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I ran. I ran down sidewalks, across streets, through allies, and around buildings. I ran from the men who had tried to shoot me. I had seen them kill someone. I tried to sneak away, but someone saw me; so I just ran. I had been running for about five minutes and I was beginning to tire. It was a good thing I was on the track team when I was in school. I glanced behind me. The guy was still there, but he had to hide his gun since we were coming to more crowded streets. I looked for a police station everywhere I went, but I couldn't find one. I was beginning to think this city didn't have any. I was gonna have to go into the next building that was easily accessible and find someone who knew where to find the police.
A really big store was up ahead of me and stores are perfect for getting lost in so I ran in and immediately slowed down to a fast walk. I headed toward the escalator that went to the second floor. As I stopped on the first step I looked back at the door. The guy rushed in at that moment so I moved behind some other people. I didn't want to run up the stairs because I might catch his attention. He didn't see me and started in the other direction. He could still look my way though so I didn't go back down. I was glad that I could stop running for the moment. As I stepped off the escalator I looked around for a store clerk but I couldn't find one. You never can find something when you need it. I finally did see someone with a name tag on. She looked about twenty years old; a couple months younger than me.
"Excuse me, miss," I asked, "Do you know where the nearest police station is?" She looked at me with a confused expression on her face then said, "I don't know the nearest one, but I have a phone number for one near here."
"May I use your phone behind the desk? There is someone chasing me and I don't want him to find me."
"Why is he chasing you?"
"I saw one of his friends kill someone."
"Oh," she replied just as I looked back and saw him coming up the stairs.
"There he is! I need to hide. Someplace where he's not allowed to go. Will you hide me," I asked her as I ducked behind the counter.
"OK. He isn't allowed in the ladies' dressing room. Let me see if anyone is in there."
The doorway to the dressing rooms was only five feet away from the counter so she could look in there without loosing sight of the guy.
"Ma'am," I heard her say. "Could you please stay where you are 'til I say it's OK to come out?" I heard a faint reply, then the girl came back and said,
"Quickly. Go in and hide. His back is turned toward us." I looked over the counter then ran through the doorway and into a stall. I was in there for about five minutes before she came back.
"It's safe to come out now. He went back down stairs. By the way what's your name?"
"My name's Robby. What's yours?"
"My name's Denise. Here's the phone number for the police station. I have to tell the customer that it's OK to come out now." I dialed the number with hopeful anticipation. I told my story to the person who answered the phone and asked them to send a police car to pick me up. The person said they would. I told them my name and described myself and what I was wearing. The person thanked me then hung up. When I looked up Denise was back.
"Did they believe your story?"
"Yeah. They're going to send a car to bring me to the station. Could you wait with me downstairs?"
"There's no one to man the counter for me while I am gone, but I can watch you from the top of the escalator."
"OK," I replied, trying not to show my disappointment. I was just a little scared that I might run into that man again. She stood there, watching as I traveled down the escalator and toward the front door. She glanced back once in a while toward the counter where she had been working. As I reached the front door I looked back one more time; that was to be my downfall. I spotted the gunman just as he saw me and he started running toward me. I tried to get away, but people and things kept getting in my way. So the man caught up with me. He greeted me like an old friend so as not to look suspicious.
"Hey! How you been kid? Haven't seen you in a while."
"I'm fine," I replied. I decided to be agreeable since I didn't know if he minded using his gun in public or not.
"How's about you come with me. Real careful like," he added somewhat quieter. I noticed he had a Brooklyn accent.
"I'll come. I don't want any trouble, please."
"Good. I don't want any either. Did you talk to anybody while you were here?"
"No sir. I didn't speak to no one."
"Was you not educated. You're supposed ta say anyone." "Sorry. Anyone."
"OK then. Let's go." He was about to escort me out the front door when the cop car stopped out front. I prayed he would think it was a coincidence. "Oops. Can't go that way. Let's try the back door." So we turned around and went toward the back of the store.
I looked up the escalator to where Denise was standing. Please, I pleaded to her with my eyes, help me. She stared back with a look that said What can I do? I glanced back at the police car then again at her. Tell them, I pleaded with her, help me. It all took less than a minute, but the man noticed and said, "What ah you lookin' at?"
