

K elvin Hobbs, a brilliant soul, a future C.E.O. and a young man destined for greatness, has fallen prey to a secret plight with pornography. Attending the elite school, _The Templeton School of Business and Finance_ , his company is one of only three that has entered a school-wide race. He has to compete fiercely as well as lead his team in a constant battle against two other well equipped teams. Making it even more stressful, the professors unleash economic downfalls, market crunches and unimagined onslaughts at every turn. Together with his team, he must lead and at times keep his company afloat in a turbulent market and against unruly competitors. All the while, this secret in his life claims more and more of his soul, never asking permission. With darkness setting in, rendering him powerless and enslaved, he finally hears the inner reveille of his very dangerous predicament. Consulting the top people of choice to no avail, he continues to die fast. Pleading to God for help, an inspired direction comes his way: to seek out a theologian and the information he so readily needs. Together, they begin to unravel Satan's deep plans for his life as they begin to look behind the curtain of pornography.

Pornography's strength is not in you keeping it secret,

Pornography's strength is in you being unknowledgeable.

Do you now see how deceiving it is?

The only way to defuse pornography is spiritually.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

© 2009 Alexander Deux – Copyright Owner - Version 2

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Magician's Realm

by

Alexander Deux

Dedicated and written for the champions of God.

God is still holding your place in this world.
1

Sunlight beams down through a window onto the open pages of a bible. The pages glow with brightness and its shine unto Kelvin who sits right behind it. His eyes close a moment, taking in the words he just read as his face looks up, absorbing the heat from the sun as if it's his power. A peaceful ambience surrounds him.

This is his morning practice, to spend time with God. In his spot, on the carpet, in front of the windows.

Already dressed in his crested school jacket and tying his tie, he opens his eyes and continues reading.

He chuckles, "Okay God, you will have to explain this whole reduced to a loaf of bread thing," he points down to the Scriptures in Proverbs six. "I get this part, here, but that," a grimace escapes, "I really have no clue what you're talking about." He stares a little longer, then, "Nope," shakes his head, "really, not the slightest idea."

Outside the square panes, a tall well dressed businessman carrying a strong presence and holding a briefcase steps into view. Waiting as a car pulls up, he proceeds to open the rear door as the chauffeur races around to try to assist.

"I'll get this one this time" Oreleander informs kindly raising a hand.

"Yes, Sir." The chauffeur stops in his tracks and backs away, returning back to the driver's seat.

The tall man, upon entering looks back towards his son's window. "Kelvin! Let's go!"

Kelvin looks up and sees the sight. A black sedan decorated with numbered stickers on the trunk and very obscene livery plates. A gasp escapes him, "Oh no." His face noticeably anticipates dread.

Quickly rising, he grabs his attache case, then gives one last look in the mirror. Heading out the doorway, he hesitates upon reaching for his computer, as if it's hot to the touch and doesn't want to get burned. Knowing he needs it for school, he grabs it and heads out.

Outside, Kelvin comes out the two extravagant double doors of the mansion. The sunlight hits him strong, his brown hair combed to the side, scrutinizing eyes and a polished upbringing. Approaching the rear door, he watches his father struggle to slide over to the other side.

"Dad, if there isn't enough room, I can wait on the next one."

"It's also a nice day to walk – get in," a scruffy voice retorts.

Kelvin laughs, enters and the car quickly pulls away. At the far entrance, the gates close behind them completing a large H at the center.

2

Finishing the lavish roads, the car comes into vicinity of the city. In the back seat, Kelvin watches his father as he reads his own name in the paper. Then he enjoys the panorama out the window as skyscrapers come up on the horizon; the place he knows he's destined to work from, but today the car turns onto another road.

"How's your shipping proposal concept coming along?" His father's eyes are still glued to the paper in front of him.

Kelvin sighs. "It's taking so long."

"How so?"

Kelvin speaks as if holding up a hundred pound weight. "I'm trying to eliminate a lot of the fuel expenses. It's putting me over." He stares out the window, shaking his head at the ponderous thoughts. "I don't like paying for gas."

"I can help you. We can think of a solution together."

"No. When it comes time for my colleagues to scrutinize my L.L.C., I need to know why I did everything the way I did it."

"You never let me help you with your homework, son." He turns the page.

"Just keep being someone I want to observe. That will help me in the long run."

Oreleander looks over at him. "Be smart."

Kelvin smiles, "Be smart, Dad." And he turns his gaze out to the sign approaching, Templeton Private School of Business and Finance, then further up, a stream of limousines dropping off students; pulling up they will be number five in the drop-off sequence. And behind the school, a corporate helicopter hovering, waiting for another to clear the heli-pad.

"Uh, Dad, why don't you drop me off here? I can walk up."

"Nope, all the way up."

Apprehension appears in Kelvin's voice. "You're killing me."

The sedan pulls up as a long black limousine leaves. Kelvin gets out as fast as he can, covering his face with his case, and running inside.

3

Kelvin sits in class, an elaborate classroom, comfortable, the smell of leather and fresh carpet. He pays attention to the professor's instruction.

"Now the exam will include five problems that can surface in any of your corporations at any given time and/or all at the same time. How you respond is what your results will depend on."

A couple rows up, Kelvin eyes the handing over of a blank faced disc from a Mr. Sanders to a Mr. Franks.

"Now, onto your own company, you should already have the basic overall structure mapped out. I remind you, you are not allowed to ask for the assistance of anyone related to you. But besides that, it's open season."

Kelvin sits pondering, waiting for the class to end. Soon enough, he's putting his belongings back in his case and glances forward a second time to Mr. Sanders, then proceeds to get up and take his leave, a dignified walk. Unknowingly, a Mr. Spiffs has held an evil eye on Kelvin and now has something to hold against him.

In the open air courtyard, Kelvin briskly walks looking about through all the students, all of which are dressed in dark blue blazers, the plain striped tie, and tan khakis. He finally finds who he's looking for and walks up to him strongly. Grabbing him by his jacket at his shoulder, he forces him to turn around. The smaller stature individual yells out...

"Kelvin? Hey."

"Saches," he mumbles in his raspy voice while surveying for the next person he seeks. Then spots Mr. Sanders huddled with three associates.

"Kelvin, what's up? You weren't at class last night. Sinsi was mad."

"I'm sure."

"What's wrong?"

"Do you have any money on you?"

"Uh, yeah, I don't know, hundred-forty or so." Kelvin motions for him to give it up. Saches complies. "What's going on?"

"Ran into a snag. Thanks. I'll pay you back." Kelvin leaves him.

Saches screams out, "Uh, don't worry, I think I owe you."

Kelvin arrives to Mr. Sanders who's talking to Mr. Tripps, Mr. Reddick and a Mr. Charles. He takes a stance nearby them in a gentlemanly manner.

"Mr. Sanders?" He cordially interrupts.

Mr. Sanders turns about, "Why Mr. Hobbs," he laughs, "I'm surprised you even made it to school today." The others join in with snickering. "Tell me Mr. Hobbs, where did you find that cute little limo. I would love to get one for my little sister; she'll be two on Wednesday." The laughing builds.

Another interjects, a Mr. Tripps, "Tell me, does it come in furry blue?"

Mr. Reddick also jokes at Kelvin's expense, "I did not know your father was in the car service business, or was the meter running?"

Still keeping their manners, they indulge knowing they are making a dent in Kelvin's pride. Mr. Charles looks down at Kelvin's attache case, "It's amazing how you can carry it around. Tell me, do you still have room in there for your laptop?"

Kelvin lifts a hand, "Thank you, but I'm sorry I have to cut this short, or we might be here all day," a lift of the eyebrows. "Mr. Tripps, Mr. Reddick and Mr. Charles, you'll have to excuse me as I pull Mr. Sanders away for a private meeting."

He then jerks Mr. Sanders over, leans in a touch for privacy and speaks adamantly and with a serious tone. "I saw what you had."

"Mr. Hobbs," he wails a laugh, "I don't have anything."

Kelvin takes out folded bills, "I have a hundred-forty, uh, something, is that enough to influence you to make me a copy?"

Mr. Sanders wobbles his head as he vacillates, then snatches the money away, counts it, and looks up with a grin. "I'll have it for you by the end of the school day. It just so happens I have a blank disc lying around here, somewhere." He voices a hideous chuckle.

"Very well, Mr. Sanders, I'll expect it then." He gives him a stare letting him know he's counting on it, then walks away. He yells back, "I want a password on it."

Mr. Sanders, unable to be saddened, "What about 'littlelimo', all lowercase." Mr. Sanders watches Kelvin walk away and reminds, "Next time Mr. Hobbs, bring more money!"

Kelvin keeps walking, his face turning opaque as he enters the shadows of the courtyard.

4

Dusk falls, Kelvin swiftly walks to his vehicle. Passing Mr. Sanders on the way, he grabs the disc, gives him a look, gets in his car and rides off.

Kelvin sits in the gymnasium size living room. The fireplace is already lit. Sitting on the couch, the corner of the room to his back, he opens his laptop, finds the disc, looks around, and then loads it. He waits, then types, 'littlelimo', and immediately his face brightens from the glow of the screen. And nearby, the popping and crackling of the fireplace increase in volume.

With the house empty, a masking of sort lightly disturbs the lighting outside as if someone had just walked by and disappeared.

The next morning, Kelvin takes his seat. Mr. Sanders notes him and turns around, then loudly voices, "Mr. Hobbs, I hope that your purchase worked out for you last night."

Kelvin looks up at him through his own guilty expression, "Mr. Sanders, you certainly are a credit to my detriment." Mr. Sanders laughs it off, then turns around as the professor's voice starts to fill the room.

It is Professor Simon again, "Later this week, you will each receive your capital for your purchase in an I.P.O., for your own company, or if you wish, to acquire shares of one of your colleague's corporation. This could be a very lucrative endeavor but also, can be your downfall. As a corporation or entity, you might be forced to sell any of your holdings due to lack of revenue, thus not being able to hold your majority position."

Kelvin looks away in thought, his eyes dark.

### 5

Walking the grounds of the courtyard, he gets a text.

Meet me at the statue – Saches.

He continues walking and changes direction, carrying turmoil in each step. His mind, a burned room after a fire, still with black walls, charred memories, the visage of ruin.

He arrives at the statue, faded to green, a soldier of some sort. There's also a plaque underneath, but it never caught Kelvin's eye to read it. Suddenly, the intercom clicks, he looks up.

"Attention class," it's Professor Trouse's voice, the headmaster, chief, "we have received the last concept proposal for a corporation and the judges have already been eliminating all entities submitted that have no hopes in surviving future forecasts. Remaining corporations will be announced in class on Monday. So far," he breathes a sigh into the microphone, "only four have been approved."

Fellow students standing around drop their heads and whine. Kelvin, already carrying his burden, drops his head also, fatigue pulling it even lower.

Professor Trouse isn't done, "By the way, have a nice weekend."

Kelvin shakes his head mildly, his eyes forced to close. Then from his blind spot, Mr. Spiffs approaches with a posture of aggression. Getting in Kelvin's face, his bottom teeth glaring, he announces, "I can't wait to buy your company out." Then a slight but firm shove finishes his animadvert scowl before he departs. Kelvin shows no movement, his head still hangs.

Saches shows up, it costs Kelvin a great deal to even look up.

"Glad I don't have to deal with that until next year."

Kelvin raises his head slightly, "Look forward to it."

Saches exhibits urgency, "Kelvin, you have to show up tonight."

"I don't know if I can make it. I've been having...transportation issues."

"My car will be ready, on the South side." A light spring in Saches' step, "He's mad, and if you miss tonight -- " Saches slowly swipes a finger by his throat.

"You made your point."

"I gotta run, see you."

"Saches." A slight wave farewell.

# 6

Dusk arrives and Saches and Kelvin rush into a limo, shut the door and ride off. Inside, Saches speaks on the phone, a conversation he dreads and hopes to finish soon.

"Dad, I didn't take the helicopter. I don't know! Maybe...have you tried calling your pilots? How about your daughter?" He sighs, "I'm in the car right now. Karate class."

Kelvin corrects, "Kar-a-tae."

Saches grimaces, forced to contend with the major source of stress in his life. "Dad! Dad! I have to go. I'll see you tonight." He tries to hang up, words still wafting from the receiver, then click. "Finally," Saches breathes.

Kelvin is looking around at the interior of the limo. "I'm glad you're richer than I am, or else I might be subject to a cab."

"We're not rich, our parents are. We're just using their stuff."

Kelvin ponders with a happy smirk, "Are you sure you don't want to be the Honorable Saches Northrop? You have such a good sense of judgment."

"That would bore me, hearing all those people's problems. My family is enough."

Kelvin notices Saches workout bag open, then the shiny edges of a bible's pages; he reaches for it and takes it out. Opening up to a certain page he begins to scan. Then he points down into the Bible showing it to Saches.

"What's this mean?"

Saches takes the Bible and looks, "...reduced to a loaf of bread? I don't know. I have no idea."

Kelvin grimaces, thinks, and then points forward to the chauffeur, "Do you think he knows?"

Saches looks at him, then shakes his head.

Kelvin begins to vent, "Why not uh, pomegranates or, oatmeal? Why a loaf of bread?"

Saches looks at him as if he's losing it. He tries to direct him, "You could ask the pastor on Sunday." Kelvin looks at him sharply. "I mean, he should know, right?"

Kelvin shakes his head, "I don't think he knows." He then looks out the window unsatisfied.

In the studio, the class stands in unison. The Sinsi notices Kelvin and approaches. With a bark in his instruction, his words become the only ones in the room, "If you cannot focus, you cannot strike!"

Immediately, Kelvin readjusts his stance and shows more determination, a regrouping in his attitude. The Sinsi approves and walks by him. Kelvin eyes stay forward, looking strong.

7

In the lavish dining room of the Hobbs home, the maid stands off to the side as Oreleander and Kelvin enjoy breakfast, each on either side of the long table. It's Saturday.

His father, engrossed by a contract type paper he's studying. Kelvin, inquiry on his face. The tapping of the utensils pause as Kelvin looks up.

"When are we going to get our limo back?" Oreleander hums an answer too preoccupied by his document. "Dad, please," Kelvin persists, an earnestness in his voice. "When are we getting our limo back? Dad? Dad, you have to get that car back for me. Dad, you don't understand, I need that car."

His father finally looks up with a chuckle. "The kids ragging on you at school?"

"Well, yes," his head hangs with an accompanying sigh. "They asked me if I use the pay phone in our kitchen to call for a car since I showed up in that, in that... just about checkered taxi."

The father laughs with a point, "That's a good one."

"But it's not even about them. I don't care what they say, that much." He leans forward, "Dad, I need that car, me. You don't understand how serious this is."

"I can rent one if it's really that big of a problem." His patronizing face waits upon an answer.

Kelvin sighs and looks away. "No, I don't want a rental. I don't know where those cars have been, used for proms and who knows what else. I need our car, Dad. Our car, I want our car, I know our car."

Oreleander is trying to understand, "Our car?" Fork held in mid air.

"Yes, Dad, our car." Relieved his father understands.

"Why do you need it, this much?"

"Because I need it, Dad."

"For?" Oreleander asks with discerning eyes and the lifting of eyebrows.

Kelvin has no choice but to cave in. He reluctantly mumbles, "Desi of hark."

"What?"

"Because that car is a desire of my heart, Dad!" Raising his voice, hating to have to be shy about something.

Oreleander tries not to laugh and starts reading again. "Don't worry, Son, your desire will be back with a new engine in a couple days."

Frazzled Kelvin replies, "Well, that beats never." Frustrated, he gets up and leaves, taking his plate to the kitchen. The maid unsure of what's happening looks at Oreleander.

"I don't know either."

Kelvin slams the door of his room, his eyes finally falling on his laptop. His countenance changes dramatically, darkness spreads over his face.

Suddenly, he races out of his room as if to run away from something, then halts, comes back inside and locks the door.

# 8

The next morning, sitting on pews with cushions which don't really help the pews become any more comfortable, Kelvin's scrutinizing eyes move back and forth on each girl in church. The Pastor's voice pushed into the background.

"We find David confronted with a great temptation." The fat, not chubby, preacher belts out as if singing opera only he could understand. "Come on, let's talk about this, after all, we are in church." A scoffing in his voice. "During a season when he should have been fighting, leading his men in battle, he was home, relaxing, taking it easy." He points and yells out the window, "He should have been off to war!" A few nods from the crowd confirm they believe he's right. "Then the Bible goes on to say, one evening David got up from his bed," another scoff, "finally, and walked around on the roof of his palace. Then from the roof, I repeat, from the roof," he comically points upward, "he saw a woman bathing. See everyone, I have to reiterate, he was in the wrong place." His continual nodding accenting his words. "He should have been off to war leading his men, but he was home, lazing."

A skinny bony woman loudly remarks with a raise of her hand, "That's right!"

Kelvin looks her way sharply, gets enraged and stands up speaking adamantly toward this skinny woman, "Maybe Bathsheba shouldn't be taking a bath out in the open!" Kelvin keeps a mean look on the lady who backs up bewildered. In the front, Saches sits turned back astonished; his parents next to him. Then Kelvin turns his attention forward and begins to speak with accompanied mannerisms, "The man was on his roof, what if he was working up there. He would have still seen her. And it necessarily wouldn't have been during wartime. It's always David's fault. Let me guess, they hadn't invented shower curtains back then." He gives a smirk, meanwhile his father is calm by his side looking up but not stopping him. "And I didn't read where Bathsheeba gave much of a struggle when-"

"That's it!" The pastor screams at him, his double chin still moving. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"The Bible is open to interpretation. How do you know you're right?" he points. "Because you went to some school?"

At that mark, his father modestly gets up and starts to lead Kelvin out to the isle, "Come on, Son."

Kelvin mumbles loudly, "Why is everybody always ragging on David?"

Walking through a frozen church, Kelvin arrives at the doorway and screams back, "Even the Bible called her very beautiful!" His father finishes ushering him out.

The pastor is speechless; the church girls look at each other stunned. Something has entered their presence and they don't know what it was.

Saches is stunned, his jaw frozen; he doesn't know what that was either. This took everybody off guard.

### 9

After a very interesting day, Oreleander sits in the kitchen eating a sandwich with only a couple reading lights on.

Ring.

"Good evening."

"Good evening, Mr. Hobbs. This is Pastor Phelps. I wanted to know how your son is doing."

"He seems to be alright. I apologize for his outburst today, and as soon as I speak with him, I'll make him aware he must go and apologize as well."

"Well, we can't have those kinds of outbursts. Think how it comes across from my side."

Oreleander pauses, tilting his head as if he caught something amiss. "Well, did he say anything, uh, wrong?"

"What?"

"Did he say anything unscriptural?"

"Well, uh...we can't have those kind of-"

"Thank you. You'll be hearing from my son soon."

"Well, we hope to see you Sunday."

"Good night."

Oreleander hangs up and ponders, a slight distaste on his expression.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Oreleander enters the doorway finding Kelvin sitting on his bed, papers spread all about him. He appears to be checking figures. He continues inward, walking in casually, noticing Kelvin looking up at him with complete peace.

"You look pretty busy."

"No, not too much, just getting ready for tomorrow."

"Big day tomorrow. Do you think your corporation made the cut?"

"Well, competition is fierce, but I think I have a shot, or," he jokes, "I'm going to be unemployed."

"So what's all this?"

"Getting a head start, just in case."

Oreleander sits down, and looks up at him, "The pastor called." Kelvin looks up frozen. "I told him you would come to see him soon, to apologize."

Kelvin starts shaking his head as he pictures something loathsome, "No, Dad, you can't."

"Well, he called to see how you were doing." Kelvin is stunned as he looks within. "But I discerned he was concerned with more than that." Kelvin braces himself. "I want you to apologize, son." He lets out a big sigh, then pulls the right words out of the air, "Son, sometimes we're right, and depending on how we act on us being right and our chosen vehicle of delivery, the consequences will ultimately match. Before every action, every choice, every turn, you have to look passed all of that and see if the consequences you will eventually find yourself in are desirable." Kelvin leans back floored. "Then after that, apologizing I mean, I was thinking we could swing by a used car lot somewhere and buy, I don't know, an old heap. A real dog. Lots and lots of rust."

Now completely lost, "Lots of rust?"

"Yeah," he nods, "a lot." Speaking on the verge of chuckling.

Kelvin inquires moving his head in a little bit, "What's going to happen with all this rust?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was sort of toying with the idea we could look for a fellowship. Something up North, not to far, not to close. Maybe twenty people gathering, people we can get to know. I mean, I haven't been to a barbecue in...whew." He lifts his hand not being able to recall.

Kelvin starts to smile, "And what about the pastor to this twenty person church?"

