Jasper and the Shelter of Angels Page 3
HOSPITALS; a dirty, disease filled trap. The Seven Angels couldn’t remember being in a hospital before. “Earthlings must get sicker coming to such a place as this,” The Angel Joel suggested.
“Yes, they come seeking treatment for one disease and leave with three more?” The Angel Roger added.
“Then, while we’re here we have to be the counter disease. Watch now as our presence spreads health and well-being faster and stronger than any of these diseases,” Wilson responded.
“We shan’t lose sight of our mission. Have we not wanted this for far too long? Talking about when the Lord would use us; dreaming how we would be used and even acting out our own versions of what this would be like?” Starr reminded her companions.
“We better not fail either,” West replied. “Already, we found we could do nothing when this poor young man fell. Even still, I can’t imagine what we could have done to prevent this tragedy.”
“You said it.” Roger agreed, “The moment we showed up, our human responsibility almost died.”
“Perhaps this is why we haven’t been assigned a mission before,” West wondered.
“We need only to look back as far as the failure of our last mission.” Joel reminded everyone, with an eye of conviction. The others shamefully lowered their heads.
“Should we consider for a moment, we aren’t cut-out for this kind of work?” West wondered, “I don’t wish to exist if it means failing our Lord again.”
Wilson arose amongst his downhearted friends. “Have we learned nothing? Everything happens for a reason. We don’t give up. Quitting now, before we begin is out of the question. We all know this to be true; what happened was supposed to happen. Let the opening of the great Southern Gate also open our eyes to what we’re up against here.”
The Seven Angels circled the bed where Jasper laid unmoving and unconscious.
“I too feel we have failed to protect this poor soul, but we must agree; it won’t happen again.” Wilson stated boldly.
“We agree.” The Angels hooted together.
“Just look at him sleeping. He’s not exactly what I expected an earthling to look like.” Elana said. “I didn’t know they were capable of looking so peaceful.”
“Remember, no matter their reputation, each earthling has the potential to become the person God created them to be. In this, I mean, they can become greater to God than any one of us Angels.” Wilson recalled.
“Ungh…” came a voice from the bed.
“Oh, he stirs. It looks like our boy is awakening.” Taila pointed out with care.
A foggy mind and a splitting headache accompanied words spoken in an echo over and over as they faded out into the distance; ‘My servants must become blind so that they can see…’ This was what Jasper remembered when he awoke. Wondering why all he could see was the bright eye sore of a white blur, Jasper searched with his hands to find a bandage wrapped around his head. Patting his face after locating the bandage with his fingers, he pulled it off. Standing there, before him, Jasper found Angels; Seven beings of celestial light who stood surrounding his bed. They looked at one another, puzzled.
As Jasper looked at the Angels, his body went rigid and he couldn’t move. Each one was a translucent apparition of light. They were dazzling and more regal than anyone he had ever seen. Such countenance captivated him. Never had Jasper known such peace and confidence to grace a human’s face. Focusing on one Angel to the next, each one was beautiful beyond any earthly comparison. In courtesy, they bowed, greeting him as though they recognized him.
Ashamed, Jasper had to restrain himself from bowing to them in return. His mind wrestled with a desire to hide himself because he felt so lowly, dirty and unworthy amongst these who were so brilliant and pure.
“I-is he, looking at us?” Joel asked suspiciously.
“It would appear so, but he cannot see us. The people of this world rarely can unless we are granted permission to do so from God.” Wilson answered as Starr risked the flight of a quick short-cut over the hospital bed from one side to the other. Marveling at the great wing span, Jasper fixed his eyes on the Angel as it did so. “Okay, it really looked like he saw that.” Wilson said and the others agreed.
Addressing Jasper, Wilson asked, “Are you looking at us?”
“Y-yes. I’m not sure if I see you with my mind or my eyes, but I do see you. It’s hazy and dark but you folks are bright.” Jasper answered them, simply responding to their question the best he could.
Wilson didn’t expect Jasper would answer him.
“Your eyes have been touched by God.” This remark from Taila clarified much for Jasper. “You have the ability to hear us also?”
Jasper was in awe of Taila’s divine beauty when he answered, “I hear the machines in this room with my ears, but your voices I hear with my mind.” Scrutinizing the Angels closer, Jasper was amazed at how polished and new their armor looked and their wings were the whitest of whites with no speck of dirt to be found. They appeared to be softer than a polar bear’s coat.
