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Flanders Nickels, a Christian, tells his Christian girlfriend Jodi Desgraves that he has lost his love for the Christmas carol ‘The First Noel.’  Jodi tells him that she knows about a blessed Haven where Jesus is, where He answers the prayers of His believers.  Flanders wants to go there and ask Jesus to bring back ‘The First Noel,’ into his heart.  But to get there to this place, one had to walk down a dangerous two-rutted road where demons dwell and hinder the children of God.  Flanders and Jodi and a group of fellow Christians go on a walk down there.  The demons come and the believers overcome these demons by quoting effective Scripture against them.  These demons were a Great Beast and a Predator Bird and a Centaur and a Griffin and a Unicorn and a Chimera and a Basilisk and a Damned Soul and a Wizard and the Great Black Dragon himself.

Bible-Readers’ Trek

By Mr. Morgan P.  McCarthy

            “My dream, Jodi?” he asked.  “My dream is the carol, ‘The First Noel.’”

 

She smiled at him in accord and flashed a sparkle in her fair eyes of brown.  “That’s a beautiful song,” said Jodi Ann DesGraves.  “How I love to sing it for you, boyfriend.”

“It is my favorite song,” he told her what she already knew about him.  “Alas, though, Jodi, it seems to be getting old to my heart now after my much singing of it.  It once made me think of Heaven.

Now it seems to be not so wondrous and new and magical to me anymore.  Its spell is gone from my heart, I do admit now, O Jodi.  It is hard to hear Heaven in it when I listen to it nowadays.”

“’The First Noel’ has been a great part of you as long as I have been dating you, Flanders,” said

Miss DesGraves.  “What could have happened?”

“It had been so favorite a Christmas carol for me that I have even come to call Heaven Itself ‘The Land of ‘The First Noel.’”

“Yeah.  I know,” said Jodi DesGraves.

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“Funny how the Good Lord works in His good mysterious ways,” said Flanders Nickels.  “Before I was a born-again Christian, ‘The First Noel’ was least among Christmas carols for me in my life.  But since I have become a born-again Christian the same ‘The First Noel’ has become my favorite song in our church hymnbook.”

“There are over five hundred songs in our church hymnbook, Flanders,” said Jodi.

“Yeah!  Yeah!  There are,” he did say.

“Wasn’t that song the song that your mom and dad sang to you right after they had led you to salvation when you were a little boy, Flanders?” asked Jodi DesGraves.

“Yep!  ‘The First Noel,’” he did say.

“And now your heart is losing its first love for that carol,” said his pretty girlfriend.  “Flanders, you’ve got to get that first love back in your heart somehow anyhow.”

“God’s way and God’s time, Jodi,” he said, with hope and faith in God.

Jodi Ann DesGraves brought her lips together; then she opened her lips and sang his coveted refrain for him, “Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Born is the King of Israel!”  Now, reader, when Jodi spoke, her speaking voice sounded like singing to her boyfriend’s ears, so lovely a voice did she have.  But when Jodi actually sang, it sounded like an angelic host in Heaven was singing to his ears.  And for  just this moment he took in his favorite song’s music with joy and rejoicing this one more time.  And then the refrain stopped.

“Thank you, Jodi.  That was beautiful,” he said.

“Am I beautiful, Flanders?” she asked.

“My pretty girlfriend is like her pretty melody,” he praised her her great allure.  His special girlfriend-in-the-Lord was indeed very pretty.  Her long brown hair going down the sides of her head long and far bewitched him with their long gentle curves.  And her eyes of brown shone with vivacity and inner peace;  he called her “my brown-eyed girl.”  But above all else, Miss Jodi DesGraves was

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beautiful because she, unlike all unsaved girls, had the Holy Spirit of God indwelling her, as all saved girls had.  He did, also.  Both boyfriend and girlfriend were born-again believers.  And God was in them.

Cocking her adorable head of brown beguilingly to the side at him, she asked, “Do you remember how I had used to pray for the scriptural crown of righteousness, Flanders?”

“That was your dream in your walk with Christ, girl.” he said.  “I have been praying for you to get that now for a long time.”

“Well, your girl has it now, waiting for her in Heaven, Flanders,” said Jodi.  “I am ready for the rapture; I have the crown now.”

“You now love the Lord’s appearing like I do, Jodi?” he asked.  “How did God do that for you?”

“”How did God do that for me?  Wouldn’t you like to know, boyfriend!” she said, a reverie across her whole countenance as if she were seeing God.

“Ooo!  You’ve got to tell me!” he said.  “What happened?”

“I’ve got to tell you now how God finally went and answered my prayer,” she said.  And she said in mystique, “He took me There.”

“Up There?” he asked.

“God did,” she said, revealing a most singular and temporary little rapture.  “And He showed it to me.”

“The crown of righteousness,” he said.

“That one.  Yes,” said Miss DesGraves.  “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“What did it look like?” he asked, mystified.

“It was as gold as the sun.  It sparkled like a river.  And it had the writing of Jesus written upon it,” confided Jodi to her boyfriend.

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The gentle wind of Earth played upon her pretty brown tresses to Flanders’s delight as she spoke these three utterances.  He asked her, “Where were you down here just before you were Up There?”

“I did step off of the end of the Strait Road,” she said to him.

“Where is such a road as that?” he asked in anticipation.

“Look about where we are now, Flanders, and you might see it,” she said.  “It is very near this park.  What do you see?”

He said to her, “I do see this park we are in.  I see our picnic table here with our Bibles and our

prayer lists and our cans of iced tea—yours, Nestea; mine, Lipton Brisk.  And I see other picnic tables in this park, lots of good green grass, recently mowed, a garbage barrel, a recycle barrel, the river, railroad tracks by the river, some hills, and a back road.”

“A back road, Flanders,” she said specifically.

“Yes, a two-rutted road going out to the country,” he said.  “It is called ‘Front Street.’”

“It was called for me ‘The Strait Road,’ when I walked down it and ended up in Heaven, O Flanders,” said the young woman.  “It was just last week when God answered my prayer with that

trek down that Strait Road.  Now your girlfriend who once loved to be here on this Earth for just a little  longer can now say as it says in Revelation 22:20:  ‘…Amen.  Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’”

In resolution, Flanders Nickels quickly went on to say, “I shall walk down that Strait Road to Heaven and rediscover my old love for ‘The First Noel,’ O Jodi!”

Yet suddenly Miss DesGraves’s  countenance fell upon constraint and troubles.  She began to tug on one of her long brown curls in nervousness.  And she would not now look at him.  And she went on to explain to him her sudden vexations in a lament, “Going on my trek down the Strait Road was really,really hard, Flanders.”

“What was hard about that, O Jodi?” he asked, startled.

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“The Devil is there on the road,” she said.  “Satan stands in the way on the road to Heaven.”

“Did you go alone?” he asked.

“I did go alone,” she said.  “Were it not for God’s Presence, I would have fainted.”

“Why did you not ask me to accompany you down this road full of demons?” he asked.

“I did not know,” she said.  “Do you still want to go down that Strait Road to have your prayer answered about your song, Flanders?”

He thought for a short moment, then said, “I am willing to go alone with God down that two-rutted road for my dream to come true.”

“May your girlfriend come with you?” asked Miss Jodi DesGraves.

“My girlfriend must be off this road and safe from danger,” he said firmly.

“My boyfriend does not know that with regard to the Strait Road there is strength in the Lord in numbers.  I can go with you, and I can bring with us a mighty band of believers like ourselves who know the Word of God.  Demons do flee when Bible verses are spoken to them by Christian soldiers

going forward for Jesus.”

“You would do that for me, Jodi?” he asked.

“I would, Flanders,” promised his brown-eyed girl.

He took in a breath, let out a breath, then said, “You know all about such a trek.  When should we begin, Jodi?”

“I would say at dawn someday,” she replied.  “It will be an all-day trek.”

“Is tomorrow enough time to get ready, do you think?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Jodi DesGraves.  “Let us all be here with our Bibles at the start here of the Strait Road tomorrow at dawn.  I will gather our Christian compatriots here, and we will be here at this park when you get here first thing in the morning.”

“This sounds like a true Bible-readers’ trek,” said Flanders Nickels.

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“A Bible-readers’ trek it is,” said Jodi DesGraves.

“And may my Lord get the glory,” said Flanders.

“And may His will be done,” said Jodi.

“Amen!” said Flanders Nickels.

 

The next morning at sunrise, Flanders arrived at this park, and he found waiting for him at the start of this Strait Road, Jodi’s promised band of believers.  She came up to him and said, “They all agreed to come.”  Including himself, there were eight Christians going on this odyssey down the two-rutted road.  There were Jodi and her best friend Allison and Jodi’s big sister and Jodi’s little sister, and there were Flanders and his best friend Stalwart and Flanders’s big brother and Flanders’s little brother.

Flanders Nickels held up his King James Bible.  All seven others also held up their King James Bibles.

“Guys,” said Jodi DesGraves, “it is written, ‘For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’  Hebrews 4:12.”

“Amen!” all eight praised the Lord, still holding their Bibles toward Heaven.  “Amen!”

And they began the Bible-readers’ trek for and with Flanders Nickels.

Jodi’s little sister was the first to speak, and she asked, “What are we looking for, Jodi?”

Jodi’s big sister answered in levity, “The Devil, who will eat you up.”

“With a stern look, Jodi said, “Guys, be on guard.”

Allison said, “Keep your eyes on Jesus.”

Flanders’s little brother said, “I thought that we were looking for Flanders’s favorite song.”

Flanders’s big brother said, “We are, but first comes the Devil.”

Stalwart said, “Do not be surprised if we see one…a devil, that is.”

Flanders went on to say, “I thank you all for coming along like this. It will be scary.  But if any

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of you want to quit and to get off this Strait Road, that will be okay with me.”

The big brother said, “We’re with you all the way, Flanders.”

And the little brother said, “And I, too, Flanders.”

“I, also,” said all the others in this band of pilgrims.

“I thank you,” said Flanders.  “I thank you all.”

Leading the way, Jodi stopped, and she spread her arms out at her sides.  She spoke and said, “Do you guys feel it?  I sense evil imminent.” They all stopped their march and looked ahead in muted expectation.  Flanders saw nothing.  “There is evil present up ahead,” said Jodi.

Just then a creature stepped out onto this little road from the trees to the left.  Flanders beheld it in amazement. This animal could only be called “a Great Beast,” quite a large mammal unlike any creation of God.  This Great Beast had the hide of an elephant and the teeth of a lion and the paw of a bear.  Flanders turned to his comrades to see what they were thinking upon this encounter.  Upon their faces also was disbelief.  The little sister looked to be about to scream, both hands over her mouth.  As for the little brother, his hands were not over his mouth; his mouth was agape in shock.  Upon Miss DesGraves’s countenance was resolve and study and thoughts as she stood her ground there in the Lord.

