Chapter 04: A dark and stormy night
"Why don't you read it Jack?" chanted the furry little lemurs as they pranced around his house in the dark. "Read it! Read the letter!" they squeaked. One of the lemurs pushed the letter towards Jack.
"Stay Back!" Jack shouted, shaking a stick at them. "I'm warning you." all of a sudden, a surge of fear gripped Jacks body, and he bolted for the front door. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the door. Rather, he hit something where there should not have been anything.
Upon hitting this unknown something, Jack awoke. To his surprise, he found himself on the floor, facing a wall nowhere near the door, and boy did his head hurt. Sighing with relief, Jack stood up and walked over to his bed. It was all a dream. There were no prancing lemurs in his house. Earlier that day, Karen had indeed shown him the lemurs in a cave, that part wasn't a dream. Then, as Jack sat down upon his bed, he saw it. The letter. There was nothing unusual about the letter, it wasn't moving, or breathing, or doing anything else a letter shouldn't do. At that moment, the same feeling of unspeakable dread that Jack had felt in his dream overwhelmed him.
From the very start, Jack feared what that letter may say to him. He knew that it spoke of Jesus, and that's what really scared him. Jesus.
Another clap of thunder sounded outside, and the rain beat down upon the roof even harder than it had before. Glancing at the clock, Jack saw that it was only 11:00. Without hesitating, or even thinking for that matter, Jack got dressed, slipped the letter into a plastic bag, and ran out into the night time down pour.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The path to the church was clearly marked. One of the few paths in this forest, thought Jack. Then, up ahead, Jack saw the white building. It looked as if someone was still inside, much to Jacks relief.
He opened the large, wooden door, and after a moments hesitation, stepped inside. The candle lit interior had a rather warm, cozy atmosphere. "H-hello?" Jack called out as he walked towards the front of the church. He desperately wanted to flee from this place, to get away as fast as it was humanly possible. But there was something that urged him on.
Quietly, the door to the Pastors office opened up as pastor Jake stepped out. "Good evening Jack."
Startled, Jack turned from the cross at the front of the church, to face Pastor Jake. "Hi." Jack noted that Pastor Jake was not wearing his regular suit that he was usually seen in, but rather, he wore a plad shirt, and a pair of jeans.
"What brings you here on such a rainy night?" asked the Pastor as he walked towards Jack.
"Nightmares," Jack responded.
"Hmm. Something tells me it was more than that."
Sighing, Jack removed the fat envelope from the plastic bag. "Your right. It is more than that."
Pastor Jake sat down next to Jack. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I have this letter from my grandfather. Quite frankly, I've been avoiding it."
"Why's that?"
"Well. I'm afraid," Jack stopped when he heard himself say this. Afraid. The word echoed in his mind. As much as he hated to admit it, it was the truth. "I'm afraid of what it might say to me. I know that it speaks of Jesus and."
"Hmm. I see. Your afraid that it will condemn you, and throw your errors in your face."
"No!" retorted Jack. He then sighed and hung his head. "Yes."
The Pastor smiled kindly and warmly at Jack. "Jack, I highly doubt that your grandfather would write a letter to condemn you."
"I know. but as soon as I read the word 'Jesus', I was overwhelmed by, a feeling of dread, if you know what I mean."
"Do you know what I think? I think those feelings of dread are induced by Satan himself."
"Satan?" Jack said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you." Jack said, slipping the letter back into the plastic bag. "I'll see you later, Pastor Jake." And with that, Jack headed towards the door.
Just as Jake was approaching the door, Pastor Jake called out. "Jack." Jack turned to face him. "If you ever need to talk to anyone."
Jack nodded. "Yeah," replied in almost a whisper. He then left the church.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Hello? Mr. Green?" Jack said as looked around Mr. Greens shop. The sun shone through the window, illuminating the place. These were the sort of mornings that Jack lived for. Fresh air from rainfall, a bright, warm sun breathing new life into the world.
Mr. Green stepped out from the back room with a heavy sack full of animal feed. "Ah, hello Jack. How's the ranch?"
"It's slow. I finished up clearing the field yesterday."
"I see. Well, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Your grandpa wasn't able to maintain the place in his later years. I offered to help him when I had the time, but he was a bit too proud. er. no offence intended there Jack. Anyway, what can I do for you?"
"I came here to look into buying a cow."
"We don't sell cows here, at least, not at this time of year," said Mr. Green with a twinkle in his eye.
"What do you mean you don't sell cows? I thought this was a ranch," said Jack in disbelief.
Mr. Green chuckled. "Perhaps I should explain this to you better. A cow is only truly a cow after it has had two calves. Here, we only sell heifers and bulls." Jack was confused. "You see, a heifer is a young, female 'cow'. A bull is a male 'cow'. Understand?"
