by Steven Hunt
“What did you do with the locket?”
Jason unhooked the top button of his shirt and tugged on a brown leather cord around his neck. He pulled the strap over his head and handed it to Teddy. “I don’t know why I’m tellin’ you this. I’ve never told a soul, man, but I admit it feels good to get it out.”
A small, silver locket dangled from the cord. Teddy flipped the heart-shaped item in his palm, noticing that the locket had a large JH engraved on one side. Engraved on the other side was IWLYF. He opened the catch, exposing two aged pictures—one of a little girl and the other of a good-looking couple. As he examined the locket, Jason said, “The chain broke years ago. I placed it on that strap, thinking that it would be stronger.”
“Why’d you keep this? After all these years? I imagine it could’ve been used against you as evidence if you’d been caught.”
Jason sighed. He looked at the locket in Teddy’s hand as he said, “I didn’t care. It reminded me of what I’d been. That tiny locket symbolizes the last time I committed a crime.”
Teddy looked at the locket in his hand—the very locket that he needed to complete his lesson—and considered running. He glanced at Jason, who continued to look at him with sad eyes.
Jason’s hurting, Teddy thought. He should say or do something to ease his pain, but what? If only Yebo or Ezi were here they would know what to say.
“You mentioned you had a feeling that you needed to come here? Do you want to tell me about it?”
Jason shrugged. “I’ve been weighed down with heavy guilt since that night—for thirty-five years now. I thought this might be the day that I’d be released of that.”
Teddy looked into the distance, inhaling deeply through his nose. He needed to take a chance. A leap of faith. “Jason, what would you say if I told you that today could still be that day?”
Jason’s eyes narrowed suddenly as a low growl grew from his throat. His eyes hardened as they narrowed into slits. “What’re you sayin’, Teddy? I know we haven’t known each other but for a few minutes, but I don’t like being made fun of.”
Teddy leaned as far away from the big man as he could without trying to be obvious. If he had to run, he wouldn’t get far. He knew it. “I’m not playing, Jason. Let me tell you my story before you decide. All right?”
Jason leaned toward him, the muscles in his scarred face taut. His nostrils flared.
“Tread carefully, man.” he said in a low, bone-chilling tone, and Teddy could smell the coffee on Jason’s breath. “I haven’t decided yet if you’re poking fun at me or not. I don’t like to be made fun of. So tell your story—carefully—but give the locket back first.”
Again the thought to run rushed through his mind. If Jason caught him, Teddy would receive the beating of his life.
No. He promised himself that his running days were over. Hesitating, he held out his hand with the locket. Would his fate be sealed by giving it back?
Trust the Truth. The same voice that had whispered to him in the community center now spoke in his ear. Trust the Truth. Have faith.
Teddy straightened. Only one chance stood between him and his family. He didn’t hold back. He needed Jason’s cooperation. So he had to trust him to do the right thing. He told him of his depression and the car crash, jumping the train, and meeting Christy. He mentioned Ezi and his teaching and of being sent to meet Yebo. Teddy left out the conversation with Flagg, but concluded with the mission Yebo had sent him to retrieve the locket.
Jason gripped the locket in the palm of his massive hand. It looked so tiny surrounded by all that powerful, dirty flesh. Jason’s thumb rubbed against the locket’s outer shell as Teddy told his story. He’s probably done that more times than he could count in the past thirty-five years, thought Teddy.
Jason’s hardened face melted. “OK.”
“OK? Just like that?” Teddy said, his mind buzzing with surprise. He didn’t expect Jason to believe his story, knowing it sounded like something he’d made up, much less agree to relinquish the locket without more convincing.
