You’re drowning. . .
Drowning. . .
Drowning all alone
In your sorrow. . .
Sorrow. . .
That no one else has known
You want rescue. . .
Rescue. . .
But you think no one is nearby
You’ll be drowning. . .
Drowning. . .
Drowning until you die.
NO!
Take His hand. . .
His hand. . .
For He is the One who saves
Call out to Him. . .
To Him. . .
To Him Who empties all the graves
So choose His life. . .
His life. . .
For your own lost deadness
And be with Him. . .
Yes, with Him. . .
In His holy heaven.
It’s a losing battle
How can you fight?
There’s greed and evil
Wickedness as black as night
There’s shadows in your past
They’ve haunted you so long
Leering demons peering at you
From a world so dark and wrong
The Enemy has recruited
His soldiers that fight against you
He’s trying to break down your wall
But do not let him through
For he is only a liar
Wanting you to go back
To the days you wished never occurred
The ones that get you off track
If you feel all alone
Stumbling in your past dark
Call upon Jesus, the Light of the World
And He will, with just a spark
Illuminate the blackness of your life
And turn your mourning to a dance
Fix your eyes upon the One we call Hope!
Let Him your life enhance
And make it into something better
Something freer, something alive
You’re no longer held captive by the Enemy
You’ve been freed by Jesus Christ!
Cloudy couldn’t believe her ears. “Dana’s gone? How? When? Why?”
Frank shook his head. “That’s what I don’t know,” he replied. “I woke up this morning and saw that she was gone, so I assumed she was in the kitchen or laundry room. I checked both places, but didn’t see her. I checked the entire house, but still didn’t find her. Then I saw that the front door’s lock had been forced, and I panicked, I guess. I ran outside to look for her when you guys drove up.” His face reddened in anger. “Somebody apparently broke into the house either last night or this morning and now Dana’s missing! Perhaps she was kidnapped!”
“By whom?” Lea wondered.
Cloudy’s face was set. She spoke only two words: “Nathaniel Osen.”
Valerie gasped. “Y-You’re right!” she exclaimed. “This must be part of his revenge! I’ll bet he kidnapped her to make her tell him where Vastre Hall’s treasure was hidden!”
“A plausible theory, Valerie,” Jacob said. “But if she was abducted by Nathaniel, he could do something awful to her. We must find her and fast!”
Frank moaned and covered his eyes with one hand. “I just pray he doesn’t hurt Dana or her child!”
“Never!” Cloudy declared fearlessly. “I’ll hunt him down and make that scoundrel pay for his wicked deeds!”
“But you’re a child!” Jacob protested. “How can you withstand a strong man like my brother?”
Cloudy’s eyes twinkled as she remarked, “Never underestimate a child, Jacob. They’ll surprise you every time.”
Jacob looked as though he were about to argue, but was distracted by Meta Knight stepping outside. The knight stopped short upon seeing the little group clustered together and talking in quiet, urgent voices, and he darted over to them.
“What is the matter?” Meta Knight asked.
“Oh, Meta Knight! Meta Knight!” Lea wailed. “It’s awful! Miss Dana is missing!”
Meta Knight started at that. “She’s missing?”
“Yeah,” Frank nodded. “I’m assuming she was kidnapped.”
Meta Knight groaned. “Let me guess. . .Nathaniel?”
“Cloudy thought that too,” Valerie said. “But Meta Knight, if Miss Dana was kidnapped, we need to help her pronto! She could be hurt or killed by that crazy delinquent!”
“Ah, you are right.” Meta Knight sighed and turned to Cloudy. “Cloudy, I want you to come with me. You can sniff out Dana.”
“But I need to get my parents’ permission first,” Cloudy said.
At that juncture, Cloudy’s siblings and friends came outside and saw the group talking. They all asked what was wrong and Meta Knight told them Cloudy’s theory. They were horrified by his news.
“Ugh!” Sniper yelled. “Why can’t that freak just leave us alone?!”
“He wants his treasure,” Arrow said.
“Well, he’s not getting it,” Pancake said firmly. “If there is any treasure here, it rightfully belongs to Dana and her family.”
“He’s a thief!” Sharkell howled.
“He’s a lawbreaker!” Star shouted.
“He’s a ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Sniper yelled.
Everybody fell silent and sated at Sniper, wondering if he was mentally stable. “What?” Sniper asked, noticing their strange looks. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Where did you even learn that word?” Star asked.
“I heard it on the radio yesterday night,” Sniper said “And I just thought it would be a funny word to say.”
“Explain why Nathaniel’s a freakinsnottin—farkmenmoppin—uh, how do you say the word again?” Miriam wondered.
“Ferkensnopper-doodlehopper,” Sniper said.
“Yeah. Why would you call Nathaniel—that?” Miriam asked.
Sniper drew himself up proudly and said, “Just as the word is nonsensical, so his ideas are. He crashed a plane, thinking to kill us, but ended up only killing others and not us! Real bright. Then he tried to shoot us with a gun in hopes of us telling him where the treasure was, but we don’t even know where it is. He just assumed we knew. I call that rather stupid.”
Cloudy beamed at her brother. “Sniper, my bro, you sure are right. And since we are tons smarter than Nathaniel, we can outsmart him and get Dana back!”
Sniper grinned and looked up to the sky. Then his smile faded. “But we’d better hurry and bring her back before dark, because Dana is the director for the Nativity play, and if she can’t direct it, then there can’t be a play.”
Eloise clapped her hand over her mouth. “Agh! Oh, Sniper, you’re right!: She folded her hands behind her back and nervously drummed her foot on the ground, then glanced up at Meta Knight. “Sir Meta Knight, should we go look for her now?”
“We’ll have to arrange a search party,” Meta Knight said. “I want a few of you children to come with us to keep lookout in case we have to go inside a building or something to rescue Dana. Go get Springtime’s and Showerstorm’s permission first, though.”
Cloudy, Miriam and Eloise vanished inside and were gone for some time. When they emerged from the house, Cloudy looked slightly upset. “Daddy let us go, but Mommy put up a fuss about this whole ordeal,” she said. “She said that I’m too young to go and that it’s too dangerous and that haven’t I been through a lot already?”
“She doesn’t understand you very much, then,” Eloise said pointedly. “She knows you’re capable of doing anything you set your mind to. She’s just too afraid to let you live it out at this point lest something happen.”
“Well, you can’t always be governed by fear,” Lea pointed out.
“It’s not fear,” Meta Knight said quietly. “It’s love. Springtime is motivated by her love for Cloudy. That’s why she’s so reluctant to let Cloudy go with us.”
“Okay, anyway,” Miriam’s voice cut in, “Showerstorm said that Star, Cloudy, the Palmers, Zach, Arrow, and I can go with you and help you track down Miss Dana.”
“That is good.” Meta Knight looked sternly down at the kids and said, “But I want you all to promise me something.”
“What’s that?” Arrow asked.
He knelt down and looked each child in the eye. “if something is really too dangerous for you to handle, I want you to let me take care of it. Understood?”
Cloudy knew she would never promise him that. If he got hurt trying to take care of a hazardous situation, it would be her fault because she hadn’t tried to help—because Meta Knight had made her promise not to.
She refused to make such a promise.
“We promise,” all of the children except Cloudy chorused together.
Meta Knight nodded and stood up. “Then let us go.”
“Wait!” Lea said. She tugged at he father’s jacket sleeve. “Daddy, can Valerie and I go with Meta Knight?”
