Prophecy
But
of that
day
and
hour
no one
knows,
not even
the angels
of heaven,
but
My Father
only.
[Matthew 24:36]
***********************
(Knock. Knock. Knock.)
(Knock. Knock.)
"What IS it?"
(Constance tried not
to let the annoyance
come into her voice.
It had been a long day,
and all the ladies were
assumingly asleep,
in their doubled-up
cabins. This was supposed
to be a relaxing fellowship
time, together; so far,
there had seemed to be
nothing... but complaints.)
(The response is
a subdued whisper.)
"CONNIE?
Can I come IN,
for a SECOND?"
(A slightly louder
whisper.)
".....I think...
there's a ....PROBLEM!"
(Constance looks at the
little, traveling alarm clock:
it's 4:58 am. She mumbles
a soft curse, and then
sits up on the edge of her
creaking bed. She had
been able to get a solitary
cabin, unlike the other
ladies. She was leading
the Retreat, and had
the money for it, anyhow.
She had been looking
forward to a peaceful
nights' sleep; was one
of the ladies ill? Oh,
God HOPE not! There
had been 51 women to
sign up for this spring's
retreat, from their church.
And, naturally, not all
of them were young,
or tremendously in shape.)
"Wait a MINUTE!"
(Constance, wearing her
new cotton pajamas,
especially bought for
the trip, opens the
small wooden door. The
pajamas were light blue,
with little bright angels
flying all over the
siff, brand-new flannel.)
"What's the MATTER,
BETH? GOD, it's FIVE
o'clock in the MORNING!"
(The woman, who steps
quietly into the little
room, is plump and middle-
aged. She's wearing a
brightly colored jacket
over her nightgown, and
a pair of boating-style
moccasins. The heavy
night cream, under
her eyes, looks oily and
thick, and very expensive.)
"I'm SO SORRY...
Connie! But....Lisa's
not in the CABIN! She's
been GONE...for,
almost....
an HOUR!"
(Constance yawns,
and rolls her eyes.
Then, she laughs.)
"Well.....what are YOU
doing UP? Maybe, she's
OFF, somewhere....having
a SMOKE! Though..."
(Smirk.)
"....she KNOWS...there's
not to be any SMOKING,
here!"
"I had to get up....about,
an hour ago....and, when
I came out of the bathroom
...she wasn't in her BED!"
(Constance moves one of
her little suitcases, off the
only chair in the room.)
"Here; sit down...........
oh, GOODNESS......"
(Yawn.)
"WELL.....we're SUPPOSED
to meet, out in the ...."
(Yawn.)
"...Assembly Room...about
9 o'clock; there'll be
some coffee and PASTRY.."
"CONNIE! I THINK
we have to DO something,
NOW! MAYBE.....she
went for a WALK! And...
SPRAINED her ANKLE,
or SOMETHING!"
(Constance leans back
against the tiny headboard.
She wished she had brought
another pillow from home;
these cabins were definitely
not as cozy-looking, as they
had been in the pictures.)
"Oh, LORD! WHY did
we ever let her COME?"
"We HAD TO...Connie!
SHE was the one..
to win the RAFFLE!"
(Constance reluctantly
gets up, again, and reaches
over to grab her thick
velour robe. She had been
picturing herself in it,
over this weekend, sipping
a cup of tea and writing in
her journal: very relaxed
and peaceful, after a day
of fellowship activities.
She always looked forward
to these little retreats.)
"WELL.......I don't want
to SAY anything, but....."
(Beth leans on her
elbow. She feels chilly,
in spite of the nylon jacket
over her thick cordoroy
nightgown.)
"Yes....I KNOW........
I've really TRIED to be
FRIENDLY, and HELPFUL
to her this weekend, but...."
"Well.....come ON! We
better get over to the
ASSEMBLY.. Room...."
"WHY?"
"Because...my CELL isn't
working out HERE....there's
a LANDLINE.. over THERE...."
"Oh.
Do you think we should
call the POLICE?"
"Well....who KNOWS
what she's gotten herself
INTO? Is that...
MOTORCYCLE, of hers..
...still HERE?"
"I'm not SURE....but,
I think I could still
SEE it....over there,
in the parking LOT."
