Short Stories

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Then
Simon Peter,
having a sword,
drew it
and
struck
the high priest's
servant,
and cut off
his
right ear.
[John 18:10]
________________
(Peter and John are
walking along, one
very hot afternoon. They
are going into the next
town, to preach the
Gospel. The day has been
a very long one; the sun
overhead seems as relentless,
as the Sadducees, this morning,
who had tried to have
them arrested. They
are now looking for a
place to rest. Suddenly,
they can hear someone
calling to them......
from the nearest grain
field.)
_______________________
"HO, there!"

(Peter looks up. A farmer,
still holding onto the
tough reins of sturdy oxen,
has stopped walking in the
middle of his field and
is waving to them.)
"HELLO, THERE!
MAY WE TROUBLE
YOU, FOR A CUP OF
WATER?"

(The farmer, looking
about as hot and weary
as the two Disciples,
nods his head and beckons
again with one hand. For
a moment he seems to
have trouble holding onto
the oxen, and appears
to stumble. He calls out:
pointing with one hand
entangled in the reins,
toward a small farmhouse.)
"YES! GO OVER TO
THE HOUSE! PLEASE!"

"THANK YOU! YES!
THANK YOU!"
(Peter calls back.)
(He turns to John, as
the two of them begin
trudging up to the small
outcropping.)
"He appears to be having
......some TROUBLE!"

(John shrugs, and
continues walking toward
the house.)
"Perhaps, he is just
trying out some new
OXEN.....?"

(Peter looks over at
the clumsy farmer,
again. He squints,
rather curiously, for
a moment.)
"Hm.......I GUESS."
(Shrug.)
"Perhaps, we should
ask him.....if he is ILL?"

(John nods.)
(They continue walking.)

(The smell of fresh
manure...is everywhere.)

(The house, when they
come upon it, looks
sturdy enough....but,
there doesn't seem to
be much furniture in it,
or any folk living in it.
A few farm implements,
looking old and dusty,
stand outside the small
house. Thankfully, the
Disciples spy a small well
around the back of the
deserted-looking building.)

"HO, THERE!"

(Peter and John stop
for a moment; they
can see the farmer,
now running rather
awkwardly along the dusty
path, calling and waving
to them once more.)
"YES! HELLO!"
(Peter waves. He
lifts his chin, and squints
at the hapless figure
coming towards them. The
man is moping his face
and neck, with a big
square, ragged cloth.
He appears to be just as
exhausted, discouraged,
and thirsty.)

"PLEASE! SIT DOWN!
SIT! SIT!
I WILL FETCH YOU THE WATER!"

(Peter and John look
at one another: puzzled.
John speaks up.)
"ACTUALLY.....WE
were going to ask you...
if YOU needed some
WATER!"

(Peter nods; he continues
staring at the obviously
besotten farmer.)
"YES......are you.....
ALRIGHT, out THERE?"

(The man laughs: shaking
his head. He stands over
by the well, and motions
the Disciples to sit. He
begins to draw the
bucket of water.)
"OH! YES!"
(Chuckling.)
"I'm......ALRIGHT!
....Just......haven't been
DOING this, for very
LONG!"

(John smiles, and nods.)
"Ah. I SEE!
Well........ANYWAY....
we are both very grateful,
for your KINDNESS."
(He accepts the cup
of cool water, gratefully.
The refreshing water from
the small, deep well
makes even the old,
cracked cup in his hand..
smell wonderful.)

(Peter continues squinting,
in the bright sunlight...
at the farmer.
He cocks his head,
as if trying to remember
the name of an
old acquaintance.)
"Oh......so....you haven't
had this PLACE....,
for very LONG?"
(He holds out his hand,
to accept the second cup
of water.)

(The dusty farmer
nods toward his oxen,
who are standing in the
middle of the small field:
waiting for their weak
master to return.)
"Oh, NO!"
(The farmer shakes
his head again: reaching
for another cup, from
off the side of the stone
edge of the well. He takes
some water also, and
drinks very thirstily.
Then, he continues.)
"My BROTHER let me
have this place! He lives
off over THERE.....at
the LARGER place! He and
his FAMILY have been
very KIND to me! I TAKE
all my MEALS....THERE!"
(The farmer nods his
craggy head toward the
right; just over the hill
can be seen a larger
house. There are several
young children outside:
playing noisily.)

