《The Time Box》


 Where Has the Time Gone

    ¡°Find him!¡± The dean¡¯s voice pierced the stillness; the plastic casing of the receiver echoed the violent reconnection to the phone base throughout the large office. He got up from his desk and rejoined the other men.


    She peered through her large glasses as her gaze circled the room; her breathing seemed labored as her tiny frame expanded and shrank with each breath. She sat rigidly, her hands resting on her lap and clasped together in a vise-like grip. She felt dizzy, nauseated, worried sick actually, like a patient in the hospital awaiting the dreaded news of a debilitating illness. She watched as the three men stood in a circle and whispered as if she wasn¡¯t even in the room, as if her presence and her plight were not even the reason they were all here. The planning continued without her as she sat in silence, watching the dean of the university, the head of security, and the sheriff¡¯s deputy discuss how best to handle the situation with her son, Max.


    She always assumed her first visit to the university would be graduation day, a scenario she had played out in her mind many times. Not being one for crowds or strangers, even the thought of that day several years away made her anxious. But being here now, for this reason, was much worse. She led a simple life as a homemaker, a wife of a preacher, and proud mother, but this was far from it, and she felt so out of place that the weight of those feelings almost crushed her. This was not her life, and she didn¡¯t want to be here. She didn¡¯t want to be anywhere¨Dnot in this time.


    How could she turn back the clock? How could she go back to a better time, just one year ago when Max was still in high school, and alter the future? What could she do or say that would make her son change his course of action, the action that led to her being here today in this stifling office surrounded by those in authority in whose hands the fate of her son might rest? She wondered if she had ignored the signs. It was all clear looking back: the secrecy, the obsession, the way Max had seemed to change right before her very eyes.


    ***


    ¡°Are we living in the end times? Maybe we are. Throughout history, people have always believed we are living in the end times. But are these things you should concern yourself with?¡± Reverend Maxwell pounded his fist on the podium. He did this often when he wanted to drive a point home. The sudden impact reverberated throughout the small church, causing those who had let the sermon lull them into a sullen trance to suddenly jump. Now everyone was alert.


    The reverend tilted his head forward to peer out over his reading glasses giving everyone a perfect view of his bald head. Only a trimmed area of white strands, which encircled the lower portion of his head like a horseshoe, gave testament to a head once full of hair. He was not a large man by any standards, but his broad, muscled shoulders and burly arms not only revealed a lifetime of manual labor but gave the contours of his robes a formidable appearance as he stood behind the podium.


    ¡°Why are we so obsessed with predicting the second coming of Christ?¡± the reverend continued. ¡°Matthew, Chapter 24, verse 36 says that no man or even the angels in Heaven know the day and hour of the coming of the Son of Man. It only tells us to be ready, to have our house in order. That¡¯s what we should be concerned with.¡±


    Max sat in the first pew¨Dstoic and unflinching¨Dclosely beside his mother as he watched his dad intensely. Johnny Maxwell, whom the kids at school called ¡°Max,¡± had been sitting in that same spot beside his mom practically since he was born. The hard oak planks were as comfortable to him as a person¡¯s favorite recliner. Now eighteen years old and about to graduate high school, Max had become accustomed to his dad¡¯s tactics. And the sermons, which had so mesmerized him as a child, now seemed to recycle over time, sermons with ideas with which he didn¡¯t always agree. At home, he and his dad debated their differences, sometimes for hours, but here in church he played his role. In his neatly pressed jacket and perfectly straight tie, his hands cupped over each knee, only the occasional blinks of his eyes suggested life.


    The sunlight of this bright spring day pierced the small stained-glass windows on the east wall of the building, casting distorted replicas along the back wall above his dad¡¯s head, which resembled pastel abstracts. After a final prayer, the five-person choir, six counting the lady playing the organ, concluded the service as their voices harmonized with the measure of the organ¡¯s pitch in perfect unison.


    When it was over, Max shook hands as he mingled around the small sanctuary of The Life of Christ non-denominational church in Parker, Ohio, where his dad had been pastor for the last twenty years. Congregation members filed out of the tightly enclosed pews to either talk with one another or make their way to the front entrance. After the customary greetings, Max took his place between his mom and dad as the congregation made their way out the front doors, each stopping to shake the reverend¡¯s hand and compliment his sermon.


    Max towered above his mom who was only five feet even. Her tiny frame and her simple ankle-length, straight-hanging dress added to the effect. With her large glasses and her hair pulled up, which is how she always wore it for church, she had the appearance of a much older woman.


    Max also trumped his dad¡¯s five-feet-seven-inch frame. At almost six feet and a measly one hundred and fifty pounds, he was what the old-timers referred to as ¡°skin and bone.¡± His slender, chiseled face was accessorized by his steel blue eyes and short black hair, which was always parted neatly on the side. His bright smile seemed to stretch all the way across from one jaw to the other, his slight overbite making the front two teeth partially cover the lower row.


    After the last person had left the building, his father looked over to him. ¡°You better go take care of Mrs. Johnson.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°You coming home for lunch?¡± his mom asked.


    Without looking back as he strolled down the brick steps that led up to the entrance of the church, Max gave a thumbs up. ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡±


    Mrs. Johnson was waiting patiently at the foot of the steps; her gaze was straight ahead into nothingness as if there was an invisible object levitating in front of her that only she could see. She stood almost motionless, with only a slight sway as she held onto her cane, which made it hard to know if this was a purposeful rhythmic movement or if she had balance problems.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Max came up beside her with his arm out for her to take.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Mrs. Johnson took his arm and smiled.


    There was a cool breeze blowing. It was a beautiful day, and the hardwood trees were a vibrant green and the wild flowers around the little church were in full bloom, giving the little two-acre lot a water-painting effect.


    Max led her to his truck, an older, faded-blue Ford Ranger, opened the passenger door, and assisted her as she got inside. The truck was eleven years old and the northern Ohio winters had bombarded the frame with enough salt to rust away the bottom panels, especially above the tires, until you could see through the brown crud of the outer frame. But with the odometer boasting over two hundred thousand miles, it still got him where he needed to go.


    This had become a regular Sunday event with Max ever since his dad had volunteered him for chauffeur duty. At seventy-seven years old, Mrs. Johnson¡¯s husband had died several years earlier, and she had continued to drive herself to church until a year ago when she had a stroke and no longer had the physical ability to handle an automobile. Max had been picking her up and driving her to and from church for both the morning and evening service ever since.


    ¡°You ¡®bout to graduate?¡± Mrs. Johnson asked as they rode.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. Next Friday.¡±


    ¡°Oh Lord, that¡¯s wonderful,¡± she said as she patted Max on the arm. ¡°Guess I gotta find a new ride to church.¡±


    Max smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be here through the summer and then I¡¯m attending Cedarbluff University in the fall. It¡¯s not that far, so I¡¯ll still be living at home. So, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re stuck with me.¡±


    This brought a smile to Mrs. Johnson¡¯s face. They talked along as usual as he drove through the small town of Parker, which began as a settlement back in the early 1800s. It consisted mostly of rural farmland with one short stretch that could be referred to as downtown, which consisted of Hurley¡¯s Market, two convenience stores, one diner, an old opera house, and a Laundromat.


    Max pulled into the parking lot of Hurley¡¯s Market, a small-town grocery store that had been here since Max could remember. As he turned off the truck, Mrs. Johnson handed him her food stamp card. This was part of the trip every Sunday; Max would go in and buy her the same groceries every week.


    ¡°Be sure to get yourself something,¡± she added.


    ¡°Okay, I will.¡±


    Max went through the store collecting the small number of items. He knew this routine well and knew where each item was, so it didn¡¯t take long. The fact that he worked here as a stock boy and had put most of these items on the shelves didn¡¯t hurt either.


    ¡°Hey, Max. How¡¯s Mrs. Johnson?¡± Mary Anne, a middle-aged cashier, asked as she began to total the groceries.


    ¡°Good. She¡¯s really good.¡± Max grabbed a small pack of gum by the register so he could show that he had gotten something for himself. He handed Mary Anne the card as she finished scanning everything and she swiped it through the machine.


    Beep.


    Mary Anne looked at Max with a humble expression. ¡°There¡¯s nothing on here.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Max was surprised. ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°She gives it to her grandkids,¡± Mary Anne said. ¡°They come in here and buy all kinds of candy and junk food and don¡¯t even leave her anything for what she needs.¡±


    ¡°Okay, how much is it?¡± Max pulled out his wallet. Looking inside, he realized he didn¡¯t have the $29.45 total.


    Mary Anne apparently noticed that too. ¡°Bob!¡± she yelled.


    The manager, Bob Mitner, a short, stocky, balding fellow in his early fifties, came to the register. Seeing Max and the groceries, he shook his head. He simply looked at Mary Anne with a wry smile and slight nod.


    Mary Anne completed the transaction and handed the receipt to Bob.


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Max said to them both.


    Bob walked over to a small partitioned-off office and handed the receipt over the top. ¡°Take this out of Max¡¯s next paycheck.¡±


    An older woman popped her head up and grabbed the receipt. ¡°Hey, Max. How¡¯s Mrs. Johnson?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing well.¡± Max carried the bag of groceries and headed toward the front door.


    Once he got back inside the truck, Mrs. Johnson asked, ¡°Did you get yourself something?¡±


    Max held up the pack of gum and thanked her for buying them for him. He drove her home to what could be the only area of Parker that could be considered the bad part of town. There was very little crime, but the houses were older and a lot of them had been foreclosed and even condemned in the last few years. He helped her inside and then put away her groceries, making sure to check her refrigerator and cabinets for expired food.


    As he drove back home through the small town of Parker, Ohio, he also wondered how the future would affect him and his life. Cedarbluff was a Christian college near the Michigan state line a mere thirty miles from Parker. It was exciting to think of the new things that awaited him and a little scary at the same time. Needless to say, growing up in a town of four thousand people and being a preacher¡¯s son meant Max so far had led a fairly sheltered life.


    Once he got home, he went upstairs to his room, changed clothes, came back down and went straight to the kitchen. He sat and ate a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich with his parents. His dad had also changed from his church clothes into jeans and a t-shirt. Only his mom still wore her Sunday dress since she had begun to make lunch as soon as they arrived home. After the blessing, it was common for them to eat in silence.


    ¡°When¡¯s your thing at the college?¡± his mom asked breaking the stillness.


    ¡°Wednesday at noon.¡±


    ¡°What will you be doing that day?¡± his dad asked.


    Finishing the last bite of his sandwich, Max wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s called orientation. I will be assigned a student guide, and they will show me around campus like where the cafeteria, library, bookstore, and things like that are. Hopefully, it will be a pretty girl.¡±


    His mom smiled.


    His dad did not. ¡°Are you finished eating?¡± he asked.


    Max nodded and, at his father¡¯s request, followed him outside. They walked out to the small barn, which served more as a workshop since they had no animals. It had not been regularly maintained in many years, so you could barely make out the former red paint that covered its exterior walls. There were two doors that stayed open since the hinges were so rusted that it was feared they would just fall off if you tried to close them.


    Max was confused about where this was going and sensed his dad was worried about something. Once inside the barn, his dad motioned for him to take a seat on a large chunk of firewood that sat upright and then stood in front of Max with his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I wanted to talk to you¡­ uh¡­ well, about¡­¡±


    Max couldn¡¯t help but smile at his dad. His dad, who spoke in front of people as a profession, and whom he had never seen at a loss for words, suddenly couldn¡¯t begin to arrange his thoughts.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Dad?¡±


    Mr. Maxwell looked down toward the ground as if that would help him know how to begin, as if he was not actually speaking to his son but still practicing. ¡°You know, college life is different. You¡¯re going to be meeting new people and experiencing new things. I read an article once that said that¡¯s the most tempting time for a young person, and that most college kids experiment with drugs and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± Max said interrupting his father¡¯s speech. ¡°You worry too much. I¡¯m not really a peer-pressure-kind-of guy.¡±


    His dad smiled. ¡°I know that. But you¡¯re going to have new peers now and new pressures. Maybe drugs are not what I¡¯m worried about, but maybe it¡¯s more finding a young woman and falling for her and moving too quickly¨Dthat kind of thing. I know you haven¡¯t experienced that yet but trust me when I say it¡¯s easy to get carried away.¡±


    Trying to reassure his dad and soften the mood a little, Max offered a suggestion. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll always try to do what you would do.¡±


    His dad laughed out loud. ¡°Now I¡¯m really scared. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the role model you seek. Always think about what He would have you do.¡±


    Even without his dad pointing upward, Max knew exactly what he meant. As they walked back toward the house, he patted his dad on the back. ¡°I think that was a good talk. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    His dad smiled; apparently glad it was over.


    Max went back in and grabbed his warehouse apron for work. As he drove to Hurley¡¯s Market, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about what his dad had said. He had never even been on a date. He went to the senior prom because his mom encouraged him explaining he might regret not ever going. He went stag and never asked the first girl to dance. He didn¡¯t know how. So, the thought of him meeting a girl in college might have scared his dad, but as much as he hoped it would happen, it terrified Max.

 Ready for College

    Max finished the last bite of his pork chop and macaroni dinner then excused himself and went up to his bedroom. Max¡¯s room was in what used to be the attic. The house originally had one bedroom, but like a lot of houses that were as old as this one, it had a very steep roof to help keep the weight of snow to a minimum. The attic had been converted a long time ago, before Max¡¯s parents even purchased the house, to add a staircase and bedroom upstairs. The room was small with barely enough room for a dresser and bed. The dresser also served as the computer desk. There was a small closet, which was only wide enough for a single twenty-four-inch closet door and that, along with the dresser, stored all of the clothes that Max owned, most purchased used from Goodwill stores and some even hand-me-downs from his dad.


    No posters or sports memorabilia adorned the walls. The only things on the walls were three pictures, all colored with crayons, and created on standard notebook paper. The lines were still visible. They had been trimmed down to fit into cheap plastic eight-by-ten-inch frames and hung side-by-side on the wall above the headboard of Max¡¯s twin-size bed, which had at one time been part of a bunk bed. Two of the pictures were colored mostly in blues and greens, but the middle one was created at the hands of someone with a little artistic talent, and you could tell it was a person with glowing red cheeks. If the average person were to critique the art, they might conclude that it was Santa Claus and two aliens. Only Max and his three Sunday school kids knew the images depicted Jesus.


    As the large, dull-red sun hung almost motionless above the horizon outside his window, Max sat and clicked the mouse of his computer, which was very old and still had the large CRT computer monitor. He only used it sparingly, but it was still frustrating considering it took several seconds each time he went from one web page to another. But it was something he had gotten used to. Max had gotten used to doing without a lot of things. But unlike most kids his age, he didn¡¯t seem to even notice.


    There was a quiet knock on his door whereupon his dad entered. ¡°Hey. What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Just checking out Cedarbluff¡¯s website again. Trying to familiarize myself with everything.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to bother you,¡± his dad responded.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s up?¡± Max then noticed that his dad was holding a Bible and a notepad in one hand. ¡°Oh, yeah, sure; I¡¯ll be glad to be your audience.¡±


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    Max shook his head. This was a common thing, and he enjoyed hearing his dad¡¯s sermons in their rough form and even being able to give critiques and, hopefully, add to them. Even though he and his dad didn¡¯t always see eye-to-eye on scripture, they did at least share a love of studying and discussing the Bible, and Max had always appreciated his dad¡¯s gentle ways when it came to spreading the gospel of Jesus.


    His dad smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. ¡°Okay, this is for Wednesday night and I kind of wanted to follow up on what we touched upon Sunday morning with the end times.¡± Coughing once to clear his throat, he began. ¡°Today I want to continue our discussion about the end times. Everyone wants to predict when that will be. Most of us think it will be in our lifetime. But I tell you this; the end will come, and it will come for everyone. It might not be at the second coming of Christ; your end could come at any time. You might think you¡¯re the healthiest person of anyone you know, but you could have a heart attack without warning. You could get struck by lightning or be involved in a car wreck. What if your end comes for you tomorrow? Are you confident in your faith? Are you ready to stand before the Lord tomorrow and be judged? Uh¡­¡±


    Max sat in silence as his dad flipped the yellow page of his legal pad to follow his ideas.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it begins, anyway. I have some other notes here; I just need to organize them. What do you think of the beginning?¡± his dad asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s brilliant.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± his dad asked.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Max said. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought about it that way. We¡¯re always talking about when the end will come, and we talk about being ready for the end, but that very thing has already happened for a lot of us and will most likely happen for many, many more of us before Christ returns. I think what you¡¯re trying to do is very clever, make people see that it is not the end of the world that should preoccupy our thoughts, but the end of our own life and what we did while we were here that is important.¡±


    His dad looked through his notes as his eyebrows lowered in thought. ¡°When you put it that way, I am a genius.¡±


    They both laughed.


    ¡°Give me some more ideas along those lines,¡± his dad said.


    Before Max could continue, however, there was another knock on the door and his mom poked her head in. ¡°Hey, Max. Carlie is here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He looked over at his dad.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± his dad nodded. ¡°We can finish this later.¡±


    Max trotted down the stairs wondering if he had forgotten a tutoring appointment. He had been tutoring Carlie in algebra throughout the school year. His mom and dad followed behind him.


    Carlie was standing just inside the front door holding her algebra book and notebook against her chest with her arms crossed in front resting beneath her neck. She wore short shorts and a sleeveless, pink, button-up blouse that accented her small athletic frame. She was a junior and a cheerleader at Max¡¯s high school.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Max walked up and they gave each other a cordial hug. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you.¡±


    She smiled a little guilty smile. ¡°I know. I¡¯m sorry to just pop in like this. I was going to call but I happened to be driving by and had my books and decided to take a chance.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°I have my algebra final tomorrow, and I was hoping we could do a review,¡± she said, her voice sweetened just enough to plead her case. Her long, straight, dark blonde hair with artificial highlights came down over her hands in front of her as she stood motionless. She batted her long eyelashes over her beautiful brown eyes and put on her best pouty face, which always seemed to work with guys.


