| General Fiction posted October 23, 2019 | Chapters: |
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A man hiding from his past.
A chapter in the book A Shadow On The Street
Raven and Elizabeth
by papa55mike
| Background Lewis Bradley is a man with a gift. A unique power that forced him into hiding from the thoughts of the people he passes. |
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We think we know what someone is feeling.
But do we?
A child's smile can hide a mountain of guilt and shame.
Her hearty laughter covers a breaking heart.
His confident stride conceals the crippling fear inside.
How many disguises do we use to mask a shroud of misery from others?
Put on any face you want, but no one can hide from my presence. I have a unique talent, if you can call it that. It feels more like a curse to me.
My name is Lewis Bradley. I'm a former Pastor who one day began to see and feel what no other can. I know what a person is thinking. The desires they keep hidden from all-seeing their path for the future from the decision about to be made.
People have tried to explain my gift by reading Auras, the field of bioelectricity that surrounds all things. It deals with Spiritism, a practice denounced by the Bible, saying, "There is no light in them." But that is a New Age belief, and there's nothing Biblical about it.
The light shines brightly within me. I feel the Lord has shown me it's a gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit, fully developed as long as I use it in faith. Many people have tried to exploit my talent for personal gain. That's when I went into hiding. I'm known as the shadow on the street - a hooded figure that moves silently through the night.
It's hard to avoid people during the day, so I travel through the alleys in the cover of darkness. My hooded coat doesn't protect me from others, but the hood hides my knowledge of a person's mood or thoughts. There are so many evil desires in this world that continually burden my soul.
Memphis is the 24/7 city of the Blues. It speaks of the music and the pain we carry along with us. I've always loved the people of this town. They're hard-working and very caring. It's challenging to dodge so many people downtown, so I drifted to the ragged part of the city. No one looks at the other; gangs spread fear down the streets - my kind of place.
My best time to get supplies is right before daylight. The moon is parting the clouds, guiding my way. Tony's Grocery opens early for the people on their way to work. These people work in thankless jobs in the city. Janitor, cook, cashier, garbage collector, and bus driver. I envy their perseverance.
"Good morning, Lew." I've been visiting Tony's for a year now; he's my only friend in Memphis. It's an hour before sunrise when I walk into the store. Tony's dark brown eyes spot me, and he smiles.
I feel that Tony's wife and daughter are feeling better; both of them have been fighting the stomach flu. "It's good to know your family is feeling better, Tony."
"I can't hide anything from you, Lew. What am I thinking about right now?"
"Well, you have the Tiger's game playing in your mind, but there's also a thought about the redhead that just left. That cute butt will get you into trouble, Tony."
"You're amazing! How do you do it?"
"It's a gift from the Holy Spirit; I guess that might be a curse. All I have to do is be close to you. I couldn't feel anything if I was across the room by the cooler. I need two-country ham and biscuits, and I'll get a gallon of milk from the cooler."
While Tony is making my biscuits, a young woman with blonde hair carrying a baby walks to the counter. She has a blue Old Navy jacket on and a fleece blanket wrapped around the baby. With a quiver in her voice, she asks, "Can I get a pack of Newport 100s?"
Tony smiles at her. "You can if you have some ID and the money."
She shows Tony her driver's license and hands him a ten. The baby squirms a little and starts to cry. She picks up her change and cigarettes when I put the milk on the counter.
Her frightening thoughts make my body shudder in pain - a devastating beating by her boyfriend, along with his demands of selling the baby for five-thousand dollars. She knows he never wanted a child but hid the pregnancy until the last trimester.
The young woman walks towards the door, and the link breaks.
I stop shaking and ask Tony. "How much, my friend?"
"That's eight-sixty-five, Lew."
"Here's a ten; keep the change."
"Thanks, Lew. See you in the morning."
I quickly exit the store to find that young woman. She's sitting at the bus stop breastfeeding her baby while trying to light a cigarette, and her hands are shaking uncontrollably.
