by R D Hathaway
Rennie and Angie shared a look of concern. Rennie’s heart raced with anxiety and confusion.
Angie set the box and the note on the table and hesitated. She studied the linen, and then glanced again at Rennie. With delicate fingertips and hesitation, she grasped one corner of the material and gave it a gentle pull. She tried another corner and then another. Finally, the third corner slipped slowly upward. Using just her fingernail tips, Angie drew up the linen along the side of the box. Her eyes focused like lasers on every detail beneath them.
As Angie lifted the material aside, Rennie struggled to determine what she was seeing. There appeared to be heavy parchment within the linen covering.
Rennie’s eyes dashed from the box to Angie and back. Her breathing was shallow and difficult.
“I wish I had my gloves,” Angie finally said, and attempted to smile.
“Let me see what I can find. Oh, wait! I’ve got a pair of dress gloves that I wore at my high school prom. I’m sure they’re cotton.”
Rennie ran up the stairs as Angie quietly sat before the mystery on the table. Rennie returned holding a pair of dark green, forearm length gloves. “You might imagine, I’ve not had many opportunities to wear these.”
“Let me see. They might work. I think it’s okay if I briefly see what we have here. We just won’t handle anything too much.”
Angie put on the gloves, then cautiously slipped a finger between the box wall and the parchment. Slowly, she lifted it, tilting it in the box. “It’s heavy.”
As one end came up, she placed two fingers under the linen material that was wrapped under the package. They both attempted to smile but glared at what Angie held.
“Well,” Angie said with difficulty, “let’s see what’s inside.”
She laid the package on the table, being sure to place the linen wrapping between the table surface and the parchment. Angie gently rolled the package up on its side.
Rennie clasped her hands. “Wait a minute. I’ll get some fresh, clean cloth to put on the table.”
She ran up the stairs and came back with a white cotton sheet.
Angie lifted the linen from the box as Rennie spread the folded sheet on the table and Angie held the parchment. Rennie knelt down by the table.
Angie rolled the package over, revealing the folds underneath. She hesitated and took a breath. Slowly, she lifted two of the folds. The parchment seemed to be nearly stuck to another layer of linen between the sheets. With delicate persistence, she pulled open the first layer. She blinked her wide eyes and held her breath. From what she could see around the folded sheets still within the linen wrapping, the writing of the first page lying under the package appeared to be a blurry scrawl.
Rennie tried to focus on the words she could see. She looked at Angie who also appeared to be confused.
Angie removed the remaining package from the box and set it on the cloth. She stared at the document lying before her. The question, “is this parchment or papyrus or what?” slipped from her lips.
Suddenly, her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew large. She looked at Rennie in panic. Rennie looked back at her, and then rose up a little to look at the document.
“Oh, my God! Oh, dear God!” Angie gasped. She looked down at the revealed page and at the still-wrapped package. She stared at Rennie, who was stunned and confused.
“This is it. This is it,” Angie stuttered. “These are not Matthias’ letters home. They are, oh dear God, they are the letters from Jesus!”
Rennie’s mouth opened. She fell back against the chair behind her. She stared at the simple materials lying on her table. “Oh, my God.” she muttered.
Des Moines, IA
X - 3
Rennie and Angie stood in the dining room staring into the living room at the tin box and its package of holy documents. Slowly, they sank into chairs at the dining table.
“I don’t believe this,” Rennie finally said. “It’s too much. Angie, what’re we doing?”
Angie didn’t respond.
Rennie reached across the table and touched Angie’s arm. “We need to call Matthew. We need to get him here, now.”
Angie’s face expressed dull shock. “What do we do with this?” she whispered. “Rennie, I’m not worthy of dealing with this. I’m not worthy. I should not be in this house. What is going on here?”
“I don’t know. All I can think of is we must get Matthew here. This is too big for us. It’s as though we are pieces of a puzzle coming together.”
Angie again shook her head and gazed into the living room. “I’ve got to put that all back together. Somehow, the box was sufficiently sealed to protect the documents.”
She turned to Rennie. “What do I do with them? Take them to the library? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We can’t just leave the box sitting around.”
Angie studied her fingertips. “Do you realize I touched it? I touched what He touched with His hands.”
Rennie checked her watch. “What time is it in London? I guess it would be after midnight. We need to call Matthew about two or three in the morning, our time. That will be like eight or nine for him. I don’t know if I can sit here until then with that box.”
Angie got up from the chair. She approached the table and knelt next to it. She closed her eyes and opened her hands in front of herself. Her lips moved for a few moments. She leaned over and looked at the open letter.
Looking back at Rennie, she said, “This must be Aramaic. Just think, Jesus sat in front of this and wrote these words.”
Rennie came to the couch and stood quietly. She leaned over and considered the lettering and the texture of the document.
“It’s too amazing to take in. I wonder which letter this is. You know, not all the letters were from Jesus. One was from Mary and one was from Matthew. You know, the biblical one.”
Angie grinned. “That’s right. Do you have a basement in this house?”
“Yeah, and a fruit cellar. Why?”
