Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Rescue - Recuse - Secure (07/24/25)
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TITLE: The Crossing | Previous Challenge Entry
By C D Swanson
07/31/25 -
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The man in the hood spoke first. “I need to borrow a phone. There's a girl stuck in a culvert near Fenton Creek. Her car was swept off the road—she’s trapped under the floodgate.”
The clerk looked up, alarmed. But the well-dressed man never looked away from his screen.
“I tried calling from the road,” the man added, breath ragged, “but mine shorted out when I dove in. She’s still breathing. But not for long.”
The indifferent man finally lifted his gaze. “That area’s closed. Nothing we can do until rescue teams arrive.” His voice was void of emotion. “I’m sure they’ll get there eventually.”
“Eventually?” the rescuer spat. “She’s got maybe ten minutes. Tops. I saw her eyes fading.”
The air was thick with tension. The clerk reached beneath the counter and handed over the landline. The rescuer dialed frantically, barked coordinates, and slammed the receiver down.
“She’s been down there for five. Five more…” he muttered, stepping toward the door.
“You’re wasting your time,” the other man called. “You can’t save everyone.”
The rescuer paused, then turned. His voice dropped to a whisper: “And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…” (Jude 1:22–23)
Then he ran.
Outside, the current had grown monstrous. A swollen roar from the creek threatened to devour anything foolish enough to cross. And he was foolish. Scrambling over the guardrail, sliding down the embankment, he reached the rusted floodgate. Her hand was still visible, trembling faintly.
“I’ve got you!” he shouted. He wedged his body into the crevice. Silt coated his arms. Cold bit deep into his bones.
“M-my name’s Lily,” she whispered, soaked and limp.
“Hold on, Lily. I won't let go.”
As the water surged, the man yanked with every ounce of strength. Her body surfaced. She coughed violently, eyes wild with fear and hope. And then came the sirens—rescue teams arriving.
They took over. He collapsed nearby, soaked, shivering, and smiling.
Back at the diner, the well-dressed man ordered another coffee.
A firefighter entered.
“You just sitting here?” the firefighter asked. “Didn’t anyone mention a girl trapped?”
The man shrugged. “Someone did. Fool went after her.”
The firefighter narrowed his eyes. “That fool just saved her life. You could’ve helped. What stopped you?”
A smirk. “I don’t interfere with fate. We all have our time.”
The firefighter said nothing, then left.
One week later, the headlines read: “Local Hero Dies Saving Girl from Creek Flood.” A picture of the hooded man—name withheld—graced every newsstand in town.
But the twist? The girl’s family paid to publish a second article.
“Rescuer Identified—Former EMT Recused From Duty in 2020 for PTSD.” He had once failed to save someone. He had quit. But that night, he chose redemption. Chose rescue.
And the indifferent man?
He was a judge. A literal one. Sitting in a high court of appeals.
That very week, his petition for early retirement was denied.
He arrived in court the following morning, the weight of indifference heavy on his shoulders.
The judge overseeing the case opened with Scripture.
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
The courtroom fell into silence.
He looked up.
And gasped.
Behind the bench stood Lily.
She was the judge’s daughter.
Theme Summary: “Rescue” is more than heroics—it’s divine intervention through human vessels. “Recuse” becomes cowardice when done to preserve comfort over conscience. And “Secure”? It belongs to those who risk everything so that others may live, even when they themselves are broken.
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