There was a deep silence as she lay there on the wet jungle floor, atop the thick lush ferns, the rain pouring down as the inferno raged just a few yards away. Melissa, on her back, staring up, could see clearly, though her left eye had nearly swollen shut and she could not hear. Melissa could only take in short shallow breaths as the pain in her ribcage was overwhelmingly painful, and as she began to lose consciousness she felt the presence of someone, or something, standing over her. Melissa opened up her bloodstained eyes, just for a moment she looked up in silence, looking up into the face of a dead man.
"Charles?" she tried to speak but no sound came. There he was, dressed the same as when she first met him. Charles smiled down at Melissa, his eyes shining like sapphires, a look of deep abiding peace on his pale face. Now he did not speak a word and Melissa believed she was dead, Charles must have come to lead her across the gulf between the living and the dead. Now it occurred to her at this moment that something was wrong. She had been taught that in death there is great peace and no pain, nor fear, nor dreams. But here she found herself injured, flat on her back; which was just about the only part of her body not broken, in the most horrendous pain. Melissa called out to Charles and then she heard him say, as if in her mind, 'close your eyes.' As she stared up not knowing if she were alive or dead she cried out in a loud voice, as the vision was swept away with tears, "Jesus! God! Lord! Do not forsake me!"
Here she closed her eyes as she became numb by the cold, stinging rain. Melissa thought of her son, of home, of Texas, and all the things she had never taken the time to do. She would barter with God to save her life, but Melissa knew what she had prayed for. The plane to crash, her tormentors to be killed, all that was left to seal her answered prayer was for her to die. Melissa closed her eyes and commended her soul to the Lord, if He would have her today, and take her away from life, then she would go with Him without a fight. So with a prayer on her lips Melissa fell into an unconscious world of shadows and light and thunder.
"Charles?" she tried to speak but no sound came. There he was, dressed the same as when she first met him. Charles smiled down at Melissa, his eyes shining like sapphires, a look of deep abiding peace on his pale face. Now he did not speak a word and Melissa believed she was dead, Charles must have come to lead her across the gulf between the living and the dead. Now it occurred to her at this moment that something was wrong. She had been taught that in death there is great peace and no pain, nor fear, nor dreams. But here she found herself injured, flat on her back; which was just about the only part of her body not broken, in the most horrendous pain. Melissa called out to Charles and then she heard him say, as if in her mind, 'close your eyes.' As she stared up not knowing if she were alive or dead she cried out in a loud voice, as the vision was swept away with tears, "Jesus! God! Lord! Do not forsake me!"
Here she closed her eyes as she became numb by the cold, stinging rain. Melissa thought of her son, of home, of Texas, and all the things she had never taken the time to do. She would barter with God to save her life, but Melissa knew what she had prayed for. The plane to crash, her tormentors to be killed, all that was left to seal her answered prayer was for her to die. Melissa closed her eyes and commended her soul to the Lord, if He would have her today, and take her away from life, then she would go with Him without a fight. So with a prayer on her lips Melissa fell into an unconscious world of shadows and light and thunder.
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