And Then Came A Lion (Lions and Lambs Book 1)

by Cecilia Marie Pulliam

  Barbara shook her head and stepped up her pace. Susannah had to double time it in order to keep up.

  The group met in the center of the compound, next to the fire pit. Dr. Forrester was already speaking.

  “…you’re encouraged to stay in your rooms after the lights are turned off at night. Even with the electric fencing, we are still having some trouble with lions getting in. A volunteer was mauled several weeks ago.”

  Susannah nudged Barbara.

  She shrugged, “I honestly thought the fence kept them out.”

  Dr. Forrester continued. “Stay in groups. Don’t wonder off alone. Pay attention.”

  Lions continued to roar throughout the night, rendering sleep difficult. Susannah eyed the thatched roof. One could easily come through it. She’d heard of a lioness doing just that at a hunting camp several years earlier. Then, she also had other creatures haunting her. Intuition told her this was only the eye of the storm.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After another day of intense heat and whirling dust, Susannah decided on a shower before diner. She forgot the command to walk in groups and hurried over to the chalet alone. It wasn’t until after she showered and dressed that she remembered Dr. Forrester’s words.

  She peered out through the window. The sun had not yet set. Surely, it was safe enough to cross the compound alone, and yet she felt uneasy. Was it just her phobias at work, or was there a reason behind her uneasiness? Nothing looked amiss. People were exiting other chalets and heading toward the dining area. If she hurried, she might catch up to the last group.

  She stepped out and double stepped her way toward the others, but they were already across the compound. She paused. Something looked out of place beside the front gate. She moved a little closer, and stopped. A huge male lion sat a few feet from the fence.

  It was a standoff. Susannah was too far from the dining hut to run there, and too far from the chalet to run in that direction. Should she stand still or scream? Some experts said to wave your arms and scream. Others said the exact opposite, stand still. Which expert was right?

  The big cat stood. Susannah tensed, ready to emit the loudest scream possible. At least people would find her remains sooner rather than later.

  The animal regarded her for a long moment, turned, and in one leap cleared the fence, vanishing into the bush.

  Susannah walked to the dining hut on legs made of both water and lead.

  Barbara stood at the buffet table filling her plate. “Susannah! What happened?”

  “I just saw a huge male lion inside the front entrance. He’s gone now.”

  Several men grabbed guns and went out.

  Susannah sank into the nearest chair. “Now I know what they mean when they say your heart stops. I think mine did for a second.”

  The men who had gone searching for the lion were back within minutes.

  “We didn’t find anything, Doctor. There wasn’t any spoor in the soft earth on either side of the fence.”

  “No pug marks? Are you sure?”

  “We searched both sides of the entrance, inside and outside of the compound for at least twenty feet in each direction. Nothing. Not a single mark.”

  Dr. Forrester nodded and turned to Susannah.

  Susannah spoke first. “It wasn’t my imagination.”

  “I don’t think it was, Susannah. I think this was something other than a natural occurrence, a supernatural encounter we should discuss further after dinner.”

  A lion roared just outside the perimeter and Susannah flinched. “Is that a good or bad sign?”

  “Depends on which lion is roaring.”

  ***

  Immediately after the meal, Dr. Forrester escorted Susannah to the mission office.

  “Well, Susannah, I believe it is time for you to decide how much you trust God.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “First, from my observation, you’re acting like Jonah in regard to something He has asked you to do, and instead of sending a whale, He sent you a lion.”

  “You don’t think it was the demon from the hut?”

  “I don’t. Not threatening enough.”

  “In your opinion.”

  “I think God is pushing a point.”

  “With a lion?”

  “What is it you are resisting, Susannah?”

  “I prefer not to talk about it.”

  “Do you know how privileged you are?”

  “Privileged? I don’t feel privileged. I feel cursed.”

  “This gift you have isn’t a curse, unless you fight against it. Worrying and fretting, and disregarding His directives rather than taking a risk and believing, all drains a soul and fatigues the body far more than if you just relinquish your will and do what He asks. It is easier to trust. Do not allow fear and doubt – or stubbornness ― to wear you down.”

  He held up his hand, “I know, human nature wants a billboard with an exact map of what path our lives will take, the good parts, anyway, but God doesn’t work that way, Susannah, and I think you know that. He doesn’t let us see but one step at time. If He did lay it all out, where would the trust be?”

  “I have trusted, and sometimes it’s gotten me into deeper trouble.”

  “But then, didn’t He get you out? With some bumps, bruises, and sometimes a few scars, but He got you out.”

  “I guess. But, how do you know that this lion was from God and not the manifestation of something else?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “You must understand, Susannah, God has chosen you for a purpose, and you will not be happy in this life if you continue to refuse His will, which you are free to do, but you will remain miserable.”

  “Am I free to choose? It seems like He’s pushing pretty hard.”

  “He is, just as He has done with others. Look back through the Bible. Look at Jonah. Look at St. Paul.”

  “I’m not a prophet or an apostle, nor do I wish to be. And, there is more to this than you know. I have already trusted ― with total disregard for my own life.”

