CHAPTER 15
UNCERTAIN OF INVESTING their faith in the leadership of a blind man, the group began to question what they were doing. Randy was heavier than Jasper expected him to be. Jasper’s arms felt like they were going to fall off. He switched off from time to time with Pastor Reed, but the weight of Randy plus the distance was more than even he could handle, making the experience of following Jasper even more unpleasant.
Jasper quietly pleaded with the Angels to assist them with their situation. He then prayed to the Lord. Rather than help, it seemed the Lord only sent rain down upon their heads. This made Japer seem all the more foolish. When Jasper looked ahead and found they were only in Maplegrove, he sat down on the side of the road to rest. They still had such a long journey ahead of them.
With no other means of transport available, the group continued to trudge along on the shoulder of the highway, through the pouring rain. Jasper carried Randy and Megan carried her daughter Tessa. Jasper always believed the journey home was supposed to seem shorter, but that wasn’t the case in this situation.
“I think Tessa is coming down with a cold… Shouldn’t we look for someplace dry until this rain passes?” Megan asked with concern.
Everyone thought Jasper was rudely ignoring them, but he was actually listening to Taila. She was at his side invisibly, whispering in his ear. “This planet is like a living thing. The living, from time to time, catches a virus and become sick. Right now the planet is sick and it centers around the air quality. We can do our part to help it get better. First we need to show that we care through our actions.”
“What is the first thing we should do?” Jasper asked.
Taila seemed a little lost by the question as though she was hoping Jasper could provide this information to her. Responding, she said, “Let’s begin with a prayer.”
Unsure how he was supposed to fit into their secret mission, Jasper listened to her prayer without breaking his stride or closing his white eyes.
“Oh, Lord, hear us. We seek your guiding hand to show us what we must do. Then you can trust us to accomplish it.”
As the rain increased to gallon sized droplets, a large dodge pick-up truck slowed down beside the group. The truck pulled a horse trailer. Pulling over to the shoulder of the highway just ahead of everyone, encouragement began to grow in the hearts of the soggy adventurers. Transport assistance was near.
Pastor Reed ran ahead of everyone else to talk to the driver. The driver came out of the truck and approached everyone. “We have a ride, everyone!” Pastor Reed cheered.
“Hello, everyone!” The driver said. She was an elderly woman. “You have a child with you?” The elderly lady realized when she saw Megan carrying Tessa. “And what is the matter with this person? Is he sick?” She asked referring to Randy.
When she saw Jasper lift and carry Randy, the lady hastily unlocked the back of the horse trailer and opened the door. “Here get in! Hurry up now, this weather is atrocious!”
Everyone hustled into the empty trailer and sat down. Jasper set Randy down, then he came back out to the lady. “I am trying to take my friends to Princeton.” Jasper thought about where exactly he wanted to have everyone dropped off. Then it came to him. Before he would deliver everyone to Ceramecy, he would make an early stop where they could wait-out the storm. Jasper told the old woman the address of his intended destination.
“You mean, old man Jimmy? I’m his neighbor. I have to go right past his farm. I can take you right to his front porch, but I don’t think he’s living there anymore.” She moved a little closer to him to see his face more clearly in the red rear trailer light. “How do you know, Jimmy?” She asked, scrupulously.
“I was his last farm hand.” Jasper confessed.
“J-Jasper?” She asked revealing she had followed the newspaper articles.
“Yes, yes, I am, Jasper.” He acknowledged again.
“Oh, my. Jimmy used to talk about you all the time. You don’t look at all the way I pictured you would. Come on, come on. You can ride up front with me.” She told Jasper.
Jasper jumped into the passenger seat. He and the elderly lady were soaking wet. They headed down the highway when the lady driver said, “You can call me, Bell. I was a good friend of Rose. It was a very sad time when she passed away. Were you at the funeral?”
“Yes, I was.” Jasper answered as he looked down, recalling the sad event.
“I don’t remember seeing you there.” Bell recalled. “The O’l farm is on the market these days. O’l Jimmy has been emitted into a care facility in the heart of Princeton. Apparently he’s miserable there. What do you want with his place?”
“Well, I wanted to see, Jim, but if he isn’t there, then I’m not sure where I should go.” Jasper trailed off in thought.
