by Louise Klodt
“I can’t bear to tell you goodbye,” I said. “I’m sure I’ll see you all again. Thanks for everything. I enjoyed every minute,” I exclaimed as I climbed into the transport. Reluctantly I put on my helmet and suit and waved goodbye. It pained me to leave a people who were so loving and accepting. Andron took off slowly as everyone applauded, and then we shot off into space.
The trip back was just as momentous and awesome as the trip over. Andron stopped halfway through so we could listen to the sounds of the universe once again. This time I could hear the rhythm of the pulsars. They were like bass guitars in a universal orchestra.
Though the galaxies captivated me with their color and sparkle, I found myself nodding off from time to time. Finally I could no longer fight my fatigue and gave in to much needed sleep.
The next thing I knew, Andron was shaking me. “Mikey, wake up! Wake up!”
I was shocked to find that we had already landed in my backyard. It took me a couple of minutes before I was alert enough to take off my space gear and hop out. Together we ran for the back door of my house. Bursting into the kitchen, I hollered, “Dad, I’m home!”
Dad came running. “I was just praying that God would bring you home soon and safely, and here you are,” he exclaimed, giving me a big hug.
Then he held out his arms to Andron and embraced him also, “God bless you, son. Thank you for bringing my Mikey home alive and well.”
“It was my privilege, sir,” said Andron.
“You know, you’re like a second son to us,” said Dad. “I want you to stay as long as you want. You’re part of this family now.”
Interesting. We’re both part of each others’ families now. I turned to Andron. “You see,” I said. “You’re the brother I always wanted and never had. Please stay.”
“I wish I could,” said Andron, “but I really should return soon. And you have a lot to share with your parents.” He pointed to the corner of the kitchen. “I set your things over there, Mikey.”
“At least stay and have lunch,” said Dad.
So he did, and we had a great time chatting about our adventures of the last two days. Dad listened attentively, intrigued by our stories.
I didn’t want Andron to go, but I think he wanted me to have time alone with my parents. Mom would be home soon. After seeing Andron off, Dad and I went out to the living room.
I could hardly wait to tell him about my encounter with Jesus. So I just blurted it out, “Dad, you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you. It was the most exciting part of the trip. I got to see Jesus!”
Really!” he said. “You mean face to face?”
“Face to face,” I said.
“Tell me all about it,” he said. “What did He say? What color were His eyes?”
When I tried to describe it, the memory of what happened brought it all back again, and I began to experience God’s presence the same as I had at Andron’s house. For a few minutes I couldn’t speak or move.
Finally I said, “Dad, I think they were blue, but I’m not sure. His love was like a thick liquid that covered every part of me, inside and out. My legs turned to rubber. I got weak all over and fell down right in front of Him. I just wilted.”
Talking about my encounter seemed to create an opening for God’s glory. It literally filled our living room. His presence was unmistakable. Dad felt it too. I nearly fell to the floor.
“Whew,” Dad sighed. “I think I get it. The color of His eyes isn’t important when you’re covered with His glory.”
I nodded. We experienced the presence of God together right there in our living room. What a wonderful homecoming!
Finally Dad was able to speak. “You know, Mikey,” he said, “You’ve experienced so much these last two days. I can see how tired you are. I think you need to rest.” He walked me over to the couch and covered me. “You can share the rest when mom comes home.”
I must have slept through dinner because when I woke up, they had already eaten. They saved me some food, and as I ate, I gained strength. Then I got excited and began sharing with them. I told them play by play every single thing that happened. They were as amazed as I was that everyone on Kandalaura had a copy of my Bible, and that they were all reading it. Mom laughed when I told her that she was a celebrity on Kandalaura. It wasn’t until I talked about the Glory Pond and the Throne Room that I remembered the gifts and jewels.
“Andron chose gifts for each of us,” I said.
Dad loved the knife, and Mom was amazed at the natural beauty of her jewelry. We put on our T-shirts and modeled them for each other. Then I pulled out the bag of jewels. I think Andron must have added some more because when I turned the bag upside down, they spilled out and covered the entire kitchen table.
Mom put her hand to her mouth and drew in a quick breath. “Mikey,” she said, “There must be over a thousand jewels here. They’re worth a fortune!”
“Andron had me scoop them out of the stream for you. He said his people would want you to have them as a remembrance of Kandalaura.”
Mom cried out, “Look! There are diamonds, sapphires. rubies, emeralds, and gold and silver nuggets. I’m sure they’re genuine. Do you know what this means, Mikey?”
“Maybe it means that you’re rich?” I guessed.
