Dear reader, I tried a new thing! I have never before delved into the world of fiction (well, other than a couple of ill-advised, unfortunate attempts at Biblical fiction in my teens), but this summer I did a short story class through a writing group I am a member of. I’m quite pleased with the result! Here is part one of my short story, and I’ll post part two next week. I’ve added the audio of it at the bottom of the post if you would prefer to listen to the story. Enjoy!
Charlotte turned her body sideways in an attempt to block the contents of her basket from the view of the couple trying to peer in. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to how curious people became when they saw the laowai shopping at Carrefour or the outdoor market. Her light brown hair and pale skin made it impossible to blend in. Her neighbors, even those she hadn’t met yet, felt no shyness about leaning full over her cart in an attempt to decipher what she’d be cooking that week.
Charlotte pushed her cart down the aisle, wrinkling her nose over the garlic oyster and pickled fish flavors of chips and grabbing her normal sour cream and cheddar. Some aspects of Chinese food she adored. Others? Let’s just say she hadn’t gathered up her courage to try a chicken claw just yet.
She’d been in China for three weeks now. Long enough to recover from jet lag. Long enough to find the market and discover which restaurants were her favorites. Long enough to realize that the picture she had had in her mind of proclaiming the gospel with great boldness and baptizing all of her students at Ningbo University was, perhaps, unrealistic. She hadn’t actually started any Bible studies at all yet.
Charlotte loaded her groceries into the basket of her bike, pedaled back to her cinder-block apartment building, admiring the ornate rooftops and bright red color everywhere, but wincing a bit at the smell of the stinky tofu that a street vendor had cooking down the road. As she neared her apartment building, sweating in the humid air, she heard the P.A. system at the daycare across the street blasting songs in Mandarin. She had been told that the songs praised Chairman Mao and exhorted the little ones to always stay loyal to the motherland. Charlotte swung her bags out of the basket and climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment.
Mei and Bo were just coming out of their apartment across the hall as Charlotte pushed her own door open. Just like they did every night at eight o’clock. They said hello and how are you as they headed toward the stairs. Charlotte responded politely, then paused and glanced back at them as Mei and Bo walked down the stairs, holding hands and whispering together.
After putting her groceries away in her tiny kitchen, and shutting the curtains so that she didn’t have to watch the final moments of the day fading into night, Charlotte made tea and collapsed on the sofa, blowing out a deep breath. She idly ran her fingers over the rough fabric, sipped her tea — she used to not drink tea nearly as much, but when in … China … — and gazed at the white cinderblock walls, remembering her first night here, only one week after her twenty-third birthday.
A man with no English other than the sign in his hands picked her up from the Shanghai airport. Exhausted, she didn’t know what else to do but to climb into the car with the simple hope that this wasn’t the last ride she’d ever take anywhere. She arrived late at night and was met by the university liaison, Min Hua. She walked into her apartment, and her heart sank. Cold. Spare. Musty. A kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and laundry space. A cheap sofa with a couple of chairs, a small kitchen table, a bed, a washer. That was it.
She’d done what she could over the past few weeks. Bought a couple of lamps and more kitchen supplies. You can’t exactly hang anything on cinderblock, though. Her phone buzzed with a text from her mom. “Hello, dear! Are you still up? I’d love to chat before I leave for work if you have a few minutes. The time difference makes it so hard to find time when we’re both awake!”
Charlotte hesitated. She wanted to talk with her mom, needed to talk with her and dad, but it was so hard to hear the same questions from them that were echoing around her own head: Have you studied with anyone yet? Have you made any friends? How goes the progress on starting a house church?
She decided to just go to bed, so that she didn’t have to respond. She would. Just not yet. After all, what else would she do? She couldn’t brave the night yet. Couldn’t even look at it. That was okay. She couldn’t make any progress on sharing Jesus at night. Right?
The next evening, after a full day of teaching English to students at Ningbo University, Charlotte headed to her favorite restaurant (the only one in her neighborhood with an English menu). She was too tired and too discouraged to cook anything. She ate by herself while re-reading a biography of Hudson Taylor, then walked back to her apartment. She once again found herself going into her apartment as Mei and Bo walked out of theirs. Must be eight o’clock, she thought. They all greeted each other as usual, but as Mei and Bo headed down the hall and Charlotte put her key in the door, Mei paused.
“Do you want to join us? It is truly an astonishing sight!”
Charlotte stared at her. “Oh! Ah … I mean … I … thank you, but I don’t think I can go out at night.”
Mei gave her an odd look. “Oh. Okay. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find us. We go to see him at eight o’clock every night.”
Half paralyzed, Charlotte said, “Okay. Thanks!” and slipped quickly through her door.
She slid down the door and sat in a heap on the floor, head in her hands, hating herself for being so awkward. She didn’t even know what Mei was talking about, but it didn’t matter. She was useless. What was she even doing here? What possible good could she accomplish?
That night Charlotte lay in bed, staring at that vexingly blank cinderblock wall, listening to the empty silence in her apartment and railing at herself for the way she responded to Mei and Bo’s invitation.
Why couldn’t you have just said ‘yes?!’ That could have been your perfect opportunity to make your first friend, to start being able to talk about Jesus with someone. Isn’t this the whole reason you are here?
But I’d have to be outside after dark. I’m just not ready to do that yet. What if I get lost? Things look different after dark. What if I can’t find the apartments again and can’t find someone who speaks English and what if I get mugged and hurt and I don’t even know where the police station is or if they HAVE police over here and
STOP.
God, help.
I’m scared.
I don’t know why You sent me here because I can’t seem to do ANYTHING for You much less the great and beautiful things I thought I would do, but help me to trust You. And …
help me to sleep.
Charlotte lay there a while longer, still staring at the wall, but this time trying to imagine herself accepting the invitation to see … she still wasn’t sure what it was she would see, but seeing it in the dark. And the more she imagined, the more she could see herself braving the night.
The next thing she knew, it was morning.
The day passed quickly, and suddenly Charlotte was headed back to her apartment to grab a quick supper before trying to catch Mei and Bo on their way out the door. She didn’t eat much. Her stomach was too tied up in knots. She glanced at her watch. 7:50. She knelt down on the hard, concrete floor. God, give me courage. Show me why I’m here. Help me.
8:00. Charlotte heard the door across the hall open, stood up, took a deep breath, and walked over to her door and opened it. Mei and Bo were just starting down the hall, but turned back when they heard Charlotte’s door open. Both of their faces lit up.
“Are you coming with us to see him?” Mei asked.
Charlotte took another breath. “Yes. Although I don’t know what it is we are going to see.”
Bo’s eyebrows rose. “You haven’t heard your students talking about him?”
“They might have been talking, but I’m not very good at understanding Mandarin yet.”
Mei and Bo grinned at each other, and Mei slipped her arm through Charlotte’s. “We’re not going to tell you a thing except that you’ve never seen anything like it!”
Bo smiled kindly, “We’re so glad you’re coming with us. We’ve been wanting to get to know you better but you always disappear at night.”
“We were starting to suspect you were a vampire, prowling around for your next victim at night!” winked Mei.
Charlotte blushed. “Nothing as exciting as that. I just felt nervous about going out after dark.”
“I can understand that. It would be hard, not knowing the language, to find your way around in the dark.” Mei squeezed Charlotte’s arm gently.
By this time, the three of them were outside the building and heading down the street. “Where are we going?” asked Charlotte.
“To the park.”
I'm hooked, Elizabeth! What will Charlotte encounter in the park? How will her ministry begin in a foreign land? Awaiting Part 2.