Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: GRACE (08/24/23)
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TITLE: Which Way The Pigeon Flies | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
08/31/23 -
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She knelt beside the young teen and raised her eyes heavenward. “Is this from you? I know I don’t deserve your favor but this is for her.”
The robes of a priest swished as the religious figure grabbed his garment and hurried by. Two women with shopping baskets hesitated for a moment before frowning and backing away. A mother jerked the hand of a young boy who took a step in her direction. Where was help when it was needed?
She laid a hand on the girl’s forehead. “Shhh!!! It’s okay little one.”
Tamrin moaned, eyelids flickering, as her body stilled. The violent muscle contractions and loss of consciousness were getting more frequent. Arms and legs stiffened like wooden beams as her face jerked uncontrollably. The cry in the darkness seemed disconnected from the prison that bound her as her back arched and her breathing stopped.
A low grunt sounded nearby. A donkey waggled its head, snorting as it stopped. Sympathetic eyes of the rider drew Shika’s attention. “Help me!” She gestured with open hands.
The newcomer shrugged. “The doctors in Tyre don’t deal with demons. She looks faint, confused.”
The rocky terrain under her knees elicited a sharp pain and she winced. “What can I do?”
The donkey backed away, whuffling and almost growling. The owner brought him under control. “See the healer, the Son of David, the hope of Israel. He’s resting on the edge of town.”
“I’ve heard of his wonders. How can I get my daughter there?” She bowed her head. “Would he even see me? I know we don’t deserve his touch.”
The donkey owner swung down off the beast and patted the black cross on its neck. “Do you know the cause for these tremors? Did she hit her head?” He pulled out a gourd of water. “No matter. Tacitus here knows the way.”
"He doesn’t look too happy.”
The man grabbed the halter and pulled the donkey closer as it shrugged back and brayed. “We just let him walk the way the pigeon flies and he’ll get her there safely.”
“What does that mean?”
“A pigeon always knows the way home and takes the shortest route there. Tacitus sometimes thinks like a pigeon.” The man scooped up Tamrin and loaded her onto the back of the donkey. The animal quivered as the owner whispered something. In a moment, it marched in a beeline along a trail, cutting through a grove of massive cedars.
The branches forming a canopy of protection from the blistering sun combined with the soft camphoraceous scent of the trees to raise a modicum of hope in her. Stories about the Messiah had flooded the area like the seizures had flooded her daughter. Years of despair had encircled her heart like deep roots around a stone and they threatened to choke off any source of life once more.
Tacitus moved forward without guidance and finally stopped at the edge of a small clearing. Tamrin lay arched over the beast and tied in place. The stop seemed pointless. A small band of wanderers stood eating in the comfort of an archway. Three children chased each other playing tag. Two Egyptian geese waddled toward a small pond. Nothing else was in sight.
“Why are we stopping? Your pigeon-flying donkey has brought us nowhere.”
The donkey owner nodded toward the group. “The healer.”
Shika called from her knees. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
The healer continued his conversation without acknowledging her. She continued to call and the healer walked away. She chased after, calling again as his followers spoke to him.
He turned. “I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.”
Shika rushed forward and fell on her knees in front of him. “Lord! Help me!”
His eyes reached hers. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
She smiled. “Yes, it is, Lord. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
His smile joined hers. “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”
As the healer turned away, Tamrin called out. “Momma, I’m well. Come.”
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