Two people drove up in an elegant car and stopped in front of a house out in the country. The two exited the car, a man in a suit leading a man in a pair of bib overalls. The two
were a sight to behold. Walking up to the house, the man in the suit turned to the other. “Well, here we are, Mr. Stevens.” The old man eyed the door, and stepped into the building.

The man in the suit followed Stevens into the building, and shut the door. “You said that it could use some work, and you were right.”

“I didn’t think that it was this bad. The picture that we have back at the office…”

“How much did you say you wanted for it?”

“Let me go back out to the car and check.”

“Don’t you have the pamphlet here with you?”

“Yes, but this house doesn’t look anything like this picture!” The man in the suit showed the picture to Stevens once again. They both looked around the room and again at the picture. The man in the suit placed the picture back into his pocket and proceeded to go back to his car, carefully.

Stevens walked around the room, eying the wood. No, this house didn’t look anything like what He had envisioned. As he walked over toward the fireplace, a piece of wood came down from the ceiling and smacked him in the jaw. He took the board and put it back into place. Pulling a hammer out of his pocket, he quickly secured the board. Blood dripped down his face, but he quickly stopped it by placing a handkerchief up to his face.

The man with the suit reappeared. Seeing the bloody handkerchief and everything, he immediately inquired as to what had happened. Stevens just looked up at the board. The other man replied, “I’m sorry, sir. Let me show you another…”

“I’ll take this one.”

“Pardon me?”

“I said, I would take this house.”

“But sir, this house is…”

“I know, but I think that I may be able to do something with it.”

“Are you sure?”

“How much is it.” Stevens answered. The man in the suit started to object once again, but ended up stating the price. Stevens whipped the money out of his pocket. The man stood looking at the money, and Stevens asked, “Isn’t that enough?”

“Yes, it is, but where did you get all this cash?”

“Out of a mayonnaise jar in the back yard. It’s my entire life’s savings.” The man in the suit again objected, but Stevens refused to take the money back. The man in the suit gave up and left the building. Stevens stood and eyed the room he was in, and then started to get to work.

He worked diligently, repairing one flaw after another. It was amazing what this man could do. Soon, the house started to resemble the one in the picture. A few weeks after that first encounter, the man in the suit returned to the house. After welcoming him in, Stevens offered him a seat. “I don’t understand. How did you do this?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy, but through diligent work I was able to take this place and make it a great house.”

“I can see that. What about that board that smacked you in the face?!”

“Well, there were many times where I wasn’t so sure that I would be able to get this house looking just like this. It was like it had a mind of its own, not wanting to submit to my work. Quite a few boards were found like that one, striking me.”

“And you kept going?!”

“Well, the house was still there, and it still was mine. I just had to work at it. As long as the foundation was firm, I could work with it. Although, I would have preferred not be smacked as much.”

Christian, God wants to build a suitable temple for Himself our of our bodies. We are so unworthy of this, for we have a persistent habit of sin and not putting our full love and trust in Him. Yet, the Master Carpenter continues to work, for He loves us and is committed to finishing the work that He had begun. He owns our lives, for He bought it with His life, His all. When we resist He leadership and work in our lives, we are striking at the one who loves us tremendously. One day we will be presented faultless, but the path that we chose how we get there shows how much we love the Lord that saved us.

Well, you’ve now been introduced to a few things that are going to be with us for some time. The first is the Smoking Gun restaurant. As you may or may not know, I have written three “books” as a teen that never were published. They were mostly from my imagination at the time, having the characters working through different situations in real time. Well, in each of the three books the characters end up back at the Smoking Gun restaurant re-enacting this Western scene again and again.

The other thing that was introduced in this latest chapter is the whole concept of “the game.” This will be a feature in all of the books, but is the primary story device for this book. I don’t know if it strictly came from the idea of a holodeck from Star Trek or is something more than that– it definitely can do more than a holodeck (it will mess with time at one point, and actually is like the “bad” holodeck in that it can kill.

Other than that, here is where I think the story started to become interesting as that anything could truly happen and Adam starts to look at his relationships in different ways. You’ll see it more as the story unfolds.

“The mall! ! !” She exclaimed. This is not my day!  I thought with a moan. I told her that this was a game, where she must put her arm around my back, and I hers, and we must walk through the mall. She agreed and we did this. We stopped many a time at a store, but I convinced her not to buy anything. We exited the level, just in time.

“You’ve made it, I’m impressed.”  said the voice. “Now here is your friend Michelle. I’m keeping Laura here until a week has passed. I’ll contact you then.”  We were out on the lawn. Tricia and I returned to our previous clothes, the raid clothes, and Michelle was in her uniform. She fell to the ground. We helped her up, and took her to the roadside. Seeing no cars, we slept in some trees near a pond.

I awoke in the morning and got the other two up. Tricia and I went to the pond, and Michelle went to the road, to look for Noah. Tricia hugged me sideways. She then fell back to sleep on my shoulder. I sat there for a while, thinking how much trouble I was in because of her. I had not yet figured out how we were going to get Laura out, but right now, I was trying to think of a way to break this to Noah, he was to be married Wednesday!  I gently awoke my sleeping secretary.

“Tricia?”

“Yes?”

“I want you to go and look for Noah with Michelle.”

“Okay.”

“When he comes, tell him that I’m fine. I’m going to offer myself as a hostage so that they will let Laura go. Don’t try to stop me, and don’t follow. If I’m not out in a week, send in the Police.”  She wearily agreed, and I helped her up. She started to walk away, came back and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then left. I went to the front door of the house and knocked on it.

“Yes?”

“I have to speak to Matt, can I come in?”

“Yes.”  Noelle said, leading me to the living room.

“What do you want?”  Matt said.

“I wish to make a trade. I want to trade my freedom for that of Laura’s.”

“Is this some sort of trick?”

“No. I’m much more valuable to you than Laura, who is needed outside.”

“All right, I accept. Noelle, go get Laura.”  After a space of time of about five minutes Noelle appeared and had Laura. She was bound and gagged, and had a blindfold on. She was released, and saw me.

“What’s going on.”

“Young chivalrous Adam, here, is going to take your place.”  Matt said.

“No!”  Laura responded.

“You are free to go, but the same rules apply to you, as did Adam. Do not attempt a rescue, I will meet you in a week at the Smoking Gun, at eight.”  Laura reluctantly left. I was bound, gagged, and blindfolded. The next thing I knew I was in a dark pit. All my bindings were off. I could see very little. Near to my left hand was some water. I lay down and fell to sleep. This day and the next went like this, not knowing day or night. Three times a day, some food was dumped into the pit, but I could not see it.