"Nothin'. By the way, could I at least know your name?" "I don't see why not. The name's Ben. What's yours kid?" "Robby. Listen, I won't tell nobody about what I've seen if you let me go. On my honor. I promise. Please let me go."
"Sorry kid. I got ta bring ya in or I'll be in big trouble. I ain't sayin' they'll let ya go, but ya seem like a good kid so I'll put in a good word for ya. You certainly can run real fast."
"Thanks. I was the fastest in my track team in high school and college. My coach told me if I really tried hard and practiced every day I could probably get into the Olympics." He gave an appreciative whistle just as we reached the back door. He looked around and, not seeing anything like a police car or an officer, we headed out the door and down the street toward a pay phone. It was awkward walking because the man was holding my arm with one hand and I knew he had his gun nearby. When we reached the pay phone he didn't let go but grabbed the receiver with his right hand and dialed a number with one of his fingers. he listened for a moment then dialed some more numbers. He told whoever answered the phone where we were and that there was a police car on the next street, but they hadn't spotted us and would they (the people on the phone) hurry up and come get us before the police get here. Then he hung up and moved away from the pay phone in the direction that we originally came from. We stopped two blocks down from the pay phone and a black limo pulled up to the curb. He opened the door and told me to get in. I got in and he climbed in after me. There wasn't anyone else in the back of the limo. We did not talk as we rode. Each pondered his own thoughts; each chewed on his own problems. In five minutes we were back where this had started.
As we got out of the car I noticed we were near the docks my uncle owned. I figured my uncle's house was a street and two blocks away. I decided not to say anything. I didn't want to put him in danger too.
We entered the warehouse we had stopped in front of then into an office inside. The person behind the desk looked very much like a gangster from an old movie. I was directed to a seat in front of the desk and told to sit down.
"Good afternoon," The man at the desk spoke. "you led my brother on quite a long chase I hear. Was he with anyone, Ben?"
"No. I didn't lose sight of him long enough for him to talk to anyone."
"I see. I trust you didn't run into any cops while you were out."
"I made sure we didn't."
"Good. OK kid, what's your name?"
"Robby."
"And how old are you?"
"I'm twenty-one."
"Robby, tell me what you saw before you ran away."
"I didn't see nothing. I promise. Please let me go. I won't tell anyone I was here."
I'm sorry kid, but you did see something 'cause we saw you run away. We're gonna keep you here till you tell us what you saw so you might as well tell us now and stop wasting time."
"If I tell you will you let me go?"
"That depends..."
"OK. Well, I was walking toward the docks when I heard you guys arguing. I was just going to take a quick look but when I rounded the corner there was you and that other guy and then you shot him and then I ran. I wasn't really thinking then and you could have a perfectly reasonable explanation for what you did... now that I think back, that other guy did have a knife in his hand. But none of this is my business. I don't want to get involved."
"You're a real smart kid, but unfortunately you became involved the moment you saw us. Neither of us could help that, but at the moment we can't let you go. You might let slip the fact that you saw someone get shot and we can't have that, even accidentally, happening. So for the moment you stay with us."
"Will you ever let me go?"
"Eventually. In the mean time you can write a letter to your parents or relatives or whoever and we'll deliver it for you. You can tell them you're all right, you can't say much at the moment, and you don't know when you'll be able to come home, but tell them not to worry. We won't harm you in any way, but we also don't know what Fred's family (Fred's the guy who was shot) might do. They might make you testify against us, so in keeping you here we are, in a way, protecting you. I have to take care of some things right now so Ben is going to take you to a room." The man went back to a paper he had been reading when we came in and Ben took me to a room two doors down from the one we had left.
The room was a small one with only a cot, small table, and chair. There was a small window near the top of the wall, but it wasn't big enough for me to fit through. On the table there was a few sheets of paper and a pencil. It looks like they've done this before. That's a little disconcerting.
Ben turned to me and said, "This is where you'll stay for most of the time. If you need something just tell me through the door. I'll be staying out here in the hall for a while. But first, I'll get you some stuff for your bed. I'll be right back." He went out closing the door behind him... and I heard it lock. I guessed I was gonna be there for a while. I sat at the desk and thought about what I was gonna write. I decided to write to my uncle because he was the closest (geographically) to me and I could get a letter to him without letting those people know where he lived.