Jason nodded once. “OK.” He held the leather strap out to Teddy. As Teddy reached for it, the big man pulled it back. “You know, I always hoped this little piece of jewelry would deliver me from my demons.” He looked into Teddy’s eyes. “I always dreamed of findin’ that little girl, handin’ her the locket, and watchin’ her eyes light up. But too many years have passed.” He turned away as his oversized hand crushed his coffee cup. “I’ve never been able to find her. And I’ve looked, man. All over the country.” He shifted back to Teddy. “I’ve been waiting for thirty-five years, man. That’s enough mourning. If the situation were gonna come up, it would have already happened. At least it can help you.” He extended his fist to Teddy with the locket dangling on the leather strap.
“Thank you, Jason. You don’t know what this means to me.” Teddy clutched the locket in his fist.
“Yes, I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t give it to you.”
“That’s been my hope since we met.” Hope? Wasn’t that the lesson Yebo meant for him to learn? To believe for a positive outcome?
“Take care of it, man.” Jason stood. “It’s special.” He shuffled away with his head down and his hands jammed deep in his pockets.
“Yes, it is,” Teddy said to no one. He watched the giant amble away. When had his fear of Jason been replaced with compassion?
As he watched Jason walk away, he knew what he had to do.
He leaped to his feet. “Jason! Wait!” This was insane.
Teddy ran to him. As he neared the big man, he held the locket. “I can’t take this. I know how much it means to you. You’ve placed your hope into it for years, praying the day will come when you’ll be forgiven of your sins. Here.” He thrust the locket out to Jason. “You keep it. Maybe the day will come when you’ll find that little girl.”
“You’re willing to risk your life so I can maybe one day find peace?” Jason’s eyes widened. As quick as the surprise had changed his facial expression, it disappeared just as fast. His eyes turned hard and the sound of his voice switched to one that oozed maturity and seriousness. “That’s crazy. And what about your family, man? You’re willing to give them up for me? You’ll never see them again if you don’t give this to your teacher. What’s her name? Ye-something-orother?”
“Yebo.”
“Yeah, that’s it. Yebo. If you don’t give this to Yebo, how will you pass this lesson?”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“No. I can’t let you do this. You need to live. You need your family. They need you. Your daughter needs you. Take it and give it to that woman. Pass the test and go home.”
“But it means so much to you.”
“It meant more to that little girl. I only kept it as a reminder of my lousy, villainous past. I don’t need it to remember what a monster I’d been. This little trinket cannot save me. Never could. It’s only a piece of metal. It’ll take Someone much more powerful than this to save me. Use it to help you.”
“Are you sure?”
Jason cocked his head. “Look. I’ve never had a true friend, one who cared for me. But I imagine this is what one would do for his friend. You will take this locket and you will use it to finish your lesson so you can go home. Don’t let me find out anything different.” His demeanor dared Teddy to argue.
Teddy nodded as his hand closed around the locket.
Jason smiled, patting his heavy hand on Teddy’s shoulder. “Good.” Without another word, he turned and walked away.
“Where will you go?” Teddy called.
Jason turned, shrugged then resumed his walk out of the square.
****
Teddy found Yebo lounging on her favorite park bench with her head perched on one metal arm rest and her feet extending over the other. Her tall frame dwarfed the metal bench. “Were you successful?” she asked, without stirring.
“It depends on your definition of success.” He motioned that he wanted to sit on
the bench, forcing her to sit up.
“It’s not a hard question. Either you got the locket or you didn’t. Simple.”
“I got the locket.”
She smiled. “Then you were successful.”
“But at what cost?”
The smile faded. “What do you mean?”
“The guy—the one who’d stolen the locket—this meant a lot to him.” Teddy held up the locket by its leather strap. “He sacrificed his own redemption for me—a guy he didn’t know. I’m not sure my happiness is worth the price he paid.”
Yebo leaned closer, nudging him. “Kinda sounds like another man I know.”
Teddy’s focus had been on Jason’s sacrifice and he hadn’t been able to see the similarities until now. The magnitude of what Jesus had done seemed so real now. The hope of salvation for the world had been draped over Jesus’ shoulders on that cross—a sacrifice beyond comparison.
