1. family and parenting
2. children

Thanks for downloading a
sample of Cameras Don’t Lie.
I trust that you will enjoy it
as you get to know Devlin and the
town of Spring Manor.
Cameras
Don’t
Lie
Copyright 2014 Lynne Torrente
Angelrays Publications
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission from the publisher.
The story, places and characters are all a figment of
the author’s imagination and are not based on any person
dead or alive. Any resemblance to any of these is purely
co-incidental.
Besides the fact that the interwoven story about Adam
is based on the life and events of Jesus Christ as they took
place and recorded in the Bible, other story lines and
characters live within the author’s mind and now on paper
or digital format.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with
another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not
purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then
please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase
your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of
this author.
© Lynne Torrente, 2014
Cameras Don’t Lie
ISBN 978-0-620-60593-9
Angelrays Publications
Kamma Heights
Port Elizabeth
South Africa
www.angelrays.co.za
Email: [email protected]
Cover: Image sourced from
www.all-free-download.com
Design Layout: Lynne Torrente
Other books by Lynne Torrente:The Wrong Side of 30
To:
I dedicate this work to You Lord for the extension of
Your Kingdom. Because without You there would be no
world, no life, no redemption.
To:
Daddy, for your patience, understanding and quiet
spirit.
To:
Mommy, for your positivity, creativity and your belief
in me.
Until we meet again, I carry you both in my heart!
Acknowledgements
Firstly, I acknowledge that this book is given from the
heart of God, where all creativity is birthed. Thank You
Lord for the inspiration and the ideas that has seen
“Cameras Don’t Lie” come to life.
Thank you to family and friends who have supported
me during the creative process. Your support is
invaluable.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 10
Chapter 20
Chapter 30
Chapter 40
Chapter 50
Chapter 60
Chapter 70
Chapter 80
“And so it is written,
The first man Adam
was made a living soul;
the last Adam
was made a
quickening
spirit.”
1 Cor 15:45
Chapter 1
Someone screamed! High pitched. Terrified. Terrifying.
A loud crash followed. Instinctively Devlin’s hand
shot to the camera strap at her shoulder. She threw her
half eaten rum and raisin ice-cream into the trashcan and
ran towards the noise.
As she turned the corner she saw a broken terracotta
planter and black soil fanned out on the white porcelain
tiles. Amongst the broken fragments and soil she saw a
teenage boy flapping like a frantic goldfish outside its
fishbowl. He was foaming at the mouth. His eyes rolled
around in their sockets as he slithered in the spilt sand and
blood oozed from a deep cut above his left eye. His face
took on the appearance of the canvas of a macabre artist
on a good day as his saliva mixed with the dirt and blood
and smeared over his face. He screamed and tore at his
clothes scratching deep blood-red gouges in his chest.
Blood spattered as he hit his head repeatedly on the tiles
and the hatred of a thousand demons flashed in his black
eyes. He spat at those standing around him and the
unearthly sounds coming from him made Devlin’s skin
crawl. Then she noticed the older man crying to the side.
She lifted her camera and clicked the scene.
Horrified expressions were painted on the faces of the
onlookers. Children cried. Women stifled gasps and
instinctively clutched their babies to their chests. A
woman in the crowd pleaded, “Somebody do something!”
Two burly security guards ran forward. They whipped
out their handcuffs to restrain him. But the young boy flung
them against the jeweler’s shop window with such force
that it buckled under their weight. They got up and again
tried to subdue the boy. But it was no good. The strength
he had belied his small frame. The boy screamed and
rushed forward, striking one on the left cheek. Blood
seeped out. They looked at each other and realised it was
useless. The older man cried, “Brian! Please stop!”
Then the boy threw himself down onto the tiles and
became rigid, gnashing his teeth. Just the whites of his
eyes were visible through snake-like slits. A dark stain
crept over the front of his pants. The now large crowd
stood bewildered, motionless. Devlin looked on. Not
sure of what to do.
A deep calm voice cut into her thoughts. “Let me
through.” A tall man dressed in dark jeans, pale blue shirt
and navy jacket made his way through the stunned crowd.
He was composed and confident as he stood in front of
the boy. “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out
of him and never return!”
The boy thrashed around violently spit flying from his
mouth, blood curdling groans echoing through the shopping
mall and eyes brimming with intense hatred for the man
speaking to him. Then suddenly the boy became quiet and
lay motionless on the floor. The crowd shuffled straining
to get a closer look. A voice in the crowd said what each
person was thinking, “He is dead.”
The tall man paid no attention. He reached down and
took the boy’s limp hand. His fingers moved slightly. The
boy slowly opened his eyes and looked at the man and
then at the wall of faces staring at him. The man pulled the
boy to his feet, took off his jacket and placed it around the
boy’s shoulders. He led him to the older man who had his
hands tightly clenched on each side of his face.
“Oh Brian!” He grabbed him and held him tightly.
“D-ah-d?”
His father pulled back from the embrace. “Brian?”
The father looked at the tall man and frowned. He looked
back at his son. Had he always been this beautiful?
The stunned crowd watched. So too did Devlin but
through the lens of her camera. It was second nature,
never wanting to miss that perfect shot. She clicked
away. She clicked the crowds talking amongst
themselves. The shocked faces at what had just
happened. Unsure of what had just happened. She swung
her camera back towards the father and son.
“Brian couldn’t speak and he was near-deaf. And now
he can. How did you do that?” The father grabbed the tall
man’s hand.
He smiled kindly at the father. “How long has your
son been like this?”
“It started when he was two. He would have fits and
fall into the pool or the fire. I’ve taken him to so many
doctors and even faith healers and spent so much money
trying to get him better. But nothing worked.”
“I know you’ve tried everything. And you felt
powerless. You were afraid that he would hurt your wife
and daughter. ”
Deep furrows etched the father’s forehead as he
pondered how a stranger could know this about his
family. He didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t care. His
son seemed healed and that was enough for him. He held
his son tighter. He just hoped that he would stay that way.
The tall man continued. “But today his suffering and
your sadness are over. Today your lives have been
changed because I have come to give you life and life
more abundantly. He that believes in me shall not die but
have eternal life.”
He turned to face the now large intrigued crowd. They
were quiet as they watched him. More security guards had
gathered concerned that the growing crowd could become
unruly.
Devlin’s shutter encircled every scene. She zoomed in
on the tall man’s face and saw compassion in his golden
eyes.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent
me to heal the brokenhearted and I know there are many of
you here who have hurts that others don’t even know
about. Secrets that keep you awake at night.” He paused
and turned to look in Devlin’s direction, “And nightmares
from which you feel there is no escape.”
Devlin’s finger froze on the button. She lowered her
camera. He was still looking in her direction. No, he was
looking at her.
“I have come to set you free from those nightmares, to
release you from those hurts. Sometimes it’s harder to
forgive yourself for something than it is to forgive
others.” He looked at the crowd again. “I have come so
that you will find freedom from these torments. I am here
to show you that today can be the start of a wonderful life,
eternal life in fact, if you choose it to be.”
He turned to the father and son again. The crowd
muttered amongst themselves. Devlin lifted her camera
and clicked the confused looks. The awe. The scowls.
“We’re going to have to ask you to move along
please.” The uniformed guards with ready hands on
batons walked between the people. Devlin strained to see
over the heads of the people as they began dispersing.
The crowd pushed and shoved not wanting to move away
just yet. They had come to The Vine Mall for an ordinary
day’s shopping but had encountered something bizarre.
Compelling.
As they made their way to the exit, a little girl with
two blonde pigtails tugged at his pants leg. He bent down
to pick her up and she hugged his neck tightly. He laughed
and tickled her and she seemed mesmerized by him. The
girl’s mother yanked her out of his arms. The little girl
started to cry. He patted her arm gently and whispered,
“It’s okay, don’t cry.” She stopped immediately.
“Move along, move along,” the guards insisted intent
on getting business flowing through the mall as usual.
The tall man walked outside onto the newly cut lawn.
“Let me tell you something.” The onlookers listened
closely. “Except you become as that little child in
thoughts and deeds you cannot enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven. Adults can be so quick to judge their little
hearts. Yet their hearts are instinctively aware of the
eternal Father. This is why I say it would be easy for you
to find me and the Kingdom if you did not have your guard
up all the time. These little ones,” he turned to the little
girl whose face hadn’t stopped beaming, “are precious in
His sight. They are close to the Father’s heart. Are
innocent, yet aware, childlike, yet strong in their belief in
me.” He turned to the crowd once more. “And if anyone
harms one of these, it would be better if a ton of cement
was tied to his neck and thrown into the deepest ocean.
