by Carol Costa
Everyone was murmuring their concern and looking to Ben for an explanation. Finally, he spoke.
“I was seized by the Spirit of the Lord, so that His truth could be spoken through me. For the Lord revealed to me that Michael Mills is indeed a false prophet, a heretic, and I, Benjamin Franklin Purnell, am the true Seventh Messenger. It is I who will lead God"s people to the Millennium. It is I who will lead you out of the strife of these awful times and into the light of peace and prosperity. Michael has blasphemed and we have followed him, and God"s displeasure has silenced our voices and made us afraid to venture into the sunlight.”
Everyone was listening in rapt silence to Ben"s proclamation, but suddenly Stella came forward to confront him.
“You are the one who blasphemes. Michael is the true messenger. We must not abandon our Prince in his hour of need.”
More rocks and bottles were thrown at the house and the sound of glass shattering on one of the upstairs" windows caused some of the women to cry out.
“And the righteous shall take their place on the side of God"s true messenger, while those who are blinded by false loyalty shall perish,” Benjamin said sternly.
Jacob sprang to Ben"s defense, directing his words to Stella. “Ben is right. If Michael were the true angel of God, we would not be under attack again.”
“I will stand by Prince Michael,” Stella declared. “He is the one who brought me the true faith.”
The voices outside the house got louder and their taunts uglier. Then, the sound of approaching police squads was heard. Ben was able to use the arrival of the police to his advantage.
54 CAROL COSTA “Listen! The police are arriving to send the angry crowd away. For it is written, I will put a new spirit among them that they may walk in My statutes and keep My Judgments, and they will be delivered from their enemies.”
Jacob and a few others ran to the windows and looked outside.
*** Mary sat back and took a deep breath. The memory from the past had stirred up emotions she had not allowed to surface for many years.
Naomi inched forward in her chair waiting for the old woman to continue her story.
Mary poured herself a fresh cup of tea and nodded her head as if once again coming to terms with the past. “The police sent the mob away, but of course that didn"t end the trouble. We were afraid to go out of the house again and Benjamin began to make plans for us to move on.”
“So Benjamin was accepted as the new Seventh Messenger?”
“The feelings were mixed. Some accepted Ben as their new leader and were willing to follow him anywhere. Others like, Stella, said that Benjamin had been plotting against Michael all along, and was trying to take advantage of Prince Michael"s ill fortune.”
“How did you feel about Benjamin"s revelation?”
Mary smiled. “He was my husband. I went along with it, and in return for my silence about the night Ben was searching Michael"s office, Benjamin began to treat me with more respect.
I was beginning to learn that I had powers of my own, and did not have to be totally subjective to the wishes of my husband.”
“Were there other men in your life?”
“Not then. Benjamin was a dynamic man, exciting in every way. We left Fostoria with Jacob, Silas and Cora, Daisy and some of the other members of the Flying Rollers. We traveled the country gathering converts. During that time, my son, Coy, was born.”
“How long did you travel like that?”
“Several years. People were drawn to Benjamin like they are drawn to a warm fire on a cold winter night. Eventually we had a substantial number of our own colonists. Then, we returned to Fostoria where the remnants of Michael"s followers readily accepted Benjamin as their angelic messenger and joined our colony. We purchased property in a rural area of the town and finally began to put down roots.”
“What was the area like?” Naomi asked, genuinely interested.
“It was sparsely populated back then, but there was a fireworks factory and some of our men were able to get jobs there. We had good craftsman, much like the ones who built the additional housing for the Flying Rollers. Benjamin put them to work constructing a large two-story building. The church was to be on the first floor and our living quarters on the top floor.”
“Were you still calling yourselves the Flying Rollers?”
“No. Wanting to dispel the scandal of the past, Benjamin renamed the colony the House of David, and he went to work on his own scared writings. He continued to attract followers with promises that the Millennium was close at hand. Our children were becoming young adults and assuming their places as spiritual guides in the colony. We were living very well.
Everyone who came into the colony turned in all their earthly possessions to Benjamin. As I said, some worked in the factory there and kept only a small part of their wages to sustain their meager lifestyles. Everything else went to Benjamin for the common good of the colony.”
Mary stopped talking as a crossed her face.
Naomi urged her to continue. “Something happened to disrupt Benjamin"s church there?”
Mary nodded slowly as tears sprang to her eyes. She wiped her tears on a lacey white hanky and resumed her story. look of incredible sadness
CHAPTER TEN
A group of the House of David members stood outside the new building, admiring the result of their labors. Jacob and Daisy who had married a few years earlier were hugging each other and laughing with delight at the prospect of having a permanent place to live.
Mary had a great fondness for Daisy who had set her sights on Jacob and never gave up the hope that he would someday fall in love with her. Jacob was a pious, quiet man who was unassuming and unaware that someone from the opposite sex might be interested in him. Daisy might have waited forever, if Benjamin hadn"t noticed the girl"s devotion to Jacob and told him to pay attention to her.
