Short Stories

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For
I am not
ashamed
of the
gospel
of Christ.
For it is
the power of
God
to salvation
for everyone
who believes.
[Romans 1:16]
*********************
(Scruffling on the
other side of the
door. Sounds of
traveling satchels
being hefted, and
set down.)
(KNOCK! KNOCK!)

(Excited voice.)
"Come IN!"

(Woeful sighing
can be heard,
from the other
side of the door.)
(Grunt.)

"COME IN!"

(More woeful sighing.)
(More grunting.)
(Door heaves open,
creaking loudly.)

"GOOD!
Did you BRING IT?"

(Loud sigh.)
(Exasperated voice.)
"Yes!
YES!
HERE!"
(Schmet'lah holds
his arm out, straight
forward. A medium-size
scroll is in his plump hand.)

(Simon's face lights up.)
"THANK YOU!
THANK YOU,
SCHMET'LAH!"
(Immediately opens scroll.)
"You DON'T know,
how LONG,
we've been WAITING
for THIS!"

(Clueless grimmace.)
(Sighs, rather heavily,
into a small, wooden chair.)
"For THAT?
WHAT is IT?
Made of GOLD?"

(Simon looks up,
excitedly.)
"Yes!
YES!
PLEASE, Schmet'lah!
Have some WATER!"

(Sighing, Schmet'lah
pours some cold water,
from a nearby jug.)
"Oh."
(Sniff water.)
(Bored shrug.)
"He sends his 'hello'."
(Sigh.)
(Gulp some water.)

(Simon, looks up again.)
(His eyes are now in a
furious squint.)
"Yes!
YES!
How IS HE?"

(Shrug.)
"Well.....his BACK is
hurting him."
(Shrug.)
"The ENTIRE time,
I was THERE..
he was rubbing some
sort of horribly
SMELLY BALM on it!
I almost had to
run OUTSIDE,
and VOMIT!"
(Laugh!)
"He was waiting for
the doctor to come,
just before I left."
(Shake head.)
(Take another gulp of water.)
(Bored sigh.)

"Is he in CHAINS?"

(Shrug.)
(Frown.)
(Gulp.)
"One CHAIN."
(Unimpressed shrug.)
"It's attached to
the FATTEST,
Roman SOLDIER,
I've ever SEEN."
(Frown.)
"You THINK
he would have
gotten into
TROUBLE,
by NOW!"

(Simon looks up, again.)
(More squinting.)
"WHO?
PAUL?
He's ALREADY
in TROUBLE!"

(Impatient frown!)
(Shake head, sighing!)
"No!
NO!
Not.....SAUL!
I mean....PAUL!
NO!
His GUARD!
You think,
he would have gotten
into TROUBLE,
by NOW!"
(Shake rumpled head,
again.)
"He's TOO FAT!
HOW could he go to WAR,
with the FOREIGN LEGION?
Looking like, he DOES?"

(Simon squints,
holding the scroll,
closely to his nose.
Then, as if suddenly
realizing that someone
else is in the dusty room,
Simon looks up.)
"WHO?"

(Schmet'lah yells,
impatiently: spilling
some water on the dusty
floor.)
"HIS GUARD!
HE'S TOO FAT!
You think they
would have ...RULES,
about THAT!"

(Simon looks up,
squinting.)
"Oh.
OH.
Yes.
Yes.
Well........"
(Put tip of nose
back to scroll.)
(Furious squint.)
(Small shrug.)
"All the FOLLOWERS...
and NEW BELIEVERS...
they're probably all
bringing Paul much FOOD..."
(Press nose tip, again,
to long scroll paper.)
(Reading word by word,
to himself.)
(Thin lips moving
slowly, almost painfully.)
(Painful squinting.)

(Schmet'lah shrugs,
already bored.)
"I don't know what
all the FUSS,
is,
about."
(Bored frown.)
"Who ARE these PEOPLE?
And.....
WHY is there so much
COMING and
GOING,
to see SAUL?
I mean.......
PAUL?
He's under house ARREST!"

(Simon looks up, again,
an irritable squint on his
long, skinny face.)
(Face brightens,
considerably.)
"BELIEVERS!
They're BELIEVERS,
in the Christ JESUS!"

