by Gary Riner
“Are you cold dear?” the matron asked.
“No, I was just thinking of where I just came from,” Lina said as her stomach growled.
“Your meal is probably ready by now. I will be right back.” Lina stood as the lady left. She turned quickly watching the dress swirl and then fall back into place. She pulled the curtains aside and looked onto a park. Children were playing, while mothers sat on benches nearby. It finally occurred to her to check the door to see if it was locked. It wasn’t. “It’s better to remain here,” she told herself. She had no one and nowhere to run and her captors probably wouldn’t let her get away even if she tried.
The meal was wonderful. There was even a sweet sparkling grape juice like the one that her family sometimes served on special occasions. “What will happen to me now?” she asked the matron, her head down, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes again.
“Since you don’t have any family, at least any that will have anything to do with you, Achmed will act as your kinsman. He will probably arrange an appropriate marriage for you. You might go to a boarding school until you are a little older, or perhaps live with a foster family for a while.”
“Am I still a prisoner?”
“No. The door is open. You could leave if you wish. It will be to your advantage to stay in this room. Certainly if you are not here when Achmed arrives tomorrow you will be on your own. No family, no friends, and no money.” Lina knew that it was true. No friends or even family would help her after what had happened to her and her parents. Other Christians might have helped, but they had been disappearing at an alarming rate. She didn’t expect to be able to find any. “It is time for me to go home for the day. There are magazines and newspapers. Also feel free to watch the TV or listen to music.” She opened a cabinet that turned into an entertainment center, “I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”
After the matron left, Lina stretched out on the bed. Heaviness continued to plague her heart. “How could I deny Him, how could I?” She thought to herself. She recalled the two men, the instruments, and the room. “How could I not deny Him? If I had been stronger could I have withstood them? I should have been stronger, but how long could I have withstood what they were going to do to me?” She began to sob as the sense of loss overwhelmed her. Her parents were gone and now there wasn’t even a reason to pray. She was separated from the creator, forever. She retched and feared that the meal would come back up. What had she done?
At first she thought the voice was just hallucinations like she had experienced in the filthy cell, but she quieted herself and heard it again. The whispered voice asked, “Why are you crying?”
“Who is there?” The voice shushed her.
“Lower your voice. I’m over here.” Lina followed the voice to a louvered air vent in the corner. She looked but could not see the owner of the voice. “Why are you crying?” the voice asked again.
“My parents are dead, and I have denied the Creator.”
“Your parents are in the presence of the blessed Creator,” replied the whispered voice.
“Yes, and I will never see them again,” Lina sobbed.
“But you believe. You believe as they did, and you will see them again on the last day.”
“I do believe, but I denied Yeshua before men, and now He will deny me before the Father.”
“Were you coerced?”
“No, I was to be tortured.”
“Could they have made anyone say anything that they wanted them to say?”
“Yes, I believe that they could have, but I never stopped believing.”
“Then you haven’t sinned. The Creator has a wonderful future for you. Face it with your head held high, the Lord in your heart, and a smile on your face.”
“I just wish I could know that He still loves me.”
“He will ‘reveal’ His love for you very soon. Then you will know for certain that He still has a wonderful plan for your life.” Lina wanted to talk more, but there was the sound of a door opening in the adjoining room and the whispered voice went silent.
“I pray that what the voice said to me is true,” Lina said unsurely to herself as the heavy feeling lifting substantially.
Chapter 6 A Wonderful Dream
Achmed arrived about mid-morning. He was well dressed as before. Lina was dressed and wearing the colorful scarf just as she had intended. “Good morning Lina. I trust that you slept well.”
“Yes, wonderfully,” she said smiling warmly.
“I have some people for you to meet,” Achmed said as he opened the door. “Follow me please.”
She did follow him with her head down slightly, showing proper respect. He led her out the door into the parking lot. She left the facility with everything she owned, the clothing that she was wearing. There was a stretched Mercedes limousine with uniformed driver waiting for them. Achmed entered first followed by Lina. The driver shut the door, and Lina’s wide eyes turned to Achmed. “There is a large family with several sons that we are to meet today. They are very well off financially. I’m sure that you will be on your very best behavior. If the father likes you, it will be a wonderful opportunity for you. If he dislikes you, you will end up the wife of an old cruel day laborer at best.” Achmed knew that this was an exaggeration, but he wanted her to realize the magnitude of this opportunity.
After talking for a while, Achmed suggested that she lean back and rest for the last bit of the trip. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She would gladly be the wife of a day laborer if she could be sure of her relationship with the Creator. “Yeshua, how did you do it? You were tortured beyond description, and You could have stopped it at any time. Can a man touch something red hot and decide not to pull his hand away?” she asked herself. The car was cool, but the sun shone in on her as she drifted to sleep.
The dream came forcibly in on her almost immediately. It was windy and cold as she stood on the hill. Black clouds boiled violently. Lightning flashed a jagged line from one horizon to the next. There was the sound of heavy rocks grinding together beneath her as the ground shook. She turned and saw a wooden beam sunken into the ground. There was something dark red flowing down the beam and dripping into the rocky earth. She fell to her knees trembling with her head down. “No, no, no, please, please no.” She knew what she would see if she looked up. “Please don’t make me look,” she prayed.
