The King

By Sophia R. Holloway and Elise Hooper

Josef was a young man who lived in a wasteland. Day after day, he toiled to stay alive on his meager supply of food and water. Night after night, he slept and dreamt of being valuable and feeling loved. Mostly, though, in his dreams he heard an unfamiliar voice that called to him and comforted him.

There was a traveler who often stopped by Josef s hut made of sticks. He promised to make Josef a prince, yet the traveler scared Josef, who suspected the man was not to be trusted. Still there was the voice in Josef s dreams, and one day, Josef decided to follow it. The journey would not be simple, but things worth doing rarely are.

Told as a contemporary allegory, The King documents Josef s difficult path to finding his own place in a destitute world. Josef seeks a king of his own and hopes to someday discover the identity of the voice in his dreams. It will be a long trip, wrought with difficulty and despair, but ultimately, Josef will find his divine purpose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: May 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462401314

Sophia R. Holloway

SOPHIA R. HOLLOWAY lives in Mandeville, Louisiana with her husband Luke.

Book preview

The 

 King

Sophia R. Holloway

inspiringvoicesblack.ai

The King

Copyright © 2012 Sophia R. Holloway

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-4624-0131-4 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0132-1 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012937433

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 5/1/2012

Contents

1.   The Castle

2.   Josef

3.   The Journey Begins

4.   The Valley

5.   The Door

6.   Voices

7.   The Courtyard

8.   By the Pool

9.   Colley

10.   The Book

11.   The Hallway

12.   The Dream

13.   The Waterfall

14.   The Garden of the King

15.   The King

Dedicated to My Loving Family

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Jer. 29:13

The%20Castle.jpg

The Castle

The King is a spinner of tales and He knows all things. He is tall and broad and strong beyond the strength of ordinary men. His beard is curly, the shade of russet leaves in autumn. Upon His auburn hair rests a crown of purest gold, fashioned by the finest craftsman in the land.

He wears a tunic of soft lambskin, a belt of beaten gold. His hose are the color of the rich brown earth, and His feet are shod in supple leather. On a golden chain around His neck hangs a single glowing ruby, in the shape of a tear, or a drop of blood.

All who know Him love Him, for His tender heart is warm and overflowing with love for His people. He is just and righteous and true. There is no fault in Him.

The King lives in a proper Castle with turrets and towers, terraces and courtyards, small rooms, large rooms, and the wondrous Throne Room itself. It is immense, and yet somehow so cozy that, after the initial awe at the sight of the King upon His golden throne, everyone feels right at home.

I know you will find this hard to believe, but within the Castle walls are those who dare not enter the Throne Room at all. Oh, they have been invited in, urged to come at any time. Its massive doors are always open. But a large group of His subjects ever remain in the bare outer courtyards for they fear the presence of the King.

These outer yards are safely within the Castle walls. There is protection there from the beasts that roam that land, but I must be honest and say the courtyards are not appealing. There are some plain wooden benches, there are some brooms and mops and other tools, but truthfully this area is quite drab compared to the rest of the Castle. It is merely an open area right inside the walls where the rustic equipment is stored.

Still the people I mentioned make this place their home, for somehow their image of the King is badly distorted. They have heard of His loving heart (in fact they nod and force a smile and speak of it to each other), but they have never sought the truth about Him for themselves. Though they would never admit it, in their innermost secret hearts they do not trust Him. For He is a King with unlimited power and authority, and as such they believe Him to be a stern Master. They keep very busy with chores and duties and hope they will never have time to respond to His call. They work very hard, for they fear His wrath and believe He is watching to catch them in an error. I think most of them are thin and pale and rather grim. But you will hardly find a better crew for sweeping the already polished floors, cutting the already perfect lawns, and doing a hundred other totally unnecessary chores. Sad to say, I have heard that there is murmuring and complaining among this foolish group. Their fear often turns to resentment. They cannot be complete without the presence of their King, yet they secretly blame Him for their lack of joy.

But the King is incredibly wise and unspeakably patient. He continues to call gently to these discontented subjects and, in spite of their lack of understanding, He rules them with mercy, justice and righteousness, for in these things does He delight.

As you leave the outer courtyards and enter the Castle proper, you will see many rooms. The ones close by the yards are sparsely furnished but complete with the minimum necessities. The light in those rooms is dim and there are many shadows there.

Closer to the Throne Room are brighter rooms filled with wonderful treasures of every sort, rooms filled with rare books and first editions, rooms filled with marvelous toys and games. There is a somewhat larger variety of food and drink there, and comfortable couches on which to rest.

Among and around and beside the multitude of rooms are special lovely gardens where bright things grow. There are deep verdant lawns, there are fountains and streams, and I have heard that there is one perfect waterfall hidden among the lush green trees and flowering plants.

Situated in a glorious garden is the vast perfection of the Throne Room itself. Pure white marble shimmers in a light that seems to emanate from the room, rather than from any outside source. I have already told you what a splendid room it is. I suppose there may be pictures and hangings on the walls, and perhaps there are books and games and toys. I really do not know. Those who have been there speak only of the King.

For all who have dared to risk coming to their mighty King, humbly seeking to know Him, are rewarded beyond measure. His smile, His touch, the hearty loving laugh that their inadequacies call forth cause His courtiers to seek the delight of His presence. For in His presence is fullness of joy. His chosen ones have found that whatever task He assigns, whatever position He gives them, however humble or exalted it may be, He is there in the midst of