The Angels; amazed at this, exchanged looks. Wilson prayed, “Oh Lord, it is here in the glorious clarity of this new understanding where You’ve provided us the ability to see and be seen. May we relate and understand one another as You intended, Amen.”
“Who are you?” Jasper asked with wide eyed amazement. The sight of them was so rich, no human could ever measure up.
Wilson glided forward and said, “You may know us as the truth of the Holy Spirit; to you, we are scripture.” As light passed through the Angels it fractured into iridescent colors of the spectrum.
The Seven Angels went around the room introducing themselves; the young male, still closest to Jasper, who was clearly the leader of the Seven, said, “My name is Wilson. My name means; ‘Wisdom of God.’ My mission is to be of service to you.” He then bowed to Jasper. His armor shimmered and sparked like it was charged with energy.
A tall young man came to Wilson’s side who had the bluest of blue eyes as deep and majestic as a tropical shallow shore. And his hair; blond and wavy, “My name is West, which means; ‘To walk with the Lord.’” Palming a large hammer in his hand, he glanced down at it and said, “This is my hammer of persuasion. I too will serve you by protecting you with both this hammer and my eternal light.” He then bowed before Jasper, next to Wilson.
The next young male drew near. “I am Joel, which means; ‘Yahweh is God.’” He held out his bow and quiver of arrows. Solemnly he attributed, “Permit me the use of these weapons, that I might do what is good in the eyes of our Lord by them. Through my humble ability, I too wish to serve you.” He then joined his brethren and bowed. A frontal piece of a kingly crown of gold and rubies was fused to the breast piece of his sterling silver armor.
“Greetings friend. Call me Roger, which means; ‘Fiery Spear of Holiness.’ In response to fill the mandate set upon me by my Father in Heaven, please accept my service also to protect and guide you.” Roger took his place next to his kin and graciously bowed. Lightning bolt designs were engraved in his armored shoulder pads and shone with the power of a contained storm. His armor, polished to a mirror finish had a turquoise tinge with frosted silver lining.
At the other side of Jasper the three young females approached Jasper. Each one was so beautiful and radiant, “I am Elana. The meaning of my name is; ‘Little Rock of solid Faith.’ Like our brethren, we wish to join you on your journey and serve you as the Spirit directs.” This cowgirl lifted her silver lasso of loneliness and love along with her whip of conviction and bowed.
With beauty unmatchable on earth, the next young Angel said, “I am Starr.” She rolled her eyes like a sassy young teenager, “My name means; ‘Celestial body of Light.’” Jasper could see she was being modest with her dazzling Angelic hairdo. She was obviously the kind of person who woke up looking fabulous. “I hope to light the path at your feet and help direct you to your destiny.” As elegantly as Elana, Starr bowed.
“I am, Taila, which
means; ‘Golden Dawn.’ I was the Guardian of an early Viking maiden explorer. After spending a lifetime with the girl, I adopted a lot of who she was along with her Danish heritage.” Taila’s strawberry blond hair was a natural complement to her soft homey complexion. She had a way of connecting to animals and the land. “I pledge my gift of sight to know what will be along with my deep commitment to you and your cause.” With a likeness to the grace of her sister friends, Taila bowed in humble servitude.
Looking at the Angels bowing before him, Jasper said, “Okay, that’s real nice, and by far, more than enough. Obviously, I should be the one bowing to you. I mean, you’re Angels!”
The Seven Angels arose and though Jasper could see them standing around him, he felt another unseen presence that he couldn’t identify. It was the Spirit of Holiness.
After the intros were made, the hospital patient introduced himself to the Angels by saying, “My name is Jasper.” He took a deep breath, “I don’t know what else I can tell you. I didn’t ask for Angels. Are you sure you have the right person?” cross checking, Jasper asked, “Oh, I get it. I’m dreaming right?” Jasper looked around. “It would explain this fuzzy foggy vision I have, or am I, you know… dead?” He felt the blanket, then he put his hands to his face. Closing his sore eyes, Jasper waited but when he opened them again, the Angels still stood at his bedside. Reaching out his hand to touch the hand of a nearby Angel, Elana, Jasper found his hand pass right through hers. “I am nothing special. I am just a normal guy who lives a very boring life.”