    It was not necessary, and it was likely that Max didn¡¯t even notice. He only noticed a person in need and that¡¯s all that mattered.


    ¡°The table is cleared off, so you guys can go in the kitchen,¡± his mom said as she overheard the conversation. She turned and went back into the kitchen to continue washing the dinner dishes.


    Max and Carlie sat at the table and began to go over different algebraic problems.


    ¡°I really appreciate this,¡± Carlie said as she patted Max on the hand. ¡°You have been a lifesaver this year for me. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far without your help. I wish you would let me pay you though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Max said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any finals this week?¡± she asked.


    Max shook his head. ¡°Nope. All done. The only thing the seniors have left is graduation ceremony Friday night.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so lucky. I¡¯ll be glad when the year is over for me.¡± Carlie rolled her eyes as if she really was dreading finals. ¡°I wish I was good at math like you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really take credit. With me, math is a genetic thing.¡± Max tilted his head toward his dad who had brought his coffee cup to add to the dishes, which his mom had almost finished.


    ¡°He gets his smarts from you?¡±  Carlie asked, smiling at Reverend Maxwell as he passed the table.


    This brought a smile to his face.


    ¡°So, which one of you is better at math?¡± she asked.


    His dad paused at the table and looked upward as if really scrutinizing the question. But it was all for show. ¡°The one not spending a hundred grand to become a preacher,¡± he finally answered.


    Carlie laughed. ¡°You¡¯re going to college to become a preacher?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Max said, correcting the assertion. ¡°I¡¯m going to seminary to learn as much about theology as possible.¡± He turned to give a smirk toward his dad. ¡°After all, someone once told me that we are students for life and should always strive to learn as much as we can.¡±


    His dad made a funny face as if wondering where he could have heard such a thing.


    ¡°And if I do receive the calling to be a preacher,¡± Max continued, now looking back at Carlie, ¡°having a degree in theology wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    His dad patted him on the back for assurance and walked back into the living room.


    Max¡¯s mom finished up the dishes and left them alone in the kitchen. They studied until 10:00 p.m. Carlie thanked him for the tenth time and left to drive home.


    Max was ready to go to bed. He left a note for his dad on the fridge.


    Got to work tomorrow from 7 to 4. Can help with sermon afterward.


    ***


    Max got home at 4:30 p.m. after his shift at Hurley¡¯s Market. His mom was working in her small garden chopping with a hoe around her tomato plants to cut out weeds. His dad¡¯s work truck was not there. Besides being a pastor, his dad was also a licensed plumber, and that was what supplemented the small income he made from the church.


    Max walked back to the garden. ¡°Did Dad have a job to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± his mom replied, wiping the sweat from her brow. ¡°Somebody had an emergency; I think a broken water line.¡±


    Max walked over to the barn, grabbed another hoe, came back, and started working the row next to his mom. They worked in silence for about an hour until his dad pulled into the driveway.


    Walking back to the garden, his dad looked at them and smiled. ¡°Hey guys. Can we have a family meeting?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re dirty. Can we shower first?¡± his mom pleaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m dirty, too,¡± his dad countered. ¡°We can clean up after. I think it¡¯s time to set the college boy down and put our cards on the table.¡±


    Max¡¯s mom smiled, which made Max hesitant. I hope this isn¡¯t another attempt at the birds-and-bees talk, he thought to himself.


    They all walked into the kitchen and sat at the table, his mom and dad sitting across from him with a warm smile on both their faces. Max was really uncertain about what was going on.


    His dad began. ¡°First we want to tell you how proud we are of you.¡±


    Max looked on in astonishment. His dad rarely verbally expressed himself.


    ¡°And even though you¡¯re not in college yet,¡± his dad continued, ¡°tomorrow is your first step into a bigger world and, well, we want to send you off right.¡±


    As if on cue, his mom got up, went into their bedroom and came back with several bags and handed them to Max. She then took her seat and looked on with the same smile that had never left her face since sitting down.


    Puzzled, Max opened the bags to discover two new pairs of jeans, several new button-up shirts, and a new pair of tennis shoes. ¡°Oh my gosh,¡± he said in a whisper as he pulled them out of the bag. ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t have.¡± But there was no disguising the happiness on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s so true,¡± his dad joked. ¡°I said you should be wearing your jacket and tie to school, but Mom here says they don¡¯t dress like that to go to college these days. I saw some of the brochures and I guess she¡¯s right. I also saw your print-off of the classes you will be taking, and I figured you needed to be dressed comfortably when you take Human Sexuality.¡±


    Max felt his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s a required class,¡± he said to clarify.


    ¡°No, no, I understand,¡± his dad said as he continued to poke fun. ¡°Whatever you learn, just make sure you come back and share it with us. If you could bring diagrams and charts, that would be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Robert!¡± his mom snapped, now blushing as much as Max.


    Max didn¡¯t even hear the joke as he had begun to lace up his new shoes. He had never owned new shoes and even if he had ever received a pair, there would most likely have been a birthday cake on the table. He felt like a kid again.  ¡°I really appreciate this,¡± he said.


    ¡°Wait! We got one more thing.¡± His mom jumped out of her seat again and came back with a smaller bag this time and handed it to Max. He opened the bag to find a cell phone. ¡°You¡¯re going to be driving a lot, so this is for emergencies.¡±


    ¡°Mom, we can¡¯t afford this.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a prepaid phone. There isn¡¯t a monthly service. We¡¯ve paid up two hundred minutes, so just keep it in the truck. There¡¯s a car charger with it. With driving back and forth to college and studying and still working at the store, we just feel better if you have it.¡± His mom was starting to tear up.


    So was Max. Although cell phones were common now, he had never owned one and had never given it much thought. But it was the gesture that meant the most to him.


    After dinner that night, Max laid out a new pair of pants, shirt, and shoes for tomorrow¡¯s orientation. He lay awake for many hours after going to bed as the anticipation would not let his mind rest.

 Nearly Impossible

    Max stepped out of his truck and stared at the campus from the visitor parking area. Cedarbluff was beautiful. The main building had been built around 1850, and the red bricks were larger than standard bricks. It was four stories high and, other than the front entrance, consisted of four perfect rows of narrow windows creating a domino appearance. Along with the main building, there were two others that had been built at the same time, and all three were almost completely covered in ivy. There were three other newer buildings as was evident by the standard-sized brick construction and lack of foliage. The campus grounds were meticulously well-groomed and, along with the tall evergreens spread out everywhere to the green line of the woods in the background, it gave the appearance of a Robert Frost poem brought to life.


    After a brief sign-in and welcome, Max found himself sitting outside the Dean of Students office, waiting with several other soon-to-be freshmen of Cedarbluff. Suddenly, a beautiful young lady walked into the room carrying a folder. Her black dress was snug in every area from her shoulders to where it ended just above her knees. As she walked, the dress seemed to glide over every contour as the light reflected off the fabric to create an almost hypnotic effect. Every eye of every guy in the room was transfixed on her, including Max¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t believe there could be that much difference in high school and college but here was proof. He couldn¡¯t help but hope that this was his guide.


    ¡°Johnny,¡± she called out.


    His heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Johnny Thomas,¡± she said as she peeked inside the folder for verification.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± a young guy said as he jumped up and followed her out of the room.


    Max was disappointed and relieved at the same time. He could only imagine how big a dork he would have made himself look in front of a girl like that.


    Several minutes passed and he began to wonder if the rest of them had been stood up. Another student entered the room, but was carrying no folder, so Max assumed he wasn¡¯t a guide. He was very short, about five-feet-six, and very heavy. His shoulders and arms were as massive as the rest of him. He looked like a guy who spent as much time in the gym as he did at the dinner table. Max guessed him to be over three hundred pounds. He had very curly, sandy-brown hair, a double chin, and his feet pointed outward, so his walk looked more like a penguin than a person. He wore a Cedarbluff sweatshirt, his matching sweatpants were pulled up over his waist, and you could see his stomach protruding below the belt line, or string line in this case. His movements reminded Max of a tank or bulldozer; not just the bulky size, but the short, quick motions they make running on tracks. But there was an undeniable rhythm to his overall appearance as well, much like the grace a sumo wrestler might display that makes observers stare in awe. The only thing more noticeable than the guy¡¯s physique was his apparent cockiness. He seemed to strut more than walk as if he was proudly displaying a champion figure.


    He stopped in the middle of the room where the high school kids were seated and almost yelled, ¡°I¡¯m looking for a moron named Johnny Maxwell.¡±


    Max didn¡¯t move or say anything as if he was deciding if he heard correctly.


    ¡°Come on,¡± the big guy shouted with his arms in the air on each side of him. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna eat ya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Johnny,¡± Max said as he stood up.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going. We¡¯re burning daylight.¡± The big guy turned and started toward the door without even making sure Max was following.


    Max caught up to him and walked alongside. He was amazed at how fast the guy could walk with such short legs.


    ¡°So, what do you go by? John? John Boy? JoJo? What?¡±


    ¡°I go by Max.¡±


    The big guy stopped and stared up at Max. ¡°Good call, dude. You ever hear of Laurel & Hardy? No wait. I mean Abbott & Costello. Anyway, that¡¯s what we look like together. Maybe we should start a comedy team. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Max muttered, trying to think of an answer that wouldn¡¯t commit him to anything but not offend either.


    ¡°I¡¯m messing with you, dude,¡± he said as he laughed at Max¡¯s gullibility. ¡°That¡¯s lesson number one. In college, you gotta lighten up. By the way, my name¡¯s Rollo. Oddly enough, it¡¯s a shortened version of my last name also. Benjamin Rollings to be exact. I¡¯m telling you, Rollo & Max, comedy duet. We¡¯d be awesome.¡±


    Rollo continued to show Max around campus, and it seemed like he knew everyone there. Almost everyone they passed greeted him in a friendly way, and Rollo always took a second to introduce Max, usually as the next Romeo to woo the ladies or other such embarrassing titles. Rollo was loud, obnoxious, cocky, arrogant, and entirely self-centered. And there was one thing Max could tell for certain about him right away¨Dhe was a genuinely likeable guy.


    ¡°Let me take you over to the most important building of all,¡± Rollo said with a smile then cut across the grass of the campus grounds.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Max said, ¡°the cafeteria?¡±


    ¡°You da man!¡± Rollo shouted and offered up a high-five. ¡°I¡¯m not just going to teach you where it¡¯s at; I¡¯m gonna show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    As they walked, Max took in the scenery. He loved how the neatly curved and angled sidewalks contrasted the green grass of the campus. As they neared the cafeteria, Max heard loud yells coming from an adjacent building and could see a crowd of students inside the windows. ¡°What¡¯s going on in there?¡± Max asked.


    Rollo looked in the windows. ¡°Oh man, we gotta check this out. That¡¯s Professor Stoner¡¯s class. He¡¯s the coolest teacher on campus. Every year, he gives his students an almost impossible task for extra bonus points.¡±


    Max followed Rollo as he went into the building and squeezed through bodies to get to the front. He was a little hesitant about Rollo cutting in front of people, but the big guy just pushed forward saying, ¡°Excuse me, coming through.¡± No one seemed to mind and several patted Rollo on the back as he pushed through.


    Finally, they found themselves on the side of the campus swimming pool, which was crowded all around. Max knew that all these students couldn¡¯t be in the professor¡¯s class and assumed that most were there as spectators just like he and Rollo were. The sunlight coming through the windows reflected off the water and produced dancing, illuminated spectrums all around the room. The atmosphere was so charged with positive energy that Max could feel it like an invisible force actually hitting him in the face and making his lips curl upward into a smile.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Okay, everyone, listen up,¡± said a man holding a clipboard. He stood on the opposite side of the pool from them, and Max concluded quickly that it must be Professor Stoner.


    He was a young professor, early thirties, about five-feet-ten, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a severely receded hairline. Even though his hair was thinning, he still wore it very short, almost a shadow, which made every thin area more distinct, and Max could, in fact, see his entire head clearly. He wore a mustache which actually turned down past each side of his lips, although it was trimmed neatly. If he had long hair, he might have fit right in with the 70s. He wore a shirt and tie with no jacket and was very athletic.


    The professor looked at his clipboard. ¡°Next up to take on the challenge of walking on water is Kevin Kowalski.¡±


    The student made his way to the edge of the pool alongside the professor and raised his hands in the air for moral support. The crowd obliged with vigorous applause and whooping noises. He brought out his invention, which looked like a pogo stick, but instead of foot pegs and springs, the bottom consisted of a very large inflatable half-ball. The circumference was about five feet across; the top part was flat to stand on and the sphere part was on the bottom.


    ¡°All right,¡± the professor said as he acknowledged the student and his invention. ¡°Kevin came prepared. Now have you tested this ridiculous contraption?¡±


    ¡°I have, your greatness,¡± answered Kevin. This brought laughs from the crowd.


    ¡°And have you had a successful test of eighty-two feet, the distance required to pass this test?¡±


    ¡°Close,¡± Kevin replied.


    ¡°Then the pool is yours.¡± Professor Stoner offered by holding his arms outward as he stepped back.


    Kevin maneuvered his device to the pool¡¯s edge, positioned one foot on the thing, jumped up with the second foot and bounced off the edge into the pool. The crowd was cheering his name, and even Max was so intrigued that he found himself screaming the name ¡°Kevin¡± for a person he didn¡¯t even know. The pogo ball hit the water and Kevin pulled up hard and it actually worked. The ball stayed on top of the water on the initial plunge and Kevin was able to use his strength to make the ball go airborne again. As the ball bounced off the water, the crowd yelled louder. The second bounce off the water was harder as the ball had sunken lower this time, but Kevin still managed to get it airborne a second time, albeit a lot lower than the first. The third plunge was the killer, though, as the ball sank deep into the water, and Kevin¡¯s attempt to bounce it a third time failed, so he went down with his ship, or stick, as was the case.


    The crowd was still cheering. Professor Stoner had put down his clipboard and was clapping and cheering with the crowd.


    As Kevin climbed out of the water with assistance from other students, he raised his hands once again as if he had succeeded. And, once again, the crowd responded. He looked to the professor for a ruling.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± the professor said. ¡°Not bad at all. You came up way short, but you did it with style. I¡¯m going to give you twenty-five bonus points for ingenuity.¡±


    Kevin seemed happy with that as he strutted around with his arms high in the air.


    Rollo was ready to go eat now, but he seemed to notice how engrossed Max was with the challenge, so he said nothing. Max had the look of a child during his first visit to the circus. It was the look of wonderment as if no one had ever explained that such things existed in the world. They stayed for another forty-five minutes as two more students tried and failed the assignment. Finally, the crowd started to disburse, and Rollo was able to steal back Max¡¯s attention and lead him to the cafeteria.


    As they grabbed a tray and started loading up different foods, Rollo asked, ¡°You got a kick out of that, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Max replied. ¡°That was awesome.¡±


    They took their trays and sat across from one another at a table and Rollo began to eat.


    ¡°Did you have Professor Stoner?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Rollo as he sipped his soda. ¡°I had him last year.¡±


    ¡°What was your near-impossible assignment?¡±


    Rollo could tell that Max was definitely taken with the whole near-impossible bonus concept. ¡°We had to propel a sheet of paper one hundred yards. You could wad it up or make it into a plane or whatever, but nothing but the paper could travel.¡±


    ¡°Did you do it?¡± asked Max.


    ¡°Shoot no. But I tried it because he gives people some points for trying.¡±


    ¡°Did anyone succeed?¡± Max was asking so many questions that he hadn¡¯t yet taken the first bite of his lunch.


    ¡°One guy came close. He had made it into a ball and kept soaking it in water and forming it until he had it almost a perfect sphere. Then he stuck a tee in the ground and placed the paper ball on it and then brought out a metal driver. I was thinking, genius. So, he swings the club and gives the ball a good whack with the driver, and it took off pretty well. He came the closest. If he hadn¡¯t hit a slice, he might have made it.¡±


    Max was staring off into the distance as if he could actually see the events unfold, his mouth opened with the corners curved into a slight smile.


    ¡°Another guy might have succeeded,¡± Rollo continued as he squeezed the contents of a ketchup pack onto his food, ¡°but the professor wouldn¡¯t let him do it.¡±


    Max looked confused. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Rollo explained. ¡°It was this rich jerk, so it¡¯s no big deal. He had a gunsmith or ammo guy or somebody make the sheet of paper into a bullet and he brought a high-powered rifle to shoot the bullet at a target. But the professor wouldn¡¯t let him fire it and pointed out that one of the rules says that it cannot be anything dangerous. The guy complained like crazy, and I think even threatened to sue the school. I told you; he¡¯s a jerk.¡±


    Max finally started to eat, and Rollo added, ¡°You probably know the guy or at least his dad. His dad is Arthur Clavin.¡± Seeing the blank look on Max¡¯s face, he continued. ¡°You know, the famous preacher of that mega-church in New York? What¡¯s it called? Faith for You Ministries, I think.¡±


    Max had no clue, and his expression conveyed it.


    Rollo stared at him as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Come on, dude. He¡¯s written like a hundred books including several Bibles and has a TV and radio show. He¡¯s got like twenty million followers worldwide.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about,¡± Max said. That was all he could think to say.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Rollo returned his attention to his lunch.


