Hero Quest Chapter 3 Part 4

After an hour or so of prayer John went and made breakfast and got Corrina’s coffee going.  Dread filled him as he considered the words of Jesus.  “What am I doing?  I should take a sick day,” he thought to himself.  Then he shook his head.  He would face the challenge, whatever it might be.  He decided that he would learn whatever lesson God had for him and move on.  He also realized that he would not be able to exercise today.  That extra hour of sleep had wiped out that possibility.  He felt a twinge of guilt. But he also knew just like this fear was not from God, neither was this guilt. 

He would face the challenge.  He would not give up, he would not surrender.  The pep talk going in his head resounded with words from hundreds of inspiring books and movies.  He would not back down from a challenge, whether he could see what the challenge was or not.  John Hero would not hide out at home.  He would overcome his anxiety.  He would get to work and face his enemy.

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            All the kids knew is that they were hungry, and all of the adults in the place didn’t seem to notice them.  Michelle, the oldest at four, took the lead.  Quietly, Michelle showed her little brother and sister to the kitchen.  Michelle searched each cabinet carefully hoping that they would not creak.  She remembered once being beaten for waking her mom up and she was determined not to make that mistake again.  Michelle thought carefully as she examined each box.  How she wished that she was able to read.  All of these boxes looked alike.  Certainly one of these would have food in them.  Methodically she pulled out a bag with cereal in it.  She opened it and gave some to little Anton, age two.  His eyes brightened with the taste of food.  Handful after handful went into the bag, and then into his mouth.  It had been a long couple of days for him.  Susie, who had just turned three, looked at the bag and saw a bug crawling among the oat cereal and screamed. 

Footsteps pounded from around the house.  The kids were caught up in an angry swirl, and the cereal bag was ripped from Anton’s hand.  A moment later all three kids, with blustery, swollen, tear-filled eyes, found themselves in a basement bedroom.  The dirty laundry all around them was the only furniture.  Michelle was silent as she heard the door lock at the top of the stairs.  Darkness filled most of the room.  When all was again quiet, Michelle comforted her siblings as a good mother would.