“...And you have the ability to talk to Angels.” Elana said with a delightful smile. The way the Angels moved was somehow detached from reality. This made them tranquil apparitions to watch.
“That doesn’t sound so normal to me.” West said, flipping his long golden hair back.
“Or boring.” Joel added puffing up his chest and smiling.
Not sure what direction the conversation should move, Wilson believed the truth was always a good place to start. Describing the events that took place which brought them to stand at Jasper’s bed-side, Wilson said, “We’re a close knit group of Seven friends. In Heaven we are known as the Seven, and we were escorted to your world by thousands of other, more experienced, Angels. As we circled your world to observe what changes had occurred since the last time we visited, we heard the sound of a trumpet call. Many other Angels, who were with us, also responded to the sound of the trumpet. We quickly found that the Angels who were blowing the trumpets, were doing so to gather aid. Flying ultra-fast to the source of the trumpet we soon came to the little church where we found you, Jasper. We saw you unhook yourself from your life-line to save your friend.”
Jasper looked down at the floor as he recalled the event. “I remember, now.” Jasper said, “How’s Ned?”
“Your friend was spared. Your attempt to save him was successful.” Roger answered respectfully.
Wilson continued to tell Jasper what had happened. “With many of us Angels crowding in, we all tried to stop you from sliding off the tin roof. Unfortunately, the dark powers had both destiny and gravity on their side.”
“The Prince of Darkness rules this world,” West told Jasper. “He suffocates it with his stench and tight grip.” Jasper lowered his gaze from West when he was finished talking.
Then Wilson continued once again, “When you were sliding off the roof, Angels pulled at your arms while Demons pulled at your legs like some sort of contest. The Demons outnumbered us; overpowering us, you slipped from our grasp. We lost you over the edge. However, the Angels continued to fight for your safety. Some battled the evil, others flapped their wings trying to lift you back up to the roof, while others surrounded your body and head to protect you from the impact of the fall.”
Elana, Starr and Taila began to weep as they felt pity for Jasper, and a sense that they failed him.
“Your body struck the cement and your spirit rose freely. We were there to guide you to Heaven.” Starr’s gracious voice caused Jasper to feel like he was back in Heaven again.
“I’ve gott’a ask you again. Am I dead?” Jasper’s question was more determined. This time he expected an answer. The Angels considered the question and looked to Wilson to articulate the answer. It wasn’t natural for Jasper to be able to see and hear Angels. Usually when this happens, the person of flesh has died.
As Wilson thought about it he wondered, ‘Perhaps Jasper was dead at some capacity. It would explain how he could communicate with them.’ Just then, the door to the hospital room opened and a nurse walked in. The nurse walked right through West as he took a deep breath being surprised by the experience. It was like he never felt such a sensation before.
Jasper turned his face to the nurse and asked, “Can you see the Angels?” He noticed something shimmering on the nurse’s shoulders and fore-arms like silver pieces of armor.
“She wears the Armor of God.” Taila pointed out as the Angels also noticed it. “But she only wears some of the armor. To protect herself from the enemy’s attacks, she should wear the full armor of God.”
The question caused the nurse to smile. The question entertained her, but when she noticed the bandages for his eyes had been removed she was immediately angered by Jasper. “What? Why have you taken your bandage off? Can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” She picked the bandage and pads up off the floor. Quickly slipping the tensor bandage back over Jasper’s head, she set the gauze pads over his eyes. “Oh, what will the doctor say about this? I hope you’ll be fine.”
“No, please, it’s okay,” Jasper told her. “I can see just fine. It’s just my head. It hurts so bad.” The situation confirmed one thing for certain; Jasper hadn’t died.
“I’m sorry, Jasper, but you’re clinically blind. I can’t believe you are awake already. Here, I have something for the pain.” The nurse went to the IV drip and emptied a syringe of pain killers into it. “I will call the doctor for you. In the meantime, I want you to just rest. You don’t need to do anything so don’t try to get out of bed on your own. If you need anything at all just press this button and someone will be in to check on you.”
“Please, nurse!” Jasper called.
“Yes?” the nurse gave Jasper her attention.
Jasper was becoming drowsy quickly. “Do you see the Angels?” He asked her again.
“Oh, you’re delusional, Jasper. You hit your head pretty hard,” the nurse replied with caring concern.
