They all settled in their seats.

“You should hear Daniel’s explanation of Adventus,” Johnny said.

“Let your dad get settled first.”

“It’s okay, love.” Jack touched Erica’s arm.  “I’m genuinely interested. Gets my mind away from work.”

Johnny leant forward. “One of the Star Trek movies had an alien craft orbiting Earth, attempting to confirm humpback whales weren’t extinct.”

Daniel’s face gave the indication that he’d been transported to the movie.

“A movie that was ahead of its time. Made in the eighties. I watched it with the boys. Quite enjoyable.” Erica handed Jack a menu. “You hungry?”

Jack accepted the menu, looked at Erica, and smiled.

He turned to the boys. “So you believe Adventus might be checking on us, making sure we aren’t destroying the planet?”

Johnny had a serious look. “Maybe. There’s lot of talk of nuclear weapons, especially around the Middle East. Some countries still want to blow Israel up.”

“Boys, boys, boys. Let’s get some food underway.”

Johnny and Daniel decided on burgers. Erica opted for pasta, and Jack went for the steak sandwich. They were all happy just to drink water.

He strolled up to the counter to order and heard Erica yell out number twelve in the background. Of course, the table number. He turned and gave her a wave.

“You busy?” Erica asked when he got back to the table.

Jack took time to think about the question. “It’s been a strange week.” Jack looked at the boys. They were up to something on their phones.

Erica had a smile on her face. “The spirit of Elijah is at work.”

What did Elijah have to do with his week? He turned to Erica and leant forward. “Who is this Elijah? The name has been cropping up of late.”

“Sorry. I promised myself not to venture into Bible talk and I’ve blown it already.”

“It’s okay. I need to hear these things, and it’s an appropriate time. So he’s someone from the Bible?”

“Yes. A famous prophet. You’re probably hearing the name because there is talk of him making an appearance before the return of the Lord. A messenger, if you like. Some even say he’s one of the two witnesses who are doing strange things in Jerusalem at the moment.”

“Yeah, I heard about them.”

“They’re like the whales,” Johnny said. “They’re trying to rescue the world from what is about to come.”

“Johnny, mate, it’s all science fiction. Or maybe not,” Daniel said

“Come on, Daniel. You know the Lord said that if he didn’t come back, mankind will obliterate itself. Man can do that now—the technology has advanced so much I would hate to think what nuclear weapons are out there.”

“Maybe not science fiction. But we’re safe, mate.” Daniel pointed to the sky. “He’s watching over us.”

Daniel must be a mate from church.

The boys talked of the current movies on show, but both preferred older movies, especially the older science fiction movies. No wonder they talked about such things. Erica and Jack talked about some of their favourite old movies. The food arrived. There was mostly silence as they all got stuck into their food. Nervous energy could make you hungry.

“I think it’s time you came home, Dad.”

That caught Jack off guard and Erica had a similar reaction.

Erica recovered first. “Maybe he’s right, love.”

Johnny’s eyes told Jack a lot. There was a pleading there.

“You know, Dad. The Bible says that Elijah is going to turn the hearts of fathers to their children.”

Jack sensed he needed to acknowledge something in his heart. It was heavy, and Johnny’s words did something. “How would he do that?”

“Not sure. Something supernatural. I know you think staying away is the best thing, but it’s not.” He was getting upset.

“We’ll chat about it, Johnny. I’m sure your dad is ready to return. Just let the supernatural things happen.”

“Yeah, that’s cool.” Daniel adjusted his black cap. There was a logo on it, a wheel, which Jack guessed was related to Star Trek. He was thankful that Johnny’s mate broke the icy atmosphere.

Jack pointed to the cap, “Is that a Star Trek thing also?”

“Nope, a Christian thing. A secret symbol used by early Christians. You can fit some Greek letters into it to indicate you’re a believer. Pretty cool, hey?”

“You can show me that one day.”

“Eat up. We’ll need to head back to South Bank soon.” Erica looked at Jack. “You going to join us on a little stroll?”

“Love to.”

They were near the Botanical Gardens before Jack had an opportunity to talk. The boys got frustrated with the pace of the oldies, so they told the slow ones they wanted to get to the exhibition. Erica gave them permission, and they shot off, Johnny’s longing for his dad overtaken by his desire to see the exhibits. Jack and Erica sat on a nearby bench.

“Sorry about that. Johnny does miss you, and the message from church is that it’s time for families to reconcile. Fathers to sons, sons to fathers, mothers to daughters, daughters to mothers etc. etc.” Erica looked out over the river. “There is something happening. A spiritual thing. Many have told me their relationships are being mended. Not only in our church but city wide, statewide, even worldwide.”

A jet ski was shooting up the river. “I hear what you’re saying.” He found it hard to talk about spiritual things, but knew he needed to. “Something is going on inside me. Something is going on in society as well. Maybe this spirit of Elijah is at work.” His throat felt dry.

Erica placed her arm around Jack and they hugged.

“I’ve been talking to Cath about spiritual things, but I just don’t get it. She speaks about spiritual discernment and says something has to happen to my heart. I felt something this morning, when Johnny spoke about fathers and sons. That’s how I felt—I had a real yearning for my son.” Erica placed her hand on his.

Another jet ski flew past. A canoeist on the other side of the river wearing a red safety vest caught his attention.

“Did you know you can purchase glasses online that allow you to look at a person’s aura?”

She gave him a blank look. “I wouldn’t be surprised. People are always searching for meaning, trying to work their lives out all the time.”

“Yeah, we got some crazy people out there. Strange though—the main guy we were after gave himself up. The guy you’d come across. And here’s another strange thing—there haven’t been any serious crime events this week. There is definitely a good spirit at work at the moment.”