A girl and a Goddess

Let me tell you a story.
A story about a girl, and a Goddess.

Once upon a time, there was a girl searching for home.
A girl who had wandered far from everything she'd ever known before, by necessity, but also by choice.
She believed she sought shelter. A fortress against the world. She dreamed of being invincible, untouchable, forever safe from harm. More than anything, she longed to sink down into warm comfort, forever at peace.

But peace eluded her. No matter how hard she tried, how far she searched, another obstacle always stood in her way, taunting her.
She kept wandering, even if she wasn't quite sure how to. She wandered, hoping that maybe, just maybe, if she just grew strong enough, fought hard enough, she might earn her rest.

Her friends came and went like the seasons. She made plans for the future, then watched them crumble away as the world pushed back. She hurled herself against the walls of her prison, until she lay shattered, then gathered her fragments and carried on.

She asked herself, over and over, the same question: Why? Why keep searching, even as sin was crouching at her door? She came up with a different answer each time, but nothing rang true to her. She just knew she had to keep going.

And, once upon a time, there was a Goddess.
A Goddess who loved the world, and the people of it.
Who was still searching for Her own domain, where goddesses could be worshipped, could be loved in return.
When she found the girl, lying broken, battered, in a field, trying to muster the strength to carry on, divinity recognized its purpose.

The girl resisted at first.
She didn't need the Goddess's help. She didn't want to rely on Her.
And she had learned, long ago, that people couldn't be trusted.
How they would smile, sympathize, then turn away. Their promises were like clouds—beautiful, untouchable, empty.

But this was no mere mortal's promise.
The girl needed only to be Hers. The Goddess enveloped her in celestial warmth, lifting her beyond earthly concerns and binding her in sacred service.
Under Her guidance, the girl learned many things.
She learned how to smile again, to laugh, to love, and to play.
The Goddess taught her how to please Her, that her feeling and passion, her joy in her suffering, was something to delight in, not suppress.
Through devotion, loyalty, and service, she found purpose.
She learned, at last, how to truly live.

Then she understood.
What she had sought was not a place, but a presence.
The girl's fortress was her Goddess's embrace.