So never look down on one of them. How I wish that
adults would keep that kind of faith.”
At that moment a young woman walked past him. She
was heavily pregnant. He walked over to her and stopped
her. “And what about these?”
He placed a hand on her stomach. He began to weep.
“What about these who have no voice? Who aren’t
allowed a chance to be born? Weren’t they conceived by
choice? Yet the choice for them to live and breathe is
taken away from them. They’ll never know sunlight on
their faces, feel sand between their toes or know what it is
to run in the rain.”
The crowd was silent and taken aback by his
outspokenness. But no one ventured anything. Devlin
clicked the scene.
“I love these too.” He removed his hand and looked at
the young woman. “Be blessed as you bring your son into
the world. He will bring you much joy even though you
have concerns of how you are going to provide for him.”
He touched her face softly. Devlin could see how moved
she was. The camera’s shutter snapped hungrily.
“How do you know it’s a boy?” She asked.
“I know all things. I know that you will do well as a
mother even though your mother abandoned you as a
child. Don’t think for a moment that you will repeat her
actions. You are not her”, he said firmly.
She held onto his forearm. “Can you bless my baby
please?”
“I’ve created him and all that he is to be, and I have
covered him and placed him within you. Children are an
inheritance from God and the son you have inside you is
His reward and joy. Raise him in the knowledge of God.
Don’t be afraid. I’ll give you the strength to see it
through. Just believe.”
The young woman’s face gleamed. His words touched
her deeply and the fears of how she was going to raise her
baby were erased by a stranger’s uncanny ability to know
her unspoken fears.
Devlin recognised a front-page story and pushed
through the people to get to him.
“Excuse me,” she said to him. “I’m Devlin Cole,
freelance writer for The Spring Times. May I ask you a
few questions?” She pointed to her camera and ‘PRESS’
badge.
He nodded and pointed to the nearby bench. Devlin
sat down beside him and took out her cell phone and
pressed ‘record’.
“I think everyone here is wondering what just
happened. I want to know, did you really heal that boy?
Do you work for some organisation? Or was this a
publicity stunt?”
Calmly and confidently he answered, “Devlin, my
name is Adam and one thing I can assure you, this was no
publicity stunt and I represent no organisation. I’ve come
from my Father and to do what He’s asked me to do. That
is all. Nothing more and nothing less.” He settled himself
against the bench backrest. There was a silent
determination in the golden eyes as he watched the people
dispersing. The father and son were standing nearby with
a group of people eager to hear more.
Devlin frowned. “If you say you healed that boy, can
you say how you did it? Do you practice magic of some
kind?”
He turned to look at her. “Devlin there’s no magic
involved. I suppose one can say that the elation the healed
person feels is magical.” He smiled mischievously.
Devlin thought carefully about her next question. She
needed precise answers. Not convinced that this wasn’t a
publicity stunt of some kind, she asked, “So you don’t
work for a specific company then?”
“I work for no-one. I’m from another Kingdom, a
Kingdom not of this world. A place to which I’ll return
and those who accept me will be able to join me there.
When you were little, were you not taught about that
Kingdom? ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is
on earth as it is in Heaven?’”
Devlin’s heart skipped a beat. Her mind flashed back
to happy times. Her mother sitting on the bed with her.
Devlin’s head bowed as she recited ‘The Lord’s Prayer’
and then hugs and kisses and tuck-ins.
“That was a long time ago,” Devlin snapped. Just as
quickly, her mind shifted back to interview mode.
“So are you saying that you’re from Heaven?” She
checked that her cell phone was still recording.
Adam nodded. “Yes Devlin, that’s exactly what I’m
saying.”
“Are you not concerned that people are going to think
you’re crazy if you talk this way?”
“Do you think that little girl knows who I am and
where I come from? I’m a stranger to her, yet she comes
to me with open arms. With innocent trust. Isn’t that
child-like faith? Isn’t that what gets you into heaven?
That’s what I’m talking about. A child knows instinctively
that there’s a God. They sense it. They’re born with it.
Because that’s what mankind was created for.
Relationship. God said, ‘Let’s make man in our own
image.’ And man was created. The problem is this. The
child grows up. He replaces the relationship that he’s
supposed to have with God, with materialistic things.
With big homes, lots of money, the latest gadget, and then
he expects to get the same happiness with those things that
he would have had if he maintained his relationship with
God. Those things are a sad and inadequate substitute.”
Devlin thought about his answer and considered her
next question.
“Devlin you have to have faith. Everyone has a degree
of faith. Each one will believe as much as he needs to
believe for his or her miracle. And faith increases as you
get closer to the Giver of faith.”
Devlin didn’t want to talk about faith. It was
something that had disappeared fractionally as the years
were added to her life. She changed the subject.
“Referring to the pregnant woman, don’t you think
speaking out like this is going to upset certain
organizations?”
“I speak on behalf of life Devlin. I am the giver of
life, and life abundantly. One day I will give up my life so
people can have eternal life. My Father and I created all
life in the beginning and we celebrate life. What people
do with the life they are given is their choice. But what
many suffer with, are the consequences from what they’ve
chosen to do with that life, either their own, or the lives
that have been entrusted to them. I told that young woman
that all children are a blessing from God. How can that
blessing be so easily destroyed?” His golden eyes looked
deeply into hers. “Devlin, you wonder the same.”
He stood up. He looked weary. He was ending the
interview. “Can I get another photo of you with the father
and son?” She stood up.
“Yes, off course.” Adam stood up and motioned to the
father and son to come closer. It seemed as if neither had
stopped smiling.
Adam stood between the father and son and placed an
arm across each of their shoulders. She clicked the
threesome and lowered her camera. Adam walked over to
her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure that
we’ll see each other again Devlin. Everyone needs a
miracle. Keep believing for yours and it will happen.”
He smiled at her.
They shook hands. “Thank you for your time Adam.
May I ask your permission to place a photo and article in
the newspaper?”
“Yes you may because the time has come for the world
to know the truth and the truth is the only thing that will set
them free.”
Devlin watched as Adam walked away. Either she
had witnessed a great con artist at work or a genuine
miracle. She was still on the fence with that.
With the precise manner in which she handled every
article, Devlin felt she needed more information. She sat
with the father and son awhile on the bench and listened as
the father recounted the many times that he had to protect
himself and wife and daughter from his son’s outbursts.
The times he had to take him to the hospital for selfinflicted burn and stab wounds. The boy pulled up his
sleeve to reveal dark scars. Devlin got all the info she
needed for her article and when she spent time later
piecing it together, she gained an insight into why the
father had such a deep gratitude. Con-artist or not, their
lives would never be the same and they would never
forget a stranger’s kindness and the miracle they believed
they had just received.
She flagged the email to Carter at The Spring Times
‘urgent’ and clicked ‘send’. She sat back in her chair and
twirled a thick auburn curl around her fingers and gave her
encounter with Adam some more thought.
“Hey you.” Jake came in and swung her swivel chair
around to face her and bent down and kissed her. “What
are you up to? Deep in thought. Must be interesting.” He
pulled up a chair.
“Mm, rather,” she clicked on the folder icon that said
‘Adam’. “Look at these,” she pointed to the photos she
had taken earlier and recounted what happened. He
listened as he scrolled through the photos.
He frowned. “Wow you sure get some crackpots
nowadays. From which sanatorium did you say he
escaped?” He laughed and swung around on the swivel
chair.
Devlin smacked him on his shoulder as he spun
around.
“Hey, it’s not for you to call him a crackpot. I
reported what I saw and what he said.”
“But that’s exactly what the reader is going to think
Pix. You know that,” he said as he tapped the tip of her
nose. The little freckles there had always appealed to
him.
“Enough work for now.” He pulled her out of her
chair and hugged her tightly.
“You’re going to have beautiful children,” his parents
had told them when they had married. Jake, tall with jet
black hair and tanned and fit from golf and jogging and
Devlin’s taut physique echoed the results of many yoga
classes. His parents were still waiting for the children.
Ten years later. No nursery to paint and no baby names to
choose. They had given up asking when they were going
to be grandparents. They’d reached the conclusion that
they weren’t interested in having children and that their
businesses and careers came first. They weren’t wrong.
But they weren’t entirely right either.
Jake had spent long hours establishing his shipping
company and it was now well known for its ethical
protocol and on-time delivery. And for the past eight
years Devlin’s ‘Pixel Art Studio’ had become synonymous
with turning the ordinary photograph into the exceptional.
Along with her other commissions, she had become firstchoice for anxious brides who wanted their wedding day
to outshine any gone before.