He points, "Well, funny you should mention that," he thinks on how to explain something that's been rolling around in his head. "The thing is son, I don't see the title of a pastor in the new testament, I only see it one time, and that as a gift. I don't know where they got that title from," he shakes his head. Let's look for people, not a place. And as for a church, from what I read in the bible, we're the church, us, believers. God never said to go to church, he wants us to be the church."

Kelvin starts nodding, "Lots of rust, huh?"

"Just a guy and his son fellowshipping with the brethren, nothing special about us. We just love God, we love life. Pretty easy plan wouldn't you say?"

"I'll apologize at my earliest convenience. It would be a pleasure." A gasp, "Wait, what about Saches, we can't leave him there in that unscriptural deception."

"He's always welcomed. Does he own a pair of jeans?"

"I don't think so." A chuckle as he motions to an imaginary tie he's wearing. They laugh.

"You tell him to buy some jeans; I'm not paying for his dry cleaning."

"Thanks, Dad." He nods, "Thanks more than you know." He watches his father leave quietly and remains with a grin.

### 10

Kelvin leans against the statue looking down at his phone. He hears Saches' voice approaching.

"What was that?"

He looks up, "What?"

"On Sunday. Yesterday." Pointing behind him.

"Oh," rubs his face and shrugs his shoulders, "that was nothing it looks like."

"My parents think you're crazy."

Kelvin remembers, "Do you own a pair of jeans?"

"What? No!"

"Come over the house tonight."

"Hello? Why?"

"We don't need a plan, do we? Regular friends do. We'll think of something. We'll go to a department store; there are girls there, right?"

Saches is looking at him strangely. "Depart, what?"

"In other words, I don't want to be left to my own devices tonight."

The intercom clicks a few times interrupting their words. They naturally look up to the speaker and hold their breath because the unthinkable has been known to come out of there.

"Attention students, all corporations have been reviewed in detail and at first look, four seemed like they would survive the first cut. We were mistaken, only three corporations will be in business this fiscal year. Senior class, report to the lecture hall promptly to hear who has ownership and who will be looking for a job. Professor Trouse out."

Kelvin looks at Saches while the wheels in his mind turns. "Actually, I might need your help tonight. You can be my unofficial Human Resources Rep." Finishing his statement, he pulls Saches the direction he starts walking.

### 11

No one is moving in the lecture hall. No student wants to disturb their fate. Nervously they cringe as Professor Trouse walks by them holding three huge packets. He finally places one in front of Mr. Sanders who in turn smiles gleefully. Kelvin looks at him with no reaction. The Professor begins to walk to the other end, stopping in front of Mr. Spiffs, who keeps a strong and determined expression. A packet is laid down in front of him as well.

Saches sits in the back with next year's eager class. Although he is unable to look up, he must.

The stomachs of the hundred or so pupils have all sunk. One packet left. A few are breathing heavy. They can't take it. One boy even begins to cry and can't stop. An all boys school and pressure will soon be used to test each individual, to weed out the weak and the unprepared. It will divide, penetrate any breach in their consciousness. It will kill them.

The Professor paces through the students in erratic directions, knowing the torture has begun and indulging. He passes students on the verge of throwing up, and he being the executioner of pressure doesn't even care how they take it. Then with the five top professors sitting on the stage watching carefully, the packet softly lands in front of Mr. Hobbs. Kelvin's head, eyes, whole being is relieved. The rest of the students moan and groan. One yells out, "How am I going to tell my father!"

The Professor patiently walks to the front, looks at them thoroughly. Looks at them some more meanwhile the sighs of defeat continue, but the professor moves on. He announces, "The trading floor is now open."

Suddenly, every student minus the three take out their resume and frantically climb over each other to get to the three new C.E.O.s appearing as total chaos from the front.

Saches goes to help Kelvin hold all the resumes and during the pandemonium, Kelvin gives a look to Mr. Spiffs, and there is a look right back at him. The affront is now escalated.

# 12

Kelvin and Saches sift through the resumes in Kelvin's room. A room with a backdrop of an indoor pool separated by a glass partition, air hockey, motorized basketball hoops, a sound system that could imitate thunder and the latest, a construction crew that was hired to build a convertible theatre for those nice warm nights.

Prior to all these things, it was all space with one bed and one dresser. So when Kelvin asked for things, his father would make him memorize a proverb to be recited at any time his father deems appropriate. Not just a few Scriptures but the whole chapter, King James version.

"Mr. Tripps here was onboard a U.S. Carrier for observation, looks like a whole month at sea."

Kelvin looks up, "Really?" Holding out his hand for the resume. "Maybe I could use him. I got another guy here that his father showed him how the computers at Wall Street are wired so certain transaction arrive first."

Saches leans back, "So I'm still waiting on the back story of yesterday's performance." Kelvin remains unmoved and still reading. "You freaked out man." Still reading. "You're not going to tell me?" Saches waits. "Alright, if you can't tell me, who can you tell?"

Kelvin looks up, "No one."

Saches is annoyed. "Man!"

Kelvin staying calm, "Saches, I'm not ready. I can't let what happened yesterday worry me right now. This is what's important. This is what I can't fail at. When I'm ready to talk, I'll talk. Promise." He holds out his knuckles.

Saches hits his knuckles with his then laughs, "My father said he was impressed with you."

Kelvin looks up with a smile. "Did he?"

"But my Mom still thinks your crazy."

"Don't hold it against her, I think she will always think that."

They laugh.

### 13

Kelvin shoots outside his house and is awestruck. His feet freeze from the sight before him almost causing him to trip forward. His eyes look to his far left and all the way to his far right, beholding, admiring, hearing the purring limo that has returned home. He sees his reflection on the long glass at its side.

He walks forward proudly, unknowingly wiping a tear from his eye. The chauffeur comes out about to open the rear door for him, but Kelvin walks right to the middle of the long car and hugs it wide. He gently rests his head on the cushioned vinyl roof and rubs the top of it with his hand. A smile of contentment fills his face; meanwhile the chauffeur is standing back observing his odd behavior, especially when he starts talking to it.

"I have missed you, my baby." He leans the side of his body on the car, then kisses the top, still hugging it, saying sweet nothings to it. "No other car can compare." Then he sees the sunroof and almost chokes up. "Look, there it is."

The chauffeur does not even know what to do. The maid off to the side just lifts her hands.

"Let's go!" Oreleander screams from inside the car, looking at his theatrics and shaking his head.

Kelvin then starts whispering to the car, "Don't worry, we'll finish later. I have nothing but hugs for you."

He walks to the rear door, the chauffeur opens it as usual and the door closes. As the chauffeur walks to the front, he shakes his head, "I'll never understand rich people."

Inside the car, Kelvin is studying the insides of the car giddy happy. Oreleander just looks at him and continues with his work. He mumbles, "Are you good now, Kelvin?"

"Oh yes." He looks forward, "Driver, can you take the long way please?"

Oreleander lightly shakes his head and thinks, I'll never understand people who love limos.

### 14

Kelvin walks through the courtyard, a smile on his face as he's now been reacquainted with his love. He notices much chatter among the students and remembers it's hiring day.

He walks into the bathroom and runs into...

"Ah, Mr. Tripps, I reviewed your credentials and would like to extend a position for you as one of our top level managers at the salary you requested. Normally I wouldn't strike up such a formal conversation in such...surroundings, but time is of the essence."

Mr. Tripps' expression enlightens and he slaps both Kelvin's arms, "Mr. Hobbs, thank you for the position. Be sure to call on me to serve."

"Your duties will be bestowed shortly." They shake hands. "Welcome to Prefix Shipping, you were my first choice." And Kelvin leaves Mr. Tripps with a big smile plastered on his face.

Later in the hallway, "Excuse me, Mr. Randolph, if I could have a moment." He pulls him away from his conversation. "I'm Mr. Hobbs of Prefix Shipping and I would greatly like to speak with you when it is convenient."

"Is that right?"

"Absolutely, Sir."

And as the day progresses, Kelvin shakes hands with Mr. Jenner, then a Mr. Sloan as he brings him coffee. In class, he hands an envelope to Mr. Trent who opens it, looks it over, then gives a thumbs up. Kelvin leans back and grins.

Kelvin meets Saches at the statue, "No CV needed, you're hired."

"You can't hire me, I'm still a kid."

"Negative, there's no age limit in business."

Saches points to Mr. Randolph, "That's the guy you have to get.

"I know, I proposed an offer."

"Offer more."

"He's expensive, I don't want to cut into my insurance premiums. Who knows what forecast is ahead?" Kelvin looks around, "The market could crash, natural disasters. Price of fuel, I hate fluctuations with prices of fuel. I just don't want to be caught off guard because I propounded an offer to Mr. Randolph that was out of my reach."

"His father is the airline industry. You need him. Cut somebody else."

"No doubt, he has notoriety, but he could also be a drain. My bid was fair."

Saches' car pulls up. "Well then, tomorrow."

Kelvin waves, and stays a bit. He finds Mr. Randolph again and decides to approach. "Good afternoon Mr. Randolph, I'm inquiring if you're still considering the Senior Regional Director position? And if you're on the fence, tell me what I have to do to sway you."

"I'm still considering your offer, as well as others. Thank you." And walks off.

Kelvin stands surprised and wonders, as if he was just hit with a glove. Then while standing there, Mr. Spiffs walks up to him and puts a disc in his coat pocket. Continuing to walk away with a smirk, he yells back, "Don't stay up too late."

Kelvin cowers.

### 15

Kelvin finally makes it home, night. His father sits enjoying the game but pulls himself away to greet him. "Hi, Son. How goes the corporation?"

"Dad," a sigh, "it's depleting both my energy and liquidity." Oreleander stays listening to him. "I have one guy who wants an abnormal expense account that his position certainly does not warrant. I got another guy who wants a salary increase fiscally, and this other guy, he's crazy, he just wants to be able to use the jet for non-business purposes. Argh! Can you believe it?" His posture clearly fatigued.

Oreleander just chuckles, "Oh, how it starts young."

"I have to go take a shower and collapse. Just be happy you don't have to deal with this everyday." Kelvin waves and walks away.

Oreleander is speechless, then yells out, "What do you think I do all day, freeze ice-cream?" He shakes his head.

In Kelvin's room, he starts taking off his jacket and finds the disc. Taking it out to look at it, he thinks as his eyes gravitate to his laptop. And behind him, a vague shadow disturbs the light behind him.

Morning arrives and Kelvin's already at school walking through one of the gathering points towards...

"Mr. Randolph?" He turns around. "I wanted to make sure your slot on my team is secure."

Suddenly Mr. Spiffs gets in front of him. Standing a few inches taller, he looks down at Kelvin with a snarl, "Mr. Hobbs, you are speaking to an associate of my group and I will not permit it."

"What?" Kelvin looks around Mr. Spiffs to Mr. Randolph for an explanation but Mr. Spiffs answers for him.

"He was the first one I hired, and I met his seemingly high request with one stipulation, to not tell anyone else he was hired. I wanted to see you beg."

Kelvin gets enraged and pushes Mr. Spiffs back forcibly.

Mr. Spiffs laughs, "What are you going to do? You can't do anything." Kelvin then sees Mr. Randolph laughing in his face as well. "Take your little shipping company down stream." Motioning with his fingers.

Kelvin walks up to him with fierce eyes.

Mr. Spiff jeers, "Oh, you want some? You wanna play it like public school? I'll have you shining my shoes." Then adds a forceful push back as well.

At this point Kelvin is ready to attack but halts when his ears catch, "In my chambers! Both of you!"

Kelvin cocks his head back a little to listen while keeping his eyes on Mr. Spiffs. Mr. Spiffs just mocks him with a laugh as he knows he got the best of him.

"On my heels, both of you."

Both stand across the desk. Professor Trouse looks up at them with seasoned judgment. Speaking with his hands, "Is this the way the top C.E.O.s of this school, of America, behaves? Mr. Hobbs, how are you going to lead your group if you see nothing wrong with jumping off the handle?" The Professor does not let up his strong look on Kelvin. "Do you have anything to say?" He waits patiently. "Well how about you Mr. Spiffs, do you have anything to add?"

"Yes Sir, I would ask that Mr. Hobbs keep his greasy fifteen minute lube job hands off me and keep his distance from my constituents." Kelvin turns his head, his neck creaking not believing what he's hearing. "I do not appreciate being pushed, nor do I want my attire wrinkled or stained by his grime." Smirk down to Kelvin.

The Professor leans back to articulate everything, then turns his attention again to Mr. Hobbs. "Very well, how about you, Mr. Hobbs? Are you just going to stay silent? That is not noteworthy."

Kelvin stands intently looking straight ahead. He then looks down at the professor, picks up the P.A. mic sitting on his desk, hits the button, and speaks into it. "This is Mr. Hobbs, C.E.O., Chairman, and President of Prefix Shipping ..."

The Professor motions for him to hand back the mic.

Kelvin releases the button, "Respectfully, I do have something to say."

Mr. Spiffs interjects, "I think his corporation should be revoked."

Kelvin clicks the mic on again, "Anyone working for Prefix Shipping has just received a raise of five point..." he takes a moment to calculate, "two five percent. There are no more positions open; I have the team that I want. You are now the highest paid in the industry, wear it well." He lets go the button, puts the mic down and steps back.

After a long stare from the professor, "Dismissed."

### 16

Saches catches up with him in the hallway. "What are you doing? You can't afford to give that kind of raise."

"It's alright, I dissolved Mr. Randolph's position and redistributed his supposed salary." He stops and looks at Saches revealing a secret, "Take good care of your employees and they'll take good care of your customers. And hopefully," he chuckles, "they'll take good care of me." And walks away.

Saches nods, "You're the boss."

Kelvin lifts his hands continuing to walk away.

The pastor sits with a dissatisfied expression as he looks at Kelvin sitting across his desk. Kelvin is staring back. The ticking of the clock sounds loudly.

Finally, Kelvin leans in, "Do you know what it means in Proverbs when it says a man could be reduced to a loaf of bread?"

"What!"

Kelvin looks away and exhales, "I didn't think you knew," a disheartened expression evident. He then turns back, "I'm sorry for the outburst, Mr. Windsor." He finishes with a nod, then gets up and leaves.

At home, Kelvin is motioning for the chauffeur to drive over his laptop. Saches is riding up the hill on his bike and stops to watch, very confused.

"Little more, go ahead, nice and smooth." The tire rides over it, the screen flashes a few times and it's gone.

Saches is shocked, then sees Kelvin go inside and trails after him through the house ending at Kelvin's room. "Kelvin? Kelvin, what's wrong man?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"So what, tell me anyway."

Kelvin lowers his head in shame, then looks at Saches and grabs him by his shirt. "I can't, not today buddy." He releases him, "You can go home. I have to try to find my soul."

"I don't want to leave you like this. You don't seem right."

"I'm not right, but I'll be okay. I just have to find help, not sure where that is exactly. Go home, I'll call you later."

Saches concedes, "Call me, or I'm throwing a brick through that window."

Kelvin manages to nod. Saches reluctantly leaves.

Kelvin sits in a large support group, set in a college classroom of sort. A banner above tells, 'The Guilt Stops Here'. It's filled with men and some women, and one very emotionally looking fragile girl.

He listens to the common folk, his eyes scrutinizing all, surveying the weakness in people. One already speaking... "My name is Donald, I started when I was seven. At first it started as a joke, but then this thing, this animal started to take hold of my soul. It was only a matter of time before I was feeding it everything I could find." Tears, tears, tears...

Another steps up. "Hi everyone, I'm Charles. I like to think I got this thing under control, but just when everything is going good, it decides to rear its ugly head again." Meanwhile, Kelvin's eyes the young girl, about his age. He appears to be discerning her. She sees him then lowers her eyes. He waits until she raises them again. She looks at him again, becomes annoyed then looks away.

The man speaking finishes, "Fifteen years I've been fighting this thing, haven't even made a dent."

Now a lady steps up to the microphone. "Hi all, I'm Susan. I'm here for my husband." She halts and breaks down, then recovers. "I don't know what to do. My marriage is being held by a thread," sniffle, sniffle. "He says he's doing better but I always find things, ugly things, traces." She blubbers, "Breaks my heart."

Kelvin having a dead look on this lady unsympathetically replies in a breath, "Breaks my heart too." He looks away to sigh, unable to take anymore of this. He gets up and hastens out of that place.

Saches who was there too sees him walking out from the other side of the room. Startled for a moment, he gets up and runs after him. His shoes echoing in the hallway.

"Hey, hey, hey man!"

Kelvin turns around, surprised to see him, then turns angrier and continues to walk away. Saches catches up until he finally gets in front of him.

"This is what you were ashamed to tell me?"

"Yes."

"You should have told me."

He points strongly, "You should have told me too."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Kelvin is about to talk, but raises his hand like, Whatever. He walks right around Saches and keeps going.

Saches yells out, "I'm in this with you." Kelvin doesn't stop. "We could help each other." Saches pleads as he follows.

Kelvin turns quickly and grabs him strongly by the lapel. Holding him a bent arm length away, "How can you help me? How can they help me?" He points strongly, "They don't have the answers. They don't have my answers. No one does." He lets go and keeps walking adamantly out the door. Saches watches him get into his idling limo.

### 17

Kelvin is in bed. He gets up and reaches for his phone. Dialing a ten digit number he hears...

"Didn't think you were up."

"Liar."

"Alright, this isn't a surprise."

"I want to thank you, for trying."

"Yeah man, of course."

Kelvin drops his head, "I have to put a stop to this. It's killing me."

The conversation continues the next day at the Karate Studio in a sparring match.

Saches suggests, "What if we're accountable to each other?"

"Accountable?" A skeptical look from Kelvin.

"Yeah!"

"Ha! Where are you going to be when an eight-thousand dollar escort thinks I'm the cutest guy in the room?"

"It has worked for others."

"Saches, are you going to clean the street everywhere I'm going to walk so I don't find a shred of toxin somewhere."

Saches implores, "It can help."

Kelvin stops, looks at him with a distasteful grimace and walks away.

The conversation continues on school grounds. Kelvin walks and talks while Saches tries to keep up. "Can help who?" He looks at him. "You? So then I would be constantly in this place of being reminded of a struggle? Whether yours or of mine? That will only fortify weakness." Kelvin looks downwards as he speaks, "I'm a brilliant person, Saches, I can get around accountability."

Saches stays quiet, listening, looking.

"Besides, I don't find that kind of accountability in the Bible. The kind of accountability that stops you from missing the mark. No wonder it doesn't work. People aren't free, they're just abstaining because of orange cones at the perimeter." He smirks, "Next you're going to tell me I can apply a twelve step program to my spiritual problem."

Saches stays quiet, starting to see the whole situation. He finally asks, "What are you going to do?"

Kelvin only gives him that look. The look Saches has come to know as, "I have no clue."

As they enter the courtyard, the intercom interrupts their silence.

Click, click.

"A northeaster has just hit, airplanes are grounded and some were averted to other airports. Prefix Shipping lost twelve million in revenue."

Kelvin slows to a stop while holding his stomach with pain, then continues walking again.

Saches watches not wanting to be in his position. He utters with a raised hand, "So it begins."

Sitting in the classroom, looking down as the teacher speaks technical jargon...

Click, click.

"This just in," Kelvin holds still, gripping the desk. "The market has gone into recession. People aren't buying jewelry. Diamond Shapers, you're down forty-million." Kelvin sighs in relief. Behind him, Mr. Spiffs holds his head in agony as different students surrounding him either cheer or grumble.

The intercom message isn't finished, "Prefix Shipping," Kelvin is frozen, "due to the decrease in the price of fuel," Kelvin starts to smile, "Prefix Shipping inadvertently gained twenty point two million in short term relief." Kelvin cheers, accompanied constituents.

Late night, knelt down in front of his Bible, the moonlight hits the pages, enough so to be read. Kelvin leans forward in exhaustion, "God, I do not want to take your mercy lightly. You have been so good to me. I keep failing you. Help!" His head falls in exasperation.

### 18

As Kelvin walks on a pathway through the manicured landscape at his school, Saches soon joins in and walks alongside of him.

"I prayed for you last night," Saches says.

Kelvin doesn't even look over, "I prayed for me too."

Later, in the school bathroom, Kelvin is approached by the happy, go lucky Mr. Sanders.

"Why, Mr. Hobbs, if you ever get tired of the shipping business, just let it catch my ear and I'll give you a good price for that lemonade stand you're running. I may even let you keep a plane." A hideous chuckle pauses his banter. "See, with an online business, you don't have to worry about all that stuff, paying pilots, runway fees. Just some good ol' fashioned invoices that are now electronically sent." He takes a moment to chuckle high-mindedly. Kelvin begins to leave. "Hey, look out, there might be a hurricane tomorrow."