Bell’s thoughts were with the little girl. She could see right away how the little girl didn’t have nice clothes. And Jasper’s sick friend should definitely not be out in the cold. “Just for tonight, I would like for you and your friends to stay at my farm. I have a small guest house. You’re all welcome to make yourselves at home there, but after the storm you’ll have to take care of yourselves, okay?” Offered Bell.
“Bless you, Bell.” Jasper said, “You’re the answer to our prayers.”
The heavy rains didn’t let up the entire trip. They rolled passed Jim’s farm in the truck and trailer. Jasper looked at the locked gate at the front of his property. Next to the gate was a home realty property sales sign.
Bell went on ahead to the next drive way at the opposite side of the road. ‘What are the odds?’ Jasper thought. The one person who stopped for them was none other than Jim’s neighbor. ‘It’s a small world and the Lord is connected to every detail of it.’
Bell could have driven a little slower through the pot holes of her drive way. It was difficult to see her farm through the condensation and dark overhead clouds. The truck pulled up between a large home, made of log and a smaller guest house which was also constructed from cedar logs. Everyone came out of the trailer where Bell quickly led them to the log guest house. Everyone ran through the immense rain drops. Pastor Reed carried Randy inside. Jasper and Bell followed close behind and closed the door.
Bell turned on the lights and then she went to the thermostat on the wall and turned on some heat to the room. Everyone was wet. Janet and Tanya went to Bell. “Oh, thank you for stopping for us. We’re so grateful.” Tanya said. “Everything was looking pretty hopeless for a while there.”
“Is this your place?” Janet asked. “It’s beautiful.”
“This is my guest house. You’ll have to pardon a few things here. I wasn’t prepared to have guests in it just yet. I’ll come back with some towels and blankets for you all. You’ll also have to excuse the fact that there is only one double bed here. I’ll see if I can find some extra foam mattresses.”
“Please, Bell.” Jasper spoke up. “There’s no rush. Actually, I can come to your place later to help you bring some of these supplies over. We’ll be fine.”
Bell took a moment to examine her strange new guests. They all needed dry clean clothes. Megan, Tessa and Randy appeared to be the ones in the direst need of attention.
“I’m concerned about Randy.” Jasper said to the others, “I want to make sure he gets a bath and is cleaned up.”
Bell looked at Randy. She took a deep breath before she let it all out at once. “All of the girls will come with me into the house, right now.” Bell announced, but when she turned and opened the door, the rain outside came down like a curtain of water. Bell, a true farmer, looked back for a moment as though the rain was nothing to scarf at. “Well, come on girls.” Then the little old lady rushed off through the down pour.
Janet, Tanya, Megan and her little daughter Tessa followed Bell out into the rain to her main log home. The Angels, Taila and Starr began to follow the ladies, when they turned to look back they found Elana still holding her silver lasso. The lasso was still tightly wound around Randy’s docile porcupine Demon.<
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Joel approached Elana and untied the lasso from the Demon. The porcupine Demon remained quiet like a sleeping child. As he handled the Demon, Joel accidentally poked his thumb on the point of one of the porcupine quills. With his thumb in his mouth, he said, “Go on ahead, we’ll be fine here. If this porcupine Demon awakens, we’ll take care of him.”
Elana smiled. She was grateful to her friend as she coiled up her silver lasso, “Thank you, Joel.” Then she joined her sister friends as all of the ladies proceeded to the main house.
Pastor Reed and Bobby just stood around cold and wet, while Jasper took Randy into the bathroom to bathe him and clean him up. Jasper did a good job washing Randy. While preparing the bath, Jasper was amazed at just how skinny Randy really was. Extra precautions needed to be made to be sure Randy’s head didn’t slip under the water’s surface. When the cleaning session was over, Jasper lifted Randy out of the tub and dried him off. He dressed Randy in the white bath robe which was hung inside of the bathroom door.
As Jasper carried Randy out of the bathroom and laid him down on the bed, Randy began to shiver. Pastor Reed came to check on Randy from the other side of the bed. He checked his fore-head temperature. Randy’s shaking became more violent.