(Grimmace!)
(Pour some more water.)
(Sigh!)
"In HIM?
In...that CRIMINAL?
That CHARLATAN?
The one....WHO,
was CRUCIFIED?"
(Low whisper.)
"And...rose from
the DEAD?"
(Grimmace!)
(Dramatic shiver!)
"That...
NAZARINE?"
(Wave hand,
impatiently,
at squinting Simon.)
"I think they're all...
a bunch of KOOKS!"

(Simon looks up,
for a moment,
startled. His eyes,
already tired looking,
from squinting,
stare wordlessly at
his brother-in-law.)
"I....
I must take this,
to the church ELDERS."
(Gaze at Schmet'lah.)
"But, wait!
I want to PAY you!"

(Shrug!)
(Wave hand, again.)
"PLEASE!
You're BERTHA'S
BROTHER!"
(Shrug.)
"It was ON my WAY,
anyway, Simon! My
path, from the TOWN,
went almost DIRECTLY
in front of Saul's HOUSE!
I mean....
PAUL!"
(Laugh!)
(Heaving up, from dusty,
wooden chair.)
"WHY did he change
his NAME,
ANYWAY?"

(Look up, squinting.)
"Oh, HE didn't;
the LORD did."
(Put tip of nose, again,
to papered scroll.)
(Squint, painfully.)

"The LORD?"
(Laugh!)
"THE LORD?
THE LORD?
But.....WHY?"

(Look up, squinting.)
"WHAT?
Oh."
(Squinting.)
(Shake head, impatiently.)
"It's....
a long STORY."

"Yes...well."
(Laugh.)
"I must be GOING..."
(Set down cup.)

(Simon stares suddenly,
at his brother-in-law.
He almost seems in a panic.)
"WAIT!
WAIT!
Wait,
SCHMET'LAH!"

"What, NOW?
What do you want
me to DO?
READ it, for YOU?"
(Laugh!)

(Simon sets the
already wrinkled scroll,
despondently, in his lap.)
"Yes."

(Schmet'lah is standing
at Simon's door. He has
already picked up his
satchel, ready to go.)
(Deadpan voice.)
"What?
NO!
Absolutely NOT.
I am ALREADY
SICK of looking
at that damn'ed SCROLL!
I was UNEASY,
just CARRYING it,
BACK here, SIMON!
I want NOTHING to
DO with THAT...
that,
NAZARINE OR HIS
FOLLOWERS!"

(Sorrowful look
at his brother-in-law.)
"Please,
Schmet'lah."
(Long sigh.)
"I can't READ it;
his PRINTING
is too SMALL."
(Look down, again,
sighing.)
"PAUL must not have
had enough PAPER!
I can barely SEE IT!
My EYES are bad enough,
as it IS! You KNOW that!"
(Gaze, sorrowfully,
at Schmet'lah.)
"I CAN'T go to the
elders....without,
reading it, FIRST!
You UNDERSTAND."

(Heavy, disbelieving
gaze at his crazy
brother-in-law.)
"For WHAT?
WHAT IS ALL THIS
ABOUT,
ANYWAY?"
(Grunt!)
"I THINK, all of you
are CRAZY!
Just...THROW it OUT!
It's...CRAZINESS!
THROW it OUT!
Before,
ANYONE SEES it!"

(Sorrowful look.)
"Please,
SCHMET'LAH?
For....my,
SISTER?
REMEMBER..
how I HELPED YOU?
When,
the CROPS failed?
That first YEAR?"

(Slump back into dusty chair.)
(Grunt!)
"Is it THAT IMPORTANT,
to you, SIMON?"

(Broken whisper.)
(Sigh.)
"Yes.
Yes, Schmet'lah.
It is."
(Weary nod.)

"OY!"
(Curse!)
(Irritatedly holding out palm.)
"GIVE it to me!
GIVE IT TO ME!
OY!
BEFORE, I come to
my SENSES!"

(Simon's long, thin
face suddenly brightens.
His smile, and squinting
eyes, seem to transform
his whole face, almost
making him look,
almost,
handsome!)
"THANK you, SCHMET'LAH!
THANK YOU!"

(Snatch scroll.)
(Open it.)
(Curse.)
(Grumbling.)
(Mumbling.)

(Smile!)
***********************
So,
as much as
is in me,
I am ready
to preach
the gospel
to you
who are
in Rome,
also.
[Romans 1:15]


______________________
To our Precepts
Bible study.
Thanks, ladies.
Thanks, Denise.

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