Kelvin pauses, then returns, and speaks in a serious tone, "Mr. Sanders, the Bible says pride goes before a fall."

"The what?" beginning to laugh in a mocking tone.

Kelvin looks at him, then turns and walks away but is halted by...

Click, click.

Kelvin stops and looks up eerily.

"This just in, the President raised taxes on jet fuel. Prefix Shipping, your operating costs just rose 2.3 percent."

Kelvin bites the bullet and keeps walking. Behind him, Mr. Sanders indulges himself with jeers and taunts. Kelvin exits the bathroom, head slightly bowed, enduring the hit.

Sitting by himself on the school grounds, he remembers a night when he was pacing back and forth on the basketball floor. "Okay God, I'm dying here. I really need your help. I am being tormented every second of every day. You cannot leave me like this. You said I wouldn't have more than I can handle. You said that. That's what you said. And right now, with me not being able to handle this, it sounds like you're really, really optimistic. What do you want me to do? This has become a part of me." He collapses to his knees distraught. His mind returns back to where he is, at school grounds and slowly and with distinguishably rises back to his seat. His eyes close in pain.

### 19

Kelvin sits in class, but falling asleep. A preoccupation weighs on his mind but somehow manages to catch something the professor teaches.

"Competition is a healthy thing but it could be the end of your business. Many times, in business practices, you'll find parallels with military type operations of sort. The acquiring of information especially, information the other side deems private."

Kelvin perks up, "Whoa," he whispers astoundingly. Batting his eyes a few times, he has gained some leverage in his own present battle. His breathing intensifies, "Information." He looks around wondering if anyone else heard that.

"Let me get back to what I was saying, uhm, I remember now, in preparation for your I.P.O. disbursements, you must have such equal revenue or at least available in various reservoirs..." Kelvin looks away to ponder.

Pacing at the basketball court, the one on his own property as that wasn't mentioned before, he mutters as he walks about, "Information, how do I get that? Where can I find that?" His pacing continues, his thinking continues. His pressing forward continues.

Walking through the courtyard, head bowed in deep thought...

Click, click.

"This just in, the F.A.A. has just endorsed the raising of runway fees for all major airports. Prefix Shipping, your operating costs have been raised 1.2 percent."

But this does not even faze Kelvin. The bulletin goes on to say, "Diamond Shapers, this is a point four seven percent increase in inventory stock shipping costs. Net Star, our online business in the race, no increase in operational costs." Kelvin passes Mr. Spiffs and only eyes him as he keeps walking.

Click, click.

The class pauses to hear the latest report, "This just in, the Dow closed high, other markets closed high. The market is high gentlemen." Kelvin looks away to think.

On the school grounds, Kelvin has written on a notepad. 'Who has my answers? Pastor' He checks it off, "He doesn't know," he mumbles with a grimace. 'Therapist' He checks them off too, "Nope, I can do my own studying, thank you." 'Recovery Groups' "Don't want to go around this mountain forty years." 'Psychiatrists' "Hmmm... No chemical answers please." He studies the list and wonders, "Who's left?"

He looks around. "There's a source missing." He concentrates, "With God, there is no box." He closes his eyes trying to see, then abruptly opens them finding nothing. "Argh!" then he walks off angrily.

Late night, he paces as if worried and perplexed, then he happens to go into his bathroom to wash his face. He lifts his head and sees a paper with a picture of an old car with two boxes underneath. 'Yes' and 'No.' He dries his hands, takes the picture off the mirror, and grins. "A hope."

### 20

A car rolls nicely down the winding road. The scenery is nice, green, and deep. The constantly opening roads provide ample input for thinking.

Inside, Kelvin looks around at the interior of this rust heap, amazed the way they used to make cars, meanwhile his father is proud at the wheel.

Then his eyes notice the radio. He's seen cassette players in cars before, but the tape this car radio supposedly takes is as big as a book. Swinging the little garage door open on the deck, he wonders.

"That's for an 8-track tape."

Kelvin looks up at him, "A what?"

"Use that Internet of yours and find some for me." He laughs.

"We could replace it with-"

Suddenly, a pop is heard, then a flapping around of the back of the car, finishing with a wobbling. The car pulls over and Kelvin sticks his head out the window and looks. "Dad, we're down one wheel."

They get out to look at it. Kelvin wears bright white sneakers as if he just walked out of a shoe store, the rest of his ensemble, casual. Uncertain, he looks up to his father, "What do we do now?"

Oreleander appears idea-less. He looks around not having the slightest idea what to do. He figures he should call somebody, but whom? Unknowingly, behind him a pickup is slowly rolling up on them and pulling over. The driver gets out, seeing if he could assist, smiling at them and looking at the tire, "Looks like they haven't perfected those things yet, huh?" He laughs.

"Uhm, no, evidently. Do you know where I can...uh, have this one fixed?"

The pickup driver looks at him, "It's just a flat tire."

"Yes," Oreleander smiles.

"Fix it right here." Oreleander looks at him confused. "Pop your trunk."

"Well, it's just, I was headed somewhere and I didn't want to be late."

The pickup driver looks at him strange. Kelvin watches the dialogue back and forth.

"Just open your trunk."

Oreleander finally understands, runs and gets the keys, returning to open the trunk.

The driver looks in, "You have everything you need to get going right here, already in your car."

Kelvin snickers, amused at the whole situation.

"Yes, we'll, I'm already a bit late." Oreleander continues his argument.

"We all have to get somewhere, Guy. Give me five minutes, I'll have you on your way in no time."

"Of course, uh, are you sure?"

The man looks at Oreleander figuring out he has no clue what he's talking about, then just begins to take out the jack and gets to work.

Tire is replaced; both are amazed at the man as they glance down at this new wheel. Normally, they've only seen when another car would arrive if something happened to their present car.

The nice man waves bye and heads for the truck. Both are still amazed at the spare tire.

Kelvin's astonished, "Who would have thought there was another tire, just like what we needed right in our own trunk." He shakes his head amazed, then catches the guy already in his truck, then looks at his father. "Dad, Dad?" motioning to the man.

His father looks up, sees Kelvin motioning towards the man, "Oh!" He quickly runs up to the man, slacks blowing in the wind. "Uhm, Sir, let me take care of your time and energy."

"Won't have it."

"Sir, please," he takes out a bill, "a hundred, will that suffice?"

"Naw," he waves it off, starting his truck.

"You're right, two hundred?" holding out the crisp bills to the man. Seeing no change in the man, he takes out a third hundred and holds it out, his expression wishes the man will take it.

The man only looks at him, "How about nothing." Oreleander doesn't understand and stands back. "Just have a nice day with your son."

Oreleander protests, "I can't let you leave like this."

The man laughs, puts it in gear and drives off. Oreleander is left standing there watching the truck leave. The three hundreds flickering at his side.

Kelvin cracks up, "He didn't want your money?" Oreleander shakes his head as he's never seen the like.

They're driving again. Kelvin looks over to his father in amazement. "How do you not know how to change a tire? Aren't you supposed to know all this really smart stuff?"

Oreleander sits uneasy; he was brought to a vulnerable point in his life. Everyone has one; his was not being able to change a tire.

"Well, Son," he feels he must clear his throat, "it's because...by the time I could afford a car, uh-hem, I could afford twenty, and they all came with drivers."

Kelvin listens to the excuse, nods, then leans in and asks, "You do know how to drive stick shift, right? Even I know those kinds of cars exists." He holds in a chuckle.

Oreleander eyes him.

### 21

The old tank of a car pulls up to a cabin looking building, Oreleander a touch embarrassed for being late hopes they can enter unnoticed. They quickly park and make their way inside.

Entering, they are greeted by friendly folk, then Oreleander begins to take the initiative and starts introducing himself and son to the people. Finishing up with one nice elderly man, another man turns around and as Oreleander puts his hand out to greet him, he finds it's the man that helped him with the tire. He's knocked back a bit.

The man reciprocates and shakes Oreleander's hand announcing, "I'm Brother Tim, or just call me Tim." He sees Oreleander is frozen, so he laughs, "Don't worry, you're right on time."

Kelvin looks up at his Dad with raised eyebrows. "I think this is the place, Dad."

Oreleander enjoys a hardy laugh, "Looks like it is."

The fellowship was fine, afterwards as father and son are leaving, Kelvin notices some kids playing around. Each takes a turn to stand on a picnic table and profess what they want to be in their future.

"Ladies and gentlemen, introducing to you the next world renowned Bible teacher." A little kid announces with outstretched arms.

Another gets up, knocking the other one off, "Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the next interplanetary astronaut." He takes a bow.

The next, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you're standing in the presence of the next mayor of our town."

One kid screams, "Lower our taxes." Not even knowing what's he's saying.

Kelvin grins at their ability to not see obstacles, to just be who you believe you are. Then almost out of ear's reach, he hears, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm the next scientific theologian. I will use the Bible to learn more about science."

Kelvin freezes, looks down, then turns back to look in that direction. Goosebumps come next as he's awestruck.

Knock, knock.

Kelvin waits on a door that hangs the sign, 'Dr. Tuttle – Theologian.' A big man answers with a pleasant and happy demeanor.

"Ah, yes, you must be Kelvin Hobbs."

"Thank you for seeing me so promptly." Kelvin looks inside the door with scrutinizing eyes.

"By all means, enter."

Kelvin steps inside taking in all the walls of books. He begins to nod, enjoying the renaissance décor the study has to offer. "This is what I was looking for?"

"And what is that exactly?" The man waits as he takes his seat behind the desk.

Confidently grinning, he replies in due time as he's fascinated by all the literature. "A strong foothold from whence I can get answers." He remains standing.

"To?" The man keeps a smile, appearing to be a fellow who's always in a good mood.

"My situation."

The doctor wonders, "Alright, what's going on?"

Kelvin takes a few moments to take in the book filled room before he begins to explain. He doesn't want to rush anything.

He finally turns toward the theologian speaking in a serious demeanor, and with his usual raspy filled words, "Doctor Tuttle, I have a friend. This friend takes me to places I don't want to go. Makes me do things I wouldn't ordinarily do. It overpowers me until I submit. It sometimes pulls rank to remind me of my slavery, that I'm its worker, its perpetuator. I have no defense against this friend." He looks closely at a shelf of Bible commentaries.

The doctor, intrigued, "Who's you're friend?"

Kelvin slowly passes his hand on the bindings moving his hand away from him, feeling their edges, "Doctor Tuttle," he pauses, "my friend's name is Pornography."

### 22

The doctor looks forward to think a bit, then looks back up to Kelvin. "I don't have any medical degrees." He shakes his head. Kelvin pulls himself away from the shelves listening intently to what the doctor has to say. "Is that even an addiction one can be freed from?"

Kelvin approaches, his persona having his usual intense manner, "I'm not approaching this as an addiction, and I'll be paying for your knowledge, not your faith."

The doctor takes a moment to ponder, looking up at the ceiling, "I don't know if I'm even familiar with uh...the subject that well." He shrugs, "Much less, any cures. I mean, is there even such a thing as a cure, for this? Just from what I've heard from friends, sometimes these ugly things like to come alive after they've stayed dormant for a while."

Kelvin grins, "I don't remember reading when Goliath arose again so I will attribute that to just another lie in this mental fortress I allowed the enemy to build in my mind. I need to find the sword in the Scriptures that will empower me."

"Are you sure a therapist or a counselor would not be a more suitable help?"

Kelvin shakes his head and his finger no, then slowly approaches. "I need a theologian. I need information. Not a product of a lecture hall that has never felt my pain or a therapist that is not free themselves. And certainly not one with a medical degree to pump me full of soft narcotics. I need a theologian. I need information."

The heavy set theologian responds, "Well, I am none of those, uhm, previous aforementioned, titles, but my mother always told me I was a good listener. What did you have in mind?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays, four P.M., for one hour. A session with you. I talk, you tell me what you know, and a healthy rebuttal is always welcomed. I am not afraid of a debate."

"And you think that would do it? Stop this ravage eating monster in your life?"

"Doctor Tuttle, I have realized that I am the one that gives this enemy such strength. If that is so, I can take it away as well. But I need to understand what is happening behind the curtain of pornography." He pleads, "I need spirit inspired knowledge."

"Very well, uh-hem, one hundred dollars an hour."

Kelvin smiles and nods. At once he heads out the door, "You will be duly paid, Doctor Tuttle." On his leave, he pauses and looks back, "Would I be crossing any lines if I asked to have iced tea ready before our sessions?"

"Nope, I'll take care of it." He waves the task away as it being easy thing.

"I appreciate your time." And about to leave again, he can't. He turns around. "Before I go Doctor," he releases a painful sigh, "can you please tell me definitively where the Bible calls pornography sin? I know Matthew 5:28, the intent, uh, also, 1st John 2:16, uh, a host of Corinthian Scriptures, even Ezekiel 23. But I still need something, definitive."

"Pornography isn't in the Bible," the doctor looks up at him from his Captain's chair, "but neither is cocaine, by those names that is, or the way we would normally understand it."

Kelvin nods, still hoping, holding the doorjamb as if his very life depended on it. The doctor notices how fragile a line this young man walks.

"Something definitive?"

"Please."

The doctor thinks a moment, then looks back up to him, "It's un-Christ-like. I believe that covers everything."

"Un-Christ-like, hmm..." Kelvin nods, looks at him, and then walks out with his head a touch lowered.

The doctor chuckles with a lighthearted expression, "This could be interesting."

### 23

Kelvin reads the Bible by the statue, a pose right out of an expensive male attire catalog. Saches approaches vehemently.

"Kel, where have you been man?"

Lifting his eyes at his friend's arrival, "Managing my company."

Saches leans in and whispers, "Are you still trying to get free?"

"I've been free a thousand times Saches, only to be ensnared again." He sighs a sigh of exhaustion, "Which leads me to believe I was never truly free."

"If we are accountable to each other-"

"Saches!" Kelvin voices frustratingly, followed by another sigh, an impatient one this time, "Saches, you lied to me about the chocolate cake." His arms drop, eyes stay glaring.

"What?"

"Six years ago, my birthday party. Remember? When I got the go cart? The go cart, remember! I parked it in my room," a lift of the eyebrows.

Saches tilts his head to recollect. "I didn't take your go cart? Wait, what? What are you talking about?" He leans in confused.

"No! The cake, Saches! You touched the cake! The chocolate cake, Saches! Do you remember that?" He waits as his friend recalls the incident and tries to help him, "When no one was around, you tasted the frosting. I know you did." He points with a scold.

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did." Kelvin argues calmly.

"No I didn't."

Kelvin shakes his head, "Saches, you have had a weakness for chocolate ever since you were nine years old. It all started with Suzy Sanchez."

Saches' jaw hangs open unable to speak, so Kelvin continues.

"Remember when you gave her chocolate for Valentines Day? Then she shared them with you and you were floating on air like a cartoon."

Immediately Saches turns defensive, "I bought that chocolate with my own money. Money I earned, money I saved up. I was proud."

"You should be, it was a beautiful gesture. I would track her down if I were you." Kelvin looks away.

"I am not a liar!" A point to the side of Kelvin's face.

"I'm not saying you are. But you did lie that one time with the chocolate cake."

Saches is ready to swing at him, "Take that back!"

Kelvin looks at him strangely. "Are we still nine and ten?"

"You take that back, I am not a liar!" But Saches weakens as Kelvin holds his ground. "Okay, maybe I like chocolate every now and again, and maybe it does remind me of cute Suzy...Suzy..."

"It was Sanchez."

"Sanchez, but you're just using that to shoot down my accountability idea."

"That's because it's easy to shoot down."

Saches comes right back at him mad, "I didn't taste the frosting."

"Yes, you did taste the frosting."

To be continued...

### 24

At Karate class, Kelvin and Saches are sparring but Saches stops sparring and connects with a direct punch to Kelvin's mouth. Kelvin backs away surprised, looking back at him while holding his jaw. "Uh, can I help you?" Kelvin still surprised, "We're sparring, not trying to kill each other."

Saches points, "I didn't do that," pointing at his chin. "See, now you can call me a liar." Saches stays with fists lifted and ready.

Kelvin moves his jaw around then remembers. "The chocolate frosting -- it looks like you're still mad about that."

"Yes! I'm mad!"

Kelvin sighs, "You're accountability idea will not work with me, and it will not work with you. All you have to do is find a web site with an advertisement for chocolate cookies and you'll be hooked again."

Saches erupts and lunges at him with a punch, turning it into an intense sparring match. Kelvin having enough pushes him back forcibly. Then gets in Saches' face, "You know how I know you tasted the frosting?"

I didn't tas-"

"Shut up!

"I know you did it because you never wiped your fingers once you partook. Saches, it was all over the glass that held your fruit punch. Since the cup was clear, I saw your shameful evidence from clear across the table. I didn't even need a magnifying glass." He gives Saches a shove back, "You lied to me, and you lied to whatever nanny I had at the time."

Saches is upset. He doesn't know what to do or where to look. Maybe he was hoping for some sort of accountability, maybe he's even worse off than Kelvin, but clearly just as deep into the lair of lust.

Kelvin consoles him, "You're accountability won't work for us. Neither will all these other people that claim they can lead us somewhere they have never arrived themselves." He grabs Saches by the lapel, "But that doesn't mean there isn't an answer." He points to him with faith, "You have to believe there is one before you ask."

Downcast and tired, "Do you believe there's one?"

Kelvin lets go of him and gets into fighting position again, "Yes, I believe there's one."

Saches nods hopeful, "By the way, you're company lost thirteen million today in a law suit."

"Argh, its only money." He waves him in to recommence their sparring.

### 25

It's late, Kelvin is in bed thinking, just staring up at the ceiling, lit by the moonlight.

The iced tea is being poured.

Doctor Tuttle hands a glass to Kelvin, "I was thinking where we could start?"

"And where would that be, Doctor?"

"At the beginning, I guess."

Kelvin nods in agreement, then begins to walk around the room, holding his drink, recollecting deep from inside the caverns of his mind. His eyes show years of reminiscing.

"I was four years old. I had just awoken from a bad dream, a nightmare." He remembers as if it were yesterday, being just a boy, and the gasp he exerted. He rubbed his little eyes, looked around the room, afraid of the shadows that woke him up and appeared like monsters. "Then I popped out of my bed and out the door I went, frantic." He takes a sip, "Running down the hallway," he sighs reminiscing, "that house was so big. Then I heard a woman's voice. I stopped. I drew in that direction, the direction of that woman's voice. I thought it was my mother but found out afterwards she wasn't home. So I followed the voice and found my father watching TV."

Young Kelvin is frozen, his face lit up with the flashing light off the TV. "He didn't know I was there." He shakes his head, as if uncomfortable, "I saw something. At the time, I knew it was foreign, but it was already too late, the key was in the ignition. Then my father turned around and saw me, yelled, I got scared, and ran back upstairs to my room, a room," he grimaces, "a room filled with monsters. I quickly jumped in bed and hid under the covers. The only way I could not think about being scared was singing a song my mother taught me. I stayed up all the way until sun up."

Kelvin pours himself another iced tea. "Then as I got older, I would see hints of it, here, there. I started keeping an eye out for it. I remember, riding my bike with some friends through the trails in the woods," he turns to him, "and I saw it, I pretended like I didn't. Later, I returned, picked it up, saw its value and took it home." Kelvin pauses. "I kept it hidden, no one knew, but me." He smiles. "Then it took hold, I didn't even know it was happening until later."

In the caverns of his mind, Kelvin envisions a dungeon reserved just for the work Satan produces to stop him. In that rotted cavity, a demon, ugly, big, monster like and repulsive, carries a long match like torch and brings it to a large wide furnace. The lit end proceeds under the furnace and lights a wick, giving a poof like sound as it ignites.

"That was when my pilot light was lit."

The demon stands back and turns a rusty valve causing the flames in the burner to increase strongly. "From that point on, it was out of my hands. I no longer was the one that controlled my thoughts, my feelings. The control belonged to the enemy, Satan."

Kelvin sees himself through life at different times; and on specific instances, he remembers how disoriented he was. "Satan no longer had to ask for my permission. My body was at his beckoned call." He recalls himself walking by the side of the road, his mind continuing to call up different events that he had previously tagged with shame.

"Being at his disposal, for him to torment," he utters as his eyes look perceptively around the room as if to keep an eye out for anything amiss. Then another memory of him standing in front of a building, comes to mind. Neon lights reflect off his sunglasses. He lowers his baseball cap. He still remembers his facial expression, one of wear and pain. "To drag me through all the corrupt places of society, and at the end," Kelvin pounds the bathroom floor with his fist, "left in a puddle of guilt and fake remorse."