I sit down and open one of my biscuits, pretending not to notice her. I know the bus will take a few minutes. Her thoughts soar into my mind again. The young woman's name is Raven, and the baby's name is Elizabeth. Both of them are very hungry.
"Would you like one of my biscuits, Raven? You have to keep your strength up if you're going to breastfeed Elizabeth."
She coughs out her first drag on the cigarette, then asks, "How do you know me?"
"It would take too long to explain. I know you don't want to sell your baby to those people. Is five thousand dollars worth giving up your child?"
A tear falls from her eye. "Mister, you're freaking me out!"
"I don't mean to; I'm trying to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Elizabeth will never be out of your mind, and every birthday will remind you of this sweet child that you sold for drug money. That's what Jonathon wants to do, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Raven's body begins to shake with fear. "He says the money can be turned into twenty-thousand dollars on the street."
"Selling heroin will ruin so many lives, including yours. Do you think Jonathon loves you?"
"I don't know."
"Wasn't it Jonathon that talked you into running away with him and selling your body on the streets? No man who loved you would ever ask you to do such things, Raven."
"What am I supposed to do now? I can't go home; he'll track me down and kill both of us."
"I know a place that will protect you and Elizabeth. Second Avenue Church Of Christ has a battered women's program. They'll place you and Elizabeth in a safe house, and Jonathon will never find you there."
"I don't know."
"Raven, it takes incredible courage to break away from death's grip on your life. Do it for Elizabeth and your undying love for her."
"Can I think about it?"
"You don't have that much time. Jonathon and his friends are coming for Elizabeth today. I want you to know that Jesus loves you and Elizabeth with all of His heart. Don't give up your daughter to those evil men. He will save both of you if you let Him." The bus pulls up to the stop and opens the doors. "It's up to you, Raven."
Raven rises to get on the bus and turns to me. "Thank you for caring."
"You're welcome."
She boards the bus and disappears into a cloud of smoke.
"I did my best. It's up to you, Lord."
But do we?
A child's smile can hide a mountain of guilt and shame.
Her hearty laughter covers a breaking heart.
His confident stride conceals the crippling fear inside.
How many disguises do we use to mask a shroud of misery from others?
Put on any face you want, but no one can hide from my presence. I have a unique talent, if you can call it that. It feels more like a curse to me.
My name is Lewis Bradley. I'm a former Pastor who one day began to see and feel what no other can. I know what a person is thinking. The desires they keep hidden from all-seeing their path for the future from the decision about to be made.
People have tried to explain my gift by reading Auras, the field of bioelectricity that surrounds all things. It deals with Spiritism, a practice denounced by the Bible, saying, "There is no light in them." But that is a New Age belief, and there's nothing Biblical about it.
The light shines brightly within me. I feel the Lord has shown me it's a gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit, fully developed as long as I use it in faith. Many people have tried to exploit my talent for personal gain. That's when I went into hiding. I'm known as the shadow on the street - a hooded figure that moves silently through the night.
It's hard to avoid people during the day, so I travel through the alleys in the cover of darkness. My hooded coat doesn't protect me from others, but the hood hides my knowledge of a person's mood or thoughts. There are so many evil desires in this world that continually burden my soul.
Memphis is the 24/7 city of the Blues. It speaks of the music and the pain we carry along with us. I've always loved the people of this town. They're hard-working and very caring. It's challenging to dodge so many people downtown, so I drifted to the ragged part of the city. No one looks at the other; gangs spread fear down the streets - my kind of place.
My best time to get supplies is right before daylight. The moon is parting the clouds, guiding my way. Tony's Grocery opens early for the people on their way to work. These people work in thankless jobs in the city. Janitor, cook, cashier, garbage collector, and bus driver. I envy their perseverance.
"Good morning, Lew." I've been visiting Tony's for a year now; he's my only friend in Memphis. It's an hour before sunrise when I walk into the store. Tony's dark brown eyes spot me, and he smiles.
