The Girl Behind the Red Rope

by Ted Dekker

  They too were the light of the world; they were just blind to how their Father saw them. I was seeing with the eyes of Christ. They were seeing with the eyes of fear.

  In the chaos, Sylous had left us. To where, I didn’t know yet. I still wasn’t sure how he was different from the Fury, but I had an idea.

  And then I was seeing normally again and every eye was on me. For a long beat, they stared in stunned disbelief.

  I took a deep breath and said what I knew to be true. “God is the light in which there is no darkness. And we are made in his likeness, light like him. But the world turned to darkness and we were blinded to our light.”

  “Blasphemy!” Rose cried, her finger stabbing at me.

  “No, Rose.” I took a slow step toward her. “Didn’t you see the Fury right here in the sanctuary?”

  “You brought them!”

  “That’s not true. They’ve always been here, feeding on us. They live in us and hover around us. Sylous opened our eyes to our own fears manifested in form and told us it was God’s cleansing, which only filled us with more fear. There’s now more fear concentrated in this valley than anywhere in the world.”

  “Lies,” she bit off. Then to Jamie: “Kill her!”

  “You saw my Fury,” I said. “And you saw how I as the light let them go. How could I have that power if I was lying?”

  The room was perfectly still as they considered my blasphemy in the face of their sacred beliefs.

  “Where did he go?” Andrew asked, looking around for Sylous.

  “I suspect he couldn’t take the heat,” I said.

  “Why would the angel lie to us?” Jamie asked.

  I faced him, courage coursing through my veins. “Because he’s a demon, not an angel.” It was my best guess, but I was pretty sure. “And he did this because he lives on fear. He feeds on it. He manipulated us into supplying him with an endless source of fear to feed on.”

  But Jamie wasn’t hearing me. I couldn’t see the darkness or the light as I had moments earlier, but I knew that his Fury were screaming in his mind, and his eyes were turning dark again.

  “Kill her now or I swear there will be hell to pay!” Rose cried. “And I mean real hell, like none of you have ever known. Sylous has always protected us! How dare any of you listen to these lies? The demon comes as the light to deceive us.” She glared at Jamie. “Now kill her!”

  JAMIE KNEW THAT ROSE WAS RIGHT—EVERY OUNCE of discernment in his bones told him that Grace had been taken over by the devil. Only a devil could do what she’d just done.

  The voices in his mind hissed to life.

  Can you do what is needed?

  Can you save them from her?

  Do it, do it, kill her.

  Trembling, Jamie lifted the gun. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin,” he said, tightening his grip. “Repent now or I have to kill you.”

  But Grace didn’t repent. Instead, she walked up to him. Right up to the gun, only a few inches from the barrel, which hovered before her chest. She smiled at him.

  She’s the devil. Kill her! Kill her!

  “Do you want to die?” Jamie heard himself ask.

  “Death is just a shadow, Jamie. I’m not afraid of shadows anymore. You can live with fear if you like, but it only draws more fear. Everything I said is true. All of it.”

  Her eyes showed not a hint of concern. Her face seemed to glow. The frightened sister he had always known had become a warrior, he couldn’t deny that. And her new calm unnerved him as much as any Fury might.

  But what if she was right?

  Grace raised her hand and placed it against his cheek, a forbidden act. Warmth spread from her touch, and he nearly pulled the trigger then. But he hesitated, feeling the heat spread over his face.

  “There is another way, Jamie,” she whispered. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

  Rose took a step toward them. “Pull that trigger, you coward!”

  “I see you, brother,” Grace continued. “You are the light. There is no trouble here. He has already overcome.”

  “Shoot her!” Rose screamed.

  Who will you be without your protection?

  The thought of releasing the laws that Jamie knew kept him safe made his bones groan. She had gone mad!

  Do it, do what needs to be done!

  Do it!

  The warmth on his cheek spread down the side of his neck and onto his shoulder. He couldn’t rip his eyes from hers. They weren’t the same eyes he knew from before. There were certainty and affection in them. How could she love him now after all this? How dare she!

