by: nita dee
disclaimer: the replacements are owned by dan santat and walt disney productions
chapter seven: in the valley of the shadow of death
after k was returned to her cell and her chains re-established the british intelligence agent sat quietly in the darkness and thought about what she had seen on her outing.
a boy was dead because of her pride and arrogance. oh why didn't she just play it cool and keep her mouth shut? had she not learned in spy school in a class taught by her own mother agent b that when in captivity a person must remain humble and obedient at all times?
k had been frightened and horrified by all she had heard and seen
and as a result she did what she always did when she was frightened.
she had fought back. and now a boy was dead because of it. a little
boy..not unlike her beloved toddy. a little boy who reminded her of
jacobo, who would come in for a glass of water and just stare at k as
she attempted to make dinner back home. jacobo had a crush on k and
everyone knew it.
k would never see jacobo again. or her own children, todd and riley. or her husband dick. or her parents. or anyone who had ever meant anything to her in her life.
she would sit alone in the darkness until the trap door opened again
and a guard led her to her execution the next day. the only closure
her family would receive would be an official notice of her execution.
there would probably be a memorial service and a marker placed in her
memory. and eventually her memory would be as forgotten as her body
given to the wild beasts of the jungle as food.
"ashes to ashes, dust to dust.." k mused softly to herself.
k's left arm began to spasm and the pain shot through her body and she cried out.
"forget the elephant!" she said aloud bitterly. "they've bloody well cruxified me this week in this cell."
then k remembered something. the past spring, the family had attended an easter musical at their church about the death and resurrection of jesus christ. it had an profound impact on k as she remembered the songs and the dramatic acting of several of the other church members. todd had sang a solo of "when i survey the wonderous cross" as riley had played her violin. it was a beautiful moment and both dick and k had never been prouder of their children.
jesus christ had been in her shoes, k thought. he faced a horrid
execution and he wasn't ready to die either. but he died with dignity,
humility and grace.
k nodded her head and began to pray.
"dear lord, please forgive me of my sins and allow me to die as your son did. allow me the grace..the dignity..and yes, yes..the humility to face my own death tomorrow. if it is in your will..please allow it all to happen quickly with very little pain." k prayed.
k's prayer continued.
"lord, be with todd and riley. let them overcome the loss of yet another parent and guide their footsteps upon the right path as they mature into adulthood and beyond." k prayed.
then k thought of dick and tears formed in her eyes. dick, her bumbling sweetheart. her giant of a man who may have not been all that smart but had an abundance of heart and loved her like no one else ever had. her death would devastate dick.
"lord, please also be with my beloved dick. he's sensitive and this will break his heart. please lord, give him the strength to get through all of this and in time lord, please send another woman into his life not so much to take my place but to be his help mate and his friend as well as his lover. if ever there was any man in creation who needed a wife, it is dick daring." k prayed as she remembered how passionate dick was with every aspect of his life.
"lord, be with my parents. they've had another loss this week as well having lost our beloved carter in the accident. after the bitterness passes, please remind both of them that both carter and myself perished in the service of our queen and country and let this be a comfort to them." k prayed.
k then prayed "the lord's prayer" and recited the 23rd psalm from memory. she also thought of several other bible passages and went through some of the songs they had sung in church. it was as if k daring was conducting her own funeral in her mind as a way of comfort.
when at last k finished praying, she looked up at the trap door and night had fallen. the pain in her arm had subsided and she was able to rest her head on the wall behind her and get some sleep.
when k's eyes opened again, it was daylight again. k spent
the morning in prayer and revisiting happy memories of her life.
soon the trap door opened again and the ladder returned with a guard
climbing down it to unchain k and escort her to her execution.
k stood erect with her head held high and a slight smile on her face as she exited the cell and began the walk to the arena where the elephant was waiting for her.
