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Rapture

Ronald Brunsky

    Was life’s mystery a secret—forbidden knowledge for the living, or have the answers always been there in plain sight? Did mankind secure our destiny by clouding the obvious with manufactured ideas of death and beyond; creating an irreversible mind set of ideologies no longer capable of seeing the truth?

#############


    It was that time of year again, when the leaves were changing, and the days were becoming colder. Fall was a beautiful colorful season for most everyone; a pleasant time of year with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. But for Jeff the approaching end of October brought only night sweats, and nightmarish memories from a day long past—things that would always stay in his memory like they had just happened yesterday.
    The year was 1956 and it started out great. Jeff’s favorite baseball team, the Yankees won the World Series. Don Larson pitched a perfect game, and his idol Mickey Mantle won the triple crown.
    The school year was well underway, and Halloween was rapidly approaching. Jeff and his best friend Dennis were sitting in World History class anxiously waiting for Mrs. Covington’s boring lecture to end. They were excited about their planned trick or treat outing coming up that weekend.
    “Anyone, what was the purpose of the Crusades?” asked the teacher.
    Surprising, Dennis raised his hand. Mrs. Covington nodded in his direction.
    “To spread Christianity and recapture the Holy Land from the Turks.” Said Dennis.
    “Very good,” said Mrs. Covington. “You may sit down Dennis.”
    But Dennis didn’t sit down. “I’d like to add something, if I may?”
    “Go ahead Dennis.”
    “I’d just like to say that they were wrong.”
    “What was wrong, Dennis?”
    “Christianity, and all the other religions. They don’t get it, but I do. I know the reason for life.”
    “Dennis, you may sit down now, and please stay after class.”
    The period ended and Dennis was given a stern reprimand for his anti-Christian remark.
    On the way home from school, Jeff tried to talk to Dennis and find out what he was talking about, but Jeff refused.
    “Leave me alone,” said Dennis. “I said too much already. I feel really weird.”
    “We’re still going tonight aren’t we?”
    “Sure, I’ll be better by then.”
    Their parents had told them they were getting too old, and this would be their last year—the night was supposed to be for little kids. So they were going to make it a special night, by visiting the Banner House-a mysterious old, dilapidated house on a rocky hill at the edge of town that they had always avoided in the past.
    Little was known about the residents; they associated with no one and rarely were seen. This was the year that Jeff and Dennis would finally include the Banner house in their trick-and-treat night visits.
    They waited until made all their regular stops first, and had accumulated a large bag of goodies each, then they headed towards that last stop.
    “Are you ready? You know it’s getting pretty late,” said Jeff.
    “Are you?” said Dennis.
    Each boy was hoping the other would talk him out of it.
    “Come on,” said Dennis. “This may be our last chance ever.”
    “Ok, let’s go.”
    They approached the bottom of the hill. Looked at each other, and commenced to walk up the steep hill.
    The house was dark except for a dim light in the main picture window. As they approached the porch, the moon moved behind a cloud and it became substantially darker.
    “Before we do this, I want to ask you something,” said Jeff.
    “What did you mean today, when you said you knew the reason for life?”
    “It just came to me. It’s so logical. I can’t explain it.”
    “Can’t you give me a hint?”
    “All I can say is keep looking up at the night sky, and eventually you will see.”
    “Are you nuts? What would that prove?”
    “That’s all I can tell you now. I shouldn’t have made that outburst in school today. Ever since then I’ve felt funny. Like I don’t belong, anymore.”
    “We’ll talk about it later,” said Jeff. “Let’s focus on the task at hand. Who’s going to knock on the Banner’s front door?”
    “Will flip for it,” said Dennis.
    Dennis reached into his pocket and pulled out a dime.
    “Loser knocks.”
    He tossed it into the air.
    “Call it,” he said as it reached its zenith.
    “Tails,” said Jeff.
    It hit the ground, and strangely stood on its side momentarily and then fell heads up.
    “You lose,” said Jeff.
    “I know, I know,” said Dennis.
    “Go ahead and knock, but I’m staying down here.”
    Jeff very methodically walked up the four steps to the porch, and slowly proceeded up to the large front door. He stood there for what seemed like forever. But then finally he knocked.
    The door opened, but it was too dark for Jeff to see in. Dennis put his candy bag out in front of him, when suddenly he disappeared into the doorway. It was like a strong vacuum had sucked him in. The door then slammed shut.
    Jeff ran up the step and pounded on the door, but there was no response. The light went out in the living room.
    Jeff knew he must get back home and tell his parents. So he took off running. He ran through the empty field that bordered his street. The darkness hid an old rotten log, and Jeff tripped on it and hit his head as he went down. He was out like a light.
    It was Saturday morning when Jeff woke up, and he knew he was in big trouble.
    “I think you got some big explaining to do, son,” said Jeff’s dad.
    “I was coming home through the field, and I tripped,” said Jeff. “I must of knocked myself out.”
    Jeff’s mom quickly eyeballed the lump on Jeff’s forehead. She pulled Jeff into the kitchen when she applied some ice.
    “You poor thing—out in that cold field all night. You’re going to take a hot bath and go right to bed.”
    “Ok, ok we’ll talk later,” said Jeff’s dad.
    Suddenly, Jeff memory jogged back into place. “Dad you’ve got to come with me to the Banner house. They pulled Dennis inside and wouldn’t let him out. Please we’ve got to hurry.”
    “Maybe we better take you to Doc Corey. What the hell are you talking about?”
    “Dennis, Dennis, my best friend Dennis—he needs help. He’s trapped in the Banner house.”
    “Dennis, Banner house—boy you must have really cracked your skull. You’re not making any sense at all.”
    Jeff’s mom came over and sat down next to Jeff.
    “Sweetheart, you don’t have any friend name Dennis, and we never heard of the Banner family. Are you sure you know what you’re saying?”
    “Yes mom, Dennis is my best friend. You went out to dinner with his parents last week. Don’t you remember?”
    Jeff’s dad looked strangely at his mom, and motioned for her to meet him in the dining room.
    “He’s obviously suffered a concussion or something,” said Jeff’s dad.
    “Something is wrong. You pull the car out of the garage and will go right into town to see the doctor.”
    Jeff saw Doc Corey, and was eventually admitted for a full mental evaluation. Nothing was discovered that could have caused his bewildering statements.

