Hopefully Prompt Podcast
moorenarration for Deborah for the story "I Wasn't Always Alone"
This story is inspired from a Biblical text. The woman in the story is sick with a bleeding disorder, is an outcast from society at a very young age, and finds a miraculous healing in Jesus. Her story demonstrates the loneliness, the pain, and the hope of something miraculous. The real miracle is reuniting with her family and society again, despite the pain of being made an outcast. It is important for the actress to be able to pronounce the names and places in the story accurately.
I wasn’t always alone! My name is Deborah, and I am my parents’ eldest daughter – their favored daughter. They named me after the prophetess who served as the fourth judge of our nation over a thousand years ago, before kings reigned in Israel. The prophetess Deborah was a strong woman and a formidable leader who brought peace to the land by defeating the mighty Canaanite army led by their feared general, Sisera. My parents were hopeful I would emulate her strength, courage, and wisdom.
Last week was my thirtieth birthday, but there was no celebration. The past twelve years have not been kind to me. My condition has not improved since the first day I fell ill. I have not experienced one day of relief; neither have I experienced one day of joy. I look like I am at least fifty years old.
Then all of a sudden, Jesus stopped and turned around. His eyes met mine, and I heard Him say, “Who touched My robe?”(1) I saw one of His followers lean toward Him and say, “Master, look at the crowd pressing in on You. How can You ask, ‘Who touched My robe?’”
But I knew that He knew! With fear and trembling, I fell down before Him. As I looked up into His eyes, I saw a kindness, a gentleness, and compassion unlike anything I had ever witnessed.
