THREE: Child of Misfortune pt 3

When Esther was born, she hardly cried. Her skin had been too pale, and her breathing had been too strained.

The elders of the family had predicted that she would not live past three months of age.

But slowly--hour after hour, day after day--she lived. And by some miracle, the baby who should not have made it past three months, survived for twelve.

And then another twelve.

Soon, there was hardly a trace of frailty left in the small child.

Her parents praised Abraham's God for the blessing bestowed upon them--for saving their only child.

Esther continued to grow stronger and happier until her fourth year of life, when again, her small family was struck with great misfortune.

The young girl became sick with a fever and bone-rattling cough.

For more than a week, her devoted mother watched over her: caring for her, singing to her, and praying to Abraham's God for another miracle.

On the tenth day, when Esther's fever finally broke, it seemed the God of Abraham had answered her mother's desperate prayers, and the family could be happy once again.

Until Esther's mother began coughing only a few days later.

And then her father less than a day after that.

As the same fever and cough rapidly overtook both the girl's parents, their bodies deteriorating at an alarming rate, it became clear that Esther's survival of the mysterious sickness had indeed been a miracle.

But as her father's family laid her parents to rest in their graves, many wondered if the young child might have been better off joining them in the afterlife.

The girl who had cheated death not once, but twice, in her short four years of life was now entirely alone. She was left to the care of her extended family, without so much as a sibling to keep her company.

The idea that such a tragedy had been "God's Will" was difficult, even for the most devout believers among the family clan, to swallow.

It was easier to blame the child who had first contracted the illness.

Behind closed doors, bitterness welled in the hearts of her relatives. Though they tried to love Esther as their own and take good care of her, they couldn't help but think of her as the child of misfortune.

She'd been born misfortunate, and the same misfortune took her parents' lives.

Was this a curse upon the entire family? Had Abraham's God abandoned them?

One member of the family, a man who had left the family home and made a place for himself in the Royal City of Shushan, couldn't bear to see such ugly feelings directed toward a mere child.

He, a devout believer himself, could not fathom that Abraham's God would curse such a small and innocent child.

"What happened was nothing less than tragic," he argued with his family, "but Esther is not to blame. My brother would never have blamed his child!"

The man knew that he was right. He could almost hear the tearful moans of his brother and wife as they watched from the afterlife, begging someone to reach out a hand to their little girl.

With the pressure of his brother's soul looking over him, he vowed that he would raise the child himself and prevent her from ever experiencing such unhappy things ever again.

Then, with the family's blessing, he took young Esther with him to Shushan City, to live among the small group of Believers who had carved out a community for themselves in the city. And there, Esther grew up, surrounded by a community who reached out to her with love and understanding.

Being part of the Believers, or the Despised Clan as they were known in the city, certainly wasn't an easy life, but for twelve years, Mordecai believed he made the right choice.

That is, until he realized Esther had reached marriageable age.

Though she was surrounded by fellow Clansmen and provided for comfortably under his roof, she could not be provided with the kind of love and family she needed.

He began to be tortured by thoughts of watching his lovely niece grow old and lonely, so he secretly reached out to her mother's family, a sizable clan of Believers living among the hills west of Shushan.

There, she could live among green fields and flowers as beautiful as she. Most importantly, nobody would ever call her despised or misfortunate again.

"But I want to stay here with you, Uncle," Esther protested, folding the letter back into quarters. "I do not wish to be parted from you!"

"Esther, I am growing old," Mordecai shook his head. "I cannot pass on in peace someday without knowing you are cared for."

"That day is yet far off," Esther replied stubbornly, "and I will care for myself then."

"But it is my greatest wish to see you with your own family, even after I'm gone," Mordecai hung his head. "Will you not grant me this?"

Esther paused thoughtfully.

She knew her Uncle would be terribly lonely if she left. The ornery man may even starve to death without someone to cook his meals.

But she also knew that he would be tormented if she stayed. He would never let his mind rest from worry about her and her future.

Even if those worries were unfounded from her perspective.

"Will you just visit them for a month?" Mordecai offered a compromise. "So you may return and put your mind at ease regarding my wellbeing in your absence?"

"I will follow your wishes," Esther conceded with a sigh.

"And stay with my mother's family for a month."