Benjamin walked among his people, thanking them for a job well-done. Mary stood off to the side with Hettie and Coy.
“We"re going to have a real home now,” Hettie who had just turned fourteen whispered to her mother.
“Yes,” Mary told her. Suddenly looking at the freshly painted structure moved her to tears. All the years of dragging herself and the children from place to place had come to an end. So many times while bumping along dusty roads in the back of a wagon, or laying her head on a pillow provided by a kind stranger, Mary had prayed for this day. Now it had finally arrived and she could hardly believe it.
“I get my own room, right?” Coy asked, tugging on her sleeve to get her attention.
“Of course you do,” his sister answered. “I"m too old to share with you anymore.”
“But I bet you"ll miss me,” the boy said with a teasing smile.
Hettie smiled back. The two siblings were very close as most of the time they only had each other to confide in.
Benjamin approached his family. “The furniture was moved in this morning. Let"s go inside.”
The church on the first floor was furnished with wooden benches stretched across the center of the big room. All the seats faced an elevated platform that contained a beautifully carved oak altar, a pulpit, and oak chairs with carved backs and cushions covered in red silk. The platform was surrounded by a white billowing curtain suspended from the ceiling beams.
“It"s the most beautiful church I"ve ever seen,” Hettie declared running up one of the side aisles to the platform.
“Can I do the readings this week, papa?”
“I want to read,” Coy said.
“You"ll both have a turn,” Mary told them.
Mary and her children had all learned to read by listening to Benjamin preach and following along with the Bible passages.
“Let"s go upstairs and see our home,” Hettie suggested.
She grabbed her father"s hand. Benjamin had never been able to deny his daughter anything, so he let her lead him out of the church to the stairs in the vestibule that accessed the living quarters above the sanctuary.
After living on the road for so many years, the apartment above the church seemed like a palace to Mary and the children.
The furnishings were simple sofas, chairs, tables and beds hand-built by some of the House of David woodworkers. There were also lamps scattered here and there and Coy and Hettie ran around turning them on. Electricity was something they were not accustomed to having and it was like a miracle to them.
There were three small bedrooms and Hettie was delighted to find hers painted a lovely shade of pink.
The kitchen contained a wood-burning stove, an icebox that had already been stocked with food, and a round wooden table and four chairs. Built-in cabinets contained the few dishes and cooking utensils gathered during their travels.
“This is so wonderful,” Mary told Benjamin. “I know we will be very happy here.”
“Yes. I agree,” he replied.
Most of the House of David members lived in tents that had been put up on the property adjacent to the church building. Plans were being made to build more permanent housing for them, but the colonists did not complain about their living facilities. Joining the House of David meant that they had put their faith and trust into Benjamin. They truly believed that Benjamin was the seventh angelic messenger who would lead them into a Millennium of peace and prosperity. Benjamin told them that patience and humility were gained through living simply and devoting their time and talents for the common good of the colony.
The fact that Benjamin and his family were not living as simply or working as hard didn"t seem to matter to the colonists. He was one of God"s chosen and deserved all the comforts they could provide for him.
The first months in the new church saw another increase in the House of David membership. In addition, people began coming from neighboring towns to hear Benjamin preach.
Benjamin had used the colony treasury to finance the publication of his book, The Star of Bethlehem: Inspired Writings of Benjamin Franklin Purnell, The Seventh Angelic Messenger. Services were held every weekend and the books sold very well.
Over the years Jacob had become Benjamin"s good friend and his primary aide. Benjamin"s charm, intelligence and cunning made him a shrewd businessman and Silas Mooney who had a good sense for financial matters was Ben"s top advisor. Cora and Mary had bonded through the years and were as close as sisters.
Hettie Purnell had blossomed into a beautiful teenager, as striking and charming as her father. Coy was more quiet and reserved than his sister, but he was quick with figures and liked to hang around with his father and Silas.
Mary also took part in the business of the colony, but her duties mostly involved advising the women and helping the new families get settled into life at the House of David.
Jacob"s wife, Daisy, spent most of her time with the young children. She and Jacob had not been able to have children of their own, and Daisy filled the void in her life by taking care of other people"s children.
They had been in the new church for almost a year and for the first time in her life Mary felt that she had a place she could call her own.
Hettie had been taking a more active role in the weekend services at the church and she seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Coy sometimes talked his father into letting him read a scripture passage or lead the hymns that they sang as part of the service, but most of the time it was Hettie who stood on the platform with Benjamin.
One Saturday afternoon in late June, Mary was dressing for the church service and she heard Coy ask Benjamin if he could lead the hymns.
“I"m leading the hymns,” Hettie answered quickly.
“But it"s my turn,” Coy protested.
“I"m wearing my new dress. Please, papa, can I do it?”
“You like being the center of attention, don"t you, Hettie?” Ben asked with a laugh.
“Only if it please you, papa,” Hettie answered.
In the bedroom, Mary smiled at Hettie"s words. She was indeed her father"s daughter.