Jasper could see the porcupine Demon; fully awake, pulling and shifting various quill ends that protruded from Randy’s back. Using the quills like levers, the porcupine Demon controlled Randy to convulse and spasm. Bobby came near and tried to stabilize Randy’s legs.
“He’s having a seizure.” Pastor Reed said. “Quick, we need to stabilize him. Put something in his mouth before he tries to swallow his tongue.”
Jasper slipped off his leather belt and folded it before he placed it in Randy’s mouth. With one hand Jasper held the leather in Randy’s mouth. With the other he held Randy’s arm down. Pastor Reed climbed onto the bed and held Randy’s other arm and chest down.
Joel, Wilson and Roger tried to hold the porcupine Demon steady but its quills made it impossible to get too close. Then the porcupine Demon began to throw its quills at the Angels. They had to dodge a volley of multiple darts.
“We have to hold on until the seizure passes.” Pastor Reed told Jasper and Bobby.
Joel held one wrist of the porcupine Demon while Wilson held the other, then Roger used his water sword to cover the Demon with water. Next Roger began to freeze the Demon and it slowly stiffened.
In a matter of minutes, the seizure passed. Pastor Reed rolled up one of Randy’s sleeves. “Just as I thought. This man is a drug addict. Just look at the tracks on his arm.”
“It’s obvious he’s a drug addict.” Jasper said, “Randy’s going through drug addiction regressions and he’s going to need our help.”
“He needs professional help from a rehab center.” The Pastor told Jasper.
“I won’t argue with you about that, but I’m supposed to help Randy. He’s my responsibility.” Jasper told Pastor Reed.
“He will be your liability. What will you do if he dies in your care? Or am I telling you something too realistic for your Heavenly thoughts? You’re not prepared for the consequences, are you?” The Pastor asked.
“Where is your faith, Pastor? Name one person who’s prepared for the consequences of death? Randy called out to me for help. No one else would look his way, much less lift a finger to help him. As long as he needs me, I’ll be here for him.” Jasper stated.
At that moment, Pastor Reed decided Jasper wasn’t a rational man. Reed began preparing himself for the moment when Jasper would fail. When this happened, and Pastor Reed believed it’d be soon, he’d take over responsibility for the little group and lead everyone back to the city.
Randy’s body temperature continued to rise soaking him with sweat.
“Bobby, could you get me a cold damp face cloth, please.” Jasper called with purpose.
Bobby ran to the bathroom and returned with the damp cloth. Jasper patted Randy’s face with it. “He’s going through withdrawals.” Jasper told them. “Randy’s body craves the drugs. We have to starve him from the drugs and start him on a healthy eating plan. It will take time but we can save him.”
Bell returned, opening the door quickly, she stepped in, out of the rain. With two garbage bags with her, she could see the three young men caring for the skinny sick one. “These bags are full of my husband’s old clothes. We were going to donate them, but you’re welcome to go through them and have the first pick. Feel free to take what you want.”
Jasper made up his mind to take all she had since they’d have no other clothes to wear at Ceramecy except for what they brought with them.
“My husband, Ted, is a big man. I can tell just by looking at you boys, these clothes will fit you loosely.” Bell explained with a warm half smile.
“It will do just fine, Bell.” Jasper said with gratitude, “How are the girls?”
“Oh, they’re just fine; getting all cleaned up. I am putting on a pot of tea. Would you join us?” Bell asked pleasantly.
“Yes, of course we will. Thank you, Bell.” Jasper responded delightfully.
“I’ve decided to set up accommodations for the girls inside the house, if you gentlemen would remain here.” Bell rightly suggested.
“That’s reasonable.” Jasper replied cooperatively.
That evening, Bell was most hospitable. She provided food, like a supper table of plenty and for desert, apple pie and cookies. Telling stories about when she was young growing up in the small town of Princeton, Bell revealed how she didn’t always live on a farm. Bell’s quiet husband, Ted was with them also, but he mainly stayed parked in his favorite arm chair and didn’t say very much.
Time tended to fly by. Everyone was starting to show signs of how bushed they were. The girls had their places to sleep in the county styled, log farm house. The men turned in at the smaller log guest house. Pleased with how well everything was working out, Jasper prayed a prayer of thanks to God before he went to bed.