The Beloved Daughter (29 page)
Without saying anything, Mrs. Cho took my daughter from my arms. Ae-Cha grunted, scrunched up her face into an angry pout, and then fell back into a blissful, sleepy stupor as Mrs. Cho nuzzled my baby’s cheek with her nose.
“I will watch your Ae-Cha until your return.” Mrs. Cho kissed my daughter on the forehead.
I looked away, longing to run to my bed so that dreamless sleep might save me from this tortuous parting. Even though I already memorized what I was going to say next, I had to force out each syllable.
“If I don’t return,” I bit my quivering lip until I was able to continue, “I would like you to raise Ae-Cha.”
At first Mrs. Cho raised her hand as if to swat away my inauspicious remark. But instead, she caressed Ae-Cha’s thick hair and declared, “You have my word.”
Unable to continue watching my daughter as she dozed so contentedly in another woman’s arms, I retreated to my room while Mrs. Cho sang Ae-Cha a lilting lullaby.
I had never heard the melody before.
Parting
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer … Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
Once my travel papers to Jilin Province arrived, I spent more time alone in my room, leaving Mrs. Cho to watch after Ae-Cha. I told myself that it would be better for Ae-Cha if she got used to Mrs. Cho’s care, but in reality it was harder for me to spend time with my daughter at all when I knew I had to leave her so soon. The night before my departure, Mrs. Cho carried Ae-Cha into my room.
“You haven’t finished yet?” Mrs. Cho glanced at the journal on the desk in front of me
“I’m almost done.” I closed the book and stared at Mrs. Cho. She was old enough to be Ae-Cha’s great-grandmother but held Ae-Cha with the same care as if she herself had borne her. I wondered how many mothers my daughter would lose in her lifetime.
“I only regret she won’t remember me,” I muttered.
Mrs. Cho pursed her lips. “You shouldn’t speak like that.” Her voice cracked in spite of her admonition.
I looked at the book in front of me. “There is so much history. So much sorrow. I wish she didn’t have to learn it this way.” Mrs. Cho nodded, although she knew very little of my past as the daughter of a Christian traitor. “There are so many things that I hoped to tell her face to face. Not like this.”
Mrs. Cho placed Ae-Cha into my arms and sat on my bed. She nodded toward the leather-bound journal. “I will keep your story safe while you are gone. Ae-Cha will want to know as much about her mother as she can.” I wondered if my benefactress had the same premonitions as I did about the journey ahead of me. After an uncomfortable silence, Mrs. Cho asked, “You are still sure that you must go?”
I nodded, clearing my throat before I could speak. “The choice isn’t my own.”
“How long do you expect to be gone?”
I couldn’t tell Mrs. Cho what I was already certain of in my heart. Unwilling to answer her question, I looked again at the journal on my desk. “I wrote to her as if I would never see her again.” I gazed at my daughter. She looked so much like her father I sometimes felt as though I was staring into the face of Kwan’s ghost. “If I return,” I finally faltered, “I’ll have no reason to hold on to this journal. I’ll tell her these stories myself when she is old enough.”
“And if you are … delayed?” Mrs. Cho asked.
“You must give it to her when you think best.” Forgive me, dear and precious Ae-Cha! Forgive me for the choices that robbed you of your mother at such a young and tender age.
“Please.” I turned my face away from the contented girl in my arms. “This is more than I can endure.” Mrs. Cho took Ae-Cha back from me and rocked my daughter in her arms. I motioned toward the journal. “I’m almost done. I need to finish before morning.”
Mrs. Cho looked at me with moist eyes. Did she sense what was about to transpire? “Do you want me to wake Ae-Cha up in the morning to see you off?”
I turned my back to the elderly woman and shook my head. “I don’t think I would be able to stand it.”
“Good-night, then, righteous daughter.” Mrs. Cho couldn’t keep her voice from breaking. She carried Ae-Cha out and closed the door behind her. The soft click echoed through my empty room.
I fingered the leather journal. I still hadn’t written any inscription on first page. Taking a deep breath, I let my tears splash onto the paper as I scrolled:
To my precious Ae-Cha,
so you will always know that you are
my beloved daughter.
Meet Alana
The Beloved Daughter
was born out of Alana’s compassion for the persecuted church. Chung-Cha’s story was inspired by Alana’s deep prayer burden for suffering believers in North Korea. It has won several awards, including the Women of Faith writing contest and Book of the Month from The Book Club Network.
Please be sure to check out
The Beloved Daughter: Bonus Materials
if you want more information about the story behind
The Beloved Daughter,
including character sketches, stories behind the characters, and a mini-memoir of Alana’s experiences writing
The Beloved Daughter.
It’s only 99 cents on amazon, or you can get it free when you
sign up for Alana’s newsletter
. You may also be interested in
Thirty Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
, which Alana published as a companion prayer guide to go with this novel.
The Beloved Daughter
is the prelude of a new series of Christian fiction set in North Korea. Alana’s next follow-up novel,
Slave Again
, divulges the fate of Mee-Kyong, Chung-Cha’s friend from Camp 22. If you don’t want to miss it, sign up for
Alana’s newsletter
, or make a donation to
Liberty in North Korea
to secure your free copy on release day.
Liberty in North Korea is an organization dedicated to helping refugees who escape North Korea. Want to help? Here are five ways to get involved:
1) Make a donation to
Liberty in North Korea
. (While you’re there, you can request a free ebook copy of
The Beloved Daughter
to pass on to a friend!)
2) Tell your friends about LiNK by using the social media buttons on the fundraiser page. (Tell them they can get a free copy of
The Beloved Daughter
too!)
3) Reserve your free copy of
Slave Again,
Alana’s next novel, by making a donation to LiNK at
this fundraising page
.
4) Check out the
Authors and Readers for North Korea team
to see what other fundraisers people have come up with to help rescue North Korean refugees.
5) Create a
fundraising page of your own
. Link it to the
Authors and Readers for North Korea team
for increased visibility and impact.
Table of Contents