by Karl Morgan
“Me too,” Manny said and he and the others disappeared.
§
Manny and Josh were walking along a long line of chambers. “May I ask you a question?” Josh asked.
“I think you just did,” he laughed. “Please go on.”
“Why didn’t you use your power to stop Barsat? Why did you use me?”
“Fear. This universe was created for people like you. It is a free choice zone. Armand and I have been committed to allowing the Beings of this universe to make their own choices. I guess I was so used to that way that I was unable to take action. Somehow, I had to find a way for a human to stop it.”
“Wait a minute. Did you just say you were afraid?”
He put his hand on Josh’s shoulder and replied, “Yes, but it wasn’t fear of injury or death. I created the equilibrium, and now I was considering smashing it. I worried that the universe itself might fail if I got involved. Does that make sense?”
Josh laughed. “Manny, I’ve been afraid of this or that my entire life. Having fear is something I’ve very familiar with. Manny, is there life after death?”
Now Judah was laughing. “My dear boy, didn’t you resurrect my daughter from a bleached skull? Of course there is. But that makes me realize that I lied to you. I told you that you only used the power during the final attack, but there were other times.”
“When I made Stella alive, right?”
“Yes, and when you resurrected Connie. Believe me, I think both were excellent decisions and I applaud you for them, but I am not sure you’ll be able to do that anymore.”
“You’re not sure?”
Manny patted him on the cheek and said, “Well, just let me know if it works if you try it again. Then we’ll both know for sure.”
Josh looked into the closest chamber and saw Shirley Cambridge inside. “We’re here now, what do we do?”
“On the count of three, put your arms in the air, palms up and shout ‘Arise’!” Josh looked stunned, but nodded. “One, two, three,”
They both shouted, “Arise!”
Chapter 18
Six months following the end of demonic rule, five hundred guests celebrated the wedding of Joshua Carpenter and Constance Judah. With the help of Manny and Armand, much of the destruction had been repaired, and the world was already returning to normal. A conference was due to begin in San Diego in two days to decide how the eight former nations would be broken into smaller countries to avoid the centralization of power that made it so easy for Barsat to gain control. The seven surviving leaders were in attendance at the wedding, grateful for another chance at life. By acclimation, they had chosen Joshua to lead their meetings.
It was already past midnight and Josh and Connie held each other tightly as they danced with the dwindling group of guests. Josh smiled at his parents dancing close by. Josh felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ted Dixon and Stella standing next to them, ready to cut in. Ted waltzed away with Connie while Josh held Stella’s hand and put his other on the small of her back and they began to dance. “How do you feel, Stella?”
“Josh, I just wanted to thank you again for making me into a human being,” she smiled and kissed his cheek. “Except for one thing. . .”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Josh. It’s just that my life as a robot was so clear. I was assembled to serve Ted Dixon. No feelings, no commitments, just service. Does that make any sense?”
“And now he’s engaged to Diane, and you’ve lost your purpose.”
“Sort of, but not really. It’s just when I was in the internment camp, I met a young man. I honestly thought we’d all starve to death, but now, I’m not sure how to tell Ted.”
“Does your boyfriend know you used to be a robot?”
“Yes, I told him that from the beginning. I knew he’d want to meet my family and it would get complicated. So, I figured it is best just to be honest up front.”
“I get it. Now you’re afraid to leave Ted because you were built to serve him.”
“Yes! I’m glad you understand, Josh.”
Josh kissed her cheek. “He understands, Stella. A woman deserves the full attention of the man she loves, and he loves Diane. But don’t get me wrong, he loves you too, but it’s different. It’s more like a man loves his mother or his sister. Can I give you piece of advice?” She nodded. “Go out and live your life, Stella! You are a beautiful, brave, caring woman and deserve to have a wonderful life with the man you love.” She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. When she pulled back, he could see tears in her eyes. She kissed his cheek again and disappeared into the crowd. Josh felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Shirley Cambridge smiling at him. He took her hand and began to dance with her. “How are you, Shirley?”
