A PORTRAIT OF TRAGEDY
Chapter 6: Time Corrupted
By
J. Niessen
* * * * *
Published By:
A Portrait of Tragedy
Copyright 2013 by J. Niessen
Cover Page by J’s Art Emporium, Copyright 2013
Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the material remains in its complete original form.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.
*****
Thank you for taking the time to read and discover this collection of stories. Any questions, comments, or concerns regarding such material can be forwarded to
[email protected] This introductory series is being offered at no cost. In exchange please leave a kind and supportive review, with an encouraging five star rating.
Chapter 6: Time Corrupted
With the use of Adeline’s ability, Lace, the gathered five, and the entire group of angels and demons, all arrive to the era of New Millennium. Their arrival is greatly anticipated.
All those in attendance are well groomed and dressed in ceremonial garments for the eventful presentation. As promised, Judy remains absent. She is part of a growing movement, having decided to separate themselves from the Glory and Majesty of the Reigning Lord.
A flower is pinned onto Lace’s dress collar.
As the people from his region stand in the presence of Christ, a root of enmity takes hold in some of the onlookers’ hearts, despite the love and constant affection Lace shows toward them when visiting them on his outings.
According to Jesus, as told in John 4:44, “A prophet has no honor in his own country.” There’s a dark prejudice in the hearts of these Christians. How quickly they turn on Lace, when Lord Christophe arrives in the Messiah’s great throne room.
A swirl of lavender light pinpoints and fumes with an increasing cloud, forming into a rift that Lord Christophe and Adeline (having returned to her master’s abode) step through. Adeline remains still, while Christophe approaches along the royal-purple carpet leading to the Messiah’s throne, then lowers to his knees and fully bows his head. Encouraged to stand Christophe reverently requests to the reigning Lord, “May the agreement reached between your servant and me reach fulfillment? May the Five be released into my custody as promised?”
“Your greed is as a lizard’s tail confined in a trap,” The Messiah imposes on this newly arrived dark ambassador. “Such is the initial agreement, in which you state you seek a single liaison.” Turning to the Five, the Messiah asks, “Is there one among you which will sacrifice all, so that this reptile may glimpse the light of Heaven?”
Lace knows, when his eyes meet with Christophe’s, that he has a special interest in gaining Lace’s servitude. This desire comes from knowing of Lace’s recent endeavors. Seeing into his Master’s eyes, Lace is not obligated to decide, but how could he freely offer himself to serve this evil lord for the rest of his days, when his joy in life is to be a faithful servant to Jehovah? Lace then realizes what Christophe is ultimately after. He hopes to overthrow Col. Diamond Phillips and gain control over the plantation.
It doesn’t take long for the clone of Diamond Phillips to come online, as a replacement to the vanquished herald. Investments are placed into The Colonel’s promises, to be carried out in full effort.
If Lace can defeat Diamond Phillips once and for all, then he will be allowed to return to his rightful era, and the Five whom he rescued from tribulation will be allowed to remain here as well. The question is, will his anointed knights stay here with their Lord, or will they be permitted to accompany Lace on his most trying mission yet? Lace will be expected to find the research center where all the lords are replicated. Once there, he must destroy the cloning facility, as elite dark-angels stand watch and patrol the grounds.
“The new position will be issued to you when you return,” the Messiah reveals to Lace. “Do not worry about expectations.” Removing a strand of His hair the Lord places it into Lace’s outstretched hand. The strand condenses into a single grain of sand which absorbs into Lace’s palm. The Lord explains, “This will give you strength to face pressing fears.”
A bad presence emanates from Adeline. The Messiah points a finger and she instantly turns to stone. “You may return with her, if you can carry her away,” the Messiah declares. “Until that time I invite you to stay as my guest, until my servant is ready for travel.”
It’s to the end of their meal, Lace having returned home in time for dinner, when Judy suddenly confronts, “I heard what you were saying when you were away.”
Lace questions his wife’s sanity and searches for rationality behind her accusation.
“It’s not the first time I’ve heard you say these things either. You think I’m gonna take a side seat, while you live your life for yourself, and completely disregard me?”
Lace has always imagined having this unique ability to broadcast thoughts to a person he has in mind, and the ability to pick up on someone’s feelings or intentions. With Judy in his concerns, it’s possible that the regular prayer he dwells on was transmitted to her. He’s come to notice that when powerful enough, the thoughts others have pollute the atmosphere around them with a gaseous vapor.
Her eyes are wild as she continues “And you never did answer me when I told you, I want you to find a new job that’s around here. But you won’t listen will you!”
Lace sits in a den of hatred, knowing where the knife she holds will ultimately fall, and understands the proper response in this situation. So in-tune with the Lord’s will, it never dawns on him to put up a fight, to try and overtake his wife, or flee from their apartment.
Staring into her mind from across the table, he sees a furnace of rage. Hatred boils in her blood on her approach as he stands in response; her ancestral strength has been passed on by a merciless race of humans. Her close descendants were all bred in a socialistic province, ruled by evil tyrants bent on eradicating human compassion in the sub species, from one generation to the next. He knew she would not let their argument go so easily, and that extreme action would be her response to his resistance to her demands to take on an alternate career.
It’s clear that this is no longer his place to be. Now Lace can ascend on the wings of Amadeus, and arrive to a magnificent celestial welcoming.
Seared into Judith’s mentality is the image of her husband’s fleeting life, taken by her hands, by acting out her heartfelt malice. His visual impression stains her mind with immense sorrow, developed by loved ones, when they learn Lace’s lasting hope has flickered out.
Lace’s function in life has been to rescue those needing spiritual salvation, to spread happiness to those needing reassurance; and to curse those who deny human compassion.
Misery will forever occupy Judith’s consciousness, in her eternal punishment.
Lace’s widowed wife acquires the name Judith by high authorities (during the time of the Lord Emanuel’s reign) the moment a drastic alteration takes place in her murderous heart.
Onlookers question why Lace would be initially drawn to such a trying woman.
In his mind Lace doesn’t believe he could ever find another partner that holds so many shared interests, which the two of them have. What Lace doesn’t realize is that Judy has modeled her likes after his. From the start of their involvements, her enjoyments and preferences are shallo
w and non fixed, allowing for her to conform to what Lace favors. This yields a tactical advantage for Judy. She’s able to drop ambitions involved with an event or outing the two had planned together, using it as leverage. She limits expressed adoration toward her fiancé, by constantly focusing on his faults and ridiculing him with them. Favoring the strong will his confidence exhibits, it’s the occasional gratitude Judy offers that has Lace striving for her esteem.
Individuals become a part of our life to become prospective pupils or teachers of the Christian walk. It is an effective way for those who wander through this world, lost and without purpose, unwilling to gain insight from alternative means, to gather positive lessons by a close individual’s teachings…or from living examples. Lace sees the hardships involved with Judy as his opportunity at testimony. Emotions placed in his contemptuous wife are what fulfill the Lord’s design (Revelation 17:17). The transition for Lace into a glorified state occurs.
Amadeus does not accompany Lace on his mission to retrieve the locator device, as this expedition goes against divine forewarning. The urgency Lace picks up on, for him to return home, is transmitted by his wife’s selfish passion. It’s an intuition Lace has detected since the