A few seconds pass as Kelvin needs a few moments to return back to the theologian's study. He looks at the doctor. The doctor is just looking up, listening to this young kid who's sincere, but very troubled. "I have a pilot light, already lit, somewhere inside of me." His words give a tone of worry, "And I don't know where it is, or why it was lit, or how to gain back control."

His emotions turn angry, "I'm not going to allow the enemy to tempt me whenever he pleases. Not anymore. I'm going to kill this thing." Kelvin backs away a few paces, keeping a posture of determination. Doctor Tuttle leans back, intently listening.

### 26

Cruising in his whispering limousine, Kelvin chats with Saches via phone, "How's my company doing?"

"You're surprise bonus for the lower end management yielded a twenty-percent increase in revenue and by extension, substantially increased customer attention."

"That's good, keep a look out. I'm a little busy at the moment."

"I look forward to hearing all about it."

"You will," he hangs up. "You will my friend, you will." He turns his gaze out the window at the passing scenery.

Kelvin stands on the dark carpet, gazing out the window. "Doctor Tuttle, do you know what I believe true deliverance is? The attaining of true freedom?"

"Do tell."

"Let's take someone who has an undying passion for doughnuts. They cannot say no when doughnuts call their name."

"I like doughnuts."

"I do too." Kelvin takes a moment to organize his thoughts. "Doughnuts to that person are not just a powdery pastry. It is oxygen, fuel, a fever. And if someone is truly delivered, I would be able to through a plate full of doughnuts in front of them and they wouldn't even care."

"That's what you want?"

Kelvin nears, "I want to talk to a prostitute, and not have it in my mind to pick her up. Jesus did. There is a way. Jesus didn't have that thing that I have. That is what I want to not have. I don't want to be ruled anytime someone throws a plate of doughnuts in front of me, or even a thought."

"You know, many would argue that there is nothing wrong with pornography."

Kelvin's eyes lower, "My scathed conscience and hindered prayers tell me otherwise." Doctor Tuttle lifts his eyebrows impressed with that response. "This is one thing I have not been able to master. And since the Bible says to not be mastered by anything, I believe there's a solution for me, no matter how elusive Satan may appear." Just upon finishing his statement, he senses that down in the depths of that hellish dungeon in his mind, a demon hand turns a squeaky valve causing the furnace to burn hot. Kelvin feels a discomfort, he closes his eyes.

"Are you alright?" The good doctor asks concerned.

Kelvin stands up straight, bats his eyes a few times and tries to get his composure. The illustration Kelvin had in his imagination was not too far from Satan's methodology.

"Doctor Tuttle, what if we adjourn for today, I have things to attend to."

"Okay, I'll see you in two days then."

Kelvin heads out, the pause, "I can't wait." He continues his exit.

27

In the deep night, Kelvin walks onto the empty basketball court, paces a few times, yells out in frustration then walks away flustered.

In the dark hours before morning, a faint light shows in Kelvin's window. All is quiet.

Morning has arrived and Kelvin stumbles through the halls trying to keep his eyes open.

Click, click.

"Memo to all C.E.O.'s, we will have a closed meeting in the Lecture Hall in five minutes." Kelvin stops, already exasperated he hits his face, a face of turmoil.

The three sit as Professor Trouse arrives with two other professors. Professor Trouse takes a glance at Kelvin, "Looks like some of you would like to go back to bed. Go ahead, lose your company."

Kelvin props himself up, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Now starts phase two of your, well, the reason you go to this advanced school in the first place. For the next few weeks, the ongoing forecasts will continue, but now you will be meeting with your group on a regular basis because you will need their assistance in handling anything that might arise. And it will. That's all I wanted to say." He pauses suddenly, "You can return to your class now."

The professors leave, and as they do, Mr. Spiffs looks over, "Mr. Sanders, perhaps my board can meet with your board in regards to a joint acquisition of another, weaker, company." He then turns around, "Oh, Mr. Hobbs, where you here all this time?" Mr. Spiffs scoffs at him and walks off echoing a ridiculing laugh.

Mr. Sanders turns to Kelvin, "Don't worry Mr. Hobbs, I would never team up with his organization."

"Mr. Sanders, I can't believe anything you say." Giving Mr. Sanders a stare, he turns and walks off carrying his briefcase very dignified.

On their way to this new fellowship, Oreleander looks over, "Everything alright, Son?"

"Yeah, Dad, just thinking." He begins to smile, "I like the car."

Oreleander nods, "I'm glad, but she's a bit of a gas guzzler though." They both look at each other and laugh.

Early morning, Kelvin has his eyes closed over the Bible, thinking, trying to grasp.

Out the window, his father voices back toward the window, "Kelvin, we gotta go!"

Snapping him out of his meditation and thoughts, he rises, hits 'Send' on his laptop, and barrels out.

Minutes later, behind the newspaper Oreleander asks, "Big day today?"

A proud nod, "I'm meeting with my top management. I have to see where we are and how much capital we have available for a marketing blitz. Word is, the market is on the rise. I've been watching the Skew like a cat. If that's the case, we have to make the most of it."

"Indeed."

As they arrive at the school entrance, Kelvin looks back, "Be smart, Dad."

"Be smart, Son."

Kelvin exits, and immediately looks for Mr. Tripps, "Did you get my memo?"

"We all did."

"Tell everyone to be there on time, sharp."

"Yes, Sir."

28

More thinking, this time in class.

Standing with his iced tea in hand, head bowed, he inquires, "King David, when he looked at Bathsheba, would you consider him to be someone who looks at pornography?"

"Well, he was looking at a real life image."

Kelvin nods and ponders. He recalls a recent trip at his new fellowship when a girl came up to him to introduce herself.

"I'm Molly." A nice attractive young girl, auburn hair. Kelvin, a bit surprised is happy for the surprise encounter.

"I'm Kelvin."

"You come here with your Dad right?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "we look forward to it every time. Kind of our day." Then suddenly, the vision of Molly becomes pixilated, as if he's looking at a TV screen up close. Fading in and out, he sees Molly, the nice innocent girl who came to say hi then switching over to this other version his mind has conjured up of Molly, a complete misrepresentation, a lifeless figure, fake smile and fake agenda."

"Where are you from?" She inquires nicely but notices he's squinting. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, I don't think so. I think I got something in my eye. Is there a sink around?"

"Right inside. Want me to take you?"

"No, no, thank you, I'll be alright." And he runs off holding his eye leaving Molly there watching him leave, wondering and shaking her head.

Coming out of a daze, his mind returns back to Doctor Tuttle's study. "So if King David was looking at, let's say a life sized digital hologram of Bathsheba bathing, would you say he would have still pursued her?"

Taking a moment to think, "I'm going to speculate yes." He looks away pondering, "I would say there is no difference, in his mind anyway."

"Why? Why do you say that?" he approaches. "Tell me why you agree."

"Because it is still lust working. It appears to all stem from his flesh. His acts of a voyeur are the avenue where his lust is in action. And we know its lust because lust can never get enough."

Kelvin is enlightened.

The doctor continues, "The pornography is the printed or digitized matter. But it is not what you're doing. People confess, 'Oh, I feel like doodoo, I look at pornography', but they never actually even repent correctly, or even know what they're doing. They have to realize, I feel like a poopoo pile because I'm a lousy voyeur, looking at sexual stuff I'm not supposed to be seeing, which only feeds their carnal nature. And the definition of a voyeur is...wait, I'll tell you right now," he reaches for a dictionary. "A person who derives sexual gratification from observing the naked bodies or sexual acts of others, especially from a secret vantage point," then immediately points upwards making his point.

"Thank you for looking that up, Doctor Tuttle. I never thought to do that." He grimaces, "How remiss of me."

"It appears David fed his lust through being a voyeur. Yours is the same thing, only different. So whether you look at your neighbor getting undressed through the open blinds, or the window screen, or TV, or well, whatever, it's still being a voyeur, further feeding desires of lust. Then, all of this even more harmful stuff comes in after that. First Satan wants to build lust in people, and then he wants them to satisfy those lusts. And it's in satisfying that lust where people get destroyed. And since the inlet was never taken care of, they eventually do the ugly letting lust get the better of them," he lifts his hands up, "which always keeps them in a tailspin."

Kelvin leans back stunned, caught by the wall. "So the pornography is just the treat, to keep us occupied, busy, while Satan is busy somewhere else. In laymen's terms," he ponders, "would you say it's a type of Trojan horse."

"Yes, it's the candy apple carts before the parade." He ponders, his fingers moving showing his mind moving, "Uhm, it's the doorstop so Satan can haul whatever he wants in and out of your life with full license to do it. In other words, he's going to do it and he doesn't have to ask you squat, and you can't stop him." He ponders a second more, "It's the platform that, yes, this is good," he chuckles, "that he begins to build his stronghold on. The list could be endless what he would want to take out of your life. You know, making room for whatever he wants to bring in. But basically, the end result is he just wants to move in and control you. Make you think you like it's the best thing for you. And with enough deception which later turns to guilt, he succeeds. Then once you're all used up, he'll throw you in the trash like a bad example. Just drawing on Scriptural common sense here."

Kelvin ponders.

Doctor Tuttle has a finishing statement. Intrigued, he adds, "Yes, it appears you can't be a voyeur and a champion at the same time." Getting excited, he screams out, "Sound bite!" As if a news reporter just quoted him in a presidential election.

Kelvin is floored. "My good man Doctor Tuttle, it is good to you see you earning your paycheck." And he walks off.

"Ha!" Doctor Tuttle belts out giddy happy.

29

Although in school, Kelvin's attention is on the professor, but in the recesses of his mind, he thinks. Always thinking. A text comes in.

We're all assembled.

He reads it, then sends back...

Be right there.

Once class begins to finish, he bolts out.

Standing in front of the lecture hall, looking at his team seated confidently, he commands the floor, "Thank you for coming." He chuckles, "After all it is your job." They laugh with him. "We are in a competition with Mr. Spiff's company, Diamond Shapers and Mr. Sanders, with whatever Mr. Sanders is selling on the internet these days."

Mr. Tripps yells out with a raise of a hand, "It's stocks."

Kelvin looks over, "It's stocks now? Keep me posted on what it will be tomorrow." Muffled snickering spills from the group. "Our numbers are right, our stock is rising at least a quarter point a week, consistently. Our tasks are simple. Take a package that the customer puts into our care and deliver it wherever they say at an attractive price within the time frame they say and in a convenient manner, for them," he points. Thinking a moment, "I would say most crises are not backbreakers, we can bounce up from high fuel costs, wage increases and such." Saches sneaks in to listen. "Now there's a notion that the market might rise, perhaps give us some extra points, capital to work with. I need from my financial holdings officers, Mr. Jenner, Mr. Sloan, Mr. Trent, what are our actual liquid assets prior to this rise. And when this does happen, I aim to advertise big, gain our revenue in a jump, because I believe the market will plummet right after or rather, most likely, we won't have this kind of peak again. We need our plans ready to hand in by tomorrow's events." Kelvin glances to the back of the hall and notices Saches wave conspicuously with a big grin. "The market will probably stay low for a little while before this catapult happens for us. It must happen for us. If we don't have the revenue to run in reduced receivables, we're going to go in the red. That won't look good for any of us and it's not good for the company that was entrusted to us. Mr. Thomas, have your team draw up advertising proposals. I'm only looking for mass television campaigns; that's our strongest medium due to there being a screen wherever our customers are. Preferably ads adjunct to shows shown on the internet. The rest, keep up the great ongoing work, be available. Thank you for the continual reports. Remember, keep this meeting shh..." He nods graciously, "Dismissed." A light wave, "Again, thank you everyone."

30

Getting ready for bed, he sees his laptop, thinks a moment, then commands to himself, "No!" And proceeds to sleep.

Late night, quiet and tranquil thoughts are awakened as two demon hands turn two valves simultaneously causing the fire in the furnace to grow into a smoldering violent tempest of flames.

Kelvin tosses and turns, and finally has to open his eyes. He grabs his computer, turns it on and waits anxiously.

Once the screen loads, he sees the horrific, "No signal!" He shakes his head upset. Then looks around the room, his dresser, book bags, then freezes. "No, I cleared my room."

Ending up outside, ripping through the trash bags, the floor littered with three broken laptops and a few high priced phones, he finally comes upon a disc rapped in a paper. He looks at it, runs back inside and finds the door locked. Oh no. He checks it again. Double oh no. He doesn't believe it. "This can't be happening." He turns around and leans on the door amazed. Then looking down at the disc, he sees his reflection on the face and growls, "One of us is going to die." Squeezing his fingers, he begins to bend the disc until it shatters in his hands, the shards landing on the ground.

31

Kelvin turns about quickly ready to ask a major concern to Doctor Tuttle but yelps in pain.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Kelvin lifts a hand, "no, I'll be fine after a good night's rest. Lawn furniture is good for relaxing in the sun, but doesn't make well for an actual bed."

Doctor Tuttle motions for him to continue with his question.

"Let's say for discussion sake that David was looking at pornography, dirty pictures, the ugly."

"Let's say."

"Why?"

"Uhm, why what exactly?"

Kelvin walks around the room, his hands and arms moving to illustrate his point, "Looking at it from a military standpoint, what tactical advantage does Satan have sending pornography or conduits of lust his way?"

"I don't know."

Kelvin motions with a downward wave of his hand to all of Doctor's Tuttle's degrees on the wall."

"Hey, we never get these kinds of questions. It's always, uhm, what did someone's house look like or who's this person's great grandfather."

"Please stay with me on this, Doctor. What tactical advantage did Satan have throwing pornography at David, using Bathsheba."

Doctor Tuttle leans back to think. "For starters, Bathsheba didn't cause him to be weak or sin, she just revealed a flaw."

"So again, we see that pornography is just the show, not the strike per say."

"Yes, the cotton candy, uh-huh."

"Why send it? Why orchestrate all of that? To allocate a certain hierarchy of his demon cohorts to so strongly pursue this attack?"

"Well," he lifts his eyebrows looking up to the ceiling, "John 10:10 comes to mind. Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy."

Kelvin is enlightened, "So David had something Satan was after." He points an a-ha.

Doctor Tuttle nods. "He was king for starters." Kelvin lifts an eyebrow listening. "Sure, after he fell with Bathsheba, he almost lost everything his sin was building, starting with his new son. I think at this point, when his son died, was when he started to awaken to what he really did, feeling some kind of remorse. Then things got really bad because he had to deal with consequences. Family raping family, killing family, it let in all this stuff. Lust, adultery, lying, conspiracy, death, not being a good steward as a king, incest, more rape, more death, shame. His family suffered dearly."

Kelvin is staring at him, thinking, "His son, his line."

"Yes, and if you look further down that line, or rather the next line he created with Bathsheba, you'll find Solomon, wisest of all."

Kelvin is listening intently.

"Then go way, way, way down that line and you'll find Jesus arriving through that lineage, but I guess him being born of a virgin kind of threw a wrench in Satan's plans."

Kelvin is floored, for the first time, he must sit down. "Doctor Tuttle, I'm led to believe here that pornography is always after something." He takes a pause. "Whether it's David being a voyeur or me."

"Lust is lust."

"Yes. I see it now," Kelvin ponders, "pornography is after something."

"Ha! And it reveals something too."

Kelvin must stand again to speak, "Because of King David's conduit of lust, his whole family got destroyed by corruption. In fact, nothing even happened to him or Bathsheba, physically. Satan wasn't even after them; the onslaught was mostly on David's family. He was after David's line and I'm sure destroying David and making his life a living hell was just a perk." He nods, "Satan was after something with this pseudo pornography attack," he ponders.

"Yes, a temptation that if acted on, would lead to an attack."

Kelvin states warily, "He must be after something in my life too." He tries to stay composed as he watches another piece of the puzzle come into play. He looks over, "Doctor Tuttle, your skills of perception are starting to impress me." And he bolts out of the study.

"Ah, good."

32

Kelvin leans on the statue, enjoying some reverie. One of them being him and his father leaving the new fellowship and being stopped by one of the brothers.

"Wait, wait, you're not staying?" A voice calls from behind.

Oreleander turns around, "Oh, is there something scheduled?"

"No," Tim smiles, "but we realized we had all these burgers and dogs left over from the festival so we're going to have a barbecue, today. Now actually," his smile lingering.

"Is that right?" Oreleander looks over to Kelvin who's already wearing a grin.

"Gotta watch out for us here, we're pretty spontaneous. I hope you don't have to be anywhere?"

"Just here, Tim." The brother is delighted and coaxes him to some picnic tables. Kelvin trails behind smiling.

He finishes reminiscing, still wearing the smile, "You're going to bless him, huh God?" Kelvin lifts his eyes then spots Saches approach in his usual walk with a hop.

They have been friends a long time, long for a teenager that is. How they met is actually kind of funny. Oreleander's jet was coming in for a landing when Mr. Northrope's helicopter, that's Saches' Dad, had already gotten clearance to land and moved in front of them almost causing a collision. Once on the ground, the pilot of Oreleander's plane raced out of the aircraft and ran full speed to the helicopter and started to beat up the pilot, pummeling him to a pulp. Oreleander quickly ran out to see what was happening, then had to assist Mr. Northrope to keep them apart, or at least keep the helicopter pilot alive until the police arrived. Kelvin and Saches were only seven and had looked at each other astonished this was even happening. Mr. Northrope forced the airport to fire all the tower employees. He wanted everyone to know what happens if someone messed up. Eventually, he just decided to build his own mini airport in his backyard. He's really rich.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey," gets a closer look, "have you been messing around with chocolate again?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

Kelvin laughs.

Saches returns with, "Have you?"

"Are you kidding me? My kitchen looks like a baker worked double shifts." Then he laughs, puts his arm around Saches and walks off. "Don't worry buddy, Romans 8:1, no condemnation, not from me anyway, or Jesus for that matter. But now I have a craving for chocolate cake. I mean the actual cake," he chuckles finding it difficult to stay serious.

"Quit it man."

A boring lecture, Kelvin is dozing off. Coffee didn't help, neither did the second cup. But he does get a text and that wakes him momentarily.

Professors plan an all out hit from a blind spot. Be ready.

After reading it, he dozes off still holding the phone in one hand and an empty coffee cup in another.

Sitting on a park bench, sleepy, looking at reports, he yawns trying to keep his eyes open. He catches a kid walking by, about four years old, who stares at him oddly. Then the kid begins to shake a pointed finger at him, as if saying, 'Shame on you', and keeps walking by, looking back until out of sight.

After the kid passes, Kelvin finally turns forwards again, glances to where the kid went, looks puzzled, then looks down to ponder.

Night rolls in and Kelvin is getting to bed. After what seems like only one second of deep sleep, the light turns back on again. He struggles to open his eyes only to focus on a badge.

"I'm Detective Sodder. We have a court order to search and retrieve," his eyes look around, "everything." Kelvin looks up to find a man in a suit, then others with suits, as well as uniformed men all wearing white gloves. "We traced your p2p's I.P. address, and it leads us here, a bunch of times. Any idea why our hackers, which are quite good, told us your house has been a very bad house?"

Kelvin's eyes freeze, then move again as he watches officers going through his belongings. Then another officer enters with a type of drawer from a dresser and shows the insides to the Detective. "It's littered throughout the house," a scruff voice rumbles.

The Detective grimaces, takes out his handcuffs and orders, "Stand up!"

Kelvin cries, "What? No." Then two officers forcefully help him up and turn him around so Detective Sodder can handcuff him. "This must be some kind of mistake."

"On whose part?" Sodder lashes. "Grab his laptop, I'm sure we'll find a whole lot of sweet stuff on there. Enough to make you the sweetest guy in prison."

"Huh? No!" he gasps for air.

"You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney." They begin to lead him out. "If you can't afford one, one will be appointed to you."

Suddenly the front door opens giving a full view to a light show of police cars and siren lights. Kelvin screams in fear, then tries to go back in the house, fighting his way in, or at least trying. Frantically he yells, "Dad, Dad! Where are you?"

The Detective gets close and snarls, "Your Daddy is already in the patrol car. He says he's innocent, but," he shrugs, "they all do." Kelvin looks at him stupefied. "Do you wanna ride with him while we search the rest of the house?"

Kelvin looks at all the cars knowing they must have been on to him for some time. Then his eyes stop at his father's face in one of the back seats. He turns overwhelmed and distraught, crying with no hope, breaking from within, snot pouring out. And with breaths short, becoming more and more trite, he tries to resist the arrest, "No! No! I don't want to go jail. No, please, no! Somebody, please!" The cops hold him strong against his struggle.

Suddenly everybody in the lecture hall sees Kelvin jump up and scream, "I don't want to go to jail!" His voice echoes loudly and horrifying.