The big brother dared to break the silence, and he said, “Flanders, what are we supposed to do with that?”

“What is that?” asked the big sister in whisper.

Flanders came up to Jodi, his eyes fixed on the Great Beast in wonder and admiration.

Allison said, “Jodi, the Word of God.”

Stalwart asked, “But which verse will do?”

Flanders said, “She’s looking right now.”  He gripped his own Bible nervously.  All was then quiet.

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The Great Beast stood there, a menace from Hell, its face laughing at them and accusing them before God.  Jodi, searching the Scriptures, stopped turning pages.  She found something.  And when that happened, the Great Beast sounded forth a calling as from the bottomless pit, and it began to stalk them where they stood.

“Quick, Jodi—it’s coming,” cried out the little sister in panic, and she began to run up to Jodi.

“No, little sister!” cried out Jodi’s big sister, and she tried to stop her, but it was too late.  Jodi’s little sister ran in upon Jodi as she held her Holy Bible, and she grabbed Jodi in a fearful hug; and in so doing, she did knock the Bible out of Jodi’s hands down upon the ground.  The right Bible verse for this demon and for this time was no longer before Miss DesGraves’s reading eyes.

With one arm around her little sister and with her other arm stretched out before the stalking Great Beast as if to keep it away, the young woman Jodi recited the Word of God that she had caught a glance at:  “It is written, O Great Beast, ‘But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you

out of the hand of all your enemies.’  II Kings 17:39.”

God’s Word struck right in unto the Great Beast, and it was stopped right in its tracks.  And at once it turned tail and fled back from where it had come.  The fell Great Beast was gone.  Jodi reached down now and picked up her Good Book.

The little brother said, afraid, “It won’t ever come back again, will it?”

Stalwart said, “That Great Beast will come back no more again.”

“Little Sister,” rebuked Jodi, “I’ll have a word with you.”  And she lovingly chastised her in the Lord.

“I’m sorry,” said Jodi’s little sister.

Forgiving her, Jodi said, “Tell you what, Little Sister.  Mom said that she’ll have strawberry shortcake all ready for us when we get back.  Would you like some right now?  You can go home and have the first piece if you want.”

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“But I want to be with you right now, Jodi,” said the little sister.

Allison and Jodi and Jodi’s big sister looked at each other.  Jodi said, “Okay, Little Sister.  You can keep coming with us.  But you have to promise not to run into me like that again when I am about to read from my Bible.”

 “I promise, Jodi,” said her little sister.

Jodi DesGraves said in affection, “And hold on real tight to your Bible.”

“I promise, Jodi,” said the little sister.  “I esteem the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”

“Very well said,” said Jodi’s big sister.

“Job 23:12,” said Allison.

And the band of eight resumed this Bible-readers’ trek down this Strait Road.

Stalwart came up to Flanders’s side, and he said, “Flanders, remember when we were both kids,

when we did not yet find Christ, what Christmas was for us?”

“Presents, Brother,” said Flanders Nickels.  “Lots of presents from Santa Claus.”

“To us back then, Christmas was all about Santa Claus and not about the virgin birth of our Lord and Saviour unto this world,” said Stalwart.

“We wanted presents.  We did not want salvation,” said Flanders.

“And do you remember what Easter was for us little kids—you and I—before we became born again, Brother?” asked Flanders’s best-friend-in-the-Lord.

“I do,” said Flanders.  “Big Brother would get all us kids out of bed on Easter Sunday before daylight had even come, and we would all go downstairs to our Easter baskets on the dining room table and devour our Easter candy.”

“And my family dyed Easter eggs, and we looked for the Easter bunny,” said Stalwart.

“What blasphemy upon the resurrection of our great Saviour, Brother Stalwart,” said Flanders.

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“Because we did not celebrate Easter for what it really was, Flanders,” said Stalwart.

“Christ is risen!” said Flanders.

“Christ is risen indeed!” said Stalwart right after.

“The very foundation of the truth of all Christianity,” said Flanders.

“And do you remember our favorite holiday in our old days of sin, Flanders?” asked Stalwart.

“Halloween,” said Flanders.

“When we always went trick-or-treating,” said Stalwart.

“And we two always dressed up as little red devils,” said Flanders.

“And the girls always dressed up as little black witches,” said Stalwart.

“Halloween,” said Flanders Nickels, wiser now against the wiles of the Devil.

Flanders’s big brother now spoke and said, “Flanders, it is like Halloween on this little country road.”

“I do not like Halloween,” said Flanders’s little brother.  “And I do not like this little country road anymore.”

“Fear not,” said Flanders.  “Our God is with us.”

“Our God tells us, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’  That’s a promise from God in the book of Hebrews,” said Stalwart.

“Hebrews 13;5,” said Flanders.

“Praise Jesus,” said Jodi.

Flanders said, “Little Brother, hold on to your Bible now in both hands.”

“Why?  What’s coming?” asked his little brother.

“We do not know,” said Flanders.  “But we must be ready.”

Flanders’s big brother looked out onto the river to their right.  He asked, “Do you think that next  time something might come out from the water to try to get us, Stalwart?”

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Looking upward, Stalwart conjectured, “Maybe the next one will come from the air.  That is where all the demons are.”

“Maybe the next one will come from the land again,” surmised the big brother, looking on up ahead down the two-rutted road.

Flanders gave sage advice now, telling them, “Do not look for the Devil.  Never make too much or too little of Satan.  We Christians are called upon to keep our eyes on Jesus.”

Jodi DesGraves added, “Look to our Saviour, and by doing that we shall be ready when the devil comes our way again.”

Just then from on high, up in the highest sky, called forth down upon them a raucous summons.

It had to be a type of bird, but Flanders could not see it way up there.  His big brother spoke Flanders’s thoughts, “Whatever that is, it is so high that we cannot see it.”

It called down upon them again in its terrible racket.  “But we can hear it,” said Flanders’s little brother.  Flanders saw his little brother’s Holy Bible held loosely in his left hand at his side.  Then Flanders saw the screech-bird.  Everybody saw it.  It was descending from the apex of the firmament in a fell swoop.  It was a Predator Bird.  And this Predator Bird was a supernatural gray from wingtip to wingtip and from head to tail feather, and its wingspan had to be wider than Flanders was tall.

Flanders’s big brother gasped and said, “Why, its wings together must be well over six feet wide!”

Jodi’s little sister cried and said, “Jodi, do something!”  The little sister could not look, and she turned her back on the Predator Bird and hid her face, holding her Bible tight against herself in both arms.

Before any of the eight Bible-readers could do anything, all of a sudden the Predator Bird was right there!  It crashed forcefully right into Flanders’s little brother in assault, sending the boy and his Bible flying across to the side of the road, the boy and his Bible separated with the fury of Satan.

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Everything began happening at once.  Flanders’s big brother ran up to Flanders’s little brother.  Flanders ran up to his little brother’s Good Book.  Stalwart, waxing valiant, grabbed a hold of the Predator Bird’s legs with both hands.  Jodi prayed out loud.  Allison began to search the Scriptures.

Lifting back up into the air, Stalwart borne by its great wings, the Predator Bird knocked Flanders viciously to the side before he could grab the Bible from the ground.  Stalwart, with a will to live, let go of the Predator Bird’s legs, and he fell five feet down upon his back.  He lay there for a moment, then sat back up, all right.  Where Flanders’s big brother knelt, all could see Flanders’s little brother rise up and sit now, his head quite dazed, and his body quite sore. All seven turned now to Flanders Nickels.

Flanders said, “I am okay.”  And he grabbed up his little brother’s Bible now and hobbled up to his little brother.  He asked him, “How are you feeling, Little Brother?”

“I want my Bible,” said the boy.  All sighed in relief.  He, too, was going to be okay.  Then Flanders’s big brother helped Flanders’s little brother back to his feet.  And he reached out and took back his Good Book from Flanders.

“This Predator Bird was too much!” said Flanders.

“Flanders!” cried out Miss DesGraves, “It is coming back!”

None of the eight looked up this time.  Allison lamented, “I know so many Bible verses, but I cannot think of the right one for us right now!”

“Same here,” said Jodi in woe.

“I hardly know any Bible verses,” said Flanders’s little brother.

“You do know some things about the book of James,” said Flanders’s big brother to Flanders’s little brother.

“I used to know how James 4:7 goes,” said Flanders’s little brother, “before I forgot.”

“James 4:7!  That’s it!” yelled Allison.

“Yes!  Yes!” said Jodi.

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“The Predator Bird!” cried out Jodi’s big sister.

“It is upon us!” cried out Jodi’s little sister.

And Allison attacked this attacker with the due words of God from James 4:7:  “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

This fierce mythical animal was struck dumb by this Word of God point-blank into its face, and it gave forth not another fearsome screech.  And, having suddenly having too much to endure, this fell Predator Bird turned back, flew off, and fled from God, itself never to come back again unto the eight

on this trek.

And the group praised and thanked the little brother for having come up with the right Bible verse at the right time.  And they thanked Allison for having quoted it and saving them from this Predator Bird of Satan.

And the band of eight Christian warriors resumed this Bible-readers’ trek down the Strait Road, Flanders and Jodi leading the way.  Allison then came up to Jodi, and she said, girl-to-girl to Jodi, “I miss those days, still.”

Jodi DesGraves said to her best friend, “You have never forgotten them.”

Allison broke into an old-time cheer, chanting, “Dooby-dooby-dooby-do!  Dooby-dooby-dooby-do!  Uh oh uh oh!  Uh oh uh oh!”  Putting her arms akimbo, Allison then went and kicked up her  right leg.

Jodi’s little sister asked, “Jodi, what is Allison doing?”

Allison said, “I was reminiscing.”

Jodi said, “I was sad when you decided to not try out for the cheerleader squad again.”

Allison said, “How good it felt for me to be a cheerleader in front of all those people.  I felt positively daring dressed like that.  It was like I was a princess.”

“You didn’t go and throw it out, did you, Allison?” asked Miss DesGraves.

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“It is still all in my closet,” said Allison.  “My skirt and my sweater and my socks and my sneakers and my ribbons and my pom poms.”

“Whatever you do, Allison, don’t throw them out,” said Jodi.

“God had me move on from my varsity football cheerleader days, Jodi,” said her best friend.

“The way I see it, Allison,” said wise Jodi, “maybe it was you telling God that cheer-leading was wrong; and not God telling you that cheer-leading was wrong.”

“Next year, I will be a senior.  It might be my last chance to cheer on our team,” said Allison dolefully.

“You did pray about it, didn’t you, Allison?” asked Jodi.

“You mean about quitting cheer-leading?” asked Allison.

“Yes, about quitting cheer-leading,” said Jodi.

