Grasping the Wind

"Therefore I hated life; because the work that is done under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and like grasping the wind." Ecclesiastes 2:17


The darkness began to fill the night sky as the sun ducked lower beneath the horizon. Marie began to feel cold. She knew, as the jackals' howls shrieked, that she would be called back inside any minute. She continued to dig anyway.
With the small garden shovel she'd been given at the start of the day, she kept digging this hole. Her hands were covered in dirt and her face caked with sweat and grime, like at the end of every day.
''Marie. It's time to come inside now.'' Adrian said from behind her.
''I know.''
Wiping her brow, she picked herself up and took one last look at the fleeting sunset over the desert horizon. It almost hurt her eyes to look at the sight, but she wouldn't miss it for the world. It was gorgeous. But she saw something else, a tall figure walking across the sands, accompanied by another call of a jackal and she knew it was time go back inside.
''Marie. Come inside.''
She nodded.
He looked up at Adrian as he walked into the house, he was such a tall, large man, he made Marie feel so small. She handed him his shovel and went to take her bath.
After she'd scrubbed the grime off her, she noticed that her father had left a small piece of bread on the table. She looked around, as if to make sure that it wasn't intended for someone else, then took it off the table and began to rip bits off of it and savoring it.
Her father was a generous man, she thought, as she lie down on her mattress, pulling her woolly blanket over her and drifted off to sleep.
The sun peaked out of the horizon and she awoke feeling as if she'd only been asleep for a couple of minutes.
''Marie, it's time to get up now.''
''I know.''
She rolled out of bed, washed her face and scrubbed her teeth. She finished off the piece of bread she'd been given last night and went back outside, shovel in hand.
She found an untouched spot of desert soil, and began to sink her shovel into it. She behind her, to the east, and say the magnificent sunrise. Squinting, she saw the jackals scurry away, and the birds begin to take flight in the morning and sing. And once again she saw that tall man walk across the desert among the jackals, and then vanish.
And for the rest of the day, she put it out of her mind and simply dug the hole she was working on. She kept digging until the sun began to sink into the west.
''Marie,. It's time to come inside now.''
''I know.'' Once again she looked to the east, once again she heard the jackals, saw the man, and once again she went back inside. There was no bread on the table this time, but she knew there probably wouldn't be. She  couldn't expect to be fed every single night.
''Marie. It's time to get up now.''
''I know.''
After going through her morning routine, she resumed her work. Finding a spot of desert that had not yet been dug, and begin to make another hole. Again she saw those same familiar sights of the jackals and the man, and again she dug a perfectly good hole before the sun set.
''Marie. It's time to go inside now.''
''I know.''
A scrap of bird meat is what she found, boiled in water. She couldn't help herself, she ate it all that night before she went to sleep.
''Marie. It's time to get up.''
''I know.''
She brushed her teeth, washed her hair and face. Grabbed her shovel and found another spot of desert ground. But there was something different about today. Towards the east.. the jackals were there, but not the man. That was weird, she thought, as she sunk her shovel into the ground and began to dig some more.
''Marie, it's time to rest.''
''I kno--" She quickly looked up. It wasn't Adrian standing above her, blocking the sunset. It was another man, taller, and stockier, with a clean-shaven face and short hair. ''Who are you?" Marie asked the man.
''My name is Mathew, would you like some more water?"
''I have water.'' she said.
Mathew looked at her small canteen that she had hardly taken a drink out of since she was out here in the desert sun. He unscrewed the cap of his bottle and handed it to her, ''Here, drink as much as you'd like.''
She looked at him, then back at the water bottle.
''But... I have water.''
''Well, you must be hungry. You're so thin.'' He opened his lunch box, and tore open a sleeve of crackers. With a knife he began to cut a block of cheese into slices.
''My father gives me food too.'' She said.
''You're not hungry?"
"I have food inside my father's house.''
Mark smiled sadly, wrapped up the crackers and cheese and put it back in the lunchbox. ''Well, here, I'll just leave you this with you then. I'll bring more tomorrow, okay?"
Marie just looked down at the lunchbox, and back up at him. She nodded.
And then the man turned around and walked away, back to the desert where he came from.
''Marie. It's time to come inside now.''
''I know.''
The next day the man came once again, with another lunchbox and a canteen of water. Today, Marie had realized that she'd completely finished the bottle of water Adrian had given her this morning, and was actually hoping Mathew would show up. He sat down next to her.
''Why do you dig so many holes in the desert, Marie?" he asked, handing her his canteen and unzipping his lunchbox.
''It's what my father wants me to do. It's my job.''
''You dig so many holes.''
She nodded, taking a small sip of his water.
''When will your job be done?" he asked.
''I don't know... it will never be done, I guess.'' She shrugged.
''You never want to do anything else?"
"What else is there?"
Mathew let the slightest smile touch his lips, ''Like planting things, making things grow.''
''That sounds kind of boring to me.''
''How do you know? You've never tried it.''
She shrugged.
''Well, I'll see you tomorrow then.'' Mathew said, standing up and wiping the dust off his pants.
''Okay...''
As soon as Mathew left, Marie finished the cheese and crackers, along with the canteen and dropped them in the hole before her father called for her to  come inside.
Mark came every day very faithfully, talking and eating with Marie. Every time around sunset, and then he would be gone.
''Marie. It's time to get up now.''
''I know.''
This morning, as the sun rose, she had trouble getting out of bed. She felt achy, and sore. But nevertheless, she got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, took her shovel and water bottle and went to work, waiting for Mathew to that evening.
''Mathew,'' she said, ''I think... I may want to try planting things... how do I do that?"
''Well, you can't make anything grow here. It's not fertile enough... it's dry and dead.''
''Where can I make things grow?"
"In my garden,'' he said, gesturing past the sand dunes, ''beyond the horizon.''
''Oh...''
''What's wrong?"
"I can't leave here... this is my home.''
''No, this is not your home.''
''Yes, it is, I live here... this is where I'm meant to be.''
''No, you're meant to be in a place full of life, not a place full of death. This is only a place you lived for a short while, home is over the horizon.''
Marie glanced looked over at the sunset. ''It's getting late.''
''You're right. I'll see you tomorrow.''
''Okay...''
Tomorrow as just like any other day, she woke up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, taking her shovel and water bottle with her and went out to dig another hole. At at the time of sunset, Mathew came back.
''How many holes have you dug so far?"
"I don't know... a lot.''
''But I only see about three or four...''
''The wind blows the sand back and covers them up.''
''In my garden, there is no sand. Only fruitful soil.''
''Can I visit some time?" she said, before really realizing what she was saying.
''It's quite far away, you can't come back once you  come to my garden. More importantly, I don't think you'll want to.''
That idea didn't sound very good to Marie. Leave her forever? This was where her father Adrian was, this was her home.
Sunset seemed to come a bit faster than usual. ''I better go now, think about it?"
Marie shrugged.
Mathew smiled.
She went to bed like any normal night, only tonight, she couldn't sleep. She just watched the ceiling and heard the jackals' call.
''It's time to get up now Marie.''
Although she was already awake.
''I know.''
Brushing teeth, washing face, shovel, water bottle, digging--Mathew.
''I want to come with you.'' She blurted out as soon as she saw him.
''I'm so glad to hear you say that, Marie.''
''I don't know what's out there, but you make me happy, Mathew, and... I want you to be my father.''
''Okay.''
''Is your garden... a good place?"
''The best.'' A warm smile on his lips.
''Okay.''
Mathew helped her off her knees, took her by the hand, and walked off to the sunset.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Revelations 21:1