Chapter Seven
Matthias
Caleb carried a few boxes to a spare room. He was helping Avery move some furniture to make room for visitors. Avery wanted to tell a story today to some of the children.
Caleb looked in the empty room. Matthias had never returned yesterday. He’ll come today. He told himself. He had a strange longing for Matthias that he couldn’t hide. He felt maybe God wanted him to meet him.
As Caleb walked down the hallway, Avery called from a distance, “Actually, put the box in the room on your left! I think we will need the spare room empty.”
Caleb laughed. Listening to Avery’s voice was entertaining.
Caleb went back to the room, heaved the box in his arms and walked down the hall.
Avery was shouting something to him, but he wasn’t paying attention at the time.
Caleb had his head down daydreaming. Then in a second, he tripped over a large pole, saw a flash of brown, and before he knew it he was on the floor with someone laying on top of him.
“Ow…” He closed his eyes.
Two flashing brown eyes looked up and stared into his eyes fiercely.
“You!”
“Huh?” Caleb rubbed his eyes. “M—Matthew?”
Matthew stood up immediately and brushed off his trousers ferociously like Caleb had some disease.
“What are you doing here?” They both asked at the same time.
“I think I the question is, what are you doing here?” Caleb asked. “I didn’t know missionaries were your type.”
Matthew scoffed. “I live here, idiot.”
“You li—you l—” Caleb couldn’t talk. He felt the wild oceans of laughter build up inside him. He tried to talk but faltered like he couldn’t do anything but blabber.
Finally, he released the waves.
“You’re Matthias? You’re Matthias! And you live in a treehouse? With missionaries? In Peru?” Caleb leaned forward and laughed hysterically.
“Shut it!” Matthew glared.
“Why? So your other missionary friends won’t hear?” Caleb laughed and laughed and laughed. His laughter filled the air.
“They’re not my friends, and they’re not supposed to know I’m here, so quiet!”
Caleb stopped. “Of course, of course. I will be quiet.” But he just couldn’t hold in the laughter.
Matthew stood there hands on hips, angry as a mad hen. “Now you listen here, Peters.” He grabbed ahold of Caleb’s collar. “When you go back to where you came from, no one—I repeat, no one shall hear of this, understood?”
“Not if Andrew tells them first! Andrew!”
Matthew pushed him back on the floor.
Caleb got up.
Matthew pushed him down again.
Caleb stood up again. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“Really?” Matthew took a dangerously close step forward.
Here it comes. The final knock-out.
Wham!
Caleb stumbled dizzily and fell to the ground. He saw blurred vision of Matthew disappearing outside.
“Caleb?” You okay?”
Caleb looked up into the gentle eyes of Theodore. “Been better.” Caleb felt his nose. “I’m bleeding awful bad. You go ask Avery about a towel or something.”
Theodore nodded, “Sure thing.”
As soon as he left, Andrew ran into the room. “What happened? I heard you calling my name.”
Caleb was confused. “Huh? Oh, right, right.” This made him laugh when he remembered Matthew.
Andrew shook his shoulders. “Caleb. What happened?”
“Matthew happened.”
“What?”
“He’s here. Matthew. He’s Avery’s son.”
Andrew looked like he had seen a ghost. “You’re not serious…”
Caleb looked him straight in the eye. “I’m very serious. Never been more serious in all my life. He actually lives here.”
“And he knocked you out?”
“Um…yes….yes he did. But I couldn’t help myself, I had to laugh.”
A grin formed in the corner of Andrew’s mouth. “Wait ‘till the others back home hear about this.”
“No, no, no, you can’t.”
“What?”
“Andrew, you can’t. He said not to.”
“He also punched you in the face!”
“Andrew. I think God’s calling me to him.”
Andrew stared at him like he was crazy. “I think you’re wrong.”
“I mean really, Andrew. Why do you think we arrived at the same time, we got on the same plane, and is now staying at the same place? This has to be destiny.”