I feel that Tony's wife and daughter are feeling better; both of them have been fighting the stomach flu. "It's good to know your family is feeling better, Tony."
"I can't hide anything from you, Lew. What am I thinking about right now?"
"Well, you have the Tiger's game playing in your mind, but there's also a thought about the redhead that just left. That cute butt will get you into trouble, Tony."
"You're amazing! How do you do it?"
"It's a gift from the Holy Spirit; I guess that might be a curse. All I have to do is be close to you. I couldn't feel anything if I was across the room by the cooler. I need two-country ham and biscuits, and I'll get a gallon of milk from the cooler."
While Tony is making my biscuits, a young woman with blonde hair carrying a baby walks to the counter. She has a blue Old Navy jacket on and a fleece blanket wrapped around the baby. With a quiver in her voice, she asks, "Can I get a pack of Newport 100s?"
Tony smiles at her. "You can if you have some ID and the money."
She shows Tony her driver's license and hands him a ten. The baby squirms a little and starts to cry. She picks up her change and cigarettes when I put the milk on the counter.
Her frightening thoughts make my body shudder in pain - a devastating beating by her boyfriend, along with his demands of selling the baby for five-thousand dollars. She knows he never wanted a child but hid the pregnancy until the last trimester.
The young woman walks towards the door, and the link breaks.
I stop shaking and ask Tony. "How much, my friend?"
"That's eight-sixty-five, Lew."
"Here's a ten; keep the change."
"Thanks, Lew. See you in the morning."
I quickly exit the store to find that young woman. She's sitting at the bus stop breastfeeding her baby while trying to light a cigarette, and her hands are shaking uncontrollably.
I sit down and open one of my biscuits, pretending not to notice her. I know the bus will take a few minutes. Her thoughts soar into my mind again. The young woman's name is Raven, and the baby's name is Elizabeth. Both of them are very hungry.
"Would you like one of my biscuits, Raven? You have to keep your strength up if you're going to breastfeed Elizabeth."
She coughs out her first drag on the cigarette, then asks, "How do you know me?"
"It would take too long to explain. I know you don't want to sell your baby to those people. Is five thousand dollars worth giving up your child?"
A tear falls from her eye. "Mister, you're freaking me out!"
"I don't mean to; I'm trying to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Elizabeth will never be out of your mind, and every birthday will remind you of this sweet child that you sold for drug money. That's what Jonathon wants to do, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Raven's body begins to shake with fear. "He says the money can be turned into twenty-thousand dollars on the street."
"Selling heroin will ruin so many lives, including yours. Do you think Jonathon loves you?"
"I don't know."
"Wasn't it Jonathon that talked you into running away with him and selling your body on the streets? No man who loved you would ever ask you to do such things, Raven."
"What am I supposed to do now? I can't go home; he'll track me down and kill both of us."
"I know a place that will protect you and Elizabeth. Second Avenue Church Of Christ has a battered women's program. They'll place you and Elizabeth in a safe house, and Jonathon will never find you there."
"I don't know."
"Raven, it takes incredible courage to break away from death's grip on your life. Do it for Elizabeth and your undying love for her."
"Can I think about it?"
"You don't have that much time. Jonathon and his friends are coming for Elizabeth today. I want you to know that Jesus loves you and Elizabeth with all of His heart. Don't give up your daughter to those evil men. He will save both of you if you let Him." The bus pulls up to the stop and opens the doors. "It's up to you, Raven."
Raven rises to get on the bus and turns to me. "Thank you for caring."
"You're welcome."
She boards the bus and disappears into a cloud of smoke.
"I did my best. It's up to you, Lord."
Well, let's see if I can write two books at once. When I finish with the last chapter of Hammie & Sarabeth, I plan to start the final Gabriel Hope book titled: The Walkers.
Many thanks for stopping by to read.
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Many thanks for stopping by to read.
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike
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