“Well, not exactly,” said Allison.  “I learned to go out knocking on doors with the women of our church on Friday Night Visitation and winning souls in town those nights.  But all the high school football games that I cheered for were also on Friday nights. So,  I had to quit my life as a cheerleader in order to win souls for Christ as a visitation partner.”

“I’ve got some interesting news to tell you about our Baptist church, Allison,” said Jodi Ann DesGraves.

“What kind of news?” asked Allison.

“The two deacons and the pastor had a meeting yesterday.  Flanders found out all about it, he, being the usher.  They all decided to change Friday Evening Visitation into Thursday Evening Visitation, instead, I will have you to know,” said Jodi her best friend.

“My Friday nights are free now?” asked Allison. “I can keep winning souls on Thursday now, instead!”

“And you can put on your cheerleader uniform once again, O Allison,” sang out Jodi in great

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gladness for her.

“Oh, this is so exciting!  I am almost too afraid to pray about this this time!  Is it God telling me to try out as a cheerleader all over again?” asked Allison.

“God has answered.  Do not ask Him a second time,” said good Jodi.

“I won’t!  I won’t!” promised Allison.  And in cheer, she pirouetted and chanted, “Go, team.  Go!  Go team.  Go!  Go, team. Go!”  And she again put her arms akimbo and this time kicked up her left leg.

“Allison,” called forth Jodi’s little sister, “are you reminiscing again?”

“This time I am anticipating,” sang out Allison in rejoicing.

Just then they all heard a pounding of hooves and felt a shaking of the ground.  Flanders heard the sound of a frightening whistling shooting past his right ear from in front.  He looked up and saw a

real living Centaur, a bow and arrow in its hands.  His big brother exclaimed, “Flanders, it just missed you!”  Flanders turned back and saw an arrow stuck in a tree behind him.

“You were nearly killed!” cried out Jodi.

All eight beheld this Centaur as it nocked a second arrow in its bowstring.  It aimed this arrow at Stalwart, and it fired this arrow.  Stalwart threw himself flat upon the ground, and this arrow missed him and struck a tree behind him, as well.  Stalwart jumped back to his feet.

With a stammer, Jodi’s big sister tried to attack this Centaur with a Bible verse fragment, saying to it, “Get thee behind me, O Centaur.”   But the Centaur was unfazed by these words from the Bible!

And the Centaur nocked a third arrow.

Flanders said, “It will not miss the third time!”

In defiance of God and of God’s children, the Centaur kicked up its equine fore hooves and pounded them upon the ground, once, twice, thrice.  Then it began to canter toward them, its human hands still holding its fell bow and arrow.

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“It’s still coming!” cried out the big sister.  “I shot at it with Scripture, and it is still coming!”

Flanders and Stalwart looked at each other, mystified.  None of the eight quite knew what to do now.  The Centaur then stopped in front of Jodi, and it looked upon this young Christian woman with disdain.  And it said to her, “Jesus I know.  And Satan I know.  But who are you?”

And Jodi boldly declared, “O Centaur, I am a daughter of the living God!”

This Centaur raised its man’s head and laughed up into the skies.  Flanders stepped up and put himself between the demon and his girlfriend.  Stalwart put his hand on Flanders’s shoulder and raised his Bible.  Flanders remembered his Bible as the “Sword of the Spirit.”  Then Miss DesGraves stepped out in front of Flanders to stand face-to-face with this Centaur again.  The Centaur spoke again, “O daughter of the living God, it is a good day to die for the Lord,” and it raised its arrow, nocked and drawn and aimed, his arrow aimed at Jodi’s breast.  Flanders put himself between the arrow and his girlfriend.  The two best friends searched the Scriptures.

Stalwart whispered to Flanders, “Those words that blew up in our face—Jodi’s sister saying, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan’–where are they in the Bible?”

“They have to be from the book of Matthew,” whispered Flanders.  The Centaur raised its human head and laughed for the Devil again, its drawn arrow aimed at Flanders’s heart..  “It was either when Jesus rebuked the Devil in the temptation in the wilderness, or it was when Jesus rebuked Peter when Peter tempted Him not to go to the cross,” said Flanders, not daring to look upon the mocking arrow.

“Ho ho, son of the living God,” taunted the Centaur.  “It is written, ‘But the fearful shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:  which is the second death.’  Ho ho!”

Flanders’s big brother exclaimed, “The Centaur knows Scripture!”

“But that is not how it goes,” said Flanders.  “Lots is missing in that verse.  The Centaur has just  now misquoted Scripture.”

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Stalwart quickly went on to say, “You’re saying then that the Centaur has not quoted the complete Word of God.  That is what Jodi’s big sister did when she rebuked that Centaur as she did.  What we need now is the complete verse with which to attack this demon.”

“I found it!” said Flanders, his Holy Bible open.

“Say it at the Centaur!” said Stalwart.

And Flanders said it at the Centaur, “It is written in Matthew 16:23, ‘But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:  thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’”

And God’s Word smote the great proud Centaur hard where it stood.  Struck thus, the Centaur aimed its arrow at the ground, shot it into the ground, and fled away in gallop, its bow and arrows and quiver rattling against himself in this hasty flight.  It was never to come back.

And the eight born-again believers continued their odyssey down this Strait Road.  And all was quiet in this interim.  And the Christians felt rest in the Lord on this two-rutted road in the countryside.

After a while, Jodi’s little sister spoke and asked, “Are we there yet?”

“Don’t murmur, Little Sis,” said Jodi.

“I’m not murmuring, Jodi,” said her little sister.  “I am just griping a little.”

Flanders’s little brother now spoke up in complaint, saying, “Yeah, Flanders.  When are we done here?”

“Don’t ask such things,” said Jodi.  “Wait upon the Lord.”  There was a curtness to her tone.

“I’m thirsty,” murmured Jodi’s little sister.

“I’m hungry,” murmured Flanders’s little brother.

Contention was coming upon the ranks of the eight.  Jodi did not say anything right now.

And Jodi’s little sister did not let up.  She said, “Jodi, I want to go home.”

“Little Sister, you can’t go home right now,” said Jodi, losing her patience.

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With the mind of a little girl with a temper, Jodi’s little sister plopped herself down upon the tall grass between the two ruts of this little road, and she said, “I quit.”

In ire, Jodi snapped at her and said, “You cannot quit.  None of us can quit.”

Just then Flanders’s little brother spoke in murmur and said, “Flanders, I have to go to the bathroom.”

Suddenly Jodi DesGraves blew up and said, “You cannot go to the bathroom right now!  None of us can go to the bathroom right now!”

Jodi’s big sister spoke and said, “Let him go to the bathroom, Jodi.”

Flanders Nickels said, “You can go to the bathroom, Little Brother.  We will wait for you.”  Jodi

did not say anything.  But a storm was in her angry face.  Flanders’s little brother went out into the thick woods to the side of this little road to do his business.  Jodi’s little sister was still sitting down in the road.  Jodi gave a stern look to her boyfriend.  And then Flanders’s little brother came back.

“I’m done now,” said the little brother.

“We can see that,” said Flanders’s big brother.

“No.  I mean that I am done with this walk,” said Flanders’s little brother.  “I’m tired of walking.”  He sat down beside Jodi’s little sister.

Giving into discouragement, Jodi DesGraves went on to rebuke all of the other seven Christians

with rancor, “Is it not written, ‘And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:  for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand:  let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.’  Romans 13:11-12!”

A grave and still hush came upon this group of pilgrims.  Unity gave way to schism.  Secret whispering came upon them.  Carnal divisions broke apart the previous bond of the Holy Spirit once among the eight soldiers of Christ.

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Flanders Nickels spoke now in this exigency and said in authority and in wisdom, “If any of you want to go back home, God and I will understand.  I cannot make you go down this Strait Road with me just because I want to go down this Strait Road.  This march is for my benefit.  It is wrong for me to force you into temptations against demons just because I want to sing ‘The First Noel’ again like I once had.  I thank you, and may God bless you—whether you continue with me or not continue with me.  God be with you as He is with me.”

Heedless, and ever a patriot for her boyfriend, Jodi DesGraves, wishing his dream come true at the end of this Strait Road as her dream had come true at the end of this Strait Road, resumed her march stubbornly forward.  Angry at the other seven, she turned her head partway back to say, “Whoever is with me, join me…or be left behind—all of you.”

“Jodi,” called forth handsome Flanders.  She heard him.  She thought.  She stopped her march for him.  She stayed there, her back toward him.  She waited.  He walked up to her.  He took her hands in his hands.  He said to her quietly so than none other could hear, “I care about you, Jodi.”  She looked down at his feet in abashment.  “Do you believe me, Jodi?” he asked in sweet affection.  Still looking down at his feet, Miss DesGraves nodded her head.  He asked, “What’s wrong?”

She said to him quietly so none could hear but him, “I want you to have your Christmas carol back, Flanders.”

“And…?” he asked.

“And I feel that I will hate anyone among us who quits and might keep you from getting that song back in your heart, Flanders,” said his girlfriend.  “I care about you, too, Flanders.”

“Would you really hate your little sister and my little brother, Jodi, if they did go back home now?” he asked her.

Ambivalent, Jodi looked him in his face and nodded her head, then shook her head.

He said, “Could I share a Bible verse with you right now, you and I alone here away from the

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others?”

“I would not mind another Bible verse right now,” she said in submission to the man.

And he opened his Good Book to near its end, and he read to her in compassion, “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”

‘II John 5,” she said.

“You know that verse,” he said.

“I know that verse,” she said.  “Yes.”

“Would you humble yourself and love all of us here with you and me?” he asked in compassion.

“I shall, Flanders,” she said, humble.  “Whether they go all the way with us or whether they go only partway with us, I do love my brothers-and-sisters-in-Christ.”

He put his arm around her shoulders, and they turned back now to the other six Christian soldiers back there a little way.  Behold, Jodi’s little sister and Flanders’s little brother were on their feet now, ready to continue onward for Flanders.

“Oh, God bless you all,” said Jodi to them.

“And God bless you,” they said back to her and Flanders.  And Miss DesGraves apologized for her outburst, and she was duly forgiven.  And the eight Bible-readers resumed their Bible-readers’ trek.

Just then a hybrid beast of the air appeared above the trees before them—partly leonine and partly aquiline—and it screeched out in curses upon them, saying, “Curses to you!  Curses to your God! Curses to your cause!”  And it proceeded to speak great swelling words of pride against their Jesus from up in the sky here above this Strait Road.

“What is that?” asked Allison about this bird half lion and half eagle.

“It is an actual real Griffin!” exclaimed Stalwart.

“Griffins are real?” asked Jodi.

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“This one is,” said Flanders.

Flanders’s big brother reached up to try to grab the Griffin.  “No.  Don’t touch the Griffin, and do not let the Griffin touch you,” warned Jodi.

“It’s blaspheming the holy name of my God,” said the big brother.

