Christiana

by Jim Pappas

  "I don't know yet. This is a new one to me."

  "Great-heart?" volunteered Matthew. "If you and I go down first, we can hack out steps for the women and children."

  "Matthew, be careful," warned Mercy, trying to conceal her concern. "'Tis a very steep cliff we are at."

  "I know, Mercy," answered he, growing bolder at her perceived care for him. "But we know that God has made a way. All we have to do is find it."

  "Hmmm," answered Great-heart thoughtfully. "I don't know."

  "We can do it, Great-heart!" affirmed Matthew confidently. "Look here. We can fasten the anchor to this dead tree and let ourselves down by the chain. Then, once we are safely down, we can clamber up to yonder jagged tree stump."

  "Tree stump?"

  "Yes. The one right . . . uh . . . now where did it go? It was right above that great swampy place at the bottom."

  "What swamp?"

  "The one right down . . .say! What's happening? I can't even see the bottom!"

  "Mother, look!" exclaimed Samuel. "There is a great fog creeping across the abyss to blind our way."

  "Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mercy, beginning to despair of ever crossing such a formidable canyon.

  "My!" declared Christiana. "See how quickly it swallows us up. Gather close, children. Everyone hold hands and gather about Great-heart's lamp."

  "Man! This is really spooky!" declared James. "I can't see nothin'."

  "Is this also an illusion, Great-heart?" asked Samuel.

  "No. But the apparent impossibility is. Hmmm."

  "What are you thinking, dear guide?" asked Christiana.

  "I am thinking that there are times to march forward with sword a'swinging - and there are times to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord."

  "And which is this?"

  "'Tis time to wait for the salvation of the Lord."

  So they made a temporary halt to see what end the Lord of the hill might make of this apparent impossibility. But, instead of easing up, the situation only grew worse. The cloud grew darker and hid what faint light of the westering sun there was. The murky mist thickened till one could scarcely see who he was holding hands with (although I secretly suspect that Matthew might have somehow found himself next to Mercy).

  Not only was their vision obscured in this place, but their ears were again assailed - for now they heard the clattering of armor and the rushing of chariots - sounds so real that some of the younger boys ducked and dodged a few times.

  They also heard and smelled the fire and brimstone that continually burned in this place. Then said Christiana to Mercy, "Now I can appreciate what my poor husband went through. To hear about this place is nothing compared to being here! And to think that the poor man traversed in the night what we have traveled in the day. We have met a monster and a lion, but he was continually surrounded by fiends that seemed as if they would tear him to pieces. Oh, how I now admire the courage of he whom I once despised. God forgive me!"

  "Fear not, little flock," encouraged Great-heart. "I know that we seem to be locked in eternal darkness. 'But let them that walk in darkness, and have no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon their God'."

  "But this is sooo scary!" cried James. "I mean, really scary!"

  "I know, lad. But I have been through this valley many a time and have faced things worse than this. But, as you can see I am alive still."

  "But how did you save yourself, Great-heart?" asked the child.

  "I didn't, for I am not my own Savior, James. Whenever things got too hard, I would fall to my knees and ask God to deliver me."

  "Seems like things are got too hard right now, Great-heart."

  "Aye," answered Great-heart as he knelt him down. "Come. Let us pray for light to brighten our way."

  "And for our Lord to send security angels to rebuke all these demons of hell," added Matthew.

  And so they went to prayer, beginning with Great-heart and ending with wee little James who ended by saying, " . . . and dear Jesus. We sure be mighty tired of all this dark fog and stink and noise. So when you git a minute, won't you please just say 'peace, be still' like you done out there on that windy ocean? That'd be real nice. Amen."

  "Amen!"

  Now it seemed that no sooner had everyone seconded the child's prayers with hearty amens, but that the fog began to fade away. Then I heard a great sigh of relief and not a few praises. The noises and smells also began to lessen, to the great relief of all. But still, the greatest of the problems - the grand chasm - lay yawning before them.

  Now as they were at a stand puzzled as to what to do, Joseph, without knowing why, fetched up a rock and flung it out into the abyss. But, instead of arcing down, down, down into the cavernous depths; why, it bounced a few times and came to rest out in thin air. "Eh! What is this?" exclaimed Great-heart. "Levitating rocks?"

  "No! 'Tis another illusion, Great-heart! Watch!" said Samuel as he tossed a larger rock which also clunked upon solid stone and came to rest over what looked like the swamp. "See! This great abyss is just a painting on the stone!"

  "What! Why . . . why, so it is!" exclaimed Great-heart with a chuckle. "Heh, heh. I didn't know the old snake was also a painter. My, my!"

  "Say, but this looks real," mused Matthew as he tapped out over the edge with his staff. Then, plucking up his courage, he cautiously stepped out onto what appeared to be thin air. "Oh! Be careful, Matthew," cried Mercy with trembling voice. "I would not want you to sink to the bottom like Peter almost did." Then she turned away so as not to see the horrible sight.

  "Ha! There is no sinking to be done, Miss Mercy," he declared. "Looky here. I be walking out on empty space!"

