Imagine That (Short Stories), Leon Rice [classic literature list .txt] 📗

* * * *

“I find it foreign to my intellect that a war would be fought over religious matters. Will this be a righteous endeavor to be granted God’s favor,”
asked Zealand.

“Indeed it will,” said Grumpus, “There are many things about the Catholic Church that are good and decent, but it seems that certain men in the church have become over zealous in the persecution of their faith and have acted in an exclusionary manor to many men and women of the church. They have convinced many that they will spend eternity in hell, if the church does not endorse them as worthy. God has set Martin Luther and the Lutherans the task of spreading the knowledge that they are saved through justification with Jesus Christ and not the church. Because of the Lutherans, many men and women will live their lives in contentment, knowing they will spend their eternity in heaven with God, simply by turning from their sin, and accepting Jesus as their savior. Trillions and trillions of souls will be saved because of this knowledge and revelation. . . But now, the hour is late; let us retire for this evening and we will resume our conversation in the morrow.”

“You have given me much to contemplate dear grandfather. . .I shall take it to heart and let the hours of slumber help me digest the knowledge,” said Zealand.

With that, the lamps were extinguished . . . The light of the fireplace, with embers glowing softly in the night, illuminated the interior, as Grumpus, Marisela , and Zealand, settled in for a night of respite.

* * * *

The morning came with the cock’s trumpet while a gentle mist filled the air. The mountains outside the village were obscured from view and the morning fog engulfed their surroundings with an air of intimacy that was soothing to Zealand and his grandparents. They went about their morning ritual with the usual zest and zeal and were unaffected by the murkiness.
Zealand bid his grandparents good morning and set off for Kristoff’s house.

Not more than two streets away from his home, Zealand was stopped by a woman in a long cape and a concealing head piece that obscured her face.

“Good morrow kind sir,” exclaimed the woman, as she slipped the hood from her head . “What think thee of this early morning haze?”

“Nay, it makes one contemplative of the essence of the day,” replied Zealand, “What think thee?”

“It is my hand before my foot that I cannot see. If it were not for foreknowledge of the village, I would be lost,” replied the woman.

“Your name must be Stellar,” offered Zealand in conversation.

“And I know that your name is Zealand. You could be no other, simply by the look of you.”

“My grandfather, Grumpus, has indicated that our lives are to be intertwined for an indeterminate amount of time and that you and I are to fight in wars over religion and to strive to eradicate an injustice that exists in the Catholic Church. Our efforts will result in the salvation of many souls. I beg thee pardon, but based on what I know of war, I feel that war is a mans regimen, to be fought with physical strength and marked determination, not available to the fairer sex.”

“I beg difference with thee. God has granted me the acumen, strength, and agility so that I will not be put under by any man on this earth. God has also given me the use of a miracle of which I can work at my own desire. Gaze if you will at that pile of limbs on the side of the lane. I will set my gaze on them and set them ablaze, simply by my will.”


Stellar focused on the limbs and small flame developed in the center of them. The smoke rose and the small pile of limbs were consumed with fire. . . What think thee of my ability, with that revelation, young lord?”

“Fair woman, thee are the epitome of deceit! One would never know of your ability, simply by your appearance! A fairer maid I have never seen.”
If your fighting skills are of equal tantamount to this miracle, we will surely be undefeated in our endeavors. We can set the enemy on fire and watch in contentment as it is consumed.”

“Hold out your hand, and I will further demonstrate,” said Stellar. “The fire will not harm you; only at my command, will you feel the heat of it.”

Zealand held out his hand in front of him and a small flame appeared in the palm of it and fluttered before him, but he felt no pain.

“With my will alone, I will make the fire hot and you will begin to feel the pain associated with it.”

In an instant the fire became hot and the pain searing.

“Bless thee, woman! You have wounded me with your mind,” yelled Zealand, as he shook the flames from his hand. Zealand was dumfounded by the demonstration. As they walked, Stellar continued:


“From this day forward, our intent will be unified and we will fight in God’s name for religious equity in the minds of common man. It is God’s will that we will prevail in our battles and that the protestant movement will take hold and the injustice will be unraveled.”


“I will take my leave of you now my lord. In two days, before the sun has breached the mountain tops to give the light of day, I request that you meet me in the clearing by the water fall in the forest and I will further enlighten thee . . . I bid thee good morrow kind sir.”

In the blink of an eye and a wisp of the wind, Stellar disappeared from Zealand’s presence.

Throughout the entire day, Zealand spent every available moment trying to imagine what it would be like fighting in battle, to fight for such a noble cause. He was quite distracted when he meet with Kristoff and likewise with Cornelious, but they both knew of his distraction and made allowances.

He had dismissed himself from his time with Cornelious and spent the afternoon in the town square talking to as many people as he could. He could scarcely concentrate and the days passed without incident. On the second day, he went to meet Stellar.

* * * *

Stellar sat on a tree stump in the early morning hours of the day, waiting for Zealand to arrive, as requested. With his usual punctuality Zealand arrived in the small clearing with sleep in his eyes and greeted Stellar with a hug.

“Good morrow young Zealand,” said Stellar. “Hast thee made peace with this early morning engagement?”

“Pray thee Stellar, the early morning rendezvous has not negative affect on me. You said you wished to speak to me about something of utmost importance. I am before thee; shall we begin?”

“Of course young lord. I wish to speak to thee of heaven and hell, of myself, of God, and why I am here. Gaze if you will into the night time sky and tell me what you see.”

Zealand looked into the sky, studied it for a moment and replied, “I see the darkness of night, illuminated by the light of the stars and the moon. Pray, what importance is this to me?”

“It is the beginning of an explanation of God, where heaven is and where hell is. To start with, God made all that is good and decent and pure in the universe; this included the sun and the moon and the stars. One of the many things God is, is love, an intangible, and also light. God is the light. In essence, God is the tide that binds us all together as his children. Without God, we are nothing. The only reason we exist is because God wants us to exist.

“I have asked thee here at this early hour so that we might witness the sunrise, so as to explain heaven and other wonders of the age.

The darkness that exists, the area in which the stars are suspended, is called space. Space is never ending. Space is also not always darkness. This is a key as to where heaven is. Consider if you will a dove, a bird that will represent the holly spirit. If you were to release the dove and it began to fly in a straight line into the darkness, never tiring, never failing, based on what science will tell us, it would continue forever; but in reality, the dove would eventually reach heaven. It would fly from darkness, into the God’s light. This is where heaven is: Heaven is beyond the darkness.