Jasper settled back into his bed. With the bandage over his eyes, he couldn’t see at all. In the silence of the room, he slipped into a deep sleep.
Seven Angels stood looking down at Jasper, “He sleeps,” Taila said.
“So strange. Each time I see it. Young or old, when bodies of flesh sleep, they look so peaceful,” Elana added, implying they didn’t require sleep because it was the kind of rest intended for a body.
Starr’s eyes widened when she turned to her friends. “Have you ever seen a baby sleep? There is supposed to be nothing more sublime.”
“I’m sure a baby sleeps in this hospital,” Taila suggested, equally excited.
“Perhaps later,” Wilson told them. “I will stay and watch over the boy. In the meantime, the rest of you should go to the roof of this hospital. Dusk has passed and night has fallen.”
This did intrigue the Angels. Looking up, they rose through the ceiling and onward through a couple of upper floors until they were completely outside the facility. Though water rained down upon them, they knew right away it was spiritual rain and not material. Gazing beyond the rain drops, the Angels observed the surrounding earthen city lights. Lifting their gaze skyward they saw a clear night’s sky with billions upon billions of stars.
Using their telescopic vision, the Angels saw deep into space. “We could venture wherever we want,” Roger said.
“Anyplace except our home in Heaven,” Joel reminded his friend.
“Still, our options are boundless. We could go to any star or planet, an
ywhere at all,” Roger explained.
Taila reminded the boys, “We have to be careful not to venture too far away or we risk losing our way back. Getting caught up in some misguided quest will cost us the success of this mission.” The boys had no further response to this.
“It’s been a long time since we saw a starlit night,” Starr commented.
“It’s beautiful, but it makes me feel distant from our God because of such lack of light.” West admitted.
“I agree with you, West.” Joel said moving closer to his friend. “Unlike the forever daylight of our home in Heaven, I have forgotten how dark this world is at times.” The spiritual rain drenched them, but they didn’t mind or complain.
“It doesn’t take long before I miss the love and light of God,” Taila shared.
The others nodded their heads in agreement, then Wilson arose from out of the roof like he had been with them the whole time. “We will return home soon enough. We just have to complete this mission, then we’ll return home with honor. This time, we will not disappoint the Lord.”
Upon the hospital roof, at the center of the complex stood a monument. No human would be able to see such a structure because it was made entire out of spiritual materials. The construct was a large silver fountain of complex artistry. The spiritual water passed up through a center spout, through multiple levels that looked like the spinning and flapping of Angel wings amongst large sculpted hands of praise. The hands were similar in size to the wings. Water sprayed and raced in a spectacular dance with beams of light and colors rising up throughout the structure. Shooting straight up out of the fountain, the water sprayed out like an umbrella before sprinkling its nourishment and healing down over the entire hospital.
As the Angels approached the fountain, they discovered Demons who were busy trying to vandalize the structure. Under the spray dome of water, the Demons had to protect themselves from the falling good water of the fountain. The vile wraiths carried a curved shell over their heads that they used like an umbrella.
Joel silently flew to the unsuspecting Demons. From under their make-shift shield, they were too busy to notice Joel. Smashing and cracking, the Demons worked to ruin the fountain of health, with hammers. Wings swiftly cut through the rain when Joel lowered his open hand and caught hold of the dome as he passed by. Throwing the dome off, the Demons were surprised to find themselves exposed to the waters of blessings and cleansing.
Such water burned the four little Demons like sulphuric acid. Shrieking and writhing, the Demons leapt and bounded away like wounded frogs until they disappeared over the roof’s edge. The Angels quickly worked together reshaping and making repairs to the fountain before they returned to watch over Jasper.
Awakening to the sound of people working and shuffling about, Jasper felt doctors lift his body off his bed and set him down on a gurney. Throwing straps over his body and tightly fastening them down, Jasper was wheeled down the hallway of the hospital. “Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Jasper demanded to know.
The gurney stopped and a deep male voice spoke to him. “Jasper? I am Doctor Adams. I have been treating you since you arrived here at this hospital. Can you hear me?”
“Ya, sure, I hear you. What’s going on?” Jasper asked again.
