One Pick Up Too Many! (9)

Turning to the second accused, he continued with disdain “This, aha, will you call her a Christian, one of you? I think not! But she deceived every one. She sang in the Choir, she was in the prayer band but she really wasn’t one of you, was she?”

Moving closer to the second accused, he lifted her face up. “Behold, a specimen of a fornicator and a profane person!” he announced with relish, slapping his hoofs together with gusto!

Again, almost spontaneous, the deafening applause began and continued until the Judge raised his hoof! And then, deafening silence!

“Do you know what she did?” he asked looking around as if expecting an answer.  “She began a sacrilegious affair with the under shepherd of a most holy congregation! Oh, she would make Jezebel herself green with envy!”

Again, the spontaneous applause, the raised arm and silence!

Jumping on the bench, he continued in a sober tone. “Then, as it happens, she got pregnant. How could that have happened?” the Judge asked, rolling his green eyeballs and eliciting laughter from the creatures until he bellowed “Silence!”

Floating down from the bench, he seemed to glide, without his feet, which looked more like the limbs of a Crocodile, touching the floor! ”And what happened next?” he asked, almost in a whisper, closing in on the second accused.

The Lady tried to move back but the chains dug in and caused her to cry out in pain. Her eyeballs were red and blood shot from crying. By now however, there were no more tears, no more sounds, just cries of anguish rising from deep within her, unable to find a voice!

The Judge had his face about an inch away from her, staring into her eyeballs before he continued “She conspired to take an innocent life, to commit murder!”

Thrusting her face away in disgust, he faced Ama but kept his distance “Even David and Bath Sheba didn’t conspire to kill their adulterous offspring!”

Walking back to the bench he thundered “But you know what the book says, don’t you? An eye for an eye, a life for a life! Thou shalt not kill! Are we then wrong to enforce the law?”

Sitting down in a heap, he gazed long and hard at the black smoke hovering around his bench before continuing.

“And Lover boy here,” he whispered, beckoning to the third accused to approach the bench.

The young man made motions as if he was trying to dig into the hard stony floor of the court room, a desperate act, perhaps to hide. But unwilling though he was, he couldn’t stop himself from rising like a balloon and floating towards the bench!

But he didn’t go far. After some four feet, he was suspended, mid air, as the judge began to state the case against him!

“Behold, the hunter! Not ready for marriage but desirous of the pleasures of marriage. Eyes filled with lust and fornication. How many ladies did you defile?” he asked, pointing one hoof at the poor fellow dangling in space, not held up by even a thread!

Perhaps it was the spectacle of the young man or the audacity of the judge, Ama couldn’t tell. Twice she had tried to speak but the judge stopped her. She could sense waves of anger rising up from within her. Pointing at the young man, she screamed at the top of her voice “In the name of Jesus…”

Again, she didn’t get to finish her sentence! The young man collapsed like a heap of sack and pandemonium broke loose! Screeching and howling like dogs, the elves like creatures took off in all directions! The Judge simply disappeared in a puff of smoke!

It took about five minutes for the smoke to clear and when it did, there was the judge sitting calmly on his bench! Now he stared at Ama not saying a word.

The effect was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice cold water on Ama! She stood rooted to the spot and as if she was again watching a movie, images of her past flooded her mind. It was a past she wished never happened and which she had kept a secret for years. This was all before she became committed to Christ but the images were as real as if it all happened yesterday!

Unable to move, she began to shiver uncontrollably! Slowly, tears flooded her eyes as currents of shame enveloped her. Soon, a cloud of darkness descended and black spots began to appear on her immaculate garment!

“And you thought you could save these ones?” The judge asked, pointing at the accused persons as he began to laugh.

“Physician, heal thyself” he hollered, doubling over with laughter!

Then as at the first time, the glow appeared again! Enveloping Ama from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, she could feel the warmth again! And then it was as if her eyes were opened as oceans of light flooded her being. The cloud of darkness disappeared as suddenly as it had come!

Turning to the judge, eyes blazing, Ama declared “If any man be in Christ, old things are passed away and behold, all things have become new!”

The black spots disappeared one by one until her garment began to shine again.

Turning to the accused persons, she continued. “The blood of Jesus was shed for these ones. The price for their souls has been paid. You cannot lay any claim to their souls”

Then she turned back to the Judge. “In the name of Jesus, I break your hold over these souls”

That was when she heard the blast and He appeared! The Word of God, wearing a garment as if dipped in blood, with a two edged sword in His mouth, ridding on a majestic white horse!

And she awoke!

THE END