Ben came back with bedding and before he left I asked him how long these things usually take. He said the average time it took to get everything settled was a month. It was usually a little more or less. After he left I wrote the letter to my uncle. Here's what it said:
Dear Uncle James,
I am writing to tell you that something has happened, but I'm not able to tell you what at the moment. Don't worry because I am safe and I am being taken care of by respectable people. I don't know when I will be able to come home but if I find out I will let you know if at all possible. Please pray that all goes well. I wish I could tell you more but I don't want to get you in any trouble. I will keep you in my prayers. Please don't worry.
Your nephew, Robby
When I had folded it I called through the door, "Ben. I'm done with my letter." He came in and I told him how to deliver it.
"Go to dock 23 and ask for Donny. Tell them it's Very Important. When he comes tell him to take it to James. He'll know what to do. I know you don't want to hurt me, but I'd still rather you not know where I live."
"I understand. I'll get someone to deliver this."
"Thanks." He left and the door was again locked. I decided to pray as there was nothing else I could do at the moment. When dinnertime came around Ben came in with a plate of food and a drink. "Ya know, you're the quietest guest we've had in a long time. Aren't you angry at us? Or sad that you're here? Or anything like that?"
"No I'm not angry because you gave me a very good reason for keeping me here and I'm not really sad because God must have put me here for a certain reason. He wouldn't have let this happen to me without one. Though I am a little disappointed that this had to happen now. I was here to visit with my uncle and his family before I went to Italy to see my grandparents. Now I'll have less time with them."
Ben studied me for a moment then said, "Your religious, aren't you?"
"No. I'm a Christian. There's a big difference. Would you like to hear what that difference is?"
"No. But I'm glad you have something to comfort you. I'm gonna go have my dinner so my cousin Levi will be by the door. I'll see you tomorrow." When he mentioned his cousin he had stepped to the side a little so I could see the man behind him. Levi had looked just as tough as Ben and a little taller too. I wondered if their whole family looked tough. Oh well. I ate my dinner and sat, thinking, till 9 o'clock. I decided to turn in early. As long as there was something to do I could stay sane. Sleep was a good way to pass the time; I was really tired from all that running. My last thought as I fell asleep was to hope that my new friend Denise wasn't worried too much about me. Her face was too pretty to mar with worry lines.
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The next couple of days were some of the slowest days in my life. Sometimes when Ben came in we would talk. Sometimes he would bring me stuff to read. I was glad I inherited my mother's habit of daydreaming or I wouldn't have lasted so long. And whenever I couldn't think of something to do I prayed. I was never more aware of God's presence than I was right then. And during those few days was the calmest I'd ever been in my life. I needed that calm when Ben came in one day to tell me what was happening.
"Hey Robby. We just heard from Fred's brother. We're gonna have a meeting tomorrow to discuss the events of Monday. Do you want to listen? There is a room next to the one they'll be in that has a grille on the wall."
"Sure. That'll be interesting." That would certainly be something to look forward to.
That night as I lay in my bed and thought about what was going to happen tomorrow I prayed that there would be no complications. I did not want to stay here any longer than necessary. I prayed that my uncle and his family were not worrying. I made a note to myself to ask Ben if I could write another letter to my family. As I drifted off to sleep I had a faint idea that he might say yes.
Tomorrow had become today. I listened as the two sides exchanged greetings and seated themselves. It did sound as if they had done this before. The conversation I heard next was the most interesting I had ever listened to.
"Let's get started. Martin. Would You like to hear our side of the story first?" Daniel, the one who asked the question, was Ben's brother. Daniel was the one who had questioned me when I had first come here. Martin was Fred's eldest brother.
"Sure."
"OK. Ben and I were waiting with Nathan, Levi, and Paul to do business with Fred and his boys. Fred was ten minutes late and when he came he was slightly drunk. The others looked normal but Fred was very jumpy and that's not a good thing when you have a temper like Fred's. Despite all this things were going OK. They had handed us the equipment and we had given them the papers when Fred suddenly said something was missing. He accused us of stealing and pulled out a knife. He was waving it around and yelling extreme remarks when he suddenly lunged at me. I didn't have my gun with me so Nathan grabbed his gun. He shot Fred in the arm, but it went through to his chest. The rest, as they say, is history."
