Break Out

after lunch, Gregory drove the two to the base chapel it was a pretty white church with stained glass windows and arched doorways with rows of wooden pews inside with cushioned seats

to the front of the church was a pulpit and to the left of the pulpit was the place where the church choir sat and behind them,

in the center of the space was an organ with beautiful gleaming silver pipes and three rows of keys, this was an antique organ made of a beautiful dark wood that was vanished and pretty

"wooow! Yonghwa breathed softly gazing at the majestic instrument he couldn't believe he would get the chance to play his mother's requiem on such an instrument

a man dressed in a black coat and pants, a black shirt with a white collar was coming out of one of the rooms down the side aisle of the pews and saw them standing there in the doorway

"General Park!" he called out softly with a smile he walked towards them

"Hello Father Teagan it's good to see you," Jhaesun said pleasantly

"hello Jhaesun it's nice to see you too, and who is this new face you have with you?

such a pretty child I almost mistook you for an angel standing there" he teased him a bit

Yonghwa flushed "I'm Moon Yongwa I am fourteen"

"youre fourteen?" he said surprised "but youre so tiny I thought you were younger my apologies "

"I get mistaken all the time im used to it by now" he replied blowing a loose curl that hung over his forehead

Father Taegan chuckled "well how can I help you all today?"

"well I came to ask a favor," Gregory said "could you give this child some council?" putting his hand on Yonghwa's curls

"he recently lost his mother in tragic circumstances and he's been abused by his dad as well, he was very recently rescued from that, my son helped him during his difficult times, and now he's staying with us until he can recover from everything,

his grandmother will take custody of him after, but right now he is dealing with things like Depression and Trauma one of the things that are a part of that,

is that he hasn't been able to grieve properly for his mother or get the closure he needs so we wish to have a memorial held here for her if you would please conduct the ceremony I would be grateful Yonghwa is a special child, he's a musical savant,

he plays the piano he's won awards for it before he even released an album and a requiem he composed for his mother but Yonghwa tells us he has also been struggling to play

since everything happened Jhaesun believes he's blocked because of his depression and this may be the reason why he has lost the ability to play

I brought him in the hopes you might be able to help him solve this and I would also like to get your permission to allow him to play his mother's requiem for her memorial on your organ it would mean a lot to him"

"General Park you certainly show up to ask a very great request but I will do whatever I can to help however please remember I'm a pastor, not a therapist" Father Taegan replied

"hello come talk to me child jhaesun you come too perhaps he will need a friend"

they went to sit together in a pew

"my name is father Teagan its nice to meet you," he said offering his hand to Yonghwa palm up

yonghwa took his hand he held it gently

"I'm most sincerely sorry to hear what you have you have been through the passing of your mom abuse from your dad it must have been a very dark time for you, the fact that you are alive and made it here to safety is a blessing, it is most good that you are alive,"

" say it, it is good that I am alive feel them, really mean the words, most of what you feel it's from guilt isn't it?" he said knowingly

yonghwa repeated the words a tear slipped down his face

say it again the father said gently

yonghwa said it again "It is good that I am alive"

say "I deserve to live, believe it because you do, Yonghwa deserve to live" father Teagan said gently

It is good that I am alive I deserve to live" yonghwa said it was like relief was washing through him

and he was crying more jhaesun wiped his face with a washcloth

"there you go," Father Teagan said nodding "do you see? you feel it, you know its true,

in that situation, you wanted to live, so you fought hard for it,

even if you went down a dark place for a little while you came out again back to the light, you can do it, you didn't do anything wrong, you are just a baby, an innocent,

everything that happened to you, was a result of their actions,

you were hurt and you felt pain, and so you lashed back to protect yourself,

you had every right to do so, thats a natural instinctive reaction in all of us

if the dog barks at the cat what will the cat do?

it will scratch and hiss at the dog to chase it away,

do you blame the cat for scratching the dog? or the dog for barking at the cat in the first place?

the ones who should feel guilty, are the ones who did this to you, not you, for protecting yourself, so don't you feel guilty for doing such a thing,

if the adults didn't try to harm the child, then the child would not have done what he did if the adults had loved and cared for the child as they should have it would be a different outcome"

"cause and effect," Yonghwa said softly

"yes, there you go! I know a bright boy like you would understand" father Taegan said

"I thought you would tell me a bible story or something like that" Yonghwa said

father Teagan chuckled "I am a bit of a different type of pastor, here on this base I talk to soldiers who have gone through all kinds of things, bible stories and parables are not going to work on this flock

most people expect that I do that kind of thing but I really dont I prefer to talk like this so we can figure out what your problem is first "

"this way is really good," Yonghwa said "it's logical"

he chuckled "Thank you I'm glad you think so because I'm going to say something illogical right now"

"look at where you are Yonghwa if you believe it, you can talk to your mother here,

she's always with you think of all the things she wished for you when she was with you, what did she want you to do?"

