Pastor’s Wife walked briskly across the road toward the tavern. She looked at the shabby appearance of the building and the name Lucky’s Tavern scrawled on a rough board, paint peeling off.
Well, Mother, thought Pastor’s Wife to herself, hope you’re in here. This isn’t the type of place I feel comfortable being in by myself.
Entering through the weathered door, it took a few seconds for Pastor’s Wife’s eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. As she glanced around the room, she noticed two shabby men sitting at the bar. Their faces lit up when they saw her. Ignoring their rude stares, she continued to look around the room. Finally, her eyes beheld what she came here for. She walked over to the table where Mother was sitting, staring intently out the window.
“Mind if I sit down?” asked Pastor’s Wife.
Mother looked up rather startled; she had been in deep thought about her son.
“Uh…no, no, that’s fine, have a seat,” Mother replied. “Why are you here? You’re not going to try to talk me out of helping with my son’s rescue, are you?” Mother’s voice was firm.
“Wouldn’t dream of talking you out of being here. If my son were on that ship, I’d be here just like you are now,” Pastor’s Wife replied.
“Then why did you come?” Mother asked with annoyance.
“The One True Lord told me that I needed to be here for your sake; not sure why, but I will remain with you until this time of crisis is ended,” Pastor’s Wife said reassuringly. “What’s your plan?”
Mother was quiet for a few moments; she was trying to make sense out of what Pastor’s Wife had said. What did she mean that the One True Lord told her to be here? She seemed like a nice, stable sort of person, not the type to be hearing voices.
“Don’t have a plan,” Mother replied. “I just wanted to make sure I was included. What are you guys planning?”
“Well, the plan is still the same as last night. Warrior and Pastor will board the ship with Teenager’s release papers. Sometimes there is resistance by the crew; they don’t want to allow believers onboard. It can be very dangerous, depending on how much opposition they encounter, but Pastor and Warrior are very experienced at these types of rescues,” Pastor’s Wife explained. “If Teenager is willing to leave, and I can’t imagine he would want to stay, then he will leave the ship. Teenager, Pastor, and Warrior will be given whatever angelic help they need to make the rescue complete. The angelic host just arrived in answer to our prayers.”
“Angelic help?” Mother inquired. “What is it with you people anyway? Prayers, angels, demons? I don’t get it!” Mother’s voice sounded confused and exasperated.
“I know you don’t understand. There was a time when I was where you are now, and I didn’t understand either. It seemed like crazy talk. It took me a long time to come around to the truth of what the One True Lord did for me on the cross. I was rebellious, angry, and wanted what I wanted when I wanted it and how I wanted it. In other words, I wanted it my way, not His way,” Pastor’s Wife said soothingly.
Mother didn’t respond; she wasn’t sure what to make of this lady. She was pretty, obviously intelligent, poised, cultured, and most likely very well educated, based on what she had seen so far. Why in the world would someone like that believe in all this hocus pocus stuff? Mother asked herself, baffled.
“Don’t talk; let her think it through,” Pastor’s Wife heard the Spirit whisper in her ear.
Pastor’s Wife sat quietly staring out the window. She wanted to look at Mother’s face to see if she could discern what she was thinking but decided Mother might interpret it the wrong way, so she continued to look out the window.
P
The men stood in the building and continued to look at the ship, waiting for the Lord’s instructions.
“Look!” said Seaman, pointing. “That’s him! That’s Captain.”
The men turned their heads to look where Seaman was pointing. They saw what appeared to be a tall, confident, handsome, human male dressed in a white uniform. The man disembarked the ship nearly running; he was in such haste. He stormed past the building, crossed the street, and headed directly for the tavern.
“Go!”
All the men heard the voice commanding them to execute the plan to rescue Teenager.
“Go! Go now!” the voice commanded the men.
Warrior started to move, but Pastor remained frozen in place. If the man in uniform was Seaman’s former Captain, then he was heading right where his wife and, possibly, Mother were. Pastor was frozen with indecision. He knew that the One True Lord was commanding him to rescue Teenager, but he knew the evil creature would be near his wife; he wanted to run to her and protect her.
“Come on, Pastor,” Warrior said. “We have to go now!”
Pastor looked at the men with a pleading look in his eyes.
“Did your wife go in that tavern?” Father asked.
