Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Audrey’s Gift

Audrey awoke in the still hours of the night. She couldn’t remember the dream that had awoken her from her slumber or why she had an uneasy feeling that surrounded her restless sleep. She was sitting straight in the bed watching the curtain blow as the warm puffs of the heater caressed the delicate fabric. Her breath caught as she scanned the room catching the sight of a figure standing in the shadows. “Grandma…” her voice trembled with the fear she felt. “No, Audrey it’s not your Grandma,” a man's voice caught the air and Audrey felt swimmy headed. He approached from the lingering shadows and came to sit on the edge of her bed. Audrey recoiled in fear as he placed a strong hand on her covered leg. “I am a friend of your Grandma,” he said his eyes illumining the dark night with something other worldly. How could he be a friend of Grandma? He couldn’t be but in his early 20s, his dark hair, youthful smile, and smooth hands displayed his vitality as sure as the sun display’s the coming dawn. “My name is Jeremy, I knew your Grandma a long time ago,” a mischievous smile crossed his face as he saw how Audrey reacted to his statement. “But…how, I mean you…this is…well, you just can’t be…”

“Audrey, I would like you to come for a walk with me. I’ll wait downstairs, get dressed and come as soon as you can. I want to show you something.” As he spoke he raised his strong body and made his way quietly to the door. He turned before leaving, “Trust me…”

Audrey was left in silence as she tried to wrangle her runaway thoughts. She instinctively raised herself from her bed, straightened the sheets, and sought something warm to wear. She sneaked passed her Grandmother’s bedroom, the top step squeaked under the weight of her foot and she held her breath praying that she had not awoken those still yet sleeping. Making her way to the bottom of the steps she found the stranger dressed with a glowing lantern in hand. He came to her and placed her tiny arm in his. “Shall we,” he implored. She could say nothing, but merely nodded an approval for the journey to begin.

The night air caught her breath and it curled along the wintry night like steam from a slow moving train. As they walked the young man was humming a soft song that Audrey didn’t recognize. Her thoughts continued to run further and further away with her. Why did she trust this crazy man? What would Grandma think? What was she doing, she knew better than this? “Oh God, please help me!” She prayed the prayer silently as they turned from the drive and began to crest the hillside that looked over the town, although a bit larger, that Grandma grew up in.

…..

Cindy awoke with the creak on the floor. She knew someone was up and had a good idea who it might be. She slipped out of her warm covers into her weathered robe and headed towards Andy’s room. To her surprise the little bundle of joy still slept snuggly under the covers Cindy had placed on him. Realizing it must be Audrey, Cindy headed for her room. The bed clothes had been straightened and there was no sign of her granddaughter anywhere. Cindy noticed her winter boots and coat were missing and wondered what the girl was up to. She headed back to her room to get dressed herself, determination etching her concerned brow.

It wasn’t hard to find the tracks in the snow. Her heart gave way to panic as she saw much larger boot prints in the snow next to her small daughters. “Oh God, be with us tonight, be with us please…” She hurried along the path of well made tracks and prayed she wouldn’t be too late. She had only wished she had brought more than a flashlight for a weapon.

…..

Audrey labored under the climb to the top of the hill. She suddenly felt strong arms around her waist as the stranger hoisted her up carrying her the rest of the way to the top. He placed her unsure feet back on the blanket of snow, steadying her with his arm. She waited, and he said nothing. “What are we doing here?” She finally asked under nervous anticipation. “Look,” was all he said. She scanned the darkened landscape in search of the missing puzzle piece that obviously she hadn’t found. The night sky was bursting to overflowing with stars. The moon shown in the distance and trembled on the silent landscape, it was a breathtaking night. Then, in the night sky she caught glimpse of a brilliant and vibrant star. Its light seemed to travel and dance across her face. She took in a deep breath as her heart began to flutter. This was truly a special night. “A God made night,” he whispered into her ear as if reading her thoughts. Audrey looked at the man for the first time since he had awoken her from her sleep. He was bathed in the same light, and his smile was as radiant as the morning sun. He trembled under a memory, “So, different from that night, yet so the same.” “What night?” Audrey interjected, taken up in the man’s serenity.

