Exemplum
He did not know why he was reading the pamphlet that was handed to him when he boarded the train. He had often seen people handing out these little booklets to passers-by. The man had even taken a few in the past to be polite, but they were always "filed" in the nearest wastebasket. This one was entitled "The Gospel of John." He had forgotten to purchase a newspaper to read during the ride home for this long awaited three-day weekend. So rather than sleep or view the passing scenery, the man decided to read the pamphlet. It is not that he was unfamiliar with the text; he had heard little bits of it on an occasional Sunday. However, today was the first time he actually read, "For God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." He found it hard to believe that God, or anyone for that matter, would sacrifice his son for others.The commuter stopped reading as the train entered a canyon along a river. He decided the scenery was more interesting than the reading material, so he turned his gaze and watched the rock formations of the canyon as they passed his window. As the train rounded the final blind curve that would bring them over the r
iver, he was surprised to catch a glimpse of the drawbridge as it completed its closing motion. He had never seen this before and the grace with which this large structure closed fascinated him. It also gave him a bit of a fright, because the train was rapidly approaching the bridge. This concern was voiced to the conductor, who told him that for the first time in his memory, the train was running ahead of schedule by approximately twenty minutes. The conductor guessed that this might be the reason for the man's observation. The conductor assured him neither he nor the rest of the passengers were in danger. There was always someone at the bridge whose job it was to close the bridge according to the train's schedule or when the warning lights showed the approach of an early train. This time the lights notified the worker, which was why the commuter saw the bridge closing. The man looked for this worker as the train passed over the bridge, but wherever this "keeper-of-the-bridge" was, he was not in view. The rest of the trip was uneventful. The man arrived home earlier than normal and he was happy for that. He was looking forward to a well-deserved rest, and it was beginning about one half hour earlier than expected, thanks to the speed of the train. The man could read no further. Trembling, he put down the paper, went to the wastebasket, and retrieve
Some common words found in the essay are:
Gospel John, Bridge Services, , bridge worker, warning lights, sacrifice son, newspaper read, ahead schedule, close bridge, canyon river,
Approximate Word count = 924
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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