"I think so. So then, what is a real 'cow'?"
"An actual cow is a heifer that has had two calves, like I said before."
"I see. So, how much does it cost to buy one?" asked Jack.
"Well, I usually charge about $250 for a heifer, and about $400 for a bull. A cow can sell for a lot, all depending on how well it has been raised, and what the market is like. As a general rule, a don't sell full grown cattle here. Usually, I bring them to main land around fall to sell them at the auctions. In fact, that's where most of my revenue comes from," said Mr. Green.
"I see. Well, thank you very much. I'll see you around."
"Not going to buy any cattle then?" asked Mr. Green.
"No, not today. See you later," said Jack as he headed for the door.
"Alright. We'll see you 'round Jack."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Karen inhaled the fresh, moist air as she admired the scenery of the forest, and listened to the beautiful song of the birds. It was the same scenery that she had seen almost every week of her life. Yet she still enjoyed every bit of it. "I wonder." she thought aloud. "I wonder if I'll ever receive a vision from God, like those people in the bible. I know that God still does grant people with visions.or messages." Karen thought back to what her Sunday School teacher had told her many years ago, about how she had heard Gods voice when praying as to where to send her son for schooling. "I wonder, If I ever do receive a vision, what it will tell me. Will it be where to live, if I should go on to a further education, or what Gods opinion is."
At that moment, Karen was more open to the will of God than she had ever been in her entire life, and she heard a voice. It was in her mind, almost in her own voice, but yet it was distinctly Gods voice. It spoke a very simple, yet very clear message. "If you truly love him, you will tell him of me."
Karen knew exactly who the 'him' was that the voice referred to. "Jack."
A/N: Well, how was that for a cliff hanger? Any good? Anyway, I apologize for taking next to forever to get this chapter up. I 'HOPE' that I can get the next one out sooner than this one. You know that last scene in this chapter where Karen gets a message from God? I based that on something that happened to me about a week ago. I did receive the same message from God (with the one exception of the word 'him'. In my case, it was a 'her'.) Anyway, it was a wonderful experience. I won't elaborate much further, because that would take too long. As for the rest of the story, I'm hoping to get my really "hoopy" idea into the next chapter. I can't tell you what it is. Sorry, but that could spoil some of it. Anyway, until next time, God Bless.
P.S. If you like Online Harvest Moon RPGs, take a peek at my profile.
"Why don't you read it Jack?" chanted the furry little lemurs as they pranced around his house in the dark. "Read it! Read the letter!" they squeaked. One of the lemurs pushed the letter towards Jack.
"Stay Back!" Jack shouted, shaking a stick at them. "I'm warning you." all of a sudden, a surge of fear gripped Jacks body, and he bolted for the front door. Unfortunately, he did not make it to the door. Rather, he hit something where there should not have been anything.
Upon hitting this unknown something, Jack awoke. To his surprise, he found himself on the floor, facing a wall nowhere near the door, and boy did his head hurt. Sighing with relief, Jack stood up and walked over to his bed. It was all a dream. There were no prancing lemurs in his house. Earlier that day, Karen had indeed shown him the lemurs in a cave, that part wasn't a dream. Then, as Jack sat down upon his bed, he saw it. The letter. There was nothing unusual about the letter, it wasn't moving, or breathing, or doing anything else a letter shouldn't do. At that moment, the same feeling of unspeakable dread that Jack had felt in his dream overwhelmed him.
From the very start, Jack feared what that letter may say to him. He knew that it spoke of Jesus, and that's what really scared him. Jesus.
Another clap of thunder sounded outside, and the rain beat down upon the roof even harder than it had before. Glancing at the clock, Jack saw that it was only 11:00. Without hesitating, or even thinking for that matter, Jack got dressed, slipped the letter into a plastic bag, and ran out into the night time down pour.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The path to the church was clearly marked. One of the few paths in this forest, thought Jack. Then, up ahead, Jack saw the white building. It looked as if someone was still inside, much to Jacks relief.
He opened the large, wooden door, and after a moments hesitation, stepped inside. The candle lit interior had a rather warm, cozy atmosphere. "H-hello?" Jack called out as he walked towards the front of the church. He desperately wanted to flee from this place, to get away as fast as it was humanly possible. But there was something that urged him on.
Quietly, the door to the Pastors office opened up as pastor Jake stepped out. "Good evening Jack."
Startled, Jack turned from the cross at the front of the church, to face Pastor Jake. "Hi." Jack noted that Pastor Jake was not wearing his regular suit that he was usually seen in, but rather, he wore a plad shirt, and a pair of jeans.
"What brings you here on such a rainy night?" asked the Pastor as he walked towards Jack.
"Nightmares," Jack responded.
"Hmm. Something tells me it was more than that."