“For now, I think we need to keep the box here. There’s no telling what might happen if news of this got out and it was at the school. I think it would be best to keep it in a dark, cool place.”
“How about the refrigerator?”
“That’s probably a little too cool. Well, here we go. Oh, Lord, forgive me for touching this. Guide my hands.” Angie took a deep breath and began the process of returning the documents to the exact, linen-wrapped package it had been.
Rennie gently held the box after Angie had the package ready for placement inside it.
Angie shook her hands. “Okay, here goes.” She raised the package with a delicate touch and placed it in the old tin box.
Rennie noticed Matthias’s note. “Should this go in, too?”
“Yes. It all must be the way it was. Remember what Matthew said about archeological discoveries? Anything related to the artifact must be kept with it. That reminds me. I wonder if I need to get his journals out of storage and bring them here.”
“Angie, I just had a crazy thought.”
“What’s that?”
“When Matthias found these documents at the museum, he probably took them away in this box - his lunch box. He didn’t mean to steal them. He just wanted to look at them.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I did the same thing. I took them from the library, in his lunch box, just to look at them. Isn’t that a strange coincidence?”
Angie took a deep breath after she firmly shut the lid on the box. “Rennie, there is so much coincidence in this whole deal. I don’t see how it can all be coincidence, at this point. If you have some strong rubber bands, let’s put them around the box to replace the cord he used. I put the cords inside.”
Rennie removed from a desk drawer several rubber bands.
Angie reverently lifted and held the tin container as Rennie strapped on
the bands. For a moment, they breathlessly regarded the awesome possession.
Embracing the box, Angie placed an arm around Rennie. “I need to hold you for a moment. I’m overwhelmed.”
“Me, too. Let’s take it downstairs and find a hiding place for it. If someone broke in, they wouldn’t notice the box down there.”
Angie followed Rennie through the kitchen to a door opening to the stairway to the cellar. Rennie flipped a switch that illuminated a single light bulb at the foot of the stairs.
Stepping down the old stairs, every creak and shift of the wooden steps was amplified by the significance of their mission. When they reached the bottom, Rennie turned to the right and tugged open an old door. A small storage area behind it offered six dusty wooden shelves holding a variety of bottled goods and spider web-covered items.
Rennie placed the tin box behind a couple of old glass milk bottles.
As she was about to close the door, Angie stepped forward. “Wait. The box is too clean.” Angie scooped dust off the floor and another shelf into her hand and blew it onto the box. She then blew on the floor and the shelf to blur the places where she took the dust.
“Wow,” Rennie exclaimed. “You’re good. You could advise those TV crime scene shows.”
“Let’s hope there was no need for all this intrigue. I’d like to return to being a boring librarian.”
“I’m not sure you do. I’ve seen another side of you. Let’s get upstairs and brew some tea.”
By 8:20 p.m., they had a cup of tea and were quickly tiring. They checked their various phones and services for messages. Rennie noted several callers did not leave messages.
Rennie rubbed her eyes and crumbled into a chair. “Hey, how about if I make a bed for you on the couch? I don’t have an extra bed in the house, but I’ve crashed there many times and it works. We shouldn’t split up right now. I’ve got some old, cut off sweats or something you can wear.”
Angie yawned. “Thanks. It’s so hard to think straight right now. I need to turn in.”
“Me, too. We’ll regroup in the morning. There’s a half bath over there. We can take turns using the shower tomorrow. All I know is I’ve got to get to bed.”
The corners of Angie’s mouth tucked into a grin. “You sold me. Just put out some sheets or whatever for the couch and I’ll take care of that. Do you plan to set an alarm so we can call Matthew in the early hours?”
“Good thinking. I’ll do that right now. Now, you need to turn in. I’ll bring down the sheets.”
In fifteen minutes, the lights were off, and the house was quiet.
***
At 7:15 a.m., Rennie stepped into the shower. Although tired, her mind was racing. She was eager for the day. Fifteen minutes later, she wrapped a towel around her hair and came down the stairs. She saw Angie untangling herself from the sheets on the couch.
“Hey, sunshine.”
Angie groaned. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Yep, let’s get some.”
Rennie glanced at Angie, amused with her shuffling away from the couch.
As Angie rubbed her eyes, she poured a cup of coffee and took a banana off the rack. She pulled out one of the two chairs at the small, kitchen table and fell into it.
Rennie took the lid off a yogurt container and ate from it. “You were snoozing pretty well on that couch. Did it work out alright?”
“Terrific. I went out like somebody flipped the switch. But I’m having a little difficulty getting my bearings. Did I dream all that went on last night?”
Rennie leaned against the counter. She closed her bathrobe more tightly and pushed on the towel wrapped around her hair. “I’ve been wondering the same thing. I’m almost afraid of going downstairs and looking in the pantry.”
She set aside the yogurt and poured a cup of coffee. “I called Matthew about two this morning. I didn’t get him at first, so I left a message. I tried again and got him. I told him we had found something from Matthias’ things and that we need him to come immediately.”