"Your story does coincide with my boys', but there are a few things that don't fit. One my brother would not get drunk just before a business deal. He knows better than that."
"Ask Harry why. Ask your boys. I smelled the alcohol on him. We can have his body dug up and blood samples taken."
"No... Harry? Had he been drinking?"
"He had gone to the River Tavern to get a part of the equipment from Bob. Then he saw this girl and he started talking to her. She asked him to have a drink with her and he agreed. I reminded him about what we had to do and your rule about drinking and work but he just told me to go away and said he was only gonna have a little. Even that little was enough to set him off. I tried to warn him. Really, I did."
"It's OK Harry. I know him. He would never let anything get in the way of a pretty face. OK. That's settled. Number two: the boys said there was a witness. What did he see?"
"He's nothing to worry about. We questioned him and he won't be any trouble."
"I would still like to question him myself."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to say no. He doesn't want to talk about it and we don't want to bring in any outsiders. This is between you and us. Don't you agree?"
"I suppose you're right. Well, there is one more thing we'd like to do for Fred's sake-," Just then he was interrupted by a phone ringing. I heard Martin say, "Hello? ... Which one? ... Is she OK? ... OK. I'm on my way. Well, gentlemen, it looks as if this will have to be continued later. My daughter Lisa just fell out of a tree. I'll call you later to schedule a date for the rest of this conversation. Come on boys."
"Good bye. I hope your daughter recovers fast," Daniel called after them. "OK boys, Back to work. I'll call Cousin Margaret and see what happened." I heard everyone moving away from the area they had been when Ben came to the door.
"Come on. I'll take you back to your room," he said. I followed him down the hall and to my door. I took a step into the room and stopped.
"Can I ask you a question," I said, looking at him.
"Sure. What?"
"Who is Cousin Margaret?"
"Long ago Margaret's mother, who was our aunt, fell in love with Martin's uncle. She married him even though no one thought it would work. They had Margaret and Harry. They were brought up to not talk with us but Margaret and my sister Catherine went to the same school and they were such good friends that no one could separate them. They still are very close. Despite our ongoing family feud the children in both of our families have always had at least one friend in the other family. In fact Daniel's daughter Cora is Martin's daughter Lisa's best friend. Knowing Cora she was probably with Lisa when the accident happened. I hope Cora's OK. I'm gonna go find out what happened. I'll be back in a little while."
"OK. Do you mind if I pray for those little girls?"
He stopped in the doorway to look at me. "No. I don't mind at all." He left and the door was locked, but I didn't mind. I sat on my bed and thought for a moment.
"Lord," I said, "Thank you for putting me here because I think I see now why you let this happen. Be with those girls as they are taken care of. Be with their parents and give them a sense of peace. Guide the doctors to do the best that they can. Give me a way to show these people that you can take care of everything. Be with my family and tell them not to worry 'cause I'll be coming home soon. Thank you for listening to me, Lord, when I am just one little person in a world of billions. I leave everything in your hands. Amen."
I heard a knock at the door. It was Ben and I told him to come in. He sat on the chair and gave a tired sigh before starting.
"I was right. Cora was there in the tree with Lisa and she saw everything. Lisa slipped on a branch and fell five feet before she grabbed a lower branch. Cora tried to climb down to help her, but Lisa couldn't hang on and fell the rest of the way to the ground. She scraped the skin under her arm and she has a fractured bone in her ankle and a twisted wrist. Other than that she's fine. The worst injury is to her pride. She was the best tree climber in her whole school, besides Cora. I think that might be part of the reason that she fell. She was probably so confident that she got careless. I just hope this doesn't discourage either of them form climbing any more trees. They have so much fun in what ever they do, but climbing trees was always their "favoritest" thing to do. The only worry they have at the moment is keeping Cora occupied. She has so much energy and most of it was directed into the girls' playtimes. Both sets of parents know that they can't keep Cora from visiting Lisa, but they're gonna have to find something else to do with her when Lisa needs to rest. Some kind of distraction that she won't get tired of after a few days." We sat there for a moment, each thinking. Then I suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"What if you brought Cora to see me?"