The hope of Teddy’s happiness had been draped over Jason’s shoulders—his freedom sacrificed.
Yebo interrupted his thoughts. “Let me see the locket.”
“Huh? Oh.” He handed it to her. She turned it over in her palm before handing it back.
“I expect you have a special plan for this. It wouldn’t be right if Jason gave up his liberty and a chance for peace just to have the importance of this locket become insignificant.”
“There is. But for now I need you to hang on to it.”
“For how long?”
“You’ll know.” She pointed to the far edge of the square—the edge nearest the forest. “Someone’s waiting for you.”
Teddy looked in the direction she pointed. Standing underneath a large oak tree was a small girl wearing a pink and white dress.
“So what’s the name of this town?” Teddy stood as he shifted his glance from Christy to Yebo.
Hesitation guarded her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”
What was so secret about a town’s name? “I may want to bring my family here on vacation sometime. I like it here, and I want them to meet you.” He lifted his right eyebrow.
She pursed her lips. The volume of her voice turned soft. “I can’t tell you. It’s prohibited.” She dropped her gaze as deep creases formed around her eyes. She exhaled before looking at him. “What happens when you return home and things are not to your expectations? If another situation devastates you to your core? What then will become of the hard work you’ve put in to defeat the depression? I’ll tell you what’ll happen. Because your wounds are still tender, deception and rejection will pound you until you feel like you cannot resist any more. Your optimism will retrogress, leaving negative feelings and thoughts. These will open a portal for the depression to engage you again.” She sandwiched his hand between hers. “No one promised that living in the Truth would be easy. You’ll still experience life’s ups and downs. But you will not be alone. The Truth will be by your side every step of the way. He gives us hope, and by that hope, we have a new outlook. The scabs covering our eyes have been stripped away, gifting us with clear vision. Throughout the seasons of tough times, we have the Truth’s wide, supportive shoulders to lean on. And He is right there beside us during the good times also, celebrating, loving, and cheering.
“Go live your life, Teddy. Hold this city in the innermost place of your heart and remember the lessons you’ve learned.” She brought their hands to her chest over her heart. “But promise me you’ll never come back. This town is only cement, bricks, and mortar—nothing more. What you seek to build comes from the heart and soul. A Champion waits in your corner, and He is the best for all situations.”
He nodded. He understood Yebo’s reasons, but that didn’t mean he had to agree with them. Ever since the night he’d boarded that train everything had been shrouded in mystery. This wasn’t any different. He’d keep his promise if for no other reason than he respected Yebo and her conviction to help her neighbors.
As he walked toward Christy he turned to look at Yebo one last time. With tears cascading down her cheeks, she smiled. He nodded to her. As he turned away from her, he muttered, “The media is wrong. These people may be homeless, but they’re far from hopeless.”
25
“You have done well,” Christy said as he approached.
“I suppose.” He hung his head as his concern for Jason lingered. His eyes examined the intricacies of the ground in front of him.
“What is the matter?”
“Oh, I guess I’m feeling sorry for someone.”
“Look at me, Teddy.” He raised his face to look into her eyes, those knowledge-filled, mysterious eyes. “Do not worry about Jason. He has chosen to walk the path of righteousness and has been redeemed. He will still have to pay for his mistakes, but the Truth will always be with him.”
“Wha…how did you know about Jason? I didn’t say for whom I felt bad.”
A twinkle in her eye sparkled. “I need you to focus. There are only three days left before Christmas. If you have any problems with your last lesson, you will not make the deadline.”
“I know, I know.” Teddy brushed off her comment with a wave of his hand. The deadline had been in the back of his mind from the time she’d announced it. With Jason’s sacrifice, Teddy became more determined to finish on time. “Let’s get going.”
He stepped around her, leading the way into the thick fingers of vegetation.
****
“Christy. There’s something I need to ask you.” Teddy said after an hour of walking and not knowing how much farther they needed to go.