“I’m good. It was a fantastic wedding, Josh. Thanks for inviting me.”
“How could I not invite you, Shirley, after all we’ve been through?”
“I know I broke your heart, Josh, and I’m sorry about that.”
“That seems like a long time ago. It’s over now. So what are you going to do now?”
She smiled and said, “I’m going back to what I was doing before with the meetings and speeches. I think people will listen better now that they’ve seen what can happen when evil wins.”
He kissed her forehead and said, “Have a wonderful life, Shirley. I will always have a special place in my heart for you.” She smiled, turned and walked away.
A hand clapped Josh on the back and he turned to see Ted Dixon smiling at him. “The party is over, so let’s go to the bar and have a drink, Josh.” The two walked across the ballroom and out the door, down a long hall and into the large, crowded bar. Joe Carpenter stood and waved them over. When they arrived, they found Joe was sitting with Bill Dixon, Armand Sattu, Chris and Emmanuel Judah. Ted and Josh sat down and a server brought another round of drinks. “So how does it feel to be a married man, Josh?”
“Cheers!” Josh said as he raised his glass in a toast. After taking a sip, he continued, “It feels amazing and a bit surreal.”
“Surreal in what way, if I may ask?” Bill Dixon queried.
“It’s not every day a man marries into this family!” he replied.
“That reminds me,” Manny interjected. “Ted, do you remember when I called you in the hospital waiting room?”
“Of course I do, sir. Instantly, I was standing in a swamp thousands of miles away.”
“That day I told you that you’d be a believer if you went on that journey. Well?”
Ted chuckled to himself and then replied, “Actually, I convinced myself the whole thing was a dream or something. It wasn’t until Armand rescued us from the internment camp that I realized what was really happening. And to answer your question, yes, I am absolutely a believer. Sitting next to you, how could I not be?”
A busboy cleared the empty glasses and set down a bowl of nuts and another of chips and began to turn away when Josh grabbed his arm. “Mr. Finch, is that you?”
Hammond Finch did not look up but nodded his head while focusing on his feet. “I’m sorry sir, am I bothering you?”
Josh stood up and put his arms around the other man, hugging him tightly. He kissed him on the cheek and offered his chair to him. Then he pulled another chair up to the group and sat down. He motioned to the server to bring Finch a drink. “Why are you working here as a busboy, Mr. Finch?”
“I’ll leave if you wish, Joshua. I don’t want to be a bother to you sir.”
“What’s this about, son?” Joe asked.
“Who is this man?” Bill wondered.
Josh looked over to Manny and Armand who were both nodding and smiling at him. He turned his attention to Finch. “Hammond, none of this is your fault. I hope you know that.”
“Josh, my decisions almost destroyed the world. How can you say it’s not my fault?”
“Hammond, Joshua is correct,” Armand replied. “If anyone is to blame, it is me. But that was
a different world. When Henri chose to act on his own, all bets were off. From the moment when they attacked me in the woods, you no longer bore any guilt for what would happen next. I forgive you, Hammond.”
“And I forgive you, Mr. Finch,” Josh smiled.
“I forgive you, Ham,” Chris added.
“You are forgiven Hammond Bentley Finch. Never doubt my love for you, son,” Manny finished.
“But why do you all forgive me? I have done the most wretched things. I can’t accept forgiveness after all I have done.”
“Ham, I will need your help to rebuild the world,” Josh began. “You and your family have much work to do if the people are to recover from what they’ve been through. You want to suffer because you made bad choices before, right?” Finch looked down and sniffed back a tear. “Ham, I was lost in my fear for a year while the world suffered terribly. All the horrors that led to the end occurred when you were powerless to act and I was omnipotent, but my fear kept me from doing anything. Perhaps if I had moved quicker, it would have been different, but I did not. In a lot of ways, you and I are the same. We both made poor choices, but now we get to choose again.”
“But I tried to kill you.”
