Chapter 3 - Is it right or is it wrong?
“My King, assuredly this is the work of Commander Khan and his minions of darkness who plunge men to the depths of despair,” reported heaven’s faithful servant.
“I know of their progress,” Papa solemnly replied. “Empowered by the Prince of Lies they live to destroy the souls of humanity! Creating fear, they reduce men to cowards and rob our Beloved of the courage needed to stand resolute. The force of his troops will soon be in place. Mighty Warrior, remain alert! Guard your charge. Much depends upon her decision.”
Steadfast beside her brother, the tender-hearted warrior asked, “Oh Papa, how may we assist?”
“Strengthen their resolve. Teach the heart what the head already knows. Your Healers know the way.”
Without knowing exactly why, Trinity found herself quietly walking towards Jasmine. Finding an unusually smooth, large wooden knot on the side of a branch just above the creature’s head, she placed the still-glowing stone carefully on top of the ledge. Trin turned off the flashlight and sat down on one of the lower tree roots next to the animal. Then, mindlessly fixing her gaze on the darkness of the woods, the weary teacher said,
“Well, as you seem to already know, I am a teacher. Or at least I was a teacher until three o’clock this afternoon.”
“But Miss Trin,” said Eli respectfully, “Where we come from, you are known as the ‘Tender Teacher’. That is heaven’s gift to you for your kind.”
“Correction,” Trinity said softly. “That was my gift.”
“Precious, God’s gifts are forever. He never takes them back,” gently corrected Jasmine.
“I may still be tender, but I’m not so sure about the teacher part. What I do know is that I have failed to teach my students why it is wrong to lie and steal. If I can no longer teach children such simple moral truths, I might as well resign now and save the school board the trouble of firing me on Friday. Besides, I’m not sure anyone even cares any more what God’s moral standards are.”
Fixing a soft, golden eye on Trinity, Jasmine said, “Beloved, you are not a failure. And be assured, God still cares about what is right and what is wrong. Is that not enough?”
Choking back the tears, Trinity replied, “I thought it was. But you don’t know what happened at school today.”
Jasmine slowly moved her body closer towards Trin. Wrapping one of her still damp wings around the grieving human, she said, “Open your heart to heaven dear one, and please, tell us what happened.”
Although Trinity could now smell the dampness of the animal’s feathery wings, she was surprised to discover they did not feel wet at all. Instead, they were remarkably soft and warm. Leaning close to her unusual comforter, Trinity continued her story.
“Well on Monday a new boy, Derrick Simpson, was enrolled in my class. His family just moved up from the state capital. Gary Simpson, Derrick’s father, is an attorney and works for a legal firm in Sheboygan. Edith, his mother, is a reporter with the Plymouth Press. At first, Derrick seemed like a pleasant enough young man and everything was fine until noon that day.
“The kids were already seated in the cafeteria eating their lunch when I walked in. I noticed there was some kind of commotion going on at one of the tables so I went over to see what was happening. Derrick and Jason Baxter, another one of my students, were yelling at each other.”
‘Give back my cookies, you thief!’ Jason yelled at Derrick.”
“Continuing to eat his peanut butter and jelly sandwich as if nothing was wrong, Derrick yelled back, ‘I didn’t take any of your stupid cookies!’”
“Jumping up to his feet and leaning across the table, Jason yelled louder. ‘I said give me back my chocolate chip cookies! You took them and you know you did!’”
“‘Jason, Derrick, what on earth is going on here?’ I said to the boys.”
“‘Miss Trin, when I went to get some milk, Derrick opened my lunch box and stole my cookies. Everyone at the table saw him. And now, he won’t give them back,’ Jason explained angrily.”
“‘Derrick, did you take Jason’s cookies?’ I asked.”
“Rolling his eyes Derrick callously answered, ‘I told him I didn’t take them!’”
“His disrespectful tone of voice did surprise me a bit and I made a mental note to address such disregard for authority later in the day.”
“So then I said, ‘Derrick, please open your lunch box.’”
“When he flipped open the metal lid, there was Jason’s plastic bag of cookies sticking out from under an apple and several uneaten carrot sticks. I told Derrick to return the cookies to Jason then follow me back to class where he could finish his lunch away from the rest of the students. While he was eating at his desk, I sat down next to him to discuss what he had done.”
“‘Why did you take Jason’s cookies?’ I began.”
“‘Because I wanted them,’ answered Derrick matter-of-fact-like.”
“‘But Derrick, it is wrong to take something that does not belong to you. And it is wrong to lie and say you did not take them when you did,’ I tried to explain.”
“Continuing, I said, ‘Derrick, see that plaque on the wall near the door? It contains what is called the ‘Ten Commandments’. You may not know this, but these are rules given directly by God to teach people how to live in harmony with one another. When we live by these commandments, we experience the blessings of God like love, joy, peace, justice, purpose and a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. The teachers and students of this school have tried to live by these rules since the first fifth-grader sat in this very classroom more than a hundred years ago. And we still expect our students to do the same today.
