Pilgrim's Progress - An Adventure Book

by Chris Wright

  When he had beaten us almost lifeless, Giant Despair locked us up again in the dark. We felt so bruised from the heavy blows that we lay on the ground twisting and turning in pain.

  *

  Three days later I begged Giant Despair to set us free. This made him so angry that he opened our prison door and rushed at us with his stick. I thought he was going to kill us, but he fell down in a fainting fit and lay on the ground unable to move.

  The prison door is open wide,

  The giant's on the ground;

  Whatever they will both do next?

  They must not make a sound.

  What would you do now? Be careful. Don't forget Giant Despair's wife!

  Giant Despair's wife was watching from the shadows. She quickly slammed the prison door shut before we could escape.

  "You stupid fellow," she shouted at her husband. "You've lost the use of your hands again. I told you not to stay out in the sun too long. I hope you're not going to let these two pilgrims get away. It wouldn't be the first time."

  "I just don't understand why they're so brave," Despair said, ignoring his wife.

  "Perhaps," Diffidence told him, "they think someone is coming to save them. Or maybe they have a key hidden in their clothes to open the doors when we're not watching. You've often lost prisoners that way."

  The giant looked at his wife and grunted. "If those boys had one of the King's keys, they'd have used it by now. But if it keeps you happy, wife, I'll search them in the morning. Now leave me alone. I'm going upstairs to sleep."

  It was quiet in Doubting Castle that night. We called to the King's Son, begging him to help us. Of course, we should have done it days ago. We were prisoners in Doubting Castle, and I think Giant Despair's name made us give up, and his wife Diffidence had affected us too. Her name meant Reserved or Timid, and we'd certainly been too timid to approach the King's Son -- until now.

  "The King's Son will hear us," I said confidently, "even though we can't see him."

  I had a sudden thought. It's as though the King's Son was whispering to me, reminding me of something Giant Despair's wife had said.

  "Oh, how stupid I've been," I said quietly. "We've stayed here all these days in this dark, stinking dungeon, when we could have got away. When I was leaving the House Beautiful, Discretion gave me a Key called Promise. I remember seeing these words on it: 'I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness.' If we tell the King's Son that we're sorry we took the wrong path, I believe this Key will open every one of the giant's locks and take us out of this prison into the light."

  We knelt on the filthy floor and begged the King's Son to forgive us for going the wrong way, and reminded him of his promises on the key.

  Hopeful made me jump as he sprung up. "Let's try it," he said. "It's still early, and Despair and his wife may still be asleep."

  We felt carefully in the darkness until we found the lock of the dungeon door. I pushed the Key of Promise into it. It turned easily. I could feel my heart beating fast as we stepped over the threshold and listened.

  Who wrote the words on the key?

  The King's Son had written the words. A dim light shone down the passage, and we found our way to the gate leading into the courtyard. I slid the Key into the next lock, not daring even to whisper.

  The Key turned and the gate swung open quietly. I crept through and Hopeful followed. The moon was shining brightly, and only one more door stood between us and the green meadow.

  But this last lock was stiff, and although I tried with all my might, I was unable to turn the Key.

  "Oh, do try harder," Hopeful cried. "We have to escape before the giant hears us."

  "I am trying," I insisted, "but the lock is stuck."

  Hopeful put his hands with mine on the Key of Promise. "I can feel it turning," he said, and in another moment the lock came undone.

  We pushed the gate open quickly, but the rusty hinges made such a noise that Giant Despair came running down the stairs. Then, just as he reached the doorway, his stick dropped from his hands, and he fell heavily to the ground.

  The sun was just coming up over the horizon as we ran as fast as we could towards the stile that led back to the Way of the King.

  We jumped over the stile and sat down by the roadside, still out of breath from running. I felt sure Despair wouldn't follow us now we were no longer on his land.

  "Well, I'm glad Discretion gave me the Key," I said, as soon as I thought we were safe.

  Hopeful agreed. "I don't think we could have escaped without it."

