I wondered how water could fall from the sky, and where was I to see such a thing? Then I saw little children running and playing in the water, jumping in and out with no fear. I laughed while I watched them play.
While all of this was happening I could still hear the singing and praising unto the Lord. I had a yearning to follow the voices. I turned to walk near the voices when some of the little children ran up to me and started singing, “Hosanna, Hosanna!” They were dressed in the same type of garment I was, but some wore gold and others wore white. On the little girls’ heads were flowers made into wreaths. They continued singing and twirling around me and I laughed and sung with them. Then suddenly the children disappeared and I found myself all alone somewhere else, somewhere dark.
I turned around looking for the children. I was confused and wondered where they and the singing had gone. This scenery wasn’t as pleasant as before. It was cynical and dark now. “Hello? Where did everybody go?” I was scared and felt alone. I wondered around slowly, looking at what seemed to be dead and burnt grass in the ground.
The brilliant light I once felt was gone and was replaced with gloom and despair in the air. I could hear growling and snarling and in the distance what seemed to be screams and pleas for help. I covered my nose with my hand from the unbearable smell that was there.
I walked around the place slow and cautious, wondering where I was. I looked down and noticed I was still wearing the beautiful gown and then I heard a voice saying, “Look at it again.” The voice was strong and powerful.
“Who said that?” I turned around in a circle to find the voice that was speaking to me.
“Look at your beautiful gown again!” This time the voice seemed to be getting angry and closer, so I grabbed my head and covered myself. I was afraid of the voice. I was afraid period.
“My daughter, it’s all right. I won’t harm you. Look at it again. Please,” the voice begged.
I stood up and looked at my hands first, then at the beautiful gown I wore. I began to scream hysterically and my hands shook uncontrollably.
“A-ha-ha! You killed Him! His blood is on your hands, Reese!” the voice proclaimed.
My hands and gown were covered with blood and I heard laughter that drowned out my screaming. I couldn’t even hear myself scream it was so loud.
“We welcome today Reese Taylor Valan’.” I could hear cheering and shouting all around. “See, Reese, you’re special to us here because you are one of those humans who know God, served Him, then because of your own selfish desires decided to live and do what you want to on the earth, and that right there gets you attention when you come here,” said the voice.
“I . . . I don’t belong here. It’s been a mistake, you’re making a mistake. Please, stop, take this blood off of me!” I cried.
“No, no, we thank you because as I was saying you knew Him, like I did,” the voice said quietly. “But, yet, you did it, exactly what I did. You crucified Him again. See look, look at His blood! Didn’t you read your Bible, Reese? Peter 2:21 says, ‘For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.’ Did you think He was joking when He said that? It wasn’t a joke. You, my dear, have made a thousand promises to Him but never kept one of them!”
I shook my head back and forth, hoping to wake out of this nightmare. I was in hell!
“Jesus!” I screamed and went to the ground and lay as if dead, but there was no reply to my cry.
“Reese! Reese! Baby, talk to me! Wake up, Reese. Oh my God what happened? Did Jason do this to you, huh, baby?”
I opened my eyes to find myself at my house and Kev there with me. But I couldn’t reply.
Kev was frantic, walking and pacing back and forth. He grabbed his cell and dialed 911. “Hello, my wife has been shot! Please send someone quickly. I’m not getting a response from her, please hurry!”
He grabbed his gun and bent down to me and whispered, “Hold on, baby, I’ll be right back. Reese, is Jason still here?” Kev asked me but I couldn’t answer.
I heard him go up the stairs quietly and slowly to see if Jason was still in the house. I heard him going to every room upstairs, looking everywhere; then he ran down the stairs to the kitchen.
“He went out the back door; the glass is busted back here!” I heard him hollering. He put the gun away and sat down beside me and gently picked my head and chest up and laid me across his lap. Kev began to cry. His tears dropped down on my cheek.
I was motionless, lying there with blood coming out the side of my mouth and head.
“Reese, hold on, babe,” Kev demanded while he sat on the floor, rocking me back in forth for comfort. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you. I’m sorry, baby. I should have stayed here; I know Jason is a snake!”
I could feel the tears falling on my cheek and into my eye. I looked up at Kev and tried to tell him with my eyes that everything was going to be okay. I formed my lips to talk but it was hard for me to get it out.
“What, babe? Take your time. What you trying to say?” Kev so desperately wanted to know. “Reese, I’m so sorry I left you here. Please forgive me. I didn’t think he was gonna do anything.”
I talked to him with my eyes, trying to let him know that it wasn’t his fault and God was still in control of this. I continued to struggle to speak.
“Talk to me, baby,” Kev said. “The boys are in the truck waiting for you. They can’t wait to see you. Hold on, babe. The ambulance is comin’. You hear ’em? I promise they comin’, Reese.”
He looked down at me. I could tell by his face it was bad. My head was opened on the side, there was blood everywhere, and I had blood coming from my mouth.
I wanted Kev to know that God could do it, He could still give us a miracle. He is able, I wanted to scream. Tears ran down my face when I looked at Kev, not knowing if it was for the last time. I closed my eyes real tight and drifted back off.
“Reese! Reese!” a voice cried out in a singsong, teasing manner.
I lifted myself off the ground and looked around for the voice that was taunting me. I opened my mouth again and screamed out, “Jesus!” With everything I had I screamed and yelled for Him to come and save me. I had something to live for and I knew He was the only one who could save me from the pit of hell.
“Stop screaming that name! He’s not coming for you! Don’t you understand? You made an open shame of Him.”
I grabbed my head and began to shake my head, then screamed out, “No,” as loud as I could. “Jesus! Jesus!” I continued to say, looking around the pit for Him to come any minute. I knew my God and I knew if I called Him, whether it be heaven or hell, He would come.
The voice laughed along with what seemed to be millions of others; then the voice said, “Hebrews 6:6 says, ‘If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentances; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, they put Him to an open shame’!”
I continued screaming and ignored the voice. “Jesus!” If there was one thing I remembered Momma telling me, it was if I were to call on Jesus, He would come.
Silence fell in the pit, and then I felt the brilliant light on my face and neck again. I lifted my head and reached my hand out to touch the light.
“Jesus, I knew you would come,” I whispered.
