A Note from the Real Author
John is the fictional father of two kids that would rather play video games than read the Bible. They think it’s boring, so John wrote them a story to convince them otherwise. They said they wanted a story of dragons, swords, magic, adventure, romance, and more. So John sat down to write . . .
Jared Dees
To continue reading this story each week, subscribe to the Formative Fiction Friday Newsletter here.
The Adventurer: Part 5
Chapter 10
The party of twelve knights and their leader arrived at the shore of the ocean. They could see a boat anchored near the shore.
“Our ship is ready,” said the Adventurer.
The boy was excited. He grew up on his fishing boat. Sailing was familiar to him. An ocean quest was exactly what he thought he could do best.
The knights and the Adventurer got into the boat and they set out into the ocean. “Which way, sir?” asked one of the knights.
“South,” said the Adventurer. “Towards the capital.”
The boy looked around at the knights. He knew the rumors of the crowd. Were they really going to take on the emperor and his minions? That didn’t seem to be the Adventurer’s intention, but why else would they go? And how could this set of weak heroes take on such powerful foes?
The knights each took turns manning the oars while the Adventurer rested in the front of the boat. The trip was calm at first. The Adventurer laid down in the front of the boat to rest.
Clouds started to gather in the sky. The wind began to blow harder and harder crashing waves into the side of the boat. It wasn’t long before a storm raged and the knights were tossed to the floor of the ship.
The Adventurer didn’t seem to notice the storm, but the wind and rain were crashing in from all sides of the boat.
“Master!” shouted a knight over the sounds of the storm. “Do you not care that we are going to die!”
The Adventurer woke up. He looked at his knights and ignored the storm. “Why are you afraid? Have you still no trust in me?”
The Adventurer closed his eyes and raised his arms. “Peace!” he shouted. “Be still.”
The storm immediately ceased and the winds died down. The sea was calm and the clouds cleared in the sky.
The Adventurer turned and looked ahead from the front of the boat.
The knights were amazed. The Adventurer was more powerful than they ever imagined.
Chapter 11
In the distance they saw another shore. “There,” said the Adventurer. “Head towards the shore. We will make land there.”
As they got closer the boy started to noticed something odd about the beach. There looked to be many stones along the shore. Eventually, the boy started to realize that they weren’t stones but bodies.
“Sir,” said a knight. “There must have been a great battle here. Is it safe?”
“The battle is over. Go and see for yourself,” she said to them.
They anchored the boat near the shore and got out onto the beach.
The soldiers they saw there were from among the emperor’s guard. These men all wore the the armor of the emperor. They each looked indistinguishable from one another except in size.
The boy knew about the armies of the emperor. They were no longer heroes and adventurers. They left their lives of adventure to serve as soldiers and slaves instead. It was an act of desperation for some and greed for others.
“Gather what we can, knights,” said Theodore. “They have good supplies and weapons. There is danger and we should be prepared.”
They each looked for supplies for their journey. Some grabbed the swords and daggers that lay along the beach. Others took shields to defend themselves. The more they gathered, the more they began to resemble some of the emperor’s soldiers.
The boy looked back at the Adventurer. He was silent and somber. He walked over to him and stood by his side.
“This isn’t right, is it?” he asked.
The Adventurer raised his head and said to his knights, “Set it all down.”
The knights looked back at him in confusion.
“But, sir, how will we face danger without supplies and weapons?” said a knight.
“Look around, knights of the new kingdom. Look around and see the suffering. Set down your swords and supplies. You will take nothing for the quest: no sword, no shield, no armor, no bag, and no bread.”
The knights started to return the weapons and supplies to the battlefield.
“Go out into the woods beyond the shore and find for yourselves a staff. Only a staff is needed for our quest,” he said.
The knights did as he commanded. They went into the woods and searched for fallen branches suitable to use as a staff.
The boy searched for something his size but nothing seemed to be good enough. He had seen the Adventurer’s staff and the amazing work he had done with it. How could he find one as good?
He searched and searched but couldn’t find the right one. The other knights were returning to the shore with strong sticks and fallen branches.
The boy thought back to his family and all the magical gear they brought home from their adventures: swords, shields, rings of power, magical boots. They were so proud of their discoveries. What would they think of him here in the woods looking for a walking stick?
“What are you waiting for?” the boy heard from behind him. It was the Adventurer.
“I’m trying to find the right one, I guess,” said the boy.
“There are many fallen branches to choose from. What is holding you back?” he asked.
“I want to find the perfect one. The staff that will help me make you proud,” said the boy.
The Adventurer knelt down and picked up a straight piece of wood. “How about this one?”
It didn’t look to be anything special. “Is it magic or something?” asked the boy.
“Magic? No, it is just a piece of wood. But it will do. Take it. Use it as your staff,” said the Adventurer.
The boy took the staff. It was dried out and seemed strong enough as walking stick. It had knots along the sides. It was the right height.
“Let’s join the others,” said the Adventurer.
The boy followed and the Adventurer gathered the knights for an announcement. “I am sending you on without me for a short time. You will take only your staff. You will go in pairs of two throughout this area of the empire and meet me at the capital gates.
“But, sir, what is our quest?” asked Theodore.
“You will do as I have done. You will fight against fiends and heal the sick and suffering throughout this land,” he said.
“But how? We do not have such power?” said a knight.
“Point your staff toward the sky, each one of you,” said the Adventurer.
They did as he commanded. The Adventurer held his staff up towards the sky as well.
The boy thought he would see lightning crash down from the sky. He thought he would see the bright light from the Adventurer’s staff, but nothing seemed to happen.
“Now, go. Two by two I send you out. I will see you again at the gates of the capital,” said the Adventurer.
A Conversation about Part 5 of The Adventurer
“Well, now we know where they are going,” the son said to his father telling the story.
“And their quest,” said the daughter. “We know that, too.”
“So they just need to go out and heal people?” the son asked.
“Do you remember what the disciples did as he sent them out in the Bible? They were sent out like missionaries. They went from door to door and were welcomed into people’s homes. They healed the sick and cast out demons,” the dad explained.
“So, is that what Jesus is sending us out to do?” asked the daughter.
“Yes,” said the dad with a smile.
“Wait? What do you mean? We don’t have magic powers to heal people,” said the son.
“That’s true, but you can still heal. Think about what the Adventurer did in the boat. He calmed the storm,” said the father.
“Yeah, that is exactly what Jesus did,” said the daughter.
“He didn’t heal them, but the effect was the same. They had fear without faith. They didn’t trust in him. They are being sent out to take away the fear and instill faith instead,” said the father.
The kids thought about this for a moment. Then the father asked, “What did you think about the weapons and supplies? Why did the knights think they needed them?”
“For protection?” asked the son.
“That’s right. They were afraid and they thought the weapons would defend themselves from harm. Instead, they were sent out without any protection other than the faith in their master,” explained the father.
“And they all had staffs!” said the son.
“Yeah, what kind of defnece would that be against the guys with swords and armor?” said the daughter.
“Good point,” said the son.
“So, what’s next dad?” asked the daughter. “They go out and heal people. Then what?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, but I think you are missing the point of all the healing miracles,” said the dad. “It isn’t just about healing hurt people. Remember the man in the inn? He was healed and his failure was forgiven. The healing that people need most in this story and in our lives today isn’t just the physical healing. They need to be freed with forgiveness. They need to be welcomed back into a community that supports them.”
The kids didn’t say much. They just shrugged their shoulders. Their father knew he had a lot of work ahead of him to help them understand.
To Be Continued . . .
To continue reading this story each week, subscribe to the Formative Fiction Friday Newsletter here.
