Rags to Riches
Chosen Children #1
written by Jessika N Pearson
October 6-13, 2012
Hi, my name's Dane. You know that verse in the Bible, something about the least being greatest? Well I never went to a Sunday school and I ain't sure exactly what that means, but I guess God invented rags-to-riches stories before anybody else. Anyhow, He musta wrote mine.
DANE
Who's that lady? And anyhow, what's she doing here? I mean, she's rich. Hang on, she actually looks kinda familiar...
Travis. Travis, wake up. Travis! Does she look familiar to you? That lady over there.
TRAVIS
Mmm, why'd you have to wake me up for? Oh. Um, you mean that rich girl over there? I dunno. Can I go back to sleep now? I was in the middle of an awful good dream ya know.
DANE
Um, yeah. Sure.
ALLIE
Hey Dane, what's up? Hey Travis.
TRAVIS
So much for sleeping.
DANE
Hi Allie. Do you recognize that lady over there?
ALLIE
yeah, sure. She's from that new movie everyone's been talking about.
DANE
Oh, right. Um, you sure?
ALLIE
Yup, that's her alright.
DANE
Well it's awful weird her being here if she is. I mean, why would anyone wanna come to this dump of a street, forget about her.
ALLIE
I'm gonna go say hi and find out.
DANE
Sure you are.
ALLIE
Yup.
DANE
You can't do that!
ALLIE
Why not?
DANE
Um, I dunno. She's rich. Ain't it against the rules or something?
ALLIE
What rules?
DANE
I don't know. It just is somehow.
ALLIE
Well who cares about that? Besides, she's here. Isn't that against the rules too?
So Allie went and talked to her. I guess I'd have to admit I'm glad she did. I don't know what they said—all Allie would tell me is that she really liked her and that her name was Kaitey—but she came back next morning and told us to come with her, Allie and Travis and me. So we went.
ALLIE
Where do ya think she's taking us?
TRAVIS
I dunno, but it's too early. Besides, I'm hungry. Maybe she'll get us something to eat.
ALLIE
Seriously, Travis, is that all you ever think about?
TRAVIS
Maybe.
ALLIE
*rolls eyes*
DANE
Hey Allie, look at that.
ALLIE
Wow. You don't think...
DANE
Yeah. Sure looks like it.
TRAVIS
Whoa. That house is...huge.
ALLIE
It's beautiful.
Miss Kaitey took us in that house sure 'nough. And, yeah, she fed us too. Was the best breakfast I'd ever had. Then she started talking to us. She said Allie had told her we were orphans and that, yeah, we lived on that street she found us on. Said she was gonna do something about that. Then her husband came home, and she told us to stay in the other room until she said to come out. They talked for a few minutes, then she had us meet him. He was nice enough, anyhow. Told us we could call him Nate.
Anyway, it was Saturday. Miss Kaitey took us shopping, bought us some nice clothes. She'd told us she was gonna take us to church tomorrow, if we'd stay with her tonight. But forget about the "if"—I mean, who'd pass up a soft bed in a warm house and hot meals for a cold street and some restaurant's leftovers anyhow?
So next day we got dressed up and went to church with Nate and Miss Kaitey. We met some people, sang, listened to the sermon. Actually, I enjoyed it. Then we went back to her house and had lunch.
They had us stay with them all week. We had an awful good time. Then that Friday they asked us something.
NATE
So, how would you all like to live here?
ALLIE
Whadoya mean?
KAITEY
We'd like to adopt you.
ALLIE
Really?
KAITEY
Yes, really.
ALLIE
Oh, we'd absolutely love that!
TRAVIS
We'd always get to sleep in those beds, and go to church with you guys every Sunday? And we'd get to eat whatever we want, whenever we want it?
KAITEY
Pretty much.
TRAVIS
Awesome!
NATE
What about you, Dane?
DANE
Um—
ALLIE
Oh, say yes, Dane!
DANE
Well...
ALLIE
Please?!
DANE
Okay.
Just like that. They became part of us, our family. 'Course, not legal right then; it took a while for all that. But nobody cared.
Remember I said that first Sunday, Miss Kaitey took us to church? Well, they sang this song. We couldn't remember what it was at first, but Allie found it in an old hymn book Miss Kaitey had.
My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full—He has riches untold.
My Father's own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered o'er earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning forever on high,
And will give me a home in heav'n by and by.
I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice and an alien by birth;
But I've been adopted, my name's written down—
An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.
A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They're building a palace for me over there!
Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing:
All glory to God, I'm a child of the King!
I'm a child of the King,
A child of the King;
With Jesus my Savior,
I'm a child of the King!
That's our favorite hymn now. It's ours. It was written for us, it musta been. The last two verses, that's our story. But whoever wrote that song don't even know we exist.
See? I told you. God really did write our rags-to-riches story, didn't He?