The students are startled by his upheaval. Those next to him aghast, those sitting faraway looking over, wondering. His breaths are heavy, eyes glassy, hands still behind him as if handcuffed.

Kelvin slowly begins to get his composure, he retracts his hands. The teacher is looking at him oddly. The students snicker. Then batting his eyes a few times, he opens his eyes wide and looks around slowly starting to regress to his seat, "I apologize for interrupting your class, Professor Hentley." He waves with an accompanying cough.

"Are you...okay? Do you need to get some water, or something?" he lifts up a hand.

Trying to calm his breathing, "I'm okay, thank you, Sir. Again, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He then looks around to all the leering faces. "Actually, I think water would be good." He hastens out of there shaking his head angry with himself.

Mr. Sanders remarks, "I think the pressure is getting to him." Mr. Spiffs who is nearby indulges in a smile.

33

"I think I now understand the motivation and tactics behind what is happening, some." He shrugs his shoulders, "But that doesn't necessarily mean that I can push it away every time. It still appears, no, it is, overwhelming, like trying to stop a freight train. Surely there is no weapon from Satan that has absolute power. Does that not violate the scripture where it says we won't have more than we can handle? To look for the escape?" He lifts his eyebrows.

"Uh, yes and no," Doctor Tuttle's replies.

"Elaborate, please. I believe with God, there is either yes or no even though with the world, life and such, gray areas do exist. "

"There is a scripture in the bible that not too many people want to hear." Kelvin approaches curiously, bracing himself. "I know I try to forget it whenever possible," he chuckles.

"Please, Doctor Tuttle, I'm at the edge of my seat."

"If you look in the King James Version, Mark, chapter nine and Matthew chapter, uhm, seventeen, yes, that's it, when the disciples weren't able to cast out an evil spirit, but Jesus was able to, they questioned him afterwards about it."

Kelvin bows his head as he knows where Doctor Tuttle is going.

"Jesus said, these only come out or come forth by prayer and fasting, and right before this, in Matthew, the previous verse, he taught a little bit about faith." Kelvin's expression is frozen. "I'm not saying you are possessed by an evil spirit, but what this scripture outlines appears to be the right approach to a seemingly impossible problem." Kelvin closes his eyes in dread. His head falls hanging loosely.

34

In the courtyard, Kelvin is watching something intently. Following his line of sight through a mass of students, a chocolate bar is visible sticking out of one of the student's coat. He can't take his eyes off it. Then suddenly, the kid moves and the chocolate bar slips out of his pocket. Kelvin jumps, watching the chocolate bar fall in slow motion, spinning through the air, and hitting the ground, bouncing and rolling a couple times. No one even notices.

He looks around anxiously, then decides to go for it. To go after this finder's keepers. He weaves in and out of blue jackets, keeping his sights on-.

Incoming text message.

Statue.

He pauses, gets mad, and returns back to where he was standing. Soon after, Saches arrives and immediately Kelvin grabs him by his coat at the collar, "You have to help me, Saches."

"What, what's wrong?"

"I need you to fast with me."

Saches starts pulling away, "Anything but that." Kelvin is looking at his refusal to assist. "Last year I fasted for the morning and afternoon, I thought I was going to die man." He shakes his head adamantly. "No way man, uh-uh."

"I need you to be strong for me, Saches. If you're fasting, then I know I'm not in this alone."

Saches' jaw drops. "What! You're kidding right? Did you just imply what I think you-"

"We could help each other. I won't last any other way."

"Uh, sorry, Buddy. I don't feel God calling me to fast today."

"Saches!"

"Hey, my maid is making lasagna, are you crazy?"

"Saches, this is non-negotiable. I need your help."

"Uh, no." Kelvin is surprised at Saches non-compliance. Saches defends, "This is the maid that you said you wouldn't mind being trapped on a deserted island with. She's sixty, so I think you meant about her food, right?"

Kelvin looks around flustered, not knowing what to say. Then he points, "I just saw a chocolate bar fall out of someone's jacket." He smacks his head, "The thoughts I had." He begins to pace, hand rested on his belt.

Saches is watching his strange behavior. "Chocolate? Where? I gotta get me some."

Kelvin sighs, "Can you please bring your grammar up a few tax brackets, you're hurting my ears." Then abruptly, Kelvin grabs Saches' collar again, "Saches! I need your help!"

"I am not God."

"You're killing me."

"No, your flesh is dying!" Saches gets loose and wonders. "How long are you fasting?"

"Tonight it will be three days. Sorry, I couldn't tell you, just washed my face, all that."

"You're gonna die man."

Kelvin points, "You should be dying with me. Jesus didn't say if you fast, he said when. When Saches? When are you going to fast?" he points strongly.

"Not today, I'll tell you that right now. You're on your own." Saches walks away looking back, "Pray for grace."

Kelvin stands there upset. Smoke coming out of his nostrils, ears read. Then he sees the guy who dropped the chocolate bar realize he doesn't have it, begin to look around and happily picks it up off the ground and walks away.

Click, Click,

"The market has spiked gentlemen. Diamond Shapers, your retail outlets are up and your overall increase is fourteen percent. Net Star, your increase is up seven percent. And Prefix Shipping, your increase is up thirty-seven percent!" Cheers arise from all around.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Thomas with some of the other associates come over to congratulate Kelvin. He tries to wipe away his sour face with a smile, but he's so hungry. Then he faints.

35

Oreleander and Professor Trouse are sharing some words.

"Your son is running an amazing company, but the pressure seems as it's getting to him."

"How so?"

"Well, he had an outburst the other day. Professor Hentley said he awoke out of a sleep quite hysterical."

"Sleeping in class?" Oreleander thinks, "I'll keep him home tomorrow."

"He's a remarkable student. I'm really proud of him."

He shakes hands, "Thank you, Professor Trouse."

Kelvin is quiet, in his room, a little somber.

Ring, ring.

"Saches."

"You faint, and I missed it! The world is not fair."

"It's overrated."

"Did you eat?"

"Forcibly, the doctor didn't care much about my spirituality."

"It was a valiant goal, crazy too."

"Yes, if I hadn't fainted, I would have had eight long hours ahead of me and would have made my goal. I'm sure it still counts for something."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was, I should have drunk water."

"No water? You didn't drink water?"

"No."

"Okay, that's just ludicrous."

"Now I know. Maybe next time, you'll want to fast with me. What do you say?"

"Man, there is no reception in this tunnel."

Click.

Knock, knock.

Kelvin smiles and hangs up. "Come in." His father walks in, more of a stroll. "Hey Dad, sorry about today."

"It's okay, you're okay. You know, you're free to stay home tomorrow, sleep in if you like."

"No, I rather not, I was just hungry."

"You can stay home."

"No, I have a lot to do. When this is over, I'll take a day off."

Oreleander nods, "Goodnight."

36

Sleeping soundly, morning sunlight breaks through the windows hitting Kelvin's face. He begins to slowly open his eyes looking around cautiously. Finding the room empty, he sighs a big relief.

In school, he gets pats on the back; he could only assume it's for actually fainting during school. He casts it off and sends a text.

Mr. Tripps, I want to meet with my board.

He hits send and continues walking confidently.

At his designated time, he stands in front of his team. "I wanted to get a status report about our company. How are we doing and is there anything I need to know? Figures not matching up, problems with fulfillment. Employee strikes." He looks at his first in command, "Mr. Tripps."

"Mr. Hobbs, I believe our company is sound. We have built a strong company."

Kelvin looks at him and nods. Since he does not see stress on their faces he affirms, "Thank you for your time, everyone. Please, let me not take any more of your day." They begin to leave, a few wave. Kelvin backs up a few steps and leans on the stage. Crossing his arms, he sees Saches walking down the isle from the other side.

Click, click.

Everyone freezes; the other students are almost out the door.

"Memo to the management groups of Diamond Shapers, Net Star and Prefix Shipping, all have been audited by the Internal Revenue Service. Diamond Shapers, you are free to conduct business as usual. Prefix Shipping, you are free to conduct business as usual. Net Star, all your company, employees' and personal assets have been frozen. Your workforce has been sent home and your company is now under complete investigation and will have to await further consensus by the auditors and federal authorities."

The group almost out the door start cheering. Kelvin looks up and interrupts, "Let's not gloat!" His words cut the air. "We are in no position." The students look back at Kelvin surprised; they quiet down and dribble out the doorway.

Saches' jaw hangs in shock as he makes his way down to the front, still looking up. "This is too intense. I'm not even in your grade and I jump every time that P.A. turns on."

"Saches, that's a good observation, which leads me to another question."

Kelvin sits in the passenger seat, smelling 1970's vinyl. Finishing his time deep in thought, he looks over. "Dad, can I ask you a question, about business?"

"Well, I would love that, Son, but wouldn't that violate the rules?"

"It's not about business practices. I think it's fine."

"I'm ready, hit me." An excitement in his voice.

"How do you do it? Have hundreds of people's livelihoods in your hands, dealing with so many possible pitfalls? And yet, you're calm. Look at you, you're calm."

"Hmm...honestly, I think it was me that had to toughen up. I also had to realize that this is what I wanted. To be the head of five major corporations." Kelvin listens astutely. "Once in a while, I still might get a little uneasy. But then, I realize," a passion rising in his voice, "who better to handle the situation besides me?" He looks at Kelvin, "As long as that answer still points to me, then I have nothing to worry about."

Kelvin looks forward again, no reaction, "Good answer, Dad."

"You bet it is!"

37

At a function with those they've begun to fellowship with, Kelvin watches his father help hang decorations, and next to him, a nice woman that seemingly caught his attention, and he her's. Kelvin smiles, enjoying the moment.

Back at the mansion, on a quiet afternoon, Kelvin paces in the dining room as he reads his Bible, Mark 9, in the King James Version:

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Kelvin keeps reading a few more seconds slowly lowering the Bible from his eyes in wonder. His eyes show heavy ponderings as to what he just saw."

38

Kelvin is looking at an object of interest on Doctor Tuttle's shelf.

"How goes the fight?" he hears from behind him.

Kelvin gives a glance, then goes back to his object of interest. "I've had little victories here, there. At times, I would even be able to keep the furnace from turning on. But there is still a pilot light burning somewhere, a form of unbelief. Perhaps the enemy has slowed down his attack so I would overlook it."

The keen Doctor sits intrigued and must interject, "Technically, Jesus stripped Satan of all his power, so what could he be attacking you with?"

Kelvin looks inside himself, "Deception, a lack of revelation as to the finished work of Christ. Make no mistake, Doctor Tuttle, I'm on the hunt." He exhales deeply, "Where is that pilot light?" shaking his head with a grimace. Then, while thinking, he turns and approaches, "Tell me about David's palace, how was it situated?"

Doctor Tuttle begins to recall, "We don't' know exactly, uhm...what it looked like. We do know that it was at a higher point than the rest of the abodes. Bathsheba, we presume lived nearby since her husband was in the military." He looks away casually to think, "He was walking on the terrace, I imagine there was a good deal of space for him to even want to go for a walk up there, which brings him to an even higher vantage point. Who knows, maybe this wasn't the first time this happened, you know, watch a girl bathing and so forth. But enough times and he finally took action." He scoffs, "I mean, I don't think David was a dumb guy. Who knows, maybe Bathsheba even might have known as well."

Kelvin motions for more.

"Ha! Let's be real," the heavy set doctor belts out, "according to Scripture, sin doesn't just spring out of the ground one day like a row of ants. It has to be appreciated, loved and caressed, nurtured. And we could already see sin has taken hold of David because he was doing things out in the open, calling for Bathsheba and such." He waves, "I'm just filling in the blanks here."

"I'm listening."

"I mean, look at the picture." A stifled chuckle, "The man was lying down, relaxing. The only thing that is going to get him off that couch is food or a woman." He waves his hand as if swatting a fly.

"Then, desire knocked, something Satan can twist into lust."

Nodding along, "Maybe he saw other women bathe from that vantage point, you know, in other abodes. The Bible never says this was the first time. But this time, it was Bathsheba, fire and dynamite. Maybe they both knew what they were doing and they both acted at the same time. All I'm saying is, it takes two to tango and David wasn't dancing alone." The doctor sighs painfully, "Poor Uriah, his wife Bathsheba is alone, and David is surrounded by people who are helping him sin."

Kelvin sits down and stares at him.

Doctor Tuttle banters, "People think because of technology, that this temptation is something God wasn't prepared for. Ha! Satan doesn't reinvent himself. You know, this kind of stuff coming right to your door in quantities."

Kelvin is thinking things through, "So there was nothing left for him to do but act out."

"Boy, did he. By acting on this road of being a voyeur, his greedy mouth of lust, he went about handling things in his pseudo kingly way causing all hell to break loose on his and her's unsuspecting family. A complete family breakdown, just one big waste of time." He shakes his head frustrated just thinking about all the details.

Kelvin looks around, his eyes searching for answers, "How can all this be avoided, Doctor Tuttle?"

"I have been giving all of this more thought, you know, since you showed up here and all." He reaches for a Bible from behind him searching for a scripture. Kelvin smiles. "Then I remembered," he points up in the air, " I believe the answer might lie with our friend, the Prophet Nathan, the one who rebuked David right after this heinous transgression transpired."

Kelvin tilts his head, his attention captured.

"I had to look up a lot of this stuff again, but some of it I remembered. I was intrigued by this even back in school. Ah, yes, here it is. Nathan accused David, figuratively, of stealing the lamb from the guy who had none so he can feed this...uhm, traveler the scriptures speak about. David had his eyes on what someone else had and not what God blessed him with. On top of that, he is feeding his traveler with this other guy's one little lamb." He explains with his hands, "David already had wives," he lifts his hands, "it appears the notion of more women is not the cure for lust. Well, anyway," he waves it off, "this guy ended up taking this poor guy's little lamb that was like a daughter to him. Kind of messed up, wouldn't you think? Since he was well off and all...according to Nathan." He puts up his hand. "Now let's talk about this traveler for a minute. Who is this guy? I understand the story is symbolic of maybe an event Nathan might have saw at one time, but this traveler he speaks of is causing the man with plenty to take what doesn't belong to him, furthermore he takes from the guy who has nothing, all to feed this traveler? Hmm...and if you look up this scripture in other translations, it calls him a guest, a visitor. And it appears this visitor has clear influence over the man that took the little lamb who in this case, is the man David, whom let an influence into his life."

Kelvin is awe-struck. "Visitor, like pornography, a tapeworm that will never be full, that you try to feed with an endless amount of means. A mouth of lust." Kelvin looks at Doctor Tuttle, the wheels seem to be spinning, and then Kelvin goes around the desk and picks up the Bible to read it for himself.

"Right there, half way down." The doctor points, then waits

Kelvin finishes, looks away, then back at Doctor Tuttle stunned. He puts the Bible down, then comes back around the desk.

Doctor Tuttle points upward, "I'm not done. Let's look at that specific word 'traveler' in the Greek and Hebrew." He begins to draw thick books from his arsenal of shelves.

Kelvin grins, "You're flexing, Doctor Tuttle."

"Ha! Traveler is word #1982, which, in the Hebrew means wanderer. Not the best choice for a king to be spending time with." He smiles, "Anyway, we'll get back to that later. Are you ready for the clincher? To be frozen with astonishment?"

Kelvin shows anxiety on his face.

"Traveler in the Greek means something else. It means to overshadow, to envelope in a shadow. To throw a shadow upon. So according to Nathan's analogy, David had a visitor, it overshadowed him, it enveloped him, it took him over, and it obscured his mind and his faculties. The only thing he could see is what this shadow wanted him to see, and that was how to fulfill his lusts, the ones he himself created by listening to this thing in the first place."

Kelvin's spine chills, alarmed from his inner core. Goosebumps hit his arms and he tries to speak but his mouth is frozen. He pictures, Like a shadow over an establishment of darkness or an accompaniment to temptation. Kelvin waits a second, then tries to speak again, the words escaping broken up. "David allowed a visitor into his life," his eyes lower, "and it destroyed him, his family."

39

The doctor indulges, "Now let's go back to that wanderer, just for fun. Clearly this was an entity of some kind. But what kind? We see some similar characteristics in Matthew 12, when it describes when an evil spirit is cast out of a man, it shows the evil spirit's path. 'Then when it didn't find anywhere else to go', it said, 'it walketh through dry places, seeking rest and finding none', well, that word walketh in the Greek, word #1330, talks about traveling through a place or region. And this other word when he says, 'and when he is come', that word 'come' in the Greek, #2064, it talks about having influence, also uhm, coming into being, to be established. All this paints more of a picture of this visitor looming in David's life.

"That he allowed." Kelvin feels naked in his soul as nothing is hid from the word of God.

"In a way of speaking." Doctor Tuttle is forced to sigh as he thinks upon the hardship David caused and endured. "I think this whole thing with David was going on for some time. It's only when things surfaced that we can finally see it. But according to Nathan the prophet, God saw the visitor all along."

"Doctor Tuttle, I really can't take any more of this," his words stammering, "but I will try to stick it out a little longer." He paces, "I am led to understand, the venue is irrelevant, watching a woman bath, looking at pornography, entangling stories, cartoons, if that thing is involved, the downfall will be just as torrential as David."

Doctor Tuttle lifts his eyebrows with pursed lips and slowly nods. "Looks like Satan is always trying to get people to sell their birthright."

Kelvin sharply turns as if a chord had been struck, "Just like Esau."

"Just like Esau," he points, "just like Samson," he waves his hands in the air, "Just like Adam and Eve." He mumbles, "You know it's because of those two I don't have a dinosaur right now?" He looks away mad, eyebrows arched. Perhaps a chord struck in him too, disgruntled at the fall of man.

Kelvin shakes his head trying to understand. "Doctor?" He lifts a palm in the air trying to get his attention, "If you permit me to continue, I think we were on to something."

"Right, right, I'm sorry, go on."

Kelvin begins to move again, "So then with very elaborate means, David began to act on his fantasy so it would become a reality."

Doctor nods.

"Although I believe acting out is just an indication to the spiritual status of one's mind, or lack of."

He points up to Kelvin, "You're right!"

Kelvin turns about, "What! I'm right?" a lift of the eyebrows. "How so, Doctor Tuttle? Please."

"Well, things happen in the spiritual realm first." A confident look on his face as he glances at the clock. "Awe, the time, we'll get into this in our next session."

"No!" Kelvin screams extending his hand forward as if Doctor Tuttle was about to cut the red wire, when it was really the blue. The doctor freezes as he was about to stand up, and looks at him oddly. Kelvin quickly regroups, takes out his wallet placing a crisp one hundred dollar bill, a second one, as he usually pays upon arrival. Then slowly slides it on the desk in front of the really nice theologian. "Doctor Tuttle, would you be so gracious as to stave off any pressing plans for at least five minutes, I really would love to hear what you were about to say."

Doctor Tuttle concedes, "Alright then!" He sits down, "Well, do you remember when Jesus rebuked the storm? Right after they woke him up so rudely may I add."

"Yes, absolutely, Jesus wanted to go to the other side."

He nods, "He didn't just rebuke the storm, no, Jesus is always doing something else when he's doing something. He rebuked the winds first, then the waves."

Kelvin takes a moment to process this deeply.

Doctor Tuttle pauses, lifting his eyebrows, hoping Kelvin gets it. "Come on, winds, waves...you know it?"

Almost a minute passes.

Kelvin is burning brain fuel. He blurts out, "The winds, they are invisible."

"Yes!" He points adamantly back to Kelvin. "They are the spiritual, the unseen. The waters, he did second, the physical. The winds affect the waters. The spiritual affects the natural." His animation builds, "If you want to see the condition of the winds, look at the waters. If you want to see the condition of the spiritual, look at the natural. And this event with the winds and waves were recorded in three Gospels, all were in that order. Jesus took care of the winds first, then the waves, then a calm followed immediately after. Kapow!" He claps his hands and slams his pudgy hand down on the one hundred dollar bill taking it and putting it in his shirt pocket, then looks up with a smile and motions with a slow downward wave to all his degrees on the wall.

Kelvin takes a few seconds to absorb this thinking, finally realizing, "It would be impossible for me to calm the raging waters in my life when the winds are still going crazy."

"Yes! So David, walking on the roof, or sleeping on that couch, things were already in motion against him a long, long, time ago."

"The visitor's influence."

The doctor tilts his head, "I would almost say he was almost powerless. This outcome was going to happen whether he liked it or not. The momentum he created was too hard for him to stop in his mere natural strength, and his family will receive most of the brunt for his decision." An expression of sorrow comes on the Doctor's face, "And sadly, Uriah was collateral damage."

Kelvin looks at him amazed, then circles the room once. He nods, muttering "So, according to our Prophet Nathan, King David was entertaining a visitor." Then he looks inwardly and his head falls from shame.