    Max searched his memory for some evidence of this preacher but couldn¡¯t find any. He felt bad that he didn¡¯t know him because it seemed to deprive Rollo of some satisfaction from telling his story. Changing the angle of the story, he asked, ¡°What did you do for the assignment and how did it turn out?¡±


    Rollo chuckled so suddenly that he almost lost the food from his mouth. ¡°I looked online to see if I could come up with an airplane design. I found one that supposedly had been flown two hundred feet from ground level. I followed the directions pretty accurately, I thought, but when I threw it that day, it started out flying straight then slowly began to turn.¡± Rollo used his right hand to add the visual. He started out moving it straight ahead with his palm face down and then slowly made it bank left and tilt upward until his palm was facing Max. ¡°It ended up landing about twenty feet behind me. Everyone was laughing so hard. The professor gave me twenty points, one point for every foot that it landed behind the line. He called them ¡®pity points¡¯.¡±


    They finished their meal, and the rest of the day went well, and Max enjoyed having Rollo as his guide. Rollo walked him to his truck as Max was getting ready to drive home.


    ¡°Thanks for the tour and everything,¡± Max said as he stood by his truck with his hand extended.


    ¡°No problem-o, Max. I was worried that I would get stuck with some lame nerd and, boy, was I right.¡±


    Max laughed.


    ¡°Seriously, dude, when you get here in the fall, look me up. I stay at Whitman¡¯s dorm.¡±


    ¡°You live on campus? Okay, cool. I will be living at home since I only live thirty miles from here.¡±


    ¡°Awesome, dude,¡± Rollo said with a big grin. ¡°Now I got someplace to go on the weekends for free food.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be fine,¡± Max said with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, right. Can you imagine the look of horror in your parents¡¯ eyes when you walk in with me and ask, ¡®Where¡¯s dinner?¡¯¡±


    Max enjoyed Rollo¡¯s sense of humor and was amazed how he could joke about his weight and didn¡¯t even mind when others did. He started up his truck and put it into reverse to back out of the parking spot when Rollo tapped the glass. Max rolled down the window.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Rollo said with a serious expression. ¡°The first registration is two weeks away, so if you want to get into Professor Stoner¡¯s class, you better get there early because they fill up fast.¡±


    Max nodded his appreciation and drove away.

 Her Name Was Julie

    ¡°One more,¡± his mom said as she snapped another picture of Max in his cap and gown.


    Max grinned. He found it hard not to grin and realized he must look pretty foolish. But it was one of those moments in life where the folly was justified and Max soaked up the atmosphere like a sponge.


    Graduation was over as the seniors of Parker High School stood around the front lawn of the school where the ceremonies were held. Friends and family members greeted Max with handshakes and hugs and passed along envelopes full of well-wishes and money. Mary Anne, Mr. Mitner, and a few other employees of Hurley¡¯s Market were also there.


    Most of the graduates were gearing up for celebration in the form of partying or vacations. Max¡¯s evening was a little more reserved, as he and his parents went to a nice steak restaurant for dinner. He had, after all, signed up to work a double-shift the next day at work.


    ¡°Eat up, young man,¡± his dad said as the waiter took away Max¡¯s salad plate and replaced it with a plate with a nice juicy steak and baked potato. His dad¡¯s chest seemed to swell with pride and his mom¡¯s face appeared to actually be glowing.


    Max could sense it too. He knew his parents were proud and he enjoyed seeing them happy, but deep down he knew that it was he who was the proudest and the most thankful for having parents like these. He knew how they had sacrificed over the years to provide him with everything he needed, especially a loving environment. He felt confident in the knowledge that their faith in God had concreted his own faith, and he was ready to go out into the world and take that faith with him.


    ***


    A week and a half later, it was time for registration at Cedarbluff, which started at 8:00 a.m. At 7:20, Max was in line, the line for students whose last names began with J¨DP. He was the only one in that line or any line. For twenty-five minutes, he was the only one in the auditorium where registration was held. Finally, others started filing in. Two students took their places at the computer terminals in front of the two lines on either side of him. Max began to get anxious hoping his person showed up on time.


    Finally, at ten minutes before eight o¡¯clock, a girl seated herself in the chair behind the computer that set directly in front of Max. She was small, short, with shoulder-length, coarse, bright red hair and a ton of freckles. Her glasses were very thick for someone so young. She hardly looked old enough to be in college. She wore an old faded t-shirt and pants that appeared to be Army fatigues.


    A few minutes ahead of schedule, she and the other two staff workers motioned for the first one in each line to come forward. Max quickly walked up and handed her the classes he was hoping to attend.


    The girl took Max¡¯s paperwork. ¡°Let¡¯s see here. Last name: Beaver. First name: Eager. How long have you been standing here, Slim?¡±


    ¡°A while,¡± Max said sheepishly.


    ¡°Ah, trying to get into Stoner¡¯s class I see. This is your first semester here, right?¡±


    Max nodded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go straight into Physics 1 without a prerequisite math credit, and you can¡¯t go into Physics 2 without Physics 1.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Max.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, Gomer, you can¡¯t take the professor¡¯s class without at least having taken College Algebra or Trigonometry.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m really good at math,¡± Max pleaded.


    The girl smiled. ¡°So, you¡¯re a math geek.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said as she squinted and stared up and down at Max as if trying to summarize him. ¡°I¡¯m betting your geekness isn¡¯t confined to math.¡±


    Max laughed. ¡°You¡¯d probably be right.¡±


    The girl smiled as if that insult was more of a test to see if Max could laugh at himself. Her expression seemed to indicate he had passed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are very good at math, but the algebra or trig course really is required. You can take that this semester and Professor Stoner next semester.¡±


    Max agreed. He was a little disappointed that he didn¡¯t get into the professor¡¯s class, but didn¡¯t mind taking college algebra.


    The next two weeks went by quickly and Max finished his first full day of classes at Cedarbluff. Over the summer, Max had worked as many hours as he could to save up money. Although he was on a partial scholarship and had a government grant, he knew there would be unexpected costs somewhere down the road and he didn¡¯t want to burden his parents.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Two more days went by and then the weekend. Max worked and took Mrs. Johnson to church.


    Monday kicked off the new week and, after Max¡¯s last class, he was leaving the main building when he heard his name being yelled somewhere in the crowd. He smiled as he knew it could only be one person.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Rollo shouted as he came wobbling through the hallway full of students. ¡°You thought you could hide from me all semester?¡±


    ¡°I tried,¡± Max said and laughed.


    Rollo came up and gave him a bear hug, which actually lifted Max off the floor. ¡°Good to see you, my friend. How was your summer?¡±


    ¡°It was good. Thanks. How was yours?¡±


    Rollo simply threw up his hands and shrugged his shoulders as if to say it wasn¡¯t noteworthy. He then turned to see the young red-headed girl from registration approaching them. ¡°Yo Jules, baby. You are looking so fine.¡±


    She walked up to them and stopped, ignoring Rollo and smiling at Max.


    ¡°You guys know each other?¡± Rollo asked.


    ¡°We met at registration. Well, kind of,¡± Max answered then extended his hand. ¡°Max, a.k.a. Geek.¡±


    ¡°Julie, Julie Blankenship,¡± she said with a smile as she accepted the handshake.


    ¡°Jules is the most sought-after babe on campus,¡± Rollo laughed. ¡°When are we going out, Honey Bunny?¡±


    Julie shook her head. ¡°You are way out of my league.¡±


    Max laughed.


    ¡°Hey guys, do these pants make my butt look big?¡± Rollo turned around to give them the best angle. After a second of silence, he turned back around. ¡°Well?  What do you say, Max?¡±


    Max replied with a simple ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they don¡¯t make my butt look big?¡± Rollo said, pushing the joke.


    Max smiled. ¡°No, they don¡¯t. It¡¯s everyone else¡¯s butt that makes yours look big.¡±


    Julie laughed out loud.


    Rollo stood there in astonishment with his eyes and mouth opened wide. ¡°Chalk one up for Maxie. That was excellent.¡± He offered up a high-five, which was accepted by Max. He looked over at Julie. ¡°Did you hear we are starting a comedy team called Rollo & Max?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Rollo,¡± called out a girl from the passing student traffic.


    Rollo¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Whoa, gotta go, guys. Catch you on the rebound.¡± He took off down the hall.


    Max watched him disappear into the masses. ¡°He is something else.¡±


    ¡°That he is,¡± agreed Julie. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure what. So, do you have any other classes today?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I was just heading home.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± she said.


    They continued to walk together, and she stayed with him as he walked out through the main entrance toward his truck. It was a chilly fall day, and the sky was completely overcast, but there had been no rain. The wind was picking up, however, and it made Julie cross her arms in front of her in an effort to ward it off.


    ¡°How¡¯s algebra going?¡±


    ¡°Good. Really good,¡± Max replied.


    Julie smiled. ¡°Wow, you really are a geek. I am sorry you couldn¡¯t take the class you wanted. But are you going to be coming to Professor Stoner¡¯s Bible studies?¡±


    ¡°His what?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Max, you don¡¯t know about those? They¡¯re on Thursday nights at seven o¡¯clock in the student center. I go sometimes. Rollo is always there, probably because they provide snacks.¡±


    Max laughed. ¡°How many students come?¡±


    ¡°Depends,¡± Julie answered. ¡°Usually around twelve or so.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Max reached his truck, opened the door, and threw his books inside. ¡°Where¡¯s your car,¡± he asked.


    ¡°Over by the dorms. I¡¯m like Rollo; I live on campus.¡± Several seconds of awkward silence passed. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll see you Thursday night if I don¡¯t see you on campus sooner.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Max said with a nod.


    Julie turned to walk away then turned back. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your cell phone number in case you can¡¯t make it?¡±


    Max remembered he actually had a cell phone this time. He took it out of his glove compartment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know the number.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Well, first you need to stop keeping it in your truck. Someone will steal it for sure. Here, let me call my number and then we will know yours.¡± She took Max¡¯s phone and dialed her own. Her phone began to play Frosty the Snowman. ¡°There you go,¡± she said, holding the screen up for Max to see. ¡°That¡¯s your number. I¡¯ll just save it in my phonebook. Now, I¡¯ll take your phone and save my number in your phonebook. Done.¡± She handed the phone back to Max. ¡°Now we can call or text each other any time we want.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Max said with a grin.


    Julie turned to walk off and Max began to think about his father¡¯s fears. ¡°Julie, wait up.¡±


    Julie turned around and came back. Her smile seemed to indicate she was hoping he would call her back. ¡°Yes?¡± she said with anticipation.


    ¡°I really would enjoy being able to call you up and talk, but the truth is, I only have the phone for emergencies, and it only has a limited number of prepaid minutes.¡± Max looked her in the eye for some sort of expression and seeing none, looked at the ground.


    Julie¡¯s face might not have revealed her thoughts, but her words did. ¡°Well, you are a humble and honest geek as well. I like texting better anyway,¡± she said. ¡°What kind of a texting plan do you have?¡±


    Max shrugged, so she took his phone again and went into the menu.


    ¡°Okay, says here that a text only cost you a few seconds each and they¡¯re free on the weekend. So, we can text each other. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Max said with a big smile.


    Julie smiled back and then turned to go back toward the main building.


    Max got into his truck to drive home. This had definitely been his best day at college. Reconnecting with Rollo was great, but the connection with Julie seemed more to occupy his mind as he drove home. There was something about her. It wasn¡¯t physical because if he concentrated on each individual physical aspect of Julie, i.e., the bright red hair, the white complexion, the huge freckles, the thick glasses, the underdeveloped frame, and the less than feminine attire, it didn¡¯t seem to make sense. But add them all together and he couldn¡¯t help but notice how beautiful she was.


    He was still thinking about Julie as he drove right past his home. He navigated through town until he came to a large white provincial house. He parked his truck behind a fairly new Mercedes then followed the walkway through the professional landscaping, between the columns, and to the front door.


    He rang the doorbell. Several seconds passed and the door opened.


    ¡°Max! Hey. Good to see you. What brings you here?¡± Carlie stepped out of the front door and gave him a hug.


    ¡°I have a favor to ask of you,¡± Max said.


    ¡°I owe you, so you name it and, if it¡¯s within my power, it¡¯s yours,¡± she said with a smile.


    ¡°Can you teach me how to text?¡±

 Bible Study Rumble

    Max got out of his truck and walked toward the main entrance of Cedarbluff. It was almost dark, but the parking lot lights illuminated the area well.


    He had sat down with his parents and explained where he was going tonight. They seemed to feel more comfortable about Professor Stoner once they learned that he volunteered his time to hold Bible study for the students. Max was glad.


    He strolled into the student center a few minutes before 7:00 but suddenly slowed down. There were more than twelve people here and he couldn¡¯t see Rollo or Julie anywhere. A sudden uneasy feeling washed over him like a wave of aversion, a sense of not belonging, like a person might have after walking into the wrong restroom. The idea of leaving quickly invaded his thought process and he just as quickly subscribed to that concept. He turned around and took a few steps toward the door but then stopped.


    This is crazy, he thought. I am an adult.


    He turned and walked back to where he was before and stood there. No one seemed to pay him any attention, so he huddled close to the wall. Most of them were gathered around the professor, and Max could hear the conversation and laughs, but wasn¡¯t close enough to understand it.


    Someone grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the floor. There was little doubt that Rollo was in the building. He turned and greeted his large friend with a firm handshake and a smile. Rollo¡¯s hands were huge and very strong. Max wondered just how strong his friend was.


    ¡°Have you seen Jules?¡± Rollo asked, surveying the room.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Max¡¯s eyes scanned around to be certain.


    ¡°Okay, everyone,¡± the professor said. ¡°Let¡¯s take our seats.¡±


    Rollo motioned for Max to sit beside him, and he gladly accepted. The tables had been moved to the edges of the room and the chairs had been placed in a big circle. The professor was at the far wall beneath the clock. Julie came in as they were all sitting and realized there was no seat beside Max or Rollo, so she sat on the opposite side of the circle almost directly across from Max.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she whispered in their direction.


    Before they could apologize for not saving her a seat, the professor began. ¡°Great to see a wonderful turnout tonight. I see two faces I don¡¯t recognize, so let¡¯s meet the new folks.¡±


    Max didn¡¯t know if he was supposed to speak up, but he didn¡¯t need to. He was, after all, sitting beside Rollo.


    ¡°This here is Max, everyone. He¡¯s the new big man on campus.¡± Rollo loved embarrassing Max who waved gingerly to the circle.


    Professor looked at a young woman sitting just to Max¡¯s right and nodded to her.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she gasped. She half stood as if not knowing the protocol, as if being half right was better than being all wrong. ¡°My name is Jenny. Hey.¡± She quickly sat back down.


    The other students welcomed the two newbies.


    ¡°Let me tell you how we do things,¡± the professor began, concentrating his entire attention in their direction. ¡°At the end of each session, I randomly select three people to come up with a topic for the next study session. That¡¯s why everyone has a notepad.¡±


    Max hadn¡¯t noticed, but almost everyone had a notepad or notebook and a Bible. The NIV Bible seemed to be the most common in the room. Even the new girl to his right had a Bible with her. It hadn¡¯t even dawned on Max to bring anything, and he began to feel a little foolish.


    The professor, in an honest effort to educate, continued his direct line of communication with the two newcomers. ¡°Then, over the course of a week, you have time to research and make notes on your ideas on the topics. Try to always reference scripture in your agreements or arguments. It¡¯s all pretty simple.¡± He paused to look at his own notes. ¡°Last week, Brad here presented us with this question: ¡®Is salvation from deeds or faith?¡¯ Okay, Brad, the floor is yours.¡±


    Everyone focused on the guy directly to the professor¡¯s left. Brad was about Max¡¯s height, but with a lean, muscular build. He was very tan with spiked hair that began dark at the roots and gradually lightened until the tips were blonde, creating a completely yellowish surface. He was dressed in a polo shirt and pleated pants with what appeared to be very expensive shoes. He wore several gold rings. He was one of those guys who conveyed a supreme sense of confidence, as if he was wearing an invisible shield and no one could touch him.


    A very beautiful girl sat to his left, although it was hard to determine that they were actually using two chairs. She was tall with very long, straight-black hair and wore a very short dress that seemed to Max to be a little too tight and revealing for Bible study. Her legs were long and tan, the left one draped over the right one and over Brad¡¯s left leg as well, leaving her left high-heeled shoe dangling off the floor. She was the only one besides Max not holding a Bible or notebook, as her hands were cupped around Brad¡¯s left bicep. It seems they wanted to leave little doubt that they were there together.


    ¡°This is a slam dunk,¡± Brad began. ¡°Salvation is by faith alone. Paul made this perfectly clear in Ephesians 2:8-9.¡±


    Everyone with a Bible, including the new girl, began to flip through the pages.


    ¡°Got it,¡± a girl yelled out and then proceeded to read the verse while the others focused their attention on her. ¡°For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith¨Dand this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God¨Dnot by works, so that no one can boast.¡±


    ¡°First of all, how many agree with Brad?¡± The professor watched as almost everyone in the room raised their hands, including the professor himself. Only Max and another guy did not raise their hands.  ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with you, Kenneth. What do you say?¡±


    Kenneth was a tall, slender, black guy and the only one wearing a jacket and tie. He looked at the professor then at Brad, and finally at Max. He seemed uneasy as he finally looked down at his notes. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have time this week to research much, but I just think it¡¯s important what you do in life as a Christian. I think deeds are a part of faith. Jesus did say to give to the needy.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s important what we do in life as well,¡± a girl across from Kenneth said. ¡°God wants us to do good works. But I still think salvation is by faith.¡±


    Others nodded in agreement. ¡°Does the Bible actually say, ¡®give to the needy?¡¯¡± another asked Kenneth.


    ¡°Of course, it does,¡± Kenneth offered as he defended his stance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry; I just don¡¯t have the verse. Anyone know where that is?¡± he asked seeking help.


    ¡°Matthew 6:2,¡± Max said, his voice so quiet that some in the room didn¡¯t even hear him.


    Pages began to flip. The new girl beside him shouted out first and began to read. ¡°So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.¡±


    Kenneth smiled as if vindicated.


