The Road to Damascus

Aiden travels the road to Damascus when he comes across some other travelers.

Martyr

By:  John Medlin

The hot and arid sun shone down over the rocky ground on the road to Damascus. The land stretched on, seemingly forever, except for a mountain that could be seen in the distance, towering above the barren waste. A road lie among this plain, worn down from years of travelers and merchants making their way to and fro from this marvel of a city. A solitary figure traveled the path. He wore the clothes of a peasant. Sandals that hardly stayed on his feet and a tunic that showed signs of wear. Despite the heat and blistered feet this man walked with his head high as if he had all the money in the world. His keen eye swept the barren waste , and in it he found beauty . As if God had painted this terrain with a brush, his eye keen to capture each detail in each grain of sand.

 

Behind him, three others traveled. They moved in a v formation. The man in the lead was a relatively short one. His nose was crooked, and his brown hair was at a fray, but his

posture said that he was in charge . Behind him were the other two. Both of unintelligible looks, one being slightly taller than the other. They both looked as if they were related. The three’s pace was quick, and in no time they caught up with the lone man . The short man came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Aiden?” 

The traveler turned to face the shorter man and his two companions. “Oh! Hello fellow traveler. I apologize, but I cannot return with a proper greeting for I don’t know your name.”

 “Oh that is hardly a surprise as we’ve yet to have formally met. We were in Jordan where you spoke last.”

“Ah! Jordan. That was a mighty powerful message that was delivered there. God moved in a great way.”

“Is it true that you were at the sermon on the temple mount?”

“That would be true indeed. I heard the ruckus inside the temple.  Arrived to hear one of the most powerful sermons of my life. I came to know God that day. He changed my life,” said Aiden with a smile as he recalled the events of that wonderful day.

 “Sounds as such.” The traveler wrapped his arm around Aiden’s neck and the two walked side by side, the two other men following not too far behind. “May I ask you a question real quick?” 

“Of course,” said Aiden in a friendly tone.

“What would it take for you to denounce this God you speak so highly of?”

Aiden laughed softly, but upon looking in the man’s eyes realized the question was not a joke.  The smile crept off his face. “Nothing can separate me from the Lord my God. He has delivered me from the life of sin I used to live and for that I will stay with him always.”

 “Why stay pure for God? With him, you cannot drink the finest wine. You cannot bed the best harlots. Why sacrifice the best this world has to offer when you can live for the world today and live for him come a time for death.” 

“Because that’s not the way it should be. Jesus came to this world and died on the

cross for my sins.  He gave his life for me. The least I could do is live my life for him.” 

The traveler shook his head. “I was afraid you would say something like that.” He swung his fist into Aiden’s torso.  The breath whooshed out of his lungs as he fell to the ground. 

The traveler knelt down next to Aiden and grabbed a handful of his hair. “A lot of people don’t feel the same way as you about this God. Some would say it’s a little bit of an annoyance. They just wish to go about their business, but the ranting and ravings of lunatics like you cloy the streets with simple minded pedestrians. We can’t have that now can we?” 

Aiden said nothing. He clawed at his chest struggling to get a breath. The traveler went on. “What I ask is simple. You stop this whole charade. Denounce your God and go home and everything will be so much better for the both of us. Don’t you agree?” 

Finally, a rush of air came into Aiden’s lungs. He looked over as best he could manage with the man holding his hair. “I apologize but nothing you could ever do to me could make me denounce my King.”

The traveler shook his head as his hand reached behind him and grabbed a sizable rock from the ground. He rose to his feet pulling Aiden with him. He looked towards his companions. “Well. We gave him his chance.” The man swung the rock, smashing it across Aiden’s cheek with full force. The man collapsed on the ground, a splash of blood spilling onto the road. 

“Leave the last blow for me,” said the traveler.  Like wolves just released into a meadow of sheep, the goons bore down on Aiden with a flurry of blows.  Aiden cried for rescue, trying to curl into a ball, but the blows came swift.  His bones snapped and his body bruised. In no time, his voice failed him.  He suffered through the beating in silence. The traveler watched the whole ordeal with an apathetic gaze.

 Finally, he raised his hand. “Enough!” The men stopped. 

Their breath was labored. Blood flowed profusely from Aiden’s many wounds and his breath came in ragged huffs. His face was swollen beyond recognition. The man walked over to the broken from and knelt down again. He cupped Aiden’s face with his hand. “Are you truly willing to lay your life down for this God?” 

Aiden tried to speak , but his voice failed him. He tried again. “I lay down my life for God weeks ago,” said Aiden in a raspy voice.  

The traveler stared at Aiden’s eye . Though his face was swollen past recognition, he could see the trail a tear made as is flowed through the blood that was fresh on his face. “I hope you find peace with your God.”  He pulled out a knife and with a fluid moment ended Aiden with a slice across the throat. 

He remained there for a moment and watched as the life drained from the young man. “Saul, shouldn’t we keep moving? We still have one more stop before we reach Damascus.”

Saul rose to his feet as he wiped the blood from his blade and tucked it back into its home. “Yes, we’re done here.”

“What of the body?” Asked the other man.

“Leave it as a message for these Christ followers to let them know that Saul is coming.”

The blood seeped out of Aiden's body.  The men simply scoffed, then turned away.  Aiden looked after them.  Their forms danced with the raising heat.  Lines blurred.  He smiled as he rolled to his back.  I guess this is it.  I have run the race. I have kept the faith.... I am finished......

Author's Note

This is another old one. I wrote it about three years ago for a competition. It scored pretty well. Any ways you could see for it to improve? Im sure its riddled with grammatical nonsense.

Reviews

[Alucard6336]

I understood it well. Is Saul supposed to be the man later known as Paul in the bible?

I chose this specifically for it's title and I feel this is one very nice piece if work that stands as a testament. Honestly. I like this so much I'm gonna read another one of your pieces. Bravo! :)

[John Elridge Medlin]

He is later known as Paul. This is one of my older pieces. I plan on going back and polishing it some. Maybe turn it into a short one act. Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed it.