Christiana

by Jim Pappas

  "I say straight ahead," ventured Valiant-for-truth. "Even through the thick fog we can see it is obviously the way most traveled."

  "Aye," agreed Great-heart. "That is what worries me. Also, there is something pricking my heart to light my lamp and have a look-see at our map."

  "Truly, Great-heart," said Christiana, "if your heart feels the pricks of God's Spirit, you must not kick against them. Light your lamp and read in thy book, for it has been a faithful guide thus far."

  So Great-heart struck a light (for he never strikes out afield without his tinderbox), spread out his map and laid his compass upon it. Gathered round him on the edge of the dim pool of light was the entire company. Ah! What a sight to behold in my dream: the warrior upon his knees and Christiana holding high his lantern, while all the rest gathered round to see which way to go. The rays of the lamp sent shafts of light stabbing off into the fog in all directions, creating an island of light in a sea of gray. Finally Great-heart stood, folded his map, pocketed his compass and looked about him. "Hmmm," said he.

  "Well?" said Valiant-for-truth, eager to be off. "Is it straight on with us, or no?"

  "No."

  "What?"

  "My map says to go right."

  "Right!" exclaimed Valiant. "But that path is narrow and overgrown! And look ahead. Why, it is obviously the best traveled path of the lot. Are you sure?"

  "We must not chart our course by the worn path of the careless crowds, Mr. Valiant; but rather by the words of this book. Remember, the majority is always wrong. Come everyone, to the right with us."

  So against the promptings of their eyes and the wishes of their feet, the little band once again turned into the way less traveled.

  As they were turning into the right way, Matthew asked permission to explore the easier path for just a little way. This request was summarily denied him by the shepherd of the flock. But Matthew persisted, saying, "But Great-heart! It is so well-traveled. Here! If it will make you feel better we can put the rope from mother's anchor about my waist."

  "Nay! There may be nets or traps or poisonous gas ahead. We cannot risk losing you. Besides, there is no time allotted in our schedule for exploring detours and byways. Indeed, there are so many that to explore even a few of them would put us years behind. Fall into rank, sir."

  "But Great-heart . . . "

  "That's an order, soldier!"

  "Yes, sir," said Matthew, although very much against his desires.

  So they went on their way for another hour or two until they came to another arbor built just a little way off from the path. Looking therein they saw (and heard) two men sleeping on the couches. Their names were Heedless and Too-bold who, although they had come the right way thus far, had grown weary of the difficulties and convinced themselves that a short catnap might refresh them for their journey.

  "Great-heart, look!" cried Christiana. "Two men sleeping to their eternal danger. Shall we wake them?"

  "Certainly," said Matthew, 'if I were the one sleeping, I would want to be roused."

  "May we try, Great-heart?" pleaded Christiana.

  "I think we will find it time lost, Christiana," answered he. "But you may try. Only do not sit down with them or kneel at their side. Not even for a moment!"

  So all gathered round to watch Christiana and Matthew attempt to raise the dead. Christiana began by tapping one of them gently on the shoulder, saying, "Friend. A hem, I say, friend! Wake up! You have fallen asleep on the enemy's turf! Best get thee up."

  But the man managed no more than to slightly raise one eyebrow before turning back to his dreams with a mumble. Then Matthew, shaking off a yawn of his own, seized the other fellow by his lapels and shook him a bit, saying loudly, "Hey! You! Get up lest you die in this place!"

  But the man could only manage to say, "Hmm?" before falling back into the depths of his coma.

  Great-heart, unable to endure such timid endeavors, said, "Here, stand back!" Then seizing the man named Heedless by his collar and shaking him vigorously, Great-heart shouted, "Hey! You! Wake up!"

  "Hmm?" mumbled the man.

  "Wake up, I say!"

  "Umm, hmm," was the only response to come from the depths of peace and safety. Great-heart shook him harder and shouted yet louder, but all to no avail. Then he began to slap and pummel and jerk him this way and that. "Come on! Come on! Open those eyes!"

  "All right! All right!" shouted Heedless, eyes still closed in slumber. "I'll pay you when I get paid myself, all right!"

  "Wake up, I said!" shouted Great-heart.

  "Hey! Back off!" was the unconscious reply. "Stop hounding me or I'll box yer ears!"

  "Up, I say! Up or you will die!"

  "Yam dulla wanda wanda duganda dolly wanda," answered Heedless.

  "What?"

  "Yam dulla wanda wanda duganda dolly wanda," answered Heedless again. At this strange gibberish, the children giggled and the parents were puzzled. For even though he spoke many words, it amounted to no more than sounding brass or tinkling cymbals - for his understanding was not in it. Therefore Great-heart tossed him aside and attempted the rescue of Too-bold.

  "Be careful you do not injure him by thy roughness," cautioned Christiana.

  Answered he grimly, "The worst injury we could ever inflict would not begin to compare with what will befall them in this place. Hey! Wake up, lad!"