Jacob was torn. He wanted to rescue Dana, but at the same time didn’t want to put his children in danger. He looked questioningly at Meta Knight, but the knight lightly shook his head. “We can’t have too many people in this group if we want to stay as quiet as possible,” he explained.
Jacob nodded. “Got it.”
Lea and Valerie looked disappointed, but Meta Knight said, “This is not going to be a pleasure trip, girls. This is going to be a dangerous hunt for Dana. I need you to stay behind and help Springtime, Showerstorm, Frank, and the other children. Can you do that?”
Lea and Valerie nodded and saluted smartly. “Yes, Sir Meta Knight!”
Meta Knight for some reason was beginning to feel troubled. He had been called “Sir Meta Knight” twice. The way the children addressed him almost sounded as if thy considered him someone important and worthy—like a knight. But he didn’t feel worthy of that title.
“Meta Knight, come on!” Star said. “We need to hurry!”
“Wait just a second,” Cloudy said. She ran inside the house and in a moment was back, her sword strapped around her waist. Seeing the puzzled looks her friends were giving her, she explained, “I might need to defend myself.”
“Oh,” Eloise replied, and Zach nodded.
“Jacob,” Meta Knight said, “does your brother like to hang out at a certain location or did when he was a child?”
Jacob thought a moment, then snapped his fingers. “As a matter of fact, there was a place he loved to hang out as a boy. It’s an old out-of-the-way cave near my house, about two miles away. He showed me it once. I can take you there.”
“Then let us go,” Meta Knight said urgently. “There is no time to waste!”
* * * * *
Jacob left a green field and turned onto a small road, walking cautiously along the ruts and bumps that lined the cracked, crooked asphalt. Since there were no sidewalks, they all had to stay as close to the grass as possible in order to avoid the danger of passing cars. Of course, there wasn’t an fear of that, as the road seemed deserted.
As they walked, Miriam asked Jacob about the cave. “Is it dry or is it moist like most caves?” she asked.
“Actually quite dry,” Jacob mused. “I recall being able to sit on the rocky floor and being surprised at how dry it actually was. The only time it was moist was when it rained.”
“Cool. Then what was the cave itself like?” Miriam wondered. “Did it have beautiful gemstones embedded into the walls?”
Jacob chuckled. “No, it was just an ordinary limestone cave.”
At that point, Arrow looked upward at the bright blue sky, which was covering over with massive, dark clouds. “Is it going to snow again?” he asked suddenly.
Eloise too glanced up. “I guess so.”
While Miriam and Jacob were talking, Cloudy couldn’t help but steal a glance at Meta Knight, who was walking a little ways behind her. He seemed unusually tense and wary, as though he were expecting someone to jump out at him. Cloudy lagged behind until she was right next to him, then asked, “Meta Knight, are you all right? You don’t look too well.”
Meta Knight sighed. “I’m okay Cloudy. I’m just concerned for Dana and her baby. She’s only about six months along. If anything happened to her or her child, I’d—I’d—I’d just die!”
Cloudy took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m worried about her too,” she answered, “but we have to have faith in God.”
Meta Knight remained silent, not knowing how to answer her. Suddenly, a strange noise shattered the ominous silence. The sound of a distant roar reached their ears; it sounded like a speeding car.
“Do you hear that?” Meta Knight asked Cloudy.
“Yeah,” Cloudy said, her head cocked as she listened closely to the distant roar and rumble of the engine. “Sounds like a truck, a big truck.”
“Yeah, it definitely sounds like. . .” Nika paused in the middle of her sentence as two glaring headlights pierced the gathering darkness in front of them. A red truck was zooming toward them at full speed, and her eyes went wide in horror.
Eloise screamed. “That’s guy’s speeding!” she cried. “He’s not going to stop!”
“He needs to slow!” Zach shouted.
Meta Knight’s voice was sharp, though laced with fear. “Get out of the road and onto the grass now!” he commanded.
Everyone obeyed instantaneously as the car swerved by them right over the spot where they had been standing. Then it vanished into the darkness.
Eloise, who had tipped and fallen onto the frozen grass in her haste to get out of the road, stood up slowly. “Was that guy crazy?” she asked.
“No, he was just a wacko,” Arrow replied.
Then two headlights again spilt the darkness and the same red truck began to speed back down the road. But instead of going straight ahead, it swerved off to the right and began barreling right for them again!
Nika gasped and put her hand to her face. “What is he doing?!”
“Oh, no!” Miriam shrieked.
“Move!” Jacob ordered, They all obeyed and leaped off to the left as the truck had to swerve right to avoid slamming into a large tree. Then the truck turned around. . .
. . .And came toward them again!
“We need to get out of here!” Cloudy yelled. “This guy has lost his marbles!”
Meta Knight’s eyes widened. “Look out, Eloise!” he cried.
Eloise whirled and saw the truck driving straight for her. Too shaken to move, she remained where she was.
“Move, Eloise! Move!” Nika screamed.
Meta Knight knew Eloise wouldn’t be able to move out of the way of the truck in time, so he reacted quickly and jumped in front of the young girl, pushing her aside and quickly stepping back as the truck swerved by him, missing him by an inch. A sharp edge of one of the rearview mirrors sliced right through his cloak and deep into his right arm. He winced in pain, but was determined not to let a little wound stop him from protecting his friends. He darted over to Eloise and helped her up. Eloise’s blue eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open as she stared up at him.
“Did I hurt you, Eloise?” Meta Knight asked anxiously.
Eloise said no. “But you did startle me when you shoved me,” she said.
“I am sorry,” Meta Knight replied.
Miriam suddenly let out a horrified shriek. “Meta Knight and Eloise, watch out! That guy is coming back again!”
Meta Knight looked up and saw the truck heading for them again! Frightened, he gasped and grabbed Eloise’s arm, jerking her with him into the bushes as the car swerved over the spot they had been standing, its brakes squealing. Jacob hurriedly drew a pistol from his jacket pocket and fired three shots into the air, and Nika let out a short shriek.
“Don’t be scared, Nika,” Jacob assured her. “I was only shooting to scare him away.”
“Did anyone get a look at the driver?” Miriam asked. No one had.
Cloudy waited until the truck was gone, then cleared her throat. “Meta Knight. Eloise. You two can come to now,” she called. “The crazy dude is gone.”
Meta Knight and Nika’s twin sister appeared from behind the snow-covered bushes. “Are you all okay?” Meta Knight asked.
“Yes,” Arrow answered.
“But we really need to find Dana!” Cloudy insisted. “For all we know, she could be dead or severely injured right now!”
“Yeah, you’re right, Clo—” Nika cut off in the middle of her sentence and stared at Meta Knight’s arm. Blood was staining the cloak and trickling down his arm. “Uh, M-Meta Knight. . .”
Miriam too looked alarmed. “What’s wrong with your arm?”
Meta Knight quickly covered over the wound with his other hand. “I am okay. Do not fret about me.” He drew away his hand and saw that his glove was stained. red. With an involuntary shudder, he looked away.
Nika walked over to him and examined the cut. “It’s pretty bad,” she said softly. Unwinding her scarf from around her neck, she tied the temporary bandage around the wound. “There. That should do it.”
Meta Knight couldn’t help but smile at Nika’s care and compassion. “Thank you, Nika,” he said.
Nika smiled back. “I’m happy to be of service to you.”
“Come on!” Star shouted. “Hurry up, you slowpokes! We need to find Dana and fast!”
“Don’t be so impatient,” Nika scolded her friend. “We’re coming.” She took Meta Knight’s hand and gently tugged him along with her toward the others.
