The General's Freedom

General Tenebris had once gazed upon the faces of thousands of fearful humans as he lowered their star-spangled flag and raised up his own empire’s banner. But now, all he could do was stare at the large crack in the yellowed popcorn ceiling above him. 

January first was when he had been bedridden. He had been drilling some fresh new troops in a little suburban town, when he had started to feel light-headed. He had returned to his hotel room to get some rest, and, three months later, had never stepped foot out of that hotel room. Anytime he tried to get up and walk around, his head ached as though it was being squeezed between a hydraulic press, and his stomach threatened to rid itself of his last meal. So there he was, permanently confined to those white-bleached hotel sheets, unable to leave them until his body finally gave up the fight.

Tenebris was a Nemonian, a humanoid creature with slimy, charcoal colored skin, shock-white hair, and bright blue eyes. Because of his strange appearance, and the fact that he had been the main general responsible for overthrowing the human government, almost all of the human nurses who had cared for him thus far had been utterly terrified of him. Almost all of them. When his current nurse, Mitzy Greenhaven, walked into his line of sight, she had a great big grin plastered under her deep brown eyes. 

“Good morning, sir! I hope you got some good sleep last night. I made you some waffles, with lots of butter, just like you like them.”

Mitzy placed a plate of waffles and fresh fruit on the bedside table and threw open the curtains, filling the room with a blinding yellow light. Tenebris grimaced and shielded his eyes.

“I told you, I'd prefer if you kept those shut.” He growled, struggling to sit up. Mitzy rushed over and helped him up.

“I know, sir, but if you sit here in the dark all day you’re gonna throw off your circadian rhythm. Then your sleep will be all messed up, and you’ll be miserable.” She said, a mild country twang coloring her speech. She always sounded a bit southern when she was chastising him.

Mitzy placed a tray in front of Tenebris and sat the plate of waffles on top of it. They should have smelled good, but Tenebris’ nauseous stomach had recently made it so that all food seemed unappetizing. He stared at the food for a few minutes before he speared a pineapple piece with a fork and took tiny bites out of it.

Taking a seat in a desk chair near the window, Mitzy gazed at a painting of the ocean that was hung up on the wall as she waited for Tenebris to finish eating. Tenebris studied her. With her short stature, scruffy, fawn-colored hair, and large brown eyes, she reminded him strongly of a little brown mouse. 

When Tenebris declared that he was finished with his meal, Mitzy scooped up his plate and headed out the door. Before she closed it, though, she turned back towards Tenebris.

“Sir, if it would be okay with you, I’d like to talk to you after I get this stuff down to the kitchen.”

Hmm. Maybe she was going to inform him that she was resigning, like every other nurse that had previously attended to him.

“If you wish.” He said blankly. Mitzy smiled and shut the door with a small click.

Tenebris slowly lowered himself back into the covers. He wondered what he would do if Mitzy was resigning. He would never admit it aloud, but the human girl had grown on him. Not in a romantic way, of course. Tenebris was two-hundred-and-six years old, whereas Mitzy had to be at least a tenth of that number. But he did think of the girl sort of as a kindly younger sister, doting on his every need with a smile. Sure, he was paying her to take care of him, but she seemed to put an extra effort into it. 

When Mitzy came back, she scooted her office chair next to Tenebris and smiled sadly at him. 

As a nurse, it’s my job not only to take care of my patient’s physical needs, but their mental needs as well. After all, it’ll do you no good if I send you home glowing with health, but filled to the brim with internal pain.

Tenebris shifted uncomfortably.

Mitzy continued. “One of the reasons I became a nurse is because people were always telling me that I had a way of telling how people were feeling, both physically and emotionally. And for the past month that I’ve been caring for you, I have noticed something in you that I’ve seen before in most of my patients. You are carrying a burden of guilt.”

So, she had finally uncovered his secret. The reason why he had been secretly glad when he had been bedridden. The reason why, every night, for the past one-hundred-and-seventy years he had been unable to sleep soundly. It was guilt. 

When the war to conquer the humans had started, Tenebris had carried out his Prime Minister’s orders without thought of what their repercussions might be. Anything that would win his country more battles he was willing to do. 

But when the war had been won, when he and his army had paraded triumphantly through the streets of the human capital, he had realized his mistake. Lining the sidewalks of that city, he had looked into the sorrow-filled faces of the humans he had spent years trying to conquer. 

