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“That’s just it,” Michael says. “I don’t think it has anything to do with you… at
least it shouldn’t. But then why is my Father so focused on this plane, this corner of
the universe, this planet, this country, this place? Why is he doing what he’s doing?” I say the only thing I can think of: “God works in mysterious ways.” Michael stares wide-eyed at me for a moment
before he bursts out laughing,
using Little House to prop himself up as bends over, clutching his stomach. I can’t
find the humor in it, but I start to laugh along with him because if I don’t laugh, I’m
sure I’ll lose it completely. So we laugh. We laugh until we can laugh no more. And
when we finish, I know our conversation is almost over.
Michael stands before me and drops his hands on my shoulders. He isn’t
laughing any longer. “I believe there will come a time, Benji, very soon, that I’ll
return to give you a choice. You must think hard on the choice you will make,
because I don’t know if it can be reversed once it has been made. I might have been a
bit premature when I said Calliel has broken the design. He might have just made it
different. For some reason my Father has allowed me to come here, and I think I
have become part of this test, whether I asked to be or not.”
“Test of what?” I ask, unable to look away.
“Faith, Benji,” he says, like it is the most obvious thing in the world. “It always
comes down to faith. To do what you must, you must believe. Father has tested one’s
faith for as long as I can remember. It’s kind of his thing, in case you haven’t heard
the stories. But I may need to speed things up a bit. As I’ve said, my focus and his
focus need to be elsewhere.”
“I thought you were a stickler for the rules,” I say without thinking. He laughs again. “Maybe some part of me wants to see how this plays out too.
It’s certainly a first in all of my existence. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of
history?”
Somehow, I don’t think I want to know just how long his existence has been. “I will send one of the Strange Men, as you call them,” he says, squeezing my
shoulders. “They will not be here for you, or for Calliel. Think of it as a… a gift.
Once you catch sight of the Strange Man, you will know I have assisted you and that
you should follow. You may get the answers you desire, but remember this:
sometimes the past is better left alone. Do you understand?”
My heart pounds in my chest. “Yes.”
