The Temple Read Online Free PDF Page A

a thing lightly
done and I can assure you all that I personally made sure what I
was being asked for were just requests.” He paused briefly and then
held out his right hand towards one of the side entrances.
    “Bring in the supplicant,” he
called.
    All eyes turned toward the door.
Moments later a young woman in a wheelchair entered the hall. She
pushed the wheels with her hands and very slowly made her way
through the crowd towards Jeremiah.
    “Make way, brethren, make way
for this unfortunate young woman,” Jeremiah said.
    “Now then,” Jeremiah said when
she reached him, will you tell our congregation your name and why
it is you are thus afflicted?”
    She nodded. “My name’s Fraudula.
I’m twenty-one years old and I come from a good Dryveller
family.”
    A round of applause welcomed
her.
    “Thank you. I don’t know what to
say, I’m so overcome. She began to cry and Jeremiah patted her on
the shoulder to comfort her.
    “You’re amongst friends here,
Fraudula. Will you tell us what happened to you.”
    She wiped her nose with a tissue
and went on. “When I was nine years old I lived as a happy girl
with my loving Dryveller parents. But not everyone loved us. There
were people whose hearts were filled with hate against us because
of our beliefs.” Again she burst into tears and angry shouts rang
our from the crowd.
    “Then one day,” she sobbed, “I
was standing at the bus stop when someone pushed me in front of the
bus. A man pushed me because I was a Dryveller!”
    The hall was in uproar.
    “Calm, my brethren!” Jeremiah
shouted. “Becalm yourselves I pray you.”
    When the tumult had subsided
Fraudula went on.
    “The bus hit me and I was taken
to hospital. The doctors saved my life, but what kind of life did
they save for me? I am paralysed hip down, bound to a wheelchair,
unable to walk and run and swim with my friends, unable to meet
someone I love and have a family of my own. What kind of life is
this? Did I deserve this simply because I am a Dryveller?”
    Again there was uproar.
Dryvellers jumped to their feet and shouted in fury.
    “Nay, nay,” Jeremiah shouted.
“Becalm your wrath I pray you. Let us not be blinded by anger. We
are here for something much more important.”
    Gradually the noise subsided and
the Dryvellers took their seats again.
    “My dear fellow Dryvellers,”
Jeremiah said. “We are here today, on this most auspicious Monday,
to unite in prayer for this unfortunate young woman. Poor Fraudula,
who has not been able to do many of the things we all take for
granted since she was an innocent little nine year old girl. I ask
you all to follow me and kowtow while we speak the prayer ‘Have
mercy, oh merciful Lord’.
    Jeremiah got to his knees and
kowtowed with the whole congregation following suit. After the
prayer Jeremiah rose to his feet again and placed his right hand on
Fraudula’s head.
    “Affliction be gone!” Jeremiah
called out. “Get thee hence vile affliction that hath blighted this
young woman’s life. In the name of the Lord I command thee to
leave.”
    Jeremiah looked at Fraudula with
kind eyes. “Thrice did I command, thrice did the Lord aid.
Fraudula, give me your hand. Dare to, Fraudula, dare to move your
foot.”
    Slowly, ever so slowly her left
leg moved forward, then her right. Jeremiah took firm hold of both
her hands and pulled her up. Unsteady and wobbly on her feet
Fraudula looked at her legs with wide open eyes. Jeremiah pulled
her gently and she took a step forward, then another and
another.
    “A miracle!” Jeremiah exclaimed.
“A miracle from God, my brethren. A true miracle in our day and
age. Behold the power of our Lord!”
    A jubilant cheer rang through
the hall with the entire congregation jumping to their feet and
applauding wildly.
    While Jeremiah called on
everyone to give thanks to the Lord, black cloth bags suddenly
appeared again and this time the collection was silent as the bags
passed through the crowd. Jeremiah smiled