[b]...a portion of my unfinished work....

……About 2 A.M., next day

As he was wandering about the green grassed mountain, Joseph saw an effulgent speck in the heavens. There was something particular about this light source that made it different from other stars that were grossly dispersed in the sky. Joseph watched in amazement as the rays of the speck grew in strength. As he watched in amazement, he felt Becky move in his pocket and he quickly reached for her. To his surprise, the once empty sockets on her face were now occupied by two beautiful set of eyes and her hair turned black and shining instead of the usual grey he had been seeing for over fifteen years. Becky turned her small little face to the growing rays of the shining speck in the heavens and as the rays met her face she stretched her lips as she smiled happily exposing a shining set of white teeth. The ray of the shining speck turned unbearable for Joseph that he had to shut his eyes tight. The strength of the ray was so great that it started pushing Joseph backwards toward the edge of the mountain. Now alarmed, Joseph tried to push back as he used his hands to form a shield over his eyes but the strength of the ray was overpowering. Joseph was pushed off the green grassed mountain as he fell into the darkness of the lower earth. Joseph screamed on top of his voice as he fell but no help was close to hear him. His scream grew louder as he got closer to the ground, his eyes were wide open and his heart suffered tachycardia. Down he fell and closer he got to what lay in the dark lower world, his shouts became deafening to his ears and the joints of his jaw pained intensely………

Joseph woke with a scream in the visitor’s room of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church. He was soaked in his sweat. As he woke, he looked through the open window of the small room and to his surprise, up in the skies was the same shining speck but with a bearable brightness. Joseph felt his heart pound hard against his chest. He quickly slid his hand into his pocket and brought Becky out. Joseph’s heart skipped into his throat as he saw Becky’s face. It was new, there were shining eyes in her sockets and her hair was black and shining. He quickly rushed out of the room towards the church hall where he left the priest the previous night. As he opened the big door of the hall, he saw the priest in a radiant form and the sight made Joseph’s legs shook and for an instant he thought his legs were going to give him away. The priest turned to face him. His eyes shone in bright rays and the orifices of his face gave out bright beams too. The priest started to walk towards him and the closer he got, the brighter the light to his eyes.

‘Behold, the time has come Joseph,’ the priest said in echoes as he walked. As he spoke, rays of white light shot out of his mouth. ‘Behind the church hall is a dock. There your little yacht waits. It’s equipped with supplies for three days. Go; go as quickly as you can for the darkness in the cloud is expanding. It will consume the whole world if not stopped on time. Hurry Joseph, you must hurry,’ the priest advised.

‘But father, I’m armless,’ Joseph complained as he turned his face elsewhere in avoidance of the overwhelming brightness.

‘He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world Joseph, never forget that. You are armed my friend.’

‘Armed?’

‘Aye, armed you are. His word is like a two edged sword. It’s written in Hebrews; our Lord is a man of war. Fear not Joseph, for the battle is not yours but His’. With His word, you’ll be the most formidable warrior. Now, go……, go for the hour has come, may the grace of the Lord be with you.’

Joseph was suddenly possessed by an unusual courage. He felt his strength build up within him. He remembered his daughter, he remembered the happy times he had shared with her, he remembered her smiles, the more he remembered the stronger he grew. He turned and without looking back again, he ran towards the dock behind the church hall. He knew where to go to, he looked up to the skies and he saw the shining speck, its light touched his forehead and he felt a kind of power flow into him from the heavens.

At the dock behind the church hall was a small yacht of about twenty to twenty-five feet in length. It was completely made of wood and the sails were of canvas fabric. It had a small cubby at the front of the hull where there was a raised solid roof to provide shelter from wind or spray. It was a hybrid type of yacht for it had sails and propulsion. It had a petrol outboard-motor of ten horsepower. Joseph mounted the cockpit and started the motor. The fuel tank of the engine had little fuel that was just enough to take the boat to the open waters. He launched the boat under motor power as he steered it towards the open sea. As the boat propelled forwards, he turned to see the church for the last time, he wanted to wave goodbye to the house where he had his healing, he wanted to wave goodbye to the most unusual man he had ever met in his life but he saw little or nothing for the whole building was engulfed in a supernatural bright light.
The sound of the boat’s small engine stole away the quietness of the night. As it forged, the boat sent off ripples of waves that disturbed the calmness of the river. With hands on the steering wheel, Joseph guided the small boat into the open waters. Due north of him was the shining speck, the clouds of the northwest region were darker and the darkness was approaching the city.

Joseph knew that the faith of the world was on his shoulders and he knew he had to hurry for he lacked the luxury of time. He looked up to the shining speck and prayed to God to give him enough time to reach where the speck was leading him to before the dark evil takes it away. Joseph thought of the place the speck was leading him to, he wondered if the red dragon awaited him there; the thought of the red dragon caused his blood to run hot in rage as he tightened his grip to the wheel and bit hard into his lip.

The engine of the boat stopped for the petrol in it had run dry. Joseph left the wheel to set the sails. He turned the bow of the boat into the sensitively cold wind and he raised the mainsail. He raised the jib once the mainsail was up and slowly, he started unfurling the jib. Obeying the command of the wind, the boat rocked from side to side as it tore its way through the surface tension of the sea. The small yacht carrying Joseph raced towards the shining speck that hung in the heavens....
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