  I nodded. "When I held that Key, I thought of all the promises the King's Son has made. But it's a pity pilgrims don't know where that path leads. Maybe we should write a warning on a stone and set it up near the stile."

  "I can do it," Hopeful said, "if we can find a stone."

  We look up and down and soon found a large, smooth rock lying in the long grass.

  "This will do," I said. "You mark out the letters, Hopeful, and then we'll push it into the right place."

  Hopeful found a large iron nail by the stile, and began to carve some words onto the stone.

  There are 39 words in Hopeful's sign. Write your own warning on a piece of paper. There don't have to be 39 words in yours, but you should mention Giant Despair, Doubting Castle and the Key of Promise. When you've finished, turn the page and see if your warning is better!

  Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair. He hates the King of the Celestial Country, and seeks to destroy his holy pilgrims. The Key of Promise opens all the giant's locks.

  We pushed the stone across the grass, and placed it close to the stile to By-Path Meadow so that no one could pass by without seeing it.

  "It will be sure to save someone," Hopeful said. "I'm glad you thought of it, Christian."

  We walked on, slowly and painfully, until we came to a place where some hills rose in front of us.

  The hills looked familiar, and then I realized why. "I saw them in the distance, when I was at the House Beautiful," I told Hopeful.

  As we came close to the mountains, we found gardens and orchards, and vineyards and fountains of water. So we washed ourselves clean of the filth and smell from Giant Despair's dungeon, then ate some of the fruit and drank clear, fresh water from a spring.

  Four shepherds hurried down to greet us. "Welcome to the Delectable Mountains," they said. "This country is called Immanuel's Land. It belongs to the King's Son. You can sometimes see the King's City from the top of these hills."

  "Are these his sheep?" I asked, pointing to the flock they were looking after.

  "These sheep are here as a picture of the Celestial City, for pilgrims to see," one of the shepherds explained. "The King's Son has rescued each of these sheep from danger, just as he rescued you. Now he's making sure they are cared for in safety."

  "Is the rest of the way to the Celestial City safe?" Hopeful wanted to know.

  The shepherd scratched his chin. "It's safe for those who love the King and his Son, but pilgrims who don't serve him faithfully can fall into danger."

  The shepherds said their names were Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, and they led us to their tents where they gave us plenty of good, nourishing food.

  "I can see how exhausted you are," Watchful said after the meal. "It's late and I think it's time you were both in bed. You can stay with us tonight."

  I lay awake in bed, hoping that one day some pilgrims would kill Giant Despair and his wife, and destroy their home. At last the two of us slept comfortably, and woke the next morning feeling much less sore from our beatings in Doubting Castle.

  Do you think anyone will kill the giants? If so, who? Think of some people who didn't start the journey with Christian, but you hope will be coming along later.

  No answer here. You will have to wait and see if anyone does!

  The shepherds wanted to show us some of the special sights on the moun
tains before we left, so they took us up to the very top of Mount Clear. Even though it was a sunny morning, we could see a light shining in the far distance.

  "That's the Celestial City," the shepherd called Sincere told us. "If your eyes are good you may be able to see its Golden Gates."

  But the light was brighter than the sun. "I can only see something shining," I said, screwing up my eyes.

  "It certainly is too bright for you," Sincere told me, "but we have a telescope called Faith, which will make it seem clearer."

  I took the telescope, but I was so excited that my hands shook too much to hold it steady.

  Then Hopeful tried. "I think I can see something that looks like dazzling gold."

  Experience let us look for some time before taking the telescope back. Then he said it was time for us to continue our journey. "You will soon come to the Enchanted Ground," he warned us. "Take care you don't go to sleep there. The land belongs to the evil prince."

  "If I could only have seen the Celestial City," I said to Hopeful as we waved goodbye to the shepherds. "I really wanted to see it."

  "Well," Hopeful said, "I'm sure I saw the Gates, so we know it's not far away now."

  At the foot of the mountain we came to a twisting lane leading off the Way of the King. The signpost said the lane led to a place called Conceit, and a boy was running from there towards us.

