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Chapter 6: First Day On the Job

"Come on, Karen. Let's get out of here. This place is creeping me out." Jack said. Karen laughed, "Yeah. This place is kind of weird at night." They stood up and walked out into the night air.

Karen shivered and Jack slapped his forehead. "I'll be right back." He ran back into the church.

Jack quickly ran to the pew Karen and he had been sitting in and grabbed Karen's coat off of it. He stole one more glance at the goddess statue and froze. The once lifeless eyes of the statue, now, glowed red.

Jack's breaths came in short and fast. As fear overtook his body, the eyes seemed to glow brighter. Finally, Jack blinked a few times and when he stopped, the eyes were, once again, gray as the stone they were made out of.

Ann could speak. She could say a single thing. She didn't know why, but the things Cliff said just made sense. Now that she thought about it anyway. Finally, "How . . . why do you . . . think this was real?" She asked meaning the vision. Cliff smiled, "Too many coincidences. How can you think that I had this vision and then went to a church, conveniently called Road to Damascus, and the pastor ended up preaching on Paul–er . . . Saul. He changed his name to Paul shortly after this event. It can't be fake. And plus, I'd like to think that I am sane." He paused for a moment. "Although I may not act like it sometimes." He added with a laugh.

Ann looked into the caring eyes of Cliff and, at that moment, she knew that this was the real deal. "How–how would I . . . do it?"

Jack burst from the church as fast as he could and finally came to a stop in front of Karen. "Why'd you have to go back in there?" She asked. Jack held up her jacket. Karen's eyes widened, "You got my jacket for me?" Jack nodded. "I grabbed it on my way out of the bar." Karen looked at the jacket for a moment and fought the urge to wrench it out of Jack's hand. Instead, she took it from his hands gently and put it on . She looked back at Jack and smiled. "Thanks . . ." She said quietly. Jack just smiled back.


Cliff's eyes widened. Does she mean . . . ? "Pray?" He asked quietly. Ann nodded slowly. Cliff let in a sharp intake of air and let it out slowly. He began shaking. So many emotions were racing through his mind, he didn't know where to start. Finally, he spoke again. "Ann. I want you to repeat after me." Ann nodded. Cliff breathe deeply and began, "Jesus." Ann repeated it. "For so long I have ignored you, but now I finally know the truth. I know that you died so that I could live, and I know that you were resurrected three days later. I thank you for willing to do that for me, a sinner. I ask that you come into my heart now. Fill me up until I am overflowing with your love and peace. Forgive me of my sins, O Lord. And help me to resist them in the future. In your holy name, Jesus, Amen."

Ann looked up at Cliff, "Is that it?" Cliff nodded, "That's it." Ann frowned, "No ceremony? Nothing special at all?" Cliff shook his head, "Unless you want that, no, there is none. Why?" Ann frowned again, "Well, when we prayed the prayer of commitment to the . . . goddess, we had to do all kinds of weird things. Including a blood oath and a big ceremony." Cliff was angered slightly by this, "A blood oath?" Ann nodded, "Yeah. They'd ##### your hand and draw some blood to right your name with it on a big scroll which has all the names of the people who did the ceremony. See?" Ann held up her hand. Cliff could, just barely, see the scar on her finger where they had pricked her. Cliff sighed, "Nope. No ceremony, although there is baptism, but that's not required, and especially no blood oath. Jesus took care of all that on the cross. Our names were written with His blood."

Tears began to well up in Ann's eyes. "Thank you, Cliff." She said in a near whisper. Cliff smiled, "It's my job to do this. Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority under heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this–that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'." Cliff said with rehearsed precision. Ann looked at him in confusion, "Matthew?" Cliff smiled, "Matthew. First of the four Gospels in the Bible. First book of the New Testament." Ann stared at him, still confused, but before she could ask anymore, there was the sound of the front door opening.

Ann looked at Cliff, "We'll continue this tomorrow, okay?" Cliff smiled and nodded.

Karen peered into the room and saw Cliff and Ann sitting next to each other. She smiled and called back to Jack, who was walking back to his farm, "Jack! Cliff's still here!" Jack spun around immediately and walked back toward the house.

Ann was surprised when Jack stepped through the doorway, "Jack! You managed to convince Karen to come home?" Jack smiled, "Yeah. You have no idea what I had to– oof!" Karen elbowed Jack in the gut to silence him. "Duke 'suspended' me until I get better." Karen said.