He looked at me for a moment before saying, "You wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all. I love children. I have a lot of cousins so I'm used to being around children of all ages. And it would make my day a little less boring. Would Daniel mind?"
"I don't think so. He's really impressed with how you've handled this situation. I'll go ask him right now. The sooner we can channel Cora's energy the better." He was just about to leave when I remembered the letter I wanted to write.
"Could I write another letter to my family?"
"Sure. I'll get it when I come back." With that he left.
I sat down right away and started writing. Here's my letter:
Dear Uncle James and family,
I hope this letter finds you well. I hope you have not been worrying about me. I may only have to stay here for a short while longer. Although the ending of my stay has been postponed do to an accident. A daughter of one of the people involved fell out of a tree today. Pray that she heals quickly as I don't know how much this will affect my stay here. I am going to try to help by keeping her little friend busy today. These two little girls have very interesting families and when I get back I will tell you, if I am allowed, the whole story. In the mean time could you see how my friend Denise is doing? She's the one who works in the J. C. Penny's Store on 48th Street. I didn't get a chance to call her before this happened. Tell her I'm sorry I didn't call and I won't be able to for a little while longer. I hope she won't be mad at me. Well, keep praying, remember that God is in charge, and DON'T WORRY.
Your nephew, Robby
I folded the letter and waited for Ben to return. I hoped he could deliver the letter today. I hoped they would be able to find Denise and tell her I was OK. I wondered what would have happened if I had gone in there to shop instead of hide. I probably wouldn't have talked to her. I was rather shy when it came to talking to girls. I didn't like being the center of attention especially when it was the opposite sex because I couldn't understand them. I got frustrated when I couldn't understand something and when I got frustrated I lost words. But when I had talked to Denise it had been different. I had been worried so much about being caught that I hadn't worried about understanding her. That was the first time I had talked to a girl without one of my friends near me. I think my friend Will would have been proud of me.
After a while I wondered what was keeping Ben. Unless Daniel had gone to see his daughter and Ben had to call him. I told myself to be patient and waited another ten minutes before deciding to knock on the door and see if anyone was out there. Just as I was about to call out I heard footsteps outside. The door opened and Ben came in followed by a little girl who definitely looked related to him. She had the same dark brown hair and eyes and they both had a dimple in their right cheek. As she came in her look changed from curiosity to serious wonder. She studied me as if she were deciding to like me or not. I guess she decided to like me cause she gave me a big smile and said, "Hi! My name's Cora. What's yours?"
"Hi. My name's Robby. I heard your friend had an accident. Is she gonna be OK?"
"Yes. They let me see her after she got her cast on. She said it hurt really bad but she was gonna be brave and not cry. I think she was very brave. She didn't even scream when she fell. She only said, 'Cora, help!'. She said she new it wouldn't be any good to scream and the boys might think she was a sissy. I wish I could have helped her."
"Did they tell you it wasn't your fault?"
"Yes."
"Well you should listen to them. I used to climb trees when I was little and one time I almost fell. Trees can be very hard to maneuver in. It was a good thing you didn't fall too because then you couldn't have gotten help. So in a way you did help her. Do you see what I mean?"
"Yes. I never thought of that. You're very smart." She said it with such seriousness that I refrained from smiling.
"Thank you," I said just as seriously, but I couldn't keep the smile from my eyes.
"Where do you come from?" So for the next hour we talked about how I grew up and why I came here and how she grew up and she said she was so glad she came here and I told her I was also glad she came. When Ben said it was time for her to go she was sad until he told her she could come here tomorrow. When she had gone through the doorway I handed Ben the letter and asked him if it could be delivered today. He said yes it probably could.
After they had left and the door had again been locked I lay on my bed and thought about the little girl I had just talked to. She was very smart and very sincere. If she said something, she meant it. She was also very sure about herself. When she said something was a certain way that was how it was and you couldn't tell her otherwise. In a family that was run by men she was going to be a force to be reckoned with.
The next two days she came to visit me after lunch and stayed until just before dinnertime. The second day she came to visit me she asked me to help her make a get well card for Lisa then I told her a story about the time my little brother broke his arm. On the third day she talked about all the problems the two families had had had over the years. Most were told from her parents' point of view but the ones she remembered were told from her and Lisa's point of view.