Pastor nodded his head up and down in an affirmative fashion, unable to speak.
“Go rescue my son,” Father said adamantly. “We’ll take care of the women. Now go!”
Pastor turned to face Warrior, snapped out of his indecision, and headed for the door. Warrior charged after him. Pastor patted his shirt pocket to reassure himself that the deliverance papers were securely there. His heart was breaking, but he knew the men would be there for his wife and Mother.
The large group of angels split into two formations. One formed in behind the guardian angels of Pastor and Warrior as they headed for the ship, while the other group followed the men across the street to the tavern.
P
As Pastor’s Wife continued to stare out the window, she saw what looked like a tall, good-looking man disembark the ship. He was wearing a white uniform elaborately decorated with gold trim and buttons; he had a cap that matched his uniform. The man appeared to be tall, charming, and larger than life. Based on the way he was charging across the street and the scowl on his face, the man was obviously upset, angry in fact. He continued to charge across the street, heading directly for the tavern.
Pastor’s Wife stood up abruptly. She suddenly realized who the man was, and it frightened her. She wasn’t prepared to engage the captain alone.
Mother snapped out of her reverie.
“What is it? What’s happened? What’s wrong?” Mother demanded. She could tell by the look on Pastor’s Wife’s face that something was amiss.
Before she could answer Mother’s question, the larger-than-life figure of the captain burst through the door of the tavern.
Pastor’s Wife sat down quickly, trying to be as inconspicuous as two nicely dressed women could be in a seedy bar. She motioned with her hand to Mother, pointing at the captain and putting her finger to her lips to indicate to Mother not to say a word.
Pastor’s Wife was shaking but strangely calm. She whispered “thank You” to the Lord and her guardian angel under her breath. She knew where the calm came from, and she was glad to be here to protect Mother. Mother would have been in grave danger had she been left alone.
P
Seaman, Father, Brother, Minister, their guardian angels, and a remnant of the heavenly host were all that remained in the building.
“Now what do we do?” Father asked Seaman.
“The original plan was for us to remain here for prayer support,” Seaman replied, “but we need to head to that tavern and quick! Pastor’s Wife is there and probably Mother as well. They need backup. Come on, men!”
Before Seaman could finish speaking, the three men, their guardian angels, and the remaining heavenly host burst out of the building, running toward the tavern. Minister and his guardian remained behind for prayer cover.
P
Captain was still in a rage about his ape captive not submitting to his authority yet. Who was this kid that garnered such support from these believers? The captain spat as that last word entered his thoughts. Pulling himself up straight, he realized he needed to get his act together and put on his happy face. It was time to win converts. He knew he couldn’t persuade the men in the bar to join his crew with a scowl on his face.
Captain straightened his jacket, adjusted his hat, and burst through the door of the tavern. Stopping just inside the door, the captain immediately noticed the two scruffy sailors at the bar.
There’re my pigeons! Captain thought to himself.
Walking confidently, the captain approached the two men.
“Ahoy, mates!” Captain said amiably, slapping the men on the back. “Can I buy you a cold one?”
“Good on yah!” exclaimed the one furthest from the door.
“We’re not serving yet,” drawled the scruffy man behind the bar. “Want some coffee?”
The other man didn’t respond; he was still gaping at the women.
Captain followed the man’s gaze to where the women were sitting quietly, and his eyes lit up.
“Looks like we have some juicy bait there, don’t we, men?” Captain said with a leering face.
“Aye, Cap!” said the man, still staring at the women with lust in his heart as well as his eyes.
“Why don’t you introduce yourself and me while you’re at it?” Captain asked suggestively.
“Naahh…that kind don’t want no part o’ the likes of me,” the man replied.
“Well, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you introduced me to them, now would they?” the captain continued to prod with a charming smile.
“Aye…that they might, Cap,” the other man replied. “Come on, mate, let’s introduce the cap’n to the ladies; maybe one of us will get lucky with the other one!”
The men slid off their bar stools, but before they could take a step, the door opened again as Seaman, Father, and Brother entered the room with their guardian angels and the angelic host in tow. The captain turned his gaze from the women to the tavern door. He saw two men who didn’t look like the dive bar types; then he saw Seaman.
“You!” barked the captain. “What are you doing here!” he demanded.