“Your accident has rendered you with blindness caused from an acute cranial impact. The sudden shifting of grey matter surrounding your brain and a brief episode of hemorrhaging resulted in your regrettable loss of sight. Now, it is with great condolence I must inform you, your condition is irreversible. Your case is very special. Most patients who struck their head with as much force as you have, don’t recover. When the brain is jarred from impacts like those of vehicular accidents, usually the outcome is death, but for the survivors there are a number of things that might not function like normal. Resuming regular brain activity after a head injury is rare. In your case, your optical nerves were constrained to the point of total circulation loss due to the back pressure and ruptured walls of major vessels. Your eyes have been, in a sense, unplugged. I am taking you to the operating room where I am going to perform a surgical technique that should restore your sight.”
“M-my sight? But I can see just fine. It’s like looking through a thick fog, but I can see.” Jasper protested. “Take this bandage off my eyes. I’ll show you! I don’t need surgery. Don’t cut me open. I’m fine. You have to believe me!” When he began to doubt himself it left him feeling cold to the bones.
“Jasper, calm down. I’m here as well.” It was the sound of his mother’s voice. “Your father and sister are here also.”
Jasper heard the fear crack in his sister’s tone when she asked, “You’re blind, Jasper?”
“No, I am not blind!” Jasper told them sternly.
“I am afraid you have hit your head very hard when you fell, Jasper. As a consequence you’ve not only lost a lot of blood, but you’ve fractured your skull and there was some bleeding in your brain. This is the reason you have lost your sight,” Dr. Adams explained further.
“No!” Jasper disagreed with the doctor again. “I can see! Just take these bandages off of me and check. You’ll find it’s you who’s blind.”
“Has anyone even tested his eyesight?!” Jasper’s sister shouted while she cried in frustration. “Just remove his bandages and make sure his claim is true or false.”
Jasper could hear the doctor take a deep breath then exhale. “Fine, but the longer we stall the operation the harder it will be to cure Jasper of his very real blindness.”
“Enough of this, Jasper! And that goes for you too young lady,” spoke the stern words of Jasper’s father’s hard voice. “Doctor Adams, the sooner you can put him out, the better. All of the consent forms have been signed. He will co-operate, won’t you, Jasper?”
Jasper’s sister stood between her brother and the doctor. There she pointed at her father and said, “I don’t care if you ground me for the rest of my life! This isn’t fair and this is not right! I want my brother examined before the operation! Let’s get his bandages off!” Jasper’s sister spun around and began to lift the bandages off Jasper’s head. Gathering his ravaged pride, her father came and restrained her.
“Just cut them off, doctor. You’ll see...” Jasper insisted. “Cut my bandages off and I will look at you, right in your eyes and tell you I’m okay.”
“Very well, Jasper. Here we go.” He pulled out a small pair of folding scissors from his pocket and began to cut the bandage. “Now hold still.”
((-Scrunch-scrunch-scrunch-))
When the bandages were removed, Jasper needed a moment to adjust to the light. It was very difficult for him to see, but Jasper didn’t lose hope. He wondered if the doctor was right. ‘Blindness?’ No, he couldn’t accept that.
Sure enough, he began to see hazy shapes of shadowy human forms. Looking at the faces as they came into focus, Jasper recognized them as the Angel faces. ‘But that was a dream, wasn’t it?’
Confused, Jasper began to wonder if, perhaps, he was merely conjuring up images in his mind that weren’t real at all. Then Jasper focused on a new face. The face was very fuzzy and difficult to make out but once he heard the doctor speak, he confirmed it was, Doctor Adams.
The Angel Wilson figured, “The reason you can see us and other earthlings cannot, is not because we have entered your realm, but because, in part, you have entered ours.”
“What do you see, Jasper?” the doctor asked kneeling down in front of him and raising his nose to look down through his bi-focals.
“I see…” Jasper paused a moment. He was about to say he could see Angels but thought better of it. “you, Dr. Adams.” Jasper spoke confidently.
“You are looking directly at me, but I find it hard to believe your vision is just as good as it was before your accident.”
“Well, it is.” Jasper told him. Through cloudy vision, Jasper could see the ghostly images of people around him as clearly as he could see ghostly images of the Angels.
“
I have no doubt in my mind that what you’re experiencing ‘partial vision’ but it’s mostly denial. In rare cases, patients have reported regaining their sight naturally, but I must stress again, if we don’t act fast you won’t get a second chance at this operation. Please Jasper, I can restore your sight.” Doctor Adams began putting the bandage back over Jasper’s eyes. “Let me do this, Jasper, before you really do find yourself blinded for life.”
