Feeling exhausted, once Daniel left and I closed and locked the door, I went back to my bed. I pulled out my Bible. Fortunately, the pages had stayed dry. I wanted to read the parable that Daniel had mentioned, the Pearl of Great Price, but I wasn’t sure where to find it. My pride pricked me. Now I would have to hunt for it.
I turned to the first book in the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, remembering the parables Matthew quoted of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew began, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…”
Soon I came to the Parable of the Sower. Many more parables followed, parables I hadn’t read in a long time. But it was the Parable of Hidden Treasure that struck a nerve.
Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for the joy over it, he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.”
I broke into tears. What was my treasure? Was Jesus my treasure? Or did I want to substitute my own? I knew if God chose, he could give me the desires of my heart.
“God,” I cried, “you know that I love you. I want this road of fear to end.”
I heard Jesus’ voice, not audibly, but in a way I knew was supernatural.
“It’s in your suffering you are refined. Your soul is more precious than all the gold and silver in the universe. Don’t lose heart. Cling to your faith, and someday, I will wipe away your tears at the Fountains of Living Water.
“Let the dross fall away, let the impurities melt. Remember, I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Tears covered my cheeks. I knew then, I had to trust God for the race. Did I have that kind of faith?
I laid my Bible down, imagining what it would be like to have so much faith I never struggled, doubted, or questioned. I closed my eyes. “Help me to love you better, Jesus,” and then I fell into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER 55
I WAS AWAKENED by banging on the door. I couldn’t remember where I was. As I sat up, my memory returned.
Daniel spoke through the door. “Shale?”
I unlocked it and Daniel followed me inside. “You slept the whole time, didn’t you?”
I nodded. “I must have been tired. What time is it?”
Daniel shrugged. “I have no idea without a watch.”
“Or iPhone.”
Daniel quipped. “Mine only works when the ventriloquist wants to get a hold of me.”
I waved my hand. “Don’t even mention that wretched name.”
“It’s probably about six.”
I sighed, folding my arms in front of me. “I’m hungry, too.”
“Dinner is almost ready at the house.”
“Listen,” I said to Daniel. “God did speak to me before I fell asleep. He told me I have to let go of my fears.”
“I do, too,” Daniel replied. “We can’t assume God is going to allow me to win, but what matters most is we give Jesus the glory. I want to feel God’s presence, knowing I’m doing what he’s called me to do.”
I swept my hair back from my face. “I suppose martyrs give God the most glory, don’t they?”
Daniel scooted closer to me. “There was something I never shared with you after God placed his seal on my forehead.”
“What’s that?”
“I was taken to the throne room of God. There I witnessed a great multitude that no one could number. The people came from all nations and tribes, and they wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands.”
“They were martyrs from the Great Tribulation?” I asked.
“Yes. You know what happened next? It’s in Revelation, if you want to read it.”
“No, I don’t remember.”
“King Yeshua promised the martyrs they would never hunger or thirst again. He told them the sun would not bear down on them and burn them, and he led them to the Fountains of Living Water. He personally wiped away every tear from their eyes.”
Goosebumps covered me. “Daniel, I had never heard of the Fountains of Living Water, but God spoke something similar to me. He said he would wipe away my tears at the Fountains of Living Water, too. Do you think that means we’re going to die?”
“God has our back. I truly believe that.”
“It would be reassuring to know for sure.”
“Then how would we build our faith?”
I knew Daniel was right. Neither of us spoke for a minute. “I guess we should head back.”
Daniel stood and crossed his arms. “The next few weeks will be hard. I’ll be gone all day, building up my endurance and preparing my body. It’s been a while, you know. I don’t have the same body I had when I quit racing.”
“I understand.”
“Don’t think I’m ignoring you if I seem distant or distracted, but I have to prepare in every way possible—physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.”
I stood and rested against Daniel. “I’ll try to help you as much as I can. I mean, I don’t know how I can…”
Daniel kissed me. “Pray for me. Pray for me morning, noon, and night.”
I took a deep breath. “I promise you, I will.”
“Are you ready to go back?”
I nodded. “I think so.”
“Good, because I’m hungry.”
I rubbed my stomach. “Me, too.”
We left the inn as cold rain began to fall. By the time we reached the city gates, I knew we would be drenched if we didn’t run.
I shouted to Daniel. “Guess what? Your training starts now. I’ll race you.”
We made it back to Theophilus’ house within a couple of minutes. Even though I was out of breath, I felt rejuvenated, but Daniel beat me. It took me a moment to catch my breath as we stood on the porch. “What do you do tomorrow for your training?”
Daniel squeezed my hand. “I’ll make some practice runs, heavy physical conditioning. Hopefully I’ll be ready in a few weeks, if not sooner.”
I wrapped my arm around him. “I’ll be praying for your protection.”
Daniel replied. “If it’s any consolation, I’m thankful you’re with me this time.”
I laid my head on his chest. “Me, too.”