“Much more than that,” she said. “It means that my prayer has been answered. I asked God for money to buy wells so children in Africa could have clean water. Not in a million years could I have dreamed it would happen like this. This is just over the top! God is over the top! You never know what He’s going to do, or how He’s going to do it. He’s full of surprises.”
“You can say that again,” I said. “So many unbelievable things have happened to me, and now this. But I think Andron would want you to keep a few for yourself as a remembrance.”
“Yes, of course,” said Mom. “It’s just that this is something I felt called to pray for and do, and now it’s happened. I can hardly believe it. Praise God!”
“Amen!” said Dad.
When Mom said she felt called to pray, the word call struck a chord in me. Suddenly I remembered what Jesus had said about having a job He wanted me to do. I explained to my parents what He said about the spiritual gifts and how I would know what to do shortly after my arrival back home.
“Mom, as you were talking about how you felt called to pray, it’s like I suddenly know what God is calling me to do. He said I’d know, and now I do. I’m going to write. God is calling me to be a writer!
“I’ll write about Andron and our adventures on Kandalaura. I’ll tell how his people communicate with each other and describe all the animals. Then I’ll explain about live worship and tell everyone about the Glory Pond. My encounter with Jesus will be a whole chapter in itself. They’ve got to know how real he is and how much he loves them.”
“That’s wonderful, son. You’re just the one to do it. I know you’ll do a good job.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said. “Jesus said I would know, and now it’s all clear. I even know what to call it. These writings will be called “the Kandalaura Chronicles.”
Mom and Dad were excited for me. They both started clapping.
That night was a historical night for my family. We would never be the same. I had a strong feeling of God’s destiny over all three of us. I knew I had to trust Him for wha
tever happened.
But there was a huge aching in my heart to return to Kandalaura and see Andron and his family again. It was like the fire I felt inside of me before the first trip. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t stop until it happened again, and I was counting on it with all of my being. I told my parents it was Kandalaura fever. Perhaps it will be with me till I get to heaven, and maybe even after that. Who knows? Only God knows!
Chapter 15
CREATURE KIDNAPS TODDLER
IT WAS AT least a month later and way past midnight when I was awakened by stones pelting my bedroom window. “What in the world?” I asked myself as I raced to the window. There was Andron, standing below my window. He pointed to the back door and I ran to let him in.
“Andron,” I said. “What are you doing here this time of the night?”
“I need you to come,” he said.
“I don’t understand. How could you possibly need me to come now?” I asked.
“It’s the creature,” he said. “I know he’s lying, but he claims that one of our toddlers has wandered over to his side of the planet, and he wants someone to come retrieve him. You know what that means. If we believe the creature instead of Jesus, we’ll give him authority to rule over us. Kandalaura will be changed forever just like your Garden of Eden.”
“But what can I do?” I stammered. No sooner had the words come out of my mouth than I knew in an instant what to do.
“See the eagle,” I shouted. “The eagle knows. He saw the creature drop the child off somewhere on a mountainside. I can see it all very clearly in my mind, but I don’t know exactly where it is. You have to find the eagle. He’ll show you.”
“Mikey, do you get what just happened? That was a word of knowledge given to you by the Holy Spirit,” said Andron. “Remember when Jesus said the Holy Spirit would give you spiritual gifts?”
“Wow! It happened so fast I didn’t even think about it. But Andron, now that you have that word, all you have to do is summon the eagle. He’ll show you where the little guy is, and you’ll simply take him back to his parents. Problem solved.”
“Maybe not without a fight,” said Andron. “The creature is determined to lure someone to his side.”
“He has no authority over you,” I said.
“You have the Holy Spirit giving you confidence,” he said. “What if he takes the child away? I must not cross over. I need you to be there as a backup. Come with me. We can be back by morning.”
I can’t go without speaking to my parents first,” I stated.
“Yes, you must honor them,” he said.
So I approached my parents’ bedroom and knocked quietly on the door.
“What is it?” I heard my mother say.
“I need to talk to you and Dad. Andron is here. May we come in?” I asked.
Now Dad was awake. “What is it, son?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
“There’s an emergency on Kandalaura, and Andron wants me to come help.” I spit out the problem as quickly as I could and Dad responded.
“Andron,” he said, “I have every confidence that you can handle this on your own. Are you sure you need Mikey?”
“Only as reinforcement, sir,” he responded. “This is a huge test for our people. We mustn’t take any chances.”
“I see,” said Dad. He and Mom talked it over alone for a few minutes before giving us their answer.
“Mikey, we think you should go,” said Dad. “But under the circumstances, we’d feel better if you could return by morning, assuming all goes well.”
“OK, Dad. That’s what we’ll do,” I said.
I actually had it in the back of my mind to do some more swimming at Dolphin Bay and a few other things, but I didn’t want them to worry. I’d come right back. We hugged goodbye. I changed my clothes and we headed for the backyard.