Ann looked at the two quizzically. There was no arguing. No angry looks. In fact, both of them seemed to be beaming. Well, Jack was beaming. Karen was just barely smiling. Still, after being kicked out of the bar, Ann figured she'd be furious. Something must have happened on the way home that made her happy. She looked at the joyful Jack. And there it is . . .

"Bye, Cliff! Bye, Jack!" Ann shut the door quietly and leaned against the door frame. She sighed and Karen, who was sitting in a chair, raised an eyebrow. Ann blushed slightly, "Don't give me that look, Karen. It's not what you think." Karen laughed, "Right." She said sarcastically. Ann wanted so much to tell Karen everything. But she knew she couldn't, not yet. She didn't know why, but there was something stopping her. Something that told her that it wasn't time, that she wasn't experienced enough yet. That she didn't know enough to properly tell others what she had learned.

Ann sighed heavily, "I'm going to get ready for bed." Karen nodded curtly and stared into the burning embers of the fireplace.

Jack nudged Cliff while they walked back to Jack's house, "You looked like you were getting pretty cozy with Ann on the couch." Cliff reddened. "I . . . uh . . . You got it all wrong, Jack." Jack just grinned, "Uh-huh. Sure I do." Cliff frowned. He actually did have it wrong . . . didn't he?

Ann walked into her room and sat down on her bed. She sighed, "What will happen now? I have this brand new life. What now?" A small statue of the goddess caught her eye. "Got to get rid of that first." She said with a smile.

Ann walked over to the statue and picked it up. She turned to the window beside her and opened it. She took one last look at the statue and smiled. "A new beginning. Away with the old, in with the new." She chucked the stone statue out the window and it landed with a thud about ten feet away.

Once again, Jack walked through the meadow late at night. He was heading toward the same spot as last time. Once again, he heard the two voices. He hid back down in the bush and listened . . .

This time, the women's voice was full of fury, and Jack had no problem hearing the two. "We underestimated the newcomer. He's stronger than we thought. Already, he has won one over to his side. We have to stop him soon before he wins another." The man seemed to tremble when he spoke, "How can we do this?" The woman was silent for a moment. Finally, "I don't care how it's done. As long as it is done! I don't care if you poison him, shoot him, or push him off the mountain! Just kill him!" The woman's had changed to the deeper voice by now. "But . . . if I do it in an obvious way, my cover could be blown! They could figure out that I killed Jack!" Jack's eyes widened in anger and he stood, ready to go avenge his grandfather. But, as soon as he stood, he found he couldn't move. No matter how hard he tried, Jack just couldn't move. He couldn't speak either. Just as he couldn't blink or breathe. He didn't suffocate, and his eyes didn't burn. No, he felt nothing.

Jack realized that this was all a dream. Just a figment of his active imagination. He relaxed slightly. Just a dream . . . right? Jack wondered. His thoughts were stopped as the woman spoke again. "We have to stop him soon. He's living with the grandson. If he can fool the grandson into going to their side, all that we have worked for is in danger. He is neutral right now. He doesn't know or care about either. We have to find a way to bring him over to our side."


Jack, once again, woke up sweating. What is up with these dreams? He asked no one.

Jack looked around his home and noticed that Cliff wasn't there. "That's weird. We didn't have any work today . . . Where could he be?"

"Okay. Let's get started." Cliff said. Ann just nodded. Cliff opened a book that said Holy Bible on the side of it. "I guess you should learn about Jesus first. I only told you the basics of the basics yesterday. We'll start with Matthew and hopefully, we'll finish it today. It's pretty long compared to some of the other New Testament books, but I think we can manage." He said. Ann nodded once again and looked down at the book that lay open in Cliff's lap.

Cliff began reading, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ . . . um . . . we can skip this part. It's just Jesus' genealogy. It'll be pointless to read if you don't know the prophesies concerning it. By the way, if you don't understand something, tell me. I haven't finished the entire Bible yet, but I know enough. Anyway, let's start here." Cliff pointed at a place on the same page and, together, they read.

Jack sighed heavily as he looked at his farm. It was completely overridden with weeds and such. "Time to get started . . ." Jack walked back into his house and grabbed some tools from the large toolbox inside.

Jack walked back outside and popped his knuckled. "Let's get started."