Meanwhile the doctor is thinking. He blurts out, "And Bathsheba brought it to light." The good Doctor looks away in thought. "See, people try to rebuke lust, or get control of it, or, actually...I don't even know what they're trying to do. But lust is a work of the flesh, it's not spiritual. Something spiritual is causing the person's flesh to go crazy with lust, and it's in the spiritual where you have to take care of the problem. Trying to stop the flesh is like trying to stop gravity, you're working against a law and you will lose."

"It's in the mind," Kelvin mutters. "That's where the spiritual is in my case."

"Romans 12:2 instructs us to renew our minds and we will be transformed. The winds in your mind will have to be brought under the authority of the Word." He points, "And the fun part of all is that everything hangs in the balance of your will." He stays smiling and takes out the hundred dollar bill from his pocket and gleams while looking at it. Speaking out the side of his mouth as if thinking aloud, he jests, "I should open up a booth on the boardwalk. Easiest money I ever made."

Kelvin is frozen inside. He manages to turn a bit, "Doctor Tuttle, thank you for the extension of your time." And leaves the room dignified, his hand in his side coat pocket.

40

Kelvin sits at a picnic table, staring out into oblivion. No notebook or briefcase, just sitting there, profoundly shaken by the intruder unawares.

Now sitting on the ground of his basketball court, he's still motionless.

Standing at a high lookout point, he stares out. In a flash he remembers the spot where he found that first magazine as a little kid. His eyes grow intense. He begins to have a vision. It is of him, now in King David's shoes and royal attire. He steps out onto the terrace, a nearby guard nods respectfully. He reciprocates and continues, looking outward, walking to the edge. He leans against the ledge looking at the city in a glance.

His scrutinizing eyes study the landscapes, rooftops below his, spaces between the abodes. Passing his eyes over the homes, he sees something, something familiar. Behind one of the houses, a woman preparing her bath. She feels secure that the walls will give her privacy and continues.

Suddenly, an arrow pierces Kelvin's heart, desire strikes him. He realizes it's best to come back, so he turns about and plans to return shortly.

Moments later, Kelvin comes out of his trance like vision to where he was standing at the lookout point. He shakes his head, realizing he had a vision and looks down to ponder the details.

A text interrupts his thoughts.

Final results in two weeks. Mr. Tripps.

"Thank you, Mr. Tripps." Remembering his responsibility, he walks away.

41

Through the hustle and bustle of school, Kelvin walks about the courtyard carrying a water bottle in hand. Off to his blindside, one of Mr. Spiffs' employees approach him. With disc in hand, he aims to put it in Kelvin's jacket pocket, but Kelvin catches the maneuver and squeezes the bottle throwing water up onto the lackey's face sending him back. Mr. Spiffs watches the whole ordeal from the sidelines.

A short while later, Kelvin listens to input from his management, slowly pacing back and forth, weighing each idea.

The water bottle becomes an accessory to Kelvin's life. Buying them at vending machines, walking from here to there, carrying a clear plastic bottle.

As dusk arrives, and weather is foul, the white smoke from the limo's exhaust creates an ambiance. Kelvin's cloak like coat cuts through the puffs of smoke as he enters his limo, and before closing the door, he shares a look of hostile rivalry with Mr. Spiffs. The door shuts, and immediately, his chariot presses forward.

42

Click, click.

"Memo to the business community. The investigation into Net Star's misappropriation of funds has finished, leading and causing the IRS to seize all assets, freeze all accounts and render the corporation out of business."

Students begin cheering, others are amazed.

"Furthermore, the IRS task force will soon be arresting C.E.O. Mr. Sanders and if convicted, he will be guilty of fraud, embezzlement, and corporate espionage, landing him in jail for most of his adult life. Uh-hem, Mr. Sanders and his corporate upper management will continue to be investigated to see whether repeating this year is in their future," he scoffs, "if even allowed. Meanwhile, the IRS will begin selling off Net Star to pay back taxes owed plus interest. There won't be anything left of Net Star once this quarter is complete."

Mr. Sanders stands motionless in the courtyard for all to see as the shocking news makes it to his ears. He is lost, he does not feel bottom and knows he has been carried out to sea. A few around him, his collaborators, also disheartened.

Right then, Mr. Spiffs takes an opportunity and arrogantly gets in Kelvin's face. Others listen for what words will transpire.

"It's just you and me, Mr. Hobbs."

Kelvin takes a drink of water, "No, it's you," he points, "against me and my upper management."

A few of Kelvin's managers nearby smile, then Mr. Trent pushes Mr. Spiffs back out of Kelvin's face ordering, "Get away from him."

But Mr. Spiffs keeps mean eyes on Kelvin and taunts, "You know you're no match for my business tact," and just as he finishes, Mr. Sanders walks by with his head down in agony. Mr. Spiffs takes the opportunity and forcibly pushes him into Kelvin. "You belong over there."

Kelvin catches Mr. Sanders and watches Mr. Spiffs leave. Then behind him, Mr. Sanders leaving as well, numb even to that hard push. A downcast soul, head bowed, sorrowful and devastated.

Mr. Trent assures, "Don't let him get to you."

Kelvin looks at him, "He's right, he's better at business tact."

"What are you saying?"

"Sometimes you win by losing Mr. Trent," he keeps his eyes on Mr. Spiffs, the last sight of him before he turns the corner.

"Are you saying you want to lose?" Kelvin does not answer. "Mr. Hobbs, I don't want my parents to receive a negative report for the year, much less repeat this year." Still no response out of Kelvin. "Mr. Hobbs, we have been a good management team for you."

"And you have good reason to." Kelvin looks at him and walks away. Mr. Trent is left upset.

In Kelvin's room, Saches is wondering, "So you want to lose?"

Kelvin grimaces, "When it comes to business sense, Mr. Spiffs has a head start. I am not so blind as to not see that."

Saches grabs the reports and holds them up, "He's not that far ahead of you. His company only grossed one-hundred forty seven million last cycle. Yours is at seventy-nine million. You can catch up! You can pass him!"

Kelvin shakes his head.

"Ask your father, he would know what to do."

"I can't ask my father, it's against the rules. I am not allowed to ask anyone related to me."

"I'll ask him!"

"No."

"Okay, then, I'll ask my own father."

He looks up, "I wouldn't put you through that, Saches."

"Kelvin, you can't lose to Mr. Spiffs. You can't lose this year. You have to come up with a bigger bottom line than him. That is the only way to win."

Kelvin looks away, "I know."

43

An intercom call interrupts Oreleander at work.

"Mr. Hobbs, a student is here to see you."

Oreleander brightens, "Please, let him in." Then he goes around the desk to-

"Good day, Mr. Hobbs."

"Uh, good day Mr., uh Spiffs," looking at him suspiciously.

"I don't mean to interrupt your day, but I was hoping to get some business intelligence from you. If you don't mind helping."

Oreleander stays looking at him, discerningly.

In the courtyard, the students walk around with their school coats. Kelvin holds his drink, water in hand.

Click, click.

"Diamond Shapers has just lowered their overhead 14.9 percent by shipping their goods via cargo ship as opposed to the costly use of aircraft."

Kelvin tilts his head analyzing what he just heard when Mr. Spiffs walks by and indulges, "You're father is really smart. Please thank him for me."

Kelvin is surprised then angered, his face signaling he's about to attack but he refrains, he does not even know why. Once Mr. Spiffs is out of sight, Kelvin lets his head hang.

44

The old car is rattling up a storm as it cruises the winding roads. Kelvin looks up at his father, "Did you really help Mr. Spiffs?"

Oreleander pauses a moment, "Yes. He came to me for help. It wasn't against the rules."

"Your advice worked. Now he's eighty-seven million dollars ahead of me, I can never match him by last quarter's end. Why did you give him such good advice?" he looks up at his father.

"Because I hoped that if you would've went to his father and asked for help, he would've saw passed any animosity and help you."

Kelvin shakes his head disappointedly, "I don't understand why you helped him. He's slime. He doesn't even care about his own company or his people."

Oreleander lifts his eyebrows.

"You cut me deep, Dad." Kelvin takes another drink of water and looks out the window.

Oreleander keeps driving quietly.

During a quick shotgun meeting with his management, Kelvin asks, "How's our numbers?"

Mr. Tripps replies, "Our numbers are good, but not even close to Mr. Spiffs' figures."

"Where in our company can we cut to find the capital for more planes? More planes, more routes, it's a plan I can submit to the professors. If it's strong, it might yield an increase."

Mr. Trent points out, "If we cut into our reserves, it will leave us very vulnerable. Proceeding with that course, if the market drops even five points, or our stock splits, in fact, anything like that, it'll be over for us, and if necessary, we won't have the capital to buy our own stock back if a dip occurs. Right now, we have a good strong company, not the revenue Mr. Spiffs has, but it is strong. If we are bought out by Mr. Spiffs, it would be the ruin of us all, maybe even more humiliating than what happened to Net Star. The buyout negotiations alone will strip us all of our dignity."

Kelvin profoundly realizes as he looks at Mr. Trent that in one move he could've have lost his own company. He approaches, now cognizant and shakes Mr. Trent's hand. "I hired the right man. Thank you for catching my short sightedness and hastiness."

Mr. Trent reciprocates, "That's why we're here. To be there."

He backs away, an expression of appreciation as he continues, "I have to submit my final order of business for the end of the fiscal year to the professors in three days. Be available, Mr. Spiffs might be leading the market," he gives a gracious look to Mr. Trent, "but he is not the whole economy." He nods acknowledging them, "Carry on, everyone."

The students begin their exit, but Kelvin stands worrying. Suddenly, his watch rings, and he gasps. Hurriedly, he rushes over to his attache case and starts to dig through it like a mad man. He pulls out a chocolate bar, unwraps it, and starts eating it making deep grunting animal sounds while tearing it apart with his teeth and paws. "I don't believe it, 168 hours, finally over. Yum! I love you chocolate!"

Unbeknownst to him, Saches is walking up behind him starting to see this unusual spectacle. Shocked, he yells, "Kelvin, what are you doing!" Kelvin turns around startled. Saches sees his hands and mouth smeared with chocolate accompanied with a glassy eyed expression. He can't help but to utter an, "Oh no."

"It's not what it looks like."

Later in the limo, Kelvin sits bombarded by guilt. Saches who sits on the passenger side looks over to spot Kelvin shaking his head, as if mad at himself.

"You okay?"

"No, no...I need to ask for your forgiveness."

"From me?"

"Yes."

"I've been deplorable."

"I'm sure it's only half that bad." Saches brushes it off.

"No, I should be quartered, right there in the center square," his voice rising, "for all the townsfolk to see what happens to a bloody planker. Yes, that should be my sentence."

"I'm sure you will tell me what a planker is, although, I think I don't want to know." He lifts up his hand, "I don't care.

"No! You do care, Saches! You do care! See, I understand now. Before, I would cast my eyes away at another sinner, saying to myself, proud of myself, that I'm not like them. Instead, I should beat my chests, with fists, and tear my garments with a heart of chagrin, and compunction."

"I'm about to kick you out of this car if you don't get to your point."

"Saches, I understand about the chocolate. It took me a whole week of fasting to realize the desire and allure of...chocolate. I never understood before, but I understand now." He sighs, forced to look away, "I was such a horrible planker."

Saches looks forward, "Driver, stop the car, someone's getting out."

"Driver, belay that order, uh...please," holding a finger up, "he's probably just hungry."

Saches looks over loosing his patience.

"Saches, I was walking around with a plank in my eye, all this time. And I focused on your poor little splinter in your eye, and making you feel so bad about it."

Saches stops mid air, "Uhm, plank? Wait, what's your plank? Please don't answer."

"Saches, I regret...again, please forgive me, I was only thirteen."

"Shut up and say it already!"

After a long deep sigh, he confesses, "I tried to steal your maid." Now he stays really still, ready for any sudden punches, but figures if he keeps talking, Saches will just forget about it. "Sadly to say, I could not help myself."

"You tried to steal my maid?" he inquires.

"Yes, my friend, the good cooking one."

Saches just stays looking at him, unmoved. Never would he have thought.

"I couldn't help it, it was after dinner, she made chicken parmigiana. My nose was brought to a new place. My taste buds were being romanced. I was powerless over her wiles. Then, when you happened to leave the table for just a moment, all it took was a moment Saches, which I hate you by the way for that, even though the fault rests entirely on me. Well, to tell you all the noise of it, I approached her."

Still no response from Saches, just astonishment. After all, this is his best friend.

"My knees shook, there must have been at least a foot of air beneath my shoes and the floor. I said, 'Mrs. Lorretta, even after living in Italy for one year, I still have never tasted such invigorating chicken cutlets as what you served tonight. What would it take for you to work for me?'"

Saches is dazed, having to look away as he remembers the night. Even the chauffeur has an ear bent backwards.

"And with one swoop, she shot me down. Remember, she used to call me Mr. Hobes? Well, she killed me Saches. My self esteem was never the same after that. The pain of that downfall and of being heartbroken was too much to bear. And here I am throwing daggers at you because you took a swipe of chocolate frosting. How dare I? How dare I!" His loud explanation of bereavement turns to one of reminiscing, "The cute way she would call me 'Mr. Hobes' with only one 'b' making the second 'b' silent. The way she would start on the baking of cookies in your second kitchen to surprise us later. Oh, and please, no one makes better iced tea than her. She clearly was the best maid that has ever walked the sands of time." He lets out a long sigh of healthy recollection.

A few quiet seconds pass as Saches thinks his friend has lost his mind.

Surprisingly, the chauffeur yells out, "What'd she say?" They both look up surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry, it was just because I had a similar thing and ...well, not important." He waves it off.

Saches agrees, "Yeah, what did she say?"

Kelvin looks around, trapped in that gigantic limo. He realizes he must tell all. After a few deep breaths he lets known, "She said, and I quote, 'Mr. Hobes, you make me laugh'." His face falls from the extraction of hope.

Saches nods, thinking things through, then reaches over and grabs Kelvin's jacket pen pocket and pulls quickly ripping it as far as it can go.

Kelvin is shocked, but then nods and accepts it, "Well," he looks down, "I finally paid my penance." He passes his hand on the open pocket as if it was a new tie, and exhales a relief, "I feel better. Thank you, Saches. Now I can wear my shame with pride."

"Whatever, I don't care about all these petty little details you keep stored up."

"Again, thank you."

Saches just shakes his head and looks away. "As long as you feel better."

45

Walking briskly through the courtyard, Kelvin looks to all the morning faces but does not see Saches. He takes out his phone with a grimace, "Where is he?"

"Hello?"

Still on his morning walk, "Saches, come over tonight. I want to run something insane by you."

"Okay."

"Wait, why aren't you here yet?"

"My chauffeur quit?"

"I hate when that happens," mumbling with a light shake of the head. "Did you mistreat him or something? Not say thank you when they open the door for you."

"I always say thank you. No, he quit because he hit the lottery."

"Really?" a confused expression. "Never heard that one."

"So I had to hitch a ride with my father. We're next to land."

Kelvin looks over to see the shiny silver fish-like helicopter hovering. "Oh, I see you now. So how much did he win?"

"What?"

"How much did your chauffeur win?"

"Pfft ... chump change, enough for him to not want to work anymore."

"There's your proof, the lottery is evil."

"Uh, gotta run. Out."

"Aye."

At the mansion, both have papers spread all about the kitchen table. They study their reports back and forth, graphs and projections printing out.

"How did you get this information?" Saches wonders.

"Power of suggestion, my friend."

"What you want to do, it's going to take a lot of money."

"Money, have to find money, argh!"

"You can ask your senior management if you can borrow against their pensions."

"Done."

"Also ask them if they won't mind if you suspend their insurance benefits, car service, and you gotta sell the corporate jets. The rest, there's not too much else you can do, it's all out-sourced expenses."

"The jets?"

"It won't kill your management to fly first class for a few months, or hop in a jump seat on one of your own delivery planes. Humble yourself man, come on." A show of hands waving.

"Alright, yes, I'm sorry, I was thinking in an abstract world."

"What?"

"Nothing, I'll miss the planes, that's all." He mumbles as he looks at more reports. "What about the land that my outlets sit on -- I could borrow against that. I own that land."

"Good thinking."

Moments later, Oreleander walks in and casually looks at everything.

"Hello, Son."

Kelvin looks up.

"Hi, Mr. Hobbs."

"Saches, hi. I see you both are busy." A noticeable tension between Oreleander and Kelvin.

"Yep." Saches eyes move back and forth from Oreleander to Kelvin.

Oreleander studies a little bit of it, nods and quietly walks away.

Saches looks at Kelvin. "What's up with you and your Dad?"

"Ugh, Mr. Spiffs showed up at my father's office asking for some business advice."

"And your father gave it?"

"Remember their recent 14.9 percent reduction in overhead?" Kelvin points behind him to the other room. Saches is amazed.

"He probably had no choice." But Kelvin doesn't hear that. So Saches whispers loudly, "He didn't have a choice!"

"He did," saddening and looking away.

Seeing Kelvin is hurt on the subject, he urges, "Let's get back to work. Your last order has to be handed in two days."

46

Kelvin stands in Professor Trouse's Chambers. His demeanor respectful as he slowly lays down a thick folder in front of the professor. Next to him, Mr. Spiffs puts down an even a bigger folder, and makes sure Kelvin catches a smirk in his peripheral vision.

The professor looks up, "Whatever you do boys do, don't go to jail."

In the small fellowship gathering, Kelvin watches his father converse happily with a sister in the Lord where spiritual chemistry is very evident. His mind drifts and he remembers being huddled around the kitchen table, near the end of the night, where he and Saches worked until exhaustion stopped them.

Saches finally speculates, "Maybe your father helped Mr. Spiffs because it was the only way he could help you."

"What! Call your chauffeur man, it's late."

Saches points, "He's not allowed to help you, but if he helps Mr. Spiffs, makes him better, then that creates a bigger opponent for you. A bigger obstacle," he points, "makes you better."

Kelvin grabs Saches by the collar ready to speak, but then his head collapses in anguish landing on the table with a thump. Returning his thoughts to the gathering, he sees his father, and nods agreeably.

"You called for me, Professor?" Kelvin warily enters Professor Trouse's chambers.

"Ah, yes." He takes out Kelvin's binder and puts it on the desk before him. Then points to it. "Are you sure you want to do this? It could possibly place your company in a precarious position."

Kelvin pauses, "I've spoke it over with my board in detail. It's unanimous. We'd like to go ahead with it. All the numbers match up, we should be safe."

Professor looks up, ponders, "Okay, dismissed."

"Thank you."

The Professor watches Kelvin leave wondering what's going to happen.

47

Kelvin's limo rides as a whisper. Variations of generations of ideas circle his mind. Gazing out the window, a dreary gray day, his eyes continue to look inward.

Traveling in the direction of his house, Kelvin spots something. The opening where he had rode into the woods with his friends that fateful day. He looks back as it passes.

"Wait!"

"Excuse me, Sir."

"Pull over, here please."

The car rides the shoulder to a stop. Kelvin gets out, looks around, the gray day has now turned into a dark gray dusk. He wears his school coat, a European style, his car, sitting behind him, waiting.

"Sir, is something wrong?"

Kelvin's eyes scrutinize, examining the hush on the area. "Wait here, please." And he proceeds towards the woods, a guarded eye on his surrounding.

He recalls the path where he and his friends had entered and proceeds to take that path. Walking on a trail, he looks about circumspectly, pacing alone into darkness and overcast with dense trees.

His face shows a duel that has long been coming. Prayers on his lips, he knows he's now in enemy territory.

After more paces, he comes upon where he had found that first magazine, the exact spot, right by a few rocks. His mind sees it as it happened.

Glancing around, his breathing intensifies; he then takes a stand and yells out, "I'm not afraid of you anymore!" His voice being swallowed up by the endless trees. He stays looking, turning about slowly. "Do you hear me? You will never corrupt this body again!" Then he gets mad and gets down to the ground, low, face to the earth, adamantly pointing down into the dirt. "Do you hear me down there? You filthy fallen creature. You are not allowed anywhere near this soul again." Staying with a stare to the ground, his breathing still heavy, his eyes showing his fervor, but still he feels no release from his chains.

As if a cloud moved over a city, an oppression has come to make its presence known. Kelvin begins to feel it grow widely then fall right on him. A heaviness that penetrates even his skin. His thoughts turn confused, hindered, coerced to turn to a direction of defeat. He tries to stand up, but this domination doesn't allow him, as if wanting to keep him on bent knees.

Turmoil floods his mind accompanied with a grip of some sort on the back of his neck, holding him, sustaining him like a slave under another's rule. He tries to look up but can't, the hand keeps him looking to the ground before him. Now with daylight slipping away, this disturbance takes full control.