(Peter holds his cup,
with both hands. He
nods.)
"So......you haven't been
a FARMER...for very long,
ay?"

"Oh.... NO! My BROTHER
is TRYING to teach me
the END of it, but.......!"
(The man chuckles:
shaking his head.)

(John stands up, to
fill another cup.)
"What did you do.....
BEFORE, all this?"

(The farmer looks
away, for a moment.
He opens his mouth,
as if to speak. Then,
he looks down, suddenly.)
"I......uh......"

(Peter stops him.)
"Of COURSE,
it's NONE of our
BUSINESS."
(He clears his throat,
and glances at John.)
"We are simply grateful...
that you have been so
KIND."

(John smiles.)
"YES! WE have
had QUITE a LONG
DAY, as WELL! It
was very KIND of you....!"

(The farmer looks
away, once more. He
opens his mouth again,
as if to speak, but can
only nod: looking down
at his ill-fitting farmers'
shoes, with obvious
shyness. For a moment,
he seems to be very
sorrowful, as if he
is going to cry.)

(John puts a hand, out.)
"Are you......ALRIGHT?"

"Yes......YES!
WELL!
I must be getting BACK,
to my PLOWING! The
day will DONE....before,
we KNOW it!"

(Peter begins to rise.)

"No.....NO!
PLEASE!"
(The farmer puts
out his hand; it has
several new calluses
forming on its palm:
they appear to be sorely
discomforting.)
"PLEASE!
STAY HERE,
and REST!
FOR AS LONG AS
YOU WANT!
PLEASE!"

(Peter looks up at
the freshly sunburnt face
of the farmer. He pauses
before speaking,
rather quietly.)
"I KNOW.... you."

(The farmer answers,
just as quietly.)
"Yes, sir.
You... do."

"I am not sure WHERE:
but, we have seen one
another..... BEFORE."

(The man nods;
he nods once more:
his lower lip trembling.)
"Yes.
Yes."
(The man whispers;
he breathes very deeply.
A tear begins to run
down his sunburnt face.)
"We....HAVE."

(John shakes his
head, with wonderment.)
"Who.......?"

(Peter stands, slowly; his
mouth opens. The small
cup drops from his hand.
He doesn't speak.)

(The man only looks
at Peter, as if
suddenly frightened.
He whispers.)
"My name.....
.... is Mal'chus."

(Peter continues standing.
He simply stares: his
chest heaving, as if
he finds it hard to breathe.
He can only nod dazedly:
as if waking up...
from a dream.)

(The farmer is now
weeping, openly. Both
his sunburnt lips are
trembling: sore, and
cracked. He sobs. His
hands hang at his side:
both clenched in large fists.)
"It was so very.....
...DARK...
that NIGHT...!
..So very hard to SEE!
I wasn't.....SURE....
if you would RECOGNIZE
ME........!"

(Peter continues nodding.
He doesn't say a word.
He can remember even
the smell of his own
sweat, that night...
and the bitter
smell.. of blood.)

(The farmer speaks,
rather haltingly. He
cannot stop sobbing.)
"I.......I CAME here...
AFTERWARD....
looking for WORK.
My BROTHER took me
in......I could not longer
STAY there! I could
no LONGER WORK...
there!"

(John leans forward, and
speaks: as if
talking to a small
frightened child.)
"Who......ARE YOU?"

(Peter is the one to
reply, first. He walks over
to the man, and holds out
his arms. He speaks
softly.)
"His name.... is Mal'chus.
I cut off his EAR....
one night."

(Mal'chus nods, vigorously.
He begins to sob, afresh:
holding his head in his hands:
the dusty dampened rag drifting
down to his muddied shoes.)
"Yes!
And..........the LORD...
HEALED ME!"

(Peter puts his arms
around him.)
*************************
The
servant's
name
was
Mal'chus.
[John 18:10]

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