To say that the tale that I have is quite short

Would not be the truth, though some truth of a sort. 

It’s not an easy one to relay, 

But please come and listen, please do stay.

My story begins with an old rude mean grump.

His name was Rob, and he lived in a stump.

He longed all his life for the peace that he saw

All the people bring about, but his heart wouldn't thaw.

He hoped every day that it’d soon come to him,

But every second, minute, hour, was wasted on a whim. 

One particular day, he woke up with a start.

A knock on the door, and his brain yes did fart.

He scrambled from bed, quickly clothed his pale skin,

And he learned from the man, that a prize he did win. 

A chance he was given, an offer for the grump.

So after the man shooed away from the stump, 

Old Rob was excited and quickly packed up. 

The offer was clear:

A chance for that peace of so much he did hear.

So was heard drawers and cabinets, a rattle 

like nothing more than mooing cattle.

An hour he’d finished packing,

His courage none the lacking.

He was all up and set, ready, set, go! 

But a step into the journey, it began to snow.

“What luck is this weather, how poor is my life!”

And with the words of a fool, he began his strife. 

He plowed through the snow, with great effort, I’ll add.

For his muscles were lacking, in fact, twas quite sad. 

He went on his journey, his goal stuck in mind. 

“I’ll get going in a hurry, that peace yes I’ll find.” 

But soon on his pathway, a fork did ensue.

He stopped quick and wondered what in the world he should do. 

The two paths were different, the right choice unclear.

One was rather darkened, the place filled with fear.

The other seemed quite happy, a road for a child.

Twas much more appealing than the road that looked wild. 

So the second path he chose, though he still felt unsure

And quite soon he badly stumbled, and his vision did blur. 

To his feet he stood quickly, righting his head.

But behind he heard footsteps that then began to tread. 

“Who goes there, a fellow fit to be friends? 

Or an enemy waiting to make me meet ends?” 

Rob called out loudly, and his voice did shake. 

And when nothing back did answer, his body began to quake. 

But soon he discovered, that all was quite well,

For a man came round the corner, and things he had to tell. 

He smiled and waved to a terrified Rob, 

And Rob then decided that he shouldn’t sob.

He righted his top quickly, responded with a frown.

He was back to his old self, pretending to have a crown. 

The man came walking up slowly, but joy he did bring.

His smile was very giddy, and he even began to sing. 

But Rob stayed melancholy, his spirit wouldn’t stir.

So the man offered kindly shade underneath a fir.

Rob grunted quite rudely, but followed under the tree.

The man seemed satisfied, so he spoke to Rob with glee.

“Kind sir, I must tell you that this path just isn’t right.

The path holding peace you’re seeking is under a different light.”

To this Rob just frowned deeper, his mood got worser still,

“I’ll be on my way then hoping there’ll be no bill.”

The man laughed out gently, and motioned that Rob could leave

Rob walked away slowly, his thoughts were so naive.

He traced his steps back to the fork and took the darker path.

It was all filled with sticks and stones and guaranteed Rob’s wrath. 

But he walked along anyway, his hope a desperate one.

Till along came a woman in black, and along with her was none. 

She smirked her eyes, but did not smile for she knew that she’d found prey

To her he looked rather dumb and with him she’d easily play. 

She stopped her walk and quickly said, “kind sir, what seems the problem?”

For on Rob’s face there were no graces and if there were he’d gobble em’.

“Nothing,” he answered, his cold face hardening ever still.

She frowned then and walked away as her mind slowly did mill.

She soon dropped a rock upon his path and then she ran away.

Rob didn't see it, and his feet on the path didn't stay.

As he went along his toe yelped for long and met with the stone in pain.

He fell to the ground with lots of sound and bad words were said to no gain.

He slowly stood up and exclaimed with a frown, “Woe is me and my life!” 

For a fool’s words are plenty when he meets with strife.

So Rob carried on with his great trek for peace

When trials he met a plenty, his eagerness did cease.

Eventually, after awhile, he turned straight around. 

He’d say once he did, “Peace isn’t worth trouble, not even a pound.” 

He made it home safely, to his sweet little stump,

And to his old life he returned, the life of a grump.

As soon as he’d left that hard to find path, 

A little boy stumbled on it, a sweet little empath.

He brought his great friend as soon as he saw

That the path was a bit harder than a simple small flaw.

Justin and Emma, were the two that now trekked.

Through the thick and thin trials they jumped and they stepped.

Hand in hand, they finally reached it, the end of the road.

They were older now, but together they had made it, the little toads. 

“I’m so happy we made it!” sweet Justin said smiling.

Little Emma nodded back, she was far from crying. 

The two heard a voice as they entered a clearing,

“Well done, my sweet children, well done!” they were hearing. 

For the path is quite easy that leads to doom, 

but the road is quite hard, that takes you to home.

Rob struggled with both paths, he was alone and a fool.

He was lazy and impatient, and soon lost his cool.

But Justin was wise, he went and got a friend. 

The hard path is easier with a friend there to fend.

Rob didn't know it, but he had a friend too.

His name is Messiah, and he never said, “boohoo.”

Sadly, Rob never learned, he was a fool to the end.

But that’s the price to pay when you never care to fend. 

Justin learned quickly that it wouldn’t be easy,

But fought there with Emma, their path went quite breezy.

So you see how a story can be hard to tell? 

When the main man of your story goes to hell? 

Not comforting to me, is Rob’s quick faults and fails

For I mess up every day when following the trails. 

But one thing I know that gives me my strength

Is that the Lord God Messiah is with me the whole length.

So don’t be too quick to judge your bad condition,

Cause complaining and grumbling isn’t the main mission. 

The cause we have on earth, you see,

Is to help those around us be all loved and free.