The Disappearance of a Pied Piper

B. East, Chairman of the Board at World Tech

"Chief, Chief, I've got something you need to read," Rich danced, like a two-year-old.

"What is it, Rich?" Bud asked, "What's all the excitement about?"

"Before I tell you, let me ask you something," Rich said.

"Sure. Anything. What is it?" Bud started to shuffle in place.

"When those technicians from WorldTech were on the island, bringing their equipment to bring us into the 21st Century, did even one of them give you a business card?" Rich asked.

"Sure did," Bud said, "I took that guy to be the leader of the group. Why do you ask?"

"Do you still have it with you?" Rich asked. "I want to look it over for a Chairman of the Board or President of the company."

Bud took out his wallet, pulling the business card out of one of the credit card sleeves, "Here it is, Rich. Look to your heart's content."

"Just what I thought (at least it was a hunch,)" Rich said. "Listen to this, 'B. East, Chairman of the Board, ID #666.'"

"So, he's secure enough to post his ID number," Bud said. "He must be quite a guy."

"If you think so, then we need to read Revelation 13, together, right now," Rich said.

"Sure. Pull it out, and start reading," Bud said.

"'And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.' That's verse #1," Rich said. "Don't you find it strange, that the head guy in the company, who wanted to just give us their equipment has a leader, who is a hybrid Creature, like the hybrid creatures, who have been attacking us?"

"It's true, that our hybrid creatures did come up out of the sea, but that's not conclusive evidence, that this is the same for an individual like this B. East, Chairman of the Board," Bud said. "If we are going to help each other, and the people of our community, then I need you to bring evidence, that would hold up in court."

"Okay, then, how's this for evidence," Rich smiled. "Let's jump to the last verse, #18, 'Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.' Do you know what, that Old English number is in modern English?"

"No, but I'm sure you will tell me," Bud said.

"That number is 666," Rich danced. "Look at the business card, and read the line for the top guy."

Bud looked at the business card, and read the bottom line, "'B. East, Chairman of the Board, ID #666.'"

"Now, do you think his ID number is a small thing?" Rich asked. "Besides, 'B. East' could be read as one word, 'Beast.' I think that is evidence, that would hold up in court. I rest my case."

"Oh. My. Goodness," Bud said. "We're going to have to read up more on this man."

"That's what Revelation 13 is all about," Rich said.

"What else have you got on the guy?" Bud asked.

"Verse #2," Rich said, "reads like this, 'And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.' He's got parts of a leopard, a bear, and a lion. If that's not a hybrid beast, then I don't know what one is."

"No arguments, here," Bud agreed.

"Here's the scary thing," Rich said. "The dragon gives this beast his power. Did they tell you the same stories in Sunday School, that they told me?"

"What kind of stories?" Bud asked.

"They kept saying, that the dragon was another name for Satan," Rich frowned. "If B. East Chairman of the Board is getting 'his power, his seat, and (his) great authority' from Satan, then we need to steer clear of him, especially, if what you've changed into, along with some of the rest of us, is a Christian."

"Why the terrified look on your face, Rich?" Bud asked.

"Because of verses 7 & 8," Rich said. "Give a listen, 'And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.'"

"Oh. That sounds bad," Bud said. "Let me see those verses for myself."

Rich handed him the Bible, pointing to the place. Bud exclaimed, "Oh. My. Goodness. He's at war with the saints (apparently another name for Christian.) He has power over them, and everybody else on earth, and apparently those, who are not Christians worship him."

"Keep reading, Chief," Rich said. "There's more."

"Verse #9 looks like an admonition to me," Bud said. "Verse #10 is encouragement for Christians, who are alive, right now, but verses 11 & 12, I have to read out loud. 'And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.' Are you serious? There will be a second beast? The second beast is a lamb with two horns, who talks like a dragon. The Devil? He has the same power as the first beast, and he is the one, who urges, makes, causes, and champions the first beast being worshiped. The first beast had a death wound and recovered or was resurrected. Oh, the plot thickens."

"Indeed, Chief," Rich said. "It gets worse. Let me point something out to you."

Bud handed the Bible back to Rich, who started to read, "Verses 13 - 15 show, that this second beast is skilled in the supernatural. He brings 'fire down from heaven on the earth.' I wonder if he has the ability to direct the placement of lightning strikes. He deceives people in order to create a statue of the first beast. By miracles he makes the statue speak, and he forces people to worship the statue he made."

"How could he do that?" Bud asked.

"Don't worry about the How, Chief," Rich said. "Let's worry about the fact, that he will do this as well as the thing we almost had to do in Fairly Same, Nevermore."

"What are you saying, Rich?" Bud asked.

"Chief, I see WorldTech all over verses 16 & 17," Rich said.

"Then, read those verses, right now," Bud waltzed back and forth.