In everything we talked of Lisa's opinion was always told and what Lisa would have done or said was always known and despite the fact that both girls liked everything their own way they agreed on almost everything. Cora said that when they found they didn't agree on something they stayed away from that subject unless it was very important then to see who was right they asked first one set of parents, then the other, then their teacher. Sometimes the teacher was the tie breaker and I could understand why.
That evening, just before he left, Ben told me the two sides would meet again tomorrow and I could listen again if I wanted to. I told him I did. As I lay in my bed that night I was glad it seemed to be going so fast. I still wanted some time with my uncle and his family. I must have been sleeping for a couple hours because everything was dark. Even the hall light was off because there was no light coming from the bottom of the door. Everything was so quiet that I wondered what had wakened me. Then I heard it.
"Robby," a voice softly called. It was very close. "Robby," it came again.
"Who's there," I asked, willing my eyes to adjust to the dark.
"Robby, you must come with me."
"Who's there," I asked again. "I'm not going anywhere until I at least see you." I still couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. The voice was deep yet not deep enough. It sounded like flowing water in a deep stream. It sounded as if they would rather sing than talk. My eyes, now adjusted as much as they could, saw the shape of a person standing over me. It was a woman. She was wearing a white dress unlike any I had ever seen and her hair flowed out of her head in black waves. A golden circlet, which seemed to almost glow, sat on her head as if it belonged there and her skin was a golden lightning. Her eyes were as dark as her hair and her lips were the deepest crimson. I wondered at being able to see her so well when I noticed she was glowing slightly. I somehow knew why she was there. I stood up, folded up and put in my pocket the picture Cora had given me, and put on my jacket. Then I followed her out the door, past the sleeping guard at my door and the one by the outside door. I followed this raven haired angel out the door and into the New York night.
When we were on the other side of the street she turned to me, inclined her head toward me and was about to leave, but I said, "Wait!" She turned and looked at me, slight question on her face.
"Please. What is your name?" I wanted so much to thank her by name because I knew I would never see her again. One felt as if her presence, though it was good, drew an evil which she always must fight alone. I felt as if I thanked her by name it might help her somehow, or at least help me.
She was quiet for a moment before saying, "You may call me Raven."
"Thank you Raven. Thank you for saving me. May I ask you one more question?" She nodded so I continued. "Why tonight?"
"The building is on fire and it is not your time."
"The building is on fire!? Why did you let the others sleep? They could be killed. I have to warn them." I turned to go back in but she grabbed my arm. She was very strong. She spoke only one word, but it conveyed all her confusion.
"Why?" I looked at her and I saw that she truly did not understand. I tried to sum up all I knew about them in one sentence.
"Because they are good people and a little girl I know will be truly sad to loose so much family in one night and to see that little girl sad would make even you cry, and these people aren't Christians so I sort of feel responsible for them. I haven't told them everything that they need to hear and maybe if I help them tonight they will see Christ in me and want to know him too." She listened then nodded.
"I see. You must do this thing. I can not help you now; I must go. Peace be with you, Robby."
"Peace be with you, Ravenangel." I didn't know where that came from, but I was glad it came because she smiled a smile of pure joy. Then she turned and disappeared into the night.
I ran back into the building and woke everyone up. They were surprised to see me out of the room, but when I told them the building was on fire they forgot all about that and started looking for the fire. I was in the main part of the warehouse looking for a phone (after looking in all the rooms, of course) when Ben ran in. He stopped dead when he saw me and asked how I had gotten out of my room, but then he said never mind and he found Harry and his cousin Eddie out side setting the building on fire and would Levi (who had been in the room with me when Ben came in) go get the others while he called the fire department and Daniel? Levi went and Ben made the calls. When he was done everyone had come into the room and we all left the building. Some of the men were carrying boxes of papers and books and Levi was carrying a carton of guns. When we got out side I could see the smoke coming up from the building around the area where I had been staying. The fire trucks and Daniel arrived around the same time. Ben took me into their limo while the firemen put out the fire. When the last flame had been drowned Daniel, Ben, and I went to talk to the police.