"Maybe, that biker..
...BOYFRIEND...
came over to get her! She
PROBABLY just got BORED....
with all our prayer-time,
and fellowship......
and....TEXT'D him!"
"I don't think she's GOT
that....can't AFFORD it...
she told me that she had
to give money to her folks..
for groceries...for keeping
the KIDS, this weekend..."
"Goodness! What a MESS!
Did you see those TATTOOS.......she HAS?"
(Beth nods, with
happy enthusiasm.
Then, she leans forward,
whispering, in
confidence.)
"But.....DOESN'T she have a CAR?
What, with those two
little..KIDS?"
"Yeah.....she uses her folks'
old car....when she's not
running around...all over
town...with that BOYFRIEND,
of hers...."
"Oh...GOD! I KNOW...
we have to do good WORKS..
but...HONESTLY! Isn't
there a LIMIT? Is her
ex-HUSBAND...still in
PRISON?"
(Constance finishes up
tying on her sneakers. She
stands up; the beautiful
velour robe looks out of
place, in the small rustic-
looking cabin.)
"Yes.....I THINK so.....
you KNOW....he hasn't been
supporting those two little
ones....at ALL!"
(She pauses to look for
the little pink hairbrush,
in her Ladies Weekend
Retreat tote bag: the
bag, this year, was a forest
green, and emblazened
with the name of their church,
and a flying dove over
a lake, next to a rustic,
cozy-looking cabin.)
"Just between you and ME...
I think she had an ABORTION..
right before they got MARRIED...
she was only about 16, or
SEVENTEEN...."
(Beth's sleepy face
sudden brightened with
pleasure. She leans
over to gracefully pull
several tissues from the
box on her friend's
little wooden nightstand.
She begins gently dabbing
at the oily puddles, under
her eyes.)
"REALLY? WELL....I
WOULDN'T be SUPRISED!
I DO think she has a
JOB, now...I heard
her TALK about it,
over DINNER...."
"What: the WAITRESSING
JOB? GOODNESS! How
does she FEED those
two POOR children,
ANYWAY?"
"Her PARENTS....for sure!"
(Connie pulls out her keys.)
"Well....THEY'RE not
actually....living in a
MANSION....either! I
think HER dad rides a
MOTORCYCLE...too!
GOODNESS! I don't
even think her parents
are....CHRISTIANS!
Well....come ON.....let's get
on over, to the Assembly
Room......."
(Sigh.)
"Let's stop, on the way...
just to check out the
cabin, again. Maybe, she's
finished having her smoke..
or, meeting UP with her
BOYFRIEND...in the WOODS
...and is BACK,
in bed!"
(Constance pauses,
to lock up her cabin door.
The jingle of her keys
echoes loudly, in the lovely,
motionless, late spring night.
The moon is still up, and there's not
a cloud in the sky. Just
over the hill, a very thin
line of pink is forming,
through the deep, black
sky.)
"Did she take her JACKET?"
"Uh, uh. I saw it, on the
chair by the door....just
where she had left it,
after supper."
(Constance feels the
first twinge of fear;
up until now, she had
merely been annoyed,
at losing her sleep, and
restful weekend-retreat
mood.)
"How 'bout.........
her SHOES?"
"I DON'T KNOW,
CONNIE! I'm no....
DETECTIVE! I have
trouble....just keeping
track of my OWN SHOES!"
(Constance laughs:
trying quell her the
little flipflop in her
stomach.)
"Oh, WAIT a MINUTE!
Lemme' get that FLASHLIGHT......"
"Neah! I GOT one, here...
in my POCKET!"
(The two women walk
quietly along the pretty
cobblestone path; no one
else seemed to be awake,
or aware of any problem.
The smell of spring flowers
was in the clean, hill country
air; not even a bird was
chirping.)
"I surely hope this isn't
going to ruin our little
WEEKEND! All of us
have looked FORWARD
to this....for so LONG!"
"Well.....let's HOPE..
that all the REST of us...
are all there, for
BREAKFAST!"
____________
And,
they were:
all fifty of them.
Lisa....was the only
one,
who was
gone.
**********************
Two women
will be
grinding
at the
mill;
one will be
taken
and
the other
left.
[Matthew 24:41]
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