"Here they are," Rich said. "'And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.' Can you see a world of people going around in this life with the number, '666' visibly tattooed on their foreheads or in their right hand? That is the hand of strength, showing, that the people of the world are giving their strength to the beast."

"Maybe it won't be a visible tattoo," Bud said. "What else could it be?"

"It could be an invisible tattoo marked in ink, that only shows up under blacklight," Rich said," but what if it is a computer chip, like that World Tech leader said, 'You will need to insert a chip into your people.' Maybe The Lord has given us a few extra days to learn His Will, that we never learned, while our children were still here. Maybe we're being prepared to refuse the Mark of the Beast, and ultimately sacrifice our lives for The Lord."

Jerome ran in with an urgent look on his face. "Chief, something's going down!"

"How do you know, Jerome?"

"I was using the binoculars and decided to scan the horizon," he said. "Then, I saw a ship about twice the size of the one, that World Tech was using."

"How do you know something's going down," Bud asked.

"I don't really," Jerome said, "but I felt something in my bones."

"Keep using the binoculars, and tell me something definitive," Bud said. "It may simply be a passing ship. Some day soon we may need to flag one down to help us escape a sinking island."

"Will do, Chief," Jerome said. "I'm on it."

He watched for about 15 minutes. The ship got closer to Little Nevermore Island. Jerome could finally read the broadside of the ship, "World Tech Industries."

"Chief, you wanted confirmation," Jerome said. "The sign on the ship is 'World Tech Industries'."

"Then, we've got to prepare to meet them as gracious hosts," Bud said. "Keep watching the ship, and tell me when they're nearly here."

"I'm guessing they're about 25 nautical miles out at present," Jerome said.

The sky lit up with another meteor shower. Meteors the sizes of grapefruits to small animals started landing all around the island, turning many of the pine trees in the watery forest into torches. A few of the smaller ones landed in the yards, but nothing hit the church or the parsonage.

"Get everybody inside," Bud said, "Jerome, you can use the binoculars from the porch of the church. Rich, keep an eye on the motorboat. It may be our only escape, if-"

Two large meteors, the size of pickup trucks landed quite a distance off the island to the south and to the east, then as Jerome watched helplessly, the largest meteor of them all blazed across the sky, finding its target, the World Tech ship. It landed true and was about the same size as the ship. All were lost, no doubt because the ship disintegrated.

Bud shouted, "Get ready, Everyone. We've got three rouge waves headed our way. Make your final peace with God, if you haven't already. We didn't have time to make a lifeboat, so the motorboat is our only possibility. The meteor shower seems to be letting up. Get out and start loading up. You won't need to put it in the water. I think the launch will be much like Noah's Ark launching on the first day of the global flood."

People scrambled to the boat as the first of two big waves slammed the toolshed, sending debris flying toward the group. Liam lost his right arm, and a board hit his left leg, breaking it.

Bud ran toward him, putting his arm under his good shoulder. "Leave me, Bud," Liam said. "I don't think I can survive this one. Besides, I now know that I am one of the chosen. Jesus saved me. Let me go to be with him."

"Bless you, Liam," Bud said, "I'll help whoever I can."

"He already has blessed me-" Liam said as the wave rolled over his mangled body.

Bud barely made it to the boat as the wave lifted it off the lawn. The island hemorrhaged, and shook, as the watery pine forest fell out of sight. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" Bud shouted as the second rouge wave, nearly capsized the boat. Fancy handling by Jerome at the controls kept them above the wake. The third wave from the destruction of the World Tech ship threatened to destroy them all. It came in a moment, but Jerome had cat-like reflexes, pointing the bow into the wave just enough to begin riding the surf, turning the bow to the right, making the boat an oversized surfboard. They must have ridden the wave about twenty-five miles when Jerome said, "We're in the wake, and the wake is starting to subside."

"That's great," Bud said. "It seems calm enough to assess our situation. Take a headcount, Captain Jerome."

"Will do, Chief," he said. Moments later came the news, "Twenty souls are still with us, including the strong and intrepid Grady, who has been hanging onto the side of the boat all this time."

They were packed like sardines in a can, but somehow the group made room for Grady to come inside the boat. "Thanks so much, Everyone," Grady croaked. "My arms are like jelly."

"Glad you made it, Grady," Bud said, "but this means, that 17 members of our little community have died, and are now out in Eternity, including Liam, who is the only one I was glad to let go in such a way. We should have a moment of silence as we thank the Lord for everyone we've known in life, and pray to once again know in Eternity."

Silence. Just the sound of waves moving their little barque.

After about ten minutes, Bud asked, "Mrs. Myrtle, are you here?"

"She didn't make it, Chief," Rich said.

"Thank the Lord, that she and my Mom are back together, again."