  "What sort of place is Conceit?" I asked the boy.

  "It's a large town where I live, beyond the hills," the boy told us. "My name is Ignorance and I've decided to go to the Celestial City."

  I was wondering why he'd come from the wrong direction. "Do you think they'll let you in?"

  "Why not?" he said in surprise. "Surely they let everybody in!"

  Ignorance is on his way

  But there's a problem -- wait;

  Shouldn't he have started out

  At the W G?

  What is the missing word? (Hint on the next page.)

  Hint: Where the journey had to start.

  I shook my head. "We started at the Wicket Gate, and we've been sealed by the Spirit of the King on our foreheads, and our Rolls of Faith show that our names are already written in the Celestial City. Did the King give you anything?"

  Ignorance smiled. "Of course he didn't, but I can't see it will matter. I've lived a good life and I always try to help people. I even call to the King sometimes. You can follow the King in whatever way you like, and I'll follow him my way. All right? You have your faith and I have mine. I expect mine is just as good as yours."

  "But," I said, "the King's pilgrims have to be welcomed in by his Son at the Wicket Gate, and go past the Cross. The King's Son says he is the only Way to start. Did you do that?"

  "You needn't make such a fuss about it," Ignorance snapped. "I don't know where you've come from, but you were probably living near the Wicket Gate, so of course it was easy for you. Nobody in the town of Conceit ever thinks of starting there. In fact, I don't believe anybody knows this Wicket Gate you're talking about. We have a gentle pathway that saves us such a lot of trouble, and of course it makes our journey shorter and easier."

  I didn't know what to say, as Ignorance stopped to pick some fruit.

  Hopeful said, "Shall we wait for him?"

  "He's not stupid," I told him. "If Ignorance wants to know about the Way to the King, he'll soon catch us up. I'd like to help him, but we mustn't let him stop us going."

  Later in the day we came to a wide plain, between the Delectable Mountains and a country with low hills and long valleys. A signpost said it was called the Enchanted Ground.

  Hopeful yawned. "I'm too tired to go on. Let's lie down and rest."

  He certainly sounded ready for sleep. "Not here," I said quickly.

  "Why not?" Hopeful asked drowsily. "There's no one to hurt us. You go on. I'll only be a few minutes." And he lay down.

  Hopeful is already snoring: zzzzz. Even the question has some snores in it. What does it say?

  Is it safe to sleep here? No, it's not!

  Hopeful was already sleeping on the grass, but I quickly pulled him up and shook him hard. "What are you thinking about?" I said. "Don't you remember the shepherds warned us about the Enchanted Ground? They told us it's not safe to sleep here."

  Hopeful was quickly awake. "Sorry," he muttered, "but I don't think I've ever felt so sleepy before. Imagine what would have happened if I'd been on my own. I might never have woken up."

  "I'm feeling sleepy, too," I admitted. "Let's hurry on our way and talk about something interesting. You've never told me how you began to be a pilgrim."

  "I started out before you did," Hopeful said. "I knew Evangelist well, and he used to tell me about the King. I was living a dishonest sort of life, but I shut my eyes and ears to anything to do with the King and his Son. Then, one day, I decided to do something about it."

  "What?" I asked.

  "I decided to make my own changes," Hopeful said, as we walked quickly. "I stopped doing and saying bad things, called to the King a bit and that sort of thing. But it didn't make any difference. I knew that inside I was as bad as ever."

  "Tell me more," I said.

  Hopeful gave an embarrassed smile. "Every time I heard anyone mention the King and his Son, or I heard about someone going to the Celestial City, I thought it was time to start working my way there. But Evangelist told me it was no good trying to get there by pleasing the King. I had to start at the Wicket Gate and go to the Cross -- just as I was. So I ran there and began my journey the proper way. When I came to Vanity Fair I thought it was good, and the people persuaded me to stay."

  That surprised me, for I'd found the town unpleasant. "You really liked Vanity Fair?"

