Today’s Little Legend:
Homecoming is a supernatural mystery in several parts featuring a young graphic arts student who has come home from the holidays, and her amateur investigation of the strange pastor and congregation who are now spearheading her old church. Part 1 kicks off the mystery with her initial arrival into town – a swing by an old friend, and a bit late-night church music that is not at all like what you think.
“Oh, wait, I bet it’s been too long, I have started growing in my beard. Just like pops!” He chuckled, and leaned on the countertop. “Lemme guess. New job has got your mind so crowded you can’t remember a thing about me. How close am I?”
She blinked at him. “…About as close as Ohio?”
This actually started because of a dream I had, which was stranger than the fiction I have created from it. It’s got some characteristics of a cozy mystery, but I’m not sure if it’s cozy enough to qualify, because – well – the very nature of the story belies its wierdness. On that note, the nature of the story does also entail a little bit of dark content, so not suitable for very young children but your middle-school kids will probably be fine (of course err on the side of caution).
An Anecdote:
First, about last week’s note – we did have a wee bit of snow on the ground at Christmas, but now it is pouring down on us with a vengeance, and my sister and I went sledding for the first time in a long time. Good fun.
But now, I think I need to address something: lateness.
My family has always struggled with being on time. We would plan to leave for family vacation at one time, and would leave two or three hours later than planned. It became a running joke. Especially when we kids were little, we wouldn’t give one iota for deadlines. We would still be picking things out that we wanted to bring at the last minute, and then an hour later we were still trying to stuff them into the car; them we would realize that there was something else we wanted to bring, and we would go and get that! Oh, our parents are so patient with us, to not just start saying, “if you don’t get in the car, we will leave for North Carolina without you.”
Our God is a patient God. If you’re the type of person to show up an hour late, He will find some way to use you anyway. And this time around, He has decided to use us in a way that requires us to be on time. Actually, we need to get there early, because we’re all on music or tech, and we need to set things up before the service starts!
Whaaat? How are we supposed to get there early? The only thing I’ve been early for was my first graduation rehearsal, and that was an accident!
Well, we just set a very early deadline and then leave fifteen minutes late. It seems to work for us.
Not that I am making excuses. There may have been two or three people who had a boring weekend two weeks ago because I failed to post. I doubt it, you were probably fine, but I ought to apologize. Still, I learned a lesson: never promise a thing if you’re not sure that it’s finished, and set your deadlines early.
Coming up:
Part 2!
About this publication:
Little Legends is a biweekly periodical, geared towards families and individuals looking for positive, honest storytelling. It features a short story, some relevant information or an anecdote, and anything else that may have been produced such as poetry. You can read more about me, the author, here. Thanks for reading.
C.M.Rininger 
Your mystery story sounds intriguing, Clara! And I love the illustration for it. I can’t wait to read Part 2.
I can totally relate with the struggle to be on time. I always try to be early … but usually end up on the flip side of punctuality. I am a notorious under-estimator when it comes to knowing how long it takes to get ready to go somewhere! Through my weakness though, I have learned how to give grace to myself, which has helped me to give grace to others. And how wonderful it is that God doesn’t require perfection in us to use our gifts for his glory!
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Thanks for the encouragement, Cathy, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the story! Part 2 will be out soon. Hope you enjoy it just as much!
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