“Listen to me, doctor. You will never put that bandage back on my head again. There will NOT be a surgery for me today, so if you’ll be so kind, please take me back to my room.”
“You’re crazy, Jasper! Doctor, he’s not thinking clearly. He must have brain damage or something.” Jasper’s mother called out. Then she turned into her husband’s chest and cried.
“I am sorry, but there’s nothing I can do when a patient of mine makes such a request. I need his consent. I’m sorry, my hands are tied.”
“Jasper! Jasper, listen to me, I am your mother. You have to do as Dr. Adams suggests. You’re making the wrong choice here! Your driver’s license will be taken away and you’re only going to regret it.”
Jasper started to think about this. He did love his jeep. Then the song-like voice of Taila spoke to him, “God didn’t give you this second chance so you could drive your vehicular machine again. I tell you now, I promised I would provide you the gift of fore-sight. Hear me, Jasper and hear me well. The true regret will be in your agreement the Doctor’s dreadful operation. Don’t let them do this. When you oppose the eye surgery, we will do what we can to protect you.”
“No, mom, I know exactly what I’m doing. You’ll have to trust me,” Jasper told them. Dr. Adams regretfully wheeled Jasper back down the hall to the hospital room.
Noticing something very strange as he was taken down the hall to his room, Jasper’s vision began returning with greater improvement. He began to take notice of Angels and Demons of various shapes and sizes. They would freely come and go through the walls, floors and ceilings. Slinking about, trying to stay just far enough away from the Angels to avoid their radiant Glory.
A shiver of fear shot through Jasper’s body from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Overcome with fear at the sight of the grotesque Demons. Jasper was petrified by the way they moved. Shadows resonated from the twisted Demons like smoke and ash. The threatening terror they conveyed was pure evil and when they looked at Jasper he felt their gaze drawing out his life from their crazed, evil eyes. Narrow pupils, like that of a reptile or a cat, weren’t only haunting but violating.
When Jasper saw Angels of perfect light next to the detestable darkness of the Demons, he saw the vast divide of the two extreme opposites. Noticing the Seven Angels surrounding him, and preparing to protect him not far away, Jasper learned how Angels and Demons engaged one another, locked in constant spiritual warfare.
Roger humorously smiled at Jasper from the side of his travelling gurney as he opened his wing slightly, slapping a little Demon off the face of a nurse who was passing by. At that moment the nurse, not knowing she ever had a Demon clawing at her face, slipped on the heel of her shoe, but recovered quickly. “Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said as she carried on, slightly annoyed by the fumble. No one, in fact doctor, nurse nor patient, had any forbearing knowledge of their spiritual interactions.
Jasper saw a young female patient walking down the hall with a small Demon Imp on her shoulder. Then he noticed the Imp reach out and pluck a feather from Joel’s outstretched wing as he flew by. “Ow!” Joel reacted to the annoyance.
The Demon Imp used the feather to stick it up the patient’s nose. The patient sneezed with a tissue held to her nose. “Oh, this hay fever! It’s driving me crazy!” she said, openly upset. The little joking Imp laughed heartily like a little chipmunk.
“This must all be very new to you, Jasper.” Then, turning to Jasper with a seriousness that was very sobering, Joel added, “Watch as Demons of every imaginable kind ride on top of, and within people causing all manner of trouble. People, well dressed, respectable and appearing successful conquerors at life can carry many Demons at a time, but they’re always blind to darkness that clings to them. More blind than you. They think they’re being used by God, but it’s truly quite the opposite. Oddly enough, the entire army of Demons are on the verge of total chaotic betrayal. Demons of darkness hate, and are jealous of each other as much as they hate and are jealous of people in bodies of flesh, but the Devil praises and rewards those who attack humans. Because the Demons understand a kingdom divided cannot stand, they spread this method like a plague.”
Wondering why the Lord hadn’t spoken to him about this before, Jasper suddenly found, through his experiences, the Lord did tell him about it in the past. Still, Jasper could see he was only prepared to the degree that he heard God’s instruction and partially obeyed. Now clear to Jasper, the method of the enemies operations was rooted almost entirely in deception of imagery and choices of thought. Seeing people weaken quickly under the bitterness of sin, Jasper began to understand the depth of the Devil’s strategy and how simple it was. The goal was to bring division to relationships, churches, governments or whatever. Bringing war against their own brethren to cause one fall after the other. This was their only strategy, but it worked sufficiently.