"she wanted me to be a musician when I grew up" he replied

"Are you not going to become a musician as your mother wanted then?" father Teagan asked

"is she never going to get to hear you play again?, I can imagine, she is waiting for you, to hear you play, she probably misses her little boy a lot right?"

"yes!" Yonghwa said nodding "she does"

"you know she does she loves you" father Teagan said

"my mom loves me most in the world she used to say that," Yonghwa said

"you see you remember things like that about her, what she said, how she smiled, how she laughed, how she hugged you," father Teagan said

"she taught me to play the piano at first too," Yonghwa said

"When I was little she would sit at the piano with me and teach me scales and little nursery songs it was fun learning it that way, I would sit on my mom's lap because I was too small and her arms would be around me and she would hold my fingers and teach me the notes"

he started crying again Jhaesun hugged him

"as long as you have all her memories like that Yonghwa she is never gone from you try to think back and remember everything about her and you will know" Father Teagan said

"these are what you must cherish most, never forget them, keep her spirit with you, all the things she wanted to do, what she wishes for you, what she wanted you to do with your life,

is what you should fulfill in the future, it's how you should keep going, she wanted you to have a happy life Yonghwa, then have a happy life with no regrets,

be thankful to her for giving you this life, always remember her, always be grateful to be alive, because she wanted you to carry on for her, Yonghwa you must live for her if no one else do you understand?"

"yes!" Yonghwa replied nodding his head "I understand I want to become a musician in the future I want to go to school and college and study music and do well like she wanted me to"

"live for me too," Jhaesun said to him gently stroking his curls "I want to see my Moon Yonghwa play again I believe in you Yonghwa, you can do it and shine even brighter than before the first time I met you, the night is darkest before the dawn,"

" the dawn is brightest after the darkest night" Yonghwa finished the lyric from a favorite song

"if it's night in your world right now then how bright will your new dawn be?" Jhaesun asked

yonghwa looked up to the organ "I want to try breaking it"

"Have you ever played the organ before?" father Teagan asked

"no, I haven't, I've only seen pictures and videos of how they sound its a very grand sound very majestic" Yonghwa replied

father Teagan smiled "yes it does, come, have a look with me, let's see if you can try, you are a savant so I am not quite sure what im getting myself into here" he chuckled

they got up from the pew walking to the front of the church where the organ was

"I usually have an organist who comes to play for us I dont play myself you see "

"I understand," Yonghwa said "wow it's really beautiful"

examining the instrument

"these are ivory keys" he breathed "real ivory! this must be at least a hundred years old or more"

"This church has been here for many years there have been many pastors running it before me a long time ago" father Teagan said

"Okay let me try a scale," he said sitting down "it has multiple stops they will all sound different and give different tones, and such it's more complicated than a piano and the three keyboards upper and lower"

"mom look over me," he said softly and putting his fingers to the keys

"she is with you Yonghwa, she,s inside you, remember all the good things about her, those are her spirit thats with you, she listening very closely and waiting for you," father Taegan said to encourage him

he closed his eyes drawn into the dark "mom? where are you? mom!" seeking her there! that point of light!

he began to play the first scale on the organ opened a very strong sound that vibrated the walls but then he hit the next notes one after another

one step at a time in the dark place and then braver he began to run he was running towards the light he could see shining a flame in the dark

his eyes were closed and he was playing faster now he moved up the other keys to the second row going all the way up to the third row of keys and playing the entire scales perfectly

yonghwa touched the light the flame was a shimmering image of his mom in his dark place she was glowing like candlelight burning brightly keeping the dark at bay around her

she smiled and nodded "it's time let's get out of the dark my son I love you" she kissed his forehead gently her tears brushed his cheeks

and then she began to glow brightly before his eyes beams of light burst out of her

