The Loop

Short Story by Micah Mitchell (‘28)

Edited by Estee Lee (‘28)

| FALL 2024 ISSUE | PROSE

     Everything about me seemed strange; my own hands looked scared and twisted. It was my 17th birthday, so I threw a party. There were people drinking and smoking. You know, just young, dumb, broke high school kids doing what dumb broke high school kids do. My party was lit. I had the whole school there and the best DJ in the city, so you know the music was loud and good. I saw one of my good friends across the room and decided to walk up to him, but as I was walking a strange man with a cross burned on both sides of his face bumped into me and just stared. I felt uncomfortable, so I picked up my pace and made it to my friend. 

     “Yo BJ!, this party is crazy bro,” he exclaimed to me.

     “Yeah,” I replied.  I couldn't help but continue to think about that man with the burned face.

     “Amier, did you see that guy that bumped into me?  Bro, he had crosses burned on his face?!”

I said nervously.

     “Looks like someone had a little too much to drink tonight,” he said while laughing and dancing. 

     “Yeah, maybe you're right.” I let it go and continued to dance until around thirty minutes later when the party had shifted outside near the pool. Everybody was having a great time, and then I saw him again inside of the house. I tapped Amier’s shoulder and pointed toward the strange man, as I had no words to say from being extremely terrified. Amier turned around and was left in shock. We both looked at each other for a second before turning back to the man, only to find he was gone. 

     “I told you I wasn't tripping! You saw that too, didn't you!” I screamed. After that, Amier ran to the top of the DJ's stage, took the mic, and made up an excuse in order to shut down the party. Everyone left except one person. I didn't know who she was but she had an aura to her that was beautiful. Everything about her seemed just perfect. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?”  I asked. 

“BJ, have you given your life to Christ?” she said with a calm tone. 

“Of course I have, what do you m-” I couldn't finish my sentence. My mouth was left open like words were meant to come out, yet nothing did except gasps for air.  I fell straight on my face. 

     Everything about me seemed strange; my own hands looked scared, twisted, damaged, and there I was right back where I started. Loud music, people dancing. I was confused. I looked around and everything was the exact same. I spotted Amier and it was like it never happened. He was laughing and dancing with everybody else just like before.

     “I'm probably just drunk.”  I whispered to myself. So, I ignored it and decided to continue to try and have a good time, until the DJ switched the song to seven loud trumpets that all played one at a time but with similar tones. I looked at the DJs stage and that's when I realized that there was no DJ on the stage. 

     “Who changed the song!” I screamed but no one heard me. I ran up on stage, grabbed the mic, and repeated myself. “Who changed my song!” The mic echoed but no one listened. The seven trumpets continued playing. I smashed the DJ board but nothing happened until… I spotted her… Ariana again. This time her eyes were locked onto mine with a piercing gaze that seemed to look right through me. She had no words for me, but there was an unsaid message, something deep that I couldn't yet grasp. I walked towards her and off of the stage, but the closer I got towards her, the more everything slowed down as if time was unraveling. The people near me had distorted faces that gave off confusion and fear, but Ariana didn't give a single reaction and was calm throughout this whole time. 

     “BJ.” she called out softly as I got close to her. “Do you know what’s going on?”

I shook my head, unable to understand what was happening.

     “Consider this a warning. God has been trying to reach you and pull you out of this life you’ve been leading,” she said.

     “So was the man with the burns on his face God? Like what was that?” I uttered with confusion.

     “No, not God at all, but a symbol of the darkness that is trying to claim you, this lifestyle you’ve been portraying is a path that leads away from God.”

As she spoke I felt a fear that I had never experienced before. This fear made me realize I had been straying away from the person God wanted me to be. I put my head down and began to weep as if I was giving up.

     “Pick your head up for you are God's child and he is offering you a second chance. You need to put this lifestyle behind and seek God, for he is the only way to find true peace.” She said this to me so lovingly and calmly that I felt a stream of tears falling down my face.

     “God,” I cried out, “I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I want to change and follow you.” As soon as I finished my sentence, not even a second had gone by before everything stopped. The trumpets, the party. But I kept my eyes on her and she became so bright it was almost blinding. Everything around me dissolved, the party leaving, and Ariana and I stood in the golden light. 

     “BJ?” she called out for the last time. “God heard you and this is your moment of redemption, don't let go and don't look back for God is now forever with you.” After her final sentence she had a bright radiant smile and slowly faded away. 

     I woke up in my room as if it was a dream and none of it had actually happened, but from that day forward I began to change my life and realized that God was my missing piece.  Every time I hear the sound of a trumpet I'm reminded of how good and graceful God is, and nothing but thanks is commended to him for giving me a second chance and helping me become a better person for my family, friends, and myself.