Seaman didn’t respond; he felt the One True Lord was instructing him to ignore the captain. It was better to just get the women and leave as quickly as possible. Father rushed to the table where Mother and Pastor’s Wife were still sitting.
“Come on, honey,” Father said quietly. “Let’s get out of here before something blows up.”
Seaman and Brother followed Father to the ladies’ table. Pastor’s Wife stood up. She looked at the captain plainly and squarely in the eyes.
“Bold as brass, aren’t you?” Captain sneered. “I like ‘em with a little spunk and sass!”
Pastor’s Wife stood erect, not moving, meeting the captain’s gaze. She knew who she was and who was on her side, and she refused to feel fear. Without dropping her gaze, she motioned with her hand to Mother.
“Come on, dear, I think we’d better leave. This isn’t a good place to be,” Pastor’s Wife said encouragingly.
Mother kept turning her head back and forth. Her gaze darted between the scruffy men at the bar, the captain, Brother, Father, Seaman, and Pastor’s Wife. She felt more fearful than she ever had been in her entire life but also excited and strangely captivated, but she couldn’t explain why.
Slowly, Mother rose, scooting her chair backward. Father stepped in front of his wife in a protective fashion. This annoyed Mother because now she couldn’t see what was going on; she took one step to the side to get a better look. The tension in the room was almost a living thing. The sneering, leering scruffy men at the bar were positively drooling with excitement. They anticipated a fight, and they were relishing the idea of bashing a few smug faces. Seaman strode forward and came nose to nose with the captain.
“There’s nothing for you here! Leave these women alone!” Seaman growled.
“Couldn’t confront me all by yourself now, could you, coward! Had to bring these pathetic wimps with you to bolster your courage?” Captain inquired with a seditious smile on his leering face.
“You’re right; I didn’t come here by myself,” Seaman replied, grinning from ear to ear, leaning forward until he nearly touched foreheads with the captain. Seaman motioned with his hand.
Just as the words left his mouth, the angelic beings manifested themselves in the room. The Shekinah glory of God blinded everyone in the room.
P
Teenager felt the ship slow, and the momentum changed. He recalled hearing shouting earlier but couldn’t make out what was being said; then, he heard a door slam. A little bit later, he thought he could hear someone pacing up and down further away. Then all went quiet again.
Now he thought he could hear muffled sounds below deck and other sounds he couldn’t quite make out. Suddenly, there was a large jolt. He was glad he was sitting down; otherwise, he would have been thrown to the floor. He could hear other sounds but didn’t understand what they meant.
Wonder if we’ve docked somewhere, Teenager asked himself.
Teenager strained to see if he could hear any other sounds. He was wondering where the ship might be docked. Then he heard a door slam and something that sounded like feet hurrying the nothing. It was strangely quiet again.
P
Warrior and Pastor stopped for just a second and looked at each other before boarding the ship. They were amazed that they saw no crew members on deck.
“Where are they?” whispered Pastor.
“Don’t know; this is strange, and I don’t like it,” whispered Warrior.
“Me either,” Pastor replied. “Where do you think they have Teenager?”
“Most likely in a holding cell on deck, but not sure exactly where it is,” Warrior replied.
P
As soon as the captain left the ship, the first mate called for the crew to meet him in the captain’s quarters. He was sick of the captain’s demeaning, bullying ways. He knew the captain was formidable; he needed help. The first mate was rounding up support for a mutiny. The entire crew met in the captain’s quarters.
P
Warrior and Pastor stood on the deck of the dark ship straining their ears to see if they could detect either the cries of Teenager or the voices of the evil crew. Hearing nothing, they proceeded to walk carefully and quietly. Something wasn’t right, and both men were on their guard.
“Hello,” Pastor called softly. “Teenager!”
Sitting in his holding cell, Teenager could have sworn he heard a voice call his name.
“Is that You, Lord?” Teenager asked tentatively. “I’m here. Please, oh please, get me out of here!” he asked.
“Teenager!”
He heard it again. Someone was calling his name.
“Here!” Teenager said quietly.
He was encouraged but scared that this might just be a trick the evil captain was playing on him.
“I hear him,” Warrior said to Pastor. “Over here I see a door.”
Pastor and Warrior hurried to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked.