Devlin hadn’t set out to do photography. Her love for
photography had grown as she followed stories for her
journalism projects at university. She realised the
uniqueness of capturing a moment in time that would never
be repeated. A frozen moment, as she liked to call it. And
so Pixel Art Studio was born. She was still able to do
freelance reporting for The Spring Times and felt blessed
that she could exercise both her loves. She’d met Jake at
the university and it was love at first sight for her.
“So what’s for supper?” Jake said as he looked down
at her.
“Not sure. Let’s go find out.”
She switched off the light and closed the door.
Her frozen moments would be there the next day.
Chapter 2
The spring sun sifted through the lace curtain at the
window and stenciled shadows on the kitchen table where
Devlin sat. She sipped her coffee and pulled The Spring
Times closer. She read. “Miracle or fable? Healing at
The Vine Mall”.
“Good morning Pix.” Jake dropped a kiss on the top
of her head as he headed to the kettle for his second cup of
coffee.
“I saw your front page. Congrats. Carter is normally
stingy with those.”
“Yes he is”, she munched her honey toast. “But I
suppose you don’t often get to hear of someone who says
he can heal.”
She read further. Carter had used most of the
information she’d supplied, editing slightly.
Jake sat down at the table. “Are you sure this nut,
sorry, man is not working for a pro-life organization and
didn’t use the crowd he’d gathered from his alleged
miracle, to provide a platform to deliver his speech?
Face it; he could stand on some prickly toes.”
“He says he’s not. Perhaps he’s just speaking his
mind.”
“But to say something so specific in public is bound to
raise some eyebrows. You know what they say about this
sort of thing. What the women do with their bodies is
their choice.”
She looked at the man that had stolen her heart so many
years ago. “Are you saying it’s okay?”
“What is?”
“Jay, you know what I mean. Do you think it’s okay to
terminate? You’ve never said anything about it before.”
He placed his cup in the sink. “We’ve never had to
speak about that side of things before.” He bent down to
kiss her and in a soft tone said, “I know this is a sensitive
subject for you. But I’m just mentioning what’s been
legislated. And no. I don’t think it’s right. Okay?”
She smiled. She felt better. It wouldn’t feel right if he
was okay with abortion. She shook her head and tried to
erase that thought.
“What have you got planned for your day?” she asked
and she drank the last bit of coffee.
“I need to go through my convention notes and make
contact with the two men I met there and see what it could
mean for Square Route.”
Devlin’s cellphone rang.
“Hello, Devlin Cole speaking.”
“Hello Mrs Cole. It’s Jenny from Dr Morritstone’s
rooms. Just a reminder about your appointment this
afternoon at three.”
Devlin sighed and her shoulders dropped a little.
“Oh yes, I’d forgotten. Yes, I’ll be there. Thanks for
the reminder.”
She had forgotten. Wanted to forget. Why did she
bother going? It was the same questions, the same
answers, the same outcome. Maybe she should phone
back and cancel? Okay, one more appointment and be
done.
Gator, the tan Labrador nuzzled against her leg. She
rubbed his head. “Okay, okay, you’ll get your breakfast.”
She got up and fed him. “Where’s Zinger?”
Zinger looked up from his doggy bed in the corner of
the scullery. He was the lazier of the two brothers
rescued from the pound. Whereas Gator was tan, Zinger
was as dark as a winter’s night. Although fully grown at
one year old, they were still puppies at heart, wonderfully
natured and incredibly intuitive.
“I hope you get some good business from your
contacts. That would be wonderful. You should do
something special for your 10th year anniversary, don’t
you think?”
Jake nodded. “That’s not a bad idea Pixie.” Pixie
was the nickname that he’d given her when she opened
Pixel Art Studio. This prompted her to use a pixie as her
logo because she believed that she could weave magic
with people’s memories and she felt the logo tied in nicely
with that concept.
“Very good idea. I’ll play around with it. But got to
run now.” Gator protested as Jake bent down to kiss
Devlin. He was the more jealous of the two labs. They
both laughed and parted ways for the day.
Him, to make new contacts.
Her, to visit the white-coated man.
Again.
Chapter 3
“Good afternoon Mrs Cole,” Jenny said as Devlin arrived
at the doctor’s rooms.
“Hi Jenny, how are you?” Devlin settled down on the
soft, luxurious sofa. She could see where her money was
going.
“Fine thank you. Dr Morritstone will be with you in a
few minutes.” The phone rang. “Excuse me.”
Devlin nodded and picked up one of the glossy
magazines. How many times hadn’t she sat in this sofa
and flicked through magazines anxiously awaiting results?
It seemed so futile. And today she felt like giving up. It
was no use. She sighed.
Dr Morritstone’s door opened and a woman walked
out. “Thank you, oh thank you so much,” she said as she
wiped away tears with an already soggy pink tissue. “You
have no idea how much this means to me and my husband.
No idea.” Dr Morritstone smiled back at her.
“Mrs Troy, you are welcome. It couldn’t have
happened to a nicer couple.” He glanced over at Devlin
and nodded acknowledgement. “Keep well, and I’ll see
you in a month’s time.”
She scratched around in her bag for another tissue and
waved to Jenny as she left. Jenny waved back and handed
a thick file to Dr Morritstone. Devlin knew it was hers.
Thick, foreboding, depressing.
“Devlin, how are you?” Devlin placed her magazine
on the table and stood up. They hugged.
“Hello Peter. I’m fine thanks how are you?” Devlin
walked into his surgery. He closed the door behind them.
“Well thanks,” he said as he settled into his leather
chair. “So tell me Dev, how have you found the new
meds?”
She crossed her legs and tried to get comfortable. This
was another chair she’d sat in one too many times.
“I feel fine Peter. I’ve had none of the side effects that
you thought there might be. So I guess I can’t complain.”
He opened the large file in front of him and ran his
index finger down the long list of medicines that they had
tried. “Well that’s a good sign. I think we’ll keep to these
for the next few months and watch the progress. Then
we’ll do some more bloodwork and take it from there.
But I think we’re on the right track. But for now, hop on
up and let’s take a better look shall we?”
Devlin sighed. She still couldn’t get used to the
prodding of a cold steel instrument that seemed to have
lost its way in a maze and was frantically hunting for an
exit.
“Get undressed so long, I’ll be back.”
Devlin covered herself with the exam sheet and lay
listening to the classical music from the stereo on the
cabinet nearby. She wiped away a tear. “I should just
give up,” she thought. “How many more years must I go
through this? They will never find out what is wrong with
me. I should stop fighting. She closed her eyes. The door
opened and Dr Morritstone sat down on the stool next to
the examination bed and put on surgical gloves.
“Okay, relax love. Let’s have a quick look.” She kept
her eyes closed and reminded herself why she was doing
this, why she was going through these tests and
examinations. It was easier not to watch his reaction to
the grey and black images on the screen just to her right.
“Dash it all, I wish this darn lost instrument had a road
map.” She thought. She had an imagination to call upon
when she needed it. And she needed it now.
“Okay, all done. Everything looks good and in fact,
I’d say that the uterus lining seems to have thickened by a
couple of millimeters. That’s really encouraging. I
haven’t seen that happen in a long time.” He covered her
with the exam blanket, whipped off his gloves with an
elastic ping and threw them into the bin.
“That’s a good sign Dev, a real good one. Let’s up
that dose then. I think it’s right this time around. I’ll leave
you to change and we can finish up in the office.” He gave
her a playful smack on her leg and left the exam room.
Devlin got dressed and for the first time in a long time,
she felt hope rise up within her like a slow winter morning
sunrise, holding with it promise of a warmer day than the
day before.
When she walked back into the office, he was writing
up in her file that could double up as the Encyclopedia
Britannica. He wrote out a repeat prescription and put it
on the desk in front of her.
“I’ve upped the dosage slightly so take the meds four
times a day, not three. I’ve got a good feeling about this,”
he smiled as he looked at her. He had seen her sit in that
seat so many times before, sometimes quiet, sometimes
letting the tears roll freely, sometimes totally
expressionless. To help his patients achieve their dreams
was why he began his practice. Devlin, on the other hand,
wasn’t just a patient anymore. They had become good
friends during the seven years that he’d treated her.
“So, when are Margie and I going to get an invite again
for some of that famous lasagna of yours? I think we’re
long overdue for a visit.”
“Good idea. Shall we set a date and time right now?”
She smiled, relieved that the medical part of the visit was
over. She took her cell phone out of her bag and switched
to ‘calendar’ view. “Let’s see… Let’s make it Saturday,
two weeks time, shall we?” She looked up and got his
nod of agreement.