Sighing, Jack removed the fat envelope from the plastic bag. "Your right. It is more than that."
Pastor Jake sat down next to Jack. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I have this letter from my grandfather. Quite frankly, I've been avoiding it."
"Why's that?"
"Well. I'm afraid," Jack stopped when he heard himself say this. Afraid. The word echoed in his mind. As much as he hated to admit it, it was the truth. "I'm afraid of what it might say to me. I know that it speaks of Jesus and."
"Hmm. I see. Your afraid that it will condemn you, and throw your errors in your face."
"No!" retorted Jack. He then sighed and hung his head. "Yes."
The Pastor smiled kindly and warmly at Jack. "Jack, I highly doubt that your grandfather would write a letter to condemn you."
"I know. but as soon as I read the word 'Jesus', I was overwhelmed by, a feeling of dread, if you know what I mean."
"Do you know what I think? I think those feelings of dread are induced by Satan himself."
"Satan?" Jack said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I bothered you." Jack said, slipping the letter back into the plastic bag. "I'll see you later, Pastor Jake." And with that, Jack headed towards the door.
Just as Jake was approaching the door, Pastor Jake called out. "Jack." Jack turned to face him. "If you ever need to talk to anyone."
Jack nodded. "Yeah," replied in almost a whisper. He then left the church.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Hello? Mr. Green?" Jack said as looked around Mr. Greens shop. The sun shone through the window, illuminating the place. These were the sort of mornings that Jack lived for. Fresh air from rainfall, a bright, warm sun breathing new life into the world.
Mr. Green stepped out from the back room with a heavy sack full of animal feed. "Ah, hello Jack. How's the ranch?"
"It's slow. I finished up clearing the field yesterday."
"I see. Well, you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Your grandpa wasn't able to maintain the place in his later years. I offered to help him when I had the time, but he was a bit too proud. er. no offence intended there Jack. Anyway, what can I do for you?"
"I came here to look into buying a cow."
"We don't sell cows here, at least, not at this time of year," said Mr. Green with a twinkle in his eye.
"What do you mean you don't sell cows? I thought this was a ranch," said Jack in disbelief.
Mr. Green chuckled. "Perhaps I should explain this to you better. A cow is only truly a cow after it has had two calves. Here, we only sell heifers and bulls." Jack was confused. "You see, a heifer is a young, female 'cow'. A bull is a male 'cow'. Understand?"
"I think so. So then, what is a real 'cow'?"
"An actual cow is a heifer that has had two calves, like I said before."
"I see. So, how much does it cost to buy one?" asked Jack.
"Well, I usually charge about $250 for a heifer, and about $400 for a bull. A cow can sell for a lot, all depending on how well it has been raised, and what the market is like. As a general rule, a don't sell full grown cattle here. Usually, I bring them to main land around fall to sell them at the auctions. In fact, that's where most of my revenue comes from," said Mr. Green.
"I see. Well, thank you very much. I'll see you around."
"Not going to buy any cattle then?" asked Mr. Green.
"No, not today. See you later," said Jack as he headed for the door.
"Alright. We'll see you 'round Jack."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Karen inhaled the fresh, moist air as she admired the scenery of the forest, and listened to the beautiful song of the birds. It was the same scenery that she had seen almost every week of her life. Yet she still enjoyed every bit of it. "I wonder." she thought aloud. "I wonder if I'll ever receive a vision from God, like those people in the bible. I know that God still does grant people with visions.or messages." Karen thought back to what her Sunday School teacher had told her many years ago, about how she had heard Gods voice when praying as to where to send her son for schooling. "I wonder, If I ever do receive a vision, what it will tell me. Will it be where to live, if I should go on to a further education, or what Gods opinion is."
At that moment, Karen was more open to the will of God than she had ever been in her entire life, and she heard a voice. It was in her mind, almost in her own voice, but yet it was distinctly Gods voice. It spoke a very simple, yet very clear message. "If you truly love him, you will tell him of me."
Karen knew exactly who the 'him' was that the voice referred to. "Jack."
A/N: Well, how was that for a cliff hanger? Any good? Anyway, I apologize for taking next to forever to get this chapter up. I 'HOPE' that I can get the next one out sooner than this one. You know that last scene in this chapter where Karen gets a message from God? I based that on something that happened to me about a week ago. I did receive the same message from God (with the one exception of the word 'him'. In my case, it was a 'her'.) Anyway, it was a wonderful experience. I won't elaborate much further, because that would take too long. As for the rest of the story, I'm hoping to get my really "hoopy" idea into the next chapter. I can't tell you what it is. Sorry, but that could spoil some of it. Anyway, until next time, God Bless.
P.S. If you like Online Harvest Moon RPGs, take a peek at my profile.