“His night,” the man said, and then grew very quiet. The silence cut the night sky and Audrey was afraid that he wouldn’t continue. “Audrey, I’m going to tell you a secret, I’ve never told anyone all the years I’ve been about my work.” Audrey held her breath and waited impatiently for him to continue. He chuckled, “Honesty, I don’t know how to say it, it isn’t something I’m used to talking about. You see, many years ago on a night very much like this one a small child came into the world. He came to save all mankind. He was a Righteous King who came to die for His kingdom. I had the distinct pleasure of singing to the shepherds that night with a host of others, heralding his birth…” Audrey swallowed hard, trying to overcome the dryness in her mouth. “Are you trying to say what I think you are trying to say,” she asked with unbelief. “I guess I’m trying to say that I’m an angel of the Most High God.” His face displayed humor under the weight of the words he had just spoken.

“What is your name really?”

“Jeremy,” he said as he lowered one knee so his eyes would be level with hers. “I am who I say I am. I was with your Grandmother when she was going through her crisis of faith, and now I am here for yours.”

“Mine? I don’t have a crisis of faith!”

“Oh, but you do my child. You have lost faith in your journey, in people around you, and most importantly in God.”

Audrey thought long and hard over what Jeremy said. She realized that it was true, that even as her Grandmother had shared the story she had heard so many times before she began to doubt the truth in it, the truth of God’s love and forgiveness, and the truth of decent honest people. Her Mother never believed what Grandma said was true, in fact Mama was cold hard and weathered from a harsh life, much of which she had brought upon herself. She was nothing like Grandma. Audrey realized she was more like her Grandmother than she would ever be her Mother. A dreamer building hope upon hope of a better more rich life, however, as she had grown she felt her heart began to turn to cold stone, a protection from the severity of life. Now, that stone began to melt under the touch of powerful unseen hands and Audrey began to weep under the pain of her burden. “Oh, God, Father forgive me…” her voice quivered in utter desperation. “He has my child that is the beauty in the redemption story of this night, he came to set all men free, if you would but invite him in.” Jeremy held her close and allowed her heart to break. A heart she knew would be restored by letting Jesus in.

Audrey’s sobs stilled under the quietness of the night air. She sat warmly in Jeremy’s arms for a long time as he told her stories of Heaven and his earthly journeys. The night took on a song of its own as his voice carried through the rich darkness. She drank in the moment and praised the Father up above for doing a good work in her. Again, as if reading her thoughts Jeremy spoke, “My beloved He does indeed have a very special plan for your life if you would but follow Him.” Audrey knew that she would, no matter what she would, for the peace and restoration she found in Him was beyond anything she could imagine. The dark night began to turn a lighter shade of purple as the sun began to rise heralding the dawn of new and rich day, with it raised Audrey’s soul and spirits.
…..

Cindy sat staring at the scene before her, tears streaking down her face. She had been so overcome with dread and fear on the journey up here and now at the site of what she saw her wavy legs gave way and she had been sitting on the fresh fallen snow staring, unable to move, unable to speak at the site before her. It simply wasn’t a possibility, her granddaughter in the arms, familiar arms that had once held her so tight. “How could this be,” she questioned with no answer in site. She saw them rise from their resting place beginning the journey home as the sun began to sprinkle the still sleeping town with a new day. Her heart swelled to bursting when she looked full in his face. “Jeremy,” barely realizing she had spoken she raised her self, her legs finding new strength, and began to run to where her Granddaughter and the man were standing. She approached and touched his warm face with her cold hand.

“Jeremy, Jeremy, it is you, how…I don’t understand…how is this possible?”
He touched her face in kind, “I told you to trust me!” They both began to laugh joyfully as he hoisted her in the air swinging her around as he had done in her youth, the laughter pealed through the morning air, cutting through the remaining darkness with a deafening shatter. Audrey joined in and they all embraced warmly. Emotions once again reigned in Cindy said, “Well, Audrey we better get back home before your brother wakes up, I have no idea how to begin to explain this to him.” Audrey nodded as she snuggled under Cindy’s arm. Turning to Jeremy, “Will you walk back with us?”

A large oak was all that faced both Audrey and Cindy; Jeremy had disappeared, leaving Audrey and Cindy to contemplate what had happened and what the future held. They talked all the way home of their shared experiences and hope in God, who loved them more then they could ask or imagine. The day birthed warmth and new life. The joy of laughter could be heard rolling over the hills and dales of the small town, touching angels’ wings and giving them wind to soar.