* * * * *
At long last, the group reached the limestone cave about which Jacob had told them. Its sandy, rocky wall was rough to the touch and the shadowy entrance was intimidating. It was not something you would want to walk into by yourself in the night.
“Hey, look!” Nika whispered. She pointed toward the side of the cave. There, sitting nestled under a tiny ledge, it’s hood covered with a light layer of ice, was the same red truck that had tired to run them over!
“Maybe that crazy guy is here!” Star whispered fearfully.
“Maybe,” Cloudy said tonelessly.
They stood across the road from the cave for a minute or two, peering cautiously at its pitch-black interior. There was no sound or movement within.
“What are we waiting for?” Nika whispered at last. “We’re not getting anywhere standing here! Let’s go!” And that those words, she broke away from the group and tiptoed lightly toward the cave.
“No, Nika!” Eloise hissed. “Wait!”
But Nika didn’t listen. She slipped through the entrance and was gone.
“Great!” Star moaned. “We’re in trouble now! Nika will get caught and then we’ll get caught!”
“We need to go in after her!” Jacob said firmly.
“I’ll wait outside and guard the entrance,” Meta Knight offered.
At that, Cloudy looked worried. “Be careful, Meta Knight,” she pleaded.
Meta Knight smiled. “I will, little one.”
So the group. minus Meta Knight, quietly entered the cave and looked about. But it was dark, so they couldn’t see a thing.
“Nika?” Eloise ventured. “Are you in here?”
Nothing.
“How can she find her way in here? It’s like being in the inside of a crow!” Star asked.
“Let’s go farther in,” suggested Jacob.
So on they went, farther and farther into the recesses of the cave. It was deeper than it looked, though. There were several passageways and chambers that they walked down. Jacob was amazed, commenting, “I don’t remember seeing all these passages when I visited here years ago. Nathaniel must have created these in the last few years.”
On and on they went. Several times they bumped into or tripped over something i the dark, resulting in deep cuts or bruises. But finally, they reached the last chamber.
“Nika?” Arrow whispered.
There was no reply.
“Nika?” Star asked, raising her voice a little.
“Star,” came a faint voice from the darkness.
Star’s ears jumped and her mouth dropped open in surprise. “M-Miss. . .Dana?”
“Star.”
“Miss Dana!” Star cried out.
“Shhhhhhhh!” everyone hissed.
“Sorry, sorry,” Star said more quietly. She walked around gingerly, fearful she would slam into something. At long last, she found a flashlight on the floor and switched it on, then swept it about the room.
“Get that light out of my face,” Eloise complained. “And stop pointing the flashlight toward the chamber entrance! That crazy guy might see it!”
“Sorry.” Star shone the light on Dana and saw that she was chained to the wall. Her hair was mussed and her dress was slightly torn.
“Miss Dana, who in the realm of Dreamland did this to you?” Cloudy demanded, her eyes flaming with anger.
Dana shivered. “That horrible Nathaniel Osen kidnapped me last night and brought me here, then left early this morning. He threatened me, hoping to make me tell him where the treasure is. But I didn’t tell him anything because I have no clue what he’s even talking about.”
A sudden idea jumped into Cloudy’s mind. “Did Nathaniel bring you here in a red truck?” she asked suddenly.
Dana looked astonished. “Why, yes,” she answered in surprise. “But how did you know that?”
“Natural deduction,” Cloudy muttered.
“Huh?” Dana looked confused and a bit startled.
“Nothing,” sighed Cloudy.
Eloise ran over to Dana and tried to free her from the chain that held her captive, but saw that it was padlocked. “Great,” Eloise sighed. “We need a key.”
“Hey, I found one!” Zach said, pointing to a brass key hanging on a nail in the cave wall high above Dana’s head. “But I can’t reach it!”
“I’ll get it,” Jacob said. He reached up and took hold of the key, then handed it to Eloise, who freed Dana. Dana stood up unsteadily, supported by Eloise.
“We need to get you out of here!” Eloise said frantically. “Nathaniel could come in here at any moment!”
“Yes, we must,” Dana agreed. “The problem is, how are we supposed to get home with no transportation?”
“We could always walk,” Arrow replied with a shrug.
Just then, Star’s flashlight flickered, became dim, and then went out. Star vigorously shook it and slapped it with her paw, but to no avail.
“Ugh,” Miriam groaned. “Now we’re stuck in the dark without a light.”
“And we still need to find Nika,” Cloudy reminded them. “We can’t go home without her.”
Eloise clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, right!” she exclaimed. “I forgot about Nika!” Instantly her face creased into a worried expression. “What strategy should we plan to find her?”
“You won’t have to look far,” came a cold voice from behind Eloise. Suddenly terrified, they all froze. Could that be. . .?
“Nathaniel,” Cloudy said grimly, confirming everyone’s worst fear.
“That’s right, puppy.”
A flashlight clicked on and Nathaniel beamed the circle of light on each of them in turn. To her horror, Eloise saw that Nathaniel’s arm was encircled around Nika’s neck!
“Nika!” Eloise wailed. “Oh, no!”
Cloudy was puzzled. “I thought Meta Knight was guarding the entrance,” she said. “So how did you get in, Nathaniel?”
Nathaniel chuckled. “I have my ways.”
“What, a secret entrance?” Zach piped up.
Nathaniel smirked at the brave eight-year-old. “For a little boy, you sure are smart.”
“What in the world is going on in here?” Meta Knight demanded as he marched into the chamber, but halted when he saw Nathaniel. Nathaniel shot him the death glare, his eyes narrowing into slits like a snake’s. “Well, if it isn’t the Amazing Blueberry!” he dramatically declared.
Meta Knight inwardly groaned, tired of being called a blueberry, but kept his outward composure. “My name is Meta Knight, and. . .” His eyes widened when he saw Nika in Nathaniel’s grasp. “Why are you holding Nika?!”
Nathaniel chuckled sardonically. “This little girl was snooping around, so I had to take care of her. Of course, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet because had to handle these—” He pointed his finger at Cloudy and the others. “—creatures who were trying to free Dana. Especially that little black-and-white puppy.”
“Cloudy?” Meta Knight exclaimed.
“That’s right,” Nathaniel said.
Eloise clenched her fists, trying to suppress her rising anger. “Why, you freaky hooligan!” she yelled. “How dare you kidnap Dana and mess with my sister! You let both of them this very minute!”
Nathaniel threw back his head and laughed, “Not ntil Dana tells me where the treasure is!”
“I told you that I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Dana exclaimed. “Why do you keep bugging me about it?”
“Because I don’t believe that you don’t know where it is!” Nathaniel snapped. “When I was young, your mother told me that she had hidden a treasure for you around Vastre Hall. I attempted to marry you at one point to see if I could persuade you to give me the treasure, but you refused, so I decided to get my revenge by stealing it!”
Cloudy couldn’t believe her ears. Dana had actually been proposed to once by Nathaniel?!
“And,” Nathaniel continued, speaking directly to Dana, “if you don’t tell me where the treasure is, this is what will happen to both you and this snoopy little girl!” He grabbed Dana and pushed her onto the floor hard, causing her to strike her head on the wall as she went down, then grabbed a loaded pistol from his jacket pocket and pointed it at her neck. Eloise shrieked and Meta Knight Knight tensed.
“No!” Nika screamed. “Don’t you dare shoot her! She’s pregnant!”
“You snooze, you lose!” was Nathaniel’s heartless reply. “Now, Dana, tell me where the treasure is! I’ll give you one last chance!”
