This week, Julia describes the back and forth battle between worlds that TCKs face their whole lives. Even when we begin to settle into one culture, the influence of the other will only ever be buried, never killed or defeated. We carry these “hopes” and experiences within us forever and to let go of one means to lose the other. Julia beautifully personifies these hopes, capturing the sorrow that exists in the heat of the battle.
In the midst of great sorrow that is rather unexplainable, the one torn between two worlds lifts up a prayer.
As the realization of the tear of the soul pulled between two desires sets in, the Wanderer torn between two worlds knows two hopes cannot exist at once. They battle each other fiercely. The Hope clad in flannel and a baseball cap brings a knife to the throat of the Hope decorated in the sparkling, golden traditional clothing of the Nation of Elephants. Can the two ever find peace?
It seems as though the flannel must win. Time after time, the golden warrior is buried deep in the earth, beneath a farm stretching over rolling hills. As the soft country sun begins to set, its rays stretching across a purpling sky, the Hope clad in flannel manages to silence the voice of the golden warrior. But in time, the golden warrior will burst forth from the earth again, awakened by the faint echo of the song of the Nation of Elephants. And the two will fight again.
The Wanderer torn between two worlds can do nothing but watch. The battle is out of her hands. The fight is destined to take place. And the golden warrior is destined to be buried.
No, the golden warrior cannot win. For the golden warrior’s victory would mean the perishing of the Hope clad in flannel – the death of a life lived in the light of the dazzling, soft, setting country sun.
Julia Witmer is the Christian fantasy author of The Ophelia Brown Series, a whimsical middle grade fantasy filled with mysterious creatures, hidden worlds, and magic masked in the everyday. Raised in Chiang Mai, Thailand, she grew up surrounded by vibrant cultures and stories, sparking a lifelong passion for writing about magical encounters and complex worlds. Follow along on her writing journey to explore tales of hope-filled whimsy with a dash of darkness.
You can find more of her work on her website or on Instagram