  “I do understand, Susannah, like the incident with the children back at Triangle, but like Jonah, you are resisting something else, something very important to God, and to you, and He isn’t going to allow it. Think about it and then come talk to me again.”

  She forgot to ask for a Bible.

  ***

  Barbara handed Susannah a rain slicker. “The mist in some areas around the falls is the equivalent to a tropical rain shower. Trust me, you will need this.”

  Susannah dutifully draped the slicker over her arm. The arid countryside belied the idea of any rain.

  Vic Falls. What a treat to do a little sightseeing and get away from thinking of other things. Except, the crafty Dr. Forrester knew she was being a Jonah, and he probably had some hidden agenda planned for this seemingly innocuous excursion. It didn’t matter, the moment was worth any small price he had in mind.

  First, they wandered through the small museum and read about the history of the falls, then proceeded up the paved trail, past the larger than life statue of Dr. Livingston, the first white man history records as seeing the falls. Wait-A-Bit thorn brush provided an effective guardrail along the trail beside the chasm. Not even an overly inquisitive child would brave impalement for a forbidden closer look. Susannah stayed well back, waiting for the designated viewpoints.

  The falls, divided by islands, had an impressive mile long width and a heart dropping three hundred foot depth. Smoke That Thunders, as the locals called it, created a swath of green extending several yards from the canyon edge. Small monkeys cavorted in the lush foliage, bushbuck fed amid tall grass, and rainbows splashed their brilliant color against the heavy spray.

  Rainbows. She needed to get her hands on a Bible.

  “Barbara, remind me to ask for a Bible when we get back.”

  “Sure. I have one in the Chalet. You don’t have one with you?”

  �
�No. And I don’t know why I didn’t think to bring one.”

  “I’ll get you one you can keep.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to take anything from the foundation.”

  “We are missionaries, remember. We have many Bibles. I think we can spare one for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Barbara pointed to tracks in the soft soil just off the trail. “Elephant. They are prevalent here too, and their number sometimes forces officials to close the park to ensure the safety of the visitors. Wouldn’t do to have a tourist smashed by a mad elephant. Bad for business.”

  Susannah glanced around at the brush and wondered which was worse, the lions or the elephants. Both were quite capable of removing her from the planet in a very unpleasant manner, not to mention things that slithered around in dark underground chambers.

  She pushed that thought away and hurried up the path. The jaw-dropping vistas soon wiped out images of darker things.

  After completing their tour of the falls, they drove to the airport, and loaded newly arrived supplies. Susannah knew there would be a catch for the outing, one neither Barbara nor Dr. Forrester had bothered to mention. Well, loading supplies was a small price for spending a couple hours at the falls.

  They were back at the mission by lunch. After the meal, she spent the rest of the day assisting with the endless unloading, sorting, and distributing of food, clothing, books, and medical supplies.

  Barbara had given her a Bible as soon as they returned, but she hadn’t had the chance to read it.

  Dinner was in the village’s Boma, the native word for eating place, a celebration feast for a newly wedded couple. Feasting, dancing and conversation flowed until late evening. Susannah almost staggered back to her chalet and fell into bed without bothering to undress. Tobias, whoever he was, would just have to wait.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Early the next morning, Susannah tucked the Bible under her arm, hustled over to the dining hut, made coffee, and sat in one of the rattan chairs by the fire. She looked in the table of contents for the Book of Tobias.

  The book was part of the Apocryphal, which Susannah had never bothered to read. Curious, she read the entire book. It was the story of a man named, Tobias, his only son, also named, Tobias, and a woman named Sara.

  Tobias was a holy man, one of the Jewish captives taken by the Assyrians to Nineveh. He went daily out among his kindred. He fed the hungry, gave clothes to the naked, and buried the slain, defying the king’s directive not to bury the dead. He continued in secrecy, until one day, wearied from burying, he lay next to a wall. Hot dung from a swallow’s nest dropped into his eyes, blinding him. Weary in both body and soul, he prayed, asking God to end his wretched life.

  Sara, a young woman in another city, was married seven times. All seven husbands were killed by a demon on their wedding night and many believed she was cursed. When she corrected a servant for an infraction, the woman reviled Sara for murdering her husbands and asked if she would kill her too. Sara sequestered herself in her room, praying and fasting for three days, begging God to lift the curse.

  Both Tobias’s and Sara’s prayers were heard by God. He sent the angel Raphael to heal them both.

  Meanwhile, convinced he was soon to die, Tobias sent his son, Tobias, on a journey to collect money owed him by a man named Gabius, who of course just happened to live in the same city as Sara. The angel Raphael, in the disguise of a man named Azarias hired on as Tobias’s guide and the two set off on their journey.

  Of course, the younger Tobias, led by the angel Raphael, spent the night with Sara’s family and fell in love with Sara.

  Tobias was the man God intended to be Sara’s husband, and yet the entire household feared for him. Tobias assured them he would be safe. Even so, after the newlyweds were sealed in the marriage chamber, Sara’s father went out in the field and began to dig a grave.