    ¡°That only says when you give,¡± Brad countered, ¡°not that you have to give to go to Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Proverbs 19:17,¡± Max said, but this time in a louder voice.


    ¡°Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed,¡± someone read aloud.


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    ¡°Hebrew 13:26,¡± Max continued, looking mostly at Julie or the professor.


    Pages flipped and someone read, ¡°Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.¡±


    ¡°Okay, hold it. Hold it,¡± Brad commanded as if this was his production and people were suddenly adlibbing. ¡°We¡¯re getting way off track, Ron. No one is arguing that we shouldn¡¯t do good works. The discussion is whether they are related to salvation. Am I right?¡±


    Max had noticed on the registration forms that the professor¡¯s first name was Ronald, but it seemed inappropriate to use it, and especially an abbreviated form of it. But the professor didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    The professor nodded to Brad in agreement. ¡°He¡¯s right. Just because the Bible speaks of doing good deeds, the question before us is¨Dare they required for salvation?¡± Turning his attention then to Max, he smiled. ¡°Well, Max. I see now why you didn¡¯t bring a Bible. You were the only other one not to raise your hand, so are you saying that you believe that deeds are required for salvation?¡±


    All eyes were on Max, and he almost wished he had raised his hand with everyone else and had not spoken up. But he had and now he needed to explain why. ¡°Yes. I believe that deeds are necessary to earn salvation.¡±


    ¡°Are you a Mormon?¡± Brad asked with scorn.


    Max thought for a second. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    The group erupted in laughter. Rollo poked him with his elbow and winked.


    The professor nodded to Max. ¡°The floor is yours.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Max began. His throat suddenly seemed very dry. ¡°First, there are the Commandments. Six of the ten are based on deeds, and Jesus said to enter eternal life we must keep the Commandments. Then there¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa,¡± Brad interrupted. ¡°I know you¡¯re new, but the rules say you have to provide scripture to back up your words. Where does Jesus say you have to keep the Commandments to enter eternal life?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Max apologized. ¡°Matthew 19:17.¡±


    Someone read. ¡°¡®Why do you ask me about what is good?¡¯ Jesus replied. ¡®There is only One who is good.  If you want to enter life, keep the Commandments.¡¯¡±


    ¡°And if you read the next verse, you¡¯ll see that Jesus only mentioned the ones regarding deeds.¡± Max was starting to gain a little more confidence.


    The same student continued. ¡°¡¯Which ones?¡¯ he inquired. Jesus replied, ¡®You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, love your neighbor as yourself.¡¯¡±


    ¡°What do you say, Brad?¡± the professor asked as if he was enjoying the debate.


    ¡°No dice,¡± Brad said shaking his head. ¡°Those are laws, not deeds.¡±


    Max didn¡¯t pay him any attention. ¡°Then there¡¯s James 2:14-17.¡±


    The other students were beginning to enjoy this as each had their fingers ready, awaiting Max¡¯s next words. This time it was Julie.


    ¡°Got it. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ¡®Go in peace; keep warm and well-fed,¡¯ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, baby,¡± Rollo chimed in. ¡°In your face.¡±


    ¡°Well, Brad,¡± the professor said with a wry smile. ¡°What say you to that?¡±


    ¡°First off,¡± Brad said smugly, ¡°no one even knows for sure who wrote that book. It was obviously someone named James, but no one even knows which James it might have been. But it¡¯s for sure that James doesn¡¯t make Paul¡¯s words null and void. Next.¡±


    Max¡¯s eyes instinctively sought out those who seem to nod in agreement. ¡°Revelation 20:12-13.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± It was Julie again. ¡°And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± The professor grinned. ¡°People are judged by what they have done. All very good points, Max. What do you say now, Brad?¡±


    Brad looked upset, which made the girl on his arm look upset also. They were both staring at Max like he had stolen from them. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being on the defensive here. Why doesn¡¯t he explain Ephesians 2:8-9?  Explain why he doesn¡¯t believe that.¡±


    ¡°Max?¡± the professor offered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Max said. ¡°But I¡¯ve never been able to explain it so that anyone can understand.¡±


    ¡°What does that tell you?¡± Brad asked.


    Rollo chuckled. ¡°It tells us that he¡¯s smarter than anyone else he¡¯s tried to explain it to. Don¡¯t expect any different results with this crowd.¡±


    Everyone laughed. Well, everyone but Brad and his girlfriend, that is.


    ¡°Okay, when Paul mentions ¡®works¡¯ here,¡± Max began as if trying to make sure to use the right words, ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s referring to an individual¡¯s deeds in their lifetime. And when we talk about faith earning us salvation, we¡¯re talking about our own faith, right?¡±


    Almost everyone nodded, not wanting to make a sound so as not to interrupt him.


    ¡°But this verse is not talking about our faith. It actually says, ¡®through faith and this is not from yourselves.¡¯¡±


    The ones who were not already on that page quickly flipped through their Bibles to find it.


    Max continued. ¡°This is talking about God¡¯s faith and God¡¯s grace so; therefore, it must be talking about something else than what our faith can bring. So, what I believe Paul to be saying here is that he is explaining where salvation comes from, not how to achieve it. He¡¯s saying that salvation is a gift from God, by His faith, through His grace, and no works of man could ever create something like this, so we can never boast of it. No matter what we could ever construct, no matter what technology we could ever develop, we could never create something as grand as salvation. Only God can. That¡¯s what I believe Paul is referring to by ¡®not by works.¡¯¡±


    The room was silent as everyone was reading and pondering.


    ¡°And to further prove this is not explaining that works aren¡¯t important, you need only read the very next line.¡± Max looked over to Rollo.


    Rollo read, ¡°For we are God¡¯s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.¡±


    Max added his summation. ¡°The way I¡¯ve always looked at it is this. Why do we not steal? Is it because it¡¯s wrong or because it¡¯s against the law? It we don¡¯t steal simply because it¡¯s against the law, is that the right reason? Or if you mow your lawn, are you cutting the grass or is the mower cutting the grass? I think you are cutting the grass, and the mower is simply the tool.¡±


    There were blank looks all around the room.


    ¡°The point is,¡± Max continued, ¡°we don¡¯t do good deeds simply because the Bible requires it. And we cannot do good deeds as if it¡¯s a checklist to enter eternal life. We have to make ourselves an instrument of God. That¡¯s why it says we were created to do good works. Just like the lawnmower was created to cut the grass, it cannot do it alone. Neither can we. But if we let God work through us, good deeds will be automatic. And that coincides with what James said as well.¡±


    The room was still silent. Several seconds passed.


    ¡°Well, guys. Anyone have any comment?¡± the professor asked the room.


    No one answered.


    ¡°I have never heard anyone explain that verse this way,¡± he continued amidst the quiet. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s accurate, but I can clearly see that it is not talking about our faith, and it clearly says we are created to do good works. Very interesting. Okay, show of hands, how many here think Max the Mormon is correct and that deeds are required for salvation?¡±


    Kenneth raised his hand while displaying more confidence this time, but it was still just he and Max, still two against the entire room. Then Julie raised her hand.


    Max smiled as he wondered if she truly understood what he was saying or was just being supportive. He may not have convinced anyone, but there was little doubt in the room that he came prepared.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, Max,¡± the professor said, ¡°how is it you know the Bible so well?¡±


    ¡°His dad¡¯s a preacher,¡± Rollo said as he put his arm around Max¡¯s shoulder.


    Max wondered how he knew that.


    ¡°How big is your dad¡¯s church?¡± asked Brad.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a small church,¡± replied Max.


    ¡°No, come on. Seriously. How many members?¡± Brad seemed upset and Max was wondering what this had to do with the discussion.


    ¡°About thirty.¡±


    Brad laughed. It was a forced, rude, maniacal laugh. ¡°My dad has seventy-five thousand members in his church alone. And he has three hundred branches throughout the world and has over twenty million followers.¡±


    Max remembered Rollo¡¯s story. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the paper bullet guy?¡±


    Rollo looked over and nodded with a big grin on his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t distract from the discussion,¡± Brad snapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t understand where the discussion is going,¡± Max admitted.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Julie sided with Max. ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    Brad smirked. ¡°He¡¯s taking these things out of context. Only a fool would do that or believe it. You guys don¡¯t see the danger here. If this is the kind of thing his dad preaches, I would warn of wolves in sheep¡¯s clothing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my dad have to do with it?¡± asked Max calmly.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s where you got this drivel,¡± Brad said.


    ¡°Not true.¡± Max remained calm. ¡°My dad actually agrees with you.¡±


    ¡°You disagree with your dad on this?¡± The professor seemed shocked.


    ¡°Yes. We actually disagree on several points in the Bible. We have discussions about them all the time, just not as¡­ uh¡­.¡±  Max searched for a delicate word. ¡°Not as passionate as this one.¡±


    Rollo smiled and then looked at Brad. ¡°You ever disagree with your dad?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Brad answered. ¡°It would be disrespectful. Besides, my dad is always right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my goodness!¡± Julie screamed and then started wiping at her shoes. She actually made several people in the room jump, and the two girls sitting on either side of her raised their legs as everyone searched the floor to see what had made Julie suddenly scream.


    The professor¡¯s eyes were wide open. ¡°What was it, Julie?¡±


    Julie continued wiping at her shoes as she looked up at the professor. ¡°You should have told us to wear waders tonight. It¡¯s getting deep in here.¡±


    Everyone laughed, except, of course, Brad and company. But that was okay; Rollo made up for them.


    When the professor stopped laughing, he said, ¡°Okay, I think we need to take a break here.¡±

 Turn the Other Cheek

    Max opened boxes in the warehouse of Hurley¡¯s Market. He had a UPC gun, which, when it scanned the UPC code of any product, printed off a price tag that he stuck to the item. After he had enough boxes priced, he took a dolly and wheeled boxes out to the floor and placed the items on the corresponding shelves. It was a little past noon on Saturday. Max had been working since seven o¡¯clock that morning and was scheduled to work until 9:00 p.m.


    He could barely keep his mind on his work, however, as he kept going over the events of the Bible study from Thursday night. He had told his mom and dad that he had enjoyed it, but he wasn¡¯t sure if that was accurate. Max had participated in several Bible study programs at his school throughout the years and even sponsored several, but it was always a small crowd compared to the one at the college, usually only a handful of people, and it consisted mostly of people taking turns reading their favorite passages. It was nothing like the spirited debate he had witnessed, and been a part of, at Cedarbluff. That had become more of competition than a discussion and Max was not entirely sure how he felt about it. But one thing was certain: he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about it. As surprised as he had been by Brad¡¯s attitude about faith and deeds, it got worse with the next subject.


    ***


    ¡°Let¡¯s all calm down,¡± the professor ordered.


    And by ¡°all,¡± it was clear he meant Brad, who had gotten out of his seat to challenge the girl sitting to Julie¡¯s right whose topic was ¡°Turn the Other Cheek.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Ron,¡± Brad said as he sat back down. His girlfriend grabbed his arm again and began whispering in his ear to console him.


    The professor shook his head. ¡°Go ahead, Lisa.¡±


    The girl looked at the professor as if he had just asked her to poke a wild animal with a stick¨Dagain. In a timid voice, she said, ¡°I just think Matthew 5:38-39 tells us not to seek revenge. Doesn¡¯t that coincide with Romans 12:19 and Romans 12:21?¡±


    The guy sitting next to Brad¡¯s Bible study date was the first to find it. As he read, she and Brad glared at him as if simply reading the passage pointed out by Lisa was an attack upon them. ¡°Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God¡¯s wrath, for it is written: ¡®It is mine to avenge; I will repay,¡¯ says the Lord.  And¡­ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.¡±


    Before the professor could even recognize him, Brad began. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. There are too many powder-puff Christians in the world. Matthew 5:38-39 is not saying to let people walk all over you. It¡¯s not, you know, saying that if you¡¯re getting robbed at gunpoint you should lie down and tell them to shoot you. It¡¯s not saying that if someone breaks into your home, you should let them rape your wife. It¡¯s not saying we should never defend our country and let terrorist nations bomb us.¡± Brad shook his head as if wondering how he could be surrounded by so many Biblically uneducated people with zero reading comprehension.


    ¡°Max?¡± the professor called out. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    All eyes were on Max, fingers ready on their Bibles. Max began to wonder if the professor was matching him and Brad up on purpose.


    ¡°I agree with Brad,¡± he said.


    There wasn¡¯t a closed mouth in the room as they all stared in disbelief.


    ¡°Really?¡± the professor asked. ¡°You are agreeing with Brad?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Max began. ¡°Jesus is not saying anything about being robbed, raped, or being bombed by terrorist countries here.¡±


    Everyone smiled as they realized that Max saying he was agreeing with Brad was simply sarcasm to point out that Brad was entirely off base.


    ¡°So, what do you think Jesus is saying here?¡± asked the professor.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s saying that if someone hits you on the right cheek, turn him the other also.¡±


    The professor smiled and a few others chuckled around the room. ¡°That¡¯s what the words say,¡± Professor Stoner replied. ¡°But what do you think they mean?¡±


    Max looked confused. ¡°I think the words mean exactly what they say. Jesus was not telling a parable here. If you notice, it begins by saying we have heard ¡®eye for an eye¡¯ before. And we have. It¡¯s mentioned three times in the Old Testament.¡±


    Finally, everyone thought, fingers at the ready.


    ¡°Deuteronomy 19:19-21.¡±


    Kenneth got there first. ¡°Then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.


    ¡°Leviticus 24:19-20.¡±


    Someone read, ¡°If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.¡±


    ¡°Exodus 21:22-25,¡± Max continued.


    ¡°If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely, but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman¡¯s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.¡±


    Max looked around the room. ¡°You will notice that in all three places that the old law of eye-for-an-eye is mentioned, it is about two guys fighting. That¡¯s why I think Jesus meant exactly what he said because it corresponds perfectly. I think he¡¯s saying that instead of worrying about what justice an injured party might receive in a fight, try not to let the fight happen in the first place. If someone hits you on the cheek, they¡¯re obviously trying to lure you into a fight, so don¡¯t let them. Be the bigger person; be the stronger person; be the Christian.¡±


    Almost everyone in the room was nodding in unison. Professor Stoner looked over at Brad.


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Brad said holding up both hands. ¡°He twists everything and takes everything out of context. You should not let someone like this come to Bible study. Look at the influence he¡¯s having¨Djust like Satan has.¡±


    The professor began to speak, but Brad cut him off.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°The thing is,¡± Brad snapped, ¡°you have to realize that Jesus was making no changes to the old law in Matthew 5:38-39. He wasn¡¯t making any changes to any of the old laws.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kenneth said. ¡°Are you talking about all these places in Matthew 5 regarding the Sermon on the Mount where he mentions murder, adultery, divorce, oaths¡­?¡±


    As Kenneth looked down to read the verses to finish his sentence, the girl sitting to the professor¡¯s right picked up where he left off. ¡°Eye for an eye, and love the enemy.¡±


    Kenneth nodded to the girl in thanks. But he then looked at Brad as if he could not believe what he was hearing. ¡°You¡¯re saying Jesus was making no changes here at all?¡±


    ¡°Ah, come on,¡± Rollo insisted. ¡°The very wording reveals that he was making some kind of changes. Every one of those verses begins with ¡®you¡¯ve heard this, but I tell you this.¡¯¡±


    Brad persisted. ¡°You guys can¡¯t even understand what you read. Jesus was clearly making no changes here but only affirming that the old laws were still valid.¡±


    ¡°Max?¡± the professor jumped in. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    Max looked at Rollo and Kenneth. ¡°I agree with these guys; it¡¯s obvious that Jesus was making some changes. The way I¡¯ve always thought of it is this: throughout the New Testament, Jesus is raising the standard for being a Christian. He¡¯s making it tougher, not easier. The old law was not to commit adultery, the new law is don¡¯t even think about it. It was don¡¯t murder and now it¡¯s don¡¯t even be angry. It was love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but now it¡¯s love also your enemy. And, of course, eye for an eye is now turn the other cheek. This coincides with the entire message of the New Testament. Everything Jesus taught raised the bar like loving instead of hating, forgiving instead of retaliation, peace instead of war. He raised the standard, and it¡¯s our responsibility to honor that and raise our standards as well.¡±


    Everyone was silent, especially Brad who seemed to not even be paying attention.


    ¡°Brad?¡± the professor called out.


    Brad held up his right hand without looking at the professor or anyone else.


    ¡°You have no rebuttal?¡± the professor asked again.


    Brad turned in his chair to face his girlfriend. ¡°I do not cast my pearls before swine.¡±


    Max looked over at Rollo who was enjoying himself immensely. He was chuckling so hard that his belly was shaking all over. Max looked at Julie who had a huge smile and seemed to be beaming with pride. Max had never experienced these kinds of feelings before.


    ***


    ¡°Hey.¡± The manager of the store, Mr. Mitner, patted Max on the back, which made him jump. ¡°Whoa. Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Max. ¡°My mind was in another world.¡±


    Mr. Mitner laughed. ¡°Well, I hate to be the one to bring you back to this one. How¡¯s college going anyway?¡±


    ¡°Really good. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I remember my first year in college,¡± Mr. Mitner said. ¡°I was pretty excited and scared, too. I remember wondering how there could be so many beautiful women all in one place.¡±


    Max smiled. He knew the feeling. He was also surprised since this marked the only personal conversation he had ever had with Mr. Mitner.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Mr. Mitner continued, ¡°there¡¯s a young lady out front asking for you.¡±


    Max looked confused. He walked over to the middle of the backroom area so that he could look through the small windows in the double doors that swung both ways to enter and exit the warehouse. It was Julie. Max smiled. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a classmate from Cedarbluff.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you better take your lunch now, then Mr. Maxwell,¡± the manager said. ¡°In fact,¡± he added, ¡°since you¡¯re working a double-shift, you should take two hours for lunch.¡± This was followed by a quick wink as the store manager turned to walk away.