  “It’s okay,” Grace whispered. “Let go, Jamie. Let go.”

  Jamie felt a warm emotion swell up his chest and into his throat. The voices continued to hiss in his mind, demanding he save the world by killing his sister, but the wonder in her eyes was swallowing him. Was it possible?

  “I love you, brother,” Grace said.

  Like an overwhelmed dam, something inside Jamie broke.

  Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to believe her. To be rid of the fear that had guided his life in a promise to keep him safe. To know the kind of love she knew without judgment or condemnation. Without fear of punishment or consequence.

  With that thought, the warmth from her touch swallowed him whole, and he knew he couldn’t do what he was meant to do.

  Jamie lowered the gun, hung his head, and began to weep.

  THE MOMENT JAMIE HUNG HIS HEAD, ROSE KNEW he’d fallen under Grace’s deceitful spell. Her words, like honey, had filled the auditorium and enthralled them all, including her to some extent. For a moment, she wondered if there might be some truth, however small, in what Grace was saying. In how she was being—fearless and gentle.

  But that would mean everything Rose had based her life on was wrong. The fear she felt from that thought shoved all deception aside, replacing it with a holy wrath of God.

  Sylous had insisted that Jamie be the one to kill Grace, but Jamie had failed. And Sylous had vanished. The others were looking at Jamie and Grace now, some tearing up, some lost in confusion, some incensed—but not nearly as many as she would have expected. How could they be so easily wooed by the lies of the wolf in sheep’s clothing?

  Even her children. Perhaps they more than the others, staring in wonder. So innocent and good. What if they were seeing something she couldn’t? What if . . .

  I will leave you to face hell on your own.

  Sylous’s words swept through her, and fear mushroomed in her gut. But it was immediately joined with courage. He was still here, watching over her like a constant lover.

  I cannot serve you if you do not serve me. The Fury will tear you to pieces.

  “No,” she whispered. “Please . . . I can fix this.”

  I was wrong to put my faith in you. I was mistaken to think I could save you.

  “No!” Rose screamed, balling her hands. She looked at the congregation, all eyes on her. But her mind was on Sylous. “Please, don’t leave me. I need you. I’ll do whatever you ask. Please, don’t leave me.”

  You know what has to be done.

  Rose shifted her eyes to the gun hanging in Jamie’s limp hand as his shoulders shook in silent sobs. Grace stood with her back to Rose, hands on her brother’s shoulders.

  Now!

  His voice came as a snarl, propelling her forward. Fear washed through her in great waves, numbing her mind. In four long steps, she reached Jamie, ripped the gun from his hand, and jumped to the side. Gun now in both hands, aimed at Grace. Finger on the trigger.

  But Grace had turned, and the calm in her blue eyes reached into Rose, inviting her to surrender to a new lover. To peace and rest.

  “Kill her!” Sylous’s voice shook the rafters. He was there in person, right behind her. And his hand was around the back of her neck, squeezing like a vise. Then he spoke softly in her ear, so that she could feel the heat of his breath and smell wafts of lilac. “Be a good lover and do as I ask, Rose.
”

  His arm slid around her chest, and he pulled her body back against him. She could see his strong hands, feel his muscle.

  “Kill the girl now,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I am,” she gasped. The gun was shaking like a leaf in her hands. “I am!”

  But she wasn’t.

  Before her was Grace, the one Sylous seemed powerless to stop. The one he was terrified of. The one who had no fear.

  Behind her stood Sylous. All eyes were fixed on him now. Somewhere a child was crying, but she didn’t know whose child. It sounded a bit like Levi. No one was hushing him. They were concerned with something far more urgent: Sylous, the one who had saved her from the hell of her father and led them into a sanctuary where the Fury couldn’t harm them. She’d lived to please him, loving him as no other.

  And in that moment, she had no doubt he would rip her head from her shoulders if she didn’t surrender to him now. He was the one who protected them, not threatened them. So why was he so afraid?