“Let God get even with it for its words,” said Jodi.

“Flanders, I was never much in my Bible,” said his big brother.  “Shoot it down now with some verses.”

The Griffin proceeded with its utter curses:  “Anathema!  Anathema to you children of God!  Anathema to your Book of God!”

“Anathema this, Griffin!” yelled Flanders’s big brother, and he took a rock and threw it at this Griffin, and this rock struck it squarely against the side of its eagle head.

The Griffin betrayed a startled squawk.  Then it recovered, and it spat out a malediction upon this big brother, and it dove in toward him for the kill.  Flanders and Stalwart jumped the big brother and threw him to the ground and buried him under themselves between the ground and the swooping demon.  And the Griffin swooped on by, in flight missing its prey.  It gave another squawk, this one of irritation.

“Na na na na na na!” Jodi’s little sister brazenly taunted this fearsome Griffin.

Jodi DesGraves, her King James Bible open to the right verse, sought to assault this great Griffin with this Sword of the Spirit therein, “It is written, O Griffin–”

Jodi’s words were stopped on her suddenly dumb tongue.  Everybody saw what was happening.  Jodi was seeing it happen.  Behold:  The Griffin attacked the little girl unabated, and all looked lost.  The Griffin held Jodi’s little sister by her shoulders in its vise grip in its eagle’s talons.  And it drew back its eagle beak for a deadly peck into the side of her neck.

Lo, there stood good Allison, ever-faithful as Jodi’s right-hand side.  This appropriate scripture

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which was open before Jodi’s eyes was thereby open also to Allison’s eyes.  And Allison quickly read this Bible verse from Jodi’s Bible in assault upon the Griffin:  “’I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised:  so shall I be saved from my enemies.’  II Samuel 22:4.”

“I call upon Thee, O Lord!” cried out Jodi.

And God’s Words made the Griffin miss the little sister’s neck with its beak, its beak instead hitting only air.  The Griffin gave a shriek, let go of the little sister with its eagle claws, and flew off in flight with its great wings. It was never to come back.  Jodi’s little sister was alive.  But this close call was too much for her.  And with a quick short scream, the girl fled back down this Strait Road toward the world that was safe.  She never stopped running.  She never looked back.  She never heard Jodi saying, “I’m sorry, Little Sis!’  I’m so sorry.”  And Jodi DesGraves fell upon her knees in prayer to God, Flanders on her left, and Allison on her right.

Now there was one less Christian soldier among this band of gallant Bible-readers.

Flanders spoke and said, “If any of you others want to join our youngest believer who has left us—to be safe at home once again—I give you liberty to go back.  As we all now know, our lives are at stake on this Strait Road up ahead.  This odyssey is not for everyone.”

In reply, all six others steadfastly looked on up ahead on this two-rutted road.  All wanted to continue with Flanders. None wanted to go back.

“Thank you all,” said Flanders.  And he marched forward, himself leading the way.

After a while, Stalwart came up to him.  And he told Flanders, “Holly asked me out again yesterday.”

“What did you tell her?” asked Flanders.

“I had to tell her, ‘No.’” said Stalwart.  “And that was what I did.”

“Holly is a very attractive girl, at that,” said Flanders.

“Prettier than any saved girl I know to me,” said Stalwart.

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“You know what God says to you about Holly,” said Flanders.

“I so do, Flanders,” said Stalwart.  “II Corinthians 6:14-18.  It starts out with this commandment for all born-again believers:  ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:…’”

This commandment told Stalwart that no Christian man ought to date a non-Christian woman.

Holly was “not a nice girl,” as someone at Stalwart’s workplace told him. Most definitely Holly was

not a saved girl as he was a saved boy.  Hence the unequal yoke that he must never fall into.  Further, in

Holly’s case, there was one most unique circumstance that made her all the more tempting to Flanders’s  best friend:  As Stalwart said it to Flanders, “Holly is the only pretty girl who ever saw me as handsome.”  Stalwart had seen other pretty girls, but they were not attracted to him.  And other girls saw Stalwart as handsome, but he was not attracted to them.  Holly was both in one.  And Holly liked him and was kind to him and did not give up on him.  But Stalwart remained faithful to his God, and he resisted Holly every time.

“I know you, Stalwart,” praised Flanders here on this little country road.  “You will never go out on a date with an unbeliever.”

“I witnessed to Holly more than I have witnessed to any other girl, but she refuses Christ every time,” said Stalwart.  “That does make her a lot less pretty to me in my eyes, you know.”

“I know you, Stalwart,” praised Flanders again his best friend.  “You wait upon the Lord to bring the right and saved woman into your life.”

“Not just any Christian gal, Flanders,” said Stalwart.  “But a Christian gal who is living for the Lord as I am.”

“Well said!” said Flanders Nickels.

“Like what you and Jodi have together,” said Stalwart.

“Praise God for Jodi DesGraves,” said Flanders.  “With her I am never lonely.”

“I praise God for you, Brother Flanders,” said Stalwart. “With you as best friend I never lack

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good Christian fellowship.”

“There is sweet fellowship with a girlfriend-in-Christ, and there is sweet fellowship with a best-friend-in-Christ, O Stalwart,” said Flanders Nickels.  “I do not know which is better.”

“I love you, Brother,” said Stalwart.

“And I love you, Brother,” said Flanders.  And the two mighty men in Christ among this band of

believers hugged as brethren in phileo love.

Just then from on up ahead a sound of a neighing came in unto the little Christian army.  Lo, a white winged Unicorn lighted upon the ground on the little patch of tall grass between the two ruts of this Strait Road not very far away from them.  It looked down upon them.  It sounded forth a blast on its unicorn horn.  One-by-one its four white hooves clomped upon the earth.  It shook its head.  It brandished its long white unicorn horn.  It snorted.  And it neighed to them again.

Flanders’s big brother said, “This one looks friendly, Flanders.”

Jodi’s big sister said, “This one looks handsome, Jodi.”

None of the remaining seven spoke again for a while.  They just stood there, watching it.  It just stood there, watching them.

Then it began to lower its horn down toward the ground.  It stopped its descent of horn for just a

moment; it spoke to Flanders’s big brother, “This is for you”; it then touched its unicorn horn upon the

ground.  Lo, a fiery stream of flame suddenly ran along the ground from where the horn was touching it

right in upon where Flanders’s big brother was standing thirty feet away!  It quickly engulfed the big

brother’s feet with fire.  In exigency Flanders’s big brother quickly stamped the fire out of his feet

where he stood.  And then he fell down, groaning, and saying, “My toes!  My toes!”

Flanders did not know what to do.  All were surprised.  Flanders’s little brother was thinking upon ideas, but not now about the Word of God.

Then this Unicorn lifted its horn off the ground, and the fiery trail was put out.  After this,

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this Unicorn looked Flanders in the eye, and it said to Flanders, “This is for you.”  And it lowered its

Unicorn horn down upon the earth again.  Yes, a fiery flame suddenly ran along the ground right up to where Flanders stood.  He leaped up and out of the narrow little stream just before it reached him.

But when he landed, he did land into that little stream.  The trail of fire remained as long as the Unicorn

held its horn upon the ground from whence it did come.

“Help!  I’m on fire!” cried out Flanders.  And he began to roll along the ground off to the side of

this little fire trail.  And he put the fire out.  But he was burned.  Then the Unicorn lifted up its horn, and the whole little fire went out.

All seven travelers down the Strait Road were thrown for a loop by this Unicorn before them.

Jodi DesGraves spoke now and said, “The next time that Unicorn sends us a fire, one of us will

die.”

Thinking brave thoughts secretly, Flanders’s little brother said not bravely, “I don’t want to die,

Jodi.”

Then the winged Unicorn looked upon the little brother, and it said to him, “This is for you,” and it began to bring its deadly horn down toward the earth.  Then Flanders’ s little brother did what he was thinking about doing, and he went and did “something crazy.”

He said “No, you won’t, Unicorn!”  And Flanders’s little brother, yet a boy, began to charge this

maker of little fires on foot.

The formidable Unicorn saw this child assaulting it in a charge, and it was temporarily taken aback.  Suddenly on the defensive, the Unicorn lifted its horn before it reached the earth, thus not making its trail of fire upon the little brother.  In fact the Unicorn grew fearful of the little brother.  And

it lifted up off the ground with its wings to get away from the little brother.  And Flanders and all the five others saw the little brother now shaking his little fist up at the Unicorn now in the skies not far above, but out of the reach of the brave boy.  Up there, the Unicorn could no longer wreak its havoc

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with its little fires.  And in this short moment given them Allison and Stalwart began working together

to find the right Bible verse against this Unicorn.

Allison said, “Satan is before us to resist us.”

Stalwart said, “Indeed Satan is at our right hand to resist us.”

Allison said, “Stalwart, do you remember in the Old Testament where Joshua the high priest was before the angel of the Lord?  And how Satan was standing at his right hand to resist him?  Where was that?”

“One of the minor prophets for sure, Allison,” he said.

Then the winged Unicorn lighted upon the ground, no longer startled by the boy’s impetuous assault.  And it said to the little brother again, “This is for you.”  Only five feet separated the boy from the Unicorn horn.  The Unicorn stood before them all as a Satan to resist them.

“I think that that was in Zechariah!” said Allison to Stalwart.  The Unicorn began to lower its horn down upon the ground before Flanders’s little brother.  “Hurry up, Stalwart!” cried out Allison.

Reading from his Holy Bible at the winged Unicorn, Stalwart said, “’And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee:  is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’  Zechariah 3:2.”

The horn of the winged Unicorn touched the ground, but the fire flared up in its own face, its magic turned against it, overpowered by the Word of God.  It reared up and kicked its fore-hooves about in dismay. It betrayed an equine neigh. Then it quickly lifted back up into the skies and fled from God, never to come back.

Then great agitation of trembling fell upon Flanders’s little brother where he stood.  Flanders and his big brother ran up to Little Brother and threw their arms around him.  Flanders said to him, “Well done, good and faithful brother.  I’m proud of you.”

And Flanders’s big brother said to their little brother, “You’ve got more guts that I do, Little

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Brother.  Way to go!”  And their little brother stopped shaking.

“Flanders, can I go home now?” asked his little brother.

“Yes, you can go home now, Little Brother,” said Flanders.  “Great is your reward in Heaven to come.  And thank you.”  Flanders and his big brother looked at each other, drawn closer now to each other by this experience.

The band of believers gathered around the little brother and said to God, “Amen!”

“Amen!” said Flanders’s little brother.  And without saying another word, the boy began to walk back home, now safe from any further devils.

And now there was one less Christian ally for Flanders on this Bible-readers’ trek.  And the remaining six born-again believers resumed their odyssey on the Strait Road.  Big Brother came up to Flanders’s side as they walked, and he said,  “You don’t write stories anymore as you once did.”

