Episode 3

‘Taking the first step, ah!’

A cold chill went through the spine uncontrollably. Time stopped, sound stopped, and sight stopped. Boom! Boom! Boom! Went the sound of the heart, as if it wanted to jump out before anyone could step onto the altar. Fear and tribulation like no man has ever seen.

‘Why would anyone go through this willingly?’ John thought.

The horrors of death became more real than the perils of life. Breath fled as he gasped for air.

‘The Curator said that only a few things would have to be taken away or did he say everything?’ he muttered while crouching for the next step.

The Curator just kept watching as though he had walked that way and only came back as a guide.

‘Who is next?’ he muttered, not even a bit concerned about John’s state, ‘remember it is a matter of faith and not strength. The more you fight, is the more you lose and will have to go through the whole ordeal over and over again.’

‘Come on man!’ someone in the crowd muttered almost angrily, ‘look, that guy is suffering!’

But the Curator, almost unmoved by the murmurings, continued, ‘If none of you volunteers to go next, I may have to make the choice for you.’

‘I will go next.’ A voice sounded, if only to break the silence. ‘I will go next.’

‘Isn’t that Martin?’ someone asked.

Then another, ‘I know that guy…’

One even joked about it hysterically saying, ‘I am next, ha-ha-ha! If Martin can do it then mountains are about to melt.’

‘Did something hit that guy’s head while coming here?’ another asked.

Martin, John’s neighbor and almost what you would call friend, was what you would call typical cowardice. He would literally freeze in the middle of terror and sometimes even faint.

‘What is it about this place?’ someone asked, ‘that even cowards are becoming bold.’

‘When you are weak then you are strong,’ said the Curator quoting the Bible, ‘For he came, not for the strong nor the wealthy, but the weak and poor.’

And the crowd literally went silent.

‘Come here my friend,’ said the Curator, ‘I will give you a few tips.’

Then he whispered a few things to Martin. As though a switch had been flipped, Martin’s face turned from pale to bright and from sad to great joy.

‘Man, we need those tips’ someone shouted.

‘What did he tell you man?’ another added.

Unmoved by any of the crowd’s muttering being sure of what he had received, Martin went straight to frozen John. He knelt and whispered, ‘do not fear, for the Lord is your strength and the light of your salvation.’

John begun to weep while getting up, not because of what Martin had said, but because he had held himself in condemnation for so long while trying to be the strong man of everyone else. He was trying to keep the appearance of strength even when he knew that he had it was not necessary, an appearance of boldness not willing to ask for help even though it was offered.

Martin held his hand and said, ‘let’s do this together.’

‘That’s okay. I wouldn’t want it any other way,’ John replied.

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