“It"s my turn,” Coy insisted again.
“Hettie will do it today, Coy.” Ben said firmly.
“Yes, sir.”
By the time the Purnell family got downstairs, the church was filled with people. Benjamin and Hettie went down the side aisle and took their places on the platform. Mary and Coy squeezed into seats at the back of the church.
Hettie led the opening hymn. There was no music, but her strong clear voice rang out beautifully encouraging everyone to join in the song.
Benjamin entered and took his place behind the altar. Hettie stood off to the side near the windows that looked out onto the street. Men were coming and going from the fireworks factory, working over-time to make enough fireworks for the town"s annual Fourth of July celebration.
“Brothers and sisters, speak softly to one another. A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger...” Ben"s sermon was interrupted by a violent explosion that shattered the windows of the church.
The fireworks factory was on fire and the fireworks were igniting and shooting out in all directions. People started screaming and rushing for the backdoor of the church. Mary and Coy were already near the back so they slipped outside without a problem. Everyone was in a panic as the factory was a blazing inferno and one of the rockets shot through the air and struck the church building. The fire spread quickly engulfing the wooden structure in flames.
Mary tried to run back inside the building to find Hettie and Benjamin, but was pulled back away from the fire. Then, Benjamin stumbled outside carrying Hettie in his arms. His face was black from smoke and his hair was singed. He was gasping for air but Hettie was not. There was a huge gash across her forehead, and her new dress was covered with blood. Hettie had been close to the window directly across from the factory. When the window blew out she was hit by glass and the metal debris from the factory"s roof. It had pierced her young body, and her life force had drained from her before Benjamin could make his way across the platform to find her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mary took one look at her daughter and passed out, falling into the street that was littered with glass. The next thing she knew, Mary was in the small house that had just been completed for Silas and Cora. It was one of the House of David structures that was far enough away from the factory that it was untouched by the explosions and fires. The same could not be said for the tents occupied by many of the House of David residents, they were completely destroyed as was the church building.
Mary was in a state of shock, crying and mumbling inco
herently. Cora hovered over her rubbing Mary"s hands in an effort to bring her to her senses. Finally, she whispered in her ear. “Mary, you must be strong. Coy needs you.”
Her son"s name snapped Mary out of her disoriented state of shock and grief. “Where is he? Bring him to me.”
Cora left the tiny bedroom and returned with Coy. He was thirteen years old, much too young to have suffered such a tragedy. Mary enfolded him in her arms and they clung to each other and cried.
By nightfall, there was nothing left of the factory and the House of David church but ashes. There were several casualties from the fire including two of the House of David men who worked at the factory. Silas reported that the bodies had been taken to the county morgue. The surviving members of the colony were ministering to the families who had lost loved ones.
“Daisy has gathered the children into one of the houses that was not touched by the fire. She and some of the other women are trying to soothe them,” Silas added.
“Where"s Benjamin?” Mary asked suddenly. She had not seen him since he staggered out of the burning building with Hettie in his arms.
“When they took Hettie from him, he ran off into the darkness. Jacob ran after him and I"m going to go back out and see if I can find them.”
When Silas went out again, he found Benjamin at the church site, raking through the ashes. Jacob was just standing nearby watching him.
Silas approached Benjamin. “There is not
hing to be salvaged here, Ben,” he told him gently.
“Everything we worked for is gone,” Jacob agreed softly.
Benjamin seemed to be in a trance, but then he began to shout. “A fire goes before him. His lightning"s light the world.”
Other people who were on the street surveying the damage stopped and stared as Ben bent down picked up some ashes and debris and flung them into the air. Then, Ben ran into the middle of the street, waving his arms and shouting again.
“His lightning"s light the world. The earth sees and trembles and the mountains melt like wax.”
Jacob and Silas stood on each side of Benjamin trying to calm him.
“Please, Ben, come away from here. It is too painful,” Silas told him.
Benjamin pulled away from them and continued to shout, causing the other people on the street to back away in fear.
“Oh, Lord, do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble! My heart is stricken and withered like grass, for I have eaten ashes like bread.”
A few men on the street shouted back at Benjamin, telling him to be quiet and go away.
“We must go to our people, Ben,” Jacob said. “They are waiting for you to tell them what to do.”
This time Benjamin allowed Silas and Jacob to lead him away from the scene of death and destruction, but he continued to shout. “We must leave this evil place. We must go far away from here. The Millennium is at hand. I will lead my people to peace and prosperity.”
Hettie and the other members lost in the fire were buried in a small cemetery in Fostoria and a few days later, the House of David colony packed up what was left of their belongings and left Ohio.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Broken and sad, Benjamin and his followers traveled to Michigan. Using the funds in the colony"s treasury a large parcel of vacant land was purchased on the outskirts of the small town of Benton Harbor.
The next several months were spent in developing the new property. Log cabins were constructed to shelter the House of David members. Wells were dug and gardens were planted and carefully tended to provide water and food.