by Matt Koceich
“Hi, friend.”
“I’m Wren, and this is my dad.”
“I know. My name’s Josephine.”
“Josephine?”
“Yes, dear. It’s me.”
Wren saw her. The clothes were different, but this was the same Josephine from the Goliath adventure!
“Where did you get those books?” She pointed to the stack Josephine was still holding on to.
“Well, that’s really not important right now. The dragon is coming! Stars will fall!”
Wren started to turn back to her father and tell him who Josephine was.
“Open their eyes that they may see!”
Wren and her father turned back, and the woman was no longer alone on the bench. A man wearing a blue button-down dress shirt and jeans sat next to Josephine. And behind them stood more people. Behind the group of men and women who were standing, Wren saw a row of at least ten beautiful horses, all different in color. There appeared to be ten fires burning behind the horses.
“Whoa!” Wren grabbed her dad’s hand. “What is that?”
“I don’t know, but come on, honey, let’s get out of here!” Her dad sounded like he was done. “I don’t know what this is, but it’s not safe.”
“Wren, I think you know Mark. And these are our friends.” Josephine waved a hand above her head to indicate the people and the horses waiting behind her. The people waved at Wren and her father.
“Hold on, Dad.” She watched Josephine a little longer.
“Wren, I told your dad in the email that this book is just the beginning. There’s a massive war coming, and you can help stand up to the enemy. There are more children just like you who have been back to the Bible times. All of you will serve a beautiful purpose in the battle.”
Josephine rattled off the names of the specific children and the stories they had experienced.
“Come on, Wren. These people are crazy. Now!” Her dad grabbed her by the hand and started pulling her away from the bench.
As they turned to head back to the apartment, a massive cloud of yellow and black butterflies danced in the air. The delicate creatures moved over them and around them. Wren felt a surge of joy go through her body as she felt the flutter of wings move across her skin.
When the butterflies all scattered on the wind, her dad looked at her. “What’s happening to us?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t feel afraid.” She looked back over her shoulder. The horses, the people that were standing, and all the fire had vanished. Just the man named Mark and the lady Josephine remained. They were still sitting on the park bench.
“Wren!”
It was Josephine.
Wren turned back. “Yes.”
“You’re not alone. In fact, you are never alone and never will be alone. You are loved more than you will ever know.”
She looked at her dad again. “This is crazy.”
“Yes, baby, it is. But after that wave of butterflies came over us, I don’t feel afraid either. Wanna go sit with them and hear what they have to say?”
“Sure, Dad. Love you.”
He gave Wren a huge bear hug. “Love you too, angel.”
Wren and her dad made their way back to the bench and sat down, in between Josephine and Mark. The four of them talked until the sun was way long gone.
By the time they got up to head back to their apartment, Wren had more questions than answers.
They said their goodbyes, and Josephine promised that the four of them would see one another again very soon.
Wren had seen God work in mighty ways.
A giant had fallen.
Somehow the unseen had become visible.
And, most of all, despite her mother passing and the house burning, her heart felt full again. That was the biggest act of grace God had shown her since all the bad things started happening.
When they got back to the apartment, Wren found the green note card with the Bible verse her mother had written out. She took it out onto the deck. She reread it with new eyes. Given everything she had just experienced, God had become bigger. He really was bigger than the hard times.
“Thank You, God.”
Wren held up the card toward the starry night sky and waved it back and forth. It was her very small way of celebrating her Creator.
“Thank You!”
Her dad came out and joined her. “You okay?”
“Yep. How ’bout you?”
“I’m good.”
Wren thought for a second and held the green card up for her dad to see. “Now what?”
“Well, Josephine said a lot of crazy things, but you got to experience David and Goliath! I think we find the other kids she was talking about and go from there.”
Wren thought about all the things Josephine and Mark had told them. There were other kids out there who had gotten to relive Bible stories. The boy from Texas, Corey, went back to the time of Noah. Kai, a girl from Florida, relived the ten plagues and met Moses. And then there was Jake, a boy from North Carolina who had been able to see ancient Jericho.
“Yes, Dad, let’s do it!”
They held hands and looked back up at the stars. It felt really good to be part of a team. And it felt good to feel loved, despite the losses in life. But most of all, it felt good knowing that God was in charge.
Of everything.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Koceich is a husband, father, and public schoolteacher. Matt and his family live in Texas.
CHECK OUT THE SERIES!
Imagine…The Great Flood
The last thing ten-year-old Corey remembers (before the world as he knew it disappeared) was the searing pain in his head after falling while chasing his dog Molly into the woods. What happens next can’t be explained as Corey wakes up and finds himself face-to-face with not one but two lions!
Paperback / 978-1-68322-129-6 / $5.99
Imagine…The Ten Plagues
Join the epic adventure of fourth-grader Kai Waters, who only remembers (before the world as she knew it disappeared) being surrounded by bullies on her walk home from school. What happens next can’t be explained, as she finds herself on the run for her life in ancient Egypt!
Paperback / 978-1-68322-380-1 / $5.99
Imagine…The Fall of Jericho
The last thing fifth-grader Jake Henry remembers (before the world as he knew it disappeared) is napping at summer camp. What happens next can’t be explained as Jake finds himself surrounded by massive stone walls that rise up all around him—in ancient Jericho!
Paperback / 978-1-68322-714-4 / $5.99
