Chapter 13: Psychics and Other Pretenders

“Little Kevin lived out in the woods east of town when he turned up missing,” Frank Li said, “So they asked psychics to join the search. The psychics said a lot of things in my hearing that their demons told them. Why didn't anybody ever find them?”

“What they call psychics are people who believe in a lot of strange things, Frank,” I said and my wife nodded. “Sometimes we are able to help. Sometimes not.”

“Such things attract a lot of charlatans and evil creatures on their way to hell,” my wife said, “It isn't a sure thing even for the psychics, but sometimes there is no other way. And some of them listen only to us, but mostly they listen to demons and devils pretending to be one of us. You saw what they call the face of death. You know who it was that was there when he disappeared. You recognized him. And he knows it.”

“The face of death?” Frankie asked.

“Do you remember that guy that ran into the side of a semi on a motorcycle when you worked under your brother at Right Price Gas?” I asked.

“He saw your face and knew you were going to be the last person he saw alive,” my wife said. “That was when your face was the face of death. It could be anyone's face. But sometimes the one that dies knows who it was they saw last. You asked to know who saw him last. You saw who Kevin saw.”

“Was it the murderer?” Kevin asked.

“No man has ever found him in all these years,” I said, “They know what happened to him, but I don't know what They are up to.”

“I saw that empty logging truck with the clanging metal hook on a long cable too,” Frank said, “Do you think I should have told someone? They thought I was in an episode. In other words they never would have believed me anyway. It must have been him. He could hardly hear the clanging and they said he was very hard of hearing. And those things make a lot of noise. You can hear them for a very long ways and he was close enough to see the entire truck. He was just trying to catch the dog the last I saw of him and they found the dog. It's picture was the same one in the paper. Why was he talking to me?” Frank Li said.

“He trusted you,” my wife said, “Was he even alive when you saw him?”

“He seemed to be,” Frank Li said, “But he never said anything. He just showed me what he saw. It troubled me a lot. That's why they thought I was in an episode and I was off my medication at the time!”

“So that is what They are up to!” I said and my wife nodded.

“What?” Frank asked.

But we knew he couldn't understand yet, not here.

“What?” Frank asked, wondering whether he had done something wrong.

“He's alive, Frank Li,” my wife said, “The rest is difficult to understand unless you know the entire story.”

“Kevin's alive!” Frank said, assuming they meant with Them. Then he wondered whether he might still be on earth and was troubled again.

“Just leave it to Them, Frank,” I said and his mind cleared again.

“When the Light was here, He commanded the demons to leave and they did,” Frank said. “Psychics seem to think their special when it's obvious no mere human could do what they do. When you even just think about things like what they do you're inviting them in, aren't you?

“Let's just say, People like that could ask the Light and He could spare them a lot misery. But what humans won't do for money doesn't amount to much. It does seem a bit foolish when you think about it though, doesn't it, Frank?” I said.

“Psychics probably shouldn't do that stuff,” Frank said, “Especially since even I know you can ask Them anything you want. I don't understand how they get so deceived.”

“Some are encouraged to do it from the time they're born,” my wife said.

“He'll answer your questions even when you're considered to be in an episode too,” Frank said and we could feel his amazement. “That pretender on the 700 Club got me in so much trouble it wasn't funny when I was off my medication that time. He hates sinners so much! I hope he changes before They come to him or he won't even know Them when he sees Them. Them guys try I think, but when you think you're an expert on Someone who is thee Expert and not you, perhaps even you should think you're a liar. Why don't they do like my writer and claim what they're doing is merely fiction. Don't they tempt Them by doing what they do in Their name?”

“I would think so,” my wife said.

“Pat does tend to say things that hard to believe by anyone who is not-?” I said,

“A pretender?” Frank said.

“You said it,” I said losing my patience a little, “I didn't.”

“I suppose it works for some of them,” Frank said, “But if you're just pretending you're entire life you never were what you were always pretending to be when you die. It doesn't work like an alcoholic at all. If they pretend they are alcoholics who don't take another drink, they succeed. When they pretend that and die never having another drink, it turns out that was true. Even pretending you know Jesus all your life means you never knew him in the end, if you die while you're still pretending. You don't have to be him to know that doesn't work. And the things they do and say in his name prove they have no idea who he was not to mention who he is. You can't ever be real pretending to be what you actually think is a fairytale anyway, no matter how much it means to you.

But the worst thing they do is to rationalize what happens next is an answer to prayer from Them when what they are praying for is only something found in their vain imaginings anyway. I'm all for thanking Them for everything, but thanking Them for giving one more vain stuff to satisfy their own vanity, that doesn't take even a child long to be misled by that insanity.

You can't ever get to know Them by pretending to. That's all there is to it. Even They can't do something with things that never were anything, are not now anything real, and never will be anything. When I come out of this coma they say I'm in, I'd love to be able to tell them how phony they really were before they die. They dress up on Sunday or Saturday even and try to fool everybody, the congregation, the visitors, and Them they are somebody. Their is no humility in it. It's all vanity. When they are tried by the Light, will there be anything left when their little bubbles burst? I don't think so.”

“Some get tired of pretending before they die, Frank Li,” I said, “And they wake up and see the truth of who They are!”

“Maybe, but that never was in my experience,” Frank Li said, “They're so busy believing they're saved they won't believe anything that leads them anywhere near the truth. A preacher like that would get fired before the month was out. Barring a miracle they don't all miss it ain't going to happen either. I know just as well as I know what I'm saying that if they do ever listen they will be the last ones to do it. Very few can apply the principles their apostate preachers tell them to the Holy Bible let alone tell anyone anything their preachers tell them to say. Even the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis did that. And they were probably just as much into hate as the pretenders pretend not to be.”

“Who are you prophesying to, Frank?” my wife asked.

“Is that what I was doing?” Frank asked.

“Yes,” she said, “But be very careful when you prophesy, Frank Li,” she warned, “How many false prophets you do think are where They are?”

“A lot of them if all those pretend churches, preachers and denominations out there are turning out prophets at all these days?” he said.

“You have me convinced, Frank Li,” I said, “But what about the pretenders as you call them that would eventually get real about it?”

“They will make it anyway,” Frank said, “If they would do that they won't listen to apostate preachers anymore than preachers they believed were telling the truth. And if they do that they won't feel like they belong in any church. They must not stay long. I never met a one like me in a church anyway. They are just like the merely human. They're all into materialism, sex, and hate, just like apostates just pretend they're not.”

“Could he be right?” my wife asked me.

I shrugged.