Forced to close his eyes from the pain, he hears a ghastly sound above and behind him. A voice of a soldier that only knows to follow orders. "I will always control you," it makes known. "Always dominate. Always make good use of you."

Although struggling to stay coherent, Kelvin shakes his head and holds on to his will.

"Are you trying to speak? Are you trying to confess scripture?" the demon snarls. "You try to resist with your strength," then screaming down at him in a roar, "you are so weak!" his voice echoing throughout the wide forest as if summoning the unknown.

The incubus continues his pronouncement, "I will never release hold of you. You are alone. Ready for submission. Are you convinced? Should I hold tighter?" A squeezing, as if effortless, around Kelvin's throat. Kelvin flinches. "You are full of sin." He shakes his head, "There is no Jesus for you."

Kelvin's mind is flooded with long past memories that were forever settled but have just been brought back to his thoughts for further degradation and humiliation all to justify his slavery.

"Now, you will obey." It releases a stark laugh. "I have great plans for you."

Kelvin not being sure of his mental bearings, closes his eyes and rests in God.

Immediately, the Holy Spirit takes his mind back to his room where he sits in front of the windows, face to the sky, warmed by the bright sun, and his spirit always ready to receive. Then, his mind is brought to the Scriptures where Jesus tells the father of the boy with the evil spirit, "If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes."

Suddenly, Kelvin hears a door open abruptly. He turns about quickly finding himself in a house from some other period. Then, through the doorway, men begin to filter in, twelve of them, all in robe-like dress. He looks down at his own attire to find himself in a robe as well, a scarf around his neck. He grabs it and holds it as it feels real. Lastly through the doorway walks in Jesus and a disciple closes the door behind him. Kelvin knows that this is the continuation of the Scriptures just after Jesus had rebuked the spirit out of the boy.

The disciples approach the Master intensely, and ask, "Why could we not cast him out?"

Jesus grabs the disciple's by the lapel, and with his right hand points back through the door, "These only come out by prayer and fasting."

Immediately, as a jolt, Kelvin finds himself flying backwards through clouds, the very hand of God moving him. Then suddenly, he descends on a high point of a city. It's a terrace, and on his chest, he feels the weight of gold and brass.

Looking in the distance, he walks out to the edge of a platform. His eyes slowly fall, he finds at one of the abodes, Bathsheba, already in her basin, bathing, presumingly alone. Desire in his eyes forces him to keep looking but Bathsheba pauses as she feels someone's eyes on her. Her lungs fill with air, worry immediately rushing to her face; she slowly bows her head heavy with sorrow. And with a cry in her voice she utters, "No Kelvin, please, don't do it." She closes her eyes which are now etched with pain, "You'll lose everything."

Even some distance away, Kelvin hears her words causing him to turn about for a moment. He sees into his spirit and realizes with a gasp, "My kingship, Satan is after my kingship." His eyes open wide in startlement.

And in the darkest crevices of his mind beyond even Kelvin's reach, a dungeon of black smoke and penumbras moving about executing Satan's plans for Kelvin's life, swinging doors over small airways atop begin to slowly rock. A light squeak echoes as they begin to move backwards and forwards.

The wind increases with hints of light every time the doors swing ajar. Then suddenly, the wind increases violently, stammering the little swinging doors, banging them loudly as the wind rapidly increases and through its inlets, beams of light, moving, as if its source is moving.

The light begins to enter through other pathways, hallways, gateways, escalating to eventually consuming this room that has been a fort against Kelvin for most of his life. The moving light then illuminates the furnace which has been the torturing station to break his spirit.

Saturating the room with a howling wind, and light escaping from the creativeness of God, the room is now under command of the Holy Spirit. And so the Holy Spirit moves about there in, and comes to the furnace where the pilot light burns.

Staring down at this little flame that has been the seed for what was meant to be an existence of turmoil, it begins to flicker, then wave, then with one strong gust, it blows out.

Kelvin moves inside himself, he does not know what is happening. He has never felt this kind of movement, as if traveling through the ages.

"Argh!" A frightened child suddenly awakes from a nightmare to find big creatures in his room moving about, lurking, looking to approach him. He shivers with an immobilizing fear. About to jump off the bed and run out of his room to look for Mommy, a presence begins to fill the room causing the monsters to pause in their creeping towards him.

This presence begins to be painted, a glowing filling its shape. A robed man stands there brilliant to the sight. The monsters scatter, disappearing through walls, and invisible doorways as the light from this man radiates through the room. Then a gentle hand touches the boy's face, guiding his little head back onto the pillow, "Shh...go back to sleep. There are no more monsters." And the child closes his eyes and breaths calmly, resting his head gently back on his pillow.

Simultaneously, back in the woods the winds are heavy and steady commanding the trees to stay bowed, and in Kelvin's eyes, a fierceness on his face, and in his eyes, a piercing light. He knows he's now in the spirit realm.

Suddenly, he stands and turns about, looking directly at the outlines of this shadow, and to his surprise, it was not a big monster creature as he has come to thought. No, it was a small animal thing. Some sprite that has been hiding in the spiritual realm from the fact of its inconsequentiality.

Kelvin ponders, looking intently at it, Is this it? Is this what has held me deceived for most of my life? He orders, "You will not take my kingship." But it doesn't budge. Kelvin notices this little impression is looking at him, actually to the side of his belt where a sword sits still in its sheath. Immediately the fight rises in him and he draws this sword which gleams with light and orders with authority, "You fall under the authority of the Word of God." His eyes glancing around to see others hiding in the distance, "You are all commanded to flee and vanish."

They freeze but don't leave and as Kelvin begins to raise this unique sword, the demons are blown back and start to scurry away glancing back at him in horror. And when all are dispersed, Kelvin stays holding his ground with sword raised.

48

Kelvin goes missing a whole day. Saches had left messages but there has been no return call. Finding it odd, Saches decides to take his bike over to Kelvin's house.

Making his way down the driveway, he halts when he finds a peaceful figure walking up to his house. Squinting, he looks to make out its Kelvin, but not the burdened friend he has known for many years.

Riding down to him, he stops, and looks at him closely. "Kelvin?"

"Saches." Kelvin begins to smile.

"Uhm, where have you been?" He looks closely trying to see if his friend still resides in there, "Kelvin?"

"Yes?"

"What's...going on?"

Kelvin starts laughing, "Jesus was right, that's what's going on." He continues laughing heartily and gives Kelvin a dude hug. Saches doesn't know what's going on.

The next day, the lecture hall is buzzing. Students chant, "Who's the corporate giant? Who's the corporate giant?" Clamorous voices with accompanied stomping feet.

On the stage, left side, sits three chairs with Mr. Spiffs on the end, Kelvin in the middle and the third for Mr. Sanders, but it sits empty and shall remain as such because he sits out in the audience with his team in shame. It is all that much more of an example of the right way and the wrong way to conduct business. So they wait regretfully and painstakingly to hear their outcome.

On the right side of the stage sits five professors. Then finally Professor Trouse comes out from the back and walks up to the microphone. Still, the chanting reverberates throughout the hall.

He gives a glance to the two C.E.O.'s then the third chair and grimaces. Looking out to the students, he lifts his hand for them to pause and listen.

"Uh-hem...these results, as with all results are computed by our sister school full of eager mathematicians. So in the future, make sure you give them a job." The crowd laughs. "Every order of business is reviewed by our board," he motions to the five off to the side, "and we decide by a vote if an action is approved or rejected. Also, along with results received from our math geniuses, we check and scrutinize the postings and maintenance of the ongoing running balances for the columns of each respective company."

In the audience, many of the students sweat. Although there are only two teams, due to the constant updates from the professors, many of the students have picked sides and feel they are somewhat responsible in some respect.

But Saches, who sits in the audience, is looking at Kelvin, noticing how he doesn't even wipe his brow or seem preoccupied with worry. What happened to this guy? He sits wondering. Where was he?

Even Mr. Spiffs is sweating, very evident from his shiny forehead, although he tries to hide it with bobbing head laughter.

"I'll start with Prefix Shipping." Kelvin's team balls over with nervousness. "Prefix Shipping, you ended your last quarter and fiscal year with a net of 14.7 million." The crowd sighs and heads drop. Mr. Spiffs tries to stay composed as he anticipates his numbers then points to Mr. Randolph out in the audience and receives a point back. Kelvin does not move, his eyes only look inward. "Prefix Shipping is still a healthy company. Consistently growing but their overhead increased dramatically by a recent redirection of their capital from their upper management, which I'm sorry to say did not yield a considerable amount to their own bottom line within this quarter's timetable," a sorrowful sigh, "and it being the last quarter." He turns to looks at Kelvin, "It still is a fine company Mr. Hobbs. You and your team should be proud."

Kelvin looks over bravely being the spokesperson in less than desirable circumstances. "On behalf of my company, thank you, Sir."

Professor Trouse turns forward again. Looking down at his papers, "Final results for Diamond Shapers, a fine company as well. Diamond Shapers used a good percentage of its capital and did make their expected revenue back in time. Their exhaustive research showed them the best locations to open outlets; as well as streamlined their process of raw diamonds for a marketable and conveniently available product to the end consumer. It is quite extraordinary thinking, you should all be proud of yourselves." All those for Mr. Spiffs clap and cheer loudly, enough to humiliate their competitors. "Ready everyone? Diamond Shapers, you yielded a net of ninety-six million," the crowds goes crazy, "finishing your quarter and fiscal year toppling Prefix Shipping." His words being dampened by the loud acclaim and salute.

Mr. Spiffs springs up, mouth open wide in a yell and jumps off the stage. He runs like an Olympic winner throughout the crowd holding up his hands receiving high fives from all. His team rejoices, getting in the faces of the losers with strong points downwards and cruel jeers.

The roar is almost uncontrollable, loud and a ruckus. The Professor turns back to the board while motioning with his lips, "Wow." The board rises and begins to exit while the congratulations continue. Kelvin is left sitting alone, just looking down to the floor.

Saches is rubbing his jaw, "Whoa," looking up at all the commotion around him.

Kelvin notices the board of professors that were standing by talking amongst themselves begin to approach him.

They arrive and he braces himself. One affirms with the other four standing beside him, "Mr. Hobbs, the board and I were quite taken with the risk you and your top management took. I am sorry Prefix Shipping did not yield the numbers anticipated in this quarter. Perhaps if there was more time."

The board, in agreement, shakes Kelvin's hand because where numbers lacked, character emerged. Although, he still must hide his disappointment, he shows his appreciation that they noticed the action and initiative taken.

The board finishes and begins conversing amongst themselves, hence giving Mr. Spiffs the floor. Kelvin has to sit down again, while in his mind going through all the facets of his recent actions that led him up to this point. He glances out to Saches, a straight face out in the audience, and ponders. Then he moves his eyes to the middle of the audience where he finds Mr. Sanford, sitting in regret and remorse. A face he remembers when he approached him some days before at the entrance to the courtyard."

"Mr. Sanders?" Kelvin calls out.

Mr. Sanders keeps walking sorrowfully when a hand grabs his arm from behind to call his attention as he's so numb. He turns, lifting his discouraged ridden face up to find Kelvin's investigating demeanor.

Kelvin speaks calmly to him, "Mr. Sanders, tell me about your company." He stands greatly interested and attentive.

"It's lost." His guilt pushes his countenance downward again.

"It's not lost."

"There's nothing I can do. The professors, they locked it." He shakes his head, "I ruined it. I let everyone down."

"You thought up a great company. It was one of the only three that entered the race."

Mr. Sanders' head drops, trembling with heartfelt pain. He manages to dribble out, "My parents, they'll be so ashamed of me. I can't even look at my father."

In earnest, Kelvin pleads, "Give it to me, I can save it. I can bring it to life." Mr. Sanders' stands disoriented, shaking his head. Kelvin urges, "I can save it! Trust me with it!" he pleads. Broken Mr. Sanders slowly lifts his eyes.

"Net Star!" Professor Trouse's voice echoes throughout the lecture hall.

The room is caught off guard, especially Mr. Spiffs, "Wha-" who turns to look at the stage. The five professors take their seat again.

The professor, when ready explains, "Prefix Shipping liquidated every possible avenue available to build the necessary capital in a venture to rescue Net Star from their awful predicament, while still keeping enough in reserves in case any unsightly problem arose. They were able to satisfy the I.R.S. and brought Net Star back to life within days and then started their assault pouring all their money into marketing. Since Net Star now operates with even lower overhead due to them not having to pay for shipping, owing that to Prefix Shipping for allotting them free cargo space on their shipping planes and trucks, they began to fill many of their backorders as well as created and fulfilled a plenitude of new ones. Net Star also became the point of sale as an extension for Prefix Shipping where one could buy a newly devised electronic stamp that could be printed out for convenient shipping. They even sold advertising space on that stamp along with all the advertising sold on both sites."

"Able to satisfy the IRS, the auditors released the accrued forty-seven million back into Net Star's new management led by Mr. Hobbs," a right swing of the arm in respectful acknowledgement, "where they began to hire more employees and fill their warehouses with goods. They even reserved a part of that and purchased a hefty five million dollar option of Diamond Shaper's stock, which they modestly threw back in the water at eighteen million," he smiles as he reads the report, chuckling not being able to help it, "they even sold Diamond Shaper's products on Net Star's site. Quite a few actually." A tilt of the head.

Mr. Spiffs' jaw hangs. He looks at Kelvin mad, not appreciating that at all.

Professor Trouse looks down at his papers, "Net Star's fourth quarter ending figures...242 million."

Everyone is awe-struck, it's silent, then suddenly the crowd minus Mr. Spiff's group goes berserk. Net Star and Prefix Shipping start hugging each other with tears of joy. On stage, Kelvin is reserved, as well as Mr. Sanders in the seats, as they both know how serious this was.

Mr. Spiffs collapses in a seat, cheering happening all around him. Mr. Randolph must sit as well, floored by recent events.

"Uh-hem, everyone, a moment please, a moment." Having to wait a few seconds, "Our mathematicians were able to quantify that if this race did not stop, Net Star would enter the billion dollar league within two and half years." The crowd gasps.

Professor Trouse looks for...

"Mr. Sanders?" The crowd quiets; Mr. Sanders looks up, then penitently stands up. "The I.R.S. is still investigating you, but as for the powers that be here," he motions behind him, "you will be graduating with a grade of Retired Chairman and Founder of Net Star, accompanied with quite an elaborate golden parachute." Mr. Sanders head flies back in relief. "Your company executives will most likely bring home a favorable grade as well." Single cheers escape, a few claps but there is movement beginning, under the surface. The students begin to be touched as they just saw mercy exhibited before their very eyes. Then as if someone hit a switch, the crowd erupts in an encouraging roar of cheers and yells reinstating Mr. Sanders back into the business world.

Fighting tears, his heart starts its recovery. Thanking Kelvin's team nearby, he graciously nods and shakes their hand, then looks up to the stage, and with watery eyes says, "Thank you."

Kelvin nods, and at that moment, Professor Trouse comes over with the microphone. "Mr. Hobbs?"

Kelvin immediately stands, still somewhat stunned, "Professor Trouse," he mutters.

"Thank you for validating what I do here."

Kelvin tries to understand, then sees him extend his hand for congratulations. Kelvin reciprocates while the audience sits amazed at what they just witnessed.

49

A delivery truck pulls up to Mr. Spiffs' house. Moments later, the butler carries a package to Mr. Spiffs Senior. He begins to open it and finds a thick report of his son's company, 'Diamond Shapers'. He smiles.

In the city on the most prestigious floor, a secretary brings in a package to Oreleander. Opening it, he finds a thick report as well, 'Prefix Shipping.' He smiles, then looks further and finds another report enclosed, 'Net Star'. He looks at it all intriguingly then begins to peruse them both in detail.

Outside his home, Mr. Sanders opens his envelope, a report labeled, 'Retired Chairman and Founder'. He sighs, looking up with relief.

And in the center meeting area of the Templeton Private School of Business and Finance, Saches watches as Kelvin's name is being added to a long distinguished plaque. He nods in approval and points, "I'll see you next year."

Saturday, Oreleander eats breakfast with his son at the long table. "I really enjoyed looking over the books to your two companies Kelvin, very smart. I think I might even be able to steal some ideas."

Kelvin chuckles, "Thanks, Dad." He keeps eating his continental breakfast as thoughts churn in his mind. He looks up, "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"What did Mom mean?"

"Hmm..."

"When she said, be smart? What did she mean? Do I take that literally?" An expression of inquiry.

Oreleander takes the napkin and wipes his mouth, thinking of what to say. "Son, your Mom...she was very sick."

Kelvin ponders, then leans forward a bit, "Are you saying she didn't know what she was saying?"

Oreleander gives Kelvin a direct look, "She knew exactly what she was saying."

"What are you saying? This is my mother, what don't I know?"

Oreleander stands, "Let's get away from the table, Son." He holds out his hand, "Come on," motioning with his arm held out.

They walk out onto the patio. Kelvin looks up seeing his father is having trouble wording what's on his mind. He waits patiently, then his father begins to tell, "Your mother blames herself for dying. She never was able to receive forgiveness; that only hurt her all the more."

"No, no, all Mom talked about was forgiveness. That God forgave." He shakes his head, "No, I can't believe that." He holds up his hand in refusal.

"Your Mom, she did a lot of things she wasn't proud of when she was younger, before I met her." Kelvin sees pain on his father's face. Then his father looks at him grimacing strongly, "She never was able to forgive herself."

Kelvin turns uneasy, "What are you saying, Dad?"

"I'm saying," a reluctant posture, "your mom had a past before I met her. It never bothered me, but she was never able to let go of it...or the damage it procured." Kelvin stays listening intently. "I loved her like it never was a part of her. I actually never saw it on her. I saw what you saw, a beautiful woman with light beaming from the inside. But things were happening underneath the surface that I couldn't see, much less fix. Your Mom, she worked in an industry that," sighs with a grimace, "ended up taking the life out of her." He pauses then forces himself to speak, "Son, your Mom was in the adult entertainment industry."

Kelvin's stomach falls, blood drains from his face. Immediately he feels numb and begins to cry uncontrollably; collapsing to his knees for lack of strength in his legs.

Oreleander stays quiet, knowing Kelvin's world is breaking apart.

Kelvin looks up and screams, "You tell me this now!"

Oreleander raises his voice, "When would have been a better time? Please, tell me!" he sighs. "I wished I'd never had to tell you this. Truth is, I wasn't going to tell you, ever. But it's been almost eight years and you still love your mother, so do I. I felt you deserved to know. I'm telling you now."

Kelvin is on the ground weeping.

"What I think your Mom meant when she told you to be smart is to be smart. To not make the mistakes she made when she was younger. She didn't want anything to catch up with you later. She wasn't looking at the boy when she said that, she was looking to the man." Oreleander only hears weeping out of Kelvin. He touches his shoulder and gently walks away. Kelvin is destroyed.

Doctor Tuttle sees Kelvin looking out the window, just staring. He arises from his desk and walks over compassionately.

"I want you to remember something, it may be of no use now, but later it might do some good." Kelvin cocks his head back a bit letting the doctor know he has his attention. "The bible teaches if the fruits are good, the tree is good. And Bathsheba, well, she definitely had a regrettable past, but she did finish her story with Solomon, a very wise man and builder of the temple. Maybe there was redemption for her after all."

Kelvin stays still a few moments, then appreciatively nods. With a choke in his words, he manages to utter, "Doctor Tuttle, you would have made a great therapist."

The doctor lifts his hand, "Argh, heck no, I like books." He returns to his chair. "You just so happen to be interesting." Kelvin chuckles, still sad, but chuckles.

Oreleander remembers a certain day of the year and now is enroute to a cemetery. Pulling up, he is about to get out but finds someone had already beat him there. He sees Kelvin standing at his mother's tombstone with flowers, the little boy inside.

Kelvin stares down, on the verge of tearing up, "I wish you were here. If you were here, I would tell you," he looks up thinking, "that I forgive you, and that God forgives you. Maybe that would be enough for you to forgive yourself." He wipes a tear, then takes a moment and puts the flowers by the tombstone.

In the limo, Oreleander is in thought. Then tells the driver, "Let's come back later."

The car quietly leaves.

50

A new day does arrive. Kelvin walks through the mansion happily finding his father who's reading instructions on how to make a milkshake. Kelvin approaches, watching this strange behavior.

"What's up, Son?" his father mumbles.

Kelvin is still looking at the title to this recipe. "A pineapple milkshake, hmm..., sounds like a once in a lifetime drink."

"If I make it wrong, it will be," he chuckles.