  "Well, I liked it sometimes, but I often felt frightened and unhappy. When pilgrims passed through the town, I was afraid they'd recognize me. Then you came with Faithful, and the minute I saw you both I felt so ashamed."

  "Did you see us being beaten?"

  "Yes, and I watched you when you were in the cage. Once I crept up close to the bars. I think you were asleep, but Faithful saw me and spoke to me."

  "What did he say?"

  "He begged me to leave the city at once. He told me the King's Son loves me and would forgive me if I told him I was sorry. I can remember some words Faithful told me, words that he said were spoken by the King's Son."

  .em ot semoc ohw enoyna yawa nrut reven lliw l

  (There's a hint on the next page.)

  Hint: You have to read the whole sentence backwards, but not in a mirror.

  Hopeful told me, "The words were, 'I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.' Then I saw Faithful killed because he loved the King, and I made up my mind that if you were set free, I'd ask you to let me travel with you."

  "I'm glad you did," I said.

  Hopeful nodded. "I'm glad too, Christian. Glad the King's Son hasn't turned me away, and glad to know he never will."

  Ignorance had been following us off and on for some time.

  "He's only a little way behind us now," Hopeful said. "Shall we wait for him?"

  I wanted to help Ignorance if I could. "Perhaps it would be better. If he feels sleepy we can at least keep him awake."

  We waited, but although Ignorance was able to see us waiting, he took a long time to catch up.

  "It's is a pity for you to stay behind," I called to him, as he strolled slowly towards us. "Come on, we can help you start your journey the right way."

  Ignorance shrugged. "I'd just as soon walk by myself. I always have so much to think about."

  "What do you think about?" Hopeful asked.

  "The King and the Celestial City."

  "But thinking about them isn't enough," I told Ignorance. "The evil prince thinks about them, too -- but he's not allowed in."

  I noticed Ignorance turning red with anger. "I suppose you think you're so perfect," he snapped.

  "No, I don't," I said. "The King's Son is the one who's perfect, and he's promised us a place in h
is Father's City."

  "Perhaps he's promised one to me," Ignorance said.

  "Ask him if he has," I suggested.

  Ignorance shook his head. "That sort of thing is all too much trouble, if you want to know."

  I felt sorry for Ignorance. "We can only get into the City if we've been forgiven," I told him. "No one gets in just by being good."

  "We'll see about that," Ignorance said, sitting down angrily on the grass. "I've left my home, and now I'm living like a pilgrim. What else can I do? Anyone would think I wasn't already good enough."

  "We can never make ourselves good enough to please the King," I said. "That's why his Son chose to die for us on the Cross. There's a song I know, but I can't remember all of the last line.

  "The King was angry with us all,

  'I'll punish you,' he said;

  But then his only Son spoke up,

  “Punish me inst---.”

  (three more letters).

  "His only Son asked to be punished, instead of the King punishing us for all the things we've done wrong," I told Ignorance, but he still didn't seem to understand.

  I turned to Hopeful. "I don't know what else to say," I whispered. "No one is good enough to get into the Celestial City by themselves, but Ignorance won't believe us."

  Ignorance was growing tired of talking. "You two have such silly ideas," he sighed. "I don't want to walk with you anymore."

  "Come on, Hopeful," I said, "it looks as though we'll be travelling by ourselves again."

  We went ahead, and Hopeful shook his head in wonder. "If everyone gets into the Celestial City, why did we have to pass by the Cross and go through all those difficulties?" he asked.

  "We'll watch and see what happens to Ignorance at the Dark River," I said. "I think you'll get your answer then."

  Hopeful yawned loudly. "Well, I hope we're almost past the Enchanted Ground."

  "Are you still tired?"

  "A bit, Christian. Perhaps we've been talking too much."

  I pointed down the road. "I think we're close to the Land of Beulah."

  Hopeful looked brighter when he heard that. "Come on," he said, speeding up, "I can't wait to get there."

  It seemed only a short time before we left the Enchanted Ground and entered the country of Beulah. The air was sweet and pleasant, and I was pleased to see that the Way of the King led right into Beulah.