Short Stories

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In the
beginning,
God created
the heavens
and
the
earth.
(Genesis 1:1]
******************
It was at the end of
the day of Sabbath.
Jesus and His disciples
have come from synagogue;
they were now taking a rest,
and having some cool water
from the town well.
It was late in the afternoon;
a light, cool breeze
was touching the tips of
their hair, and ruffling
the soft green leaves,
from under shade
of the summer trees.
Where they were was
a quiet place, away from
the town, where all the
people were now taking
a rest for the Sabbath day.
Jesus and His disciples
talked quietly; some hummed
a sweet hymn, under their
breath; some were nodding
off, in a light mid-summer's
nap. All was very quiet,
and peaceful.

Suddenly, they looked up:
a strange light had caught
their eyes. On a large rock,
just east of the trees
where they were sitting,
was a large box. It
was an odd-looking box;
it neither had a top, nor
any real bottom. It was
dark in color, and didn't
seem to be able to hold
anything. It was
a very strange-
looking box, indeed.
_________________________
(Peter, usually the one
to speak up first, spoke.
As he did so, he got up
slowly, and walked over
to the large object which
seemed to be balanced,
quite unbelievably,
upon the uneven rock.)
"What IS this, LORD?
What IS THIS?"

[SMILE!]
[PRONOUNCE,
SLOWLY, AND VERY
PATIENTLY,
WITH THE VOICE
OF A YOUNG
FATHER
TEACHING HIS
TODDLER
HIS FIRST
REAL WORD:
THE NAME
OF THE VERY,
VERY UNUSUAL
OBJECT.]

(His disciples
all answered,
in one chorus.)
"A.......
TELL`...LAAH....SS..CH'IN?"

[SMILE!]
[SPEAKING SLOWLY,
AND PATIENTLY.]
"....TELL...ahhhhh...VISHHHHH...ahhhnnn...."
[SMILE!]
[TAKE ANOTHER SIP
OF WATER, FROM
A SMALL COOL JUG.]
[NOD.]
[TURN TO SMILE
AT HIS CHILDREN.]

(All the other disciples
stopped talking; they
looked up and watched,
as their friend walked
around, and around
the large, uneven rock:
tentatively touching
the smooth box, as if
he feared it might burn
his fingertips.)

(Peter frowned; he stood
still, and squinted down
at the thing: it was a box,
and yet it wasn't a box.
It felt warm, as if it had
been sitting near a cooking
fire; yet...when he touched
it once more, something
tickled his fingers,
as though the box had suddenly
come alive.)
"What IS THIS?
It seems......ALIVE!"

[CHUCKLE.]
"What you just felt,
My Peter....was a spark
of friction. It is because
of the material, from which
the box is made."

(Peter turned around,
and looked at his Lord.)
"But.....what is it FOR?
It can't seem
to be able..
to HOLD...
ANYTHING!"

(John spoke up; he
had set down his piece
of fruit, and was nodding.)
"Yes.....Peter is RIGHT.
It doesn't seem to be
very USEFUL...for anything,
My LORD."

[SMILE WITH DELIGHT,
AT THE CURIOSITY
OF HIS CHILDREN.]
"Ah! But, it is VERY useful,
My children! Where it
comes from, people use
it, as if their very LIVES
DEPENDED on it!"

(All of His disciples
turned, to gaze at their
Lord; He was continually
a Mystery to them:
Puzzling, and yet,
True.)

(Peter spoke up.)
"Their very LIFE?
THIS? But....WHY,
LORD? What does
it DO...for THEM?"

[CHUCKLE!]
"Entertainment."
[NODDING AT HIS
DISCIPLES.]
These people often
have much time,
on their hands....
and need something
to ENTERTAIN..them."

(John, totally bewildered
with his Lord's talk,
spoke up.)
"But....WHY do they
have so much...TIME?
Do they not SLEEP.....?
Or....EAT?"

(Jesus gets up,
and walks over to the
box. He touches it.)
"Well....they often
do so, with the accompany
of THIS."
(He touches it, again.)
(The box seems to suddenly
become alive: filled with
much more light,
and very strange noise.)
(Peter jumps back,
and mutters a curse.)

[PATIENT VOICE.]
"Sit down,
My Peter."
[NODDING, AND
SMILING, PATIENTLY.]
"I have something,
to
show you."
[SMILE!]
*********************
Then,
God said,
'Let there
be
light';
and
there was
light.
[Genesis 1:3]

(To be continued.)

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