    Max clocked out and walked through the warehouse doors. Julie spotted him and stood motionless, letting him walk up to her.


    ¡°Hey, Julie. What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to see where you worked. You told me you were working all day so I thought I would come by and check it out. Do you get a break anytime soon?¡±


    Good old Mr. Mitner, thought Max. ¡°I just clocked out for a two-hour lunch.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Julie smiled. ¡°You can show me around town and take me to the best place to eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Max, his eyes looking at an angle upward as if trying to determine where that place was. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± he said as he turned to go back toward the warehouse.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Max turned back with a big smile. ¡°I have to make a reservation.¡±


    Max navigated and donned the tour-guide hat as Julie chauffeured him through the small town of Parker, the most interesting area being downtown, which still consisted of the buildings first built over a hundred years ago. Max pointed out the old opera house, which was still used for school plays and other special occasions.


    As they rode around, Julie slowly changed the subject from the town. ¡°What did you think of Bible study?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure I enjoyed it at all.¡± Max searched her face for expression as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t really care for confrontation, and I didn¡¯t mean to upset that guy.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t not upset Brad,¡± Julie reassured. ¡°He¡¯s like that every session. Most people just say nothing to avoid him, or it turns into a heated argument that the professor has to quell. That¡¯s why I enjoyed your points. He was angry because you made sense, and he couldn¡¯t think of what to say to combat your points. The fact that you remained calm made it worse.¡±


    Julie was smiling, but Max was not. ¡°But that¡¯s the point,¡± Max said humbly. ¡°Bible study should not be about combat. It¡¯s okay to differ, but to try so hard to prove others wrong is not for God¡¯s glory, but for yours.¡±


    Julie smiled. She knew Max was right but decided to lighten the mood. ¡°That¡¯s it. I can¡¯t talk with you about this. I¡¯m not going to cast my pearls before swine.¡±


    They both laughed.


    ¡°So, where are we eating?¡± she asked.  ¡°Are they ready for us because I¡¯m starving?¡±


    Max directed Julie back through town and into a rural setting. He pointed to a driveway and had her pull in and park behind a plumbing truck.


    Julie was confused. It didn¡¯t look like a restaurant. She looked at Max for confirmation, but he simply smiled and motioned for her to get out. They walked to the door and Max went inside with Julie in tow.


    ¡°There you guys are,¡± Max¡¯s mom shouted from the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯re ready so get washed up.¡±


    The smell of home cooking permeated the small house. Max walked into the kitchen and introduced Julie to his parents. It was hard to tell who was smiling more, Max, his parents, or Julie.


    After they went to the bathroom to wash their hands, they seated themselves at the table across from his parents. ¡°Just dig in,¡± his mom said as she spread out her hands with her palms open as to show them where the food was.


    In front of them was a very nice spread considering the short notice. The main platter had grilled-cheese sandwiches and BLTs, all of which had been sliced from one corner to the other leaving triangle-shaped halves. Then there was salad, chips, and a plate of vegetables consisting of baby carrots, cucumbers, and little tomatoes.


    ¡°This looks wonderful, Mrs. Maxwell,¡± Julie said.


    ¡°Please, call me Hazel. I was just going to make BLTs,¡± his mom said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t know if you were a vegetarian. I read that a lot of college girls are.¡±


    Julie smiled. ¡°Oh no, Hazel, don¡¯t try to take my bacon away from me.¡±


    The reverend looked at Max with a big smile. It was obvious that he liked Julie. ¡°Son, would you like to ask the blessing?¡±


    Max obliged.


    After the blessing, they all began to fill up their plates. ¡°So,¡± Julie said, looking at Max¡¯s parents, ¡°how often does he bring a new girl home for this royal treatment?¡±


    His dad laughed. ¡°Are you serious? We didn¡¯t even know Max knew what a girl was.¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think this is common,¡± his dad continued. ¡°In fact, I can tell you how not common this is. I didn¡¯t even know we still owned porcelain plates.¡±


    Everyone enjoyed lunch and afterward Julie drove Max back to the store. She got out and walked over to the passenger side. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at school next week,¡± she said as Max got out. ¡°And I¡¯ll see you Thursday night at Bible study?  Right?¡±


    Max gritted his teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°You have to come,¡± she pressed. ¡°You named one of the topics, remember?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Max muttered. ¡°But still, I just don¡¯t know if I can go through that again. I think it¡¯s messing with my head. I had a dream last night about it.¡±


    Julie laughed. ¡°What was the dream about?¡±


    Max grinned and waved his hand as if to say it was too strange to talk about, but Julie persisted. ¡°It was dumb,¡± Max began. ¡°I dreamed that Jesus came to the Bible study and wasn¡¯t happy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a sign,¡± Julie said, acting serious. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a sign?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You do believe in signs, don¡¯t you?¡± Julie asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Max offered weakly.


    Julie tried another angle. ¡°You do realize you get to see me there, don¡¯t you?¡± She waited for Max to smile. ¡°Well, there¡¯s the best reason I can think of.¡±


    Max relented. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    Julie smiled and kidded him on the cheek.


    Max blushed and spun his head around.


    Julie laughed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Turning the other cheek.¡±

 Trading Stoners Classes

    Sunday afternoon, after the morning service, Max sat in his room researching the website for the Faith for You Ministries. Before going to the Bible study and hearing the views of Brad Clavin, he never knew that there were people out there with these beliefs. And he certainly never knew they would have such a large following. One thing became clear as he read through the many sermons of Arthur Clavin¡ªall of Brad¡¯s ideas were from his father, most of them recited verbatim.


    Max¡¯s dad walked up the stairs and stood by his open bedroom door then knocked on the doorframe. Max looked up and motioned for him to come in, which he did and took a seat at the end of the bed.


    ¡°Doing homework?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Max answered. ¡°I¡¯m reading over this website about this preacher and his ministries, and I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m reading.¡±


    The reverend was curious. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°His name is Arthur Clavin. He¡¯s from New York, and his church is a non-denominational church called Faith for You.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Dr. Clavin, huh?¡± his dad replied.


    ¡°You know him?¡± asked Max.


    ¡°I know his organization. Every so often, someone contacts us from their church to pitch the idea of us becoming a Faith for You branch. They claim it will make us more profitable even after giving them their cut.¡±


    Max asked, ¡°Have you studied any of his teachings?¡±


    His dad shook his head. ¡°No, but whenever I go to the conferences, I hear a lot of preachers talking about his teachings, some even saying his teachings are borderline heresy. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?¡±


    Max told his dad everything. He told him about Brad and the things he argued about in Bible study. He told him about the aggressive and rude way he argued his points. He read off parts of sermons from the internet that coincided with Brad¡¯s views. He told him about how Bible study, in only two sessions, had evolved into almost a competition between him and Brad. He told him how some of the other students treated him like a big shot in class and how it made him feel uncomfortable.


    When Max finished, his dad, who had been listening intensely, asked a simple question. ¡°Do you enjoy going?¡±


    Max had to think on that one. ¡°I think that¡¯s the problem; I enjoy it too much.¡±


    His dad smiled and asked, ¡°Meaning?¡±


    Max knew his dad understood where he was going with this, but was not going to help at all. ¡°Meaning I might need that peer pressure sermon again,¡± Max laughed. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting off the path when I¡¯m in there. It¡¯s a great feeling to have people stroking your ego. It¡¯s a feeling I¡¯ve never had before. But I try to keep reminding myself why I¡¯m going to college in the first place. It is not for my glory, but for His. It is not for worldly gains, like being the champion Bible debater or anything like that.¡±


    His dad nodded then surprised Max by getting up and heading out without commenting on what Max was talking about. Instead, as he walked toward the door, he said, ¡°Okay, well, I¡¯ll see you when you come down.¡±


    He had gotten all the way out of the door and out of sight before Max was able to focus. ¡°Dad?  Wait!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± he asked innocently as he poked his head back inside.


    Max was puzzled. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± his dad continued the fallacy.


    ¡°About what I just said?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say,¡± his dad replied. ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas or words that could make it any clearer than you just did. Sounds to me like you know what to do, but just needed someone to say it out loud to, in which case my job is done and I think I did it very well.¡±  He smiled and walked downstairs.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ***


    Max sat across from Julie in the cafeteria. They had discovered that they each had the 10:00 a.m. slot free on Mondays and had decided to spend this time together. Max was deciding how to broach the subject with Julie and only hoped it would go as smoothly as it did with his dad.


    ¡°I think this was a good idea¨Dmeeting here every Monday morning,¡± Max began.


    Julie smiled and nodded to signify her concurrence.


    ¡°I was thinking also that you could come to our house for lunch and dinner more often,¡± he continued.


    Julie¡¯s smile got bigger.


    ¡°And I thought maybe we could hang out on the weekends, you know, studying and maybe going to a movie once in a while.¡±


    Overload. Julie¡¯s face began to show signs of suspicion.


    ¡°Is that not okay?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯m just a little surprised.¡±


    Max took a sip of his soda. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be attending Bible study anymore.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Does it really bother you that much?¡± Julie asked.


    Max nodded.


    ¡°Then I understand,¡± she said.  A few seconds passed and she added, ¡°Jenny is going to miss you.¡±


    Max nodded but then saw the devious expression on Julie¡¯s face. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she smirked. ¡°She¡¯s just going to miss you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will,¡± Max said. ¡°We both started at the same time, so we were both the newcomers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± Julie continued to smirk.


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    Julie looked at Max with her eyes wide open. ¡°She has a crush on you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Max said, his line of sight moving from Julie to the table as if he was trying to figure this out. ¡°Do you think so?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I think so,¡± Julie laughed. ¡°I¡¯m the one who just said it.¡±


    They each went back to their drinks and sat in silence for a few moments.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Julie suddenly snapped. ¡°Is that what all the ¡®we can do other things together¡¯ was about?¡±


    Max nodded.


    ¡°Why did you feel like you had to tell me this way, you know, that you had decided to stop going to Bible study?¡± Julie asked.


    Max shrugged. ¡°The last time I mentioned not coming back, you used that to get me to continue. You said I should keep going for no other reason than I get to see you there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Julie was shocked. ¡°Are you saying I used a guilt trip? I most certainly did not.¡±


    Max was stunned. Did she really not remember?


    Now it was Julie¡¯s eyes that shifted back and forth as she searched her memory. ¡°Oh my gosh. I really did, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Max smiled as if to offer amends.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered with a grin.


    Noticing the clock, they each got up to go to their eleven o¡¯clock classes. They said their goodbyes and turned and walked in different directions. Then Julie stopped, cocked her head sideways, and turned back around.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she yelled.


    Max, who had already gotten about forty feet away, stopped and turned back around also.


    Julie had a big smile on her face. ¡°You could have just admitted you¡¯re gaga over me.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Max conceded. ¡°But you¡¯re smart. I knew you would figure it out.¡±


    ***


    The rest of the semester went smoothly. Julie explained to Professor Stoner about why Max wasn¡¯t attending his Bible studies, and when Max did meet him in the halls, he always smiled and gave a friendly wave to Max.


    A few weeks later, Julie was at the main auditorium on a Saturday. She carried a stack of papers in her arms. It was registration for the next semester, and she was again working as an administrator. She noticed it was about twenty-five minutes before 8:00 a.m., so she had time to drop off her forms at her computer and grab a cup of coffee. She walked into the auditorium and immediately saw an all-too-familiar scene that made her laugh. The room was completely empty except for one person standing in her line¡ªMax. She set the papers beside her computer, took a seat, and looked at her friend who stood there sheepishly.


    Max shuffled his feet and stared at the floor to keep from looking Julie in the eye. He was afraid she would burst into laughter at any moment. Seconds kept ticking away and Max began to tap his feet and look all around the room as if nothing was pressing.


    Julie shook her head and motioned for him to come on up. ¡°Come on; I haven¡¯t got all day.¡±


    Max smiled and walked up and handed her his list.


    ¡°You are a piece of work. You know that?¡± Julie couldn¡¯t help but make fun of Max¡¯s dedication to getting into Physics 1. ¡°Let¡¯s get you signed up for Professor Stoner¡¯s class.¡±


    Max gave her the list and she typed it in.


    ¡°All set,¡± Julie said.


    Max thanked her and joined her for coffee until she had to return to her registration duties.


    He was finally signed up for Professor Stoner¡¯s class. He wondered what the Near Impossible Assignment would be. He knew what some of them had been in the past. He witnessed the one about walking on water and Rollo had filled him in on the one about propelling a sheet of paper three hundred feet. Others he had learned about were using a single two-by-four, screws, and an empty two-liter soda bottle to make a car that would propel itself at least fifty feet on water pressure, standing on four eggs without breaking them, and propelling a grape through a sheet of tin.


    He could only imagine what his assignment would be.

 Needs Salt

    Max finished the semester with straight A¡¯s, which included four classes: The Bible and Western Culture, A History of Judaism, World Religions, and, of course, College Algebra.


    Over Christmas break, Julie had decided to go home and spend it with her family. Max was surprised how much he missed her.


    But the Maxwells had plans of their own. Max and his mom and dad made their regular annual trip to spend Christmas with his dad¡¯s brother, Oliver, who lived in Columbus, about eighty miles away. Oliver was also a man of the cloth, the head pastor of a large Baptist church in Columbus. He had never married and had no children, but his home was designated as Christmas central. It was the center location since his dad¡¯s sister lived an hour south of Columbus.


    His dad¡¯s sister, Mary, made up for the lack of kids from the brothers by having five of her own, ages six to fourteen. Her husband was not a religious man, so he had long since stopped attending the family Christmases here, but Mary made the trip with all five kids in tow.


    Max had always enjoyed Christmas time with his family, especially his cousins, all of whom were younger than he. But this Christmas was different. He played with the kids, helped with dinner, and went through all the motions as always, so it was doubtful that anyone else could tell this Christmas was any different at all for Max. But the difference wasn¡¯t visible; it was in his mind. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the Bible study classes with Brad. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Brad¡¯s dad and his unusual teachings of the Bible. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Professor Stoner¡¯s class and wondering what near-impossible task with which he would be presented. And mostly, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Julie.


    Julie texted Max a few times during the day, mostly to wish him a Merry Christmas. Each time he returned the text and sentiment.


    After Christmas dinner, Max¡¯s dad and Oliver drove to the store to pick up some ice cream for everyone. When they returned, they were covered with snow.


    Mary turned on the TV to catch the latest weather forecast. Everyone watched as the report was not good. The storm had gotten worse, and they were talking of closing all the major roads by nightfall.


    The reverend thought they should be going, but Max¡¯s mom was worried they would get caught right in the middle of it.


    ¡°I got plenty of room here for everyone,¡± Oliver offered.


    The decision was made to stay the night and drive the next day. Mary had to call her husband to let him know, and the kids were happy to spend more time with Max.


    Max was happy, too.


    When it came time to go to bed, Max¡¯s parents got one spare bedroom, and Mary and her three youngest got the other. Her two older kids, both boys, got to share the living room with Max. This, of course, led them into trouble, as they kept disturbing the adults with their laughter, which prompted the reverend to get up and threaten to make them sleep outside if they didn¡¯t allow anyone to get some rest.


    This made them laugh even more.


    Finally, they all got to sleep, except Max, who lay on the sofa with his mind still racing. Eventually, at about 2:00 a.m., he gave up and sat up and grabbed the TV remote. He activated the mute as soon as the TV came on so as not to disturb anyone.


    His uncle had all the cable channels and Max liked surfing to see what was on. Back home, they had a simple antenna that got the four basic networks. As he scanned through the long list of available channels, he came across an old episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy. He laughed to himself, wondering how Bill would fare in Professor Stoner¡¯s Near Impossible Assignment.


    Then something else caught his eye. The channel above the one showing Bill Nye listed this as the current program: FFY ministries. Max moved the bar upward and looked in the upper right-hand where it gave the details of the programming. It read, Faith for You Ministries, Inspiration, Arthur Clavin delivers his sermon to his church in New York.


    Max clicked the ¡®select¡¯ button. As the programming filled the screen, he recognized Arthur Clavin right away from his website. And he noticed Brad was right; the church and the congregation were enormous. He searched the remote to find the caption setting since he didn¡¯t want to disturb anyone with the volume. He found it and activated the captioning, then sat back and read what Arthur Clavin was saying.


    ¡°People keep talking about Jesus being about love and peace, and I¡¯m wondering what Jesus are they talking about? Jesus said himself that he came not to bring peace but a sword. Some people only understand one aspect of Jesus, but Jesus was about wrath and judgment also. Some Christians feel like they have to try to be nice all the time and try not to offend anyone, but that¡¯s crazy. The gospel should be offensive. If I go somewhere and preach and people come up to me later and say they were offended, then I praise God that I did it right. We have to deliver the Word of God like a hammer hits a nail. We don¡¯t have time to be polite. It¡¯s like the Bible says¡ªwe are the salt of the world. Let me explain what that means. If you rub salt into an open wound, it stings. It hurts. That¡¯s why we are the salt. We are to throw ourselves into the world with a fury and make it hurt. That¡¯s what we¡¯re called upon to do. We are at war. Paul tells us to don the armor and be prepared for battle. We are at war against the nonbelievers, and we will prevail.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Max sat there with his bottom jaw dropped. As the programming broke away for a commercial break, a standard disclaimer appeared:


    The views of this programming do not necessarily represent the views of this network.


    Good call, Max thought They don¡¯t represent my views either.