"We know who did it," Ben said, "but we don't want to press charges. We know why they did it."
"Just for the record we have to know who did it," said the policeman in charge.
"It won't go on their personal record, will it? 'Cause it was partly an accident. I saw what happened."
"Did you now. And you are positively sure it was an accident?"
"Yes. I had come around the side of the building when I saw them near the other end. They were wobbling a little like they were drunk. They were standing there talking and smoking. One of them threw his cigarette down and they didn't notice the building had started burning till there was a good sized flame. When I saw the building start to catch I started walking toward them, but I had to go slowly because I didn't know if they had guns and drunk gunmen are very dangerous. When they noticed the flame they let it go because they were mad at us for an event that happened earlier in the week. One of their family had died. So you see it was partly an accident and you can't blame drunkards for not thinking strait. Now that you know what happened do you need the names?"
"I guess we don't. But you better warn these people not to do it again or next time I will get names and it will go on their permanent record."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir."
"Don't mention it," said the policeman as he walked off.
"You handled that very well, Ben," Daniel told him, "I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks big brother. I learned it from the best. Now," he said, turning to me, "Why were you out of your room when I came in?"
"Well, I was ... rescued I guess you could say, by someone and they told me the building was on fire, but I told them I had to go back and tell you guys because you had been really nice to me and I sort of wasn't finished with you yet. I still had something that I had to tell you."
"And what was it that you had to tell us?"
"That Jesus died for you and you can have a whole new life in Him and becoming a Christian is as easy as A B C. I have a responsibility to tell you this, but it is your choice. You decide if you want to follow Him or not. But let me tell you, it's worth it. You get such a feeling of peace from surrendering it all to Him and nothing will ever be able to hurt you again. It will be like being invincible. It's like, you give Him your heart and soul and nothing will be able to kill you. And the best part is that He loves you no matter what you do. He loves you right now, even if you don't love Him. He loves you even when you do wrong; He may not like what you do, but He will always love you. He loves you so much He sent His only son to die for your sins so that you didn't have to. All you have to do is Acknowledge that you have sinned, Believe that Jesus can save you, and Confess your sins to God. It's that simple. All you have to do is believe... and let go of your worries. You will never have to worry again because you will know, without a doubt, that God is in charge and will work everything for good. God always wins."
After that big speech I took a breath. I looked at their faces and saw that what I said had made them think. I didn't quite know how those words came to me, but I had a feeling I had some help. I had to say one more thing before I was finished. "Will you consider what I've said?"
Ben looked at me and said, "We certainly will. You have spoken with us so sincerely and honestly that we would be very rude not to. But can you prove the Bible is true?"
"Sure. Just give me some time and I could get enough info to fill a book. One thing though, could I go see my family tonight? They live close by so I could walk there. I would really like to see them."
"We'll take you there. No one will be coming back here tonight. In fact you can stay there. I think we can trust you now not to tell anyone. Would it be OK with you if we met your family," Daniel asked with a friendly look on his face.
"Sure. I think you'll like them." Everyone who had been with me in the building got into the car. It was a good thing they had a limo cause even a van would have been a little crowded. Before going to my uncle's house they dropped off the others. Only Daniel and Ben were going with me. I told them my uncle's address and we were soon pulling up to his door. We got out and walked up to the door. I knocked, hoping that both adults were home. I heard little feet running up to the door and it opened, showing my youngest cousin Lacey. She glanced at us then shut the door. I heard her running away and yelling, "Momma. There are three men at the door." I explained to my companions who she was and in a moment Aunt Nancy opened the door.
She stood there for a moment before hugging me and saying, "Robby. We were so worried about you. All of a sudden your uncle and I felt the need to pray and we have company over so it kind of turned into a prayer meeting. Oh, come in. Come in. Who are your friends?"
"These are the people who were taking care of me. Aunt Nancy this is Daniel and his brother Ben. I think I know why you felt the need to pray. There was a fire in the building I was in this evening. I also had a visitor. But I'll tell the whole story when everyone is together. Is everyone in the living room?"
"Yes. Do you want to come in with me?"
"Go on ahead. We'll follow in a minute." When she had left I turned to my two companions. "Is it all right if I tell them everything that happened? If I tell them to keep it a secret they won't tell anyone. Or would you rather I not tell them what happened?"