“I told you I don’t know,” Dana replied in a frightened tone. She was shaking.
“All right, then.” Nathaniel put his finger to the trigger. . .
“Ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Cloudy screamed at the top of her lungs.
The whole chamber became very silent at her outburst. Cloudy didn’t know what to say as everyone stared at her, especially Nathaniel, who just looked extremely confused.
“Why did you say that?” Arrow said at last.
Cloudy didn’t know why she had said it. She had just wanted to distract Nathaniel and that was the first thing that had come to her mind.
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play, puny little puppy,” Nathaniel said darkly, “but if I were you, I’d shut up.”
Cloudy grinned. “Oh, but I’m not playing a game,” she answered. “I’m just saying. . .ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!”
“What does that even mean?” Nathaniel complained.
“It means ferkensnopper-doodlehopper!” Eloise chimed.
Nathaniel was starting to get irritated. “Enough of this nonsense!” he yelled. “Since you are all being uncooperative, I’ll get rid of you all!” And with those horrifying words, he pulled the trigger and shot Dana in the neck. Dana let out a terrible, high-pitched shriek and fell unconscious.
“NO!” Eloise cried. “How could you?!“
Meta Knight stared in horror at Dana, bleeding and unconscious, and he shivered and shut his eyes tightly, unable to stand looking at her. He was angry and upset with Nathaniel and scared for Dana.
Nika, at seeing Dana shot, boiled with anger. Her rage spilled over and she wrenched loose from Nathaniel’s hold and grabbed for his gun, but Nathaniel tripped her and she fell facefirst onto the rough cave floor. Eloise quickly helped her sister up and tried to punch the gun out of his hand, but Nathaniel grabbed her arm and twisted it, causing her to cry out in pain.
“No, leave her alone!” Meta Knight shouted angrily, kicking Nathaniel in the back and sending him pitching forward onto a glass table and shattering it to pieces. Eloise rolled away from Nathaniel and shielded Nika from the shards of broken glass.
Cloudy snatched up Nathaniel’s pistol in her mouth, which had fallen onto the floor, and drew back her head and tossed it to Jacob. Jacob caught it neatly and reloaded it.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel had managed to pin Meta Knight to the ground and drew out a knife from his belt. Clloudy’s eyes widened and Styar screamed as he prepared to plunge the knife downward.
A shot rang out and Nathaniel dropped to the floor, the knife falling from his hand. Meta Knight rolled over and stood up slowly, trembling all over. “W-Who did that?” he asked shakily.
“I did,” Jacob spoke up, his voice strained. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Cloudy gaped at Jacob. “You shot your own brother?!”
“Like I said, I didn’t have a choice.” Jacob’s face was weary and pale, making him look several years older than he actually was. He unloaded both pistols and set them on the floor, then walked over to Nathaniel and felt his pulse. When he straightened up, his eyes were sorrowful.
“Is he alive?” Cloudy asked, afraid of the answer she might receive.
Jacob shook his head.
Cloudy’s mouth dropped open in shock. Star was speechless. “He’s dead?” Star whispered.
Jacob nodded.
Star hung her head. “I-I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.
“I’m just sorry he didn’t repent,” Cloudy said miserably. “He had time, and he didn’t repent. And now it’s too late.”
No one else said anything. They all looked sad and solemn as they gazed at the lifeless corpse of Nathaniel. Then Jacob went over to Dana and gently lifted her in his arms. “We need to get her to the hospital, and fast,” he said. “Follow me.”
The group followed Jacob back the way they had come. After a few minutes of getting lost, they finally emerged from the cave and outside into the frigid winter air. Beautiful, thick snowflakes were falling from the sky and layering everything with a soft carpet of white. Jacob walked over to Nathaniel’s red truck and loaded Dana in the passenger seat, then checked the ignition. The keys were in it. Relieved, he told everyone to load up. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
The kids obediently began to jump into the bed, but Cloudy didn’t get in yet. Her eyes were riveted on Meta Knight, who stood alone by the side of the deserted, snow-covered road, shaking all over. Cloudy’s heart went out to him. She approached him slowly, her feet making no sound on the hard-packed snow. As she got closer, she heard him sobbing quietly. Her high-toned ears drooped. She knew what was upsetting him.
“Meta Knight.” Her voice was quiet and full of compassion.
Meta Knight looked over at her and she saw that his eyes were gray.
“Are you upset about what just happened?” Cloudy asked him, taking a step back.
Meta Knight nodded and looked away, drawing his cape across his face. Cloudy didn’t even try to make him feel better. She merely placed a comforting paw on his hand and he wept harder, Turning, he picked her up and hugged her tightly. She returned the affection tenderly.
“I wish it didn’t have to turn out like this,” Meta Knight said, his voice breaking.
Cloudy, suddenly afraid for reasons she couldn’t understand, replied, “Me, too.”
They stayed like that for a while. Jacob, who had been watching them from inside the cab, pulled out his phone and took a picture of them, then sent it to Springtime along with a text: “Your daughter is more mature than she seems. She was so brave today and I couldn’t be prouder of her.” He then sent another text explaining what happened and that he was taking Dana to the hospital. He also added that he was dropping the children back at Vastre Hall.
Springtime sent a text back, and as Jacob read it, he couldn’t help but smile broadly.
Outside the truck. Cloudy was saying to Meta Knight, “Let’s get in the truck. We need to go home.”
Meta Knight nodded and both went over to the truck, them jumped inside and shut the door. Jacob started the engine and put it in reverse, then backed out, turned, and drove down the road.
* * * * *
After Jacob had dropped Dana off at the hospital and drove back to Vastre Hall, Springtime came running out to meet them as they were getting out of the truck. “Cloudy and Star!” she cried out joyfully. She hugged them tightly. “Oh, I’m so proud of you girls for being so brave!”
Cloudy blinked tiredly. “Thanks,” she said shortly, “but I don’t feel brave.”
“You are,” Springtime said without hesitation or doubt. “I’m very proud of you. I’m proud of all of you.”
“Yeah!” Eloise shouted.
Showerstorm came outside just then ad embraced his daughters. “I heard that Nathaniel was dead,” he said. “Is it true?”
Eloise started. “How’d you know that?”
“I told them via text,” Jacob said, getting out and coming around the front of the truck to stand by Springtime. “Your mother told me, Cloudy, that she was very proud of you and that you were a kind, compassionate, godly young woman.”
“She said that?!” Cloudy was surprised and pleased.
“I did,” Springtime confirmed. “And I meant it with all my heart.”
Cloudy didn’t know what to say. She just scuffed her foot in the snow.
“Cloudy!” Sniper shouted, rushing outside with his brothers, Lea, and Valerie. They ran over to the group standing by the truck and exchanged hugs, greetings, and chats.
“We were so worried the whole time you were gone!” Valerie said. “I was praying double-time for you all!”
“I was worried too!” Lea chimed in. “I thought you would be hurt or killed trying to rescue Miss Dana!”
“But she wasn’t!” Pancake cheered. “She’s a hero!”
“Cloudy is indeed a hero,” Meta Knight said softly.
Cloudy was feeling oddly angry. “Will you stop saying I’m a hero?!” she blurted out. Everyone was startled. “I am not a hero and I don’t want to be! I was only doing my duty! Quit commemorating me for being something I’m not!” With those harsh words, she stomped into the house and slammed the door.