She continued to walk ahead of him.
“After I left you to meet Yebo, I met a man in the forest. He said his name was Flagg.”
Christy stopped. Teddy had to jump to the side to avoid bumping into her. “Do you know him?”
She turned to face him. She ignored his question, asking one of her own, “What did he tell you?”
Teddy shrugged. “He asked if I believed what I was learning. He said that everything being taught to me can be considered brainwashing.”
“You need to stay away from him.” Christy turned to continue their journey.
“But, why? Isn’t it good to have choices? Yebo had a choice to return to her former life, but she chose to live among the homeless.”
She stopped and faced him again. “Man has always been afforded the opportunity to choose. But that does not mean they always select the correct path. Which is the path of wisdom? This man—Flagg—is here to deceive you. To question your judgment. He is a master of creating doubt and unrest. Stay away from him. His presence hinders your efforts.”
“But isn’t questioning good? If we ask questions only then can we be certain of our decisions.”
“Mankind has to be careful—extremely careful—which authority they decide to question. Bad or unjust decisions are acceptable to challenge. People who are thrown into leadership positions without the proper resources of education, training, and experience often make terrible decisions. But the Truth’s decisions and timing are always perfect.”
She stepped closer to him. “Flagg’s job is to cause deception. He’s been causing dissention for generations. But his time is coming.
“Just stay away from him, Teddy.”
****
They walked for another two hours before Christy stopped. The snowfall that had fallen shortly after beginning their trek now stopped, but the temperature continued to plummet. As before, she didn’t offer any clues to their location, but only pointed. This time she pointed east.
“At the edge of the forest you will find a tall fence. Do not attempt to climb it. Follow it north until you come to a gate. Inside the fence will be your next instructor and your next lesson.”
“This is the lesson of love, right?”
She nodded.
He knew there wasn’t any use trying to get more information from her. He turned toward the direction she’d indicated.
He had work to do.
Thirty minutes after leaving Chris
ty, the woods grew darker and colder. The birds stopped chirping, and the breeze, that moments before had rustled the treetops, quit blowing. A chill ran up his spine, causing the small hairs on his neck to stand on end and a shudder to shake his entire being. He wrestled with his coat, pulling it closer around him.
With his eyes wide and his heart beating a double-time rhythm, Teddy scanned the forest. He couldn’t see anything but trees. Trees and more trees. They seemed to come alive, crooked fingers groping for him. Grabbing at him. As he stepped away from one, he drew closer to another.
The stench returned.
“Hello again, Teddy. Yep. It’s me, ole boy.” A ghoulish laugh hovered among the dense forest.
Teddy twisted to look behind him at the sound of the voice. Flagg sat on a fallen log twenty yards behind him; his lips writhed in a crooked smile. Teddy was certain when he’d crossed that log no one had been sitting on it.
The specter sneered, showing his rotten teeth. “I told you we’d see each other soon. Come.” He patted the log next to him. “Sit. Let’s chat.”
“No.” Teddy swallowed his fear. What was it about this man that frightened him?
“Fine. We can talk standing.” Flagg jumped from his seat—leaping ten yards—toward Teddy. One step more, he stood in front of Teddy, blocking his path. “I believe the last time we spoke you had to hurry off to an appointment. How’d that go?”
“Matter of fact, I have an appointment now I must keep. Goodbye, Flagg.” Teddy tried to step around the skeleton-man, but stopped when Flagg placed his boney hand on Teddy’s chest. Teddy stood rigid as a powerful surge of electricity shot through him with lightening speed, knocking him to his knees. The menacing, evil shock coursed through his body to his mind, zapping everything in its path. A blinding light—hot enough to sear his brain cells—blazed through his senses. The cloak of depression returned, enveloping him in a suffocating hug, squeezing until he hadn’t any fight left. Dark despair and uselessness pummeled him as the fog of confusion assaulted his thoughts, clouding his mind and forcing doubts on things he knew to be true.