Light in the Darkness

It was late at night as we rushed through the dark tunnel. We jogged along, not knowing what danger lurked around the next bend. Yet an equal uncertainty of what lay behind us drove us forward. We coveted a way out of the dense maze of black corridors, but had been wandering around for some time. At last, we perceived noise up ahead, and even spotted a little light.

We moved more slowly, quietly. Then abruptly we were no longer in the narrow passage, but in a dim room. Before us stood a platoon of vigilant enemy soldiers. Along the right side of the cave were thirty male soldiers with AK-47s leveled at us. Disconcerting, yet normal. To our left, however, a dozen uniformed women also had machine guns or pistols. Similarly distressing, but not so normal. This was Russia, in 1984.

We entered the small chamber all at once, and were immediately face to face, gun to gun, with our enemies. The Russians outnumbered us, but they knew we tallied enough to make any mishap more than a little bloody for everyone. The situation was incredibly tense; it became the most powerful battle of wills I have ever seen. We could feel their feelings, and knew they could feel ours, too. No soul present wanted a violent engagement right there, right then. Nevertheless, none felt it was avoidable.

We froze before our enemies at a rifle's distance. The great wide world seemed to stop - there was no sound, no movement, no distraction. The strangest sight was the soldier-esses who faced us, their expressions full of anger, hatred, and fear - like the rest of us. They stared at us as hard as we stared at them. The look of death in their eyes seemed more vivid than in the eyes of their male comrades.

All this cognizance passed in what seemed like an hour, but was only a few seconds. I felt we would have no chance if a battle began. But we could not just succumb to their war prisons, either. Darkness overwhelmed every soul. What could we do? Suddenly, I saw a strange light, had a strange feeling, felt a strange tug at my deepest will and emotion. I had no idea what I was thinking, nor did I even notice why I acted on the impulse. Yet by God's grace, I did act.