Peter said, “Wonderful, I look forward to it. By the
way, how is Jake? Did he go to the Export Convention
last month?”
“Yes, he did. He came away with a few good
contacts. The rest was a bit of a waste of time. You know
how those things go.” Devlin stood up.
“I look forward to it and then we’ll catch up”, Peter
said as they hugged. “See you soon.”
“Bye Peter, thanks for everything. Will let you know if
I have a problem with the new dosage.”
“Take care, Dev” he said. He looked over at the
patients waiting to see him.
“Mrs Bentley, Doctor is ready.”
The door closed once more.
It was a busy day, as usual.
Making couples’ dreams of having children reality.
Chapter 4
Devlin headed home to her babies where she knew she
would find comfort. But one good thing did come out of
the visit with Peter. He did say that the lining was thicker,
whatever that meant. She would take it as positive and
take the meds as he suggested and hope that they would be
able to make Peter’s parents grandparents. That would be
nice, she thought as she was welcomed by her furry
children.
“Hello my loves. It’s been a long day. How are you?
She went down on her haunches and hugged both their
necks simultaneously. Their tails wagged uncontrollably.
Devlin could see the door to Jake’s office open by a
crack. He was probably finishing up some work for the
day. She wouldn’t disturb him but check up on her emails
before supper.
Gator and Zinger followed and flopped down at her
feet. She opened her emails and clicked on the one from
Carter@News.
“Dear D
By now you’ve probably seen your front page. Good
job and nice pic. Would be good if you could get a follow
up story sometime. See what you can do.
Take care.
C.”
Her toes nestled into Zinger soft tummy fur on the floor
under the table. Her fingers tapped the table as she
wondered how she would be able to get a follow up
story. Would she see Adam again or was he a loony
looking for a little crazy action and now that he’d got some
attention, he was gone? She shrugged her shoulders.
She clicked on another email from someone enquiring
about her taking photos at the launch of their fashion line.
They “knew that she would spin the edge that they needed
for their line and would love it if she would let them know
soonest.” Devlin checked her calendar. She confirmed
and requested venue and time and made a provisional note
in her calendar.
She stretched back in her chair. Her shoulder muscles
were sore and tense. Doctors visits did that to her, even
after all this time. She needed to get to a yoga class soon,
she thought. She would warm last night’s left over mutton
curry pie and have a hot bath and climb into bed.
***
She smiled as she climbed into bed and pulled the soft
duvet up around her neck. She closed her eyes and soon
fell asleep to peaceful dreams of pretty painted nurseries.
Of singing lullabies to a little wrapped bundle in her arms.
Then suddenly a wall of gigantic orange, red and
white-hot flames twisted and roared before her with the
sound of a vicious firestorm, searing her eyes. She
squinted at their intensity. The building was on fire.
Horror. Fear. And the scream of a little boy from within
the building.
She ran towards the door and grabbed the brass
handle. It scorched the pattern onto her hand. She jerked
her seared hand away. Flames licked at her with the
hunger of a starved lioness. She screamed, but there was
no-one to hear her screams. Tears streamed down her
face as she heard the little voice scream again. The
flames singed her hair. The revolting smell caught in her
throat and turned her stomach.
Windows popped with the heat and shattered in a
million shards on the ground. There was another loud
scream from the little boy, then silence. She fell down in
the red dirt in front of the blazing house and wept. Her
palms burned as the stones cut into her skin. Sand filled
her eyes and scratched them with hateful vengeance.
She lay with her face in the dirt and covered her ears
as she heard familiar voices. “Devlin, it’s all your fault.
You should have saved him. You don’t deserve to live.”
She felt the pain but she didn’t care. She wanted to
die. There was no reason to live now. She lay crying in
the dirt with the voices whipping around her like a desert
storm.
A wet tongue licked at the tears on her cheeks. She
buried her face in her pillow.
When she’d finished crying she lay motionless. Zinger
whined softly.
He nudged her hand and rested his large black head on
the jagged pink scar on the inside of her wrist.
Chapter 5
“And stretch, slowly, deeply, inhale and… exhale. And
relax for a few minutes. Today’s thought of the day is
this,” Daphne’s quiet voice floated through the dance
room,”remember that you need to treat your own heart
with kindness.” She walked slowly, deliberately in
between the rows of motionless bodies as they lay
prostrate on their yoga mats. She turned and twirled her
lilac sarong. “So love yourself first and kindly and then
you’ll find that you can love others. Enjoy your day, and
don’t get up before you’ve let that sink in.”
The bodies remained motionless, reluctant to break the
peaceful atmosphere. When Devlin was done, she rose up
slowly from the mat not to disturb the others. She rolled
up her mat and tucked it into her sports bag and waved at
Daphne as she left. Daphne blew her a kiss.
Devlin stepped out into the street. She turned her face
towards the glorious warm morning sun and closed her
eyes. She smiled. She felt at peace. At one time she had
asked Daphne why she had her yoga studio right on the
busy main street. Daphne had replied, “Oh, that’s easy to
understand. I placed my studio on the busy street so that
the calm of a yoga session remains with you as you place
your foot outside the door and into the busy world. You
are forced to come to terms with the fact that you won’t be
able to change the crazy world, but you can make a
concerted effort to take the peace that you’ve just gained
into the crazy world. And the more you realize this as you
step outside, the easier it becomes.” And with that she’d
twirled in her lilac sarong and floated away, right arm
outstretched as the head ballerina’s in Swan Lake. With
the warm sun caressing Devlin’s face, she was beginning
to understand the logic that she once thought crazy.
Devlin was still breathing in the morning’s warm kiss
when she heard noisy cheers to her left. She opened her
eyes and saw a crowd mulling on the pavement in front of
the local chemist. She saw hands raised in the air and
fists shaking and some people were jumping up and down.
Devlin slung her bag strap over her shoulder and quickly
walked towards them. Automatically she ran her hand
over the outside of her bag to feel for the familiar outline
of her camera. She moved around to find a place where
she could see what the commotion was all about. It was
Adam.
“Follow up story,” she thought to herself as she took
her camera out. “Excuse me,” she said as she pointed out
the camera and the PRESS badge to the people thronging
together. Reluctantly they let her through.
She was close enough to hear the woman say, “I don’t
know how you did it son. I have suffered so long, that to
begin to tell you what this means to me…” she sobbed.
Devlin recognised her as Mrs Greene, the friendly sales
assistant at the chemist who, even though past retiring age,
refused to be idle. She would say, “Idle hands are the
devil’s playground.”
Devlin turned to the woman to her left. “What
happened? Why is she crying?” Devlin stuck her hand
into the side pocket of the bag and felt for her cell phone.
She found it, switched to “record” and waited for an
answer.
The woman answered. She too was wiping away a
tear. “It’s Mrs Greene. That man,” she pointed to Adam,
“healed her paralyzed arm. Look.”
Mrs Greene had now released Adam from the hug,
although she was reluctant to let go of his hand. Devlin
could now see her right arm. It was perfectly and
completely straight.
The woman continued. “He asked Mrs Greene if he
could pray for her and she agreed and her arm
straightened. It was crazy to see. I mean, have you ever
seen something like that?”
Mrs Greene was totally speechless. She just stood
there holding her arm out in front of her, staring at it. And
then she began crying, thanking him, hugging him again.”
Devlin lifted her camera and snapped the embrace.
She knew she had to speak to Adam again. She would
wait for her chance to have a word with him.
“Let me share something with you today,” he said as he
looked at the crowd that had been drawn because of the
fuss. He still had his left arm around Mrs Greene’s
shoulders. She wasn’t going to budge just yet.
“What does a farmer do with his seed for his
harvest?” The crowd exchanged confused looks.
Adam laughed. “Don’t look so confused. Let me
explain. A farmer went out to sow his seed for the next
harvest. As he went, he dropped some seed. Some seed
was trodden on, some was eaten by birds. Some seed fell
on rocky ground, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered
away because it didn’t have enough water.” He smiled at
the confused faces before him. He raised his hand, “Wait,
I’ll explain.” He smiled at Mrs Greene. “You’ll
understand what I’m getting to.”
She nodded her little grey head, “Yes, yes I do.”
He continued. “Some of the farmer’s seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns grew and choked the life out of
them. Others,” he squeezed Mrs Greene gently, “fell on
good soil and germinated and grew and bore fruit.”
He became more serious. There was sadness in his
eyes, Devlin thought. She took another photo.
“What are you getting at?” A short man dressed in
brown pants and green cable knit jumper shouted from the
back. The people muttered to each other. They had just
seen Mrs Greene’s arm straighten, and now he was talking
about seed. The two things seemed unrelated.