" . . . And Jesus told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority under heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this–that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.'" Cliff closed the Bible with a smile. Ann had tears in her eyes. "So. Jesus did all of that? He . . . died like that? For . . . us?" Cliff nodded, "Yep." Ann frowned, "How . . . how are we supposed to believe it? I mean, that book was written so many years ago. How do we know that it is completely true? How do we even know that Jesus even existed?" Cliff smiled, "Jesus did live. It's a historical fact. Just as it is a historical fact that Jesus died on a cross. And finally, it is a historical fact that there, still to this day, is no indication where Jesus disappeared to after three days. Some say that the disciples stole him away. But where did they take him? And if it was like that, how did five hundred people see him alive at one time? That's something that usually doesn't happen involving a dead man."

Jack pulled yet another handful of weeds out of the ground. He stood up and wiped the sweat off his brow.

Jack smiled at what he had finished. He had finished a good chunk out of his field and was ready to do some planting. He walked out of his farm in search of the Seed Shop.

"I feel so . . . weak. I've only been a Christian for a day and already I have doubts." Ann said sadly. Cliff smiled, "It's okay. That's what the Holy Spirit is for—reassurance, comfort, joy." Ann nodded. "I guess." Cliff grinned, "Trust me! It will all work out." Cliff's grin transformed Ann's uneasiness to happiness.


"By the way. Is there a place where we can buy a Bible around here?" Cliff asked. Ann frowned, "No. There isn't. But I think I know where we might find one. Follow me." And with that, Ann ran out of the house in the direction of the mountain.

Jack walked through the door into a room that smelled of many types of flowers. He caught sight of an older woman, maybe in her mid-forties, with hair even more fiery than Ann's standing behind a counter. "Hello! And who might you be?" She called out when Jack entered.

Jack walked over to her. "I'm Jack. You're... Lillia, right?" Lillia seemed to recognize Jack. "Oh yes! You're Jack's grandson, right? I'm Lillia." She said, ignoring everything Jack had said. Jack smiled, "Yeah. That's right. I'm here to buy some seeds."

Lillia smiled, "I want to give you something." She reached below the counter and produced a large sprinkler. Jack looked at her in confusion. Lillia smiled again, "Your grandfather asked me to give you one of our extra sprinklers." Jack looked at her, his confusion growing. "But, it wasn't in the—." Lillia cut him off, "I know it wasn't in the will. Jack asked me to give it to you while he was on… his deathbed." She rushed through the last part of her sentence as if it hurt just to say those words. By the look on her face, Jack guessed that it probably did hurt to say that.

"He asked you to do that when he was still… alive? How did he know that I would be taking over the farm?" Lillia just shrugged and handed Jack the sprinkler.

Cliff and Ann climbed the large tree and jumped onto the path that led up the mountain. Cliff gasped in as much air as he could. "Why… haven't they… finished that bridge?" He asked in between breaths. Ann shrugged, "You're the one who works for the carpenter. Why don't you ask him?" Cliff straightened and made a mental note to do just that the next day he worked.

"So, where are you taking me?" Cliff asked as the two scaled the mountain further. Ann smiled, "I wanted to show you something." Cliff stopped, "How does this involve getting you a Bible?" Ann spun around to face him. "You'll find out when we get there! Now, come on!" She snapped. Cliff rolled his eyes and made another mental note. Don't get Ann mad… Ever.

Jack smiled as he saw that the sprinkler worked great. It had three spinning nozzles that rose up and down to water a large range of crop space. Jack's smile turned into laughter as he saw Taco's reaction to the sprinkler. Running away from it as fast as his little Chihuahua legs could run. Thunder, who was grazing, didn't mind the water at all…

Cliff gaped in awe at the building in front of him. It was covered with years worth of dust and vines of some sort, but he could easily see what the building was. It was a church. The cross at the top of the semi-tall spire gave it away. Not to mention the sign that read, Cornerstone Christian Church.

Cliff looked at Ann, excitement shone in his brown eyes. "I figured you'd like it." She said with a laugh. Cliff grinned and delicately stepped into the church.

Cliff coughed harshly at the dust-filled air inside the church. Above him, birds of some sort fluttered about in the rafters. He felt and saw a white glob of… something fall on his shoulder. He grimaced, brushing it off quickly.