She blew on her coffee. “He didn’t say anything for a bit, so I just waited. He seemed distant or guarded. Finally, he said he would come if we thought it was that urgent. I told him it was so important we want him here today, and we would arrange his ticket from here if necessary. Something was different. He was different.”
Angie looked concerned. “So, is he coming? Come on partner, what’s the story?”
Rennie hurried to the table and sat down. “Okay, he’s coming. He gets on a flight at 4:00 o’clock his time, that’s just a couple of hours from now, and he gets into Chicago about six tonight. He’ll be here about nine. Of course, considering O’Hare, who knows what his connection will be like. We’ve got to get ready, not just to meet him at the airport, but what on Earth do we tell him?”
“Rennie?”
“What?”
“I’m so excited, I need to use your bathroom.”
Rennie laughed. “Well, do your thing and get back here. We’re going to be busy girls today. Hey, did you call in sick for today?”
“Oh, my gosh. I’ll do that in a minute.”
Rennie unlocked the door and tentatively stepped onto the front porch to get her morning paper. She saw Cathy next door and they waved at each other. As she looked around the neighborhood, it seemed as though nothing had changed, and yet everything had changed. It was a beautiful day, but she sensed a shifting of massive forces around her.
She returned inside with the paper, tossing it on a table. She turned on her computer.
Angie hurried in. “I’ve decided to go to the library, clear up a few things, and get the journals. Matthew will not only need them, he will treasure them. It’s the closest he’ll ever be to Matthias.”
“That’s a great idea.”
“Are you going to work? What are you doing about your story and what will you say about the letters?”
“The situation has changed. I’ve only thought a little about that, and it may not be a big change in the story. I was going to talk about the letters anyway. Now, we know they exist. I intend to address the facts directly and let the results happen. We cannot step back from this, Angie. We’ve been handed an extraordinary gift to the world.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“You bet. I’ll finish the story this morning and turn it in after lunch. An open question is, do I say where they are or do I have to make them available? Who keeps them, Angie?”
“I was thinking about that. Who can be trusted to keep them? Maybe, Matthew will know, considering his knowledge of the profession and the whole political environment of these types of things.”
Rennie studied her coffee. “I think for now, we shouldn’t tell anyone. They stay in the box. We still don’t know who was watching me or why. What do you think?”
“It’s going to be tough to act like nothing has happened. I agree with you, though. When Matthew gets here, he can help us decide what to do with the letters. This will be the biggest news in his life.”
“Good plan. I’ll call my boss and tell him the story is in the works. That’ll appease him for a few hours.”
Rennie’s voice lowered into a heavy whisper. “As of last night, all my priorities have been swept away. I wish I had felt this clear earlier in life. I’m not sure of the details, but my energy for doing this is abundant.”
Angie’s eyes narrowed. “Handling this will not be easy. We’re changing and we’ll face a hostile world. Revealing letters from Jesus will shock most people. But, I’m ready for it. There is something empowering in seizing one’s destiny.”
Angie grinned. “For now, I guess I’d better seize the shower.”
“It’s all yours. I’m going to work on the story. Things have changed.”
Angie ran up the stairs. Rennie ate breakfast and got dressed. She called Bud and left a mess
age for him.
Forty minutes later, Angie came downstairs and found Rennie at her computer, intently writing her story. “How’s it going?”
“It’s good. Better than I expected. I’m keeping it tight. A few minutes ago, I sensed something odd. It was as though I was getting in the way of what was supposed to be written. I was over analyzing the issues. When I let go and allowed it to flow, it felt good. What are you up to?”
“I think I’m ready to rejoin the world.” Angie laughed. “It’s funny how good I feel. Do you feel it? The things that used to seem so important are now trivial. I can still live my life, but now I will live it better. When should we meet up again? Do you want me to come here?”
“Yeah, if that’s okay with you. We’ll go from here to the airport to pick up Matthew. I’m not sure where he might feel comfortable staying. He’s welcome here. I don’t want to stick him in some hotel. The old guy should be with friends.”
“He could stay with me, too. Let’s think about it and talk later. Well, here we go. God bless.”
Angie hugged Rennie and breezed out the front door. She paused on the lawn, waved at Rennie, and jogged to her car. Rennie stayed at the computer but listened to Angie’s car starting and leaving.
“Here we go,” she whispered.
By noon, Rennie had rewritten her story. After fixing a snack, she turned on some music and settled into a chair at the kitchen table. She felt totally refreshed. She put her feet up on the other chair and enjoyed the peaceful view out the kitchen window as she ate. A warm, fresh breeze came through the window screen and caressed her face. A deep breath was followed by a yawn.
She awakened with startling confusion at the sound of a dog barking in a nearby yard. Rennie checked her watch. It was 12:40 p.m. She hurried into the living room to retrieve her story.
She eagerly read every word as though she had never seen the text. When she finished, her energy and clarity had returned.
She called Angie. “So, how’s the wild librarian doing?” Rennie asked.
“Less wild and more focused today. How about you?”
“I passed out in a quiet moment, but I’m fine and back in action. I read my draft story again and it’s good. I’m going in now to present it to Bud.”