  "Oh!" cried Christiana, hiding her face. "I cannot bear to watch!"

  "There is nothing to fear, mother," he affirmed, holding out his hand. "Here, Mercy. Turn around and give me your hand. We shall walk across on solid stone."

  "Oh, I don't know, Matthew," answered Mercy, drawing back. "It looks sooo very real!"

  "Bah! 'Tis only a little paint upon stone. Come ahead now."

  So, with trembling heart, Mercy slowly extended her hand to Matthew, who grasped it and gently but firmly led her out onto 'nothing.' "Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "Christiana, look! I feel as if I am flying. How does it look?"

  "I know not, Dear One. I am afraid to look."

  "No need to fear, Mama," said Samuel. "C'mon. Let's get going before we get left behind."

  "Oh, I don't know," answered she, grimacing at the sight of the young couple strolling out over nothingness as if on a spring picnic.

  "C'mon, Mammy!" called James as he tried a clumsy cartwheel over the deepest portion of the chasm. "'Tis hard as a rock."

  "Great-heart?" queried Christiana weakly.

  "Nothing to fear, Madam. 'Tis nothing but paint on stones."

  "Another illusion, Mama," said Joseph. "Here, I'll take your hand. Jamie! Come take Mama's other hand."

  And so Christiana, eyes squeezed tightly shut all the way, was escorted across the gaping chasm by her children. Thus was an apparent impossibility discovered to be another illusion. Upon reaching the other side, she at last dared to open her eyes. Upon seeing what she had passed over, she was about to faint. "Oh, my!" she exclaimed. "I walked over that?"

  "Sure did, Mammy," declared James. "Watch!"

  Then the wee one jumped out into "open air" where he pranced and danced and turned another cartwheel or two.

  "James! Stop! You're making me sick to my stomach!"

  Then Mercy shyly addressed herself to Matthew, saying: "Thank you for your help, Matthew."

  "You're welcome, Miss Mercy," answered he, gazing in amazement at the artwork before them.

  "Thank you for lending me your hand, sir"

  "Oh, no problem."

  "We're over now."

  "Yes, we are."

  "You can let go of my hand now."

  "Hand? Oh!" answered he, dropping her hand like a hot potato. "Was I still holding your hand? Heh, heh. Sorry
. Say, isn't that some painting on the rocks? Sure fooled me. Heh, heh."

  "Now I see what you mean, Great-heart," said Samuel. "Satan's entire kingdom is a lie."

  "Aye, lad. Therefore, when apparent impossibilities confront us, what will we do?"

  "We will pray, watch for God's solution, and then move forward!"

  "Right you are. The last of which we shall do now. About face! Forward, march! Hut, two, three, four! Hut, two, three, four! Hut, two, three, four . . ."

  And so forward they went; Great-heart at the fore and Matthew bringing up the rear. Now they had not marched long 'ere they came to a mucky swamp with only the narrowest of trails by which to traverse it. The trail wended its treacherous way between a bubbling bog on one hand and sucking quicksand on the other. Here and there could be seen the decaying bodies of pilgrims who had taken their eyes off the light. Besides the foul odor from the bodies, there came belching up from the bog sulphurous bubbles of marsh gas that made several stomachs a bit queasy. But whenever nurse Christiana saw someone turning a bit green, she would quickly share one of her marvelous pills and have it chased down with the fresh blood of the grape.

  "My, Christiana," said Mercy. "This certainly isn't as pleasant as being at the Wicket Gate or the Interpreter's House, is it?"

  "Nay"

  "At least we're just passing through," said Joseph. "Think if we had to live here."

  "I'll bet this place is allowed so that we'll value our heavenly home when we get there," ventured Samuel. "I know I'll sure appreciate it more."

  "Indeed you shall, Samuel," agreed their guide. "And, we shall be out of this place by and by. The best thing about illusions is that they quickly come to an end when viewed by the eye of faith."

  So they marched on in silence for a time. Finally Joseph voiced the feelings of all when he called out wearily, "Great-heart, can't we see the end yet?"

  "It wouldn't get here any quicker if we could, Joseph," answered he. "But it is more important to look closely to your feet, for this is the place of the thickest snares. Here, I'll shine my lamp side to side. If you see anything that shines, glistens or glows, touch it not."

  So on they marched, single file, through a land that was thickly set with trip wires, deadly pits, thorns, nettles and all manner of deceptions. Now as they came on, Samuel, by the light of Great-heart's lantern, espied a silver coin shining. "Hey, a coin," said he, stooping to pick it up. "Touch not!" barked Great-heart with voice as stern as ever they had heard.

  "All right," said Samuel, obediently snatching back his hand. "But why not? 'Tis only a coin."

  "Only a coin!" exclaimed Great-heart. "Don't you see how it glows by the light of our snare lamp?"

  "Sure," said he, "but I thought it was just the natural shine of silver."

  "Nay, but I'll wager that 'tis attached to some sort of trigger. Let's look about us. See anything unusual?"

  "Nay."

  "Try looking over your head, Samuel," suggested Matthew, pointing his staff at a cleverly camouflaged net overhanging the way.