“I guess that I kind of let my short stories get away from me in my life,” said Flanders.

“They were good, Flanders,” said big brother.

‘You always read my stories,” said Flanders.

“I read them all,” said Flanders’s big brother.  “I know more about you from them than even Mom and Dad know about you.”

“We two brothers did more things together back in those old days,” said Flanders.  “Then you moved out from Mom and Dad.  I will soon myself.”

“And you found Jodi,” said his big brother, “a good woman.”

“And I quit my short story writing,” said Flanders.

“You were good,” said his big brother about his writing.

Flanders turned to look at his girlfriend-in-Christ, and they smiled at each other in sweet and sincere affection.  He said to his big brother, “But a story can’t smile at me, you know.”

“Maybe not, Flanders,” said his big brother, “but a girlfriend can’t make your heart dream.”

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Remembering how it once was, he said to his big brother, “How my heart used to dream when I moved my pencil across the paper.”

Indeed since good and pretty Jodi DesGraves had come into his life and his short stories stopped, things had become all too real for him.  “I know what you’re thinking, Flanders,” said Big Brother.

“Dreams,” said Flanders, remembering fantasies of his heart as his hand had once written of souls being saved and of prayers being answered throughout many writing sessions at his writing desk

long ago.

Flanders and Miss DesGraves looked at each other again.  How delightfully did the wind play upon her pretty brown hair.  “I love you, Flanders,” his girlfriend said to him.

“I love you, Jodi,” he said to his girlfriend.

His big brother said, “Maybe real love is better than short-story-world love.”

“Maybe if it were not for my Jodi, Big Brother, I would not be here seeking my Christmas carol hymn, but instead only writing about it,” surmised Flanders Nickels.

But his big brother asked him, “But what feels better to you than a writing pencil in your hand,

Flanders?”  Flanders Nickels could find no answer.

Then he said, “Maybe I can write about this Bible-readers’ trek if I make it back.”

And his big brother said, “I’ll be glad to read it, Flanders.”

Just then Allison spoke up and said, “Jodi, up ahead.”  The six Christians looked up ahead.

“What is that, Jodi?” asked her big sister.

“Could it be…a Chimera?” asked Jodi.  Flanders saw the most queer demon of any of the demons he had been tested with on this Strait Road.

Jodi’s big sister said, “It has a head like a lion’s head.”

Allison said, “It has a body like a goat’s body.”

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Jodi said, “It has a tail like a snake’s tail.”

Flanders’s big brother said, “And it breathes out fire as if it were a little dragon.”

Stalwart said, “It looks like a she-monster.”

And Flanders said, “So this is a Chimera, Jodi.”

“I believe so, guys,” said Miss DesGraves.

This Chimera’s serpent tail lashed about like a viper.  Stalwart said, “Woe unto the one who thinks to try to sneak up on it from behind with a tail like that.”

Flanders’s big brother said, “And woe unto that man who thinks to contend against it from before with all that fire that comes out of its mouth.”

Flanders said, “It is invincible in back and in front then,”

“No demon is invincible with God on our side,” said Jodi.

Allison said, “They all fell before us so far in the power of God.  This one must fall before us, too, guys.”

“Yeah, that’s right,”said Flanders.  “Our weapons are Bible verses.  No Chimera is invincible to the Words of God.”

“With God on our side, how can we lose?” asked Stalwart.

Jodi’s big sister said, “Is it not written, as we all know, ‘For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven?’  Psalm 119:89.”

“For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in Heaven,” said Flanders’s big brother rather loudly.

“Big Brother, I have never seen you so on fire with the Scriptures before,” said Flanders Nickels.

“Watch me and see the salvation of God,” declared his big brother.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Flanders.

The big brother boldly looked this baleful Chimera in its eyes, and he said without fear, “O

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Chimera, prepare to go back home to Hell.  I shall read the Word to you, and you shall flee away.  Hear me now, Chimera.  Hear me now, everybody!”

Taking command on this Bible-readers’ trek, Flanders’s big brother opened his Holy Bible randomly to no particular page and turned not another page.  And he began to stalk this Chimera, and as he advanced, he did read out loud against this Chimera words from I Chronicles 1:1-4:  “Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”  As this big brother drew near to this mythical Chimera, he continued reading on from this

genealogy at it.

Jodi clutched Flanders’s arm.  Her big sister and best friend huddled next to each other in great fears.  Stalwart silently prayed.  Flanders searched the right Bible verses to use against this Chimera before it would be too late.

His Bible-reading done and standing overconfident before the she-monster, Flanders’s big brother rebuked this dangerous Chimera and said, “Thus is it written!”  And he shut back up his Bible.

He then turned back to the others and said to them in good cheer, “Follow me, guys.  We did it.”  And the big brother took one step beyond this Chimera.

Lo, this Chimera lashed out its deadly snake’s tail and struck Big Brother in the back of his head!  He was thrown clear off of the road.  He landed ten feet off to the side.  He did not move where he lay.

And Flanders Nickels found the right Bible verse now to use against this demon:  “It is written, ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers  of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’  Ephesians 6:12, O hateful

Chimera who kills!”

Rebuked thus by the power of the Word of God, the Chimera lashed out its serpent tail and struck itself in the back of its own head.  Then it descended back into the pit from where it had come.

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It was not to come back.

Flanders was the first one to run up to his big brother’s side.  The four others quickly joined him right after.  They knelt beside the body.  Grief filled the group with a great loss.  Flanders prayed out loud.  Jodi wept in mourning.  Stalwart picked up the big brother’s Bible.  Allison cried, and she praised God for a child of God coming Home.  Jodi’s big sister, too troubled to cry, turned away and would not look.  Then they stood up.  Then they buried him in a grave of rocks.

Flanders Nickels then spoke and said, “I shall see him again…when Jesus comes.”  Stalwart gave him the Bible of the deceased.  “Thank you, best friend,” said Flanders.  “God is good.”

“God is good,” said the four others.

Now only five Bible-readers were left on this trek.

Solemn and somber, they resumed this odyssey.  Allison then said, “Let’s hear some good news right now, if it is not inappropriate for such things at this point.”

“That would be the best thing for us to hear right now, Allison,” said Stalwart.

Jodi DesGraves said, “We need to praise Jesus for something.  I’m so discouraged from what just happened that I cannot think of what to praise God for right now.  Lord, forgive me.”

“I have an idea,” said Flanders, hoping to restore hope and faith among the remaining band of believers.

“We need to hear it,” said Miss DesGraves, with hope and faith.

And Flanders said, “You went down this Strait Road before, Jodi.  You went all the way to beyond its end.  You told me a little about it yesterday.  It sounds like Heaven is at the end of this demonic little road.  If that is so, and you do not lie, then the end of this road is better than the span of this road.  Is that so, O Jodi?”

She smiled across her lips and across her eyes in reverie, and she said, “Oh yes, Flanders!  When I did finally get There, the battles against the demons on the way There were all worth it.”

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The big sister asked, “By ‘There’ do you mean ‘Up There?’”

“I surely do, Big Sister,” said Jodi in dream across her countenance.

“Did you see the Lord?” asked the big sister.

In reply about Heaven, Jodi DesGraves said, “It is written in Hebrews 11:10, ‘For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.’  It is also written in Hebrews 11:14, ‘For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.’  It is written yet again in Hebrews 11:16, ‘But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:  wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:  for he hath prepared for them a city.’  And lastly it is written in Hebrews 13:14, ‘For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.’”

“That is where I want to go,” said Jodi’s big sister in enthusiasm.

“We’re marching to Zion,” said Allison.

“To the sweet By and By,” said Jodi DesGraves.

“The roll is called up Yonder,” said Stalwart.

And Flanders Nickels said, ‘We shall gather at the river.”

Such were four hymns about Heaven in their church hymnbook.

Just then Jodi’s big sister asked, “Does it seem to be getting dark outside here?”

The four others looked around up in the sky.   It was unusually dark for this time of the day.

They all looked at their pocket watches.  It was in the middle of the afternoon.  And yet late evening seemed to be coming on them.  They looked at their pocket watches again.

“Something is wrong,” said Jodi’s big sister.

Day continued giving away to night here as they stood upon this Strait Road.  “It’s coming from the west,” said Allison.

Jodi, with experience on such odysseys as this here, said, “The Strait Road is not the place to be  at night.”

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Wise, Stalwart said, “It must be a demon who is doing this to the day.”

And Flanders said, “If that is the case, and if it gets any darker than this, then we will not be able to see to read from our Bibles to prevail over this one.”

In panic of the dark, Jodi’s big sister said, “What kind of devil can turn day into night?”

Jodi said, “I think that this black magic is confined only to us here on the road.”

“Let’s get off the road,” said her big sister.

Jodi said, “We must stay on the road.  We cannot cheat and try to get to the end of this road by walking alongside of it.  The rules are that we are to walk all the way down the Strait Road, if we are to have Flanders’s prayer answered.”

“I’m afraid of the dark,” said her big sister.

And pitch black came upon the band of Christians.  “I can’t see my hand in front of my face.” said Stalwart.

“I cannot see the moon, and I cannot see any of the stars,” said Flanders.

“I can feel this darkness on my skin,” said Jodi.

“I feel like I shall never see the sun again,” said Allison.

“Jodi, I feel like I am choking!” cried out Jodi’s big sister.

“Big sister, here’s my hand.  Can you find it?  Grab it and hold on,” said Jodi.  Hand found hand.

And Flanders said what all five were thinking now:  “We cannot see the road anymore.”

And Jodi said the other thing all five were thinking:  “What kind of demon can do all this?”

Just then a deep and eerie voice called out in the dark from up ahead, “Beware the Basilisk!”

“The Basilisk!” exclaimed Miss DesGraves.

“What is a Basilisk?” asked her big sister in stammer.

“It is a reptile who has a fatal breath and a fatal look,” said Jodi.  “We could all die right now

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instantly.”

“So, Jodi, you’re saying that if it breathes on us, we’re dead?” asked Stalwart.

“Uh huh,” said Jodi.

“And if it looks at us, we’re dead?” asked Allison.

“Yes.  Yes,” said Jodi.

Flanders went on to think out loud, “But, Jodi, if this Basilisk stays over there, wherever it may be, then it will be too far away for its breath to hurt us.  Is that so?”

“Yeah, Flanders,” said Jodi.  “I think that you are right.”

Just then that ghastly voice spoke again, again saying, “Beware the Basilisk!”

Jodi’s big sister said, “I think that I hear the sound of creeping!”  The creature was now approaching them. “Don’t let it breathe on me,” cried out Jodi’s big sister.

Flanders continued to think out loud, “And, Jodi, if it stays so dark as it is now, then this Basilisk cannot see us with its evil eye and slay us.”

“You’re right about that, too, Flanders,” agreed Jodi.

