Short Story: The Duck that Was a Kitten

On a very special April morning, at a farm in Springfield, Illinois, there were twelve ducklings born. Next to the pond, in the barn, there was also a kitten born. The kitten's mother moved to another farm soon after its birth, leaving the mother duck to take care of the young kitten. Soon the cute, little kitten did everything the ducks did.

One day she tried to eat some corn. It was very strange to the kitten, and it was too hard to crack. Instead of hard corn she drank warm milk the kind farmer offered her. The funny, little thing tried to share it with the ducks, but they did not care for milk, much to the kitten's disappointment. So she pushed her share of the corn to the hungry ducklings, who appreciated this very much.


When the ducks had finished eating, they followed their proud mother into the pond. Seeing the ducklings splash into the pond, the curious kitten thought that looked like fun. So she pattered away on her dainty four paws to the pond. When she put her little paw in the mucky water, she quickly drew it out again. The water was freezing cold! After dipping her paw in time and time again, thinking it might get a little bit warmer, she saw the ducks getting out on the other side. She leaped up to follow them. They all went into the barn to play. They played tag, and enjoyed it very much.

Soon the kitten got very tired and fell into a deep sleep. She woke up with a start and felt herself being carried! Then she saw it was only the kind farmer who had been looking for her for quite some time. He carried her to her bed and gave her some warm milk. Then she crawled over to where the ducks were sleeping and slept next to them.

In the morning she woke before the ducks, and saw something run across the barn. She followed it out the door and she saw that it was a mouse. She crept up to it very quietly. Then she pounced, but it squealed and got away. This woke the ducks. They ran after it, but got very frightened and ran back to their scolding mother.

The kitten caught the mouse and laid it at the mother duck's feet. They all looked at it for a long time. Then the mother put it in a faraway corner. The kitten lived with the ducks for a long time before she realized she was not a duck. Some of the ducks were sold, but most of them stayed at the farm. The farmer kept the kitten, that was now a full grown cat, in the house with him. Sometimes she had kittens, and whenever ducklings were born she was the first to see them.

Thanks to the editor's (former) kitten Chessie, who was the model for the picture :)

In Watching the Storm

~Journal entry from April 25, 2008~

I stayed up and watched a storm roll in this evening. When I stepped outside, I immediately was caught up in the expectant thrill that trembled in the sweltering air. Lightning lit up the sky to the North, illuminating the night with its flash. Thunder rumbled in the distance; far away it seemed, yet every moment it grew nearer. Like a symphony, the thunderstorm was gathering power, approaching the climax. Wind whipped through the trees, tangling their branches and wrenching them apart once more. The first few drops of rain were hurled upon the earth at the mercy of the ruthless wind. Soon they grew in size and number, and the lightning flashed forebodingly nearer, while the thunder was increased to a drumroll. Loath to go inside, I stayed until the wind threatened to pound the rain mercilessly into my face, though I stood under the eaves. Indoors, the volume was less, but still exciting. As the storm broke in its full force, releasing the storehouses of the clouds and filling the sky with brightness, I thought of the word 'awesome'. Awesome surely best describes this wonder of God's nature, yet how we abuse this word in our culture! Watching this storm gave me a sense of the true meaning, and I was filled with awe at the omnipotence of its Creator.

Turning back to the storm, I fixed my eyes on the heavens and anticipated the delightful shiver brought by each lightning flash. It illuminated a blue, mystical world, hazy and shadowed, with the rain falling in sheets and obscuring familiar landmarks. Hail was mingled with the rain, and added further to the magnificent volume. The thunder continued to rumble, seldom releasing its full potential, but threatening all the same. When it did crack, everything else, wind, rain, and hail, seemed to hush for a moment, intimidated, and then resume louder than before.

Now there is a quiet lull, yet it is just as beautiful. It is as if it was a movement in a symphony, written for effect. Don't we wish our human composers could dream up something even close to being as wonderful! But nothing can equal God as a Master Musician, God as an artist, God as an author. We try and we fail. But, ever gracious, He is always there, revealing His glorious works of art just when we need to see them. And in seeing them, we see Him. For He is ever present in creation, in history, in our lives.

This made me think of some amazing verses from Job. I love that book, it is so encouraging and it makes me feel very small and insignificant. (Which I need sometimes!)

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"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?
What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?"

"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunder bolt, to bring rain on the land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?"

"Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen."

"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, 'Here we are'?

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick together?"

"Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."

Excerpts from Job 38.

