INSPIRED BY TITUS 3.
“Hey, stop there!” A high-pitched masculine voice threatened.
I turned a deaf ear and kept running to where my legs could take me. I could feel the sounds of the heavy feet getting heavier as if many people were chasing me.
I swiftly looked back and saw countless guards that looked like that of a king with six packs hung on their shoulders. The guards all held harmful tools, which included hoe, cutlass, spade, and hatchet, which were hanging in the air as they ran. Their leader, on the other hand, who wore a band on his head, held the biggest sword I had ever seen in my entire life.
“What have I done to deserve this?” I lamented within.
As I ran, I could feel my strength leaving my body. My legs felt heavy, my muscles aching, my breath growing ragged, and my vision became blurred. My body cried out for rest. My pace slowed and I stopped. I placed my hands on my shaky knees, trying to catch my breath.
In an instant, I heard the sound of the heavy feet getting nearer. I muttered something I couldn’t recall as I picked my race. Again. I ran with the strength I never knew I had within me.
“How did they suddenly get close? Oh, I had forgotten that they were trained guards,” the question and answer were my thoughts.
I ran into a strange corner on my left side. I peeked out, ensuring that none of the guards were in sight, I knelt on the ground, swallowing my thirst saliva. I placed my hands on my chest, just to catch my breath.
“Lord, I have served you all my life,” I said in a whisper. “Please, I need You now!”
“Just have mercy upon me, please,” I added. My voice conveyed despair and urgency.
“I promise to —” I stopped when I saw one of the guards’ blue eyes on me.
With his chest palpitating, he screamed, “Over here!”
Hearing this, I gathered myself and ran as fast as my leg could carry me. I just need to leave this never-ending route.
I ran into the right corner, and on getting to the end, I saw a crowd that I was not familiar with.
“Long live, the king!” the crowd chanted as they all bowed.
“The king?” I whispered.
With immediate effect, I ran into the crowd, bursting forth with urgency, weaving through the sea of people with determination and haste, parting the crowd with my sudden and purposeful movement.
With his guards trying to push me aside, I still managed to escape from their grasp. I rushed to the king’s feet, lay on the mat, and held his calf.
“O king, please, save me!” I pleaded without even knowing what I did to deserve all of this.
The air was thick with silence as the crowd and the chiefs were expecting what the king would say. I could feel all eyes on me, but I didn’t bulge. I was determined to get saved.
“Let me go,” the king said in a low tone. The one only I heard, but I didn’t want that response.
“Please, help me!” I pleaded again. I dipped my head in between his legs and held his calf firmly.
“I said let me go,” he said in a high-pitched voice, shaking off my hands. I fell into the hands of the ones I was running from.
“What have I done, O king?” I asked in a strained and tired voice as two guards tightened their grip on my arms.
With a furious face, he stood up and pointed his scepter at me. “You deserve to be punished, Theophilus!” The king yelled.
“Why!” I yelled back, stomping my foot on the ground. “Why do I need to be punished for what I don’t know about?”
“Punish him!” The crowd who only listened to their king, including the chiefs, started chanting.
At that moment, my body went limp as tears burst forth, streaming down my face. I dragged my foot to the ground as the guards took me away.
Suddenly, a voice burst forth from the crowd, making them halt. “Let him go!” A high-pitched feminine voice commanded, her voice was laced with authority. Silence erupted in the air as all heads went in the direction of where the voice came from.
Slowly, the sea of people started parting the way for her as she wandered towards the king with purpose.
As the crowd murmured, the king’s second-in-command spoke, “Let’s hear what she has to say.”
The woman with flawless skin was dressed in a sparkling white gown with a white canvas, and her hair tied in ponytails. The king who had been staring at her, sat down on his throne uncomfortably. Her beauty was indeed so enchanting, I guess, for a king who has many wives in the neighborhood.
“Long live, O King,” she greeted, bowing her head slightly.
“Who are you?” The king asked.
“I’m the deliverer and I’ve been sent on a mission by the Almighty God to come save one of his own,” she responded with a direct and firm tone.
On hearing the Almighty, the crowd, including the chiefs, shouted “Ah!”
“What!” The king sprang up angrily.
“Do you know what he did? He had sinned against me and the whole community so he deserves to be punished and held captive,” he added, pointing his scepter on the deliverer as he moved uncomfortably on his throne. He was not expecting the beauty to come to save a wretch like me.
My mouth was agape in an “O” shape as he moved uncomfortably. “Who is this woman who makes the almighty king uncomfortable?” I thought.
Yet again, the deliverer’s voice remained confident, and her body conveyed a strong conviction.
“Yes, but I will save him, not because of the deeds, but by the virtue of the mercy of God and the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost that was poured through me just so he can be justified in God’s grace and become heirs in the hope of eternal life,” she said, facing me now.
With a scowl, conveying annoyance and resentment, the king stared at me, signaling to his guards to let me go. In obedience to the king’s command, the guards threw me to her side.
She helped me up gently and led me out of the crowd as they parted the way for us again. “Thank you!” I kept muttering.
“Beauty, I let you have your way but I will come back for him,” The king’s voice echoed through my ears.
I guess that was him, not comfortable accepting defeat. “He even called her ‘Beauty.’ So shameless of him. Phew!” I muttered within and smiled.
“Theophilus!” My roommate’s voice jolted me from my dream. He tapped my shoulder repeatedly.
I sprang up and scanned my surroundings. “What’s wrong? You were smiling sheepishly while sleeping,” Paul said with eyes filled with concern.
“I had an encounter on why mankind was saved,” I said, finding my voice.
“Really!” he asked, his voice laced with amazement. I nodded in agreement, as I sat straight.
“Wow! Please, share it with me,” he pleaded as he sat beside me on the bed.
“Hmm, God’s mercy over mankind is so profound,” Paul commented after relaying everything to him.
“Yes, it is,” I nodded and flashed a smile across my face.
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Author’s note: Dear reader, thank you for reading to this point. I hope you truly understand what this short story entails.
Just as Theophilus was not saved because he has served the Lord all his life, the same goes for us as his image.
Jesus Christ didn’t die for our sins, our guilt, and our shame because of what we have to bring to the table. He died for us because he chose to have mercy upon us.
And the good news is that anyone who chooses to accept Him willingly as their Lord and personal savior shall become a justified heir in His kingdom.
Remain blessed!