CHAPTER 56
THE NEXT DAY Daniel left before sunrise. Each day was the same making the days seem long and lonely. I hardly saw him until he returned late in the evening. As the days passed, I found it increasingly hard not to be depressed.
One morning Shira tiptoed into my room. I was aware she was there. I only wanted to sleep—sleep off the remaining hours until the big day. Reading my Bible took too much energy. I couldn’t get through more than a couple of paragraphs when I would stop from fatigue.
Shira ran her fingers along my arm. I opened my eyes and smiled.
“When are you getting up?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled.
“Auntie,” she said softly, “you always seem sad now when you used to be happy.”
Her words jolted me. I knew I hadn’t given her much attention since we arrived, but Mari seemed so much better than me at the parenting thing. She had even included Shira in the festivities of their upcoming wedding.
Everybody had a job—Daniel with his training, Mari getting married, and me—I prayed faithfully, but that seemed like so little. I mean, who can pray eight hours a day? I still struggled with fear, no matter how much I prayed.
I needed to pull myself together. If this was my job, I had failed miserably. I lifted Shira up on the bed and held her in my arms. “Shira, sweetie, I’m just tired. You know I love you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I kissed her on the cheek. “Do you feel better now?”
“Uh-huh. Can you play with me?”
I smiled. “I’ve got a better idea,” trying to add as much excitement to my voice as I could. “Let’s go out to the barn and visit Lowly and Baruch.”
Her eyes brightened at my suggestion. “Right now?”
“Yes, as soon as I get dressed.”<
br />
A short time later, we walked outside as bright sunshine peeked through the canopy. Fresh flowers graced the fence, and a new crop of vegetables filled the garden. Baruch and Lowly were grazing a short distance away. When they saw us approaching, they came over to greet us.
“How are you doing today, Miss Shale?” Baruch asked.
I massaged the donkey on the top of his head and contented brays showed his approval. “I’m doing well. And you?”
Baruch appeared to be smiling. “I’m the happiest donkey in the world, Miss Shale, thanks to you and Mari.”
As Lowly joined us, I remembered how close we came to losing him.
“Can I do that, too?” Shira asked.
I picked Shira up and showed her how to use her fingers to rub his back. After a while she became heavy. I praised her. “You are doing a great job, but I need to rest my arms.”
After I set her down, she took off exploring. I filled Baruch and Lowly in on the news, sharing with them mostly about Daniel’s upcoming race. “I still need to take my father’s scrolls to him, but I’ve been so concerned about Daniel, I haven’t had the energy to visit him and Nathan.”
“Sometimes,” Lowly stuttered, “things can get so dark, you lose hope, but that’s when God intervenes. Just as Jesus gave us a new home, God will take care of Daniel. Here we get all the insect larvae, worms, fruits, and vegetables we want. Isn’t that right, Baruch?”
Baruch grunted. “Leftovers and insects may taste good to pigs, but I prefer barley, hay, and nuts.”
I sniggered at eating insects. “You’re right, Baruch. Jesus provides for our needs. Yet it is hard for me to remember that. I mean, I can believe it easily enough, but living it out is another matter.”
This time it took a donkey and a pig to give me perspective. I remembered a song I used to sing, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and glad in it.” Humming the tune lifted my spirit and the darkness of my heart fled.
Delightful animal sounds followed me as I went to chase down Shira, but instead, she ran back to me. “Keep singing, Auntie, I want you to hear the flowers.”
She took my hand and led me to the blooming garden as I sang.
“Auntie, isn’t it beautiful?”
“My singing?”
“No, the flowers are singing. They are singing with you.”
I sang some more, hoping to hear what she heard, but I could only hear my voice.
Joy crossed Shira’s face. “You must sing more often. You bring joy to the world every time you sing.”
After we headed back into the house, I shared with Mari my intentions to visit my dad.
“Send him my love,” she said. “He was always kind to me.” She handed me a sealed envelope.
“What’s this?”
Mari smiled. “An invitation to our wedding.”
I lamented. If only Daniel and I could have a double wedding with Mari and Judd. What if I asked one more time?
CHAPTER 57
ONE EVENING DURING dinner, Daniel appeared especially tired. He hardly ate anything, and that worried me. How could he build muscle if he didn’t eat protein? Mari had purchased extra fish for the last few weeks, but tonight Daniel didn’t touch it. He left the table before the meal was over and went to his room.
Following dinner, I cleaned Shira up and tucked her into bed. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep after saying her prayers. I kissed her on the forehead and then went to Daniel’s room. Pulling up a chair, I sat beside him as he lay on his bed. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m exhausted and sore.”
I ran my fingers along Daniel’s shoulder muscles. I pressed down as hard as I could. He moaned.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No, keep doing that. If only I had some relaxers, but your fingers are as good as any pill.”
I massaged his muscles as he directed me.
“A little higher, a little lower, yeah, that’s good.” For the first time in almost three weeks, I felt I had a purpose besides praying. Not that that wasn’t important, but Daniel needed me.