But yet that supernatural voice went on to call forth a third time, “Beware the Basilisk!”

Behold a crescent moon suddenly shone down upon the Strait Road.  The big sister panicked and yelled, “It can see us now!”

Flanders said, “Jodi, we can see the Basilisk, yet we live.”

Jodi said, “If the Basilisk sees us, we die.”

Flanders said, “Everyone, dive down and hide yourselves in the tall grass between the two ruts!”  All did so.

The evil reptile said once again, “Beware the Basilisk!”

Stalwart yelled out, “Flanders, I can see to read from my Bible now.”

Flanders Nickels said, “We were talking earlier about two rebukes unto the Devil from the book

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of Matthew.  The one we read and prevailed; the other we did not yet read, and now we must prevail

again.  Where was that other rebuke of the Devil in that book of Matthew?  And how does it go?”

“I found it!” said Stalwart.

“Read it at the Basilisk, Brother, and do it quickly!” said Flanders.

And Stalwart read in the dim narrow moonlight, “’Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’  Matthew 4:10.”

“Beware the…,” began to say this Basilisk.  But just then a bottomless pit opened up before where it stood, and it fell all the way down into it, never to come back to Earth again.

And everywhere all around the Bible-readers was suddenly bright afternoon of daylight once again.

“Praise God we live!” said Flanders.

“Praise God we live!” said Jodi and Stalwart and Allison.

“I almost got myself killed,” said Jodi’s big sister.  “It it gets any worse than this, I’m a goner!”

And just like that the big sister quit the trek, and she began to walk away back where it was safe.  She said no more.  None of the others could say anything right now.  They just watched her go back until they could see her no more.

Now only four born-again Christians were left of the original eight.  Jodi DesGraves asked, “Flanders, what should we do?”

“I think, Jodi, Stalwart, Allison, that we need to stop and have a word of prayer right now, before we continue on this Strait Road,” said Flanders Nickels.

“You mean like a prayer-meeting,” said Stalwart.

“Yes,” said Flanders, “a prayer circle right here on this two-rutted road.  We all need to pray—the four of us—out loud, one at a time, and in order.  It is written in Matthew 18:20, as we all know,

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‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’”

The three others nodded their heads in ready agreement.  They knelt down upon this two-rutted road in a prayer circle right now, and they called upon the Lord their God.

Flanders Nickels prayed first:  “Dear God, Who art in Heaven:  My brother has died today.”  He paused, then regained his words. “I am sorry, Lord.”  He swallowed and spoke again, “In Matthew 28:20, Thou promisest this to me, ‘…: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen.’  Thou art with me now.  Thou art with all of us now—even upon this vile and evil Strait Road. I  thank Thee for Thy so great salvation.  Keep Thy thoughts to us-ward.  In Jesus’s name I thank Thee.  Amen.”

Jodi DesGraves prayed second:  “Dear Lord Above:  Thou hast told us in Romans 8:15 this promise:  ‘For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit

of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’  I cry unto Thee, ‘Abba, Father.’  We need Thy grace and Thy mercy.  We need not to fear the Devil and his angels sent out to stop us.  If Thou be for us, who can be against us?  In Jesus’s name I come to Thee.  Amen.”

Stalwart prayed third:  “Dear Heavenly Father:  We are unworthy to come before Thy throne with our wants and our needs.  And we thank Thee for hearing our prayers.  Thy promise to the believers in Hebrews 13:5 is unto us:  ‘…:  for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’

I thank Thee for sacrificing Thy Son on the cross for us and for raising Him from the dead on the third day.  I thank Thee for saving our souls.  And I thank Thee for this Bible-readers’ trek.  May our trek please Thee as a sweet savor of sacrifice at the altar.  In Jesus’s name I pray.  Amen.”

And Allison prayed fourth:  “Dear Father God:  I ask Thee to guide us in Thy will down this road.  In II Timothy 1:7, Thou hast promised the saints these Words:  ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’  Strength, love, wisdom—these three.

Bless us with Thy blessings of Thy Holy Spirit.  And let us not walk in fear, O Good Lord God.  To

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Thee be the glory for this odyssey.  I ask these things in the name of Jesus.  Amen.”

The prayer meeting was done.  God heard their prayers.  The four saints now waited upon their God to answer their prayers.  And they got back to their feet.  And they resumed their march for God and for Flanders and for his carol “The First Noel.”

Allison said to Stalwart, “Stalwart, do you remember what Pastor preached upon all about Halloween?”

“I sure do, Allison,” said Stalwart.

“He said that Halloween is the Devil’s holiday,” said Allison.

“Makes a believer think, doesn’t it?” asked Stalwart.

“And do you remember what Pastor said that Sunday about jack-o-lanterns, Stalwart?” asked Allison.

“Yeah.  Yeah,” said Stalwart.  “He said that jack-o-lanterns represent damned souls.”

“Whoa!  Innocent jack-o-lanterns on front porches everywhere are types of damned souls, Stalwart,” exclaimed Allison.  “His words make a believer really stop and think.”

The four remaining Christians marched onward to the prize of the high calling of God.

Suddenly the air before them became filled with the sound of a weeping and a wailing and a gnashing of teeth.  Behold, an indestructible, corruptible body burning with hellfire came up out of torments below.  It was the most hideous—and yet the most pitiful—personage they had yet encountered on this journey.  No one of the four dared say a thing.  All four born-again believers simply watched in shock and in silence at all that was happening before them.  They knew what this demon was.  Rather, they knew what this person was.  He was a Damned Soul.

And as the four saved souls watched this one lost soul, this was what happened before them on the Strait Road:  The Damned Soul fell down upon its knees before One that only it could see.  It said to this One, “My Lord and my God.  I confess, Jesus, ‘Thou art God.’”  This was the Great White

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Throne Judgment.  And this Damned Soul had just come out of Hell after a thousand years of fire, now to be judged for its sins in this life.  The Damned Soul then said to this One, “Lord Jesus, surely my name is in there!  I knew about You.  Have I not prophesied in Your name?  Have I not cast out devils in Your name?  Have I not done many wonderful works?  Lord!  Lord!”  Christ was looking for its name in the book of life.  It went on to beg this One, “You do not know me, Lord?  I am not in Your book?”  Christ was now judging it for having rejected Him in its life.  It then heard dread words of doom from the One, and it hung its head in utter hopelessness and repeated to itself what it had just heard:  “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Desperate and scared to death, it looked back up at the One, and it begged God, “Give me one more chance!  I never knew!  Nobody told me!”  Then it turned to the right of the One only it could see right now.  It was watching something only it could see.  It went on to say, “Yes, I see them, Lord.  They came to my door.  They were Christian folk.  They visited me to tell me about Jesus.  There I am.  I got mad at them.  I told them to go away and never come back.  I thought I was telling them off.  I guess that I was really telling Jesus off.  I rejected the Saviour of the world that day. I did know.  Somebody did tell me. I would not listen.  And now I am here.”  Jesus had just played back the scene where it had a wonderful chance to get saved, but it wanted to stay lost, instead.  It had made the wrong decision about Christ.  And this lost soul was now the Damned Soul.  Before this One its Judge now, it again begged God, “Give me one more chance, Lord!  I believe now!  Lord God, please, I believe now!”

And the face of the Damned Soul was the face of dread dread.  Suddenly invisible forces grabbed it up;

swung it back and forth in the air as it screamed for mercy, and then threw it down into a great depths.

The angels of God had just thrown the Damned Soul into the lake of fire to burn forever and ever.  And from this beneath the four children of God again heard the sickening sounds of torments of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.  This Damned Soul was never coming back.

Allison fell upon weeping. Stalwart kicked at the tall grass in the middle of this road.  Jodi hung

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her head down in gravity and said, “Thy will be done, O Lord.”  And Flanders could feel Satan tempting him and saying, “You’re not really saved, Flanders.”  None of the four pillars of Bible readers

advanced right now on this trek.  None of the four spoke right now.  None of the four paused to give glory to God right now. None of the four said, “Amen,” right now.

Then, with all of this, Allison herself—a pinnacle of spirituality and faith and commitment—silently turned to look back from where she had come down this Strait Road, thought and did not pray, and then began to walk away from the others, her Holy Bible held tightly against herself, her eyes not turning back, her tongue not saying, “Good-bye.”  She was going.  And then she was gone.  Allison was

no longer there with them.  And now only three born-again Christian soldiers remained.

Jodi DesGraves quoted the Scripture that they all needed now to break this impasse, “It is written, ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:’  I Peter 5:8.”

Greatly affected by Allison’s flight, Flanders Nickels said, “I must continue my trek alone, Jodi, Stalwart.”

Stalwart said, “Not without your best friend, Flanders.”

And Jodi said, “Not without your girlfriend, Flanders.”

Choking on his words in great and mighty gratitude, Flanders gave in to their will and to God’s will, and he said, “Thank you.”  And he dared say no more, lest he fell upon a cry.  And the three hugged each other and praised Jesus for His attributes and thanked Jesus for his blessings and rallied together in the Lord for Flanders and for his prayer of his heart for why they had come here in the first place.  Flanders must get his “The First Noel,” back once again in his heart.

And three Christian pilgrims continued their pilgrimage.

After a while, Stalwart spoke, “Flanders, remember that day you led me to salvation.”

“Yes, I do, good friend,” said Flanders.  “You were far from the new man in Christ you are

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now, Stalwart.”

“Before I got saved, I was so much the old man of sin,” said his best friend.

“You were pursuing that which is not possible for mortals,” said Flanders.

“I was trying to make myself a god,” said Stalwart.  “I thought that my destiny was omnipotence and omniscience and omnipresence.”

“And immortality,” said Flanders.

“You were patient enough with me back then to read all my pages of notes,” said the best friend.

“You were studying your mind with your mind,” said Flanders.  “You thought that if you could learn how to harness one hundred percent of your mind at once, instead of only two percent or ten percent as mortal people can, then you would become a god.”

“As a god, I could be the right hand man on this Earth to God Himself,” said Stalwart.  “I would  be a god, little ‘g,’ and the Lord would be God, capital ‘G.’”

“Brother Stalwart, back then you had the heart of coming Antichrist,” said Flanders.

“Or the heart of coming False Prophet,” said Brother Stalwart.

“But you ended up getting saved, instead,” said Flanders.

“It is better to get saved and to look forward to being with Jesus in the real Heaven, than it is to

stay lost and try to become your own god and seeking to make your own Heaven,” said Stalwart.

“When I told you about Isaiah 14:12-15 that day, you really, really became convicted of your sin,” said Flanders.

“Oh yes!  Yes, indeed,” said Stalwart.  And he recited it now to him as they walked this little country road, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:  I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the

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most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

“Five ‘I will’s’–all spoken by proud Lucifer in his great fall,” said Flanders.

“And here I was a mere human, saying the exact same things for myself,” said Stalwart.

