Choices by Bill Myers

Author:Bill Myers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Religious, Christian, Action & Adventure
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Published: 2014-02-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Almost Farewell

J

A

K

E

We’d barely stepped outside Phelmona’s brother’s hut when the earth started shaking again. Big time. So big that between the shaking, rain, and mud, I went back to my favorite hobby of

slipp-ing, fall-ing

and

splash-ing.

“What’s happening?” Phelmona cried grabbing Ham so she wouldn’t fall.

He shouted back, “It is God’s anger!”

Of course I wanted to explain that it was just an earthquake and had nothing to do with God’s anger. I mean if that were the case, God would really be upset with California and all the stuff that . . . Hm, wait a minute, let me get back to you on that. Anyway, the point is this earthquake was super-strong, super-long and, just to keep things interesting, there was major lightning and majorer (is that a word?) thunder.

“Phelmona!” a voice shouted. “Ham! Over here!”

Not far away, in the doorway of another hut, stood Enthal, the girl who was so helpless that I’d tried to rescue her earlier.

“Inside!” she yelled. “Quickly!”

They didn’t have to be told twice. And once I staggered to my feet, slipp-ing, fall-ing and splash-ing for old time’s sake, neither did I. We entered the tiny hut and after the usual hugs and terrified cries of, “WHAT’S GOING ON? WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!” the quake finally settled down and the earth stopped shaking.

But not Ham, Phelmona, and Enthal. There were also two whimpering puppies, brown and black, who rated about an 11 on the cute scale. They were huddled in the corner of the room doing their own brand of shaking.

“Cousin, is it true?” Enthal’s eyes were wide with fear. Without that stupid glazed look of being drunk, they were all the more beautiful and innocent. “Is your God really going to destroy the world?”

Phelmona took her hands and nodded just as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

Enthal shivered. “I am so afraid.”

“Then come with us,” Phelmona said.

The girl hesitated. “Is that possible?” She turned to Ham.

He answered. “The Lord promised to save only our family—”

“But if you come on board with us, perhaps,” Phelmona cleared her voice nervously, “perhaps He will change His mind.”

Enthal threw a cautious look to what must have been the bedroom. “But what of Naalamachelruha? What would he think?”

“It doesn’t matter what anybody thinks,” Ham said.

Phelmona added, “We heard how he treated you last night.”

The girl glanced down. “Then you also heard how I’d been so . . . so . . .”

“Drunk?” Phelmona asked gently.

She nodded.

“That was last night,” Ham said. “Today is a new day. Turn to God. He will give you the strength not to do such things again.

Lightning flashed again, brighter. The thunder boomed louder. And the puppies in the corner whimpered and huddled together even closer.

“But,” Enthal said, “it wasn’t just me. Everyone was drinking, they were all drunk.”

“And that makes it right?” Ham said.

Phelmona added, “If everybody does wrong, why must you?”

“Because . . .” She searched for the words. “Because . . .”

“Dear cousin, you must stop worrying what others think.

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