    Max couldn¡¯t believe that someone would take metaphors from the Bible and try to make them read as if they weren¡¯t metaphors. When Jesus said he came not to bring peace but a sword, it was a symbol of the division that could be caused by some accepting Him and some not. It had nothing to do with an actual sword. The same when Paul talked about putting on the armor of God¨Dit was a metaphor. Unless somehow a person believed that the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation were all referring to actual pieces of equipment to strap onto your body. Even in that scripture, it mentions the ¡°gospel of peace.¡± How could someone think that meant war?


    And the Salt of the World parable was one of Max¡¯s favorites.


    Matthew 5:13: ¡°You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.¡±


    It had always had one simple meaning to Max. It meant that Christians were the pure of the world. But what happens if a Christian loses his faith? They are no longer able to spread the Word and are now no different than other men. This was the first time he had heard anyone give an alternative meaning to that wonderful parable and it bothered him.


    Max watched as the programming came back on with an address for where to send your donations. He turned off the TV and tried to go to sleep. But still sleep shied away from him as if he were trying to trick sleep into getting closer, but sleep knew it was a trap. So, he lay there wondering how someone could preach these things and how so many people could follow these teachings.


    He understood now why Brad embraced conflict over reason. The Faith for You website was full of messages about war and conflict. Now Max had seen his first TV broadcast and, ironically, it mentioned war as well.


    Max had always struggled with his views on war. Every Christian he knew, including his father, believed that you should support war if it was a just war in defense against an evil aggressor. Max had even tried to embrace this belief, but when he really thought about it, he realized the only wars he supported were those led by the United States, and it made him wonder if they did indeed hold a monopoly on justice. He knew that when people decide for themselves what is just, who is evil, and what constitutes defense, it leaves a lot of room for personal prejudices. In the last decade, it had been suggested that preemptive attacks are considered defensive acts. Max knew it was easy to let your support of the troops translate to support of the war, and it was the only time he worried that his Christian values might not lead the way. He often wondered if his patriotic views took precedence.


    Max knew that the word ¡°war¡± was only mentioned fourteen times in the New Testament, and seven of those times are in Revelation talking about things like the war in Heaven. Of the other seven places it is mentioned, three places are in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which mention wars and rumors of wars. Two other places mention war against the mind and soul. One place is Jesus telling a metaphor about a king going to war. The only one of the fourteen that seemed to be providing insight to Christians about their stance on war was 2 Corinthians 10:3 where Paul wrote, ¡°For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.¡±


    It was very confusing to Max. But one thing he was certain of was that war was not something to promote and embrace as the Clavins seemed to do. It might only be mentioned fourteen times in the New Testament, but when Max did a search on the Faith for You website, he found it listed over twenty-two hundred times.


    Between Brad and his father, Max began to realize that everything they taught seemed to cater to basic human instincts. The message seemed to be that you are one of the chosen ones so you¡¯re set; you won the lottery; you found the last Golden Ticket. The other people, those who were not chosen, don¡¯t have it and never will. What¡¯s more, there¡¯s nothing they can do to get it. Since you¡¯re one of the chosen, you are supposed to be judgmental, you are supposed to be aggressive and offend people, and you are supposed to be about conflict and war. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, make them pay for it.


    Finally, it became clear to Max. That¡¯s the reason that Clavin¡¯s message was accepted by so many. It required no discipline or sacrifice at all. Max had always believed that what separated a Christian from everyone else was devotion and sacrifice. It¡¯s not easy being a Christian and the Bible never said it was going to be.  In fact, the Bible says the opposite. As a Christian, you are called upon to rise above all of the emotions, shortcomings, and weaknesses of the human condition. But now, along comes pastors like Arthur Clavin and they tell you that it¡¯s okay to be all of these things, that you¡¯ve been granted salvation no matter what. The more Max thought about it, the more he understood the appeal. That would sound great to anyone.


    Now Max understood why Brad was so gung-ho and borderline militant. That¡¯s why he chose conflict over compassion, friction over union, justification over joy. Brad accepted his father¡¯s philosophies one hundred percent and parroted them in every Bible study session Max had attended. It was like they took bits and pieces of scripture, certain words from certain passages, and entire metaphors, to completely ignore the simple teachings of Jesus, to reinvent the message from Christ to fit their own personal views.


    And people ate it up.


    Max finally understood.

 Get the Lead Out

    Max walked into Professor Stoner¡¯s class for the first time. The room was an auditorium-style room with seats that lined up in slightly curved rows, with each row of seats set higher behind the one in front. There were three aisles, one on each side and one in the middle that led up between a dozen rows of seats. Opposite the seats, in the front of the room, was a one-foot-high platform in front of a double-sliding chalkboard and a science lab-style desk about five feet in front of the chalkboards.


    The room was located in the older building and had wood walls and even a ceiling made of wood. It was all correlated with a burnt umber finish over beautiful walnut wood, although the finish had long lost its luster. There were no windows at all¨Donly three doors: the main entrance on the bottom level, a door on the opposite wall that appeared to be the professor¡¯s office, and an emergency exit at the top of the center aisle.


    The ceiling was high and, along with the walls, consisted of designs and carvings that left crevices and ledges that had long since foregone dusting. The air above head level was old and stagnant and, combined with the smell of old wood, gave the room an odor that seemed all too familiar to Max. It smelled like a church.


    Max had hoped to get a seat up front but was surprised to see the room already mostly filled. He ascended the middle staircase and found a seat by the aisle about seven rows up. Along the right side of the seat near the aisle was a small desk platform that manually rotated up, which provided an area on which to place your books.


    The room was abuzz with obscure chatter, quiet laughter, and feet shuffling.


    As the clock hit the top of the hour, Professor Stoner entered from his office door. He wore dark pleated slacks and a sports jacket over a white button-up shirt, which displayed a slender tie coming from underneath the neatly pressed collar. He took his place behind his desk and began.


    ¡°Okay, settle down, everyone. Let¡¯s get started. I have a list here of people who are supposed to be here. I will read it off and, when you hear your name, you will say, ¡®Newton.¡¯ If you do not hear your name, it is a distinct possibility that you are lost.¡± He began to read off the names without looking up. One by one, students rattled off the word ¡®Newton¡¯ as their name was called.


    ¡°Johnny Maxwell,¡± the professor called out, looking up from the list for the first time.


    ¡°Newton,¡± Max said and raised his hand as well.


    The professor smiled and continued. After he completed the list, he set a cardboard box upon the desk. ¡°Okay, class. It¡¯s good to see so many new faces. The bad news is, if you are taking my class early in your college career, I am saddened to inform you that it¡¯s all downhill from here.¡±


    Low but very audible laughter filled the room.


    ¡°Now most of you have no doubt heard,¡± the professor continued, ¡°that every semester I provide you with a chance to pick up bonus points for your grade. I assure you that most of you will need it. This bonus comes in the form of what has been dubbed ¡®The Near Impossible Assignment.¡¯ It was originally called ¡®The Impossible Assignment,¡¯ but since several students have actually succeeded, the name just didn¡¯t seem to fit anymore. This year¡¯s assignment is going to take a lot of balls.¡±


    This made the room fill with much louder laughter, even from Max who was excited to hear the assignment.


    The professor reached into the box and brought out a round metal ball. ¡°These balls are made of lead. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to make this ball magnetic. You can do anything you want to the ball as long as at the end of the semester it can be picked up by this very strong magnet.¡± He held up a magnet about three inches long, an inch wide, and a half-inch thick. He scanned it over his desk, and paperclips and even a ballpoint pen launched upward to attach themselves to the magnet.


    Max looked on in amazement.


    ¡°Nothing can be attached to the ball at the time of the test,¡± the professor continued. ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have to be in a spherical form at the time, but it must consist only of lead. You cannot add anything to it.¡±


    Max had waited so long for this moment. Now it was here, and it did indeed seem like an impossible challenge. He couldn¡¯t wait to get started.


    The professor stood at the bottom of the seats and held the box for anyone who wanted to try it. Over seventy-five percent of the students filtered down to grab one, each with the same smile Max displayed, perhaps each thinking they would be the one to pull it off.


    As the class progressed, Max could barely concentrate on the subject matter as Professor Stoner scribbled on the chalkboards and even showed the students a slide show. It was the bulge in his pocket, a simple lump of lead that kept succeeding over and over in capturing his thought process. Why is lead not magnetic? he asked himself. How do you make it so?


    It was late Thursday afternoon when Max got home from the first day of class of his second semester. He didn¡¯t have to work so he rushed through his homework so he could get on the computer and research questions that had plagued him the better part of the day. As the internet slowly came on, he typed into the search bar, ¡°Why is lead not magnetic?¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Several pages came up and Max began to scan through them all. Finally, one read:


    ¡°Lead is not magnetic because it does not have electron spin. For any metal to be magnetic, it must produce an electronic angular momentum to interact with the magnetic field.¡±


    Okay, thought Max.  All I have to do is get its electrons to spin. He then laughed at the absurdity of it. But he continued to research. He read up on electrons, electromagnetic fields, and electricity. They all seemed to go hand-in-hand. He read that you can take electricity and run it through wires wrapped around an iron rod and it would turn the iron magnetic. But that wouldn¡¯t work with lead. Or would it? It seemed like the best place to start.


    Max walked out to the barn with his lead ball in hand and a large flashlight from the pantry. The barn had one light fixture that operated by pulling a string, but it did not illuminate the far reaches of the building. Looking around, he found a roll of plastic-covered wiring. That, along with the six-volt battery from the flashlight, was enough to run his first test.


    Wrapping the wire clumsily around the lead ball, he attached one end to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end to the negative. He took a nail and touched it to the ball.


    Nothing.


    But the nail gave him another idea. He placed the lead ball in the vice of his dad¡¯s drill press and located a drill bit that was the same size in diameter as the nail. He drilled a hole right through the middle of the ball and was surprised at how easy it was to drill through a soft metal such as lead. Taking the nail, he tried to slide it through the hole, but it was a tight fit, so he took a hammer and drove it through until two inches of the steel nail protruded from each side of the lead ball.


    Max placed the ball on the table and began wrapping the wire around the nail instead of the ball itself. Then he hooked it up to the battery again, took another nail, and placed it on the ball.


    Nothing.


    He tried placing the nail on the wire-covered nail, which ran through the ball, and the nail latched on in a magnetic embrace. So, the premise of the electromagnet was sound, but it only worked with metals already magnetic. Max shook his head.


    Just then he heard his dad¡¯s truck pull into the driveway. He walked out to the front of the barn entrance and waved. His dad walked to the barn. He was wearing work clothes with no coat, even though it was winter and quite chilly outside, so Max knew right away that he had been on a plumbing job.


    ¡°What are you doing out here, son?¡±


    Max explained about the assignment and what he had read on the internet. He explained how his first experiment had failed.


    ¡°Using a flashlight battery, huh?¡± his dad asked in obvious interest.


    Max nodded.


    His dad continued. ¡°What happens if you use a stronger battery?¡±


    Max smiled. ¡°It says it will make the electromagnet stronger.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± His dad turned and went to his truck, went into a side compartment, and took out some tools. He opened the hood of his truck and worked a few minutes then headed back to the barn with his truck battery hanging by the handle in his right hand, swaying in rhythm of his arm movement as he walked.


    Max couldn¡¯t help but grin at his dad¡¯s enthusiasm.


    The reverend set the battery on the table and hooked up one end of the wire to the positive post on the battery using a small clamp. He grabbed a set of vice grips to attach the other side. He then stopped and motioned for Max to take over.


    Max stepped up and took the vice grips and, as he placed the other end of the wire to the negative battery post, he said, ¡°Here goes nothing.¡±


    He and his dad looked on for a few seconds until Max took a nail and again lay it on the wire-wrapped nail. It grabbed on harder this time. He pried it away and then touched it to the lead ball.


    Nothing.


    He looked at his dad, smiled, and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Good idea anyway,¡± he said.


    Something caught their attention as they looked at each other and simultaneously crunched up their noses. There was an unmistakable tickle to their olfactory senses, a familiar twinge in the ozone that takes a few seconds for the brain to recognize. In unison again, they looked back at the lead ball. Smoke was surrounding the plastic-coated wires. It was dense smoke that hovered instead of rose but was starting to spread.


    ¡°Oh shoot!¡± cried Max, and he grabbed the wire and pulled it off the battery without loosening the clamp. As he unwound it from the nail, it was obvious that the plastic had begun to melt. As he peeled back the layers, the plastic coating went from being soft to smoldering. He quickly unraveled it all to reveal burning embers. Max leaned down and did the only thing he could think to do¨Dblow real hard. It worked. That was the blast of oxygen the embers needed to ignite and that¡¯s what they did. Flames appeared like ghosts to dance in the air above the wires.


    The reverend walked over to the entrance of the barn and picked up a plastic five-gallon bucket, which had originally held sheetrock mud but had for years been sitting right outside the barn doors collecting rainwater as if for this very moment. He carried it inside and dumped the entire contents onto the table, extinguishing the fire.


    His dad looked at him and then back at the mangled mess of exposed wire and charred coating. He looked back up at Max and said, ¡°That reminds me of the one and only rule I have for this experiment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t burn down the barn?¡± Max asked with a wry smile.


    His dad simply touched his finger to his nose then picked up the battery and took it back to his truck. After he got it reinstalled, he closed the hood of the truck and went into the house.


    Max stayed behind to clean up the mess. The entire table and surrounding floor were soaked with the stagnant rainwater. He casually unwound all the burnt wiring and discarded it into the now empty bucket. As he stared at the lead ball with the nail through it, he began to doubt his approach. Should I go back to the drawing board? he wondered.


    Then he smiled as he remembered a lecture in high school about successful people who refused to let adversity and failure stand in their way. One of his favorite stories was of Colonel Sanders and his idea to peddle his family chicken recipe to restaurants across the country. When asked how many rejections he had received before the first restaurant said ¡°yes,¡± Max had answered ten. He and the others in his class were shocked to learn it was over nine hundred.


    When he put it into that perspective, one little barn fire was nothing.

 A Burning Ring of Fire

    The following Monday, Max could not stop smiling as he drove to college. His failure at the Near Impossible Assignment and subsequent near fire were pushed aside for more favorable memories, even though his dad kept reminding him of the other.


    Julie had driven over to attend church with Max and afterward had eaten lunch with him and his parents again. Like the first time, it was a very nice experience, and it was clear that his mom and dad liked her very much, and it would seem they liked that he liked her as well.


    Church and lunch made up a tiny portion of his memory, however. It was after lunch that consumed his thoughts this morning as he replayed every detail in slow motion. After lunch, Max¡¯s parents left to visit a sick elder of the church, leaving Max and Julie there alone. Before leaving, Max¡¯s mom had already dug out several old pictures to embarrass Max, and Julie kept that going after she left. They looked through his school yearbook and several family albums.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked me to come,¡± Julie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you came.¡±


    Several seconds of silence followed and Julie asked, ¡°Have you ever thought about kissing me?¡±


    Max felt his throat tighten. He knew Julie was outspoken and he loved that about her, but this question suddenly made him dizzy. But he managed to answer honestly. ¡°More times than I can count and I¡¯m pretty good at math.¡±


    Julie smiled a really big smile. ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Max shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never kissed a girl before, and I was scared that I would be really bad at it.¡±


    Julie smiled as if never tiring of hearing honest responses from Max. But she couldn¡¯t help but have a little fun at his expense. ¡°So, you think there¡¯s a wrong way that will make a girl not be interested in you anymore?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Max said as his brow lowered, ¡°I actually thought there were a million ways to do it wrong that would lose the girl and only one right way, and I have no clue how that goes.¡±


    Julie smiled bigger as if deciding she had picked on him enough. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to make it easy for you.¡±


    Max breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Close your eyes and leave your lips open. For the next ten seconds, don¡¯t do anything at all; just let me do everything.¡±


    Max did as he was instructed.


    Julie moved the picture albums and sat across Max¡¯s legs with her own legs resting on the sofa cushions.


    Max¡¯s heart was beating very fast. Suddenly he felt Julie¡¯s lips on his, slowly brushing against them, and then both of her lips were on his bottom lip. She slowly compressed her lips, creating a slight vice-like grip on his bottom lip and pulled away, taking his lip with hers and then slowly releasing it. She continued this all around his bottom and top lips.


    Max felt like he was in paradise. He never knew he could feel this way and he hoped that those ten seconds would last for eternity. His eyes were still closed, and his mind was still flowing when he realized that it had stopped. He opened his eyes to see Julie leaning back and smiling at him.


    ¡°How was that?¡± she asked.


    All he could do was nod; the rest of his muscles seemed frozen. ¡°Should I be doing something?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Believe me,¡± Julie replied, ¡°doing nothing already makes you a better kisser than ninety percent of the men out there. Trust me.¡±


    Max looked confused. ¡°How many boyfriends have you had?¡±


    Julie laughed. ¡°One, back in tenth grade, and we never kissed. All this is from what I read.¡± She paused for a few seconds. ¡°Okay, this time keep your eyes closed but try to mimic what I did before.¡±


    Max quickly closed his eyes. As Julie¡¯s lips touched his, he began to open and close his lips on hers. He was concentrating so hard in the beginning, but his mind slowly became a void as his lips caressed hers with more and more passion. His arms drifted up to caress her back, and his head tilted instinctively to create a better angle in which to embrace her mouth fully. His mind was as far away from his fears and reality as they could be. Only when Julie moaned in pleasure did he snap out of it. He opened his eyes as they pulled away from each other.


    There was no smile on Julie¡¯s face. Her lips were still parted, and her eyes were still half closed. She too was fully swept away in the moment. ¡°Holy moly,¡± was all she could mutter.


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    Max nodded in slow motion to concur.


    ¡°You are a great kisser,¡± Julie said as she sat up straight and tried to regain her composure.


    I¡¯m a great kisser? Max thought. I¡¯m a great kisser?


    Julie leaned over and put her arms around his neck and placed her face against his chest, the back of her head up against Max¡¯s cheek.