“Teenager,” Pastor said out loud. “It’s me, Pastor, your brother’s friend. You met me at the docks before you boarded the ship.”
“Pastor!” Teenager exclaimed with excitement as he scurried to the door.
“We’re here to take you home, son,” Pastor said. “Do you know where the crew is?”
Teenager placed his cheek on the wood of the door, tears streaming down his face.
“No, no, I don’t know where they are! They haven’t let me out of this room since I came aboard!” Teenager sobbed.
“Have you joined yourself to them? Have you agreed to submit to their authority?” Warrior asked.
“No!” Teenager said, sobbing. “They…the captain that is…he, he scared and bullied me, but after a while, nothing. No one’s come near me at all. I’m aching with hunger and dying of thirst, and I’m filthy; there’s no bathroom here, and…”
“Then stand back, son,” Warrior replied. “We’re going to bust you out of this place.”
“How are you going to do that?” Pastor asked. “The wood on that door’s probably two inches thick. You happen to have a battering ram stashed someplace I don’t know about?”
“Don’t need one, do we?” Warrior responded with a wink and a grin.
“True!” Pastor replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Young man,” Pastor said to Teenager, “we’re here to help you, but you will need to help us as well.”
“Anything! Just get me out of here!” Teenager cried.
“Do you remember what your brother told you about the One True Lord?” Pastor asked.
“Uh yeah, I guess,” Teenager sobbed. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“This door is thick wood, and it’s locked, but you hold the key,” Pastor said encouragingly.
“What do you mean? I don’t have a key!” Teenager bleated.
“Yes, yes, you do. You must have asked the Lord for help; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here with release papers. You asked Him to help you, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” Teenager replied. “So?”
“So,” Pastor continued, “we’re the help you prayed for. If you want His help and ours, the only way to do that is for you to admit you made a mistake, that you’ve been in rebellion not only against your family but against the One True Lord Himself. You must admit you’re a sinner and that you want to turn your life over to the One True Lord. If you do that, this door will unlock itself, and you can come home with us.”
Teenager stood there with his cheek against the door pondering things over in his mind. He remembered what his brother told him about the captain, the dark ships, the Dark Lord, and the evil fallen angels. He remembered what Brother’s friends told him on the dock before he boarded the ship. He remembered why he wanted to board this ship so badly and why they fascinated him so. He was attracted to the darkness; it had a strange appeal to him.
“Well? Hurry it up!” Warrior asked impatiently. “This isn’t right, Pastor! Something’s not right. We’re in danger; I can feel it!”
Warrior turned in circles, looking for signs of the crew. He had never felt so uneasy.
“Patience,” Pastor said to Warrior. “This takes time.”
P
Seaman felt something grab his hand and began leading him. He assumed it was his guardian angel; at least, he hoped so. He was blind and couldn’t see a thing. Since he felt at peace in his heart of hearts, he didn’t resist. Father, Brother, and Pastor’s Wife also felt hands guiding them to safety as well. After what seemed like hours but was really only a few minutes, their eyes were finally able to see. They were standing together on a grassy knoll outside of town about a half-mile from the tavern.
“What the heck just happened?” Father asked incredulously.
“I think the Lord just saved our bacon!” Seaman replied.
“Where’s Mom?” Brother asked, looking around.
“She’s not here?” Father asked anxiously.
“Don’t see her anywhere,” Seaman responded.
“Why isn’t she here!” Father shouted.
“I’m not sure, Father,” Pastor’s Wife replied. “Maybe she couldn’t feel the angel’s hands trying to lead her to safety.”
“Well, I’m going back for her!” Father replied.
“Not alone, you’re not!” Seaman stated firmly. “You don’t realize how close we came to being killed.”
“What, from that one guy and those two scruffy sailors?” Father with a joking tone.
“That guy was no guy!” Seaman stated firmly. “He’s a fallen angel and the captain of that ship. He’s one of the main henchmen of none other than the Dark Lord himself! He has incredible evil power, and he’s worse than anything you can imagine.”
“I don’t care!” Father said, arms folded across his chest. “I’m not leaving my wife back there with that evil thing!” Father said emphatically, pointing in the direction of the tavern.
Father took off jogging back toward the tavern; Seaman took off after him. Brother turned to go but caught sight of Pastor’s Wife. He wasn’t about to leave her here alone.