There was silence for a while. Meta Knight covered his eyes with one hand and let out a shaky breath. Springtime’s sorrowful eyes fell upon him, then traveled to the bloody scarf wrapped loosely around his arm. Instantly, the pity in her eyes changed to alarm. “Meta Knight, what happened to your arm?” she asked.
Meta Knight didn’t answer, but dropped his eyes to the ground, feeling very uncomfortable. It was Eloise who answered. “Nathaniel was about to hit me with his truck and Meta Knight saved me. But he got cut pretty bad by one of the rearview mirrors.”
“That really looks nasty,” Springtime said. “We need to clean that before it gets infected.”
Showerstorm spoke. “I have a question. Can someone explain to me how exactly Nathaniel got killed? Because Jacob didn’t say.”
Eloise winced at the memory. “Uh, um, he, uh, shot his own brother.”
Showerstorm became very quiet. Meta Knight just sat in the passenger-side seat of the truck, his hands folded in front of him. Springtime’s eyes were big and full of horror. “You killed your brother?!” she gasped. “You didn’t tell me that!”
“I had no choice, Springtime. It was a life or death situation,” Jacob said wearily, leaning against the truck door. “I’ve already notified the police and explained the entire incident. They’ll go pick up Nathaniel’s body tonight.”
Springtime nodded understandingly. Then she turned to the other children and said., “Go inside and clean up. You want to look your best for the play tonight, don’t you?”
The other children trailed inside, but Star stayed behind. “Mommy, what’s wrong with Cloudy? Why did she pop off like that?”
Springtime shook her head and bit her lip. “I don’t know. . .But I’ll go inside and talk to her right now. You do as you’re told, okay? ‘ll take care of your sister.”
Star nodded and vanished inside. Springtime turned to Jacob. “Will you be so kind as to clean Meta Knight’s wound for him? I need to talk to Cloudy.”
“Sure thing, ma’am.” Jacob politely nodded.
* * * * *
“Cloudy?” Springtime asked, entering her younger daughter’s bedroom. Cloudy was sitting on the bed, glaring broodingly at the wall. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Cloudy turned to look at the mother. “Why are you in here? I’m trying to think.”
Springtime sighed and sat down beside Cloudy. “Cloudy, I need to have a talk with you. You’re not acting like yourself. You’re getting angry at us for calling you a hero. You’re not as happy or fun-loving anymore as you used to be. You just haven’t really been the same since the plane crash.”
Cloudy said nothing. Her face was hard as stone.
“And I know why,” Springtime said, placing a paw on her daughter’s back. “I think you’re suffering trauma and possibly a bit of PTSD.”
“PTSD?” Cloudy repeated, staring bleakly at the wall.
“Post-traumatic stress disorder,” Springtime said. “Meta Knight has it too. You don’t have it as badly as he does of course, but you still have it. Tell me,” she went on, “have you had any nightmares of flashbacks of that day when we crashed?”
Cloudy nodded. “Yeah, I have.”
“Do you ever get anxious about it?” he mother questioned.
“Sort of.”
“Then I believe you have a very mild case of PTSD,” Springtime said.
“So what?” Cloudy muttered.
Springtime took a deep breath. feeling shame overwhelm her. “It’s all my fault!” she said, her voice sounded rushed and breathless. “It’s my fault you’re suffering with this, my child. I shouldn’t have taken you on this trip. I should have listened to you when you said not to get on the plane. I should have never let you go on these dangerous rescue missions.” Tears filled her eyes. “Forgive me, dear. It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not,” Cloudy argued. “It’s not your fault, Mommy. It’s nobody’s fault. It just happened. Don’t apologize.”
Springtime shook her head. “No, it is my fault. It is.”
“It is not,” Cloudy said, gently placing her paw on her mother’s. “Mommy, don’t blame yourself, and don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.”
Springtime wrapped her daughter in a tight hug and wiped her eyes. “I love you, my dear.”
“I love you too, Mommy,” Cloudy said softly.
I wish I could get out more and help others. Pray with others who have PTSD. Talk with those who don’t know what to do with their life. Help those are alone and lost. Be the light when they have none in their life.
I want to help the world. . . .but only God can truly heal a broken, hurting heart.
All those who are struggling with past trauma, PTSD, or anything else in your life, know I’m praying for you.
God bless all.
The next few days passed by quickly. Cloudy and her family and friends worked together on the construction and costumes for the play. When Cloudy wasn’t working on the Nativity play, she was honing her swordfighting skills with Meta Knight, sightseeing around Leupochena and occasionally meeting up with Jacob Osen, or exploring around Vastre Hall. However, one thing Cloudy noticed about Dana was that she retreated to her room every night saying she had “important business” to attend to. At first Cloudy had thoughts this “important business” had something to do with wrapping Christmas gifts, but that made no sense. It wouldn’t take days to wrap a few Christmas gifts. And on top of that, Dana had told her yesterday that that the gifts were not going to be wrapped until Christmas Eve. So what was she doing every night? That was a big mystery Cloudy had to solve.
Cloudy memorized her lines so well that she sometimes found herself reciting the limes randomly. Whether she was folding clothes or practicing her figure-eight walks, she found herself saying parts of her lines out loud to herself. Meta Knight would ask her what certain lines meant and she would be all too happy to explain them.
For instance, one night, Cloudy was sitting on the front porch of Vastre Hall with Meta Knight, gazing up at the twinkling stars. As she stared at the blueish-black sky, she imagined the shepherds, tired and restless, standing huddled together in the field, staring with fright and awe at the angels that filled the heavens, their sheep scattering wildly in terror. Almost as if on impulse, Cloudy said audibly, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Meta Knight looked over at Cloudy in surprise. “What does that mean?”
Cloudy returned to the present and stared at her friend. “What does what mean?”
“What you just said. Your lines about. . .Jesus being wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. What does that all mean exactly?”
Cloudy smiled. “I’d be happy to tell you what it means.” She placed a paw on his hand. “An angel of God came to the shepherds and the shepherds were freaked out. The angel assured them they needn’t be scared, for he was bringing them wonderful news that would be for everyone! The angel told them that a Baby would be born in Bethelehem, and even gave them a sign: Jesus would be wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough, or manger. Then all the angels who were with the angel of the Lord began to praise God, saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Meta Knight pondered all this information. “Wow,” he said. “That’s really amazing.”
“You bet it’s amazing,” Cloudy pointed out. “And it was a major turning point in history.”
Meta Knight shook his head. “No. I mean, I’m sure Jesus’ birth was a dominant turning point in history. But I meant that it was amazing that Jesus came down to die for us all and to save us all.”
Cloudy stared at him. “I thought you didn’t believe that.”
Meta Knight looked away from her and cast his eyes downward, not knowing what to say. “I don’t, but. . .” His voice trailed off.
“But?” Cloudy prompted.
He sighed. “Nothing. It is. . .just nothing.”
Cloudy sensed his discomfort with saying what he really thought and nudged his hand gently. Meta Knight wrapped his arms around Cloudy and gave her a hug, burying his face in her shoulder.
“You possess a power that not many do,” he told her. “I do now know what is it, however.”
“Maybe one day you’ll find the answer,” Cloudy said.
“Yes.” Meta Knight looked up to the stars. “Maybe someday.”
* * * * *
It was the nigh before Christmas Eve when the construction was finally completed, the costumes were pieced together, and all the lines had been memorized. Cloudy was finally ready for her debut in the Nativity play, as were the other children.
On this particular night, Cloudy was backstage trying on her angel costume when two other girls starring in the play came behind the curtain and approached her. Cloudy knew only their first names: Lea and Valerie. They had talked a few times, but had never actually been introduced.
