed art calligraphy on the wall. Why hadn't he noticed this before?
Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. - Paul, A Letter to the Romans, The Book
Who was this person? And, what was The Book?
He made a mental note to see what else he had written.
So many questions began rolling through his mind as he read:
“Is this true?”, he wondered out loud.
“How come no one ever told me this stuff before?
“Why would this be considered a ‘taboo’ topic?
Why were these books not required reading for every boy and girl?
Just think what a difference this would make.”
All of a sudden, A.J. sat up and his eyes grew wide as the dawn of understanding appeared just above the horizon of his comprehension.
There really was a Monster.
Clues began to appear as he thought back to his earlier years.
Why had he not seen these before?
There were many times that he retreated to his home in Conformity, discouraged and ready to quit.
He had sensed the presence of some invisible force thwarting his every thought and move, but he didn't comprehend what it was until the Monster confronted him directly.
No more playing nice. Just brutal reality.
This monster, who called himself FEAR, was a show-stopper.
Looking back at that day, A.J. saw himself trudging back toward Conformity.
The wrecked lives of those who had given up littered the side of the road. He was completely undone. He could barely take it any longer.
He had been dejected and downtrodden.
He had begun to question the very existence of Transformatia.
Were the things he saw there in the distance real or just a figment of his overactive imagination?
Now, however, he did not doubt that the monster was real. His current state assured him of that.
A thought captured his mind.
“If the monster was real, then what it was trying to prevent A.J. and others from reaching had to be real as well.”
Then another thought.
“If I understand the message on the wall correctly, the monster called FEAR is real indeed, but not in the physical sense. It resides in our mind. The only way to defeat him is by renewing our minds.”
Even as he contemplated these new thoughts, off in the distant corner of his mind’s eye, he saw the monster, gloating.
Even here, the Monster could rear his hideous head.
Then he noticed something else. The monster began changing its appearance.
First, it was in the shape of doubt. Slowly, outright denial appeared. Finally, it morphed into the ugly form of unbelief.
A. J. longed to forget it all. He began thinking his hometown of Status-quo seemed more and more like a safe place to live.
“It's not so bad, after all. It may not be where I want to live, but for sure, no monster is there. I'll get used to it.”
But, he knew in his heart that would never happen.
A.J. shook his head as if to clear out these negative thoughts and continued to read.
Join the journey as A.J. continues to transform his mind in his quest to defeat the Monster named FEAR.
Thanks for reading The Talking Pen