Episode 5

‘I will go.’

The sound of it quietened all the noise and perplexity in the crowd. It was like the silence between lightening and thunder. That moment of quiet before the loud bang. That moment of peace just after an accident, when the person is not sure whether they have been hit or It was just a bad dream. Then the excruciating pain of reality sets in. No man has power over that moment, to make it last longer or even make it shorter. They just wait in anticipation of the coming bang. Such was the feeling as all wondered who said, ‘I will go.’

Ruth was a young teenager. Vibrant in all her ways and zealous in all her aspirations. To her the world was out for grabs, not something to be given. ‘Take it by force,’ was her favorite phrase. It is a surprise she was not the first to step on the altar. Well not a surprise since her girl friends were busy holding her back.

‘Come on,’ one asked, ‘do you really have to be the first in all things?’

‘It is not like you are fighting for a piece of a potato pie,’ another retorted.

‘Hey Curator,’ shouted Ruth even louder, as if someone might take her spot, ‘I said that I want to go on next. Can I step on the Altar?’

She knew that if she walked even a little slower, her friends would hold her back. Not waiting for the Curator’s response, she sped in front and leaped.

‘Wow! ‘As if conducted by the Curator. The whole crowd went crazy. There was such a conglomerate of sound that one could not hear what the neighbor a few feet away was saying. Some were screaming at her trying to stop her and yet others were encouraging themselves that if she could do it, they surely cannot fall behind the line. Almost as fast as the craziness came, it left when they saw her body disappear.

‘Who is next?’ asked the Curator.

‘Hey Curator,’ a voice from the crowd, ‘I thought that if someone jumps onto the altar as fast as possible, they will not be consumed by the fire?’

‘Remember it is an act of faith,’ retorted the Curator, ‘All you have to do is “BELIEVE”.’

By this time, tens of people had jumped onto the altar and crossed to the other side. Some people even tried to peep peradventure to see what was happening on the other side, but non could see. All they knew was that there were people on the other side but could not see them nor hear them.

‘Do you remember how you managed to come to this level?’ asked the Curator.

‘YES!’ the whole crowd responded.

‘It is a similar situation but, in many ways, different,’ said the Curator. ’You passed through the gates with thanksgiving as the key. For this level, you can only pass by faith. You have to believe that when you lay down your life, you will get it back again in a more glorious way. You have to believe that the Lord of the dimensions does not want to hurt you but to give you an opportunity to grow to greater heights.’

On the other side of the altar however,

‘Wow!’ Ruth exclaimed, ‘John, why did you not tell us that it’s this beautiful?’

‘You are welcome!’ Martin responded with a light laugh.

‘Can you imagine this is still the first level?’

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