“You see what we’re up against?” Taila asked Jasper, “It’s a never ending battle of frustration. Congregations are pitted against their Pastors and with one another; between husbands and wives, children and parents or children against one another. Demons inject their seeds of bitterness, rejection and fear; to list a few, which quickly grows into towering monuments of destruction. Exploiting such towers causes them to grow even higher until the victims are completely overwhelmed. We Angels do what we can, but often our efforts aren’t supported by the faith of the people.”
Here in the hospital, Jasper could see the deep pain in the people. It was far greater than what any of them expected to find. The Demon’s tyranny had managed to fathom the lives of the people so profoundly, such deep rooted history could be mistaken as a connection at a cellular level. The people were in the wrong place to receive help for their spiritual pain. All of the wounded were guarded by the smaller Imp Scouts of fear. Elana told Jasper, “In this world, it didn’t take us long to see there was more people who were spiritual prisoners than there were Demons. People who weren’t under Demon attack still acted like they were. After so much Demon oppression in their lives, they just felt it was normal to feel so lowly and depressed. They were taught this way their whole life. The Devil just loves it when people are exhausted and led away from God.”
Meanwhile, Jasper’s parents were arguing with the doctor. They believed Jasper wasn’t well enough to make clinical decisions. They stopped the gurney and Jasper’s sister of eighteen, cried at his bedside.
Jasper looked at her and said, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I know what I’m doing.”
“Oh, Jasper. I don’t know what the right thing is. Maybe you should have the operation. Oh, I just don’t know. All I do know is you have to get your sight back, one way or the other,” his worried sister said. She put her purse on the bed and unzipped it. Pulling out a little make-up cassette, she opened it, and Jasper could see it had a mirror attached to it. She held the mirror so Jasper could observe his face. Straining his eyes Jasper peered through his foggy vision until he could discern an image from the reflection.
A tear trickled down Jasper’s cheek when he was able to see that his eyes were a milky white. The skin around his eyes were blackened like they were sunken and bruised. The top of his head was covered with thick layers of gauze and absorbent pads.
Jasper gave the mirror back to his sister. “Don’t worry.” He told her. “I wish I never saw the image of myself.” Faith took over when he added, “I’ll recover. Now, help me loosen these straps off.”
Jasper’s sister did as he asked and began unstrapping her brother. “Jasper, how can you say you can see just fine when you
don’t even have any pupils?”
“I don’t know, Emily. All I know is I can see you now, though it’s like looking through a frosty window. I have a real bad feeling about the eye operation. I’m sure, if it happens, I really will be blind.” Reaching out to his sister’s face, Jasper took her sun glasses and put them on. A disguise was necessary.
Emily decided Jasper was suffering from dementia and she regretted helping him out of his restraints. When Jasper removed his last ankle strap, he noticed a young boy in a gurney parked beside him. His mother was with him and clearly worried for her son. She stroked her fingers through his hair.
“Hi.” Jasper said. The little boy obviously felt uncomfortable making eye contact with Jasper. The boy was holding his leg, nursing it and in a lot of pain. “You’re waiting to be admitted into emergency?” Jasper asked, even though all of this was obvious, but Jasper was distracted by the sight of a fat Demon who had a cruel expression and twisted a long blade into the boy’s leg. Jasper called to Elana and asked the Angel if there was something they could do for the boy. Elana whispered something into Jasper’s ear. He turned to the boy and asked. “Your leg hurts, huh?”
“Yes.” The child answered. “The doctor says I need to be strong for my mother because I’m going to have to lose it.” The boy’s mother tried to look away and wipe the tears, which began to run from her eyes. “I have a flesh-eating disease.”
“May I take a look at it?” Jasper asked with his hand stretched out.
The child looked at his mother. Usually the mother wouldn’t allow such a thing, but they felt compelled to agree. When they pulled back the bed sheet, the boy’s leg had a grotesque wound that looked like acid had been eating and rotting his flesh. The boy’s mother put her face down on her son’s chest and wept.