“My son led you astray, Hammond,” Armand replied.
Josh put his hand on Finch’s knee and the man looked up at him. “Ham, remember when I appeared in the demon’s lair. You begged me to kill you, but I did not. Do you know why?” Finch shook his head slowly from side to side. “Because while there is life, there is hope. If I had killed you, there would be no way you could help me now. Please Hammond, choose life, and then you and I can fix the mess we find ourselves in now.”
“I want to help, Josh, but I don’t know how. And how can you trust me after what has happened?” Josh began to laugh, and the others soon joined in. Hammond stared back at them as though they were mad. “What’s so funny?”
“Do you have any idea who Emmanuel Judah is?” Josh smiled. Hammond shook his head slowly.
“I will take it from here, Josh,” Chris said. Instantly, Finch, and Chris disappeared.
“So this is where you went to,” Connie said as she joined them. “Josh, our guests are worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, but the men wanted to share a drink or two,” he replied.
Connie smiled and sat on the chair where Finch had been sitting. “Well, where’s my drink then?”
Josh motioned to the server to bring another round of drinks and then turned to his new wife. “So, where are we going for our honeymoon, darling? You told me it was a secret.”
“Anywhere you want, Josh. There are no limitations, you know. The future, the past, other planets, other galaxies. What would you like?”
He kissed her lips, holding her head in his hands. “How about Idaho, with a side trip inside the sun?”
###
Thanks so much for reading Hand of God. I really hope you enjoyed it and are wondering what will happen next or maybe want to see what other stories I have. In fact, to help you decide, let me offer you a reward:
First of all, if you join the Adventurers Club, I will send you any one of my individual e-books free of charge! Click here to join! After you sign up, just send an e-mail to [email protected] and let me know which book you want and the format (for Kindle or other reader). I will send the e-book file by return e-mail. What a deal, right? I promise I will not spam you and you’ll also be the first to hear about new books and special deals. I want to connect with you and learn what you like and dislike.
The bad news is the next book in the Modern Prophet series is not ready for publication just yet. If you sign up as above, you can find out when Demonic is coming out. I think you will like that story. When I started it, I challenged myself to go way beyond my comfort level to make the story terrifying. When it is available, I would like to know what you think of it.
Finally, whew, I bet you’re glad to hear that, you are welcome to check out my website and connect with me on Facebook and/or Twitter. That’s it! Thanks again.
Back to Top
About the Author
Karl J. Morgan
Karl Morgan has a lifelong fascination with stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres, whether it was the Tom Swift novels by Victor Appleton he read as a young boy, or television like Lost in Space and Star Trek, and especially films like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. All of those tales put the protagonist in terrible situations where the odds are against them and, yet, somehow they prevail. The reader/viewer is always left with a sense that something greater than ourselves is watching over us.
The reliance on Divine Providence, the power of friendship, and the desire to learn and grow are cornerstones of the author’s Dave Brewster and Heartstone series. That continues in the Modern Prophets series, only the unseen forces are now out in the open.
These are tales of reluctant heroes who have been given powers they do not yet understand, and challenges that would seem overwhelming. Still, the hand of Fate is firmly on their shoulders and friends arise just when needed most to prevent the most despicable of evils.
Karl lives in the San Diego area with his wife, Aida, and their beloved puppies. Their two grown children have fled the nest and started their own adventures in life.
Back to Top
Other Books By Karl J. Morgan
The Dave Brewster Series
Showdown Over Neptune (Book 1)
Second Predaxian War (Book 2)
The Hive (Book 3)
Tears of Gallia (Book 4)
The Accord (Book 5)
Heartstone
Sentinels of Far Sun (Book 1)
The Time Walker (Book 2)
Modern Prophet Series
Two Doors (Book 1)
The Reluctant Prophet: A Love Story (Book 2)
Demonic (Book 4, coming soon)
Individual Book
Remembrances: Choose to Be Happy and Embrace the Possibilities
Back to Top
