The room was poorly lit and one could barely see the next person across the room. At a point, the room was so quiet that if a pin dropped to the floor; it could be heard.
The atmosphere in the room was so tense as well as sober. The room was on the fifth floor of a big story building and from the room, one could easily see the activities that went on in the street.
The room was large enough to accommodate a large crowd and at the center of the room was a large stool.
Outside, crickets chirped loudly.
Some men paced the room, praying quietly, some sat at different corners of the room, just staring into space; deep in thought. some women were sobbing quietly while others sat, head bowed.
A woman wailed across the room "my son…my son" she cried loudly while other women tried to hold her down. she soon stopped wailing as she sobbed quietly.
While all this was going on, a man, Phineas, stood by the window, gazing out. He was soberer than the rest of them but he dared not show it; he was their leader and the head of the church. How could he appear down when he had to be a shoulder pad for the church to lie on. They had just received the news that one of them was arrested and would be killed at dawn. Over and over, he had watched his fellowmen being murdered for their faith, and every time it happened, he felt bad but then, he was human after all, that's all he could feel as human…the pain of losing someone but then, he knew those martyred for their faith had a reward in heaven. It was in the scripture and they believed it.
"Jasper" the woman who had wailed earlier, said the name loud enough for all in the room to hear and it pierced through the heart of the people. They couldn't blame her, she was Jasper's mother.
A man walked towards Phineas and stood by his side.
"We have to do something," he said quietly.
Phineas sighed. He knew the only thing they could do in times like this was to pray and put their hope in God. Turning to face the man beside him, he said "what exactly can we do in times like this?"
The man was quiet. He also knew the answer.
Phineas turned away from the window and walked to the center of the room. Everyone's attention was on him as the room became quiet once more.
"Men and brethren, he started. I understand how we all feel right now and I must say I feel worse than you all. We all know how vibrant Jasper had been and it would be so sad to lose someone like him. We trust in the Lord, for by Him, we receive strength. The only thing we can do now is to call upon the name of our Lord to save Jasper from this cruel punishment. Jasper was only doing his job, carrying out his father's mission, preaching the gospel. The best we can do for him is pray. Now, in one accord, let's call on the name of the Lord to help us out of this"
Everyone in the room rose to their feet and formed a circle as they held each other's hands. suddenly, in one accord, they started praying in a loud voice.
~∆∆∆∆∆~~
Cato shouted in rage "what do you mean by the prisoner is gone? Weren't you keeping watch on the prison last night?
Tristan continued staring down. He couldn't even face Cato for he was ashamed. All through his years doing this job, he had never witnessed what happened the night before and he couldn't explain it. He wasn't sure if it was another guard opening the door to the cell but he knew someone was certainly there. He could remember clearly that before he passed out, the chains that held Jasper was broken; they fell from his hands. He couldn't quite picture who was with Jasper but whoever it was had an aura that radiated peace and warmth, something Tristan had never felt before.
'could it be Jasper's God? Who is He?' he had asked himself repeatedly.
He was perfectly fine one second, fully alert and the next thing he knew, his vision began to blur and he felt that presence; he couldn't quite picture it. Frustration set in within him.
'what's going on?' he asked himself, getting frustrated.
Cato suddenly grabbed him roughly "I don't know what came over you but you better prepare yourself to face sahendrin. They just summoned you and I can tell it's not looking good. Better prepare yourself." He let go of him and walked out angrily.
Tristan tightened his hand in a fist and hit it hard against the wall." I won't forgive you for this Jasper!!!". He shouted in rage as other soldiers who were with him, knowing how brutal he can be when angry, quickly scurried out of the room.
~~∆∆∆∆∆~~~
Jasper walked quietly down the street, careful not to be noticed as he covered himself with a robe. Many walked past him but couldn't recognize him. The day before, many of these people threw stones at him and dragged him to the council. They condemned him before the sahendrin who were always eager to persecute anyone who was identified with Christ.
'Hypocrites!!' isn't that the word Christ used for people like them?
He was close to the building now but he couldn't go in; Not when soldiers stood at different corners of the street, obviously looking for more offenders to deal with.
He knew it was a miracle that he was still alive as he allowed himself to be reminded of the incident that happened the night before. He knew without a doubt that the church must have prayed for him too.
He could remember clearly seeing the angel walking towards him as a bright light shown in the prison. The angel had only touched the chains and it fell off his hands, broken.
"ARISE, BELOVED" the angel had said as he was led out of the prison.
Now, he knew the soldiers would be desperately looking for him.
Looking up at the building again and at the soldiers across the street, he thought of where to go and hide till the coast was clear.
The word wilderness came to mind and before he started to go against the idea, he found himself walking in the direction of the wilderness.
~~∆∆∆∆∆∆∆~~~
Tristan thought of what to say to the sahendrin. They had summoned him immediately they heard the news that the prisoner had escaped.
A soldier tapped him and told him his attention was needed. He nodded and dropped his weapons by the door and another soldier took them.
"Go in, they are waiting" the soldier who had collected his sword said.
Tristan walked down the big hall till he got to the council where the sahendrin sat, waiting. They watched him steadfastly as he walked in. He stood before them and bowed slightly as a sign of respect.
"What happened to the prisoner?" the high priest said, his eyes searching Tristan's face, as he could read him.
Tristan knelt before them "my lord, I have no explanation for it but I can tell that someone was in the prison last night to rescue him"
The men of the council murmured amongst each other and finally, one of them spoke."you are our best man and this has never happened before. Do we say you're careless?"
"No, my lord, I was diligent enough but something unusual happened and I can't quite explain it."
The high priest seemed to be in deep thought as others continued murmuring. He raised his hands and once again, there was silence in the room.
"I accept your explanation", the high priest said and Tristan was not shocked. He knew he wouldn't be punished much as he was one of the best soldiers and he imagined what the sahendrin would do without him. smiling, he continued to listen as the high priest continued talking.
"We would tell the king that the prisoner died in prison and you must say the same thing when asked"
Tristan bowed "yes, my lord".
The high priest continued " For now, continue looking for that boy and make sure you find him. I'm sure his brethren came to rescue him. Anyway, I have another mission for you
We received a report last night that another hidden church was discovered in Samaria. We know no one can do this job better than you and that's why we're giving you the job.
Make sure the Christians there are punished. For how long will they continue with their blasphemous lies?! They need to be taught a lesson. I trust you, Tristan. Take men with you and March out to the church."
The high priest handed a scroll over to Tristan who collected it and held it as his life depended on it.
"I await a positive outcome"
Tristan bowed and stood up as a soldier led him out. He was handed back his sword and as he walked away, he smiled maliciously, thinking about his next mission.