LAST CHANCE INN

Based on a dream or vision of myself in the days of Jesus without being seen or heard. Tell the scriptures from a news reporter point of view

There was a sign out front which read LAST CHANCE INN. I decided to go in and check it out, it appeared to be a diner or cafe or something like the sort. There were 5 tables with four chairs at each table, I picked me a table in the corner and took a seat. A kindly old white-haired man came over and asked me if I wanted anything, I replied a coffee and he He came back with a pot of coffee and a cup, as he poured my cup I asked his name, he replied Gabriel, but asked me to call him Gabe for short, I told him mine. He reminded me of my grandfather, white hair, blue jeans, and a flannel shirt. We started talking and I asked how long the place had been here, he replied that he had just started so he didn’t know. From the looks of it had been here a while. The reason I didn’t see it during my yearly visits was that I never went through the normal entrance. I came in the back way and left the back way, I avoided people that way. That was my intention this time as well but a recent storm had the back roads closed so I had to use the main entrance. I told Gabe to pour himself a coffee since the place wasn’t busy and set a while, I actually was enjoying the conversation with this kind stranger. We talked about the area and its beauty, I explained that I had grown up close by and spent many a day here. Gabe replied that it was one of God’s many beautiful masterpieces. I thought to myself can’t I meet someone who doesn’t put God in everything. “God and I aren’t on speaking terms right now.” Gabe looked with a kind eye and said: “God will always be there when you want or need him.” I made myself smile as I knew he had good intentions but I still had to speak what was on my mind.” That may be true but with all the failures I’ve had in my life and people I’ve let down I just don’t feel the presence of God, I was always told that he had a purpose though I never discovered it I have discovered one for myself.” That seemed to strike a nerve with the kindly old gentleman.” God has a purpose for everyone if they will just look at all the good they have done and lives they affected, it may not seem like it but everyone’s life touches those around them and effects theirs. I looked at him with a beaten look and said.” I understand what you are saying but I’m just tired of failing.” Gabe must have sensed what I was going to do because he got a real serious look on his face.“Life is a precious gift and should be treasured, you might not see it now but without you, there would be a lot of sadness and heartbrokenness in those who love you or those ones yet to love you.” He asked me to just listen to what he had to say and then proceeded with reason after reason as to why I must not do what he thought I was going to do. I heard the sound of brakes and a car door slam shut. The door to the place opened and a fellow walked in and took a seat at the table next to me. Gabe gave him a glance but continued his conversation, though I had somewhat tuned him out. I noticed the tags on the strangers front bumper displayed the strangest name or something, it read A.C.CUSER! Gabe tapped me on the shoulder as he could tell I was zoned out. With the kindest of eyes and softest of voices, he said:” I hope I have given you something to think about but you have to decide for yourself.” With that, he left the room. The stranger looked my way and introduced himself as Mr. A.C. Cuser, he asked if he could move to my table, I nodded my head yes and he got up and came over and sat down. There was something different about him, Gabe was all nice and kindly looking, this fellow was too, but there was just something about him, I couldn’t figure it out, I just knew it was something I don’t know just something dark about him“All that stuff that old man was saying was all fine and good but you know the reality of your life better than him.” Evidently, he had been eavesdropping on Gabe’s and my conversation, he probably paid more attention to Gabe than I did.” What do you mean?’ I asked. He looked over his glasses and replied” All that purpose talk and love and being loved and being missed, you know by past experiences that all that is total nonsense, this so-called God he spoke of has always let you down same as you have always let people like your mother and father down, two marriages ending in divorce, not being there for your kids, friends, what it boils down to is you are just a failure.” He must have been doing some serious eavesdropping earlier because for any changing of my mind that Gabe had done if there was any this Mr. Cuser just reinforced my thought that my plan was the only thing to do. You ultimately have to decide if you want to at least be a success at something and you know what that something is. It will somewhat compensate for all of you failures.” With that, he rose and left. Gabe came back in the room noticed the other gentleman had left. “Did you know that man?” I asked. “Gabe replied,” I know of him, that’s all I’ll say.” Gabe looked at me sincerely and said” You have a decision to make, don’t make it lightly, think real hard about what I said, I know the other gentleman had things to say as well, but the ultimate decision is yours and yours alone, with that Gabe, left the room. I got up myself, headed towards the door and started my hike towards my destination whatever that may be, though I knew deep down inside my mind was made up. I may be walking into the falls, but I’m not going to be walking back out. Mr.Cuser left the building and Gabe came back into the dining area and said the strangest thing, something I’ll never forget. Every time this kind of situation comes up he