“Let me explain,” he sighed. A heavy burden seemed
to have shifted to his shoulders from nowhere.
“The seed is the Word of God. The Word from God
and the Word spoken from God through me. I have
walked this planet for a while now and this is what
happens with the Word that is sown from God’s heart.
Many of you, if not all have heard of God somewhere in
your lives, either through Sunday school, a work
colleague, a family member, religious program on TV, or
through a leaflet you’ve picked up and read in a waiting
room somewhere. Some of you even have Bibles but
you’ve moved them onto the shelf of books seldom read.
The Word of God is meant to bring life, as the farmer’s
seed is meant to do. He walks out into his field to sow his
seed with an expectation of a bumper crop and yield. He
goes out with hope. But something happens to the seed
that he dropped. The seed that is stood on are those that
have heard the word of God, but the devil comes and
steals it out of their hearts before it’s had time to bury
down deep and take root. The seed on the rocky places
are those who hear the Word of God, make a change in
their lives and are filled with joy. For a while that is,
until the lure of temptation makes them fall. The seed
among the thorns are those who heard the word of God but
the riches and pleasures choke any level of commitment
they had and eventually they forget everything they’ve
heard.”
His smile returned. “But then there are those who
make this sojourn worth it. Those who hear the Word of
God, who recognise it to be the only thing that can give
them eternal life and the courage to live this earthly life
with its challenges. Those who let the word of God take
root and keep it. And then spread the hope that they’ve
found to others.” He turned to Mrs Greene. “And you
dear woman of God, are one such a person. You’ve kept
the Father’s word deep in your heart in spite of what
you’ve had to bear throughout your life. Even though
you’d resigned yourself to the fact that in the life hereafter
you would receive your perfect body, your reward for
your continual faith is healing today.”
Mrs Greene threw her hands in the air and shouted,
“Hallelujah, let the whole earth praise Him.”
The crowd clapped and cheered. Some that is. Some
were not as willing to believe that they’d witnessed
something incredible. Devlin scanned the crowd through
her lens and clicked the diverse expressions.
Then Adam put his hand into his pocket and pulled out
a handful of seed. He began to walk among the crowd.
He stopped in front of a man dressed in a suit. On the
ground next to him was a leather brief case. He took the
man’s hand in his and let some seed trickle into the palm
of his hand. “The future might be uncertain, but with faith
anything is possible. If you don’t know what to do, just
ask God for wisdom and direction and listen for the
answer.”
The man looked at the seed and then back at Adam.
Adam walked towards a young man wearing dark glasses.
Adam placed a hand on his shoulder. The young man
turned his head towards Adam. “Allow me to remove
your glasses please.” The young man nodded. “As long
as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” He bent
down and took some sand from the flower bed, spat on it
and made a paste. The older man standing next to him
gripped Adam’s wrist to stop him as he began to rub the
paste onto the young man’s eyelids. The woman with him
shook her head and said, “It’s okay, let him.” Adam then
gently wiped them both clean with his handkerchief.
The young man slowly opened his eyes and then
squinted. He looked at the man and woman with him. He
blinked a few times and smiled. “I can see, I can see.”
He squinted at the bright light and looked around seeing
the colourful world for the first time. He laughed and
cried. “Mom, Dad, did you hear? I can see.”
The woman next to him was crying. A lot of crying
here today, Devlin thought and she squeezed herself and
her lens through a gap. The three hugged each other
tightly. The mother turned herself out of the embrace
towards Adam who was watching them. “Thank you,
thank you, surely you must be from Heaven,” she said.
“You must be an angel sent from God. Thank you. My son
was born blind. Now he can see. This is a miracle of
God!” She fell down at his feet and sobbed. Devlin
clicked the scene.
“Come,” Adam said as he pulled her to her feet. “Go,
be happy with your family. Your darkness has turned to
light.”
Devlin took a few more photos of the three hugging.
She moved closer to Adam, almost behind him, so that she
would be in exactly the right place should he do something
else.
Adam scanned the people around him. “Knees be
healed,” he said as he walked past a woman standing with
a baby on her hip. “Back pain be gone.” He touched an
elderly man to his left. As he began to move through the
crowd, it was as if something changed in the atmosphere
itself. It became charged with electricity and people
began pushing to get closer to him. He steadied himself
against the crowd. He walked to the top stair of a nearby
stairway and lifted his hands over the crowd. “Be still,”
he said. And the crowd hushed and waited in muted
silence.
“I know you are asking in your hearts whether what
you see is real and whether you too can receive a miracle
today. Let me assure you that everything you see is real
and that I will touch as many as I can. If you believe in
your heart for your miracle and have faith, it shall be
done. If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, it shall
come to pass. If you have faith, you can believe the
impossible. You can move mountains. Why don’t you all
sit down quietly and let me walk among you and let the
power of God touch your life today.”
The crowd shuffled and sat down. Adam walked
slowly down the stairs and began to the left of the crowd
as they spread out on the sidewalk in front of the row of
shops. He spent the next hour and a half touching and
healing the sick. Devlin moved around quietly between
the people not to disturb anything. She was witnessing
something here today that she had never seen before. She
doubted anyone had ever seen a scene like this play out
anywhere. She could see a follow-up front page in the
following edition. She clicked away while Adam healed
arthritis, anemia, skin disease, and many more, illnesses of
which she’d never heard. This stranger knew the exact
miracle that each person needed. And he touched them all.
Suddenly a siren interrupted the gathering. And a
voice over the loudspeaker demanded, “You are causing a
disturbance. Disperse immediately!” And the siren
sounded once more. People got to their feet and dusted
themselves off. They didn’t want to move from this man.
He was unlike anyone they’d ever met.
When Devlin turned back to look for Adam, he’d
disappeared.
“Shucks! I wanted to speak to him,” she said to
herself.
There was nothing more she could do. People moved
off into different directions and the main street went back
to normal.
Cars moved up and down. Pedestrians crossed.
People went about their normal daily business.
But there was nothing normal about today.
Devlin knew that.
Chapter 6
Gator’s wet nose nuzzled Devlin awake.
“Oh no you don’t. You can wait a few more minutes
for breakfast.” She pulled the duvet up to her neck. “I’m
not budging.” Just as she was settling down again, her cell
phone rang. Jake groaned next to her.
“Urgh, where’s a little peace and quiet for a Sunday
morning?” she said as she reached for her cell phone.
“Hello.”
“Hey, sleepy head. I see you’re causing quite a stir
with the front pagers lately.” The voice belonged to
Tiffany, Devlin’s friend of a few years. She had a PR
company and knew no such a thing as office times or down
times. So if she didn’t get them, no-one else did either.
“I haven’t seen today’s paper yet. Some of us are
trying to lie in.”
“Who’s on the phone?” Jake said, muffled under a
goose duvet.
“Tiffany,” Devlin replied.
“Go away Tiff!” He shouted at the cell phone.
“Humph, tell grumpy to get out on the right side of the
bed today.” Tiffany laughed.
“So seeing you woke me up, what does the headline
say?” Devlin asked, eyes still closed, forearm over
forehead.
“’Fraud, Fact, or Fiction!’ And although Devlin had
asked for just the headline, Tiffany continued. “The
Healer, as he has become known in Spring Manor,
performed more wonders yesterday to the delight of the
Main Street shoppers. He speaks about being the ‘light of
the world’ and to many he brought light today, none more
so than to the blind young man who was accompanied by
his mom and dad who vouch for his healing. She is quoted
as saying, ‘My son was born blind, but now he can see.’ It
would seem that vision will not be an issue for him from
now on and that he will no longer need to hide behind dark
glasses.’ That’s hectic stuff man, Dev.”
“Yes, I know. I wrote it,” Devlin rubbed her eyes.
She could hear Tiffany biting into something crunchy. No
doubt a quick rusk and coffee for breakfast.
”So, do you think he’s a fraud?” More munching.
“I reported what I saw. I saw what he did…”
Tiffany burst into song, “I saw it with my own two
eyes.”
“Huh?”
“You know, that song. Oh, never mind.” More
munching in Devlin’s ear. “You were saying.”
“I was there for over two hours and he did exactly
what the article says. I don’t know how he did those
things, healings, whatever you want to call it, but I was
there when that boy got his sight back. And I don’t think
that the joy I saw was fake. I wanted to speak to Adam
again, but when I looked for him, he’d gone.”
Devlin threw back the covers and sat up. No use in
trying to sleep anymore, or lie in any longer. The serenity
of Sunday morning was gone.
“Besides all the hype he’s pretty handsome, don’t you
think.” Devlin could see where Tiffany was headed. She
didn’t need sight restored. And she wasn’t shy to mention
that she thought someone was easy on the eye.