########


    As time went on, Jeff decided he had to let it go. He moved on with his life, although the events of that night were locked in his mind forever.
    He settled down with his college sweetheart, and two kids later, his life was pretty normal. He had forgot most everything about Dennis, except that one comment he had made.
    “Look into the night skies, and you’ll find the reason for life.”
    Over the years, Jeff had made a habit of studying the night skies, but nothing came from it, or so he thought. But one day while watching one of the TV evangelists something clicked.
    “You’re not going to listen to that quack, are you Jeff?”
    “He’s going to talk on an interesting topic, Alice.”
    “But he’s anti-Christian. Imagine alowing a self proclaimed Atheist to have his own TV show, and calling himself a Minister. You know Jeff, you’ve been getting further and further away from the church lately.”
    “Maybe, I’ve begun to see the light. Actually, he’s not an Atheist. He believes that natural laws govern the universe. And anyway, I thought this country was based on a freedom to have a choice of beliefs, not specifically Christianity.”
    “It may come in the middle of the night,” said TV Minister Billy Blue, “or on a sunny summer’s day.”
    “Jeff, will you turn that nut off or least change the channel,” said his wife Alice.
    “Wait a minute, I don’t care for his usual ravings, but I have some interest in this particular sermon.”
    “Well, I’ve got better things to do with my time.”
    Jeff returned his attention to the TV. His real interest he could never divulge to Alice.”
    “The Bible says that people of faith will be raptured away. In plain sight people will be taken away, so they will not have to go through the agony of the coming events foretold in Revelations.
    But in reality people, the true Rapture will go unnoticed. When a person is taken, it will be as if they had never existed. Why would this happen: because, my friend, they learned the mystery of life. They have been taken back into the vast universe for a purpose unknown to us. They are now in an elite class, that we all need to strive for.
    Then why am I still in your presence you ask. Because I know what will happen to those who learn, but I don’t actually know what life’s mystery is.
    Then how, do you say, I would know if they have left this Earth unnoticed? Because I have been given the gift to have know many people who have been raptured, and I know I will soon learn the answers to life. ”
    “Boy what a loser,” said Alice.
    “Yes and you all say just when is the Rapture going to happen?” said Billie. “Well, the truth is, it has been happening for hundreds and hundreds of years, if not more. It has been happening ever since mankind turned away from the natural course of life, and imposed their own beliefs.
    Primitive man looked to nature for guidance, and was content. He didn’t fear death and the afterlife, like we do. Friends, we must go back to our roots. The signs are all around us.
    The studio audience made a collective sigh after that unexpected statement.
    Jeff turned off the set, and headed out to the back porch. He wondered why he alone remembered Dennis had remained in his thoughts. Sitting down on the swing, he surveyed the night sky. He began to focus on the various constellations as never before. Seconds became minutes and soon over an hour had passed, he was so occupied with the heavens that Alice’s repeated calls went unnoticed.
     His gaze became more and more intense, when suddenly a smile appeared on his face.
    “Yeah, I understand. Wow, it’s right there in front of me. Why did it take so long to see?”
    He clenched his fist and raised it above his head.
    “Dennis I know,” he yelled out.
    “I have to tell Alice,” he thought.
    He turned from the night sky, and entered the house. He anxiously walked through the living room. As he hurried, something caught his eye. He stopped and turned to look at the family photos on the mantel, when a strange but unexplainable warm wonderful feeling spread throughout his body.
    Alice finished cleaning her supper dishes, and came into the living room with a cup of hot tea. She set her tea down and walked over to the fireplace mantel. A melancholy mood suddenly swept over her as she rearranged the family photos. Pictures of her mother, father and her two brothers and their families brought tears to her eyes, as thoughts of her lonely life overcame her.
    She gathered her composure, sat down by the fireplace, and opened her romance novel. Sipping on her tea, she petted her large Maine Coon, as thoughts of that special man, who has forever haunted her dreams, ran through her mind.



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