  "I will fight so long as I can hold my sword in my hand!" shouted Too-bold loudly. "Back, knaves!" he cried as he beat off imaginary foes with imaginary weapons. Then he stood to his feet, raised one hand to heaven, and pointing with the other to an invisible foe, commanded, "Ooog dwalla! Domma vai ooogdwalla bandi! Bandi! Bandi!" Then, satisfied with his eloquent oration, he pushed Great-heart from him and flopped down on the couch murmuring with a satisfied smile, "Dwalla Dumba. Mmm dwalla dwalla bandi! Yah!"

  "What are they talking about, Great-heart?" asked Christiana. "They sound as if they're drunk."

  "And so they are," said he, fighting to stifle a yawn. "They are drunken with the perfumes and spells of this enchanted forest. I fear that we cannot save them."

  "Please, Great-heart. Please try just one more time," pleaded Christiana.

  So Great-heart shouted into their ears, slapped their faces, and shook them till it seemed their teeth would rattle out. But all to no avail. Oh, true enough, they shouted their commands and babbled on cue, but awake to their danger they would not. "My!" exclaimed Christiana. "Are there many who are so firmly trapped in the delusions of peace and safety as these two?"

  "Look over the back rail of this arbor, Ma'am," advised Great-heart. "There lies your answer."

  So all eyes turned to the back of the arbor as Christiana leaned against the rail to look over. "Aaauugh!" she screamed and came rushing back into the arms of Matthew.

  "What is it, Mother?" he asked. "What did you see?"

  "Bones! Bones piled on top of bones on top of more bones. A great hill of bones!"

  Then Matthew went to the back of the arbor to see for himself. He too came back with his gait a bit unsteady and looking a little green about the gills. "My, Great-heart! We saw piles of bones in the Castle of Doubt, but nothing like this! Why are there so many here?"

  "Because we are nearly at our journey's end," answered the guide. "Having bested the enemy thus far, many men grow self-confident and come to rely on their own wisdom. They boldly toss aside their maps and detailed instructions about the way, claiming to have need of neither. 'For,' say they, 'having been so long in the way, we now have direct communication with heaven itself. What is the dead Word compared to a living experience?'"

  "Is that what all the litter was, sir? Was it maps we saw covering the ground?"

  "Aye, Matthew. And I'll warrant you that for every map strewn along the trail there will be at least one set of bones heaped on that pile."

  "So," continued Matthew, "they come to this place without a map. Then, upon seeing such luxurious accommodations, they assume them to have been placed here by order
of the King. Right, Great-heart?"

  "Right you are, Matthew. They come to this place called 'Peace and Safety' when they have grown weary of the battle. All their senses and logic tell them that God is blessing them with a moment of respite before the final leg of their journey. But if they had read their instructions from the shepherds, they would have seen that when men cry 'peace and safety, then cometh sudden destruction'."

  "So are these two men doomed to add their bones to the pile?" asked Christiana.

  "Aye, alas."

  "Oh, how I hate the great deceiver who treats men thus! Would that we could crush him beneath our heel!"

  "It has already been done for us, Christiana. And if we will but listen to His every word, whether written or spoken by the living prophets (in this case the shepherds), we will not be deceived by the enemy's finest temptations. But we cannot pick and choose which instructions to heed, as these have done! We must obey them all, for God says nothing for the mere pleasure of hearing His own voice. But now, onward! We dare linger no more in this place, for, even knowing what is happening to us will not keep us awake much longer. Forward!"

  So they went on in the light of Great-heart's lantern. And by virtue of its rays, which were a light unto their feet, the way passed a little easier for them. But in spite of their attempts at being brave, the little ones soon found their courage beginning to flag. But having been taught from the cradle to call God their "Abba", they joined little hands and quietly prayed to Him as to a kind father. They wisely addressed Him as the Creator of heaven and earth and asked that He who once dandled little children upon His knee along the shores of Galilee, might look upon their present sufferings and send either relief therefrom, or grace to endure.

  Now it was not very long after their prayer that their Lord smiled upon them and spoke to the wind. This set a light breeze to blowing which gently wafted away the bewildering mists and damps. Then were the children greatly cheered and went forward with their faith much strengthened. Ah! How it warmed their young hearts to think that the Emperor of the universe still had time in His busy schedule to hear the bleatings of His wee-most lambs. So, although they were not yet out of the Enchanted Ground, they could at least see the safest places to place their feet.

  By and by they found the path ascending, and after much huffing and puffing, they came to the top of the hill. Looking back, they could see all of the Enchanted Ground laid out in panorama before them. They could also see vultures beginning to circle the last arbor, awaiting the time when the living dead, Heedless and Too-bold, should perish in their dreams. Said Matthew, "Mother, look! Down there is the arbor where the two fools are sleeping."

  "Aye, I see it, Matthew," she replied. "But what is that great white hill behind them?"

  "I don't know, Mother."

  "Great-heart?"

  "You know what it is, Madam."

  "I don't recall passing any such hill as that. Surely we would have noticed something so odd as that."

  "Because of the mist you saw only the foot of that hill."

  "The bones?"

  "Aye," answered he grimly.