"You would keep what happened from your family just for us," Daniel asked with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Yes. You showed your reasons to be valid and good and you took very good care of me so I trust you." Ben looked at me and I could see he was proud of me and amazed at me. Daniel thought for a moment.
"I trust you as well. You have proven yourself to me. You may tell your family to keep what you tell them a secret." I looked to him with gratitude. I was so grateful to him.
I led them into the living room and after greeting and hugging my family I made introductions. The visiting family were my uncle's neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Terry. They had two sons and a daughter who were with them. When everyone had been introduced I heard someone enter the room. I turned around and there was Denise. I stood there surprised for a moment, then I smiled.
"Hi, Denise. Why are you here?"
"I came with my uncle and aunt. I wanted to hear if there was any news from you. Are you really all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine. I was well taken care of. Would you all like to hear the story?" My two littlest cousins were jumping up and down and clapping and yelling Story! Story! Story!. I took Denise's hand and we sat down on one of the couches. "You two will want to hear this as well. When everyone was settled I started. I started from the time I had seen the shooting (and I explained that it was to be a secret) and I told them everything that happened up to when we had come to the door. When I told them about Ravenangel there wasn't a sound in the room. But then Lacey told me she had seen the exact same angel a little while before my two companions and I had come to the door. She said the angel had told her that I would be coming, but she hadn't recognized me because she had only been one when I had visited last time. When all of my story was finished everyone started talking and laughing and everyone said they were glad to see me.
I turned to Denise and asked, "Are you glad to see me?"
"I'll tell you later," she said with a teasing look on her face. Daniel and Ben talked for a little while with my uncle and aunt before saying they had to go.
"My wife will want to know what happened. Robby could we visit you tomorrow with Cora? She won't like it that she didn't get to say good-bye to you."
"Sure." I told them as I walked them to the door. "Tell her she can visit me any time she likes while I am here. I have about a month left before I leave."
"Thank you, Robby. Good night." And they were gone. When I turned from the closed door I came face to face with Denise. She was trying to hide a smile but it wasn't working.
"I told you I would tell you later if I was glad to see you," she said. "I think now is later enough. Does this answer your question?" And she gave me a big hug. I was still recovering from the shock of being hugged when she whispered in my ear, "I hope that angel wasn't too pretty," then she ran back into the living room.
I stood there for a moment staring after her. Then I smiled. I followed her example and returned to the living room.
0 0 0 0 0 0 The remainder of my stay was divided between visiting with my relatives and visiting my new friends, but I didn't mind. I was glad I had met them. I was especially glad I had met Denise because I found out that she was going to Italy at the same time as I was. It was suggested by certain knowing people that we travel together and that way we would be able to help each other and get to know one another at the same time. Denise and I thought it was a very good idea and arranged it right away. Cora came to visit and made a new friend in Lacey who was only one year younger than her. Those two and Denise and I had some very interesting conversations. Little children should never be underestimated. They are always smarter than you think. Daniel and Ben, after thoroughly thinking through everything that had happened while I was with them, decided to become Christians. Daniel's wife, after seeing how seriously Daniel took this new decision, came and asked me to explain it all to her. She also became a Christian. Just in case you were wondering, Denise was already a Christian and she said what happened made her so glad she was on the winning team. When Denise and I were getting ready to board the ship we were taking to Europe everyone was there to see us off. Lacey, who was very sad to see her new friends leave, asked her parents if Denise and I were getting married. We all laughed at that as Aunt Nancy explained to her that we were only going to visit someone and we would be back at the end of summer. She brightened up at that because she knew her birthday was at the end of summer.
"Well, you better bring me back a present," she yelled as we climbed onboard. We could hear everyone laughing and then the boat's horn went off. Everyone started waving and yelling good-byes. Just before their faces became blurry I saw a wave of dark hair and a flash of lightning face. I turned to Denise.
"Did you see that? The dark hair and the face?" She turned to me with a surprised look on her face.
"I thought I was seeing things." Our gazes held and we smiled. We turned back to continue waving till the bodies on the pier had melted together.
Our trip to Italy was very exciting, but that is for another day.
THE END