“Tiff, get your mind out of the gutter. He is an absolute
gentleman. He has the kindest eyes and gentlest touch.
There is something about him. Something special.
Something different. Can’t say I’ve ever met someone like
him.”
The white and grey duvet flew open next to Devlin and
blue eyes stared at her. Jake wagged a finger at her.
She stuck her tongue out and threw a pillow at him.
“Hey, you two.” Nothing passed Tiffany. Yes, she
was sometimes in your face, loud, impatient, but not
stupid.
“What I’m trying to say,” she squinted at Jake, “is that
he did seem genuine and compassionate. And when he
spoke to the people, I could sense his desire to change
their circumstances for the better.”
“Wow, sounds like he made an impression on you
Dev. Anyway, I gotta run. Got to run down to Eagles to
get some draping. Talk to you later. We must get together
sometime.”
“Sure thing Tiff. We’ll do coffee.”
Devlin looked out of the bedroom window and thought
about the previous day. She had so wanted to speak to
Adam. She chewed on her bottom lip. He was different.
She sensed that. Perhaps that’s why she needed to talk to
him again. Unconsciously her thumb traced the jagged
scar on the inside of her wrist.
“Hey, you, where’s my coffee?” A pillow landed
against her back.
Jake reached over and pulled her towards him and the
two wrestled for a while. Gator and Zinger joined in the
fun and for a while yesterday’s happenings, her thoughts,
and Adam were put out of her mind.
Chapter 7
Monday morning came far too quickly, Devin thought as
she turned the key in the lock of Pixel Art Studio. The
Vine Mall was quiet and she preferred to get her day
organized before any customers called.
Pixel Art Studio was minimalistic. White walls were
dotted with large black and white prints that she’d taken
over the course of the eight years. Here and there was a
splash of lime in the form of a vase, file cover, or pencil
holder. The artistry in each print was evident. Some
walls were covered with landscapes taken at dawn or
dusk, and as with every Pixel Art print or project,
enhanced with the imagination that only Devlin could
bring. One wall was covered with prints of various
elements. One was of a vintage chair that held such depth
that when you viewed it you were left to wonder what
magical secrets that chair held. One print was of a kettle
in the process of boiling. You saw this first, but then your
eye was drawn to the misted lonely figure in the
background sitting at a small table. You could stare at that
picture for ages almost wanting to climb in between the
pixels to find out more. If you were a first time client
walking through these studio doors and you saw these
photos, you knew that you didn’t want to entrust your
precious memories to anyone else.
There was a loud knock on the glass door of the
studio. Devlin looked up to see Mrs Jenkins owner of the
florist two doors down waving at her to let her in. Many
tenants popped in to chat to Devlin about Adam and Mrs
Jenkins was one of the more regular callers. Devlin
unlocked the door.
“Have you seen him since, Adam?” Her face was
flushed with anticipation.
“Good morning Mrs Jay.” Devlin smiled. “No, I
haven’t seen him again. He is a mystery and no one knows
where he comes from or when next one will see him. But
I have a feeling that we haven’t seen the last of him.” She
recounted the fact that Adam had told her that she would
see him again. “But, if I do hear anything else, I’ll be sure
to tell you.” Devlin began to inch the door closed but Mrs
Jenkins wasn’t having that just yet.
She had been widowed twelve years back and had
never found someone else to share her life. She didn’t
seem to mind. She was a cheery soul who loved to chat to
the clients who called at her florist. And she couldn’t do
without her daily trips around the mall to ‘catch up’. And
even though she did have the habit of delving deep for
info, her happy nature let her get away with it.
“I know people are saying he’s a fraud, but his eyes
are far too kind.” She spoke with the conviction of an
older woman who was in desperate need to believe in the
good in an ailing humanity.
“Yes he has kind eyes. And I’m sure that we’ll see
him again Mrs Jay. Let’s keep hoping okay.” Devlin tried
to reassure her.
Mrs Jenkins turned and reluctantly left the shop.
Devlin closed the door and watched her walk back to her
shop. Devlin hoped that Mrs Jenkins would see Adam
again. In fact, Devlin hoped she too would see Adam
again.
Her cell phone rang.
“Hi Devlin, it’s Jenna from Cucumber Fashions. When
can I pop around to chat to you about Friday’s fashion
shoot?”
“Hi Jenna, you can come around at three.”
“Fixed up. I’ll see you then. Thanks.”
Devlin made herself a cup of coffee and settled down
in front of her laptop to download some photos. She put
her hand into the camera bag to get her camera cable and
felt something gritty in the pocket. She opened her hand
and her jaw dropped in astonishment. Seed. The same
seed that Adam had given a few people outside the
chemist. She tried to think when he could have put them
there. He hadn’t been that close to her or the bag to have
put them there. She stood motionless. A million thoughts
raced through her head. A million questions followed.
No answers. She closed her hand and held them tight in
her palm and pinched her eyes shut. She racked her brain.
She hadn’t put her bag down. It was a permanent fixture
slung diagonally across her body. She looked again at the
little beige coloured seed lying still in her hand. Should
she plant them? She looked at the lime coloured vase on
the desk that held her pens. She’d have to get some soil.
What had Adam said about seed and faith? He had said
faith could move mountains. She pursed her lips. Shucks,
she had a Kilimanjaro to move. She needed a ton of seed
for that. She looked for an envelope. She would keep the
seed in that for the time being. She put the closed
envelope back in her camera bag. Perhaps he was real.
An angel as Mrs Greene had said. Heaven knows, she got
a huge miracle that day. Bet Mrs Greene had no doubts
where Adam was from. If only Devlin could believe for
what she needed.
After dinner, Jake and Devlin sat close to each other
on the couch drinking a sherry.
“I found some seed in my camera bag today,” she said.
“It’s the same seed that Adam handed out when he healed
Mrs Greene from the chemist.” She sipped her drink.
Jake frowned. “Pix, you’re beginning to sound like the
people that you’re writing about. Healed! Crazy notion.”
“Okay, call it what you will then. But what I’m trying
to say is, I don’t know how the seed got into the bag. I
never let it out of my sight and he was never near enough
to slip it in.”
Jake stood up and refilled his glass. “Pix, don’t be
taken for a fool like the rest. He’s got to be a fraud.”
“Are you saying I’m gullible?” She asked.
“No, I’m not. Just stay objective that’s all. Don’t get
too involved.” He downed his drink and placed his glass
on the bar counter. “I’m going to finish off some work.
Try to get an early night. You look tired.”
Devlin looked at the door closing and tried to calm her
increasing rage. How could he say something like that and
insult her intelligence?
They had decided long ago that there would be no
secrets between them and that they would discuss anything
no matter how difficult or trivial. They had seen too many
of their friends’ marriages fall apart over silly things that
weren’t tackled. And soon mountains and mole hills were
interspersed. Somehow she wished she’d kept, finding the
seed, a secret.
She looked at the camera bag on the sideboard, always
close at hand. She took in a deep breath. Took a few
more to still the anger. And slowly a warm feeling slid in
and began to dissolve her rage.
Adam had said that the seed represented faith.
She wanted to believe like the people in the crowd.
She was trying.
She had her seed.
Now she had to find her faith.
Chapter 8
Devlin’s window was turned down and the air that
slipped into the SUV and past her face was crisp and
fresh. Devlin smiled. She’d decided on the long way to
work so that that she could drive past the river and capture
some shots of the early morning sunshine as it twinkled on
the blue river. She felt there was something magical when
she watched the golden sparkles through her lens.
But as she drove up to the river, she realised that her
shots of the river might not happen. She saw the crowd
sitting pressed together and her eyes hurriedly searched
the area. Her heart leapt when she saw him sitting on a
large boulder. She looked for a parking but couldn’t find
one. She shifted the lever into first gear and climbed the
pavement and put her ‘PRESS’ sign on her dashboard.
She grabbed her camera bag and slid out the car.
Adam was gesturing with his hands. Part of his
passionate nature Devlin was beginning to realize. She
held her camera bag tightly so that it wouldn’t bang against
her as she ran down the small incline towards the crowd.
She reached him a little out of breath, more due to her
excitement on seeing him again than her level of fitness.
She tried to be as obscure as possible as she made her
way through the crowd. As she got closer she could hear
him speak. She sat down and checked her camera to see if
everything was ready for action. Whatever the outcome of
today, she knew she had to talk to him. Today!
She threw a quick glance at the people who were
sitting in absolute silence. Who knew that a crowd this
size could be so quiet?
