Compelled

Wearing only a robe around his waist and sandals on his feet the boy approaches the doorway,  he calls out to his mother
Mother, Come see! It is done!
She comes to the door way and takes a look at what he has brought
With a smile on her face she says
Why, that is a fine chair, it looks strong too!
It is mother, I put supports here on the legs so that they cannot separate. I made it to hold the weight of a heavy man
I made it for our neighbor, he needs it, he broke his own
Well, I think he will like it very much
Now you sit in it, I  have something for you
As he sits she returns back into the house
As she is returning with a basket of fruit he says to her
Mother, someone is here
There is? She hands him the basket of fruit
Here, this is for you!
Thank you mother!
They watch as three men approach the house along its pathway followed by a donkey bearing packs of their belongings
Do you know them?
As they come closer she begins to recognize who they are
Why yes, yes I do, They are very dear friends. We haven’t seen them in a very long while. You probably don’t remember. You were very young on their visit last.
Are they relatives?
No, Just good friends and wise beyond their years
When the three men approach they bow to her and say
Hello Mother. We have come to see you and the boy
It is so good to see you
She embraces each with a hug and a kiss upon the cheek
It is good to see you too! How have you been?
We are good, Is you husband home?
No, He is tending, He will be back after a while
May we come in? We need to visit.
Yes, Please come in
Two of the men follow her inside while the third remains outside with the boy
Says the man to the boy,
That is a fine chair you have there. Did you make it?
Yes, I did! And it is sturdy too! I made it for a neighbor who keeps breaking his.
May I give it a try?
Yes, of course! I like creating things with my hands
The boy gets up and the old man sits down in the chair
He gives the chair a shake or two and says
You are truly a fine carpenter. It is comfortable and sturdy too. Your neighbor is going to like this much.
Meanwhile inside the house:
We have really come to see the boy
She smiles, I know
Does he know?
I don’t know. We never told him. We chose to let him first be a boy then be a man. He does have his visions and dreams. All are beautiful. He tries to tell us . Some we understand and some we do not.
He is no longer a boy Mother, he is a young man.
It is time.
A tear runs down her cheek.