  “Because he needs our fear,” Grace said in a soft voice. “He feeds on our fear. He’s a religious spir—”

  “Blasphemy!” Sylous roared, body shaking behind Rose. He was breathing heavily. Full of fear. And for a moment, speechless.

  Grace was still looking directly at Rose, fearless, ignoring Sylous. “Love is the evidence of truth,” she said. “A love that holds no record of evil and blesses those who persecute. Isn’t that what Jesus himself taught?”

  Sylous shoved Rose and she staggered to her left, on the edge of panic.

  He straightened his coat and spread his arms, addressing the congregation. “Do I look like a cruel taskmaster to you? If not for me, you would all be dead. Dead and in hell!”

  They stared, drinking in his words.

  “I am your lover! I am the one who puts you to bed at night!” His rage was leaking through again, and now he set aside his composure altogether, shoving a finger of accusation at them all. “I am the one who leads you to Jesus and saves you from hell! I am the one who shows you how wretched you are! But for my sight, you would make yourselves God in defiance of his holiness! I am the one who keeps you humble and on the narrow path. I am your only hope now!”

  “No,” Grace said calmly. “You’re the father of lies who uses fear to keep us blind to who we are. If we surrendered to love, all fear would be gone and you would search out another valley to seduce with your lies.”

  She scanned the church, beaming. “Imagine an infinite love that is unconditional. That can’t be provoked or threatened. In that love you’ll see fear for what it truly is: a shadow.” She was beside herself with joy. “Imagine that! Shadows that we’ve gone into agreement with. But in love, the Fury vanish, because there is no fear in love, just like there’s no darkness in light.”

  “God cannot fathom, much less express, unconditional love!” Sylous bit off, face red. He paced, glaring at them all, unable to hide his rage. His fear of losing their loyalty.

  Rose blinked with a new thought. How could such a powerful being be so terrified? And how could a God who was infinitely powerful be afraid of losing anything?

  “God demands a response from you, all good Christians know that!” he continued. “That’s his condition! If you don’t say yes, you will spend eternity in hell, and if you want to test that, be my guest. Take a gamble.” He flung an arm out like a spoiled child. “Throw caution to the wind and risk never-ending torture. Or say yes to God now and throw out the wicked one who’s tempting you to believe her lies!”

  Rose stood back, mind fractured, gun at her side now. Grace didn’t even acknowledge Sylous. She was still fixed on the flock. Rose’s flock.

  Sylous’s flock.

  “Eli said we are the light, but Sylous says we’re not the light,” Grace said. “Who are you going to believe? Fear has blinded all of humanity. We call it the fall from the garden. The fall from the kingdom of heaven. But today we can all see again.”

  Rose stood aghast. Stunned, because somewhere in Grace’s words, she saw a sliver of truth. And in that sliver, light. How could a loving being ever threaten any harm for any reason? Was Sylous not loving?

  Sylous began to tremble, glaring at Grace with hatred. From head to foot he shook, fists clenched. Rose had always found his wrath oddly attractive. But why?

  She took a step back, suddenly terrified of him in the worst possible way.

  No one spoke. No one moved.

  “I know you’re afraid, Rose,” Grace said, voice tender. “I know you believe you’re nothing without him. But he only keeps you blind to eternal life, which is living free from fear right now, not after you die. Choose life, Rose. Choose love.”

  The veins were thick on Sylous’s neck. With a sudden roar, he turned and rushed at Rose, eyes red, lips quivering.

  He was coming for her. He was going to force her to shoot Grace. He was going to tear a gash in her neck.

  She acted as much from some deeply hidden instinct as from that sliver of light that Grace’s words had opened up in her mind. She jerked the gun up and fired when he was halfway to her.

  The gun thundered and bucked in her hand. A hole appeared in Sylous’s forehead, and Rose immediately thought, Oh no, what have I done?

  Stopped in his tracks, Sylous stared at her, stupefied. But he did not waver. Instead, his lips slowly twisted and peeled back, revealing a jaw with fangs. His body began to morph, arms lengthening, eyes narrowing into slits, claws extending.