The gentle voice gasped, “You caused this. You must look upon Me.” Her head began to involuntarily rise and her eyes followed the red stained beam in spite of her efforts to keep her head down. Then she saw Him. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. What have I done?” He was there before her. A body so badly beaten and bloody, He was hardly recognizable as a human form. “Please, please end this now,” she sobbed. “I know that You can come down. Please come down. How can you stand to just hang there from those nails?”
“Come and see. See through my eyes,” He finally gasped.
She was immediately looking down upon herself through His eyes. She looked filthy. Her hair was matted, and her skin and clothes were dirty, filthy beyond description. Her filthy arms were lifted and as she looked up at Him with her chocolate colored eyes, she heard herself plead, “Yeshua, please make me clean.”
“I will; be clean,” He said, as He breathed His last.
Brilliant colors broke forth like an explosion of light. The day flashed bright and warm with sunny skies. Flowers covered the once barren rocky hill. Her dress had changed to brilliant white. She could feel it, she was clean. She turned to see the empty beam. “Thank you, Yeshua.” Praises began to flow from her mouth until all her words were used, and then she continued praising Him in words that she did not recognize.
“Lina, Lina, wake up, you are talking in your sleep.” She awoke to find Achmed’s concerned face looking at her with one hand on her shoulder shaking her gently. “What were you saying?” he asked, a concerned look on his face. “It didn’t sound like you were speaking Farsi.” She was glad that the wo
rds of praise to Yeshua hadn’t been in Farsi.
“I don’t know,” she replied her face beaming. “At least it was a good dream.” She knew she was clean on the inside and it showed on the outside.
“You must tell me about it sometime, but not now, we are here at our destination.”
“I hope I CAN tell you about it sometime,” she said thinking of the implications.
“I have a feeling that the father is going to like you.”
“He does. He loves me!” she replied instantly aware that the father had come to her mind was different than the one that he had intended. Achmed turned to look at her questioningly, but a servant had opened the door for Lina. She was gladly climbing out escaping from his gaze. She got out of the car with her head held high, the Lord in her heart, and a smile on her face. She knew for certain that God loved her, and He still had a wonderful plan for her life.
Chapter 7 Exalted Father
The house that Achmed and Lina entered was very up scale. The floor was polished with thick rugs scattered about. The servant showed them into a spacious room apologizing that their host was not already there to greet them. They had barely time to take a seat before they heard the footsteps of several people. The first to enter was a tall, very imposing man that Lina would soon be introduced to as Mehran, the head of the household. Behind him filed in 5 boys, from about age 10 to the oldest in his late teens, which Lina correctly surmised were Mehran’s sons. They were all fair skinned with light colored eyes, all Persian and definitely not of Arabic decent.
Achmed and Mehran greeted each other with an embrace and some small talk. Achmed pointed inconspicuously to a point beside him. Lina slipped from behind him onto that spot. But before the introductions could begin one of the younger boys said, “She is very dark.” The culprit yowled from a swift kick from another brother, and he also got a scowl from the father. The introductions began with the oldest son. Lina maintained a strictly submissive posture. Her eyes remained downcast except for a brief glance into each young man’s face as she said, “I am pleased to meet you.” The time came to face the father. Lina felt that the family was expecting something else entirely, and that they were less than pleased with her as she was definitely non-Persian. It was looking like a marriage between her and a day laborer was the best that she could hope for.
Mehran exhaled heavily as he looked down on the girl. A voice inside of her said, “Move.” She stepped forward, took Mehran’s hand and fell to her knees. She kissed his hand and pressed it against the side of her face. Achmed only had time to look startled as Lina began to speak. “Please exalted father. Please accept this orphaned maiden as a servant to do menial work. I don’t eat much, and I will gladly sleep in the corner of a storeroom. Allah will surely bless those that help the unfortunate and orphans.” Mehran retrieved his hand as Achmed helped Lina to her feet. Achmed still didn’t know what to say and continued to look startled at Mehran.
Mehran said, “Boys, you are to return to your studies. Lina, stay here while I talk privately with Achmed.” They all left the room, and Lina took a seat and waited.
As she was seated, the praises in her heart for the Creator began bubbling up and out again. She had first feared that she had committed a terrible mistake, but the Creator was watching over her. She knew it for sure since the dream and automatic praises coming from inside of her.
After a while she heard a few giggles from the open doorway. A couple of young girls were looking around the door trying to get a peak at her. “Hello. Would you please come in? I would like to meet you,” she asked as she heard them scurrying down the hallway.
“How did you end up being responsible for this girl?” Mehran asked Achmed. Mehran knew well enough why Achmed was involved. It had been Mehran’s agents who mistakenly approached Lina’s father. Mehran had ordered that Achmed would become involved. It didn’t bother Mehran that two traitors to the faith had died, but they were not the aim of the investigation. Christians were suspected of subversive activity against the government. After all, he was the father of daughters and hoped that the young one might be saved.