“It could just be a coincidence.”
Caleb sighed. “Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.”
Avery arrived with towels. “Oh, lookie here. It seems to me you took a hard blow to the nose. Oh, not to mention your eye. Here, let me help you. Who did this to you?”
Andrew and Caleb exchanged glances.
“Oh, I just hurt myself. I’ll be alright. Thanks for the towels.”
Andrew glared at Caleb. “Why did you do that?” He mouthed silently to Caleb.
Caleb didn’t respond. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Caleb dressed into a clean outfit. His one pair of jeans were now stained with blood.
Avery gave him a pair of white pants.
All Caleb had was a white shirt.
“Guess white’s the only option.” He mumbled.
He prepared some notes for tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day. He would go out and share the Gospel.
Theodore and Marion listened to a story Avery was telling.
Andrew sat outside by himself.
Caleb watched him. Andrew had never liked Matthew. They despised each other since they met.
It was sunset. Caleb decided to have a look around. Wow. He was really in the Amazon Forest. Staying in a treehouse.
Caleb climbed down the ladder. He walked down the path and into the village. He remembered Avery’s words:
“…I want you to know, everyday living in this vast jungle with wild peoples, is a day you are risking your life.”
Caleb understood. But he knew he was supposed to be here. He looked behind him. He heard a faint rushing.
Is that…water?
Caleb followed the noise.
Through the trees, for miles. He seemed he would never reach it. Finally, he came across an enormous tree.
“Extraordinary.”
It was bigger than he had ever seen in all his life.
From there, I will see where the sound is coming from.
So he climbed.
And climbed.
And climbed.
And climbed.
Finally he reached the top. His breath was taken away, and his hair blew in the breeze.
“Extraordinary.” He said again. “It’s a waterfall.”
He gazed at its beauty for quite some time. He decided he had to go see it.
Down, down, down the tree he went. He paused and took it all in.
He went to the bottom of the vast waterfall. The water was flowing down so strong and hard.
I’m really touching a waterfall.
Caleb gazed at its wonders. He looked at his watch. “I’ve been here for hours. I better get back.”
“And God bless them saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…” Avery read aloud the scripture.
Theodore sat with the others, surrounded by children, all different ages. They watched in awe and wonder, their dark eyes shining.
“I would very much like to hear more, someday.” Theodore mused. He smiled and eagerly waited for more, every time Avery stopped to take a mouthful of water.
“You like this?” Marion became suddenly interested in his opinion.
“Well, I mean…yeah, I suppose.”
“This is good! I’ll read it to you, every night, starting with Matthew.”
“Matthew?”
“That’s a book in the Bible.”
Theodore nodded his head, to show he understood. “Marion…”
“Yes?”
Theodore hesitated.
“It’s alright. Don’t be shy.”
Theodore bit his lip. “What are your dreams? Your hopes? Your goals?”
Marion was surprised at his boldness to ask.
“I love art and helping take care of others. But…I already told you that.” Marion giggled.
Theodore blushed.
“But what I really want more than anything, is to be a missionary living for Jesus Christ.”
Theodore looked down. “I want to learn more. I want to be what you are, what Caleb and Andrew are. A…a Christian. I want to follow Him.”
Marion smiled. “Theodore, I—I’m so happy for you.”
Caleb walked through the jungle and back out to the village. When he had gone in the first place, he had taken a different route through forests.
He wondered now how the people would react to him cutting through their village.
And that’s when it happened.
The people stopped short.
They stared.
A lady cried and pointed.
More stared and dropped their things and yelled something in a different language.
Caleb’s heart beat faster than it had ever beat before in all his life.
Well, this is it. My last day.
“They’re going to kill me.” He whispered to himself. He went to call for help, but the words wouldn’t come. His hand shook. He went to back away, but then noticed there were others behind him.
“Av—Av—A—Avery!” With one last glance around the people, he fainted and collapsed to the ground.
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