“Hi,” the first girl said.
“Hi,” Cloudy replied.
“You’re in the play with us, correct?” the second girl inquired.
“That’s right,” Cloudy said.
“I’m Lea Osen, and this is my older sister, Valerie Osen,” the second girl said. “What’s your name?”
“Cloudburst, but call me Cloudy.” Then Cloudy blinked as she suddenly realized what Lea had just said. “Wait, did you say your last name was Osen?”
Lea nodded.
“Is your father Nathaniel Osen?” Cloudy blurted out.
Lea seemed puzzled. “No, that’s our uncle. Our father is Jacob Osen.”
“I met your dad about two weeks ago,” Cloudy said. “He was really nice.”
“he told us about you,” Lea said. “It’s great to meet you.”
“You’re the girl who’s playing the angel of the Lord,” Valerie confirmed.
“Yes,” Cloudy nodded. “That’s right.”
“As you know, Lea and I are both playing angels,” Valerie said. She clasped her hands in front of her and grinned with excitement. “I can’t wait for the big play tomorrow night. Can you, Cloudy?”
“No, I really can’t,” Cloudy admitted.
“You’re going to be one of the top stars,” Lea said. “I bet you’re excited.”
Cloudy mildly shrugged. “More or less,” she replied.
Valerie and Lea exchanged knowing looks and shrugged. “Well, maybe you’d like to come to our father’s house tonight,” Lea said.
“If I can get my parents’ permission, I’ll see you tonight,” Cloudy said.
Lea and Valerie nodded. “Okay, see you tonight,’ said Lea.
“if it’s possible,” Valerie chimed in. They waved goodbye to Cloudy and excited the church.
Cloudy took off her costume and stowed it in the costume box. Then she turned off the lights, grabbed her winter clothing and put it on, then went out of the church through the back door, heading along the icy road toward Vastre Hall.
* * * * *
Cloudy shivered and pulled her jacket hood over her head. The air was getting colder and colder as time went by. Cloudy looked up to the sky as she tramped along carefully over the ice. It was dark and gray and starless. Cloudy wondered what was going on when she saw something descending from above. It looked like a powdery white puff. The another cam down, and then another. Pretty soon, hundreds of the puffs were floating down gently and covering the ground in a soft blanket of white.
“Snow,” Cloudy said unbelievingly. She kicked up a mound of it. It was cold, sticky, and soft, just like her mother had described it. “I’ve waited for this snow for a long time. And now I’ve finally got it!”
Cloudy wanted so badly to roll in the snow, but knew she wasn’t bundled up properly for that. If she got a cold the night before the play and was unable to act, everyone would give her a hard time forever. So she sprinted as fast as she could back to Vastre Hall.
But despite her fast-paced running, by the time she entered the house, she was covered in snow from head to foot. Springtime chuckled as she saw her daughter, dressed in a pick jacket and snowboots, coated in the powdery, frozen rain. She almost looked like a puppy made out of snow. “My dear, however did you get like that?” Springtime wondered.
“It started snowing when I was outside,” Cloudy answered. “I liked seeing it come down. It was like white diamonds being dropped to us from God above.”
“How very poetic, darling,” Springtime giggled.
Cloudy shivered as her mother undressed her out of her jacket and slid off her boots. As Springtime shook the snow out of her daughter’s jacket, Cloudy glanced around. “Where’s Meta Knight?”
“He’s in his room. He’s preparing to talk to his mother via phone,” Springtime replied. “I know he can’t wait to see her. Those tow are so close that if they even spent a day away from each other, they would—”
THUMP!
Springtime turned her attention away from the jacket and scowled at Cloudy. “Don’t stamp when I’m talking to you, Cloudburst.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Cloudy protested.
“What do you mean, you didn’t. . .” Springtime paused as another loud thump was heard.
“It’s not me!” Cloudy insisted. “It’s someone else!”
Springtime set the drenched jacket on a chair back and walked to the window. Through the blinding expanse of swirling snow, she caught sight of a shadowy figure on the front lawn. “Hey. someone’s trespassing on the property!” she yelled.
“Let’s get him!” Cloudy hollered, and leaped out the front door.
“Cloudy, no! Come back! You could be in danger! He could be armed!” Springtime cried frantically, but Cloudy didn’t listen.
Cloudy darted across the lawn, looking this way and that, but saw no one,. Then she heard the squeak, squeak of the iron gate and saw somebody push back the latch, swing open the gate, and walk into the yard. Silent as a cat, she sprang at him and landed on the stranger, knocking him to the ground.
“HEY!” the man yelled loudly.
“Who are you?” Cloudy growled.
“Cloudy!” Springtime shouted from the porch.
“Cloudy, stop!” came a familiar voice from the direction of the open gate. Lea and Valerie Osen hurried into view of the porchlight. “Get off him! That’s our dad!” Lea yelled.
Cloudy gasped and climbed off the man, then got a good look at his face in the light. Sure enough, it was indeed Jacob Osen.
“Gee, sorry, Jacob,” Cloudy apologized meekly. “I sure thought you were the trespasser.”
“What trespasser?” Jacob demanded, studying Cloudy as he stood to his feet and brushed the snow off his clothes.
“We heard weird thumps and saw someone sneaking across the front yard, so we ran out to get him,” Cloudy explained.
“You mean you ran out to get him,” Springtime corrected pointedly.
“Well, as far as I know, my daughters and l are the only ones out here aside from you two,” Jacob said firmly. “And I’ll thank you not to knock me into the snow again, Cloudy.” He put an arm around Lea and hugged Valerie to himself.
“Sorry, Jacob,” Cloudy murmured, hanging her head. “I didn’t mean to attack you, really. I guess I was too rash.”
Jacob, who had been wearing a stern expression, finally got up the nerve to smile and even laugh. “That’s perfectly okay, Cloudy. No harm done.”
“No, not yet,” came a cold voice from behind the buses next to the porch. Cloudy’s blood froze and a look of disbelief passed over Jacob’s face. That voice. . .it sounded familiar. Could it be. . .?
A man who looked identical to Jacob, minus the tattoos, rose up and stepped into the light, whipping out a pistol from his jacket pocket a she did so. Everyone gasped.
“Don’t make a movement or you’ll be sorry you did!” the man threatened.
Jacob’s voice trembled slightly as he whispered, “Nathaniel!”
“That’s right,” Nathaniel said. “Nice to see you again, Jacob,” he added sarcastically.
“Hey!” Cloudy said sharply. “I know you! You were the one who said your name was Sam Danson!”
“Yeah, and so?” Nathaniel scoffed.
“Because that’s not your real name! Your name is Nathaniel Osen, and your brother is Jacob!” Cloudy said firmly. “And you know what, I bet you were behind the plane crash!”
Nathaniel gave her a smug look, his eyes shimmering with a strange light. “How clever of you to figure that out.”
“You did that?!” Lea exclaimed.
Cloudy’s eyes flashed angrily. “Why, you sick freak! How could you do such an awful thing? You’ve killed a lot of people and broken hundreds of hearts!”
“Save your lectures for somebody who cares, puppy,” Nathaniel said. He turned the pistol on Lea and Valerie, who were holding tight to their father. “Okay, girls. Step away from Jacob and you won’t get hurt.”
“No!” Valerie screamed. “I won’t let you hurt Dad!”
Nathaniel’s finger flew to the trigger. “I said, step away from Jacob,” he repeated menacingly.
“You just make us!” Lea retorted.