"go, mom,!" he said softly cheering her on watching as she took flight

and on the organ, yonghwa was crying as his mother's requiem began to spill out beautifully Requiem Tears of Angels, Jhaesuns breathe caught

as yonghwa hands began to flutter over the keys in the way he played before butterfly fingers a smile split his face and he got his feet

Yonghwa wept and played his heart out and the church was filled

with the most breathtaking Glorius, beautiful, heavenly music father Teagan had ever heard

someone came in the church door an old lady and she came to the pew and sat down and listened and watched with wide eyes and then more people started coming

everyone could hear the beautiful organ playing so majestically in the middle of the day naturally those about would come to see what was going on

when they got there a princely little boy crying while his eyes were closed and playing the most incredible music his tears spilled upon the keys like little crystal droplets splashing

his hands butterfly-like movements sent the spilled tears into the air creating a sparkling effect in the sunlight that slanted through the stained glass paintings from the windows above

within a short time, the church was full of people father Teagan was stunned

and Jhaesun didn't realize he was caught too much by Yonghwa's emotional performance to notice anything else as the song came to an end he rushed towards him

Yonghwa collapsed as soon as he finished the last note,

Jhaesun caught him in a hug as he opened his eyes Jhaesun's concerned face was the person he saw

"Jhaesun the dark is gone" he cried "it's gone I saw her I saw my mom she made the dark go away!"

he burst into sobs as Jhaesun held him

the church was filled with applause rapturous the noise was loud it startled yonghwa out of his crying and he gazed at the crowd wide-eyed face filled with tears

"you were really amazing just now," Jhaesun said "I guess everybody came to hear you

that was so beautiful Yonghwa"

Father Teagan came to the pair and hugged them both putting his arms on the boys'

"father god please thank you for this beautiful day this beautiful blessing on this day and this most precious child who was able to receive your grace and have his heart and soul healed amen"

"oh I think I believe in bible stories again after hearing you play," he said to yonghwa with a smile I swear it was angel playing and not a child"

yonghwa smiled "thank you for talking to me that really helped a lot too what you said"

"well im very grateful that you were able to break through here at my church under my guidance as it were" Father Teagan ruffled Yonghwa's hair

"you are quite amazing so talented" he took his hands "these hands you must take good care of them they are your gift you must use them wisely"

"thank you I will I won't forget again," Yonghwa said

"you were so beautiful up there, I cannot imagine how your father could have done such things to you," Father Teagan said

"Any parent should want to hold you up high and say look at my special boy, he can play music like this, he is this great and talented, you composed that masterpiece all by yourself?" he asked

"I didn't," Yonghwa said "Jhaesun made it"

"jhaesun made it?" he said startled

"yes, thats amazing too isn't it?" Yonghwa said

"Jhaesun made it for me, when my mom died, as a lullaby when I couldn't sleep at night, it was a made-up melody to comfort me, he would sing it on the phone to me till I fell asleep, I added more parts to it and arranged it nicely and it turned into the requiem"

"wow jhaesun that is quite amazing," father Teagan said "I thought he only played and sang for fun and such but he was talented at composing a lullaby as a song of comfort that became a masterpiece to say goodbye to a dear mother that was lost I think it is truly fitting"

"you did a good deed Jhaesun saving a child like this the father will bless you in life for it someday"

"thank you father Teagan for your help," Jhaesun said smiling

"It's what im here for and the big guy up top is always here to listen to your troubles" father Teagan said

the came down from the organ some people wanted to meet Yonghwa and many of the old folks gave him hugs and comforting words

the people in the base were just like this if there was a hurt member among them everyone would come together

"we will be more than happy to have your mothers memorial here when would you like to have it?" father Teagan asked Yonghwa

"I want to prepare my moms portrait and some flowers and have a small service so maybe a few days from now," Yongwa said

"ok how about we have it Sunday afternoon after church how does that sound?" Father Teagan said

Sunday it's usually a very peaceful tranquil day it would be a nice time to have it the choir will be here they can do a few hymns for you too how does that sound ?"

"yes it sounds good thank you" Yongwa replied

"alright very good then you have this week to prepare, " Father Teagan said

"great I will," Yonghwa said smiling he bobbed his head

"good I will talk with General Park about it," father Teagan said

after talking to the general about the arrangements they said goodbye to father Teagan and went home