For more than thirty minutes, I worked my fingers to the grind, massaging muscles that felt like rocks. If only I had thought about doing this before, he might have made faster progress. We were approaching three weeks of training, and he hadn’t mentioned when the race would be. I was afraid to ask.
When my hands were about to give out, Daniel reached over and touched me. “Thank you. You never told me you had that gift.”
“I wish I had thought about it sooner. I’ve longed to be able to do something.”
He smiled. “You’ve done a lot.”
I remembered I hadn’t shared with him my experience in the garden. I had been waiting for the right opportunity and hoped for a double wedding. “I have something to show you. I’ll be right back.”
He mumbled under his breath, “I’m not going anywhere.”
I returned a few minutes later. “Do you recognize this photo?”
Daniel opened his eyes, but couldn’t see what I was showing him, so he sat up. I handed it to him.
His face turned ashen. “Where did you get this?”
“I found it in a house in the garden when you went to the castle.”
Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “This is the same picture by my mother’s bed. You didn’t take hers, did you?”
“Or course not. You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Where in the garden?”
I explained in more detail. “Cherios took Shira and me to the spot in the garden where I met her on my first adventure, after I followed Much-Afraid through the door. If you remember, I interrupted her picnic with Baruch under the apple tree.
“Not far from that spot, a stone’s throw away, a brand new house is being built. We went inside, and Shira found the picture and brought it to me.”
Daniel held it up to the light of the burning candle. “You found this photo in a house in the garden?”
I nodded. “What do you think it means?”
Daniel examined the photo more closely. “It looks like the exact same photo.”
“Daniel, it is the same photo. It’s your great-grandmother as a young girl wearing the Star of David. It’s the same girl we met on the train.”
Daniel’s hand shook. “Maybe God was confirming that we returned the necklace to her. She’s the only one who made it out alive. I mean, I wouldn’t be here if God hadn’t saved her.”
I leaned in closer. “Seeing the photo in the garden gives me hope that we’ll marry. Perhaps we’ll live in the garden.”
“A house made by the carpenter himself.” He kissed me on the forehead. I wanted him to kiss me again, but he lay down.
“Did you see anything else while you were in the garden? I never asked you.”
I leaned over. “Daniel, there are many houses being built, perhaps thousands.”
Daniel closed his eyes, as if imagining what I had seen. “There would have to be millions. Jesus told his disciples, ‘In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’”
I smiled. “Yes, that’s one of my favorite verses. You know what was strange?”
“What?”
“You would think with all those houses being built, there would be many people also, but there was just us.”
“Remember,” Daniel said, “you saw sheep and goats.”
I sat up straighter, lamenting. Now that I understood more, I wished I could go back. I put my hand on Daniel’s. “Do you have any idea when we can get married?”
Daniel propped himself up on his side, bracing himself with his elbow. “When God makes it clear.”
I scooted closer. “Mari is getting so excited about her wedding. I was thinking…”
Daniel squeezed my hand. “Shale, we can’t have a double wedding. I mean, I can’t think about it until after the race. I need to focus on my training. Mostly, I need your prayers. I’m raci
ng against powers of darkness, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Yes, I’m racing for my father, for Cynisca, Dominus, and Justinian, but ultimately, I’m racing for God.”
Daniel peered into my eyes. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but the last race ended strangely. I lost my contacts—remember I used to wear them. After the race, they were gone, and I saw better without them. In fact, I witnessed the heavens open.”
Daniel peered at the ceiling. “God showed me the race is about more than making things right with Justinian, or finding out what Tariq knows about my father. It’s about defeating evil through the power of Jesus. It’s about joy and love even in difficult circumstances. It’s about trusting God even when I don’t know the outcome.”
“I’m praying for you, Daniel.”
“And you’ll never know how much that means to me.”
“Where do you think Nidal went since he didn’t return here?”
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know. He didn’t want to return to the twenty-first century. He wanted to stay here, race, and make tons of money.” He sighed. “I need to get some sleep, and so do you.”
I nodded. “One last thing.”
“What’s that?”
“We didn’t visit my father as we had planned, with the bad weather.”
Daniel sat up halfway. “I almost forgot. Do you think you could go without me?”
“You don’t want to go?”
“Not until after the race. Perhaps you could go now, and I could visit later.”
“I’d like to see how Nathan is doing, too,” I added.
“Don’t forget to take the scrolls, and ask your father if I could have the Books of Joel and Daniel.”
“Can I tell him you will come and visit?”
“Sure.” Daniel closed his eyes, and I trudged back to my room. “God, give me patience,” I prayed.
CHAPTER 58
THE NEXT DAY, after putting Shira down for a nap, I studied Daniel’s directions. My father’s house didn’t seem that difficult to find. While I didn’t care about meeting my father, I couldn’t wait to visit my half-brother, Nathan. Fond memories returned of the day Jesus healed him from being tongue-tied.
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