The Feet Of Jesus

Chapter One

          Joel sat up slowly, unsure of what was going on. He quickly realized he wasn't in the crushed car anymore. Instead he was on a dusty desert road. He heard something thumping, and stood to see two horses thundering down the road. He yelled as they ran right through him. Wait....through him? He walked to the edge of the road, and was tried to smack a cactus growing there. He was grateful when his hand went right through it. He started walking down the road, wishing he had water. Within a half-hour, he came to an old town, like one from a western movie. He kept walking, and soon found a woman sitting on a porch, sewing. He saw a group of kids running down the road, and the woman stood when she saw them. He gasped, shocked. She looked exactly like Moriah, down to the last detail, except for her calico dress and long hair in a bun. He followed her gaze to a brown haired girl who lagged behind the other children, and stifled a cry. She looked like Sydney when she was about seven or eight. Moriah's twin walked down the porch steps, and picked up the girl.

       "How was school today, Rebecca?" Joel was confused, but stayed where he was, listening. Rebecca's lip quivered.
 
      "Mama, I don't wanna go back there. Billy Wood is mean. He says there's no room in town for people like us. What's he mean by that?" Her mother smiled sadly, sitting and starting to rebraid her hair.
        "He doesn't like the fact that we believe in Jesus. He and his father think that we shouldn't be here because of that." Joel smiled as Rebecca leaned back, smiling sweetly.
        "I wish he didn't think that." Her mother laughed quietly, kissing the top of her head.
        "But he does. And you know what we need to do now? Pray for him. We need to pray for him, that he will be able to know Jesus as well." Rebecca nodded, and Joel smiled again. Then, someone rounded the corner....And his jaw dropped. The man looked exactly like Joel!

       "Well, I can't believe this. No hugs from my girls today?" He asked. His voice sounded like Joel's did when he used the American accent for Priceless. Rebecca bounced up, launching herself into the man's arms.

       "Daddy!!" She buried her face in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck.
      "Things go well for you today, Hannah?" He asked, smiling at the woman, who stood and smiled as well.
       "As well as they normally go, James. Same for you?" He chuckled, and Joel made a mental note. Hannah looked like Moriah, Rebecca looked like Sydney, and James looked like him.

       "Alright. Oh, guess what, baby girl? I ran into your uncle David and Grace today." Rebecca looked at him.
      "Uncle David said he was gonna ask Miss Grace to marry him. He also said I couldn't tell her, or it'd spoil the surprise." James laughed, kissing the top of her head, and holding the door open for Hannah.
      "Well, that's exactly what happened. He asked Grace to marry him, and she said yes. She's going to be your aunt Grace soon. And they have a question for you." Rebecca jumped off the table where he had set her, laughing and grabbing a cookie.
      "May I go right now?!" She started bouncing, nearly crashing into a door. Joel laughed. She was Sydney, through and through. James nodded, laughing.

       "Go ahead, baby girl. They're at uncle David's, and they said they'll meet you there." She ran out the door, letting it slam behind her. James picked up a cookie, leaning against the doorway and watching her sprint down the dusty road. Hannah came over, leaning against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

        "She's already seeing how Nathan and Billy feel about the people in the church. It's only a matter of time before she sees just how divided this town is." She said quietly. James sighed.
         "I wish we could completely protect her from it, but we can't. She's growing up. All we can do is pray for them and her, and teach her to stay strong. We can support her, and God will help her as well." Hannah smiled weakly, placing her hand on her husband's. Suddenly, there was the sound of more hooves, and Joel slipped out on the porch. Hannah and James smiled and waved as who he assumed was David and Grace rode by. And he laughed, seeing as they looked exactly like Luke and Courtney. Rebecca rode with David, her hands over his while he held the reins. Right then, it seemed that all was right with the world. Suddenly, Joel felt dizzy. He sat down, and everything was blurry. Suddenly he saw a man standing across the road. He looked vaguely familiar, but Joel couldn't remember why. He had blond hair, glasses, and wore a white jacket with a blue tie. His face looked saddened and careworn, but wrinkled, like he had smiled a lot in his life. The man nodded towards him, and then....everything went black again.

Author's note- Hello! What do you all think so far? Any ideas as to who this mystery man is? And what's going on with Joel?! Where is he?! Keep reading to find out!! Thanks for your support already!! -Craver_Priceless