Staring back at him had been widows whose husbands had been ripped from their arms, never to return again. Fathers and mothers whose sons had died meaninglessly. Children whose fathers would never again tuck them into bed and kiss them goodnight. And as much as he had tried to stop it, to push down the feelings welling up inside of him, his heart had broken. He had gained a little bit of land for his country, and these people had lost everything. 

As he had marched through the city that day, he had considered apologizing. He had thought of running to those heart broken people and throwing himself on his hands and knees, begging them for forgiveness. But he had been too scared. He had been scared of what his countrymen would say, what his friends would think of him, and most importantly, what his leader would do to him. And since that day, guilt had crept into his soul, burning and ravaging and scraping at his being until there seemed to be no escape from the pain. Now, almost two-hundred years later, all of those poor people were dead, meaning that even if he tried to apologize, he had no way to. They were gone, leaving Tenebris with a burning fire of guilt that could never be quenched. 

Mitzy looked into Tenebris’ eyes as his face contorted in pain at the memories flashing before him. She gently placed a hand on his arm. 

“I’ve known many patients who realized that they were on the verge of death, that it was their last chance to rid themselves of their guilt. I’ve known many patients who listened to what I’m about to say and finally got their freedom. But I’ve known even more who ignored my message, and in turn, sentenced themselves to eternal punishment. You’re a smart man, Tenebris. I hope you’ll listen.”

The small human girl pulled out a worn-out old book and flipped through its contents. 

“Ah, here it is.”

Mitzy began to read Tenebris a story. It was a strange, and yet familiar story, of a man. A man who was born from a virgin. A man who performed miracles for all to see, miracles that would be impossible to replicate even with the world’s most technically advanced creations. A man who lived perfectly, never sinning, but who ultimately suffered the most painful and drawn out death imaginable. A man who, on the third day after his death, came out of a tomb with nothing but a few scars on his perfect body. A man who died willingly for the very people that hated him. A man who was not just a man, but God in the flesh. A man who’s name was Jesus. 

After Mitzy finished the story, the pale yellow light of the morning had faded into a golden hue, signifying that it was now the afternoon. Tenebris lay there silently, pondering all he had heard. The story was unlike all the other religious stories he had heard. In order to be saved, one didn’t have to spend his life clamoring to obey a lengthy list of strange rules. He didn’t have to perform some complex ritual to have a relationship with his god. All he had to do was ask.

Tenebris turned to Mitzy, his strength quickly waning. Mitzy smiled at him softly. 

“In order to get rid of that guilt that’s been plaguing you, in order to not spend the rest of your life separated from the only true Good thing, all you need to do is accept Jesus into your life.”

So Tenebris did. Rolling painfully back to face the ceiling, he spoke in a soft, raspy voice.

“Jesus. I know I have done many horrible things in my lifetime. I have killed men. I have rejected Your ways. But I leave all of that in the past now. Jesus, I believe that you died on a cross so that I wouldn’t have to. I believe You took the penalty for my wrongdoings, and that God raised You from the dead. Please, forgive me of my sins, and come and be my Lord, now, and forevermore.”

As instantly as it had come on, the burning fire of guilt and shame left Tenebris’ body, leaving him feeling like a vulnerable and innocent child. For the first time in many, many years, Tenebris smiled, a real, true smile. The smile of freedom.

Eight days later, Mitzy Greenhaven opened the door to Tenebris’ apartment to see if he was awake, only to find that he had fallen asleep forever. In the middle of the night, his heart had stopped beating, unable to labor any longer under the burden of illness that it carried. As Mitzy mourned in that tiny hotel room for her lost friend, she spotted a tiny slip of paper on Tenebris’ bedside table through the tears streaming down her face. The note read as follows:

Dear Mitzy, 

I feel myself slowly fading. I feel my heartbeat getting slower and slower. But it feels not like an end, but a beginning. A beginning of a lifetime with the Lord of the Universe. A beginning of a life filled with freedom.

I keep seeing strange visions and sights. I see a young man standing in my hotel room, a man who almost seems to be glowing. I think he is here to take me home. 

Thank you for showing me the truth. You were the only friend that I’ve had in a hundred years. I hope you will continue to be a friend to others, and to show them how to let go of their guilt and pain.

This is not a permanent goodbye, but a temporary one. I know you will come to where I am one day. Continue showing others the Lord Jesus, the only way to true freedom.

Sincerely, Tenebris