    I¡¯m a great kisser? Max thought.


    ***


    The gravel on the side of the road jumped up to impact the bottom side of Max¡¯s truck, creating an almost machine-gun effect.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Max said as he came out of his hypnotic state and eased the truck back into the lane. He realized he better concentrate on the road for the remainder of the trip. That lasted for about seven seconds as his mind wandered back once again to the point where his mom and dad left the house.


    He arrived on campus and went to his first class. He couldn¡¯t wait to meet Julie for their 10:00 a.m. regular cafeteria get-together.


    Finally, the class was over. He and Julie sat side-by-side at the small table. Neither had gotten anything to eat or drink this morning, as it seemed the important thing was simply to be there. As they sat and whispered, they were interrupted.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this picture?¡± Rollo said rubbing his chin.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in class?¡± Max guessed.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not it,¡± Rollo continued. ¡°Hmmm, what can it be? Wait, I got it, you two are not sitting across from each other like normal. Wow. What can that mean?¡± He sat in the chair opposite them and placed his elbows on the table and formed a V with his hands where he settled his chin. Then he looked at them with quick blinking motions as if awaiting an answer.


    No answer came.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Rollo said, giving up, ¡°I¡¯m happy for you guys.¡± Then he looked at Max. ¡°You¡¯re hot as fire, dude.¡±


    Max smiled.


    Rollo continued. ¡°And we all know fire is what makes things magnetic.¡±


    Max¡¯s mouth dropped open as he spun around to stare at the only person who could have betrayed him. ¡°You told him?¡±


    Julie giggled. ¡°I saw him when I came back Sunday night and it just slipped out.¡±


    Max laughed too.


    ¡°How was church service with Max this weekend Miss Blankenship? Meet the future in-laws?¡± asked Rollo.


    ¡°It was great,¡± Julie replied. ¡°Max teaches Sunday School to these small kids. It¡¯s too cute. They call him Mr. Max. Then when the main service started, his dad¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Max said placing his hand over Julie¡¯s mouth. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough damage.¡±


    Rollo was laughing now and wasn¡¯t sure why. ¡°Come on, spill it.¡±


    Max finally conceded and removed his hand.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Julie began, ¡°His dad came out and walks up to the podium and looks out over the congregation. Everyone is expecting him to start on his sermon, but he does something else instead. He says, ¡®I realize that I have been negligent in my duties as far as your safety goes, so let me take a moment to correct that. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with all emergency exits in case of a fire.¡¯ Max¡¯s face was so red. He just sank in the pew, and people were laughing and patting him on the back.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a fun place to go to church,¡± Rollo said, shaking with laughter.


    ¡°Those weren¡¯t his exact words. That sounds more like what they say at the movie theater.¡± Max¡¯s attempt at diversion failed and they continued to laugh. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh himself.


    ¡°Oh, did you guys hear about Brad?¡± Rollo asked as if he couldn¡¯t believe he just remembered.


    Julie and Max both shook their heads, waiting for him to continue.


    ¡°He had a wreck.¡±


    ¡°That pretty little Porsche?¡± Julie asked.


    Rollo nodded.


    Max looked confused.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you ever noticed that black Porsche 911 parked right by the front entrance?¡± Julie asked Max.


    ¡°Yeah, but I thought it was a teacher¡¯s. Isn¡¯t that the teacher parking spaces?¡±


    Rollo rolled his eyes at Max¡¯s innocence. ¡°The almighty dollar, dude,¡± he said, rubbing his fingers across his thumb to signify money. ¡°His dad went to school here and donated the entire science lab.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Max replied. ¡°Everyone should do good things if they have the money for it.¡±


    ¡°Right. Jesus was all for tax write-offs.¡± Rollo shook his head to make sure the less-than-subtle sarcasm was understood.


    ¡°Well, is he alright?¡± Max asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Rollo turned his hand up to mimic holding a bottle while letting his tongue hang out of his mouth. Not the level of a professional mime performance, but good enough to get his point across.


    ¡°Drunk driving again?¡± Julie blurted out.


    Max couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Rollo noticed the look of shock in his face and said, ¡°Dude, this is like the fifth time.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s okay?¡± Max asked again.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s fine,¡± Rollo finally answered. ¡°He¡¯s with his dad in New York while his dad soothes things over again.¡±


    Max got that Rollo was not that concerned, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel really sad for Brad.


    After the hour was up, they said their goodbyes and went off to their respective next classes. For Max, it was Professor Stoner¡¯s class. He walked into the auditorium-style classroom and started to ascend the middle aisle to assume his seat. He stopped, however, as the professor walked out of his office and called out to him. Max turned to walk back to the professor.


    ¡°I need to talk to you,¡± Professor Stoner said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Max.


    ¡°Well, the thing is,¡± the professor continued as he worked his way around the back of his desk and Max moved over to the front, ¡°I have a very important task to assign you. I usually designate one student every semester for this assignment and it¡¯s very important.¡±


    Max wondered what it could be but felt honored that he had been chosen.


    The professor continued. ¡°First, I want you to understand that this is a volunteer position, and you should feel free to turn me down if you don¡¯t want the added responsibility or think that it might in some way take away from your focus on the subject matter.¡±


    Max was completely enthralled.


    The professor could sense his curiosity, so he drew it out even longer. ¡°I have others I can ask if you are not interested.¡±


    ¡°What is it for goodness sakes?¡± asked Max.


    The professor smiled. ¡°These old buildings are a hazard, so we need someone trustworthy to be in charge of this.¡± He pulled out a small fire extinguisher and handed it across the desk to Max.


    ¡°Julie?¡± Max asked, shaking his head.


    ¡°Actually, it was Rollo,¡± the professor corrected.


    Max reached for the extinguisher, but the professor pulled it away to signify it was only a joke.  Max turned and went up the steps to his seat knowing his dad would be pleased at how many miles this silly joke had tallied.

 Heavy Metal

    Max had not given up on his approach to the assignment. Manipulating the physical structure of the lead ball and hopefully getting the electrons to spin was still the goal. He had upgraded the coated wire to the thickest, most heavy-duty he could find for the size needed. In addition, he now had it set up to run an AC current through the nail itself hoping that that would generate some effect. He did this by cutting one strand of an electrical cord from a lamp and connecting it to one side of the nail, then continuing it on the other side of the nail back up to the lamp. When the lamp was turned on, he knew that the current would be flowing directly through the lead.


    It had been three weeks since the fire episode. As Max pulled into the driveway of his family¡¯s home after driving home from school, he noticed a box on the door stoop and hoped this would be the thing he had ordered to progress to the next step of his experiment. His dad¡¯s truck was gone, and he realized that his mom was also not home, meaning they were either shopping or visiting friends, which is why UPS had left the box at the door. He read the sticker on the box and quickly opened it to reveal two small devices about four inches high, two inches wide, and two inches deep. They resembled two little speakers, each with electrical cords protruding from the rear.


    Max had read online that microwaves are actually electromagnetic waves and he thought that also might have an effect on the electrons of a metal. But as he looked at the two emitters, he noticed that they were different. He wasn¡¯t sure why one had a radiation warning on it and the other didn¡¯t. The emitters were not supposed to generate enough power to be dangerous. Taking the one with the warning, he flipped it upside down to read the label on the bottom.


    It read: Beta emitter.


    What did that mean? Max went up to his room, got on the internet, and searched for ¡°beta emitter.¡± What he read shocked him. Beta waves are high-energy, high-speed electrons emitted in certain types of radiation.


    Radiation? Oh no, Max thought as he wondered if this was even legal. He looked up his invoice where he had ordered these online to make sure he hadn¡¯t made a mistake. But his records confirmed that he had placed the order for two identical microwave emitters. He looked up the website again and searched to try to find a contact number to let the company know they had sent the wrong item. He couldn¡¯t find a number, but there was an email address. He opened an email box and began to compose the letter. Then he stopped as the definition echoed in his head. High-speed electrons.


    Max looked at the little, seemingly harmless unit in his hand. He concluded that the least he could do was give it one test run before sending it back.


    It was early February, and snow was on the ground as he walked out to the barn. The barn offered little protection from the cold, but at least it was dry inside. Max took the two emitters and placed them on each side of the lead ball. Then he connected them to a large, rusted metal box, which was placed on the old wooden table near the lead ball.


    Years ago, Max had found an old electronic amplifier in the basement of his dad¡¯s church. His dad said it was there before he took over and thought it was used at one time to regulate the signal of either the microphone or organ speakers. Max had rigged it to regulate the power of both the DC current going through the coated wire and the AC current going through the nail. After connecting the two emitters, everything now ran through the homemade regulator.


    He decided to give it a quick run before his parents got home. He turned on the power and rotated the knob on the front of the amplifier in a clockwise direction from its starting position to about the one-tenth mark. The light of the lamp began to burn very dimly. Max looked at the lead ball with all the wires and two emitters on each side as it sat in the black circle created by the fire. He carefully touched a metal nail to the lead ball.


    Nothing.


    He turned the dial a little more to the right and the lamp shone brighter. He tried again.


    Nothing.


    He turned the dial to almost the halfway mark. As he did, he heard the sound of an automobile and walked over to the entrance of the barn to notice his dad¡¯s truck. He figured he better stop the experiment here. He had to get ready for work anyway. He walked back to the table, but the ball was gone and there was a hole in the table. He then noticed the ball on the ground. The coated wiring had unraveled on one side as the ball had fallen, and on the other side the wire had broken as the ball went through the table.


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    Max stared in disbelief. How had this happened? Had the fire damaged the wood on the table and weakened it enough to break through? He looked at the hole, but the wood of the table seemed normal below the surface. In fact, it was an old homemade worktable, and the top consisted of three-quarter-inch plywood. It would take a great force to punch a hole in that.


    Max cut the power completely and just left it all like it was. He walked into the house to greet his parents and get ready for work.


    ***


    Max placed several boxes of different items on his dolly to wheel out to the floor. But his mind was elsewhere. What had happened to the lead ball to make it break through the table? As he neared the two swinging metal doors that led to the retail floor of the store, he stopped. The bottom of the doors had three-quarter-inch plywood attached to them to protect the metal from the impact of dollies from employees and vendors. He had always noticed that but never paid any attention to it before. As he stood there motionless, Mr. Mitner walked up behind him.


    ¡°The automatic doors are only at the front of the store,¡± he joked.


    Max smiled and then asked, ¡°You see that plywood on the doors there?¡±


    Mr. Mitner looked confused but nodded.


    ¡°How much force would you think it would take to punch a hole in plywood that thick?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°Is this one of your college problems?¡± Mr. Mitner asked as he shrugged.


    Max nodded.


    ¡°Well,¡± Mr. Mitner began, genuinely trying to be of assistance, ¡°it would take more than I could muster. I mean, I don¡¯t know what kind of pressure in pounds per square inch or anything like that, but I¡¯m certain I couldn¡¯t knock a hole in it with a hammer.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re right.¡± Max began to realize the gravity of what had happened in the barn.


    Mr. Mitner seemed glad that he could offer some insight. Then he added, ¡°And I¡¯m sure your dolly won¡¯t hurt it if you decide to put those items on the shelves where they belong.¡±


    They both laughed as Max agreed, pushed the doors open, and continued to work.


    The rest of the evening was the same. Max went through the motions but couldn¡¯t stop thinking about what had happened. He considered several possibilities. In trying to manipulate the electrons of the lead, had he instead compromised the molecular structure of the wood underneath? One thing was certain¨Dhe had to find out.


    ***


    It was barely daylight as Max walked out to the barn. He had set his alarm clock for an hour earlier than normal so he could run the experiment again, but, hopefully this time, without distraction. It was freezing and he was bundled up pretty good but could still feel the cold penetrating his clothes.


    He took off his gloves to work, which made it colder. He reattached the broken wire and rewound the other side. He set everything up about a foot away from the hole in the burnt area and tried it again.


    As he turned the dial clockwise, the lamp began to brighten. As he neared the midpoint, the point where he had gotten to before, he could see that the ball was starting to sink into the first layer of the plywood. He couldn¡¯t believe it. He turned it just a little more and heard a crack as the plywood started to break underneath the ball. Max turned the dial back to the starting position. He wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but felt it was significant. Then he had an idea.


    Max looked at his watch to see the time. He still had about thirty minutes before he had to leave for school, so he ran to the house and went inside to the bathroom. He returned to the barn with his mom¡¯s bathroom scales.


    He placed them on the table and set up everything on top of the scales. The manual scales barely registered the weight. As he slightly turned the dial on the amplifier, however, it jumped up to the twenty-two-pound mark.


    Oh my gosh, Max thought. One of his theories was correct. The experiment had made the ball heavier. As he slowly turned the dial, the weight increased exponentially. By the quarter-way mark on the dial, the scales were pegged out at two-hundred-fifty. Max decided to take it a little further, but as he did, he noticed the ball was beginning to dent the top of the scales and backed off.


    But now he knew. He didn¡¯t understand why, but at least he knew what was happening. Instead of making the electrons spin and hence making the lead ball magnetic, it was somehow causing the molecules of the lead to get heavier. Or maybe it did have to do with a magnetic solution. Maybe the experiment was causing the lead ball to react to the earth¡¯s gravitational pull in a magnified manner, hence the effect being similar to gaining weight.


    As he stood there in the freezing air pondering the possibilities, he knew now that making the ball magnetic was no longer important. That meant, of course, that his dream of succeeding in one of Professor Stoner¡¯s Near Impossible Assignments, a dream that began on his first visit to Cedarbluff¡¯s campus, now took a backseat to the accidental results of the experiment. He wasn¡¯t sure of the ramifications of what was happening, or even clear on what good could come from such a discovery, but he knew he needed to pursue it to see where it would go. And he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how increasing the power using the amplifier would affect the weight of the ball, but he was dying to find out. He also knew he would have to figure out another way to set up the experiment since the plywood tabletop clearly was no match for his super-weighted ball.


    But that would have to wait.

 Disappearing Act

    Valentine¡¯s Day fell on a Tuesday and Max had made sure to have that day off from Hurley¡¯s Market. It was 6:00 p.m., and he sat at the Red Lobster in Fort Wayne, Indiana with Julie, Rollo, and a girl named Rita. This was the first double-date he had ever been on. In fact, it was the first real date period.


    Julie had begun to attend church with Max every Sunday, which always led them to find a place to be alone afterward. It was a great time for Max, as his feelings for Julie were very strong. But he still wasn¡¯t sure if they were boyfriend/girlfriend or even how that distinction was determined. As was typical, he hoped that she would clarify it for him one day. In the meantime, he was very happy.


    Rita seemed to Max to be very nice. Like most of the girls who gravitated to Rollo, she giggled at everything he said. She was physically very pretty, and he was still surprised that someone Rollo¡¯s size could date such pretty girls. But all he had to do was spend a little time with Rollo to understand, because it was never a dull moment around him. He usually made Max¡¯s sides hurt from laughing so hard.


    ¡°A toast,¡± Rollo said as he raised his glass of soda.


    Max and the two girls lifted their glasses of soda as well.


    ¡°To the coolest friend anyone could have,¡± Rollo continued looking straight at Max, ¡°the Mormon pyromaniac.¡±


    Julie laughed. Rita laughed too, but wasn¡¯t sure why, so Rollo explained what had happened with Max¡¯s experiment.


    ¡°How¡¯s that going by the way?¡± Rollo asked.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Julie chimed in, realizing that she didn¡¯t even know. ¡°How is that going?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m there,¡± Max replied. Seeing the good-for-you expressions and nods from the group, he added, ¡°I think I have officially reached the point where I know for sure that this is impossible.¡±


    They all laughed.


    ¡°Are you serious, dude?¡± Rollo asked.


    Max nodded. ¡°Maybe not impossible, but at least beyond my ability.¡±


    Rollo offered his condolences. ¡°That¡¯s okay, man. Welcome to the loser club. You still have a lot of redeeming qualities.¡± Rollo paused and stared into the air for a few seconds. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what they are, but I¡¯m sure you have some.¡±


    The atmosphere was great, and Max enjoyed the company of his friends. He had never had really close friends throughout high school. He knew everyone, but because he didn¡¯t play sports or wasn¡¯t in the band or didn¡¯t take part in any extracurricular activities at all, he never had that kind of bond with his classmates. Being a devout Christian might not have helped with the ¡°in¡± crowd either. But he felt lucky to have these guys at this point in his life.


    After dinner, Julie drove back to Max¡¯s house with Rollo and Rita in the backseat, usually making out, which embarrassed Max and disgusted Julie. She looked over at Max and asked, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told me about the experiments and how they¡¯re going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Max replied.


    ¡°But you were serious; you don¡¯t think you can do it?¡±


    Max nodded. ¡°Yeah, I was serious.¡±


    ¡°You still have a lot of time left in the semester,¡± Julie pointed out. ¡°So, keep trying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to keep working on it,¡± Max said. That was an accurate statement. In fact, in a rare move, he had taken a full Saturday off from work to devote to it. Julie had decided to go home to visit her parents this coming weekend, so Max had decided he would spend the entire day seeing how heavy he could make a simple ball of lead.


    ***


    Max looked over his odd contraption. It was set up and ready to test. He had replaced the nail with a longer steel rod. All the coated wiring had been replaced. Years ago, his dad had installed a 220-volt outlet for a welder, so Max now had a 220-volt industrial heater instead of a 110-volt lamp to pull the electricity through the rod. The two emitters were positioned as before, but now the entire thing was set upon a one-inch iron plate, which was about eight square inches in size and set directly on the ground.