Inside the church were a few rows of wooden pews. There were ten pews in all. Plain windows decorated the walls. Most of them were broken, as if someone had deliberately broken them. The baseball in front of one of the shattered windows confirmed Cliff's suspicions.

At the opposite wall was the altar. It was a simple platform that was maybe half a foot above the rest of the ground. The pulpit was in pieces. A few of the pews were in bad shape too. But Cliff saw none of the damage. No, the only thing he saw was potential.

Jack smiled at his progress. He had managed to seed part of his yard and now the sprinkler was working overtime because of the sweltering heat. He looked at the sun's position and noticed that it was already beginning to lower behind the mountain. "That late already?" Jack asked in bewilderment. He looked around his field. What now? He wondered.

Karen limped around Ann's house, wondering what she could do. "Where is Ann? She's been gone all day!" Just then, there was a light rapping at the front door to the guesthouse. Karen glared at the door as it had just introduced itself as Satan. She was not in the mood for more pitying villagers today. They'd been coming by all. day. long. She couldn't take much more of it!

The door swung open and Karen was surprised to find herself looking into Jack's brown eyes. He had, in his hand, a bouquet of flowers. Instead of yelling at him in frustration, as she had planned to do to whomever was at the door, she just looked at him in confusion.

"Hi. Can I… come in?" He asked timidly. Karen snapped out of her funk, "You aren't here to pity me, are you?" Jack smiled, "'Course not. I'm just dropping by to see if Cliff's around." Karen eyed the flowers. "Oh… You are, are you?" Jack figured out where she was looking and he blushed. "Okay, I came to see you too. But part of my reason for being here is because Cliff has been missing all day long!" Karen groaned, "Ann has been gone too! I wonder…" Karen looked at Jack, "You don't think they've been together all day, do you?" Jack thought about it for a moment. "I… don't know… maybe." Jack shrugged, "Oh well. They'll just have to miss out!" Karen raised an eyebrow as Jack held up a hand that held a brown, paper bag.

Karen almost squealed when Jack removed the contents of the bag. The first thing he set on the table was a very-berry pie straight from the ovens at the bakery. She couldn't care less about whatever else he brought. Her eyes never left the pie.

"I hope you like chicken." Jack said while peering into the bag to see if he had forgotten anything. "If not, I always have… Karen?" Jack watched in confusion as Karen's eyes never left the pie. Jack smiled and picked up the pie, placing it back in the bag. "Not until after dinner." Karen frowned and sighed, "What are we having?"

Karen picked at her salad while Jack ate multiple pieces of chicken. Finally, Karen gave up on her salad and watched in amusement as Jack picked up another chicken leg and finished it in record speed.

"Are you just really hungry, or do you always eat like a pig?" She asked with a laugh. Jack looked up at her, a piece of chicken hung out of his mouth. This caused Karen to laugh even harder. Jack shrugged, "I haven't had anything all day. And I started working on the farm today. That's hard work, you know!" Karen smiled and nodded, prompting Jack to continue with his quest for food.

Two chicken wings and one leg later, Jack was full. Karen sighed happily as Jack pulled the very-berry pie back out of the bag. It was Jack's turn to laugh. "Do you like very-berry pie?" He asked as he pulled out a large cutting knife. Karen grinned, "I love very-berry pie… Do you?" Jack shrugged, "Never had it. It was just the first pie I saw."

Cliff rummaged around in the cabinet until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out an old tattered Bible and handed it to Ann. "There you go. One Holy Bible." Ann took it with a smile.

"So, why is this place in such bad shape?" Cliff asked. Ann shrugged, "I don't know. They closed it down when I was really young. I think the pastor died or something."

"And no one replaced him?" Ann shook her head, "No. That's when Pastor Brown came into town and started the other church."

"The one that worships a goddess." Ann nodded. "Yeah. It was all downhill from there. It's strange… Any Christians that were here died soon after that. Jack was the last one… until you came along, that is." Cliff looked at her. "Jack? Oh, Jack's grandfather, Jack." Ann nodded again.

Cliff looked thoughtful. "They all just died off, huh?" Ann was silent for a moment, "Yeah. They all seemed to die from some incurable disease. It was like old age, but teenagers don't die from old age!" Cliff looked at her. "Teenagers?! You're right, teenagers don't die from old age… Do you think that they were killed?" Ann didn't answer…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- R&R!!!

God Bless!

--Ben