“Come on, ma’am,” Brother said, extending his arm toward her. “We’d better head that way too.”
“I know,” Pastor’s Wife replied. “I don’t want Mother left alone with that thing!” Pastor’s Wife said with tears in her eyes.
The two started walking back toward town.
P
Mother wasn’t quite sure what happened. One minute she was standing there watching a handsome man in uniform confront Brother’s friend Seaman, and the next minute she was blinded by a searing white-hot light. The light went right through her. She started waving her hand in front of her face but couldn’t see or feel anything. Shaken, bewildered, and scared, Mother had fallen to her knees and continued to stay there. She thought it was strange that she couldn’t hear anything either. It was like in the movies when people are transported to another dimension. She felt her face, trying to see whether her eyes were open or closed; they appeared to be open.
Well, my eyes are open; they’re just not working, Mother said to herself.
As she continued to kneel for what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds, she thought she could see something way off in the distance. It looked like a tiny gray dot. As she continued to look, the dot grew larger. Finally, it got close enough so she could tell it was a person. A few seconds later, she could tell it was a man, but not just any man. This man was different somehow…more than a man…a heavenly being of some kind. He radiated with an unearthly light. She realized she was staring with her mouth gaping, so she quickly closed it.
The being approached and extended a hand. Mother felt encouraged and slowly stood up. The being was smiling at her, arms extended. His smile was engaging, and she found herself smiling like a silly schoolgirl. She found herself awestruck and unable to speak.
The man stepped backward, retreating a few steps away from Mother. For some reason, Mother felt the instinct to drop to her knees again. This wasn’t just a person; this was something else. This was a being who deserved her allegiance. Mother fell at the feet of the magnificent being and worshipped.
P
“Son,” Pastor’s voice was soft and encouraging. “Son, I need to hear you confess. I need to hear that you’re determined to turn from your rebellion and are ready for a change of life.”
Teenager felt a tug at his heart. He knew he had felt it before, but when? Then he realized that it was before he boarded the ship. He knew what he had to do.
“Pastor,” Teenager said haltingly, words sticking in his throat. “You’re right. You’re right about everything,” Teenager sobbed. “I’ve been in rebellion against the One True Lord, my family…even myself. I hate being this way, and I don’t want to live like this any longer.”
“Then tell the Lord you’re sorry and ask Him to come into your heart,” Pastor said.
“Okay,” Teenager replied, “but I don’t know how to do this. Lord, all I know is that I don’t want to live this way anymore. I want to start over. I want You to come into my heart and into my life and help me change.”
As soon as the last words were out of his mouth, there was the sound of metal rasping as the locking mechanism of the door released, and the bolt was thrust aside. Warrior, still wary, reached out his hand and pushed hard on the door. It gave way. The light penetrating the room hurt Teenager’s eyes. He couldn’t see but felt his way around until he found the door opening.
“We’re here, son,” Pastor said.
“Can’t see, Pastor,” Teenager replied.
“You don’t need to, son; we’ve got you,” Pastor said.
Pastor and Warrior each took one of Teenager’s arms and hustled him quickly off the ship. They ran past the building they had been in prior to boarding the ship and just kept going until they reached Pastor’s waiting car. Warrior shoved Teenager into the back seat, then climbed into the passenger side. Pastor stuck the key in the ignition, and they sped off away from the dock as quickly as possible.
P
When Father, Brother, Pastor’s Wife, and Seaman arrived back at the tavern, they found no one. Not Mother, not the captain or the two scruffy-looking men, no one. They searched and searched the tavern and the surrounding area of the town but found no one. Father and Brother were frantic. Where was Mother? Why wasn’t she at the tavern or anywhere in town? What happened to her?”
“Where could she be?” Father sobbed.
“I don’t know for sure, but I have a feeling the One True Lord rescued her Himself,” said Pastor’s Wife. “I feel in my spirit that she’s okay.”
“I don’t want to leave without knowing what happened,” Father said.
“Me either,” said Brother.
“I know how you feel. I don’t want to leave either, but I’m certain we won’t find her here. I feel we need to leave now and see what happened with the men trying to rescue Teenager,” said Pastor’s Wife.
Heartbroken, the men reluctantly gave up searching and headed toward their vehicles.