TITLE: The Real Winner By Jacob Gibson 02/12/08 |
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My idea for this short story probably came from the old McGee & Me shows, where a cartoon character would relive some of Jesus' parables in a humorous way. (For example, in the parable about not taking the best seat at a dinner, dinner guests at a party literally race to the table to get the best chair!) You'll probably be able to guess what story this came from. Please let me know how I can improve my writing, because I know it could use improvement. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy.
The noisy crowd sat in the darkness of a large room and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, loud music played, lights illuminated the stage, and the room came to life. All eyes looked up to see a man in a suit come out to center stage. He looked at them, smiled, and shouted into the microphone, "Heeeeeey! Welcome to the show, everyone!" Applause and cheers filled the air. When it subsided he said, "We have a great program for you tonight. Our many contestants have come to compete... in one of the most difficult and painful ways imaginable. They will get hurt not physically... not mentally... but in their pocket books!" Gasps of horror throughout the room.
"Yes, you heard correctly! Very successful men and women will come out here tonight and give until it hurts. They will place their generous gifts into..." he turned around a pointed behind him "...this very large silver bowl. Big enough for five or six people to sit in, or one elephant!" Laughter. "Their generous gifts will amaze you, and the best part is every bit will go straight to charity. Whoever can give the most will win the contest and receive a special prize. Let's get started!" He left the stage and the audience applauded. A music change cued the following contestants to begin.
Another man in expensive clothes approached the bowl and danced around as he tossed handfulls of money into the bowl before leaving. The next man carried out several bags of money and dumped them in, and also removed his jacket and added it to the contribution. A woman walked on stage with big bags of gold coins and slowly dumped them in, then removed her gold rings, necklace, and earrings and put them in too. With every contestant that gave money, the audience would cheer and yell louder and louder. More people appeared and dumped in increasing loads of silver and gold. At one point in the show, someone even brought out a cement mixer and poured out gold and jewelry like it was water! The cheering and hollering seemed to reached a climax. Could anyone beat that? The final contestant strode confidently to the bowl emptyhanded. Instead of gold, she whipped out a check book and a pen. The cameras focused in so everyone could see what she was writing. A one, followed by a zero, another zero, and another, and another! With every zero she wrote the room grew louder and louder. The woman finished writing zeroes, signed the check, and placed it on top of the overflowing bowl of wealth for charity. The climax had actually been broken.
It seemed like the show was over, but who was this coming out now? An old widow, dressed in rags, slowly made her way to the mountain of gold. If she was dressed like that, then whatever she planned to give would have to be nothing short of astonishing! Everyone closely watched. She reached into her pocket, placed a few coins on top, and then walked away. Dead silence... followed by unrestrained laughter. Was this a joke? Who would embarrass themselves like this?! They were quickly silenced when a man at the front of the audience stood up. He was well-known among the people as a wise teacher who said and did profound things. They waited to hear his response. Would he make fun of her too? When everyone had quited down, he applauded and cheered with everything he had. With a huge smile he pointed to her, and shouted, "Yes! Yes! She is the winner! She is the real winner!!!"
And though the judges said otherwise, she was indeed.
Mark 12:41-44
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