Pondering for a few minutes, Kelvin asks, "Dad...have you ever thought of getting married again?" Oreleander looks at him. Kelvin adds, "You're a good man. I think more people should see it."

His father stands back giving him a stare, wondering, "Are you sure about this?"

He nods, "I'm sure."

"Okay."

Kelvin makes his way to leave then halts, and glances back, "Anyway, there's no marriage in heaven. You may as well enjoy it down here on earth."

"Is that right?" he laughs watching Kelvin leave with a smile.

Oreleander doesn't waste any time. The following Sunday, he's already prancing with his new found lady friend to his rusted heap and waving back at Kelvin.

Kelvin watches with a grin.

51

During business hours, Kelvin and Saches are hanging out in their tree house. One that costs 16 million dollars and has wings, presently sitting in a hangar. That's what they always called their tree house, a hangout inside whatever plane Oreleander owns at the time; this one is a subsonic corporate jet with all the beverages and snacks they could enjoy.

Kelvin looks around the inside of the plane feeling the stained trim with the back of his fingers. In loose bantering, he states, "God, I'm so happy I don't have fly first class. Would you believe that airports actually charge people parking for their cars?" He shakes his head. "I'm so thankful."

Saches nods, already thinking about something, "So, you're Mom," lifting his eyebrows.

"Yes." Still gazing at the inside of the plane.

"Are you going to be okay?"

He takes a moment to ponder, "I think so. I don't know. I was riding a wave of lies all this time. Now the wave has broken." He looks over, "There is something very evil at the core of pornography. Its key purpose is deception, it's the very gateway to Satan himself." He looks forward pondering, "I've come to the conclusion all pornography is violent. It is kept alive by the hidden root of low self worth, lied to the masses that money and selfishness is the allure, those are only the puppets. Whatever side you're on, pornography's stronghold in you is most likely low self esteem. I was so blind." He closes his eyes momentarily etched with pain, "How disgusted I am to think I actually needed this to feel good about myself." He slowly opens, veering his gaze out the window, "Sadly, this story is nothing new, it was first broadcast in the Garden of Eden." He shakes his head astounded, opening up a new bag of peanuts.

Saches grimaces in a consoling manner, looks down, then lifts his head and leans forward, "I need you to save me from this stuff. All of this pornography stuff."

"Only Jesus could save, Saches." He coldly looks away and out the oval window.

Saches raises his voice a few octaves, "You're my Jesus right now, you know!" Kelvin looks at him then looks away again, almost uncaring like. Saches continues, "I see it on you, or don't see it on you anymore that is. And that was even before you found out about your mother. Get me to where you are. Get me the hell out of here!"

Kelvin still faces away and looks down considering everything, then turns back to Saches who eagerly awaits his response. "This weakness that haunts you, do you really want to rid yourself of it? Do you really want to face it?"

"Yes! It's killing me!"

"That's not enough. Guilt," he shakes his head, "is not enough." He casually lifts his hand, "People will defend their outlets of lust, even let their sin speak for them, reasoning, justifying. People will live with weakness as long as they don't have to let it go." In a pause, he looks at Saches with intensity, "What are you willing to do to not have this in your life?"

"Die!" Slamming his hand down.

Kelvin studies his face, looking at him discerningly, "You almost sound convincing," he grimaces. "This would be for good. No turning back. Are you really serious or do you still want to hold onto this a little while longer. I promise, I won't tell anyone."

Saches looks at Kelvin angrily, then gets in his face and grabbing him by his jacket, starts shaking him like a mad man, "I'm as serious as a guillotine. You hear me? Help me!"

Kelvin stares up at him seeing how his friend is coming apart like a cheap shirt. He holds up his hand for Saches to hold on, then gets up and starts walking out of the plane. He stops, looks back, "First things first, follow me."

And as they come out of the plane into the hangar, Kelvin begins to instruct. "You have to remember something about pornography." His voice turning increasingly authoritative.

Saches nods waiting, "Alright."

"Pornography, it wants something. It's after something. While your eyes are busy over here, it's behind you, over there," he points behind him at other aircraft, "there, there, and there, killing you, destroying you, robbing from you the very presence of God, or rather your awareness of it. It's after something, something you have, something in your future that you may not even know about. And if you let it build a fort in your mind, it will take it all, all you have. I promise you, pornography will take it. Satan has brought down champions before, he'll take whatever he's looking for in your life too if you allow him. And when he takes, he also destroys you in the process." He grabs Saches' collar making sure he's listening, "Remember that well, pornography, Satan's worker, is after something. Always remember that, and you'll stay clear headed." He gives him a serious look as he backs away.

Kelvin points at him, "I don't want you to be under the lie that you're in this mess by chance because you stumbled on some picture one day or there was a creep-a-zoid in your life when you were younger. Satan targeted you, it was strategic, and it was personal. There are billions of people in this world that couldn't care less about pornography, but this onslaught was on us, do you know why? Because there's something Satan wants."

Saches takes it all in, "Got it, what's next?"

"Now, I'm going to attack you."

"Wha-" He responds but immediately has to block a punch from Kelvin, then an other, then an other, all to his face. Saches barely gets enough time to regroup to get out of the way.

"Are you crazy?" But Kelvin keeps coming at him. Round kicks, anything and everything going after Saches strong. Every martial arts move at his disposal to put Saches down.

Saches yells out, "What's wrong with you? Did you lose your mind!" But he has no time to talk since Kelvin is trying to kill him, turning this into a fierce offense defense match."

Kelvin's father walks by outside with some business associates, looks inside the hangar, shakes his head and keeps walking, talking to his entourage.

The guys cleaning the planes stop their work, and begin taking bets. 50's music plays in the background.

Kelvin is getting some punches in, connecting enough to hurt poor younger Saches. Relentless, he does not stop charging after his friend.

Saches finally gives him a push back, "I don't know what's wrong with you," he tries to talk through his heavy breathing, "but you're about to have something else to think about if you don't stop."

Kelvin doesn't even hear him. Suddenly he lunges forward and Saches does a few special moves and ends up hitting Kelvin downwardly striking his hip strong. Kelvin yells up in agony and collapses hard onto the white painted ground. Curling into a ball, he holds his hip while his face tries to yell but the pain is too immeasurable.

Saches is looking down at him baffled, then screams at him frustratingly, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Hands waving in the air.

In the background, one cleaning guy is paying another, while the other workers walk away laughing. Next fifties song plays.

Kelvin is still on the clean ground with moans echoing throughout the hangar, unable to speak.

"Why did you do that?"

Kelvin waves him down as to help him up. Saches is completely confused and reluctantly begins to help, almost carrying him. Then Kelvin struggles to speak. "I wanted to see...argh! I wanted to see if there was a fighter in there," he taps Saches chest, "or just someone who knows all the right moves."

Saches bounces back amazed, profoundly shaken in his understanding as he sees what Kelvin was doing. Suddenly Kelvin can't stay standing and crashes down again in excruciating pain. His posture exhibiting great suffering. "I think you cracked the bone...fracture."

Saches just stands there, looks up, shakes his head then screams down at Kelvin, "Must everything with you be the extreme?"

After a few short breaths, "I'm sorry to say, yes." Slamming his open palm a few times on the ground with accompanied painful yells.

Saches drops his head in his hand in disbelief.

52

Walking along on a hill, well Saches is, Kelvin holds his side proceeding with a slight limp. "The answer Saches is in here," pointing inside him, "not out here. Yes, put a filter, guard those around. Accountability, fine. But all those are all out here, you're answer is in there." Another point to his chest. "Make sure to identify and stop all the undercurrents of the world's spirit into your heart as to not sway you if temptation strikes."

Saches understands and waits to ask. "When this...does finally happen, put distance between me and this thing, how will I know? How will I know it's really gone?"

"You'll know," Kelvin keeps walking confidently, looking around.

Saches yells, as he tries to keep up, "Yes, but how?"

Kelvin stops to catch his breath, then speaks words intense, "Because even in your best attempts, there was nothing you could ever add." He gives him a serious look, "It was beyond you." Looking away, Kelvin lowers his eyes and mutters, "Not based on any works lest any man could boast." After a few moments of pondering, he turns adamantly back around to Saches, then with strong words and slightly getting in his face, he angrily voices, "In this, you get no glory!" And turns right around and keeps walking as if having somewhere to go.

Saches is frozen, lost in thought, mouth hanging open. He looks up then runs to catch up to Kelvin.

"Wait! What if it returns?"

Kelvin ponders, staring at the faraway trees, seeing a picture of himself in the woods holding up the Sword of the Spirit. He turns back to Saches, "You never, ever, trust the enemy to keep peace."

Saches looks within himself, then looks back up to Kelvin with confidence.

Kelvin looks out to the horizon, "Don't worry, you will be tempted again. Probably on a day when you feel life on a low point. You have to understand the enemy will want to use all the momentum you've created over the years. Simulate that you're still bound. But don't believe it. It's a lie. The momentum will end. If he tries to tempt you, he can only tempt you on the outside, not from within. He has lost that footing because he won't have anything inside you anymore. The truth dealt with anything that was inside you. His pull is gone. And if pornography does come around again, make sure it doesn't find an open door into your life." He explains with his hands, "Hold fast, and you'll see how fleeting your temptation is. And if it does happen to be a powerful temptation, then know, Satan is trying to stop you from receiving revelation. Because once you have revelation, you will have elevation," he points, "in Christ."

Kelvin continues, "Take care of things in the spirit and you won't have to worry about things in the natural." He looks away, afar, muttering, "As of now, Satan knows better than to bring his deception around me, it's not in his best interests." He turns back to Saches, "Enforce what Jesus finished." He points at him, "Jesus already paid for your deliverance." He looks away, "Newsflash to the world, you're already free and Satan has been making you think you're not, this way you'll always be grasping at air seeking deliverance. Saches, you're not the bound trying to get free, you're the free and Satan has been making it appear like you're bound. And it's going to be up to you to learn and receive knowledge from God's word, then with your authority make Satan want to keep out of your life." He grins which after a quick ponder turns to a grimace, "Sadly, many prisoners will not even pick up a bible and see all that is written, all that God did; they trust their spiritual leader and not surprisingly always seek an easy way out, a magic card of sorts. They'll never get it." Then a lightheartedness wells up in Kelvin belting out a hardy laugh, "Ha, ha, but we will also have champions, like you will be soon Saches, like God already made you," he nods, "who refuse to walk this earth carrying shackles with chain links dragging on the ground behind them, and will supercede anyone, anything, for divine revelation from God knowing deeply that your true value has already been given to you by God." His laugh simmers, "One last thing...wait, excuse me," he turns to laugh all the more, then manages to compose himself and return, "by the way, don't ever let the devil make you feel bad because of temptation. Surprisingly," a lift of a brow, "you might actually be doing something right."

Saches' jaw hangs open, He manages to say, "Thank you."

Kelvin is forced to grin, "You're welcome."

53

Standing at the cemetery, Kelvin's persona is dramatically peaceful. He smiles as he begins to speak. "Like God showed David Mom, you can't come to me anymore," he takes a moment to smile, "but I can go to you. One day, someday. So look for me, Mom. Look for me." Staying a few more moments, he uses all his strength and walks away.

Finishing an ice cream cone in the park, Kelvin happens to see the girl he remembers from the support group now walking towards him. He throws the ice cream cone away and waits for her to near.

As she approaches, he holds out his hand a bit, "Wait." The girl looks at him a touch startled, surprised anyone even spoke to her. He calmly tells, "You don't have to," eyeing her as she slows to a stop. She looks at him suspiciously. "I remember you, from the group."

The girl finally recalls and turns embarrassed looking to leave. He watches her go, letting her. After a few moments, he calls out, "Has any other man died for you?"

The girl freezes in her tracks and looks down, shivering as if she's cold.

He approaches her, getting in front of her, "What more would Jesus have to do?" His intensity noticeable in his expression.

"You're scaring me."

"You can't let being scared stop you from seeking your answer. You have to believe an answer exists before you ask."

She cries out, "You don't understand."

"Because you're a girl," he nods.

"You don't know my past! Magnify the guilt you would have times ten. I'm amazed I can even tie my shoes some days."

Kelvin looks at her confidently, "God loves you."

"Well, I..." she has to look away.

"It's His love. Not man's love." He points up, "His love is everything." He speaks to her compassionately. "Receive His love, it's enough...even for you to forgive yourself." He pauses a moment, "Don't beat yourself up."

The girl is tearing. He continues, "For what it's worth, the shame you feel, it's not even yours. Someone is putting it on you. Don't take ownership."

She looks up frozen as he's about to leave.

"Who are you?"

He pauses and turns back. After a quick ponder he acknowledges, "I'm the sinner Jesus paid for...now I'm His servant." He steps forward, puts a hand on her elbow a moment, then turns around and leaves. The girl watches him walk the long pathway ahead of him, admiration evident.

She looks up to the sky. The dark cloud that had plagued her countenance is no where to be found, only the warmth of gentle sunlight falling softly bringing with it new tears to roll down her face.

54

Kelvin cruises with his father in the ol' heap. Saches happily riding along in the backseat looking around, a new experience for him. And Oreleander is deliberating.

"Hmm...wait, why am I driving?" he asks wondering.

Kelvin looks over puzzled, "Well, you have the license."

"Okay, first thing tomorrow, both of you are getting licenses, permits. What do you expect, to be driven around the rest of your life?"

Kelvin and Saches are grinning.

"Sorry Dad, I guess we weren't thinking."

"Yeah," he points forward, "first thing tomorrow we'll take care of that. I got a girlfriend now. I can't be chauffeuring around the boys when my girl wants to spend time with me." He looks at Kelvin. Kelvin then looks at Saches. This has completely caught them off guard. "In fact!" Oreleander begins to say...

Screech!

The car pulls over on a dime. A moment later, the two boys are being pushed out of the car looking back confused at Oreleander's behavior.

Oreleander leans over and shuts the door behind them with a playful smile, "I'm going to go see if my girlfriend wants to hang out, ha!" He looks forward again and skids out, taking off racing the engine until he's out of sight.

Kelvin and Saches are shocked.

Saches looks around to find they're in some little town somewhere on some road. "What just happened?"

Kelvin is still looking down the road, "I've never seen that."

"Now what?"

Kelvin lifts his eyebrows baffled, looks both ways and starts walking the way they were heading.

Saches checks his pockets, "Argh, no phone, and no coins, not that we could find a payphone anymore anyway."

Kelvin laughs, Saches catches up.

"Oh man," Kelvin laughs, "I just remembered, I never prayed for Mr. Sander's salvation."

"You want to pray now?"

"Is there a better time?"

Saches motions for him to go ahead.

Kelvin about to start, pauses and looks over, "Wait, I have your agreement, right?"

"Yes! Go already."

"Alright," he grins, "Heavenly Father, we come before you on behalf of Mr. Sanders-"A car blows by with loud music and teenagers screaming out the window at them, but it doesn't faze Kelvin at all, he just sort of waves. "We pray that you reach out to him, open his eyes so he can see the saving message of the Gospel, not just words on a page. We also pray Father that he can sense your love and acceptance and learns about your finished work and finds his life in you. We put our trust in you to do this, all for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen."

"Amen."

"Well," he looks around, "I feel better. What do you want to do now?"

"Do you know what? I really don't know, except walk on this road I've never been on." Motioning forward.

"Well Saches, I guess we're at the beginning again."

"What? I don't know what that means! What in the world does that mean?"

"I don't know," he chuckles.

"Hey, did you ever find out about that loaf of bread thing?

"Yeah, I did."

#### The End

Extra

Flowing just above the clouds at .85 mach, rides a very happy young man. His father, Orleander, had ordered a new jet, a lavish G650ER, but wasn't able to pick it up so he asked his son to do him the favor. Kelvin was more than accommodating.

Very cognoscente of the fact that most people would never even experience such an experience, his perspective of his world begins to expand. Entranced by the clouds below him, a heavenly picture to be sure, his mind recollects to a recent conversation with the eloquent Doctor Tuttle.

Standing in the good doctor's study, Kelvin leans in with a grin, "Doctor Tuttle, what can you tell me about heaven?"

Doctor Tuttle stares at him then suddenly breaks out in laughter. Kelvin only watches intrigued. "Well, to start with, we'll have to re-discuss your fee." His hearty jolly continues as if a gusher blew.

"My fee? Hmm..." he looks away.

"Yeah, I don't think you could afford me."

"Just for fun," a smile escapes, "give me a quote."

"Well, let me think. Jesus is seated in heavenly places, where my affections are set may I add. His glory encapsulating the whole area, and in that area we find no shadows and the gold there is transparent. The gold is so pure, it's actually transparent. It's like it's not even there!"

"Is that right?"

"That's right! You got anything like that big guy?" he points up to him.

Kelvin holds a smirk, "Doctor Tuttle, you're tempting me."

Doctor Tuttle begins to grin widely then boisterously laughs again filling the room. Kelvin politely joins in with accompanied nods and smiles while still leaning forward on the desk .

After a few moments, Kelvin sobers up, "Seriously, how much?"

As his thoughts return back to sitting inside the plane, he grins, then suddenly picks up the phone and dials.

"Doctor's Tuttle's office," a scratchy secretary's voice inquires.

"This is Kelvin Hobbs hoping to speak to Doctor Tuttle."

"Mr. Hobbs, Doctor Tuttle was expecting your call, please hold."

He looks away wondering as a serious of clicks fills his ear, Expecting my call?

"Doctor Tuttle here."

"I can tell through the phone you're already smiling."

"Well, happy is the man that finds wisdom the bible says."

"Yes. As a matter of fact Doctor Tuttle, let me tell you where I am right now. I'm in the most advanced and luxurious commercial jet available to man at this point in time, my clothes costs more than most people's cars and this morning I received one of my trusts funds, but I still find myself with more room to be happy. Is there anyway you can help me with that, Doctor?"

"Gosh darn it, I really would love to help you out buddy, but the true things of God can't be paid for."

"Perhaps you can point me in the right direction."

"Yeah, I don't know. I tell you, then you tell someone else, and before we know it, the cleaning lady is telling me what took a lifetime to learn."

"I love a challenge, Doctor."

"Ha!"

"I really would like to know what else I could learn."

"Just open your bible, it's filled with amazing things Jesus did, and that you could do too. Remember, Jesus walked the earth as an anointed man, not as God. A lot of people don't realize that. They think, 'well, that was Jesus, how am I supposed to do that?' But they have the same Spirit, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. You ask most people who they identify with in the bible and they throw out names like Joseph, or David, and many times it's Job. They can't identify with Jesus because they don't think they could walk like him even though 1st John 2:6 says they can."

"See Doctor, right there, I would like more of that. I'm already starting to feel happier."

"I'm sorry, my spiritual life is not for sale. Seek Jesus on your own, work out your own salvation. Gotta go, bye."

Kelvin hears a click and realizes he is disconnected, and not only that, disappointed as well. He really thought the Doctor would be open to some sort of compensation.

Thirty-minutes pass and the Doctor's phone rings again. He picks it up. "Let me guess?"

"Doctor Tuttle, you're a smart man."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"That wasn't flattery. I understand your stance, to apply a monetary value for such precious knowledge is practically insulting, I apologize greatly. I also see that any monetary amount is not even a comparison to what you contain. So I figured I would match you and hope that you concur."

"Kelvin, I'm sorry, I just don't feel I can share what God has shown me with-"

"Hear me out please, Doctor."

"Okay, hurry it up though, it's double chicken wings lunch day at Chicken Central. I never miss a day."

"I didn't know you like wings."

"I would grow my own if I could."

"Funny you mention wings. I took the liberty of scheduling a ride for you on an F15 Eagle Fighter Jet, tomorrow. And you don't even have to go through the security check and physical which takes weeks. And Doctor Tuttle, I hope you accept, you'll never have to go on an amusement park ride again." Silence is heard over the phone. "Doctor?" He looks at the phone. "Doctor, are you still there? Doctor?"

"I accept!"

Kelvin smiles, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "That's good to hear."

"Wait, in one condition."

"Name it."

"That I can give the pilot my sister's address and we can do a really fast flyover right over her roof. That'll really get her kids hysterical!"

Kelvin shakes his head in astonishment, "That's all you want? Well, then I should get off the phone now so I can call the F.A.A. Give them a heads up there's going to be some noise over...where does she live?"

"Edgewater, New Jersey."

"Edgewater. My secretary will call you with your itinerary, Doctor."

"Yeah!" he cheers. I'm excited!"

"Oh, and Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"I suggest you forego breakfast tomorrow."

"Wooooooooooooohooooooooooooooo!"

And the Doctor hangs up the phone.

Kelvin slowly returns the handset to the holder staying in a posture of deep thought. Slowly he begins to nod, then smile, "Okay, now I'm feeling happier."

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