  "That entire hill is made of bones?"

  "Aye."

  "Oh, my!" she exclaimed, feeling suddenly faint. "This pilgrimage business is more dangerous than I realized."

  "'Tis a matter of life and death to be sure. And there be all too few who endure long enough to reach life. Shall we be on our way?"

  "Yes!" declared she. "I am eager to have this vile Enchanted Ground behind us!"

  Meanwhile, Matthew had stretched out his captain's spyglass and was deeply engrossed in something far below. "Great-heart," said he. "Before we move on, come look through my glass. See? Over there where many paths converge. Is that where we stopped to read your map?"

  "Hmmm, yes. Yes, I believe it is," answered Great-heart. "Why?"

  "Well, I just trained my glass along the well-travelled path that led straight ahead . . . "

  "And?"

  "Here. Look for yourself. Do you see the bog?"

  "Hmmm, yes. Yes, I do," said the guide, peering through the glass.

  "And do you see, here and there, a hand or a tuft of hair sticking up out of the mire?"

  "Why, yes! And over there I see a rich man's hat with its ostrich feather all muddy and drooping. And over to the left, I see a lady's fine silk handkerchief floating. The whole thing is a bottomless pit full of quicksand!"

  "I think you're right, sir. 'Tis a miracle that we escaped it!"

  "Aye," agreed Great-heart as he returned the spyglass to its owner. "But take your glass and look again."

  "All right. But what am I looking for?"

  "For maps, or a compass, or a guide book. See any floating on the mire?"

  "Hmmm," murmured he thoughtfully as he carefully scanned the surface of the bog. "No. I see none. But why is this?"

  "Because those who fall in these grounds are those who trust their own wisdom and leave their guides behind them. They who realize their own weakness and follow the Word of the King need never fail - here or anywhere else. Ready to press on?"

  "Wait, sir. First I want to apologize."

  "For what, Matthew?"

  "When you forbade me to explore that way I was angry with you. But now, looking back, I can see that I might have died in the attempt. So I thank thee for saving my life and ask you to forgive my temper."

  "Of course you are forgiven, Matthew. But come, good sir! Your children are eager to be out of this Enchanted Ground."

  So they journeyed on. Now the way was none the easier, nor was the path any better worn. But because all had the assurance that God was indeed leading their steps, everyone pushed on in good hope. Even dear old Feeble-mind felt a twinge of hope in his breast. So they learned that a strait way at God's side is much to be preferred over any of the smooth ways that end in death.

  Before long they came to a clearing where their eyes met with a sight that brought a chill to their bones. It was another arbor. More lovely than any seen heretofore. But at the foot of its steps lay a fly-buzzed corpse being eaten by a pack of wild dogs. In the surrounding trees, a pack of hungry vultures silently awaited their turn at the scraps while a nearby flock of bickering crows plotted how to steal portions from their slow-moving cousins.

  "Uugghh, yuck!" exclaimed young Benjamin. "There's a bunch of dogs eating a dead body!"

  Then Great-heart and the other men shouted and cast stones at the mangy curs, who reluctantly slunk away with vicious snarls. The vultures flapped on clumsy wings into lazy circles above the pilgrims' heads while the protesting crows flew into higher branches to continue their hungry vigil.

  Now even though the clothing was all bloodied and ripped by the dogs, everyone could see that this man had once been quite the dandy. He was dressed in luxurious silks and wore a pair of fine alligator walking boots. He had a gold chain about his neck and a goodly ruby ring on his finger.

  "Who is it, Grandmother?" asked little Ellen from behind Christiana's skirts.

  "I know not, child," said she solemnly. "But he must have been a terribly wicked man to have suffered such a death as this one."

  "Aye," agreed Great-heart. "Look! His heart has been pierced by uh . . . one . . . two . . . three . . ."

  "Thirteen arrows!" exclaimed young Benjamin. "He's been killed thirteen times over!"

  "And his hair be all cut off!" piped wee little Christopher from his father's arms.

  "Hmmm," said Great-heart suspiciously as he sniffed the air.

  "What is it, Great-heart?" asked Christiana.

  "I smell perfume. I wonder . . . "

  "Aye, I smell it too," agreed Christiana. "And look at this luxurious arbor with its silken bed all mussed up. And look at the richly furnished table with all its pastries and wine glasses."

  "Notice how one is drained to its dregs while the other is still full," observed Matthew.

  "This is a great mystery," said Great-heart. "A great mystery indeed."

  "Bah!" s
norted Old-honest. "There is no mystery here!"

  "What? Please explain yourself," requested Great-heart.

  "This body, all torn and gashed, belongs to the man named Self-will."

  "Ah!" exclaimed Matthew. "The one you told us of."

  "Yes. I told him that his quest for pleasure would shear him of his strength and pierce him through the heart. But I did not expect my words to be literally fulfilled. And certainly not in so gruesome a manner."

  "Aye," agreed Great-heart. "He has indeed been fearfully tortured and abused."

  "Whoever did this to him must be right hand man to Beelzebub himself!" exclaimed Christiana.