Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Key (02/14/13)
-
TITLE: Unlocked | Previous Challenge Entry
By Yvonne Blake
02/21/13 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
I’d love to move the family to Italy. I hear the guards in Rome get double the pay that one receives here in Philippi. My nagging wife could get her dream villa, and her spoiled children could go to the finest schools in the world. But that will never happen . . . not with my luck.
On top of everything, I’m put in charge of two crazy men – accused of disturbing the peace. From what I hear, they were just minding their own business – some religious meetings – and the slave of the soothsayers started the whole thing. That girl gives me the shivers, something strange about her. Anyway, she started yelling at these newcomers. They prayed to their God and the girl had some kind of fit. When she awoke, she was as sane as any other girl in this town.
Her masters weren’t too happy. They had no gift of seeing the future. It was the girl who gave them their power, and now she was as ordinary as they were. My! Weren’t they mad! They pulled those newcomers to the magistrates and made up all kind of lies about them – calling them rebels and thieves and trouble-makers.
Guess who has the problem now. Me!
I don’t think these men are really dangerous, but if they got out . . . not only would the soothsayers be angry at me, but I could lose my head over being negligent. I ordered them to be beaten and put in the innermost cell – just to be sure. After I locked their cell, I tucked the keychain in my shirt. No one was going to pull any escape plan over me. Hopefully it will all be over at the trial and won’t be my responsibility anymore.
I better make my night rounds before turning in for the night. I’ve got a full jail tonight – mostly drunks and robbers. There’s one murderer and, of course, the two trouble-makers. You won’t believe what they’re doing now. They’re singing – singing! I wouldn’t be singing if I was accused of something I didn’t do, been beaten raw, and locked in a putrid cold jail. They’re crazy – plain crazy!
I can’t sleep. Maybe it’s the thunderstorm, maybe it’s the singing, or maybe it’s because I feel guilty about treating them so harshly. Deep down, I don’t think they deserve it. Hopefully, the magistrate will see it the same way and send them on their way and everything will go on as normal around here.
WHAT?! The world is shaking like dice in a gambler’s fist. EVERYBODY GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! THE WALLS ARE CRUMBLING! Oh no! The jail house! I’ve got to check on the prisoners! If anything happens to them, I’m in big trouble. I can barely walk. I crawl on my hands and knees over the heaving and rolling ground! Trees are falling. Houses are tumbling. I can see the corner of the jail house is broken. I’m almost there when the earth quiets.
I look up from where I am lying to see the open door of the jail. My heart sinks. They’ve escaped! They must have. I would have run if I was a prisoner and had a chance to get away. I’m a dead man! I’ll be executed for sure! I’d rather do it myself. Standing up, I pull my sword from its sheaf to get it over with. I close my eyes and hold my breath.
“Stop! Stop! Don’t harm yourself!”
I open my eyes. It’s one of the strangers. I drop my arm.
“We’re all here.”
What?! It can’t be! I get a lantern to investigate. It’s true! They are all there – all of them, even the murderer. Why didn’t they escape when they had the chance? There’s something strange going on here – something good. It has to do with these men. Maybe their religion is greater than I thought. Maybe they have the key to change people. Maybe they can change me.
I beg at their feet. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
God bless~