Amazing, isn't it? That the God who is the Lord of the storm, of the heavens, of the earth, of all creation, all that is seen and all that is invisible; that He should stoop to raise me up with His right hand! That He should consent, should invite me to serve Him, to be His forever! I will never understand. It is altogether beyond my power to comprehend. I can only worship Him with my whole heart, and offer up to Him the only thing which I have to give: myself.

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Check out Grace's blog...

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Story of the Month: Unbroken Love

“That’s not possible.” Samuel looked up at his mother. This couldn’t be happening.

Elana was dying.

Samuel’s adored big sister was only seventeen. Out of the seven kids in the family, he and Elana were closest in age, only two years apart. The other kids were brats. His mom and Elana probably wouldn’t agree, but he couldn’t stand them. Collectively, Nina, Mia, Leslie and Izzy-belle were the four meanest people he could think of. Only he and Paul and Elana were the normal kids of the family. Technically, Paul and Elana weren’t normal, but they were nice. Even when Paul was being disassociative (which wasn’t a word unless you were Paul) or Elana got into one of her “Mother Theresa” moods, they were never mean.

“It’s possible.” Samuel’s mother drew him back into the present. “Elana is sick. She’s going to die.”

“Does she know that?” Samuel jumped out of the hospital chair, slamming his palm down onto the plastic table. “Did you tell her she’s dying?”

“Of course she knows!” His mother’s voice also escalated in volume, but not in anger.

“What did she say?”

“She wanted to pray about it.”

“Pray about whether or not she is going to die?” What was Elana thinking? You didn’t pray about something like that. You prayed about solutions. You asked for help. At least, that was how Samuel thought of it.

Maybe Samuel just didn’t understand God well enough.

~~~

Samuel refused to wait one second longer. He charged down the hall to Elana’s hospital room.
She sat on the bed, her peridot eyes focused on something Samuel couldn’t see, searchingly.

“Elana?”

She turned toward him. Her face was thinner than he remembered.

“Samuel! How did you know I wanted to see you?”

“Paul.” Samuel sunk heavily into a folding chair. “Paul always knows what people need.”

“Paul’s special that way. I was much like him when I was five.” Drawn into her memories, she continued in a dreamy voice, “You are special too. I think you have yet to discover your talent.”

“I don’t have one. I’m not ‘special’ like you or Paul, and I can’t do anything cool like the sisters. What’s my talent?”

She hesitated. “It wouldn’t be fair to God if I told you.”

“How can someone be unfair to God? Aren’t you always telling me that he’s in control of everything?”

“Of course.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I’m sorry. I just see that you have a lot to learn.” She paused, but before she could continue, the rest of the family came in.

Elana exclaimed, “How did you know I wanted to see you all?”

“I don’t know.” Paul said. “I just thought you would.” His cornflower blue eyes shone.

“Just ‘cause you saw Samuel go in, Bug-Brain.” Leslie said.

Samuel ignored Elana’s sympathetic look. “Shut up, Leslie!”

Elana’s face fell. Why did it bother her when he wasn’t the perfect big brother?

She whipped the curtain shut. “I’m tired. I’m glad I got to see you before I go to sleep. Can someone come by to see me tomorrow? Samuel and Paul don’t have anything to do.”

Samuel’s mother hesitated. “Maybe.”

As the family exited, Elana caught Samuel and whispered in his ear, “God’s ready for you. Are you ready for him?” He started to ignore her, but she continued. “Show me how much you love Mama and those little ones. See you in the morning.”

~~~

Samuel flopped into a chair beside the hospital bed. It was not quite 3 am. He and Paul were up in the middle of the night, Samuel with questions, Paul with answers.

Paul had tried to explain what he called “sovereignty” to Samuel, but try as he might, it still didn’t make sense. All Samuel could think of to say was, “If God is a loving God, he wouldn’t do this. I need Elana.”

After Samuel had said this about three times, Paul gave up on him. “You know, if I’m the next best thing to Elana when it comes to explaining stuff to you, I’ve got a lot to learn. This is going right over your head. Let’s go see Elana.”

Samuel had protested, though that was really what he wanted. If Paul thought it was a good idea to visit her, he was probably right.

Elana looked over the edge of the bed at Samuel. “I thought you might visit tonight. Samuel needed someone to talk to. I’m glad you were awake, Paul.”

“I do a pretty miserable job at explaining to Samuel.”

“You’ll learn. What did you want to ask me?”

Samuel had a thousand questions before. Now only one came to mind. “Why is God doing this?”