  "Wowie!" exclaimed Samuel. "Look how it just blends right in with all the branches of these dead trees."

  "Everyone back away while I reach in with Matthew's staff and move the coin," commanded Great-heart. So he gently prodded the coin which instantly sent the net swooping to the ground. "Oh, my!" exclaimed Christiana. "Samuel! That could have landed on you! Thank you, Great-heart."

  "See how this coin is attached to the trigger, lad?" asked Great-heart.

  "Sure do. My! My, my, my!"

  "Here, catch," said Great-heart as he flipped the coin to Samuel. "A souvenir."

  "No, thank you," answered Samuel, letting the coin plunk into the slimy muck. "I'd just as soon not touch something from the devil's bag of tricks."

  "Boy, that was a close one. Eh, Samuel?" said Joseph after they had resumed their journey.

  "Closer than you can know," said Great-heart over his shoulder. "'Tis a good thing your mother taught you to obey first and ask why later. If you hadn't listened, we'd have lost valuable time."

  "But no great harm done, right, Great-heart?" asked James. "I mean, we'd 'a just cut him loose, right?"

  "Wrong, James!" declared the guide emphatically. "These nets are very difficult to cut and cling to those who try. Also, any delay increases our chance of being caught by darkness. Also, one snare sprung sets the trigger for two others besides. Yea verily, I shudder to think where we would be tonight if Samuel hadn't obeyed promptly. Therefore, thank you, Samuel."

  "Thank you," answered the boy. "But to give credit where credit is due, you should thank my Mother."

  "Indeed!"

  At this, Christiana's heart was touched and she secretly dabbed a kerchief at her eyes.

  "Listen to me, all who have ears. Delays and detours are not figured into either our schedule or our map. Yes, by God's grace we may recover ourselves from them. But, we will never be as far along as if we had stayed on the narrow path of obedience. And, if you perchance think this pilgrimage business is some sort of game, I invite you to take a look to our left."

  This the little band did and there, cast into the ditch on the left hand, they espied a man with his flesh all rent and torn. Said the guide, "These are the remains of one named Heedless. He came this way with one named Take-heed who kept his eyes on the light and so passed safely through. But as you can see, one was taken and the other left behind. Choose ye this day which end shall be yours."

  Heedless

  "My!" exclaimed Samuel. "This pilgrimage business really is serious, isn't it!"

  "Life and death serious, Samuel," agreed the guide. "And yet you cannot imagine how many men set off on pilgrimage without counting the cost. They take neither map nor compass, and think it too confining to have a guide at their side. But, as you can see, their falls something short of the City."

  "Look, Great-heart!" exclaimed Joseph. "He has something shiny clasped in his hand. Some sort of coin or bauble."

  "Probably some trinket attached to a trigger," suggested Christiana.

  "Here, I'll take a look with my spyglass," said Matthew as he clicked his glass out to its full length. "Yep, sure enough. 'Tis a small trinket labeled 'Popularity'."

  "Man! There's gobs of bodies around here!" declared James.

  "Aye, James," answered Great-heart. "You cannot imagine how many pilgrims are killed here about."

  "But how did my father escape?" asked the lad. "He had no one to be his guide."

  "'Tis a miracle of grace, James. 'Twas because he was a man after God's own heart and had Christ, the hope of glory, formed within him."

  After much miserable marching, they finally drew near the end of that stinksom valley and saw, not too far distant, a clear space of sunlight and clear air. But, before they could come at it they must pass by that cave where Christian had formerly seen the two giants, Pope and Pagan. Now, since Christian's day, these two great ones had enlisted the services of a mercenary named Mr. Maul. He too was a giant and was placed on guard at the narrowest point of the passageway. His sole job was to see that none should pass by without yielding obeisance to one or both of his masters. But, judging by his loud snores, he was now sleeping at his post. Therefore Great-heart gave signs for silence and hoped to pass by unchallenged.

  As they crept noiselessly forward, they came near the mouth of the cave. Within they saw the two giants engrossed in the game of life wherein they bartered for the souls and bodies of men. So intent were they, that they were oblivious to their visitors and it seemed as if they might indeed slip by unchallenged.

  Looking into the cave more closely, they saw that one giant was dressed in a black tuxedo and a top hat. In one hand he held a magic wand and on his finger was a large diamond ring which, even in the dim torchlight of the cave, sparkled every which way. In his other hand he held a pendulum which he hung over the players on the game board. By the way it swung or circled, he determined his next move. All about him on the walls of the cave were carved a
nd etched the symbols of his craft - symbols such as the pentagram, the hexagram, the equilateral triangle, the dot within the circle, the fiery flying serpent and too many more to list here. His seat was a cubic block of black marble which he supposed to possess some great power.

  "Why is that giant dressed as a magician, Great-heart?" whispered Matthew softly.

  "'Tis a giant of old times named Pagan," he answered quietly.

  "Pagan! But I thought Pagan was long dead!"

  "So it seemed back in your father's time, Matthew. But the spirit from the bottomless pit has entered into his dead body and given him new life."