‘The eighth commandment says ‘You shall not steal.’ Derrick, by stealing Jason’s cookies you demonstrated that you did not respect his personal property. The ninth commandment says, ‘You shall not lie.’ By lying to Jason, the other students and to me, you demonstrated that you are dishonest and cannot be trusted.’”
“Arrogantly, Derrick then said, ‘But my parents say there is no god. They say their life belongs to them and that no one has the right to tell them what to do. I hear them constantly telling their friends that they will do whatever they want to do, just as long as no one really gets hurt. Well, this morning I asked my mother if I could have cookies in my lunch and she said, ‘No.’ But I really wanted cookies. So when I saw Jason’s, I just took them. That’s all.’”
“‘It does not matter what you wanted or how you felt, Derrick,’ I replied. ‘As I have explained, it was selfish of you to take something that did not belong to you. You were not thinking of what was best for others, but only what you wanted...’”
“But Derrick interrupted again. ‘It was just a couple of stupid cookies. And besides, I didn’t even get to eat them! You made me give them back. So what’s the big deal? It’s not like anyone got hurt or anything.’”
“‘That’s not true,’ I answered. ‘Your selfish behavior injured several people. Not only did you hurt Jason when you stole his cookies, but your actions upset many other students in the cafeteria as well. Instead of being able to peaceful enjoy their lunch, fellow classmates were forced to witness a theft then listen to you and Jason argue about it. And you hurt me by not honestly answering my questions. Whatever you heard your parents say, I am certain they would never approve of lying and stealing. Derrick, I believe you did not mean to hurt others, but your actions did. So now, why don’t we go back into the cafeteria so you can tell Jason and the other students you are sorry for causing them pain and disrespecting the property of others?’”
“But Derrick persisted. ‘Why? I haven’t done anything really wrong!’”
“Normally I would never have allowed a student to continue speaking to me in such a disrespectful, argumentative manner. But I had not yet even met his parents nor been able to personally communicate to them my goals and expectations for their son. So I decided to give Derrick one more opportunity to
accept responsibility for his actions and make amends for his wrongdoings.”
“‘Derrick, I have already tried to explain why your actions were wrong. Regardless of whether you agree with me at this time, you will follow me into the cafeteria and apologize to Jason right now.’”
“To my amazement Derrick then stood up and yelled, ‘I don’t have to listen to you. You’re not my boss!’”
“‘Derrick, I do not know what kind of school you were in before you came to Plymouth, but in this school, that is unacceptable behavior,’ I replied calmly. ‘And as long as you are a student in my class, you will never speak that way to me again.’”
“As an initial disciplinary action for his behavior, I made Derrick stay inside during the afternoon recess and write fifteen times on the blackboard, ‘I will speak respectfully to Miss Trinity at all times. No matter what I want or how I feel, it is always wrong to lie and steal.’”
Eli and Jasmine listened intently as Trinity continued her troubling story.
“I fully intended to discuss Derrick’s unacceptable behaviors directly with his parents that evening. But when I called the Simpson home, Derrick answered the phone. He said his parents were both still at work and would not be home until late that night.
“I was, however, able to speak with Mrs. Baxter who said she would discuss the incident with Jason that evening.
“So the next day, I decided to teach Derrick a personal, object lesson about what life would be like if people were allowed to live by the rule, ‘If I want it and it feels good, I can just do it.’
“During the morning break while the kids were on the playground, I went into Derrick’s desk, took out his lunch box and put it in my right-hand desk drawer. When the lunch bell rang at noon and Derrick discovered his lunch box was missing, he was furious. In front of the whole class he yelled,
‘Hey, Miss Trin, someone stole my lunch! You said it was wrong to steal so I want you to find the thief and make them give it back right now. I’m starving!’”
“Firmly I replied, ‘Derrick, none of your classmates have taken your lunch. Now quietly take your seat and wait until all the students have left. I want to speak with you privately.’”
“I then dismissed the rest of the class to the cafeteria. When the last student had left the room, I opened my drawer, put Derrick’s lunch box on top of my desk, opened the lid, and unwrapped a very large chocolate cupcake. Taking a big bite of the cupcake, I rolled my eyes and said,
‘Umm! I just love chocolate cupcakes! This is very good, Derrick.’”
“‘Hey that’s mine! My mother bought those cupcakes especially for me. You had no right to take it! Give it back!’ he demanded.”
“‘Oh, but eating cupcakes makes me feel so good,’ I replied. ‘And I especially like fresh, moist, chocolate cupcakes! I’m not a thief and I haven’t done anything really wrong. Remember what you told me yesterday? You said there was nothing wrong with a person taking what they wanted as long as no one got hurt. Well, since I don’t see any broken bones or blood anywhere, I think I will just continue to enjoy what used to be your cupcake,’ I concluded.”
“I sensed Derrick was a bright young man. And although he had a lot to learn about submitting to authority and respecting the rights of others, I was certain he understood the point of my moral lesson. I made him sit quietly and watch while I ate the entire cupcake. Then I gave him back his lunch box and dismissed him to the cafeteria so he could eat the remainder of his food with the other students. He was noticeably quiet the rest of the day. Later that evening, I tried again to reach one of Derrick’s parents, but kept getting a busy signal.