A fair size patch of skin was missing, exposing the damaged muscle within. Flesh of different colors were visible within the cavity of the wound; gray, red and pink tissue lined with dark blood clots spotted throughout yellow puss and fat. The image of the wound looked hopeless, but Jasper heard the Angel Roger tell him, “A disease spreads through the body, leaving destruction behind, but the power of God can also spread like a disease. It’s an anti-disease to put a body at ease once again. You’re God’s instrument now, Jasper. Stretch out your hand and touch the infectious wound.”
“This is a flesh eating disease. Won’t I infect myself?” Jasper asked quietly under his breath with concern.
“You must be strong and have faith.” Roger added. “Those who come into union with the Lord will not remain wounded or unclean. Joining with Him is like joining the rest of the body so His blood flows through all. To heal the wound of a body you must close the wound so the blood can flow through the wounded member to bring regeneration. A wounded body united will become fully restored.”
“I’m not, Jesus. Who would believe I could heal someone like this?” Jasper argued.
Still, the Angels were patient with him. Wilson explained, “The least of the saints has the power in them to move mountains, to stop armies, or to even raise the dead. You can do this.”
Turning the gaze of his blinded, whitened eyes to look at the wound once more, Wilson added, “You can follow the example of the Christ and accomplish whatever He did, and even more, because He saved His best wine for last.”
Stretching out his hand, Jasper had courage and pressed his palm onto the flesh eaten wound. A strange feeling rushed through Jasper’s body, down his arm and out his hand into the wound. He later described it as a flow of liquid energy. Like an infection of the Spirit of Holiness and complete goodness, Jasper just knew the flesh eating disease wouldn’t have a chance.
Lifting her head from sobbing on her child, the boy’s mother noticed what Jasper was doing, “Stop this.” The boy’s mother stood up. “Are you crazy? You shouldn’t touch such a wound. Or any wound! Wash your dirty hands! I hope this doesn’t make it worse.” She moved Jasper’s hand away careful only handling his wrist. “Now go! I have to report this.”
Jasper, together with the Angels, drove the fat Demon away and removed its spiritual blade. Each of the three female Angels kissed the boy’s leg.
Then Joel prayed, “Only by the Lord’s stripes will this child be healed, Amen.” The physics of biology aligned in perfect order.
Jasper repeated the words of the Angel as he prayed a blessing for the leg and healing. Then he asked the boy, “Can God fix your leg?”
“Yes, sir,” the boy answered honestly, innocently and with true faithful boldness. “It’s stopped hurting,” announced the boy.
The mother, startled, looked at the wound and miracles of miracles, the disease was gone and the wound had disappeared. It was like he never had a problem with his leg at all. The boy’s mother began to cry tears of joy.
Jasper wasn’t sure at first, but he quickly realized, he’d just seen a true display of faith. Jasper realized what a rare thing true faith was. To top the moment off, Jasper looked up to see a spectacle of unequalled brilliance as the Angel Roger came gliding down the length of the hospital hall. With his wings spread wide and fully opened, his wing tips faded into the walls on either side. Soaring overhead, his pure light touched the sick with blessings of health and prosperity. Gliding so slowly, he was symbolic of complete and utter freedom.
Jasper wasn’t the only one to breathe in the Angel’s fragrance of freshness as he passed by. Such a foreign breeze in a place that otherwise smelled like sickness and medicine. No one seemed to take notice but Jasper.
“Healing is a basic part of the Lord’s ministry, and it’s also a basic part of ours,” Wilson told Jasper.
Leaning in closer to the boy and his mother, Jasper began whispering. “Now listen, they told me I have to go in for surgery on my eyes, but a hospital is a place for sick people. I am not sick, so I’m getting out of here. If you get off this chair and you find your leg doesn’t hurt near as much anymore, I suggest you and your mamma get out’a here as fast as your legs will carry you. You see? God likes your great faith.”
The child let go of his leg and smiled at his mother. Doctors returned for Jasper pushing his gurney down the hall, again. Holding his sister’s mirror up, Jasper strained to watch as the mother helped her son off the gurney and walk down the hall toward the main doors hand in hand.
The doctors took Jasper to his bed where they lifted him back into his sheets. They were still warm. Resting and staring out into space, Jasper did his best to ignore his family who were concerned for him and his decision. They continued to talk as Jasper studied the paranormal restlessness.