Adam was wearing the same dark jeans from the other
day, but this time with a black collar shirt. He was
attractive. Tiffany was right. But it was more than his
physical appearance that made him attractive. It was who
he was that appealed to the masses around him. There
were both men and women here today eagerly hanging
onto each word that he spoke. His eyes were full of
compassion again. Devlin took a quick snap of him.
“I know that you have many requests here today. And I
shall do my best to get to each of you. Please bear with
me,” he pleaded to the crowd who were anxious to have
him speak to them. He stood up. The crowd shifted to get
to their feet, but Adam motioned for them to stay seated.
“Let me walk among you and speak to you where you
are. It will be easier to do so.”
Adam surveyed the crowd slowly. He walked to a
man who was sitting quietly. He touched him on the
shoulder and asked him to stand. The man with him stood
up as well.
“What is it that you need?” Adam asked.
The man with him replied, “He is deaf. It would mean
the world to him if you could heal him.”
Adam placed a hand on either side of the man’s head.
“Be healed. Ears hear!” Adam slowly removed his
hands from the man’s head and smiled at him.
Instantly the man clutched his ears. The people let out
a huge cheer. This is what they had come to see. This is
what they’d come to receive.
The man looked straight at Adam. He mumbled
something to Adam as he shook his head in awe. He
grabbed Adam and held onto him. Having never heard
language before, he had no vocabulary to call on to tell
Adam how grateful he was. But the way he held onto
Adam and the tears that soaked into Adam’s sleeve, was
language enough. Adam pulled away gently. He knew
that having seen this miracle, the crowd would grow more
anxious to get theirs before the day was through.
Adam leant down to a man who could have been
around fifty, lying on a mattress. He’d been carried there
by his two friends.
“He’s paralysed,” one ventured. “Heal him please.”
“Son, be happy. Your sins have been forgiven.”
This was a strange thing to say and the crowd
whispered among themselves.
“I know what you’re thinking. That’s this is a strange
thing to say. But what is easier to say. ‘Get up and walk’,
or ‘Your sins are forgiven’. Don’t you know that it is
because of the sin that entered the world that there are
calamities and diseases amongst the people of the world?
This is not how we intended the relationship between God
and man to be. I’ve come to bridge that gap and remove
the sins of the world. The Son of Man has power on earth
to forgive sins.”
Adam turned to the man on the mattress. “Arise, get
up, take your bed. You are healed.”
The man stood up slowly. When he realised that he
wasn’t going to fall down, he began flexing his legs and
jumping up and down. He grabbed hold of Adam’s hand
and squeezed it tightly.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ve been paralysed
for eight years since a car accident. This means
everything to me. You are truly a man of Go… No. You
are truly God!”
Adam said, “You have been healed both physically
and emotionally. And the Spirit of God has revealed this
to you. Go on your way and never forget this day. It’s
easy to forget God when everything goes well. But do not
forget God and what He has done for you this day.”
“I shall never, never forget. This is a miracle.” The
man turned around and ran through the crowd shouting,
“No ordinary man can do these things. He is God!”
Devlin clicked a few frames of his retreating back and
arms stretched towards the sky.
By now Adam had moved to a pretty woman with
raven black hair holding a baby on her lap. She was
rocking him gently. Her eyes were red. Devlin
recognised the same eyes when she looked into the mirror.
“Daughter,” he said as he bent down on his haunches
and spoke softly. “What you are thinking in your heart is
not right. Children are a heritage from God and none of
them come about as a mistake even though it feels so.” He
took her free hand in his. “Be strong, I am with you. I
will never leave you nor forsake you. And you won’t
walk this road alone. Cancel that appointment! Please. I
will supply all your needs according to God’s riches in
Heaven. You will lack for nothing. If you resort to it, you
will never be the same. You will have guilt that will
cloud everything in your life in the future.”
The woman burst into tears. “I don’t know how I’m
going to take care of it.” She cried bitterly.
“It’s not an ‘it’. It’s a ‘she’.”
She cried even louder. The small boy on her lap had
his little fist clenched tightly and was chewing his
knuckle.
“I made a terrible mistake. I thought things were
different and that he’d changed.” She wiped her eyes.
“There is only one love that you can be sure of. And
that’s the love of God. He is the same yesterday, today
and forever. What He says, is true. What He says, He
brings to pass and keeps His promises.”
The woman nodded very slightly. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” Adam’s eyes willed her to believe his
words. “But I’ve promised never to leave you. My words
are true. I keep my promises.”
She nodded again, this time with a little more
conviction.
Adam smiled. He knew that she was changing her
mind. He was overjoyed. He picked up the little boy
from her lap. The boy let out a shriek of laughter and his
blue eyes twinkled with glee. Adam spun him around and
said, “I say to you all here today, unless you are changed
and become as little children, you can never enter the
Kingdom of Heaven. When anyone throws away his pride
and the walls that he’s built up over the years and humbles
himself as this little child, he becomes the greatest in
Heaven. Do not forget my words to you,” Adam lowered
the child onto the mother’s lap. “You will be blessed for
doing the right thing.”
Devlin watched the woman face. She was pretty
before, but there was now a contentment that erased the
previous lines of worry and anxiety. Devlin smiled
behind the camera as she clicked a few more. She noted
that the crowd had grown larger since she’d arrived.
News had spread that he was at the river. The people
were more excited than ever to see this man who had
come from nowhere to Spring Manor, bringing with him a
sense of purpose, kindness and most apparent, the
mysterious ability to know the hearts of those who sat
before him. All eyes were on him pleading their
individual cases to him. Pleading for him to pick them and
heal them.
Devlin’s camera surveyed the crowd and clicked
individual scenes that caught her attention. As she swung
her camera around, still looking through the lens, she
realised that Adam was looking straight at her. Her eyes
widened behind the lens and for a moment held her
breath. She saw he was smiling at her. He waved. She
froze behind her camera. She lowered her camera slowly
to waist height and smiled back. She felt herself relax.
There was something about him that did that to people.
She felt it happening to her. He motioned for her to come
to him. Devlin stepped carefully through the seated
people and walked over to him.
“Hello Devlin,” he said warmly. “How are you?”
“Hello Adam. I’m fine thank you. It’s good to see you
again.” It felt weird to say it, but it was the truth. She was
glad that he called her over, glad that he wanted to speak
to her, glad that she was getting the chance that slipped
through her hands the previous occasion.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she pointed to the camera.
She felt as if she was invading his privacy. Not that you
could call it that, with the huge crowd before him. But it
felt as if she was intruding on the business that he was so
passionate about. And she was beginning to wonder if she
actually had a right to do that. It wasn’t just a case of
“freedom of speech”. This was someone that was clearly
gaining presence in the town.
“No Devlin. I don’t mind. It’s only the truth that
you’re capturing. And that will set you and everyone open
to it, free. Please feel free to do so.”
“Hey lady. Back off. You’ve got no right to worm
your way in like that. Wait your turn.”
Adam looked in the direction of the voice.
“Be still,” he said. Silence answered. His quiet
manner veiled a deep seated authority. He turned back to
Devlin.
“I know that you want to speak to me,” he said. “I’ll
give you time when I’ve seen to the people here. So if you
have patience,” he motioned to the large mass of huddled
figures before him, “I’ll speak to you later.”
“Yes, off course,” Devlin said hastily. “I would love
that.” She retreated back behind him to allow him to
continue.
Adam turned towards the crowd. He began telling
them that He wasn’t of this world. That he’d been sent by
his father in heaven and that he’d come to heal the broken
hearted. Devlin remembered those words when she’d
captured the healing of the boy at The Vine Mall. Hearing
them for the second time seemed to give them more
validity. Was there a chance that he could be from
heaven? Was that at all possible? She unconsciously
shook her head. How could that be? Had anyone come
from heaven to earth before? Her mind went back to a time
when her mother sat at her bedside night time and
explained that angels walked among humans on earth. And
that Devlin had special guardian angels that looked after
her. Devlin had been delighted that there could be special
angels appointed for her protection. So if angels could
come down, perhaps God Himself? If she looked at the
crowd, they were mesmerized by this man who had, a few
days earlier, made his presence known in such a dramatic
way. It dawned on her that she had been instrumental in
getting him known. If hadn’t been for her taking the
pictures and writing the newspaper article that event might
have gone unnoticed. She was concerned. What had she
done? The man who had come from obscurity was now in
the public eye. Devlin felt a twinge of guilt. She had in a
way, created the hype and the crowd that was hungry for
his attention. The delight at the opportunity of speaking
him later was being replaced with a sense of dread.