  He tilted his head back, spread his long jaw and roared at the ceiling. The windows rattled and the congregation cowered.

  Sylous, who was now as much beast as man, lowered his head, chest rising and falling in great breaths. “I’ve always despised you.” His voice was low and guttural, popping with phlegm. “Now I will kill you.”

  He flinched and came like a bolt of lightning. Rose’s blood turned to ice.

  “Leave,” a voice said to her right. Grace, standing with head tilted down, staring at Sylous with bright and certain eyes.

  The word seemed to have its own power, slamming into the onrushing beast like a wave. As if hitting an invisible wall, Sylous came to an abrupt halt. Jerked his head around to stare at Grace. Confusion overtook his fanged face.

  “Leave us now,” Grace said.

  The beast who was Sylous blinked once, then began to smolder. His flesh turned to fog, and with a shriek that faded with his body, he returned to where he had come from.

  Sylous was gone.

  Rose gasped as his presence left her. But it didn’t feel like a simple leaving. It felt as though a heavy, debilitating disease had been dragged from her lungs, ripped from her heart. Her mind cleared and she stared at the empty space before her.

  Gone.

  The gun fell from Rose’s hands and thumped loudly on the wood. She slowly turned to Grace, who was smiling.

  “Fear,” Grace said, “or love. Darkness or light. Religious judgment or Christ. You can only serve one master.”

  Rose fell to her knees and began to weep.

  Grace turned to the elect in Haven Valley as soft sobs and sniffles whispered through the sanctuary. “Eli opened my eyes to see the light. Do you want to see the world the way he sees the world?”

  “Yes,” Rose breathed. Then with all the strength left in her body, she lifted her head to stare up at the rafters through tearful eyes. “Yes!”

  “Then see,” Grace said.

  And they saw.

  Epilogue

  Two Weeks Later

  We sat in the tall grass, maybe fifty souls in all, less than half the population Haven Valley had recently been. The sun was bright overhead and children darted about, caught up in a game of tag. Blankets had been laid out for people to come and sit. This place that had once been off-limits was now a beautiful meeting ground where we could fellowship and remember we were the light.

  Haven Valley had been transformed. After the glorious day in the Chapel, when our eyes had been opened to the kingdom of
love and the Fury had been exposed as only shadows, nothing had been the same. The first thing to go was the red rope.

  But we all had many red ropes in our minds: the boundaries made of fear that we believed would keep us safe—a false salvation born in fear. And not everyone had received the idea of freedom with the same enthusiasm.

  Seeing truth, it turned out, is often deeply disturbing to the mind that is deeply invested in the prisons it thinks will keep it safe, a system of security that provides comfort, even if it’s an illusion created in fear. Freedom always comes at the cost of the old.

  Some saw and longed to know more. Others saw and were afraid, unable to believe. Still others saw and were deeply offended by having been deceived for so many years. Free from Sylous’s law, Harrison, Levi, and others, including Andrew, had left to find their own way. They had no interest in seeking out the light.

  But I was certain that the light would continue calling them home. Love was simply too powerful not to cast off all shadows in time.

  For me, the calling had come through the voice and presence of a sweet boy named Eli, and I had surrendered to his love in the chaos of deep suffering. Others might choose prolonged suffering, but eventually every knee would bow in wonder and every tongue would sing the glory of that light. Or so it was written.

  I didn’t blame those who had left. I considered leaving myself. In fact, I did leave, if only for two days. Jamie and I simply had to know what the outside world really looked like. So we’d taken the trip four days after Sylous had been cast out of Haven Valley.

  What we found was a world that was ten years older than the one we’d last seen but otherwise hardly different, except for the kinds of technology that had emerged in our absence. We stood on a hill overlooking the city before daring to venture in, stunned by the vastness of it all. People hustling and cars zooming every which way—it was a sight to behold.

  The Fury were there, naturally. Not in the way we had seen them in Haven Valley, but if our eyes had been opened to see fear personified, we would have seen them everywhere, hovering about and feeding on nearly everyone, surely.