“It wasn’t my idea for sure. Actually she is an assignment. As you know, I studied Law and political science. My superiors thought it might benefit some of the young ones that have been led astray if we became involved. They apparently thought it would be a good experience for me also. She repented before any real damage was done. I’m glad that I became involved when I did. They would have tortured her to their satisfaction as long as it pleased them.”
“Do you think she truly repented?” asked Mehran. He had his doubts of the validity of a statement made under duress. He might be inviting a Christian believer into his home, but there was little likelihood of any harm. How could he deny help of some kind after her plea for refuge?
“I heard her swear to it before Allah with my own ears. I know that she is not what you might have had in mind, but I’m truly thankful for your time today.”
“Not at all, I am most happy to see you again. It has been entirely too long since your last visit. I am told that one of my daughters still has a crush on you,” Mehran replied. If it was the daughter that he suspected he certainly would not consider subjecting Achmed to such discomfort. She would be useful, but for someone that he didn’t particularly like, perhaps an enemy that he needed to keep close watch over.
“Do you have any other prospects for her?”
“Not yet. I guess I will place her in a boarding school until I can make other arrangements.”
“That won’t be necessary. We have plenty of room here. Let’s see how she gets along with my daughters. We can keep her at least temporarily until you make more permanent arrangements for her. She can study with my daughters and their tutors. Have you made any inquiry about family assets that you should hold in trust for her?”
“I haven’t checked on the assets yet, but I will soon.”
Achmed entered the room and sat down beside Lina. “Will you stay with these people while I seek to make other arrangements for you?”
A smile sprang to her face, “Oh, yes, I would like that very much.” He started making notes as he asked her about her parents, full names, addresses, birthdays, and the name or location of any banks where they might have done any business.
“Would they likely have had any cash or valuables at the apartment?”
Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she thought about her parents. “Not likely. My father hadn’t been working as much after it became known that we were believers, I meant that they believed.” She glanced up to see if he had noticed the slip. He didn’t look up, but then knew that even though he had heard her recant her Christian beliefs there was something else in her heart. It did not signify. A husband strong in the faith would not allow her to follow this error.
“Very well then. I’m sure that they will get you settled in and I will see you soon.” Lina placed her hand on Achmed’s very briefly and then pulled it away.
“Thank you so much for what you have done for me,” she said as she dropped her eyes away from his gaze. She knew perfectly well that without him she would most likely still be at that terrible place. She was little older than a child to him but he couldn’t help noticing her appearance. She was much too thin, but that could be expected after her ordeal at the prison. She was developing into an extremely attractive young lady. She was undoubtedly marriageable age, especially now considering the recent occurrences. It would be better sooner than later, considering her potential erroneous beliefs. He would make the arrangements, a marriage contract with an appropriate husband as soon as he could.
Chapter 8 Greenest Eyes
The servant that originally greeted Achmed and Lina showed her to the girl’s schoolroom which had their class in progress. Eight girls of various ages were seated and watched as Lina was introduced to the teacher. “Class, as you heard, Lina will be joining us for a while,” said the teacher. The teacher was 22 year o
ld Taja. She was Mehran’s eldest daughter from his first marriage. “Lina, tell us a little about yourself and why you have come to study and stay with us.”
Lina had always been shy about talking before her peers and was especially nervous after all the things that had recently happened to her. Her voice trembled as she began. “Well, my name is Lina, I’m 16. Achmed brought me here until he can find a more permanent place for me.”
The name Achmed was repeated as a murmur through the class. An older girl was looking at Lina with a hard stare, her eyebrows arched. “Neelan, you have been replaced. Achmed has a new girl,” said one of the other girls followed by snickers from most of the others.
“Shut up,” Neelan growled.
Taja called for order in the class. “That is enough for now. Lina, please take a seat.”
Lina started to select a seat until 5 year old Nava sprang up and took her hand. “Sit with me.” Lina looked down into the greenest eyes that she had ever seen. Nava led Lina to a seat beside hers. Taja talked with Lina about her schooling history as the rest of the class worked on their in-class assignments. Taja gave her a reading assignment and some math homework.
Nava grabbed Lina’s hand as class was dismissed, and the girls began to file out. Neelan leaned close as she passed by Lina and whispered into her ear, “Bitch.”
Nava kicked at Neelan as she shouted, “Stop it Neelan.” Neelan easily stepped away from them avoiding the 5 year old’s kick. She gave Lina a satirical smile as she walked quickly away.
“One afternoon at school and she had already made a serious enemy,” Lina thought to herself. Nava pulled at her hand, “and a friend.”
The green eyes looking up at her, “Let’s go to our room and do our work before evening meal. Then we can go outside and play.”
Nava’s room was quite large for such a small girl. It was pink and white and very feminine. Nava took her papers to the table, sat down on one of the small chairs, and motioned for Lina to do the same. It was too small, so Lina sat on the floor, which made the table about the right height. Lina worked on her math assignment while Nava worked in her workbook. She asked Lina for help a few times, but the little girl was surprisingly capable of working by herself. She finished her workbook and paced more or less patiently until Lina finished.