Elana’s forehead creased. “Don’t know. Maybe my work’s done here and God’s ready for me to come home. Maybe it’s for Paul’s sake, so that he has a chance to use his gift without me getting in the way. Maybe it’s for you. Your faith and love, they’ve never really been real to you. This trial is going to make or break you. Do you understand?”

Samuel understood all too well. Faith and love were everything. He didn’t have either. Elana and Paul did, and you could see it in everything they did. The girls didn’t have that love either, and that was why they were so mean.

“Samuel,” Paul said, “Don’t cry on me. There’s a lot more than just that. Take my Bible for a second.” He handed a black book to Samuel from his coat pocket. “Look up 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 and verse 13.”

“Love always protects, always hopes, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

“So, even if I do die, my love lives on. It never fails. Three things remain, Samuel. Faith, hope and love. Faith is your trust in God. Hope is the expectancy that things will get better than this. And love is the greatest thing in the world. And that’s what binds me to you, Samuel. And nothing can ever break that. Nothing in the world. And, if I do die, you’re going to be big brother to all these kids. Your love needs to spill over to them. Can you do that?” Elana gazed down at him.

Paul crawled up on the chair behind him. “I’m always there for you too. I’m only five, I’ve got a lot to learn, but, I’m always there to pray for you.”

“I can do that.”

~~~

It had been a week since Samuel learned the power of love. Elana was still going to die, but somehow it was better.

Love never fails.

That was what was getting him through.

He still wasn’t completely at peace with Elana’s impending death, but he knew God would get him through it. Love would prevail.

He sat down on the sofa. The cushion Samuel was on dipped. Paul crawled up behind, and wrapped an arm around Samuel’s shoulder.

And in that moment, Samuel felt love pouring down on him. A voice whispered, “I love you, Samuel. Nothing can separate us.”

He smiled. “Nothing in the world.”

~~~~~~~
THE END
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Check out Catey's blog: Sparks of Illumination

The Shed

The Shed

By Eliza, age 14 - Featuring artwork by her sister, Kate, age 18

There it stood

Unnoticed by passerbys

Ignored by humankind

A haven from this world

There she stood

A pencil in her hand

A searcher of beauty

Hand aching for grace

There she found it

In that small, neglected shed

A grace like no other

A charm never before

There she waited

Contemplating

Fingers fiddling the pencil in her hand

Oh, how to capture it!

There she sat

One moment sketching

The next unmoving

Always creating

There she stood

A smile on her face

Grace, charm

She had done it

There it stood

Unnoticed by passerbys

Ignored by humankind

A haven from this world

- THE END -

Story of the Month: Marcus the Rat in Jail

Marcus the Rat in Jail
written by Kylie, age 12

Hey, how are ya. I’m a rat. Whoa, don’t get too excited! I’m a good rat, at least…I think so. My name’s Marcus. I guess you could say I’m a bachelor. I’m a bachelor who lives in a jail. You know, that’s pretty good accommodations for an old rat like me, since most of the inns and homes are taken. So, I live in a jail, and nothing really exciting really happens here…well, except for one thing, a long time ago…ah, let’s see…

Well, I remember wakin’ up one mornin’ to the clankin’ of the jailers keys and the bangin’ of cell doors. Y’see, I’m in the deepest part of the jail, the part reserved for the worst criminals. I’m thinkin’, “whoa, what’s goin’ on here?” Then the jailer Joe, and a big burly guard named Bart came around the corner with two puny men, not the sort at all who usually come back here. After the jailer left, I stayed awake to see why these guys were in there.

“Paul?” says one man.

“Hmmm,” says the other.

“Do you think there are rats in here?”

Hmph, I laugh, you should see the other cells. In my opinion, you’re lucky.

Paul didn’t answer that question, but instead said, “Silas, let’s pray.”

I heard chains clink and someone scooting across the rough clay floor. A moment later, Paul’s voice broke through the darkness.

“Father God, you know that we’re here and that we didn’t do anything wrong by driving the demon out of that girl who told fortunes. Please help us and if possible, help us to escape, in your name, Amen.”

I knew who that girl was. She was Elza, and she was a doozy. She had an unusual power to tell peoples fortunes, and her owners made big money because of it. No one knew what it was; no one suspected it to be a demon. I was glad she was taken care of, ‘cuz she was a big problem to our town, and I figured that her owner must be pretty angry.

I also figured that was why they were in here, but I didn’t know who that “Father God” was; no one had ever talked about him before at this jail. But I guessed they were just normal guys who had been judged unjustly. Shrugging, I curled up and fell asleep.

