"You know something, Sixth Star."
"What's that mom?"
"Well, you can plan out everything every day down to the detail but you can never plan that. Look! No one said anything about inviting a rain cloud here. Should be over our heads in under an hour so I think it best we find shelter. We can talk there."
"Ummm, mom. I don't think that a little rain cloud headed our way. You see, Hopper and an old friend of dads teamed up to rain the plagues on us while we tried to seek God through it all and we have already gone through six of them which means that there will be four more we wil face before all the pieces are found but I feel a lot safer knowing that you are here."
"Wait, so you're saying you have already experienced water turning to blood?"
"Yep, that was our pond."
"And what about the rain of frogs? Is that Hoppers doing as well? Killing off most of the frogs in our pond; turning it to blood so we have no choice but to pursue change now and trust him that he'll guide us to the waters of life.Then taking all the frogs from our pond and dropping them out of the sky like flies?"
"Correct, couldn't have said it any better myself but it's not him. I know there is still a part of Hopper that is in there somewhere. It's the book he's reading that's making him feel empowered and wanting to take on the world."
"The book!! You couldn't possibly be meaning thee book?"
"Yep, sadly that's the one."
"But that's impossible. When we married, your dad said all the magic books were destroyed and your uncle was the only one left. If what you say is truen then you mean to tell me that your dad has been keeping secrets from me this whole time? What else has he kept from me? Has anything he ever said rain true? How much more could he possibly be holding out on?"
I paused here and took a deep breath in. This wasn't supposed to be the time where we took a breather with the storm on our back and armies in front of us but I had to tell her.
"Everything!!!!"
Mom dropped to the ground in tears and I did my best to comfort her. Might have not been the best place but as I was comforting her I thought back to Shadow and how he had comforted me.
"Sixth, did your dad even love me?"
"Yes mom. Although he was trying to run from a past life he knew that it would one day catch up to him so the only thing he knew he could keep stable was love; you? Now we really must be going as fast as we can."
"Wait, wait, wait. Please stay with me awhile. I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"If you survived the plagues all this time then why don't you have any boils all over your body?"
"Come on. Up to your feet mom.
The question you asked me is itself a long story but the short version is a man came up to me; touched me all over and healed me."
"You say you let a stranger touch you. Sixth, I told you who to trust and who not to trust."
"Mom, it wasn't like that. He was more of a boy anyways. Couldn't have been even two years older than me now that I recall. The Bible says that healing is done by the visual laying on of hands. No matter what disease people had, Jesus always layed His hands on the person in order to heal them so that is how He wants us to heal as well."
``How clothed were you Sixth and where did you let him touch you?"
'Mom; my armor was off and a lion tore my clothes as I was fighting it so Shadow healed me then while I was asleep mended and gave me new clothing."
"Shadow you say. Can't believe after all we talked about you still let a stranger touch you even though he may have healed you."
"Mom!! You keep this up and I will start taking Hopper's side cause I believe him?"
"What, you believe in all the actions he has taken? You believe he thinks we need change?"
"Well no. You can't just go around destroying whatever you want and making new other stuff just because you think it needs changing but I can still see where he is coming from. You people are so clouded by your judgment and single mindedness that you can't see what's really there. I may not support all of what my brother is doing but that doesn't mean he's wrong."
"Unbelievable. UN..BE..LIVEABLE!!!! I came out here to check in on you and see if there is anywhere I can be of service but instead I come here to find you siding with the wrong war. Hopper is the bad guy here and we're trying to stop him. Don't you see my dear?"
"No mom! I don't see. You people think that you're all that and more with sprinkles on top but I have news for you. You're not!! And even you can change once in a while."
"Hmmmm.I thought I raised you two better but I see how it is. Want to raise the two kids that one day can fill our shoes but instead they want to overthrow us with the tools and resources that we live on. Subtle! Let me just say one thing; keep that sword sharpened and pointed straight because everytime you attack and miss; it'll be more than the clothes off your back that will be torn off."
"Mom…..mom!! Don't leave. We both are after the same goal and want the same thing. We can work together like the good ol days."
"Uhuh. The good ol days are gone. There is nothing good about them anymore. You made your choice; same as Hopper and now you have to live with the consequences. You made your choice so you can't blame me for defending the thing I've been a part of my whole life. You and Hopper already attacked so now it's time we defend."
"Mom!! Don't leave me out here alone. I need you!!"
"You don't need me Sixth. You never have and you never will. If you survived six plagues already then what is four more right? See you on the other side."
"Mom.. stop for a second and just hear me out."
"You of all people know that life can't just stop, especially for someone like you. But you know what they say about rain dont you girl."
"Mom, this isn't a game anymore. This is real."
"Sixth. This was never a game. Everyone was born into war and Hopper is going on the attack. It's time to pick sides Sixth. Us or them?"
"It's not so black and white anymore mom. You can't fix things with yes and no."
"Rememer kid. When it rains it pours; and when it pours it hails ; and when it hails it storms; and when it storms then...well, you know the rest. It floods. See you around kiddo."
"Mom, you forgot the last part."
"I did? Didn't know there was a last part to that saying. What is it by the way?"
"And when it floods…...it consumes!!!