“Pride,” said Flanders, “the condemnation of the Devil.”

“Thank you for telling me about the Saviour of the world,” said Stalwart, “and for leading me to

so great salvation in Christ.”

“You couldn’t turn yourself into a god, anyway,” said Flanders.

“Now I know,” his best friend said.  “It was impossible for me to become a god.”

“You would probably have become a wizard, instead,” said Flanders.

“A wizard?” Stalwart asked.  Flanders nodded.  “Then I would have been serving the Devil, and not myself, after all, had I gotten what I did pursue.”  Flanders nodded again.

“Flanders, Stalwart,” called out Jodi, and she ran up to her boyfriend and held his arm in both of  hers.

“What is it, Jodi?” asked Flanders.

“I think that I smell brimstone up ahead,” she said.

Just then, up ahead on this Strait Road, from beneath the earth, a thick cloud of white smoke

billowed up in a shooting up.  The three soldiers watched and waited.  And when the white smoke cleared, there stood a white Wizard.  It was a noble-looking old man with white hair and white eyebrows and white mustache and long white beard and long white robe and pointed white hat.  And this Wizard held a sceptre in its right hand.  And it was barefoot.

Flanders quickly attacked this white Wizard with Scripture, saying, “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards–”

The Wizard cast its sceptre downward in one stroke where it did stand, and, lo, Flanders’s tongue was struck utterly mute, and he could not speak to finish this verse at it.  Then this Wizard said

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in taunt of Flanders the Bible reference of the verse it did cease from Flanders’s lips, “It is written, Flanders, Isaiah 8:19-20.”

Jodi quickly went on to attack the Wizard likewise, saying, “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard–”

Just as effectually did the Wizard cast its sceptre downward before her where she stood, and just as effectually was Jodi also struck dumb in the midst of the Words of God.  Powerful and proud, this Wizard also now went on to mock with the allusion to the unfinished Bible verse reference, saying, “It is written, Jodi, Leviticus 20:27.”

At once did Stalwart also try to attack this Wizard, saying to it, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards–”

But his tongue also was silenced by the downward stroke of the Wizard’s powerful sceptre.

And the white Wizard ridiculed them in his tone, saying, “It is written, Stalwart, Leviticus 19:31.”

And the redoubtable Wizard stood before them and laughed at them.  The demons also knew Scripture.

And this demon was the most powerful demon the Bible-readers had yet encountered on this Strait Road.

Invincible before mortals, this Wizard said to Flanders’s best friend, “Deny before me God, O

Stalwart!”  And it raised its sceptre in threat.  Knowing that Stalwart could not now speak, it said to

him, “Nod your head if you want to deny God and live.  Shake your head if you want to acknowledge God and die.”

Without hesitation, Stalwart shook his head in acknowledgment of God.

Angry, the white Wizard said to him, “Your time will come, young man!”

After this, the Wizard said to Flanders’s girlfriend, “Deny before me God, O Jodi!”  Its sceptre was still raised in intimidation.  It then said, “A nod means that there is no God.  A shake means that there is a God.  A nod is life to you.  A shake is death to you.”

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At once Jodi shook her head that there is a God.

Angrier, it said to her, “Your time will come, young woman!”

After this, the Wizard, brandishing its mighty sceptre, went on to say to Flanders, “Deny before me God, O Flanders! By nodding your head, you will be saying, ‘God is dead,’ and then you shall live.

By shaking your head, you will be saying, ‘ God is alive,’ and then you shall die.”

Almost before the Wizard finished its threat, Flanders did shake his head in affirmation that God lives.

Angriest now, the white Wizard said, “Your time has now come, young man!”

Behold, from behind a bush off to the side of this road of the Bible-readers’ trek, where the Wizard could not see her, a familiar feminine voice dared challenge this great white Wizard with

God’s Words uninterrupted: “It is written, O Wizard, ‘And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.’  Leviticus 20:6.”

Overcome by Scripture quoted by a young woman of God, the Wizard flailed his sceptre about above its head in a brief and futile fight with God.  And thick white smoke came up from beneath the earth and surrounded the Wizard against its wishes.  And when the white smoke dissipated, the Wizard was gone, not to return.

The three mighty Christians turned to see the mighty Christian who rescued them. They knew who it was by her voice. And sure enough, out of the shrubbery came out good and godly Allison.

And speech came back to the mouths of the three.

“Praise you!  Praise you, Allison,” said Jodi, and she ran up to her and hugged her.

“I’m sorry, Jodi.  I’m sorry I left,” said Allison.  The two women wept together.  The two men wiped their eyes.   Allison was forgiven.  And Allison was redeemed.  And Allison was back with them.

Then they all stood around with query in their eyes.  How much farther was it till Flanders got

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to where he needed to go?  Jodi Ann DesGraves was the only one of these pillars of faith who had gone down this Strait Road before.  She had gone on to the very end, and to the celestial Beyond.  Flanders did ask her now, “Jodi, how many more tempting demons await me till I arrive, do you think?”

“I believe only one more, Flanders, Stalwart, Allison,” Jodi DesGraves did reply in her most unique wisdom of such a trek.

Flanders said in steadfastness, “Only one more.”

Allison groaned. Stalwart cleared his throat.

Jodi said, “I’ll be with you to the end, Flanders.”

“The end it may be,” said Flanders, cognizant of this most perilous of demon encounters to come here at the end of this Bible-readers’ trek.

Allison cleared her throat.  Stalwart groaned.

“We need to talk like we never talked before—all four of us,” said Flanders Nickels.  And the band of four survivors talked most serious talk.  And in the end, it was a mutual assent that Jodi’s best friend and Flanders’s best friend had done all they could do for Flanders on this trek, and that it could not be expected of them to continue on to this end up ahead, where the Devil himself might be awaiting

them.  It was time for Stalwart and for Allison to now leave this band of survivors and to go back home where it was safe. And with “Good-bye’s” and “Thank you’s” and “I love you’s” and “I’ll be praying for you’s” good and faithful and mighty and intrepid Allison and Stalwart turned and walked away back down the two-rutted road in the safe direction back home.

Now only two Bible-readers remained on this Strait Road Trek.

Jodi Ann DesGraves and Flanders Arckery Nickels stood before each other, now strangely alone together and yet with God’s plenty Holy Spirit Presence.  They had seen much today.  The worst was yet to come.  Then the very best would come after that.  And they were in it together, boyfriend-and-girlfriend-ever-in-Christ.  Flanders proffered the girl his arm.  The girl took his arm in hers.  And boy

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and girl began to proceed on the rest of the way down the Strait Road to Heaven.

As they walked romantically in this eerie silence, Flanders came to remember that day he had first met Jodi, when they were both only twelve years old.  It had been a warm winter afternoon of December at Winter Wonderland Park.  The snow was falling thick and heavy with great big snowflakes; indeed what was falling that day was more like clumps of snowflakes bunched together.

Flanders was by himself, in the midst of rolling up a big snowball, and he got it so that it was up to his waist.  He then lowered his back to roll it farther and to get it bigger.  And he was not looking where he was going.  Suddenly his big snowball in progress bumped into something hard and stopped immediately.  He stood up.  There in front of him was a snowball as big as his, with a girl his age standing behind it.  He said to her, “You bumped my snowball with your snowball.”

And she said to him, “No, you bumped my snowball with your snowball.”

They looked at each other in the face, and Flanders saw a new and keen fascination for how the white snow landed upon her brown hair.  This girl said, “I say, ‘That cat has got your tongue.’”

They looked into each other’s eyes, and he said in bravado, “Brown-eyed girl, what do you call

yourself?”

She asked, “Do you mean, ‘What is my name?’”

“Of course that is what I mean,” he said, having a most new kind of chat.

“Well, you tell me your name, and then I tell you my name,” she said.

“Well my name is ‘Flanders,’” he told her.

“Then my name is ‘Jodi,’” she told him.

“What’s your last name, too?” he asked her.

“It’s ‘DesGraves,’” she said.

“Sounds like ‘Deathgraves,’” he said.

“Well it isn’t,” she said.  “What’s your last name?”

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“It’s ‘Nickels,’” he said.

“Sounds like ‘Dimes,’” she said.

“Well it isn’t,” he said.  “I am ‘Flanders Arckery Nickels.’”

“Don’t you mean ‘Flanders Archery Nickels?’” she asked.

“No, I do not mean that,” he said. “I do not have a bow and arrow.”

“Well I am ‘Jodi Ann DesGraves,’ and now you know my middle name,” she said.

“’Jodi Aunt DesGraves?’” he asked.

“You know that I did not say that,” she said to him. “And besides I am too young to be an aunt.”

“And I am too young to be an uncle,” he said.

“You’re a monkey’s uncle,” she said to him.

“You’re a monkey’s aunt,” he said to her right back.

“We cannot be monkey’s uncles and aunts, Flanders, because there is no such thing as evolution,” she said to him.

“You think the same way I do, Jodi,” he said.  “I believe that creation is the truth.”

“So do I, Flanders,” said Jodi.

“We have a lot in common,” he said.

“A Creator,” she said in agreement.  And the rough flirt talk now opened up into gentle flirt talk.

Flanders said, “I like you a lot, Jodi.”

“I like you a lot, too, Flanders,” said Jodi.

“Is twelve years old too young for a boy to have a crush on a girl?” he asked.

“Twelve years old is not too old for a girl to have a crush on a boy,” she said.

In daring youthful coquetry, Flanders said to Jodi, “I know a little rhyme about boys and girls

that’s kind of naughty and really kind of not naughty,”

“I know all about it, Flanders,” she said.  “I know how it goes.  Kids say it all the time.”

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“Let’s say it together—and with our names in it,” he said.

“Ooo, I dare you to say it,” said Miss DesGraves.

“And I dare you to say it, too, Jodi,” said Flanders Nickels.

“We can dare each other, Flanders,” she said.

“We can dare ourselves,” he said.

“You go first,” said the twelve-year-old coquette girl.

“You go first,” said the twelve-year-old flirting boy.

And they said it together:

“Flanders and Jodi, sitting in a tree,

K-i-s-s-i-n-g,

First comes love.  Then comes marriage.

Then comes Flanders pushing a baby carriage.”

Jodi DesGraves said, “Flanders, we’re not sitting in a tree right now.”

Flanders said, “And we are not kissing right now, Jodi.”

“Not right now yet,” she said.

“Not ever,” he said.

“Never,” she said.

“Never you and I,” he said.

Suddenly the pretty brown-eyed girl leaned her face toward his face, and she gave a little peck of a real and actual kiss on his nose.  A moment went by, and he returned the kiss with his on her pretty nose.

And now here they were, young adults six years later, boyfriend-and-girlfriend-in-Christ still, and walking together to see Flanders’s dreams come true and his prayers answered by the God of Heaven.

