Wounded feet

Thud!

I tripped on my sword again and hit the dirt road face first. The aroma of the soil filled my lungs while the light rain pelted my back.

“My Lord, this sword is heavy and bulky” I said as I tried to extract myself from the mud.

The sword pressed heavily at my back. I have tried different methods of binding it to my person, and never let it out of my sight, as my Lord insisted. I found that I could easily carry the sword at my back although its point still juts behind me and the weight bears on my back. It took me a while to figure it out but when I move in a straight line, the sword did not bother me. However, when I stagger off His path, like this moment, the sword gets stuck in the ground causes me to trip. I do want to follow the straight path but my blistered feet ache to find another direction to ease the pressure off the wounds.

I tried to get out of the mud but to no avail. The sword and my gear weighed too much. I also felt that the water is slowly covering me. I tried to lift my face but it only made matters worse. The muddy water quickly filled the void that is left by my face and submerged me once more.

“Help me” I uttered before the mud finally covered my mouth.

At that instant I felt being pulled up in the mud. The next thing that I knew is that I’m seeing Him face to face, His concern peering through His broken features.

“Give me your burden; I will take care of it.” He said

I nodded and offered the heavy blade back. However, He insisted that I keep the sword on. He explained that rather trail along behind Him, I should be walking by Him instead which I did.

We still walked once more in the rain, but I feel a little different. My feet, though still blistered and swollen felt light. My face still feels itchy but I did not care much. I felt that by just walking with Him, I was able feel better.

---

My Lord stopped and pointed to a little girl by the roadside. She was silently weeping as she clutched her wounded left foot. The wind and the rain hid her tears and cries for help and her tattered muddy clothes that blended with the dirt road that we were traversing. I wouldn’t have noticed her presence had my Master not stopped and directed my attention towards her.

“Go, help the little one” He said.

“My Lord, I don’t know how to heal” I responded

I have no healing supplies with me and I only remember scant excerpts from the tomes found in the library.

“Yes you do know, it is a part of the grace that I gave you“ He replied “Now, bind her wounds”

I still hesitated for a while but I just followed His command. I approached the girl who for some reason managed to laugh at my mud-caked face and not fear the heavy sword at my side. It seems that she was actually comforted by the sight of the sword. I felt that she knew that it was meant to protect her and not to harm her. I slowly knelt beside her so as not to startle her and not to trip on my sword again. I lifted her foot carefully and covered it with my cloak to protect it from the elements. I then dried and bound it with clean clothes from my pack as meticulously as I could. I could always go back to the marketplace for new clothes but this girl might not be that fortunate.

“All done” I said after fixing her wounds, I still felt that my skill is inadequate but I took comfort on the fact that I’ve done all that I could.
“Thank you Sir!” she beamed back, as if my treatment was the best she got for a long time.

I started to rise and felt something different. I looked at my feet and saw that the blisters on my feet are healing.

I looked at my Master in amazement “How could this be?”

“I comforted you so that you could comfort others” He said