At about midnight, I woke to the sound of singing. Oh great, I thought, I hope they aren’t in here long! Who knows when I’ll get a good night’s sleep again!

My head was just beginning to ache from the echoes in the long corridors when the ground began to shake beneath me. I tried to run, but I couldn’t keep myself steady. Suddenly, the walls collapsed with a great crash, and the prisoners’ chains did too. My last thought was, Why don’t they escape? But before that question was answered, a rock fell on my head, and I blacked out.

When I came to, I was pinned down by a bunch of rubble. I scrambled to get free, but I couldn’t move. Suddenly, I heard Joe (the jailer) say, “What must I do to be saved?”

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your family will be saved.” Paul answered.

As they talked, I realized all the bad things I’d done in my life—really, I’m a good rat…most of the time.

And well, I said a prayer, right there, trapped beneath the rubble. I told God I believed in him, and I was sorry for all the things I’d done. Eventually some rat friends rescued me, and I told them about Jesus too. After that I felt like a changed man…uh, rat. I saw changes in Joe and his family too. Even Bart was different. To me, it felt like we were a whole new town.
While they rebuilt the jail, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. Maybe I’ll tell you about that sometime, but not now. Now, I’m taking a nap. Goodnight.

November Story of the Month: Bella

Bella

By

"Sara Hagenson"

Once upon a time, there was a girl. Her name was Bella. You wouldn’t call her gorgeous, but she was pretty – in her own kind of way. She had a mostly loving family. She had a little brother and sister. Her Ma was a Christian. Her Pa wasn’t. She figured this was because they were poor. They were very poor. It was not unusual for there to be nothing but a small helping of watery soup for supper. They all worked very hard, all day. Pa slaved in the mill from dawn till dusk. But he was an alcoholic. He would spend all the hard earned money, save a few shillings, in five hours of worthless pleasure. Bella liked Pa though, but for only one reason. Both of them hated God. Pa had his reasons, but Bella’s was another all together. Bella was blind. She hadn’t been born blind, but over the first few years of her life, her eyesight had gradually decreased. Oh how she wished that she could see green grass, yellow flowers, and blue sky again! But she knew that was impossible in this life. That’s why she wanted to die. She had decided that a long time ago, after she had been mercilessly teased by the village children one day. She figured that at least in hell she could see the colors of the flames. Oh she knew that in Heaven there would be a lot more colors to see, but she couldn’t imagine living eternity with the person who had made her blind! Her mind was set.

“James, come here!” Bella groped around her world of darkness, “if you don’t get here this instant, I’ll tell Ma on you!” Her eyes widened when she heard him gasp, then run outside. Fury bubbled inside her. Following the noise, she muttered “I’ll get you, you little...” She paused. Heat…I must be near the

stove. But something was wrong. Feeling around, her brow furrowed. But this is the table. The stove is miles away! Then she realized. Fire! Panicking, she fumbled for the door. She could smell the smoke now. It engulfed her. Tripping over a chair, she fell hard on the ground. She knew no more.

She came awake with a start. What was it that woke her? Then she smelt the smoke, and felt the terrific heat. And she heard the piercing screams. Hannah! She tried to push herself up, but fell down again with a yelp. Hannah’s screaming broke her heart. She would have been sleeping in the kitchen, right in the midst of the flames. Then Bella knew just what she needed to do to save her. Tears streaming down her face, she prayed. “God, I know I’ve tried my hardest to hate you. It wasn’t fair of me to hate you for something I don’t even know if you did. Please forgive me,” Coughing and wheezing, she continued. “And God, save Hannah. You can forget about me if you want, but please help her. She’s so small...”

As soon as Bella heard Pa calling her, her tears spilled over once more. “Thank you God!” she whispered, and then called out, “I’m here Pa!” She heard Pa run up to her. “Pa, my ankle. It hurts.”

“I know love. I’ll get you out of here,” he said, scooping her up.

“But what about Hannah? Leave me and get her!”

“Don’t worry, Bell, she’s safe.” Bella sighed with relief. “God saved us.”

“I know,” Pa walked out the scorched door, and lay her on the grass. “And you know what? God told me to come check on you, or else He would never get a chance to heal you.”

“Really, Pa? I would like that.” Smiling, she lay her head on his lap and fell asleep.

When Bella woke, it was the sweetest sight she ever saw. “Mama,” she said softly. Bella saw Ma’s eyes expand. Looking the other way, she smiled weakly at Pa. “You were right, Pa. God really did want to heal me.”

The End

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