Finding The Truth
Copyright pending 2003
By. Cdgrn1 codegrn@bellsouth.net

"Who would like to serve Seth, the eastern god." a man said to a group of young teenagers. This man was wearing a dark red shirt and a blue and gold cape holding a staff that had a red stone in it. He was in an old ruined down town that was full of life and he continued, "Seth is the strongest god among all the many gods. Who will challenge me and get a red stone for there fighting staff?".
One boy wearing deferent shades of green and talking with some others yelled out "I will!".
The man walk over to this young boy, pushing every one else down. He grabbed the boy by his coat and through him about 10 feet. The boy looked up after being through to see the man's red stone in his staff glowing red, fading slowly.
The man turned his back and started walking away from the boy and mumbled, "Is this all this town has to give."
The crowed followed him and the boy could make out shots of "Please don't leave. He was just one out of hundreds!" and things to that sort.
The boy gat up, dusting his self off and turned to see a younger man. This man was dressed like any other person. He had brown and dirty clothes with an old cape.
The man said, "My name is Alex. What is your name?".
The boy still out of breath replied, "Matthew. My name is Matthew".
Alex putting his hand around Matthew and turning to walk away with him said, "You look special. Yes you are special. How would you like to have a special stone for you staff?'.
Matthew in shock managed to get out "Just tell me what I have to do!".
As they walk down between two tall buildings Alex laughed "Nothing, but what I would like you to do is take this book", he pulled out a book from his shirt and stretched out his arm and finished, "read it every day and do what it says." Alex, before Matthew grabbed the book, opened the book to a page and with his other had put a clear stone in where it was opened to and shut the book. Then placed it in Matthews hand.
Matthew looked down for a few second at the book and when he looked up to thank the man he was gone. Shocked at this the boy looked around and all he saw was a dark and empty alley. Then he remembered the stone and he opened the book and placed it on the ground taking the stone to put in his staff. When he did the staff glowed white. This was odd because there was no god that had a clear stone or glowed white. Then after thinking for a few seconds to see if he over look any gods, he looking down and read a few lines of the book where the stone was. Not understanding this he said, "Yes I believe!".
It would take Matthew six years to understand the book and to truly believe what it said. With following the book he had a hard time growing up. Unlike any one else he only fought if he had to and he never killed which was uncommon among the land. He was quiet and shy. He obeyed the book and tried to get others to but to no means.
Then one day at the beginning of the seventh year on the same day he got his book making him 23. The man with the red stone came with four other men who also had red stones and dressed the same way. The men started, with no reason, taking there staffs and with waves of energy destroying every thing.
Matthew was scared not because he couldn't bet them, but because he could. Confused and with unknown fillings he ran out of town. He hid for three days in the woods about four miles out side town. During that time he reading his book and thought of things he could do to stop the men with out showing how strong he was.
He finally made his mind up to go back to town. When he return he found ever person and every animal killed. He ran to his house, which had been burred down, to find his parents killed in the front yard. Seeing this and with tears in his eyes, his anger flowed through him and in to his staff making it glow white. The grass and dirt was blowing away from him as if some one had dropped a small stone in a pond where he stood. Then some one put his hand on his shoulder. He turn to see Alex standing there.
Alex said, "I'm sorry about what happened here! Why didn't you stop them? Why did you run and hid?"
Matthew was speechless as the two just looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Matthew fell down crying saying, "I don't know. I don't know. What if I lost. What would my friends think of me if I won. They always thought I was weak. Now I have no friends there all dead. Why did this happen. Why?".
Alex bent down and patted him on the back and telling him "Get up and go west you will find new friends and get a family. Yes go. You will be blessed. Don't forget to read the book. Don't be scared to fight when you need to."
After a few seconds Matthew rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked around to find Alex gone again. With the smell of burning wood and the uneasy filling he had he turned and look at the setting sun and wondered. Then dropped his head in the dirt and cried again.
Staying in the town for a week to bury loved ones and to get the supplies he need to travel to the next town which was about two weeks jury, he finally headed west. After just two days of no stop walking, not even stopping to rest, he came across a camp fire with a younger man that looked a bit older than him. Standing about 10 feet from the camp yelling through some trees he said, "My name is Matthew. I mean you no harm. Can I stay by your fire?"
The man replied, "My name is Sal. You can stay for one night for one gold nugget ($100). If you don't have any thing then move on."
Matthew only had a few gold nuggets and was hoping to get some more supplies with them, but after a few minutes of think he mumbled to his self, "I can afford to give him just one." Then he reached it to his bag that was hanging from his shoulder and pulled out one gold nugget. He held out his had and walk closer to the man as he stepped over small shrubs and thorns. After placing it in Sal's hand.
Sal said, "Put your things over there and remember just one night. The sun is going down now so I will be going to bed soon. I expect silence from you and nothing more." Matthew nodded his head to agree with him.
Matthew and Sal stayed there for a few days before they moved on. By this time they where both good friends and Sal agreed to go west with Matthew and help him with his journey. They traveled for three weeks. The first week was through a deep forest and didn't meet any thing. The next two week was through a hot desert and again they didn't meet any thing. By this time this was odd and unusual, because this time of year people moved and traveled for the great gathering. Nether of the two men really new what the great gathering was but both had heard about it. Finally when the sun was setting on the last day of the third week they sow a small town on the horizon about a day away.
They mad camp and Sal asked about Matthew's book. Sal asked, "I have been reading your book. I have never read a book like that! Is it true?"
All Matthew could say was, "Yes, Its true I place my life on it."
Sal nodded his head and laid down and looked up at the sky and said, "Good. I need to read more of it."
The Two days later the men entered the town to find nothing. Just as Matthews town was destroyed and every one killed sp was this one.
Sal said, "By the looks of it this was done months ago!"
Matthew with tears in his eye blurted out, "How is doing this? Why are we to late? How are we going to make it the next town is four more weeks away? Why? Why?"
Sal calmly said, "Its ok. If you rest your life on this book like I do now. Then This God Will give us what we need. Yes I believe!"
Matthew look at Sal and felt joy run from his feet to his head and all he did was smile. The men made camp in the middle of town by a few trees that where left standing. After the sun was down and they got there beds mad and there things put away for the night Matthew laid down on his back and look at a tree. After a few minutes he sow a squirrel run up the side of the tree and he thought to his self, "What could this mean?."
He was interrupted by a loud noise that sounded like a tree being cut down. Standing up on his feet he looked around. He sow a tree laying on the ground and a young lady standing there holding a staff with a gold and blue swirled stone in it. Even though her face was hidden by all the dirt that was on her, Matthew mumbled, "She is so breath taking."
Sal replied, "She is ugly as a dog..". By this time Sal was standing by Matthew looking at there staffs laying on the ground about three feet from them.
As the young lady walked over to there staffs she said, "I will take your staffs and all your gold and if you are nice I may give you a fast death."
With this Matthew Closed his eyes and said out loud, "Take every thing, but I will dye for my God and knowing the truth."
The girl started crying and said, "My family is dead I was gone when this happened and know I have no food or any thing for that mater. I have never killed any one please show me mercy."
Sal laughed and walk over and pick his staff up and said, "Join us we are going west. We are running out of food as well, but we have a book", He reached over and took the book from Matthew's pack and continued, "here read some of it and we will go looking for some food. " He opened the book and pointing at a page and handed it to her and said, "This is the best part start here. Oh by the why my name is Sal and my drooling friend is Matthew. What is your name?".