always shows up to put in his two cents worth.” I’m guessing these two had some previous run-ins and didn’t like each other. Those words he spoke would make more sense as the things which I experienced unfolded.Gabe gave me a long look like he was reading my entire being, he then said some more haunting words.” I know what you have planned today, I wish I could prevent it but the decision is ultimately yours that’s how the Master designed it, just remember when the time comes to search your heart, you can always go home.” With that, he turned, left the room and that was the last I saw him, at least in the diner that is. With that, I got in my truck and left. I reached my destination, parked the truck and walked to my final destination. Just my usual luck it was full of people, and children at that. I noticed a lot of church buses which told me this was a vacation bible school trip, I had been on many to this spot as a youth even getting baptized in this very spot. I found me a secluded spot and watched the festivities, there was singing going on as kids and adults alike were going down into the water, A tear came to my eye as I remembered my baptism, but that was so long ago and it didn’t matter to me anymore.I waited in my spot until the last bus left, finally, I was alone. The sun was setting which always cast some beautiful scenery in this area, sometimes I wondered why I ever left it after tonight I would never leave it anymore. I started talking to myself apologizing for all my failures, not making excuses just apologies. I pictured my daughter's faces, I knew they would hurt for a while and for that I was sorry but hopefully with them thinking it was an accident and the money they would get the pain would ease over time, For anyone else I couldn’t be concerned with them, my time had come. I climbed to the top of the falls and looked over, then looked up to the heavens and said my final goodbyes and jumped. I must have hit a rock because I felt a bump on the head before blackness came. What happened after this, I cannot put into words so I will tell you just what happened. I came up out of the water, when I regained my senses I noticed a lot of people in the area again, I thought to myself the church people had come back, something was very different though.I was in a long line of people and they were wearing what looked like robes, not house robes but robes like in ancient time. I was too dressed in one as well, how that happened I haven’t a clue. The line moved and I moved with it, I could hear a voice crying out.”You brood of vipers! Who told you to flee from the coming wrath of God? What makes you think you can act as you repented and that God will accept you? Being a child of Abraham does not exempt you! Your dead religion is being chopped down like a dead tree, those who don’t change will be burned up with the dead tree!” I thought to myself this must be some sort of reenactment of some kind and somehow I got involved in it. Some man hollered out.” What must I do to be saved?” The previous voice replied.” If you have two coats give one to those who have none.” Another voice screamed.” I am a tax collector, what must I do?” The voice responded once again.” Collect no more than you are supposed to from your brothers, don’t line your pockets with their hard earned money!” The river was filling up quick, people screaming questions at the booming voice whose face I’ve yet to see. What appeared to be a couple of soldiers dressed in Roman uniforms walked up, I thought to myself that these re-enactors were going all out. One of them asked, ”Teacher, what should we do?” The voice as I have titled him replied, ”Don’t extort people or falsely accuse them. Be content with your pay and stop milking the people in town.” Then someone cried out, “John, are you the Messiah we have been told of and promised after all these years?” Then I saw the face and heard the name associated with the voice. A plain looking man dressed in a knee-length toga or tunic made out of some sort of animal hair, it was just something thrown together as it was very unkempt, kind of favored the attire of the caveman pictures in our school textbooks. He walked to the bank and replied,” No, I am not the. I’m just a voice in the wilderness telling you to make straight the way of the coming of the Lord. I baptize you with plain water, but the one after me will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit, I am not worthy to unlace his sandals. As he was screaming these people started pushing forward to get baptized, I then stood right in front of him next in line. I wanted to run but I couldn’t, something felt like it was holding me there, John uttered those words once again.” I baptize you with water for the remission of your sins,” and down I went. I came back up and turned to walk away and then it seemed like time stopped for every so brief of time though it seemed like forever. The man behind me froze John in his tracks then John asked the man,” What are you doing here?” “I’ve come to be baptized by you.” The man I now knew to be playing John replied. “Why? It is you who should be baptizing me!” The man who I’m assuming is playing the role of Jesus replied.” Let everything that is done in fulfilling the scriptures, then he bowed to his knees and was baptized by John. I was thinking that this re-enactment was very good then as we all stood there and a booming voice was heard saying,” This is my Son in whom I am well pleased!” Then what appeared to be a shadow of a dove appeared over the entire area, with that the man playing Jesus turned and walked away. I thought to myself, these people even have great special effects.The person playing the character of Jesus turned and went towards the riverbank and stepped out of the