Would he berate her for causing this? He’d said she could
take pictures, so why would he rebuke her now? Devlin
hadn’t thought about it in this way. And she wasn’t sure if
she had the nerve now to meet with him. Perhaps she
should leave and not worry to place the follow-up article.
But she knew that wouldn’t help. She had seen a few
more zoom lenses worming their way around the scene.
Even if she didn’t place an article, someone else would.
She felt responsible for creating this parody.
Devlin watched as he walked in-between the people,
touching them, healing them, speaking into their lives,
changing them. Some cried, some laughed, some danced.
But they all thanked him and hugged him. He was creating
a stir in Spring Manor.
Many hours passed and he spoke to scores of people
and healed them. They were mesmerized by him. Men
and women alike. They wanted to touch him, be touched
by him. And they were determined not to leave until they
had received what they’d come for.
“I’m sure you are all hungry by now,” Adam tickled a
little girl about the age of five. She laughed back and
jumped up on his knee.
“Does anyone have food here?”
A young boy ran up with a plastic bag that contained
five buns and two pieces of fish.
“This is my lunch, but you can have it if you’re
hungry,” he said as he handed the bag to Adam.
“Thank you young man.” The boy ran back to his
mother beaming from ear to ear.
“This might not seem like much, but with God all
things are possible.”
He raised the bag towards the blue spring sky and gave
thanks for the food.
“I need some helpers to distribute the food.”
Frowns appeared on the faces of the onlookers.
Adam sat the little girl on the grass next to him and
gave her a piece of bun and fish. She threw him a dazzling
smile took it from him and began to eat happily. He broke
the bun and fish again and gave it to the next person and
the next and so on. Adam called a few men to come
forward. He gave them each a piece of bun and fish and
asked them to do the same. Devlin’s camera gobbled the
scene. The bun and fish kept multiplying until the entire
crowd had eaten enough to be fully satisfied. And there
was plenty left over.
“Take what’s left over to the needy, the homeless, and
bless them.”
With the people mulling around to collect the food,
Adam used the opportunity to move back behind the few
trees that dotted the lawn.
“Come,” he called to Devlin. “Quick.”
Devlin had her reservations about speaking to Adam
after her summation earlier, but she knew that she might
not get another opportunity like this. She shoved her
camera into her bag and dashed after him, briefly sparing
the crowd another look. When they had a put a little
distance between them and the crowd, Adam spoke.
“It’s a glorious day, isn’t it?”
Devlin could hardly think about the day’s weather
having witnessed the hours earlier. She didn’t answer.
She was still deep in thought.
They walked together in silence. It was a comfortable
silence. There was no need for words.
The river’s current gently nudged the water out to sea
some kilometers away. Ducks bobbed on the blue mirror,
peacefully preening and fanning white feathers. Boats of
all sizes were moored at the jetties along the river. A
border collie dashed along the river’s edge chasing a
flying bird that he had no hope of catching. The warm
wind tugged softly at Devlin’s hair and the sun hung
golden in the sky. The man walking next to her was a
mystery, a stranger, yet somehow very familiar. She felt at
peace. Right now, she didn’t want to interrupt the silence
or the peace, for fear of chasing it away.
She didn’t know how many minutes had passed since
they’d left the bustling crowd. Time had stood still. Held
in space by invisible hands.
Adam’s voice slipped into her mind. “I’m glad you
came.”
“So am I.”
More peaceful silence. Both needed it at the moment.
They sat down on a faded wooden bench that
overlooked the river.
“Dev, why is your heart heavy?” He asked, still
looking across the river.
“I feel responsible for this, for today, for everything.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “If I hadn’t taken that first
photo at the mall and placed the newspaper article, you
wouldn’t be harassed by mobs of people.” She didn’t
have the courage to look at him.
“You have actually done me a favour.” He turned
towards her.
She frowned and pushed her hair behind her ear. “I
don’t understand.”
“The more people who know about the truth, the
better. And what better way to do it.” He nodded
towards her camera bag.
She still wasn’t convinced. A gull squawked overhead
and a boat drifted quietly downstream guided periodically
by the rudder. The man steering the boat waved at Adam
and Devlin as he passed. “Wonderful day,” he shouted
and lifted his hat.
“It certainly is,” Adam waved back. “You know that
I’ve said I come from my Father and to do his will. Even
though it is to bring light, life, healing and deliverance, it
also comes with a tremendous sacrifice. But I’m not
squirming from my duty. I lay down my life of my own
choice. There is no other way.”
If Devlin was confused before, this line of
conversation was threading a knot through her confusion.
“Let’s just say this. I need the world to know what it
is I’ve come to do. And I know not everyone will agree.
Those with lots to lose will have the most to say.”
Devlin still didn’t understand.
“But let’s talk about you for a bit. I know that you also
have something that you need just as much as those who
were there earlier.”
He didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead he lifted her
right wrist and gently rubbed the jagged scar with his
thumb. “You were only little then.” His voice was warm
and caressed her spirit. She swallowed and drew a deep
breath.
“I might have been small, but maybe…”
He raised a hand to stop her. “You have believed that
lie for far too long. There was nothing you could have
done to save him. Nothing, do you hear?” He leant closer
to her. “It was a miracle enough that you got out alive.”
Devlin put her head in her hands and began to cry. She
cried long and hard and Adam let her. He put his arm
around her and held her gently while she unleashed all the
years’ sadness and pain she had bottled up. The tears of
torment, of blaming herself that she could have, that she
should have pulled him from the burning house. The years
of blame that her father had piled onto her little head. The
years of alcoholism that removed the love that her mother
once had for her. The years of rejection and trying to
“make it up” to her parents. But to no avail. They had
divorced. And Devlin blamed herself for that too. It was
all her fault. If she’d saved her brother, they wouldn’t
have got divorced. She wouldn’t have lost the love of her
daddy and mommy. No-one thought of comforting her.
She was seven. Alex was three. She wept until there was
an emptiness inside her that echoed like a hollow dark
cave that had never seen the light of day. She felt spent.
Tired. Empty.
Adam sat holding her without saying a word. And as
the warm wind played around her ankles, she began to feel
again. She felt a heat steadily rise within her. She
breathed in the pure spring air. She was aware of Adam
holding her gently. She felt safe. Comfortable. She didn’t
want to move. He wiped tears from her cheeks.
The warmth continued to wrap around her until she felt
as if she’d sat in the summer sun for an hour. This was a
feeling that was totally new to her. A good feeling. She
felt as if she could mount up on wings and fly over her
mountains. This stranger was rebirthing her. Re-creating
her even. She felt joy bubble up like an underground
spring squeezing through jagged cracks in the dry red
earth. Squeezing up to gain release. To burst into life.
The pain was gone. The guilt was gone. The sadness was
gone.
She lifted her head. Adam was smiling at her. And as
she looked into those golden eyes, she knew that she’d
encountered God. This stranger was familiar to her,
because this was the feeling that she’d had when she was
little, before all the heartache. She’d forgotten that she’d
had this joy once. She experienced it when she’d read her
children’s illustrated Bible, lovingly examining all the
pictures in detail to find the God that the pages spoke of.
She’d found him between those pages. And she had found
him today.
Adam nodded. He read all the thoughts racing through
her mind at lighting speed.
“It’s over. It’s all over.” He wiped away the residual
of tears. “I’ve always wanted to wipe away your tears,”
he said lovingly. “I’ve waited so many years. Longing to
relieve you of your heartache.” It was Adam who had
tears in his eyes now. “It broke my heart to see you so
little with so much hurt and misery.”
In an instant Devlin could relate to all the others who
had received healing and a touch from this man. She
understood the gratitude that left no words adequate to
express it. She understood now why they held onto him
and hesitated to release him. She now too had no words.
But it was okay. Adam knew. He knew everything. He
knew that scar on her wrist had come from climbing
through a window to escape the horrendous blaze that had
swallowed up the house before she could do anything to
get her brother out. He knew that her entire world had
fallen apart from that day and that no matter what she did
to try and make it up to her parents, nothing was ever
enough.
They spent another hour together walking along the
river edge. They didn’t speak much. Devlin knew he felt
her heart and that was enough for now. No amount of
“thank you’s” would be sufficient to convey her gratitude.
When they parted, Devlin knew that her life had been
touched by heaven.
There was no denying it no matter what anyone said.
***
If you’ve enjoyed the sample, please visit
www.smashwords.com or www.amazon.com to purchase
the ebook in dollars, or visit my website
www.angelrays.co.za to purchase in South African Rands.
Have a super day and remember that you are an original.
Go for your goals.
Blessings!
www.angelrays.co.za
www.awritersrandomramblings.blogspot.com
www.deosdream.wordpress.com
email: [email protected]