Nathaniel huffed. “Okay, I’ll make you!” He pressed the trigger, sending a bullet flying into Lea’s arm. Lea let out a horrible, pain-filled shriek and collapsed to the ground, clenching her arm. Cloudy screamed loudly and Springtime’s eyes were as big as saucers. “You shot your own niece!” Springtime cried.
“Oh, no, Lea!” Valerie gasped.
“Lea, my daughter!” Jacob wailed,. he attempted to bend down and help her up, but Nathaniel reloaded the gun, stepped forward, and pressed the point of the pistol to his neck. Cloudy tensed, afraid to move.
“Hey, step away from Jacob, you crackpot!” Nika yelled, rushing out on the porch with Eloise by her side.
“Yeah, you’ve got no right to put a gun to him like that!” Eloise backed Nika up. “He didn’t do anything to you!”
Nathaniel gritted his teeth in anger. “Oh, is that so?” he yelled belligerently. “He was always mean to me when I was younger!”
“I was not!” Jacob cried.
“Shut up!” Nathaniel roared, his finger moving to the trigger.
Nika gasped in horror. “Don’t shoot him!” she cried.
“I said, shut up!” Nathaniel commanded sharply.
“Why are you doing this?!” Eloise cried out. “What have we ever done to you?”
Nathaniel turned and aimed the pistol in Eloise’s direction. With the other hand, he grasped Jacob’s arm. “You be quiet this instant or I’ll kill you!”
“No, please! Not with the children!” Springtime begged.
“Quiet down, lady!” Nathaniel ordered roughly.
“What is going on out here?” Meta Knight wondered. appearing beside Eloise and Nika. What met his eyes was an unexpected and terrifying sight. Lea lay on the ground, her arm bleeding. A strange man with black hair and demonic tattoos layering his arms was holding a pistol and pointing it at Eloise. With his other hand, he was grabbing Jacob’s arm.
“Meta Knight!” Cloudy gasped.
Meta Knight’s eyes glowed white. “What in the . . .!”
“Well, well, well,” Nathaniel said loudly. “If it isn’t the Amazing Blueberry!”
Meta Knight clenched his fist, but forced himself to remain calm. “You must be Nathaniel Osen,” was the knight’s reply.
“That’s right, and you’re the fruit doofus.” Nathaniel roared with laughter.
“Ugh,” groaned Cloudy. “Nathaniel, what do you want?”
“I want the treasure hidden here at Vastre Hall!” was the startling answer.
There was complete silence for a while. Eloise and Nika gazed at each other, their eyes questioning. Cloudy’s face was a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Valerie and Lea shot their uncle funny looks and Springtime just seemed blank.
“Don’t act stupid,” Nathaniel said crossly. “I know you came here to help Dana and her husband locate the treasure. That’s why I tried to stop you!”
Cloudy recalled Nathaniel’s reaction that day at the airport to her mention of Vastre Hall, and now she understood why. She smiled and soothed out her rumpled fur. “Nathaniel, you got it all wrong,” she explained. “We came here to spend Christmas with Dana and her family. We weren’t aware there was even a treasure here.”
“Ha, ha, yeah, right,” Nathaniel growled. “Now tell me where the treasure is or I’ll kill every single one of you!”
“Got enough bullets for that?” Sniper taunted, stepping out onto the porch with his brothers and Star.
“Oh, no, Sniper!” Cloudy exclaimed. If she knew her eldest brother, he was going to pop off and land them all in severe trouble.
Nathaniel glared at Sniper wit disgust. “I don’t need any of your wisecracks, you mangy canine,” he returned. “Tell me where the treasure is now!”
“We don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Miriam said, appearing next to Sniper. Zach was with her.
Nathaniel stared at the army of children clustered together on the porch. “Say, how many of you kids are in this house?! Hopefully not a million!”
“A lot of kids,” Sniper responded.
“And plenty of adults too!” Waffle added.
“You’re outnumbered, Nate. Face it,” Pancake said. “One pistol can’t stand a chance against all of us.”
“That’s right, Pancake, because I have a gun too,” Frank said, popping up in the doorway and quickly advancing in front of the children to shield them. Quick as a flash, he raised his rifle to his shoulder and aimed it at Nathaniel. “Okay, Nate, leave now while you have a chance,” Frank said.
“What’s going on?” Dana asked, hurrying outside and down the porch steps, stopping short upon witnessing the awful scene in front of her eyes. “What in Planet Popstar just happened here?”
Meta Knight gasped. “Dana!”
“Miss Dana, you shouldn’t be here; you’re in danger!” Cloudy shouted.
Nathaniel chuckled wickedly and pointed the pistol at Dana, who stood frozen in fear. But Frank called out, “If you shoot my wife, I’m going to shoot you, Nathaniel!”
Nathaniel snarled internally to himself, realizing he was outnumbered. “Fine,” he grumbled. “You got me this time, but I’ll come back and get my revenge! You’ll all be sorry!” And with those threatening words, he released Jacob and ran out of the yard, clanging the iron gate behind him.
Lea winced as Jacob helped her up. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” he asked anxiously.
Lea sighed. “More or less,” she admitted. “The bullet exited my arm, I think, but I am pretty sore.”
Jacob examined the wound. “Yeah, there’s an exit wound. I think you’ll be okay, Lea. The wound doesn’t look terrible.”
Meta Knight sighed wearily. Cloudy tossed him a concerned look. “Are you all right?”
“Just drained,” the knight replied. He turned and went inside, leaving Cloudy looking after him, worry evident in her eyes. Dana strode over to Lea and heled her into the house while the rest of the kids and Springtime and Frank trickled slowly inside.
But only Cloudy stood where she was, her eyes saying one thing and one thing only: “What now?”
* * * * *
“How’s your arm, Lea?” Dana asked after she finished cleaning and bandaging the gunshot wound.
“It’s fine, but it still hurts,” Lea said. “Not as bad as it did before, though. Thanks for helping me, Miss Dana.”
“No problem, sweetheart,” Dana replied. She helped Lea down from the mahogany stool and escorted her into the sitting room to Jacob. Jacob rose from the couch and took his daughter gently in his arms.
“Are you feeling okay, honey?” Jacob asked.
“I feel fine, Dad,” Lea assured him.
Springtime, who had been cleaning the blood off Lea’s green jacket, entered the sitting room and passed the jacket to Lea. “I tried my best t clean it, dear, but I couldn’t quite get all the blood off. Hope that’s fine.”
“It’s okay,” Lea said, accepting the sweater. “I’m grateful for your help.”
Springtime chuckled. “You’re most welcome.” Her gaze traveled around the room until it came to land on Cloudy, who was sitting in the corner with Valerie. “Are you feeling all right, Cloudy?” Springtime asked.
Cloudy nodded. “Yes, Mommy.”
Springtime smiled and turned away, about to go into the laundry room to wash Cloudy’s jacket, but Cloudy spoke up. “Mommy?”
“Yes.” Springtime turned back to her child.
“Do I have your permission to spend the night with Lea and Valerie? They wanted me to,” Cloudy said.
Springtime thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think that’ll be fine, honey. Just be careful and have Jacob drop you off back here in the morning.”
“Will do,” Cloudy promised.
Jacob nodded. “I’ll do that.”
“Yay!” Lea squealed. “Cloudy and Valerie and me will have so much fun!”
Jacob laughed. “I’m sure you will, honey.” He stood to his feet and picked Lea up. “Well, we need to get home. Valerie and Cloudy, come on.”