Just them in front of them, the very ground cleaved asunder, and the earth opened up with a

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great quaking, and a bottomless pit came into being that reached all the way down to this planet’s fiery core.

“Look out, Flanders!  That is Hell!” cried out Jodi, grabbing his arm and pushing them both back out of the way.

Hearken, from this great beneath cried out horrible cries of torment—myriads of accursed—burning in fire and in smoke and in brimstone.

“Flanders, this noise is the worst thing that I have ever heard,” said Jodi, her knees trembling.

“I dare not go up and look, Jodi,” he said, his teeth chattering in fear of Hell.

Her knees shaking so that she could hardly stand up, the young Christian woman, curious, forced her legs to bring her toward this terrible abyss,

“Jodi, do not go there,” he called forth.

“I’ve got to look,” she said.

He tried to move his astonied legs to go and stop her.  But she was already there, standing before it, and looking down into it, her face astonied.

“Don’t look down in there, Jodi!” he called forth to her.  He was right behind her now.  Inquisitive himself, also, he also went ahead to look into Hell.

He saw lava and magma, its hellish heat burning up toward his face from thousands of miles below.  Pastor did often say that God put Hell in the center of the globe, deep down into the mantle and into the core of Earth.

Just then a second quaking upon the ground came upon this Strait Road.  Flanders looked up, and, behold, a Great Black Dragon, having just lighted upon the ground just on the other side of this abyss.  Flanders did not need to have this Great Black Dragon introduce itself.  Flanders knew who this

Great Black Dragon was.  It was the Devil himself, prince of all the demons.  Here was Lucifer, the enemy of Christ and of all Christians.

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Jodi did not yet look up and see Satan.  Her whole consciousness was stolen by Hell way beneath.  The Great Black Dragon said, “Miss DesGraves, that should be you down there.”

And Jodi succumbed to it and said, “That should be me down there.”  She now got down on her hands and knees at the edge of this bottomless chasm to get a closer look to way down there in the fires.  For his first time, Flanders found Jodi’s voice not now to sound like a song.  Her very voice now was altered by this horrible experience happening now before them.

The Great Black Dragon lied to the woman and said to her, “Your mother is down there, Miss DesGraves.”

“Mom!” cried out Jodi, a tear flowing down her cheek and off her chin. She leaned precariously

forward, her head a foot beyond the edge in grief of doom for her mom.

Flanders called out, “That is not true, Jodi!”  But she did not hear him.

Then the Great Black Dragon lied to the woman again and said to her, “Your father is down there, Jodi.”

“Dad! Dad!” cried out Jodi, and she began to sob.

“Jodi, it lies!” called out Flanders, kneeling down beside her and putting his arm around her shoulders.  But again she did not hear him.

And the Great Black Dragon lied to the woman yet a third time, saying to her, “And your boyfriend is down there, Jodi Ann DesGraves.”

In unmitigated desperation, Jodi leaned way over the edge and cried out, “Flanders, I love you

forever!  God help you!  God help me!”

“It’s all not true.  It’s all false.  Don’t believe it,” said Flanders quietly, knowing that the Great Black Dragon shut her ears to his words.  Jodi did not know how hard Flanders was holding her agitated body here before the pit of Hell.

“It is I who should be down there,” said so-vexed Miss DesGraves to this Devil she still did not

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look up at and see.  “Mom does not belong down there.  Dad does not belong down there.  Flanders does not belong down there.”

The Great Black Dragon spoke her words with its words, “You should be in Hell, and Mom and Dad and Flanders should not be in Hell.”

“Yes,” she said to the Great Black Dragon, of which she knew not what it was.

It then said to Jodi, “I have the power to free Mom and Dad and Flanders from being down there forever, Miss DesGraves.”

“Is there something that I need to do to make that happen?” she asked, still staring down into Hell.

It said further, “And I have the power to keep you from going down to that terrible place, also.

You do not have to go down there to get them out.  Just do one little thing for me, and everything will have a happy ending, O Jodi DesGraves.”

“What is it?  Tell me, and I will do it,” said Jodi.

“Look at me, and I shall tell you,” said the Great Black Dragon.

The young lady forced her look up and out of the bottomless pit of fire, and she looked upon the

Devil in its black saurian form.  Flanders looked upon her face.  She did not know Satan for the Devil he was.

And the Great Black Dragon said to Jodi, “If you will worship me now where you do now kneel, I shall save Mom and Dad and Flanders and yourself from what you have just seen down there forever and ever.”

“What must I do to worship you?” asked Jodi.

“Speak now, young lady, and call me your ‘Most Holy Father,’” brazenly said the proud and rebellious and most wicked Great Black Dragon.

Without any Bible verse to say at it, Flanders went ahead and said for some reason that only

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his own true Most Holy Father knew, “It is written, O Great Black Dragon, ‘Jesus wept.’  John 11:35.”  This Bible verse was the shortest verse in the Bible, and it most showed Jesus as the empathic and compassionate and caring Good Lord that He was.  And right now, as He looked down from Heaven, this same Jesus was weeping; He was weeping for Jodi.

And God called down from Heaven with mighty thundering and with the trumpets of angels and with the sound as of many waters, saying, “It is written, O Great Black Dragon, ‘And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:  he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’  Revelation 12:9!”

In most hasty flight, the Great Black Dragon quickly went far away from here where God’s voice had been heard.  And this Devil was not to tempt Christians on the Strait Road again.  And the bottomless pit to Hell closed back up, shut up from Flanders and Jodi forever.  And the almighty voice of the Almighty spoke not again.

Flanders and Jodi hugged each other long and hard and passionately after having met Satan as they did.  Jodi said now with Holy Ghost insight, “The Great Black Dragon is a liar and the father of it.”

“God is truth,” said Flanders.

“God is truth,” said Jodi. The pretty song in her feminine voice was back again as it always had been.  He saw her look on up ahead on this two-rutted road, and he saw her eyes widen in joy, then narrow in thought.  He looked where she looked.  They both saw a type of gate.  It was an open space between two towering weeping willows, one on each side of the road.  And beyond these two trees, there was no more two-rutted country road.  Here was the end of this Strait Road.  There beyond was Heaven.  And the Good Lord was There somewhere waiting to say, “Yes,” to Flanders for his extra special carol.

Flanders and Jodi looked at each other.  Jodi said, “I’ll be here.”

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Flanders said, “I’ll be back.”

Just then Jodi drew her face close to Flanders’s face and she gave him a quick little kiss on his lips and drew her head back.  Flanders gave her a quick little kiss on her lips back.

Then he turned to look upon the gate.  Behind him was the girl; before him was Jesus.  And Flanders Nickels walked through the weeping willow passageway.

And then he saw the Lord Jesus.  God was sitting upon a throne, and a Heavenly host of angels

were proclaiming a declaration unto Him:  “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me.  And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  And he had in his right hand seven stars:  and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:  and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Flanders Nickels fell upon his knees in worship of the Lord on His throne.

“Flanders, Flanders,” called out the Lord.

“Here am I, Lord,” Flanders said to God.

“Thou dost desire ‘The First Noel’ alive in your heart as a first love as in days ago,” said Jesus.

“Verily, I do, O Saviour,” prayed Flanders.

“Behold, O good Flanders,” promised Christ.

And Flanders beheld.  Lo, he saw all the hosts of Heaven—all the angels and now all the saints, as well—standing as a choir of singers before the Maker of all.  And all of Heaven began to sing to Jesus the song about the first Noel:

“1.  The first noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay–

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

 

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On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!

 

2. They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the east, beyond them far;

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued both day and night.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!

 

3. And by the light of that same star,

Three wise men came from country far;

To seek for a king was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!

 

4. This star drew nigh to the northwest,

O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;

And there it did both stop and stay,

Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!

 

5. Then entered in those wise men three,

Full rev’rently upon their knee,

And offered there, in His presence,

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!

 

6. Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heav’nly Lord,

That hath made heav’n and earth of naught,

And with His blood mankind hath bought.

Noel!  Noel!  Noel!  Noel!

Born is the King of Israel!”

The Good Lord Jesus Christ then said, “Thou good and humble servant, ‘The First Noel’ is now everlasting unto thee as thy so great salvation is everlasting unto thee—both in this thy life now and in that thy life to come.”

“I am unworthy, O Lord,” said Flanders.  “Thou art holy, and I am undone.”

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His personal Saviour then went on to say to him, “And I also bring back unto thee, Flanders my son, the living life of thy older brother.”

Flanders’s eyed filled with tears, and he said, “Thank You, O Jesus,” and he could say no more.

Christ then put His hand upon Flanders’s shoulder and blessed him where he knelt, “Go in peace.  Sing ‘The First Noel.’  Thy faith hath made thee whole. Great is thy reward in Heaven.  Great are thy blessings on Earth.  Well done on the Strait Road, thou good and faithful servant.  I love thee as one of my sheep.  Ago and anon.  Maranatha.  Amen and Amen.”

It was time now for Flanders to leave.  And he arose to his feet and left the glory of Heaven.

And there stood faithful Jodi DesGraves, waiting there for him on this now-safe Strait Road.

“What was it like, Flanders?” asked the woman.

He said, “I can now sing ‘The First Noel,’ again as my carol of carols, hymn of hymns, song of songs,”

“Praise the Lord Who answers prayers!” said Jodi.

“And my big brother lives again, Jodi,” said Flanders.

“Praise the Lord Who gives life!” said Jodi.

“I saw all of Heaven worshiping Jesus with me,” he said.

“Praise the Lord of hosts!” said Jodi, knowing what it was like There.

Hand in hand, he and his Christian girlfriend began to walk back home now.  After a while, they came upon their best friends, who had stopped to wait for them to come back.  “Guess what, Jodi?”

asked Allison.

“I’ve found my first girlfriend, Flanders,” said Stalwart.

Allison said, “Stalwart finally got around to asking me out.  I said, ‘Yes,’ of course.”

All four gave forth, “Amen’s.”

These four believers walked back to that park so far away and so long ago.  And there stood

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Flanders’s big brother, alive and well and whole.  In great fervent joy and rejoicing Flanders and his big brother ran up to each other, and they hugged harder than he and Jodi had hugged.  Indeed all the other

Bible-readers of this trek were there at this park still, all having decided to wait for Flanders to come back from his odyssey.  And the sun was setting yellow and orange and red.

Then pretty Jodi began to sing Flanders’s song with her pretty voice, resonant and feminine and heavenly.  Flanders joined in.  Then the six others also joined in.  And Heaven Above heard the joy and rejoicing and praise and thanksgiving and joyful noise unto the Lord of eight born-again believers in fellowship with God and with one another.  For Flanders Arckery Nickels had “The First Noel” back in his heart and in his soul and in his spirit and in his mind and in his body once again.

And Flanders Arckery Nickels went on to write a story about a Bible-readers’ trek for his big brother to read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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