  Tobias followed Raphael’s instructions to dispel the demon and then the couple knelt in prayer. Sara’s prayer touched Susannah’s heart.

  “….and Sara said: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, and let us grow old both together in health.”

  Grow old in health? Susannah wouldn’t grow old with her husband.

  The story continued with Tobias returning home. Following the angel Raphael’s instructions, he cured his father’s blindness and they all lived happy lives until Tobias, the elder, passed away at the ripe old age of a hundred and something. Tobias, the son, then gathered all of his family and returned to Sara’s family. They lived long happy lives.

  Susannah set the Bible down. So, they had happy lives. What did that mean to her? Some people seemed blessed, never having to suffer. She was not one of those. Her life seemed one of continual suffering.

  She heard the old Indian’s voice. “There’s more, Susannah. Turn to Daniel 14:42.”

  That was another scripture from the Apocrypha. “Then the king said: Let all the inhabitants of the whole earth fear the God of Daniel: for he is the Savior working signs and wonders in the earth: who hath delivered Daniel out of the lions’ den.”

  Then, Daniel saved a woman named Susannah from being stoned to death.

  Susannah in the Book of Daniel was a beautiful woman, married to a wealthy and well-known man. During the hot part of the day, she would go into their private garden and bathe. Two wicked elders hid themselves in the orchard and watched. Both lusted for her. When she refused their advances, they wrongly accused her of adultery with another man.

  Daniel, a young boy at the time, stood along the street as they led Susannah to her death. He shouted out that he was clear of innocent blood, and asked the crowd how they could condemn a woman of their tribe on only the word of the two elders without any solid proof.

  The crowd reassembled in the court. Through examination, Daniel proved the old men had lied and saved Susannah from an undeserved death.

  Susannah closed the Bible. Interesting. God saved Daniel from the lions, and then Daniel saved Susannah.

  The old Indian spoke once again. “Now read Psalm 27.”

  The words seemed to lift from the page: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?…I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Expect the Lord, do manfully, and let thy heart take courage, and wait on the Lord.”

  Susannah closed the Holy Book. “I don’t understand. Who will I grow old with in health? I no longer have a husband! And, there is no Daniel in my life to save me from wicked old men, or lions, never mind seeing the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. There is nothing except saving the children!”

  The old Indian appeared. “Not so, Susannah. Believe.”

  ***

  The next morning, Susannah rose early and peered out the window. A few hearty souls were already moving about in the half-light of predawn. She slipped out of the chalet and quickly scurried over to the biggest group. Africa had certainly given her a new perspective on the old adage of safety in numbers, regardless of God’s promise about Daniel and the lions.

  By the time she had finished her first cup of coffee, the sun was rising above the tree line, illuminating the bush with shafts of gold. Birds flew their now familiar intricate flights overhead, and somewhere, not too far off, an elephant trumpeted.

  Barbara was right. The long difficult travel and hours of hard work yielded rich rewards. The only shadow hanging over her sense of peace was the matter of the challenge the old Indian said they had issued when they rescued the children from the cult. He didn’t say how that would manifest. In the past, his words of comfort usually preceded another round of tests of faith. How many more tests was she to endure?

  Taking a deep breath, she shoved the thought away. The morning was too beautiful to waste with worry.

  Immediately after breakfast, Dr. Forrester asked Susannah to meet with him in the mission office.

  “Have you given our last discussion any more
thought?”

  Susannah hesitated.

  “I see.”

  “I don’t know what God wants of me.”

  “I think you do.”

  “It’s hard!”

  “Of course it is. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t reap great spiritual rewards.”

  “Who says I want any great spiritual rewards?”

  “Susannah.”

  She bowed her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just don’t know if I can do what God asks.”

  “Keep your heart, mind, and soul open. Don’t be judgmental. Don’t categorize anything as good or evil. Remember God loves all creation, the good, as well as the bad.”

  “But, how do we love the bad? Do we let criminals get away with crimes? Don’t we still try to rescue the innocent, protect the children? And, what about all the other horrors in the world? What about all the atrocities done in the name of God? And, that horrible cult? Do we ignore those as well?”

  “Jesus did not dismiss sin. He pointed out the sin, but never stopped loving the sinner, not even those who begged Pilate to crucify Him. Remember His words on the cross? ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’

  “And as fellow sinners, we can take much hope from His response to the Good Thief. You have heard the old axiom, ‘separate the deed from the doer.’ That is the real message. God hates the deed but loves the doer.”

  “I’ve heard that all my life, but it’s still hard.”

  “I’m not saying it isn’t. I don’t always manage it myself. Our sense of justice calls for the guilty to be punished, but if that were God’s view, we would all be condemned to hell. Think about this, Susannah, if you are forgiven, then so is everyone else. That is the way it works.”

  “Everyone? Even monsters like Hitler, and Stalin, and those pedophiles who prey on sweet children? Even the horrible cult who uses children as sacrifices? It doesn’t seem right.”

  “There is one catch.”

  “I knew it!”

  “They, and we, must ask for God’s forgiveness in order to receive it.”