SHATTERED

╣TEN╠

    As Logan opened the toilet door, he gaped, because of what he's saw.
“What have you done?!” he saw the huge guy who had tried to bully him in the prison cafeteria, half conscious, lying on the floor beside the water closet. He rushed to his side trying to carry him. He found used injections scattered the floor. When he successfully carried the man out of the toilet, he called for help. A jail officers came to his aid, asking him what had happened.
“I don't know, when I entered the toilet, I saw him this way with some used injections in the floor.” Logan explained.
    The jail offer quickly called for an ambulance to convey the man to the hospital.

               ➰➿➰

“Can I sit here?” Ethel looked up from her plate of food to see Brian with a tray of food in his hand.
“Yeah, sure.” she smiled.
“You didn't come with Sylvia today?” he said as he placed his tray on the table and sat.
“Um,… Yes, she went to Mr McCane's office to write a math make up test because she didn't do well in the math's test we did last week.”
“Okay. I miss her presence.”
      There was an awkward silence for a while before Brian spoke, “I heard you sing during music class today, you have an angelic voice.” Brian said starring at Ethel as she ate. Ethel felt heat rise in her cheeks.
“Thank you.” she muttered shyly.
“You are a wonderful singer… what do you want to become?”
“A Detective.” she glanced at him before picking up her carton of blackberry juice.
“Phew! You don't mean it. You must be whiz kid, then. As for me, I want to become an astronaut.”
Ethel arched an eyebrow at him “Astronaut? That's too risky!”
“Yeah I know but that's what I love.”
“Why do you want to become an astronaut? ”
“Well, I want to know more a about the world I live in and explore planets like, Venus which is the hottest planet.”
Ethel laughed, almost choking on her juice. “My, you'll melt before stepping your foot on Venus.”
“Technologies are invented almost every day, so a technology to prevent such would have been invented by then. What about you, why do you want to become a Detective?”
“I want to put real criminals behind bars and find out the Truth. Justice must prevail you know?”
“Hmm, interesting.”
“Thanks for keeping me company Brian.”
“It's my pleasure. Merry Christmas in advance!”
“Same to you.”
   

                   ➰➿➰

“I love the flowers they are growing well and they are beautiful.” Ethel said as she assisted Miss Sebastian in planting seeds in her flower garden.
“Yes, that's because they are well taken care of.”
“Hmm, this reminds me of the parable of the sower. The story you told me.” Ethel who was squatting, looked up at Miss Sebastian as she watered where she has planted a seed.
“Great! Tell me about it.” Miss Sebastian said as she continued watering.
“As the sower planted his seed, some seed fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up, some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth and  they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away, some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them. But others fell onto good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” Ethel narrated
“Woah! Brilliant! That shows you are a great listener. So what was  Jesus Christ interpretation of those who fell at the wayside?” Miss Sebastian said as she put her watering pot on the soil.
“ Those who hear the word of God and refuse to obey it and then the devil comes to steal what was down in their heart.”
“And those that fell on the stony ground?” Miss Sebastian asked smiling.
“The seed that fell on the stony ground are those that hear the word, receives it straight away but doesn't study so he could be rooted in the word, when tribulation comes, he is swept away. The seed that fell on the thorn, hears the word, but worldliness choke the word and he becomes unfruitful while those that fell on the good soil, hears the word, understands it and it bears fruit.”
“Fantastic!” Miss Sebastian applauded her. “Before the end of this year you'll be a bible genius,” Miss Sebastian reached out her hand for Ethel to hold as she stood up.
“I think that will do for now, the seeds just need constant monitoring and soon they'll grow to become like this ones.”  Miss Sebastian pointed to the blossoming variety of flowers in her garden.
“I can't wait to see them grow.” Ethel said ethusiastically as she removed her dirty gloves that she used in planting.
“Now, it's time for lunch. All work and no eating makes Ethel a slim girl.” Miss Sebastian teased and Ethel laughed hard.
“Today being Saturday we are going to be making something special, so give me suggestion on what to make?”
“Uh… Escargot?”
“Ew, I hate snails and that dish is filled up with snails.”
Ethel laughed as Miss Sebastian stuck out her tongue like as if she wanted to vomit.
“Okay, how about Burrito?”
“Perfect! But why aren't you saying English dishes?”
“You said special, remember?”
“Oh yeah, Burrito it is.” she picked two aprons from her kitchen drawer, she gave Ethel one and wore the other.
“Let's begin. Ethel, please help in chopping the meat.”
“Okay” Ethel said as she took a knife from the knife rack.
“Be careful, remember the knife rule.”
“The sharp pointed edge of the knife should be faced down while cutting.”
“Bravo!”
      After a prolonged silence, Miss Sebastian spoke, “Ethel have you tried speaking to your mum?”
“I am never going to talk to her, after what she has done to me. I can't.”
“Why?”
“She made me feel worthless but you, you made me feel important.”
“Ethel, you're a new person now. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Your old self has died and it's Christ who is living in you. If Jesus Christ was able to forgive the unforgivable how much more us. C'mon Ethel!” Ethel closed the oven after she had finished arranging the burrito on the baking tray.
“It's so hard to forgive them.” Ethel said as tears blurred her vision.
“Don't say that, it was hard for your old self but it's easy for your new self. Forgive and forget, this is the only way you can be totally redeemed and blossom like the flowers in my flower garden. You can start by inviting them over for Christmas, will you?” Miss Sebastian placed a hand Ethel's shoulder.
“Okay” she succumbed though she was finding it hard to. She will do it to be totally redeemed.
“Good.” Miss Sebastian hugged her “Tomorrow, you'll go to your house and tell them about it, okay?”
“Alright.”