“On Wednesday, Derrick was also very subdued. I did not have a single behavioral problem with him the entire day.
“When school was over, I went to the teacher’s lounge to collect my personal belongings. Principal Truman was waiting and asked me to come into her office. Rebecca and I have been friends for years and I assumed she wanted to discuss the upcoming Fall Festival. When I walked into her office, I was surprised to find School Board Superintendent Cameron Mitchell waiting. Closing the door behind him, Mr. Mitchell turned and said to me,
‘Miss Woodard, Trinity, please understand I take no pleasure in what I am now duty-bound to say. This afternoon Derrick’s father, Gary Simpson, delivered a letter to the school board demanding your immediate dismissal. He claims you publically embarrassed and humiliated his son before his classmates. He says you damaged Derrick’s self esteem and caused him great emotional distress by calling him a liar and a thief. Furthermore, he says you mocked the way he and his wife were raising their son. And he claims you violated Derrick's Constitutional rights by forcing him to submit to religious teachings which he believes has no place in a public school. He has contacted the State Board of Education demanding they revoke your teaching credential which would prevent you from ever teaching in this state again.
‘Trinity, the Simpsons are demanding the school board conduct a full investigation into the matter at a special, public school board meeting on Friday. Mr. Simpson ends his letter by stating that if the school board does not dismiss you at that time there will be serious legal repercussions.’
“Principal Truman then informed me a substitute teacher would be taking over my class until the matter with the Simpsons had been resolved. She said I had been put on ‘Administrative Leave’ until further notice. She sincerely apologized for having to take such measures. She then told me that school boards across the country were being forced to dismiss dozens of qualified teachers as a result of similar charges. She suggested that I secure immediate legal counsel and prepare for the possibility of an unfavorable ruling on Friday.”
There! Trin had finally recounted the tormenting events of her day, even if only to imaginary beings she still suspected were merely characters in some elaborate dream she was having.
Jasmine glanced sympathetically at Eli then looked at Trinity, and said, “Beloved, the behavior of one rebellious, selfish child does not make you a failure. And the unbelief of Derrick’s parents does make void the laws of God. His truth stands forever. This you already know.”
Trinity pulled out another tissue from the pocket of her overcoat, and again blew her nose and wiped her damp eyes. Then, as if she had not heard the small unicorn’s would-be words of comfort, Trin lifted her head up towards Eli and quietly asked,
“How can parents be so blind? Do they really believe this world would be a better place for their children if everyone were free to make up their own rules? If so, they have totally forgotten the lessons of mankind’s history and how wicked and ruthless an unrestrained, human heart can be.”
Trinity did not really expect Eli to answer her questions. It just felt really good to express the deep doubts gnawing at her soul. Trin covered her face with her hands and began to cry once again. She had forgotten all about the still glowing, heart-shaped stone resting within arm’s reach on the knotty ledge just above her head.
Both Eli and Jasmine could sense heaven’s compassion for the grieving soul seated before them. They understood all too well the source of her pain. And they understood Papa’s heart.
Carefully choosing her next words Jasmine resolutely said, “Trinity Woodard, you have always been a tender teacher. You spoke the truth to Derrick because you love him and are concerned for his future. It takes courage to speak God’s truth, especially when others have hardened their hearts and closed their minds.”
“Whether the Simpson’s believe it or not,” Trin replied, “I do care deeply about what happens to their son. That young man will never be truly happy until he learns to obey God and respect others. If the school board doesn’t...”
“Look out!” shouted Eli.
With lightning speed, Jasmine instinctively dropped to the ground on her two front knees and extended both wings forward covering her human charge with a divine shield of light. As she did, an enormous dark figure appeared out of nowhere. Swooping down from the sky d
irectly overhead, the sinister creature flew within inches of Jasmine’s right ear. Then like a bullet from a gun, it shot straight up into the air and disappeared in the storm clouds forming above the nut grove.
As the would-be assailant passed, Jasmine heard a foul, guttural voice shouting, “All hail the Prince of Lies!”
“Brother!” exclaimed Jasmine as she strengthened her protective position.
“I know, dear sister,” Eli responded gravely, relieved no one was injured. “And rest assured he was not alone. Papa was right. Commander Khan is already dispatching his lying spirits over the city and the heartless Lieutenant Warwick now leads the charge.”
“You missed her!” Khan screamed vehemently. “You know our orders! It will be you, not I, who stands before Zanti to explain why she still lives!”
“Relax! A demon has to have a little fun. And besides, the more fear, the sweeter the kill, right?” scoffed the wicked Lieutenant. “Be not concerned, my commander. Her last breath draws near. And how exhilarating will be the moment when heaven’s servants - both human and those which are not - are no more! All hail the Prince of Lies!”
“All hail the Prince of Lies!” echoed the assembled soldiers of hell.