    Max took a deep breath, which the cold air turned into mist as he released it. He began to turn the dial clockwise on the amplifier and the coils in the heater began to illuminate. He slowly turned it more. As he neared the halfway point, the iron plate seemed to sink a little into the ground or maybe that was just his imagination. He turned it more. The heater brightened and the iron plate seemed to strain under the pressure. Max turned the dial even more, now a little past the halfway point. The iron plate seemed to cry out from the stress. It was not really audible, but more a sense of unimaginable pressure. It gave Max the feeling of turning a stuck bolt with a large wrench and knowing that any minute the bolt would break. Max noticed that the ball was starting to indent the iron plate. Was that even possible? Maybe the ball itself was flattening. His nerves were on edge knowing that something bad could happen any minute, but he couldn¡¯t resist turning the dial more.


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    Suddenly, the experiment was halted as both emitters fell over onto the ball. Max didn¡¯t know what had caused it, but assumed the stress of the iron must have caused them to fall over due to the vibration. It took Max an hour to figure a way to mount the emitters to the plate. Finally, it was ready, and he tried again.


    He passed the halfway mark with the same effect as before. When he reached the three-quarter mark on the dial, the ball shot off the plate. It happened so fast that Max didn¡¯t even notice which way it went. But now he could see that the iron plate had indeed been dented from the weight of the lead ball. This meant that not only was the ball getting heavier, it was becoming more solid.


    Max killed the power to the amplifier and walked around looking for the ball. He couldn¡¯t find it. He noticed no trails in the dirt to show where the ball had rolled, which meant it must have gone airborne. But surely Max would have heard it hit the walls or any of the other stuff in the barn. He started to get frustrated as he considered the possibility that the experiments were over, at least for today, and he would have to ask Professor Stoner for another ball. Desperate, he tried to retrace possible ways the ball could have gone. As he looked back at the place of origin to see which way the wire had unraveled, there sat the ball on the iron plate as if it had never moved, the wires still in place.


    He shook his head. Between going to college, driving back and forth, working, going to church, doing homework, spending time with Julie, and this experiment, he had begun to seriously cut into his sleep time. But had sleep deprivation caused him to hallucinate? Had the ball been there all the time? It couldn¡¯t have been. After all, he could even see the indention before.


    Max slowly walked back over to the amplifier, keeping his eye on the ball as if it might jump up and run away just to taunt him. He turned the amplifier back on and began at the far-left position again. He passed the midway mark and kept his full attention on the ball. If he felt he needed to blink, he waited to resume. As he neared the three-quarter mark, he watched intensely as he sensed the iron straining once again. One more little turn and it happened again. But this time he knew the ball did not leave the plate; it simply disappeared.


    Several seconds passed before Max realized that his mouth was wide open. Could this be real? He could see the wires, and this time he even noticed that the steel rod was still visible, but its color had blended in with the iron plate, so he hadn¡¯t noticed it before. Everything was still there in its place except for the lead ball itself. It was without a doubt invisible.


    Max slowly turned the dial backwards and it reappeared. As he turned it back more, the less stress it seemed to put on the iron plate.


    Then he had an idea. With the power switch off to the amplifier, he set the dial to the three-quarter mark, the farthest point he had turned it so far. Then he flipped the power switch to the ¡°on¡± position and the ball disappeared again. No straining of the iron. Just poof, it was gone.


    He walked around the barn trying to get a grip on what was happening. Just then he heard his mom calling out to him. He noticed that it was already 5:00 p.m., and he had been out here most of the day. He decided to call it quits and walked into the house.


    His mom and dad were just sitting down to dinner, so he went into the bathroom and washed his hands. He came back, took his seat, and after his mom asked the blessing, he began to eat in complete silence. His mom and dad didn¡¯t notice how deep in thought he was, or if they did, they didn¡¯t mention it.


    After dinner, Max talked to Julie on the phone for a long time then sat and watched TV with his parents for a short while. At nine o¡¯clock, he decided to go to bed.


    As he lay there in bed, he knew he wouldn¡¯t soon fall sleep. What had he done? What should he do now? Although this seemed like a great discovery, what possible applications could come from it? Max closed his eyes and tried to imagine, but the only visuals he could come up with were military uses. He pictured the government building new planes that could become invisible, making it easier to bomb other countries. He cringed at the very thought.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what time he had fallen asleep, but he knew it was very late. The sun was shining bright through his bedroom window, and he knew right away he had overslept. He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. His mom and dad were already gone. He looked at the clock. It was almost 11:00 a.m. He had missed church. That had never happened. He was frantic. Then he saw the note on the bathroom door.


    We thought you needed the sleep, so we didn¡¯t want to wake you. We are picking up Mrs. Johnson and Dad said Ryan could teach your Sunday School class today. Please get some rest and we¡¯ll see you when we get back home. Love, Mom.


    Max was relieved, but he still felt bad for missing church. However, it gave him time to address the source of his sleepless night. After a glass of orange juice, he went back out to the barn.


    He decided to get it over with and go for broke. He set the amplifier to the full farthest-right setting. He stood back behind a support beam then took a garden rake and reached over to flip the switch to the ¡°on¡± position.


    Flip.


    The heater came on and the ball disappeared again, same as before. There didn¡¯t seem to be any difference. Max walked over and turned the amplifier off, and the ball reappeared.


    ¡°What am I going to do with you?¡± he asked out loud.

 The Pen Conundrum

    Professor Stoner sat behind the desk in his office and stared across at Max. He was surprised to see Max waiting outside his classroom very early this Monday morning, but that was nothing compared to his confusion now. ¡°It gets heavy¡­ then disappears?¡±


    Max nodded.


    The professor smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think weight and invisibility go hand-in-hand. If it did, we might lose Rollo.¡± He laughed at his own joke and leaned forward to glance out the door, half expecting Rollo and/or Julie to come in laughing.


    Max was expressionless.


    ¡°You are kidding, right? I mean this is payback for the fire extinguisher joke, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Max was expressionless. Then he said, ¡°I understand you think this is a joke. But even if you think that, you agreed at the beginning that you would not tell anyone about this. You gave your word.¡±


    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± the professor said, finally getting serious. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you can make the lead ball disappear? Invisible? As in, it¡¯s there, but you can¡¯t see it?¡±


    Max nodded.


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t get you any points with the magnetic challenge,¡± the professor noted, trying one last time to keep it lighthearted in case it was a joke.


    Max just sat there wondering if he had made the right decision.


    The professor recognized his frustration. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± he asked.


    Max breathed a little sigh of relief. ¡°I would like you to come to my house so I can show you I¡¯m not crazy.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the professor said. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m off Wednesday night,¡± Max said.


    The professor agreed, but, deep down, he still thought it might be a setup.


    Max left his office and began his day. He tried to put the experiment out of his mind and concentrate on his studies, which had taken a back seat as of late. And he tried to concentrate on Julie, who was also starting to feel a little neglected.


    ***


    Professor Stoner pulled into the driveway at Max¡¯s parents¡¯ house a few minutes after 5:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. Max had been watching from the window and walked out to meet him. After a casual greeting, he led him out to the barn.


    ¡°Beta waves?¡± the professor gasped after Max gave him the complete rundown on how the experiment had progressed, including having to bolt down the emitters to keep them from falling inward. ¡°Okay, show me. Do your thing.¡±


    Max decided to let him experience the entire scenario, so he started the amplifier at the lowest setting and proceeded to increase the power. As it neared the three-quarter point, the professor¡¯s expression displayed that he also could sense something was happening. Then, like all the other times, the ball disappeared before their very eyes.


    Professor Stoner jumped back and screamed, ¡°Holy crap!¡± Then he stepped a little closer, his eyes transfixed on the void where the ball used to be.


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Max said, ¡°you can still see the metal rod and everything except the lead ball.¡±


    Several seconds expired as the professor was at a loss for words. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the phenomenon. ¡°And you say if you crank it up even higher, there¡¯s no change?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried to touch it to see if you can actually feel it there?¡± asked the professor.


    Max answered, ¡°I thought about it, but since there¡¯s two hundred and twenty volts of electricity passing through that visible rod, I thought better of it.¡±


    Professor Stoner reached inside his coat and took a pen from his shirt pocket. He leaned in, inching the pen toward the rod. He was about two inches from it when the pen slid out of the cap and disappeared into the void.


    Max cut the power as he and the professor looked for the pen, which had not reappeared with the ball. ¡°What just happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± the professor acknowledged.


    As they were scratching their heads over the pen, Max¡¯s dad walked in. ¡°Hey, guys. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey, Dad. This is Professor Stoner, the teacher I told you about.¡±


    Max¡¯s dad walked over to shake his hand. ¡°Very nice to meet you, sir.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine,¡± said the professor. ¡°Max here talks about you all the time.¡±


    His dad laughed. ¡°Well, I assure you I¡¯m not as bad as he claims. It¡¯s freezing out here. Why don¡¯t you guys come in the house for a while? Max can teach you how to build a fire later.¡±


    The professor laughed while Max rolled his eyes.


    They went into the house and sat at the kitchen table. The professor was introduced to Max¡¯s mom who insisted he stay for dinner. The professor agreed.


    ¡°Do you need some help?¡± the professor asked.


    Max¡¯s mom spun around with a big smile. ¡°Did you hear that, guys?¡± Her rhetorical question was clearly aimed at Max and his dad. Then she turned her attention back to the professor. ¡°No. But thank you so much for asking. It¡¯s nice to have a gentleman in the house.¡±


    As Max¡¯s mom continued to work at the counter, Max¡¯s dad took his opportunity. ¡°I have to be honest and say that we were a little worried in the beginning when Max suddenly developed such a fondness for science. You do realize that a lot of pastors think that science leads a lot of young people away from God?¡±


    The professor nodded. ¡°Yes, I am aware of that. I wish it wasn¡¯t true because I think science and Christianity go hand-in-hand. I don¡¯t see them as enemies at all. In fact, it was science that brought me to God.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Even Max¡¯s mom paused at those words.


    ¡°Really?¡± asked the reverend. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting viewpoint. Can you explain how that happened?¡±


    The professor looked upward as if wondering where to begin. ¡°I¡¯ve always been fascinated with science, ever since I was a kid. But the more I learned, the more I realized it couldn¡¯t be just coincidence. The fact that the earth is the perfect-size planet and the perfect distance from the perfect-size star is a huge coincidence in itself.


    ¡°The scientific theory about the moon is also fascinating. They believe that another planet or asteroid collided with the earth at just the perfect angle to rip parts of it away to form the perfect-size satellite, which is also the perfect distance away. The moon¡¯s gravitational pull keeps the earth tilted at the perfect angle to keep the earth from wobbling like other planets, and that¡¯s the only reason we have four seasons and the only reason our environment is stable enough for life.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the whole water theory. Do you know that scientists believe that meteors rained down on earth for millions of years, bringing tiny droplets of water until they formed the oceans, lakes, and rivers? How did it happen on earth and no other planet?


    ¡°Science even favors the Bible when it comes to mankind. They have found primate skulls going back millions of years. They can see where these skulls have changed over time, but they are still primates. Then, for some reason that science can¡¯t explain, there is a very long period of time with no skulls being found. Then suddenly, human skulls appear. So, the link doesn¡¯t appear to be missing; it would appear not to exist.


    ¡°Throw in things like the miracle of birth, the human body, and especially the human brain, and it was things like that which made me realize that there had to be intelligence behind it all.¡±


    Everyone in the room had stopped to listen, even Max¡¯s mom. And everyone was impressed, even Max¡¯s dad.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t think the earth was created in six days?¡± his dad asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the professor offered, knowing this was sometimes a touchy subject for Christians. ¡°I think Genesis was kept simple for us to get the gist of creation. I don¡¯t think Moses, or even Einstein for that matter, could ever comprehend the complexities of an infinite being like God. I don¡¯t think we were ever meant to fully understand how it happened, and maybe our minds could not ever fully understand it.¡±


    Max¡¯s dad moved to his next question. ¡°How about evolution?¡±


    The professor smiled and threw his hands up. ¡°No, no. That¡¯s definitely one I steer away from.¡±


    His dad smiled. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± the professor answered, ¡°people get too upset when discussing that.¡±


    Max finally spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that with Dad. He can disagree without getting upset.¡±


    Professor Stoner thought back to the Bible study classes where Max had admitted that he and his dad didn¡¯t see eye-to-eye on some subjects. Judging by that and his dad¡¯s expression, he decided to take a chance. ¡°Okay, then. What about evolution?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe in evolution?¡± his dad clarified.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the professor began. ¡°That¡¯s like asking if I believe in gravity. It is not a matter of believing; evolution is real and all around us. If you plant a garden, the plants evolve throughout the entire process. Take Max here. I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t look the same ten years ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s aging,¡± his dad tried to correct.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the professor agreed. ¡°Aging is a form of evolution. Evolution simply means change in a certain direction, so aging is a perfect example.


    ¡°Another example would be animals found in the Amazon that have long tails to survive the six months when the Amazon basin is flooded. The same species are found in other parts of the world with no tails at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s adaptation,¡± the reverend said, as if rolling out his ammo already selected for this conversation.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the professor agreed again. ¡°Adaptation is also a perfect example of evolution.¡±


    The reverend went for the kill. ¡°Okay, let me clarify. I¡¯m asking if you believe that guy, Darwin, and his story that man came from monkeys.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± the professor replied. ¡°But let¡¯s be clear; Charles Darwin never said that.¡±


    Max¡¯s dad looked confused. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    The professor nodded. ¡°I know people say that all the time, but it¡¯s not accurate. All Darwin ever hypothesized was that man and monkeys share a common ancestor. Since the DNA of man and monkeys is ninety-seven percent identical, I can understand the reason for the theory. It doesn¡¯t make the theory true, but I can understand why the theory exists. So, when people ask why are monkeys not still changing into man, it¡¯s because, according to Charles Darwin, they never did.¡±


    Max¡¯s dad was at a loss for words. After a few seconds he asked, ¡°But you do believe that man has evolved over time? Correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the professor answered.


    ¡°But how can you say that when the Bible says that man was created in God¡¯s image?¡± the reverend asked.


    ¡°I believe they were.¡± The professor thought how best to explain. ¡°Adam and Eve lived in a paradise, which means the weather was perfect and everything was provided for them. I suspect they were very beautiful people. But when God kicked them out of Eden, they were then subjected to freezing cold and had to hunt for their own food. It doesn¡¯t make sense to me that God would not have given man the ability to adapt since he gave it to every other creature on earth. It just doesn¡¯t make sense to me. So, maybe they adapted, which coincides with science. And, as we are able to control our own environment with houses and buildings with controlled temperatures inside those houses and buildings, maybe we are slowly changing back to what Adam and Eve must have looked like. But we¡¯ll never get there because our man-made environment will never equal God¡¯s paradise.¡±


    Again, the room was silent until Max¡¯s dad spoke. ¡°Would you like to come speak to my Sunday school class?¡±


    Realizing he was serious, the professor said, ¡°I¡¯d love to if I ever have the time.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Max with a smile. ¡°You could tell them your Velociraptor theory.¡±


    Professor Stoner shook his head, and the reverend looked confused, but no one spoke.


    ¡°Well, is someone going to tell me what that means?¡± Max¡¯s dad asked.


    The professor was still shaking her head. Finally, he conceded. ¡°It was more of a joke than a theory. I asked the students a question one day¡ªwhat was the creature that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden?¡±  The professor nodded toward the reverend.


    ¡°A snake, of course.¡±


    Max laughed at his dad¡¯s answer. ¡°That¡¯s what we all said.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The reverend looked at Max then at Professor Stoner. ¡°What am I missing?¡±


    The professor smiled. ¡°What does it say happened in Genesis?¡±


    ¡°It says that the serpent tempted Eve and God cursed the serpent to crawl¡­¡±  The reverend smiled. ¡°Oh my. It says the serpent was cursed to crawl on its belly and be feared from that day forth.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said the professor. ¡°That means that before it tempted Eve, it did not crawl but moved about by some other means of transportation. I offered the suggestion that maybe it was a dinosaur that tempted Eve and when God took their legs away, they became snakes and just got smaller over time as have many other animals. The Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus became the Anaconda and Python. The dinosaur with the clubbed tail became the rattlesnake, and so on. And since the Jurassic Park movies made the Velociraptors look so crafty, I said it must have been one of them that tempted Eve.¡±


    Max was enjoying seeing his dad¡¯s expression. ¡°And as Professor Stoner explained, it would solve two mysteries: what was the serpent in the Garden of Eden and why did the dinosaurs die off overnight?¡±


    ¡°That is very interesting,¡± the reverend said.


    ¡°So, you think it¡¯s feasible?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± the reverend said with a chuckle. ¡°But it¡¯s still very interesting.¡±


    They all laughed.


    Max¡¯s mom put dinner on the table, and they all ate and conversed about simpler subjects. After dinner, the professor thanked her for the meal and thanked Max¡¯s dad for the discussion and invitation. They bid him farewell and Max walked with him as he left the house.


    ¡°You have a nice family,¡± the professor said.


    ¡°Thanks. So, what do you think about the experiment situation?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± the professor smiled, ¡°I certainly don¡¯t think you¡¯re joking anymore. And I think you¡¯re right; we should keep this to ourselves until we figure it out.¡±


    Max nodded in agreement.


    He got into his truck and drove away.


    Max went back inside.


    A few minutes later, the phone rang. Max¡¯s mom answered and called out to Max.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Max said.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help thinking about the lead ball and the invisibility concept. It didn¡¯t make sense. And what happened to the pen? These thoughts kept crossing my mind as I drove away. I had to pull over and look in the rear-view mirror and wonder if I am going crazy, but I think I figured it out.¡±


    ¡°Professor?¡± Max asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m saying I figured it out. Can you come in early tomorrow and meet me in my office?¡±


    Max wanted to know now, but knew it was best to wait. ¡°Sure. No problem.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± his dad asked, as Max hung up the phone.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Max. ¡°Professor Stoner lost his pen.¡±