The Bell Tower

Dark clouds hung ominously over the horizon as the North wind swept over the land, forcing the lush green landscape to obey its every command. In my confusion, I had been unaware of the changes taking place around me. Now my heart, which just yesterday was so light and filled with love, felt as heavy as the tree before me, bent by the weight of its fruit and perilously close to losing its bounty to the angry wind.

Gabriel’s outburst of anger only confirmed the feeling deep in my heart that he did not truly love me. “How could it be,” I cried, “that the love I felt so strongly, and have given of so freely, should fall upon unfertile ground?” My heart ached for the fulfillment that only his love could bring.

The leaves swirling in the wind seemed to dance around me like green droplets of rain. As I felt the cold, damp air close in around me, I knew that it was time for me to seek a place of safety. For soon nature’s tears would begin to mingle with my own.

As I ran up the hill I could see a strange shape emerging from the mist. There, in the distance, stood the fabled old bell tower about which I had heard so many tales of death and despair. I could scarcely believe that it actually existed. Could this foreboding edifice be one and the same? Had I wandered so far from home?

I felt strangely drawn to the mysterious tower in spite of its dreadful past. “Why would such a fearsome place be allowed to stand throughout the centuries?” I thought “Was it because of the fear that it engendered? Could it be that superstitious beliefs were used to control the minds and hearts of the villagers?” My curiosity only served to draw me closer still.

I remembered a bell, as the story goes, a bell that was housed at the top of the tower to warn of impending danger. Could it be that it was still in its abiding place? If only this great old tower could shelter me from the storm and calm the turmoil within my heart!

Although the weakness I felt from being sick of heart drained me of my physical strength, I was determined to open the tower’s massive wooden doors. My muscles strained against the encrusted iron latch until it finally crunched it to place. Then, with all of my weight, I pushed against the doors. At last, after a great deal of effort, the ancient hinges gave way and the huge doors creaked open.

The pungent smell that greeted my nostrils spoke to me of a chamber that had not seen the light of day for generations. Though the chamber was small in circumference, the soaring ceiling disappeared into the darkness above, creating an illusion of endlessness. The flashes of light from the storm played upon the shards of dry mortar and fallen beams.

Feeling completely spent, I huddled into a corner with my back to the cold, damp wall. Although the sobbing had stopped, my tears continued to flow freely as I leaned forward resting my face in the comfort of my hands. “How strange” I thought. For, although my body felt devoid of energy, I felt a force beckoning me from within. “Could it be the bell?”

As my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, I was able to focus on a wooden spiral staircase in the center of the tower, ascending up into the gloom above. “Could it be that the bell is still here, at the top of the stairs… waiting to be discovered after all these years?’

My heart began to beat faster in the anticipation of such a find. With a strength not my own, I rose and began to climb the staircase, carefully distributing my weight. The stairs cracked loudly under my feet as I moved cautiously from one to the other. In spite of the danger, I was amazed to realize that I felt no fear… only a sense of anticipation.

Midway up the stairs I became aware of the menacing wind as it howled through the crevices in the walls causing the tower to sway. Reaching the top of the tower and stepping onto the landing, I caught sight of a curious looking mound of burlap, resting just under a large shuttered window. A place, no doubt, where a bell might have hung to send out its signal.

Brushing away the thick layer of dust covering the burlap I began to pull aside the ancient veil. With my eyes transfixed, I uncovered the most splendid of brass bells… the bell about which so many strange and enchanting stories had been told. But just as quickly as my sadness had disappeared, it returned with a sudden swiftness, flooding my heart with the knowledge that there was no one with whom I could share this thrilling moment.

As I gazed at the tarnished brass exterior, I noticed a tiny ray of light playing on its surface. Turning to find its source, I remembered the shuttered window. Moving slowly across the unstable floor, I discovered that the window was not a window at all, but a double door.

Pushing open the weathered panels my eyes were greeted by a wondrous sight. That same flicker of light, which streaked through the shutters and found its way to the bell, emanated from a brilliant beam of light that had broken through the darkness and seared its way to the earth, almost as though it had been directed by an unseen hand.

“So much like life!” I thought “Just when the storm is at its worst and the darkness seems overwhelming a beam of hope breaks through to light the path and bolster your spirit”. Deep in thought, I stepped dangerously close to the edge of the wall. At that same moment the decaying wood began to crumble beneath my feet causing me to tumble from the precipice.

Head over heels I began to fall as though in slow motion. A cacophony of thoughts raced through my mind. Strangely enough, it was not death that filled my thoughts, but love. “Why… why had I given my heart so freely? Why was it so difficult for Gabriel to return my love? Had my love truly fallen on infertile ground? Now it would no longer matter! But, if that were true, why did I continue to feel this deep pain in my heart?”

I continued to fall… helplessly, hopelessly, expecting any moment to feel my body impact with the earth below me. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the end. But it was not to be! Suddenly, out of nowhere, an arm reached out to catch me and hold me securely. I gasped in relief as I clung to my rescuer. A moment passed before I could feel my protector gently shaking me, almost as though I was being awakened from a deep slumber.

Opening my eyes, there he was… my beloved Gabriel, looking down at me with his sad blue eyes as he gently cradled my trembling body to his. “It was you,” I cried, “It was you who saved me from certain death!” He only smiled and drew me closer. “But, how did you know where to find me?” Gabriel was knowingly silent. “But how, how could that be?” I asked myself. “And why would you follow me so far away to this place?” I uttered in a strained voice, fighting back my tears.

As Gabriel held me in his arms and pressed his lips to my forehead, somehow those questions no longer mattered. “How could I have been so wrong?” I wondered.

As his lips moved, I stilled my beating heart, so that my ears could hear what my heart had wanted to know for so very long. “I love you,” he whispered. And the weight of the world lifted from my heavy heart.

Feeling the safety of my lover’s presence and the assurance of his love, I now realized that the storm had passed. The effervescent evening rays, filtered through the clouds creating a bright silver lining that lit up the sky. The storm had cleansed the air and everything seemed to sparkle with renewed freshness… the soft breeze caressing my face, the wet grass between my toes, and the gentle rain that settled over the earth appeared as a blanket of joyful tears.

Walking in the comfort of my dear Gabriel’s embrace, I turned to take one last look at the old bell tower. “Was it all a dream?” I wondered. “Did the bell actually exist?” There must be real magic in this special place, for it had all seemed so real! Perhaps no one will ever know.

But, if there were a spell connected to the tower, it would now be broken. For I have a different story to tell in its behalf. One with a wonderful and happy ending!