When we got there, I couldn’t see the transport. “Where is it?” I asked.
“Hang on to my arm,” said Andron.
The next thing I knew, I was being sucked into some kind of tunnel at an amazing speed. In a matter of seconds, my feet were planted firmly on Kandalaura.
“What was that?” I gasped.
“That was God transporting us immediately from one place to another, just like the story of Philip and the eunuch in your Bible,” said Andron.
“Goodness,” I said. “You sure know my Bible. Why didn’t God do that the first time, and why didn’t you warn me?”
“Number one,” said Andron, “He didn’t need to, and number two: I didn’t want you to be afraid. Come on. Time is of the essence. I’ll round up the horses.”
Being carried off like that may not have seemed unusual to Andron, but for me, it was a first. Amazing as it was, it was also a bit scary. I had no idea what was going on till we landed on Kandalaura.
It was good to see Kandaletta again. If a horse’s eyes can light up, hers sure did.
“I told you I’d be back,” I said, patting her on the neck and climbing on.
“Full speed, Lightning,” Andron shouted to his shiny black stallion. “We’re off to find that eagle.”
Night flying on Kandalaura was different than flying during the day. Even though it’s not as dark there at night, there are no street lights to help you see where you’re going. I was at the mercy of my faithful steed.
Andron filled me in about talking to the boy’s parents before coming for me. He told them we’d be bringing their son home soon.
After flying a few miles, he let out a shrill whistle and called out for the eagle. Within minutes our eagle friend arrived. He flew alongside us as Andron communicated to him exactly what we needed him to do. As it turned out, he had seen the creature and would take us to the place where he last saw him.
Flying in front of us, the eagle led us to a steep mountainside covered with trees. Further up were huge boulders and a few caves here and there. It was exactly like what I had seen in my vision. We thanked the eagle and landed in a small clearing.
Andron began shouting Timmy’s name. No answer.
“I think we need to climb up past the trees toward the boulders,” I suggested. We moved further up, and Andron hollered Timmy’s name again. No response. We climbed higher, slowly leading our horses. He hollered again. This time we heard a faint response.
“I over here,” came the answer, and there was a slight echo.
“Keep talking, Timmy,” said Andron. The horses’ ears perked up and they led us past huge boulders to the mouth of a cave. Andron called again. Little Timmy came running out as fast as he could and climbed into Andron’s arms.
“There you are,” said Andron. He looked to be about two years old, a cute little guy with blonde, curly hair and big brown eyes. “What are you doing up here all by yourself?” asked Andron.
“Creature say he want to play, had something to show me. Then he leave.” Timmy looked over and spotted me. “Hi Mikey!” he shouted. “You come play with Timmy?”
“Not exactly,” I said. “That creature didn’t really tell the truth about coming to play. We’ve come to take you home to Mommy and Daddy.”
“That good,” said Timmy. “I hungry.”
We’ll mount our horses and have you there in no time,” said Andron.
“Not so fast!” screeched a voice that seemed to come out of no
where.
We looked up and saw the creature hovering alongside the cliff. Then he toned down his voice and became sickeningly sweet. “Surely you don’t think that I would do harm to this little one. You know how much I love little children.”
“The eagle saw what you did,” said Andron. “Don’t try to stop us. We’re taking Timmy home where he belongs.”
“Now, now,” said the creature. “Let’s not be so touchy.” Then the creature looked right at me, blinking his huge black eyes and long lashes. He seemed to think I was pretty stupid, and that I would fall for his sudden change in voice.
“Well, earthling,” he said. “How nice of you to pay us another visit. I trust you have more common sense than your friend here.” His syrupy talk disgusted me.
“Frankly, the sight of you sickens my stomach,” I said. “You’re the king of lies and full of deceit. I hate you with a passion.” My voice got louder and louder. ”I hate everything you do. There’s nothing good in you at all!”
This enraged the creature. “You can’t talk to me like that!” he yelled. His voice carried so much anger that it reverberated throughout the canyon.
“We’re taking the child back, and you can’t stop us,” I declared.
“Leave, earthling. You have no authority here,” hissed the creature.
“The same Jesus who’s over Kandalaura is over me,” I said. “And he’s given me authority over you.”
Green slime began seething out of the creature’s beak. His black eyes bugged out of his head. They were twice the size of normal.
“Run, earthling,” he cantered, “while you still can.”
“Not a chance,” I said. “I came on a mission and I intend to see it through.”
“Have it your way, but you’ll see. You’ll be broken into a thousand pieces on those rocks,” he said, looking down the canyon wall. “Do you want the child to see that?” he screamed.