Chanitok, L.I.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That evening, Gwen lay alone in her bed, wondering.

The world, she thought, was not turned upside down, during this morning’s worship service. Tomorrow, most things are gonna be just the way they were before, except for the condition of the Church. The steeple is gone. That heretical poster, which had been substituting many different religious symbols for the Cross, is dust. The rest of the building has suffered severe smoke and water damage, along with serious structural weakness, and now produces a thick heavy stench.

Will some people be blaming me? Blaming Beth? All I did was pray aloud. All she did was say “Amen” aloud. Then the lightning struck. I didn’t ask for that. I asked for the Devil to be cast out; with the intention that nobody would be harmed. I didn’t ask for any kind of destruction. I didn’t actually expect to see anything happen; except hopefully a gradual change in attitudes; maybe.

Sarah asked if Beth and I are exorcists. Am I an exorcist? Is Beth? Has God chosen us for this?

She’d asked Jimmy, “Why would God choose me for anything? A little more than a week ago, you and I were fucking each other, and we’re still both very tempted to do it again, so why would God choose me for this?”

He’d said, “One thing you learn, from reading about the people in the Bible, is that when the Lord wants something done, He doesn’t look for the most righteous person He can find. He looks for the one most qualified to do the job.”

“How am I qualified? I’m 16 years old. I’m in the 11th Grade.”

“Well Joan of Arc was 17 when she started.”

Gwen was horrified. “And she was 19 years old when she was burned to death at the stake! If that’s part of the job description, forget it! Have you ever heard the slogan, ‘Fire hurts’?”

“Calm down, please.” He said, “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating an awful lot?”

“’Exaggerating’?” She asked him, “Have you seen some of the people in the Leftist Organizations that support the Inclusive Party? Do you think that people in the Occupy Movement wouldn’t burn somebody at the stake?”

“That might not be necessary,” he’d told her, “if we pray for our enemies.”

That’s what Jimmy had told her that afternoon.

Now, lying alone in her bed this night, she wondered. Pray for my enemies? Enemies?

She remembered the worship song that Beth had sung a few nights earlier, and prayed the words, unsung.

“I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I will be safe from my enemies. Amen.”

Then she got up, switched on the lamp beside her bed and went to her closet.

She reached in the pocket of her jacket, and took out a booklet of biblical quotations which Jimmy had given her, titled “Messages From God to You.”

She returned to her bed, leafed through the booklet’s pages, until she found the passage she thought might be most helpful, and began to read silently.

“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

'Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will “fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6: 10-19)”

Then she prayed, “Please give me all that armor Lord, ‘So I will be safe from my enemies.’ Amen.”

Within a few minutes, Gwen was sleeping soundly.

The following morning at Chanitok High, Gwen entered Ms. Morris’ History Class and sat at her desk beside a very dejected looking Katie Cabell. The Pastor’s daughter groaned, putting a hand on her head.

Then she called out. “Everybody duck! The Lightning Girl is here!”

Now their classmates all looked at Gwen, very uneasily.

She asked Katie. “’Lightning Girl’? Duck? Me?”

“Yeah. You. You’re the one who brought down the Wrath of God upon this Community. Believe me. Nobody’s gonna be messing with you Miss Sandrell.”

“Then I’m not in any danger; from anyone who’s Politically Correct?”

“No! You’re the one who’s dangerous!”

“People aren’t actually afraid of me, are they?”

Now Ms. Morris stepped through the doorway, into the classroom.

“If not you Miss Sandrell,” the teacher asked, “who should we be afraid of?”

“Not me.” Gwen shook her head. “All I did was pray. I was not the one who set the fires at the Church and at the abortion center, and the minor lightning damage here. They were caused by the Wrath of God. If there’s anyone we should all be afraid of, it’s God.”

Now Jimmy called out from across the room. “’The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom!’”

Ms. Morris nodded. She went over to her desk, as the class quieted down. Then she addressed her students.

“’The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.’” she repeated. “Hopefully, it is now beginning here in Chanitok High.”

Gwen whispered, “Amen.”