excerpt

They wanted her baby for their sacrifice....

Jennie was in and out of consciousness and when she slept, she dreamed of her and Joseph dancing. He held her tightly, and all the while was planting little kisses on her face. He kissed one eyelid, then the other, finally his lips found hers and time stood still. There was no one in the world but the two of them, locked in a kiss that lifted her to the portals of heaven. The kiss left her weak and she felt him scoop her up in his arms and carry her to a bed that was in the room.

But she didn’t understand why he had stopped kissing her and was sticking a needle in her arm. The dream changed and suddenly Joseph was gone and she was afraid. She heard voices around her but couldn’t keep her mind focused on what they were saying. Something about a baby...

Before long she started feeling pains in her stomach, long contractions that seemed to last forever. When one finally subsided, another took it’s place shortly. She tried to focus on those around her bed but she could only focus on the sharp pains coming at regular intervals.

She felt the baby moving in her and tried to tighten her stomach to keep him there. She didn’t want them to take him from her. “Joseph,” she inwardly cried, “you said you’d keep us safe. Oh Joseph, where are you?”

She murmured something she hadn’t said in a long time, something lost in her past. “In Jesus’ Name, in Jesus’ Name, I command the darkness to depart.”

Those around the bed heard what she said and one of them said, “shut her up. Give her another shot.”

“No,” the doctor said. “We need her to push. Come on Jennie, push, get him out.”

Jennie didn’t want to push but the feeling was too strong on her. She gave a big push and the baby was born. She felt a needle prick her arm and before sleep overtook her, she saw a small baby being held by a stranger, and she heard his cry. A sound she would never forget.

Excerpt from Embracing the Light

They arrived late and the place was packed with revelers, all in costumes or formal attire. The band played and couples swayed together all over the room. Most wore masks and Jennie had on a black mask that just hid her eyes. It had come with the dress and there was a small green rose embroidered on it. Joseph chose not to wear one.

They danced and he held her tightly. It brought to his remembrance another dance so long ago when he was half-drunk, and bold enough to kiss her until he felt weak. That was before he knew she was in love with him and they were always at odds with each other. Yet there were those moments indelibly etched in his mind, those sweet stolen kisses, that all consuming passion. He kissed her on the neck, trying to arouse a spark in her, a spark that would ignite the lost passion, the lost memories. And for a moment, he thought he had succeeded. She looked him in the eye and he could see the old fire there, just for an instant.

“Oh my precious Jennie,” he groaned, his face lost in her hair. “Come back to me Jennie.”

“Joseph,” she said softly, and he felt the old Jennie come back for a moment, but then the band started playing a fast song and the revelers went wild. They formed a long train, each one holding on to the person in front of them, and somehow Jennie got separated from Joseph. He called frantically for her as he tried to spot her in the crowd. He tried to break through the human chain but he couldn’t get through.

Jennie was pulled and pushed until she found herself out on the patio. The cool night air hit her face and she shivered. More from a premonition of something than from the coolness of the air. She turned and found that she was surrounded by partygoers in masks. And she realized that she was trapped in the very nightmare that had haunted her sleep. There was a variety of faces, some animal, some monster, and they danced and circled around her. And once she started screaming, she couldn’t stop. She felt herself falling, that familiar blackness coming over her. And before she succumbed to the darkness, she felt hands lifting her, carrying her away from the evil masks. She tried to call Joseph’s name, but the darkness was upon her.

Joseph was frantic, and guessed that he had gone a little crazy. He searched for her until everyone was gone from the building, and he found a single black mask lying on the ground. There was a small green rose embroidered on it.