water and headed towards what appeared to be a wasteland, I thought to myself that this church had spared no expense in their set. Lots more people pushed and shoved their way to get baptized by the man called John. I went to the riverbank and set and watched the festivities. I thought back on my own baptism at age fifteen, I had the same glow then as I seen on these people now and even myself but the afterglow soon fades and reality steps in. In my church life of trying to live right, I learned that Satan doesn’t really bother you until after a baptism then you learn of his all-out attacks. I was debating what to do as the day's events were winding down. I started trying to put all this together and it just didn’t add up. I went to the falls, dinner at the Inn, had two very strange conversations with two very different people, hiked to my destination, watched a church function, said my goodbyes to the world then jumped and now this. I then replayed the events in my mind since I came out of the water. I then decided to ask a person setting close to me what was going on and its like he never even acknowledged me. John noticed me, or did he? I ran around like a crazy man asking people, but nobody seemed to see me or hear me.The crowd soon dwindled and I followed along back to a town they had set up, these people were going all out in this play or show or whatever it was. I found a bite to eat though I wasn’t hungry and then a place to sleep though I wasn’t sleepy. I woke up the next morning hoping to make more sense, but I was still in the same place and still not being noticed. The people headed back towards the river and I followed along keeping a little distance between the others and I. John as I will refer to him instead of the person playing John from here on out was back at baptizing people again. I again tried to talk to people but again it was of no use. I decided to go for a walk, but where it was a desert in every direction except for the way back to town and all the ones in town was here. I did this on a daily basis and still got no response from anybody I decided just to grab some dust off the ground, toss it in the air and the way the wind blew I would go with that I was off. The next events would open my eyes and answer my questions and change me forever. Whether it was South, North, East or West I do not know, but I could see someones or someones in the distance so I sped up. I decided to get behind a rock in case they were not with the actors and might see me. What I saw next is what showed me that this was no movie, no play, no elaborate church service but it was what it appeared to be. I thought I must have died and this something to do with eternity or whether it was heaven or hell or somewhere in between, or maybe it was just a dream that I couldn’t wake up from.In front of me was Jesus and what appeared to be another man and they were talking back and forth, Jesus was very frail and withered looking like he hadn’t eaten for days. I realized and became very aware of where I was and who the other individual was. I thought they would surely notice me but neither did. The stranger obviously now I knew was Satan, Lucifer or just the plain old Devil speaking. “You’re looking mighty frail these days Adonai, oh excuse I me you go by the name Jesus these days.”I should know his voice for he has whispered in my ears many a time, I guess he sounds different to different people, this voice I hadn’t heard. I got chills from head to toe and my blood ran cold.” You must be starved by now by not eating for forty days or forty night. Here take this rock and turn it into bread and satisfy your hunger.” Jesus looked up and replied.” People do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Satan’s voice got a little more stern.” So that is how it’s going to be?” Jesus never acknowledged the comment.” Jesus, come with me and I’ll show you something.” With that and I can’t explain it so I won’t but we were on the pinnacle of what appeared to be a temple. “We both know who you are but the ones down there haven’t a clue nor will the ones to come. They don’t know that you are the Son of God, they mock you and say you are the illegitimate Hebrew tramp who by you Father’s on law should have been stoned to death. Here’s your chance to show them who you are, throw yourself off this pinnacle and God will call his angels to protect you. God will not let no stone strike your foot!” Jesus replied simply.”It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ Then is a split second we were on the highest mountain of what I now know to be Israel which means we were just in Jerusalem on the top of what has to be Herod’s temple. Though I didn’t practice the faith part of the bible my knowledge hadn’t failed me.“Take a look!” Satan said.” You can see all the cities, of every kingdom the world. Simply breathtaking isn’t it? It’s all mine. You know I took ownership in the Garden of Eden when I deceived them to eat of the tree. God should never have created them he had me and the rest of the hosts of heaven. I received a third of them unto me too. All of this I will give you without a fight so you don’t have to do what you have come to do. Just bow down and worship me and it shall be yours.” Jesus turned from looking at all that lay before him and in a voice of authority these words came forth.” Get away from me Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord thy God, and serve him only!”With that, a sudden burst of light appeared and Satan was gone and what had to be Angels appeared and was tending to Jesus. I was frozen in disbelief at what I had seen and heard, when I regained my senses I realized I was back on the flat ground and got my bearings and headed back the way I came.

Author's Note

brief excerpt