The tow girls obediently got up and darted over to Jacob, Valerie taking his hand. “Thanks for all your help,” Jacob told Springtime and Dana, who nodded politely in returned. Then the Osens and Cloudy were gone.
Dana sighed deeply. “Boy, I sure hope nothing happens to Cloudy or those girls or Jacob.”
“Me too,” Springtime said.
Dana glanced over at Springtime. “Um, I just wanted to ask, where’s Meta Knight? I haven’t talked to him since we came inside and he disappeared right after.”
“I believe he’s in his room. He said he was going to talk to his mom,” Springtime said.
“I see,” Dana said gravely. “Well, I hope everything goes well for them.”
* * * * *
Meta Knight turned on his phone and his mother’s face flashed upon the screen. Unlike Meta Knight, Scazzarda was talking to her son via phone.
“Hey, Meta Knight,” Scazzarda said happily.
Meta Knight nodded his head in greeting. “Hello, Mother.”
“I’m very glad to hear from you,” Scazzarda said. “It’s been a while. I really miss you being at home. It’s such a joy with you being so near to me.”
Meta Knight could think of no reply to that. He wanted to tell her how much he appreciated her love for him, but the words seemed stuck in his throat.
Scazzarda’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Are you okay, Magnus?”
Meta Knight sighed. “I am fine. And Mother, have I not told you that I dislike being called Magnus?”
“But why?”
Meta Knight groaned inwardly. “Magnus is the name of my uncle, and I don’t want anyone associating me with him.”
Scazzarda’s expression remained unmoved. “But you can’t change the fact that he’ll always be your uncle. He’s your family.”
“I wish he wasn’t!” Meta Knight’s voice, usually so proud and strong, was choked. “I don’t want him for my uncle! He’s just as wicked as my father, and I hate Nightmare more than anyone in the world!”
“Magnus, how can you say that?” Scazzarda asked, her voice full of distress. “He’s your father.”
“I don’t care!” Meta Knight turned away, desperately fighting to control his emotions. “I’ll never forgive him for what he’s done to me.”
“Ohhh,” Scazzarda said, as if her son’s words had flipped on a lightswitch in her brain. “Is that what you’re angry about?”
“I’ve been angry about it for years now.” Meta Knight shut his eyes. “I’ve never trusted him or loved him. I always hated myself too, wishing I was never born. I’m all alone in this world, alone in my bitterness, alone in my sorrow, alone in my solitude. I don’t know what to do.” He opened his eyes and sighed. “What use is living such a hard life if all you go through is trial after trial, never finding any peace?”
“We’re all put here for a reason, Magnus,” Scazzarda said. “We are all here to glorify and point the praise to out wonderful Creator.” She gave him a sympathetic look. “You’re special to me, Magnus,” she continued, her voice tender and kind. “Your past doesn’t define you. No one’s past does, in fact. Who you are is how the Lord made you, and he sees you as somebody to be cherished. He does cherish you deeply. He loves everyone very much.”
Meta Knight inhaled and slowly let out his breath. He wasn’t certain he believed everything Scazzarda was saying. How could God love someone like him, someone with such a bad past and a terrible father?
Scazzarda, seeming to sense his thoughts, said in a gentle tone, “Remember this, Magnus: sometimes you have to choose joy even when it’s hard. It can be difficult to have joy in trials, but remember that Jesus conquered all the evil in this world. Nothing stands against Him or escapes His sight. He can give us the joy we need, no matter if we’re on the hilltop or in the valley.
Meta Knight nodded, but still did not speak. Scazzarda smiled kindly. “Jesus loves you very much, Magnus, and so do I.”
Meta Knight smiled back at his mother. “I love you too, Mother.”
Scazzarda smoothed back her hair. “Good night, Magnus. Oh, and if you’re lucky, a little surprise will show up at Christ Church for you tomorrow.”
Mystified, Meta Knight wondered what that meant, but decided not to ask. “Good night, Mother.”
Scazzarda grinned, and the phone screen went black. Meta Knight sat on his bed looking at the screen for the longest time, feeling less alone but more confused than ever. What did all this talk about God and joy and the trials of this life mean? What was its purpose? And how did you apply it to real life?
Not knowing the answers, he decided to wait. Someday he would learn and know the meaning and purpose of his life.
* * * * *
Cloudy looked around Valerie and Lea’s room. A pink bunk bed sat in a corner of the room, as well as a nightstand next to it. A basket of toys was lying next to the window and a bookshelf stood proudly at the foot of the bed. A cot stood by the door.
“Your room is pretty,” Cloudy commented.
“Thanks,” the sisters answered in a single voice.
“Our dad and our uncle grew up in this house,” Valerie said.
“Obviously. They’re brothers,” Cloudy scoffed.
:Yeah, and Dad said Miss Dana’s mother grew up in Vastre Hall,” Lea added. “Uncle Nathaniel used to go over to talk to Miss Dana’s other all the time when he was a little boy. They were pretty close.”
“But now Nathaniel’s a lawbreaker and criminal,” Cloudy sighed.
“Yeah.” Lea folded her hands. “That’s too bad.”
“It sure is,” Valerie agreed.
“What changed him?” Cloudy wondered.
“I have no clue,” Lea said. “Dad doesn’t know either.”
There was silence for a time until Jacob opened the bedroom door and poked his head inside. The girls looked up at him questioningly. “Lights out in ten minutes,” he said. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, and you’re gonna need all the rest you can get.”
“Yes, sir,” Cloudy said.
“All right, Dad,” Valerie replied.
“As you wish,” Lea chimed in.
Jacob closed the door again and the girls spent the next ten minutes discussing ideas about how the play would go. After the ten minutes was up, Valerie and Lea climbed into their bunk bed and Cloudy on the cot. After a few minutes of quiet whispering, thy were sound asleep.
* * * * *
The next morning, Jacob drove Cloudy back to Vastre Hall. Valerie and Lea had wanted to ride along too, and Jacob had given them permission to go. They had all bundled up good and were settled contentedly in the red van.
When they pulled up in front of Vastre Hall, they saw Frank dart out of the house and begin scouting around the snow-covered yard, a frantic look on his face. Cloudy began to get a bad feeling as she opened the passenger side door of the van and leaped out into the deep snow. Jacob and his daughters were right behind her as she opened the iron gate and ran over to Frank.
“Frank!” Jacob shouted as he rushed over to the worried man. “What’s wrong?”
Frank whirled to face them. “Is Dana with you?” he asked abruptly.
Jacob, Cloudy, Valerie, and Lea all shook their heads no. “Why? What’s the matter?” Lea wanted to know.
Frank groaned. “Oh, no. This is bad, this is so bad!” he moaned.
“What’s bad?!” Cloudy practically shrieked, terror welling up in her.
Frank gave them a distraught look. “We have a big problem,” he said. “Somebody broke into the house last night and Dana is gone!”
They’re in your head
You can’t awake
You’re too afraid
Unable to shake
The dreams that hold you
Captive and bound
That seal you in shadow
That engulf and surround
Your heart and soul
Your body and mind
You’re scared to death
Just want to leave ’em behind.
The thoughts you hide
You can’t deny
They haunt you daily
And stifle your cry
For help, your silent plea
That carries for miles
In the depths of your mind
But no one can hear
You’ve been left behind
To the mercy of the shadows.
They’ll show you none
But haunt you till
You drive them away
Not of your will
But your Father’s alone.
He sits on high
On His heavenly throne
With his Son, Jesus Christ
The One Who died
And paid the heavy price
So we now abide
In His heavenly abode
Eternally.
Amen.
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