Famine

Chapter Twenty-Five

    Jonah still had his Bible with him as they took him to Bon Harbor Hill.  Dr. Boron thought it more dramatic to stage his special Circus there.  From the highest hill, people could see the surrounding farm land up and down the Ohio River for miles,  On happier occasions Jonah had come here for the Soap Box Derby races.  He himself had built a gravity-powered racer to ride down the long hill there.  But all traces of the track were gone.  Today it reminded Jonah of how Mount Carmel must have looked to the Prophet Elijah as he held a contest with the four hundred priests of Baal to show skeptical Israel that their Lord God was real and powerful.

   Jonah was not feeling powerful as he looked at the enormous crowd that had plenty of trash with them to throw at him that day.  He could not ignore Dr. Boron in his special Inquisitor robe strutting around before the crowd.

   With his usual, over-blown flair, he stepped forward and said, “This will be a day to remember!”  He gloated.  “The cards are stacked in my favor.  There is no god, but Jonah thinks that there is a God that can make the crooked things straight again.”

   What a narcissist Dr. Boron was!  So absorbed with himself. He made sure to have the media crews there and to make sure he was in the center of their cameras.  Impressed with himself, he raised his hands high while the expectant crowd listened in anticipation.

   “At last! Once and for all of you who hear about these silly myths that a few poor, unfortunate discontents insist on believing in blind faith.  They prey on the unsuspecting..  They fill their victims with a needless sense of guilt.”

   Dr. Boron paused, looked at Jonah and back to the crowd.  “Beware their lies!  They will weigh you down with unspeakable burdens, which they themselves cannot carry.  Dear friends, let us hear from this Christian subversive for ourselves before we dispatch him into frozen infinity!”

   To Dr. Boron’s surprise, the crowd quieted.  Jonah closed his eyes for a short prayer, but he could hear them buzzing with chatter.

   In low tones, some people were saying, “This is the man who backed Dr. Boron down at the Circus.  We were there.”

   Others said, “What does it matter?  He’s a subversive.”

   Jonah stepped forward.  “If you came to see me try to call fire down from heaven, know this.  This is not a magic show on a hilltop.  God has already blessed you with a good earth and power to achieve for great things.”

   “You built magnificent cities, use efficient transportation systems, conquered diseases, and extended the human lifespan.”

   “But I stand here before you in the name of Christ.  I acknowledge him as God’s true Son.  In him I have peace in my heart.  Do with me as it pleases you.”

   Jonah stood still.  From behind the crowd there was a commotion.  They were parting, making way for someone.  A woman was making her way toward the front of the crowd and to Jonah.

   “My God, it’s her!”  They were in awe of the woman as she proceeded.

   “She’s so young, so beautiful, not like the old lady I knew.  But she was so kind to me.  How could I not love her,” someone said.

   Another said aloud, “She’s back!  The grand Christian lady is back.  Rejuvenated now.  Oh, how I loved her!”

   Yet another said, “So what.  Didn’t she hand out those Bibles?  Weren’t they porn?”

   At last Jonah lit up.  “It’s Michelle.  Oh, I must be seeing things! How?”

   “Jonah!”  Michelle called his name as the remaining people parted, allowing her to join him in the center ring.

   “Oh, Michelle, is it you?  Really you?  Oh, how I love you.” Jonah then thought.  “Why did you come here.  You could have saved yourself.”

   Michelle reached out and joined Jonah.  She gave him a longed-for hug.  She put her hands to his cheeks and kissed him. Half crowd cheered while some jeered.

   She stood with her one arm around him while she looked out at the crowd with him.  “Oh, Jonah, how I have wanted to join you during this ordeal.  I had to let you find faith on your own.  Today you have proved yourself.”

   “Michelle, why come to me now?”

   “I could not share your last moments in Vanderbilt Hospital, but here I am with you now.  Whatever there is in store for us, I am here to face it by your side. Jonah, I love you so much.”

   Michelle looked at Dr. Boron.  “Your father couldn’t beat me, and you didn’t beat Jonah.”

   Dr. Boron raised his arm, but the crowd ignored him.

   Instead they rallied around Michelle and Jonah over the objections of a few.

   “No one is going to freeze this grand lady and her husband!  We’ll put Dr. Boron in the deep freeze instead!”

   Michelle raised her hand.  The chief of police stepped forward.  “We will not let Dr. Boron freeze you and Jonah.  It’s over.  The Circus is closed. Forever.”

   Someone in the crowd asked, “What shall we do?”

   The question was repeated all over the crowd.  “What shall we do? How can we have Jonah’s peace?”

   Michelle, “Many of you are my friends, were you not when I went among you in my old age?  Medical techniques have extended your lives, and they have restored my youth in order to be with my husband once again.”  She looked to the left and to the right as they became calmer.

   “Pray with me here on this hill.”  They bowed their heads while Michelle said a short prayer.  She looked up.  “In that creek is water.  It is clean.  And for those of you who feel the need to have a clear conscience, I am willing to baptize you in the name of Christ.”

   Some fellow Christians among the crowd stepped forward to assist.  About half of the crowd stepped forward for baptism.

   Afterward, many came forward to ask if Michelle remembered them and the kindness she had done them as children.  To their surprise, Michelle was able to recall the names of those she had known over seventy years before as children.

   Stunned, Dr. Boron departed to the jeers of some but with the blessings of others.  He acted annoyed at both reactions. Above all, he could not face Michelle at all.

   Dr. Boron knew that from that day forward, not believer would be dragged off to the cryonics facilities.

   No undeserving soul would again be sent into frozen oblivion.