The Disappearance of a Pied Piper

Reunion

Immediately after the victory at the Battle of Armageddon, The Lord, and His entourage rode over to the Temple Mount to prepare for the Coronation of the King. Jesus would finally be shown to be, Who he has always been "The King of kings and the Lord of lords." Jesus would begin His reign over the entire world for 1000 years.

At the staging area, Bud and the army of Mercy Island were shown where to stable their white horses, while the time of preparations could begin. When that responsibility was accomplished, he turned around to hear one of the most blessed words a father can cherish. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

Bud nearly fell over in a faint because right in front of him were Jeff, Rolly, and Jewel. They didn't wait for an invitation. They ran at him with arms open ready for a hug. He would most likely have been knocked over by the impact if his three children hadn't been coming from three different directions.

"I love you, Daddy! I love you, Daddy! I love you, Daddy!" the three chorused pummeling him with love, that had been pent up for seven years.

"I love-" Bud tried to get the words out, but convulsive tears overwhelmed his Joy. The effusive group hug lasted for long minutes as they all cried, loved, hugged, and caught up with the years of absence, wordlessly.

In time the emotions settled down to a dull roar, and Bud found his tongue. "How are you all here?" Bud asked, "I thought I'd lost you forever."

"No, Daddy," Jeff said, "The Lord Jesus snatched us away for His great Marriage Supper, called The Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We have been treated very well, and The Lord Jesus keeps telling us how proud He is of you because you took a very hard situation, and made the best of it, serving your citizens. That means we're proud of you, too, Daddy."

"Let me look at you three," Bud said. "You are no longer the children I remember. You're-"

"All grown up!" they shouted in unison.

"Well, it has been seven years, since I saw you last," Bud smiled.

"Dad," Jeff said, "we look now as we did when we first arrived in Heaven. We've been translated as we've learned to call it. The children we were instantly changed into these bodies you now see us in. At our best guess, we're about in our early twenties from all appearances.

"Who is this young man you've brought with you?" Bud asked.

"You don't remember me, Son?"

"DAD!" Bud ran to hug him. Now, it was his turn to be the child. "That's incredible! You don't look a day older than any of my children, but you were-"

"80 when I left you, Bud," Carl, Jr. said. "Here's someone you've never met. This is Carl, Sr."

"GRANDDAD!" Bud was overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion at the reunions he had already had this day. "But you don't look a day older than Dad and my children. How is that possible?"

"There's a great deal you must learn when you enter Eternity proper," Carl, Sr. said. "For now consider the fact, that you are still aging in the earthly body you were born with, Bud, because you were not raptured as your children were. You may not realize it yet, but even your earthly body has changed into one, that resembles the bodies of your antediluvian ancestors."

"Run that one past me, again," Bud said, "Only in English this time, please."

"Your body is like your ancestors before the Flood of Noah's Day," Carl, Sr. said. "You've been regenerated. You're a Christian, now. Unless we've missed our understanding of The Lord's intentions, you will live about a thousand years in this first body. That means the aging process is much slower for you, now. When you're 800 years old, you shouldn't look much older than 80. This is a whole new world, Son. The Lord Jesus is a good Master. Working for Him is such a blessing."

"I see so many people I've known in life," Bud said, "but none of them look the way I remember them looking. You've brought another friend, Jewel. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't call his name."

"You probably could, if you had come to the church, during Sunday morning worship, not just because it was the only refuge of the island, not underwater." The young man smiled broadly.

"Jim of the Book!" Bud shouted.

"Actually my given name was Jim Spurgeon, but I loved the read the Bible so much when I was small, that my parents started calling me, 'Jim of the Book.' Honestly, my brother, Stan, was even smaller when the nickname stuck, that he thought his last name was 'Book.' We didn't have the heart to correct him. So, he grew up as Stan Book. My parents helped him to become Stan Book, legally for all of his business and legal papers as an adult, but even he knows, now, that he was born Stan Spurgeon." Jim motioned to another young man, who had just walked up.

"Hi, Chief," Stan said, "and you thought I was young when you gave me a job on the Force."

Bud reached out to give him a hug, now not as his leader, but as his friend. "I really felt sorry for you when the wave took you down with Mrs. Myrtle," Bud said. "However, I believe you are better off physically than I am."

"The Lord's retirement plan is out-of-this-world," Stan quipped.

"You always did know how to turn a pun, Stan," Bud said.

"The pungent punster in my youth," Stan said, "and now again I am in my youth. What's you know about that?"

Bud just smiled. "Where's the preacher? I lost you in the crowd."

"I'm here, Bud," Jim said. "How can I help you?"

"Actually, Jim, I owe you an apology," Bud said. "When I started investigating the strange disappearances of every child in town, and then finally realized, that you were gone, too, I put two and two together in a most dishonoring way. I was convinced, that you were the culprit, who had taken all our children away from us, though I could never figure out how you got undressed, and then how you undressed all the children in town, stealing away with all of you in the nude, without disturbing anything in all of these houses, without any sound, and without any trace of evidence as to where you all had gone. It amazed me how you would have had to have a better MO than Santa Claus. I was angry with you, and I was angry about being totally stumped."

"Apology accepted, my brother," Jim said. "Please, give me a moment, and I will try to set all of your hearts at ease. Never have we been physically nude in each other's presence. We merely vacated our earthly clothes. The Lord instantly clothed each of us visibly in robes of righteousness. We could recognize each other, facially, but all of our formerly private parts have been clothed in light this entire time. We are 'naked and open with Him with whom we have to do,' so says the Scriptures in Hebrews 4:13, KJV, but this is the openness of heart, that is free from all pretension, not naked in the perverted sense, that was so often expressed in the lives of ungodly worldlings."

"I am so glad to hear your explanation, Brother," Bud said. "I've never been so glad to be wrong in my life."

"You should be, youngster," said a young voice behind Bud.

He turned around to see a beautiful young lady, who was so attractive, that Bud had to repent of the thoughts he was merely tempted to think.

"I'm not sure I know you, young lady," Bud said.

"You do know me," she said. "This is the way I looked when your mother and I first met in college."

"Is that you, Mrs. Myrtle?" Bud asked. "You really are the Betty, now aren't you?"

"Keep your thoughts straight, Bud. You're a married man, and yes I am Mrs. Myrtle, the way I've always been on the inside."

"You have startled me, Mrs. Myrtle," Bud said. "I guess I got so used to seeing you about the age of my mother, that I had no imagination for what you looked like in your youth. I meant no disrespect on any level, especially to my wife, Cynthia. Sorry, Honey."

"You're forgiven, Bud," Cynthia said.

"You're a man, Bud," Myrtle said. "My Forrest taught me the importance of dressing modestly in the early years of our marriage because he would put it, "Myrtie, you're a looker. You have just as much responsibility to keep obvious temptation away from men as they have the responsibility not to look, to stare, to ogle. I've always tried to be modest. Thank you for recognizing my beauty on the inside and on the outside."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Myrtle," Bud said. "I pray, that when I live in the eternal body, I will not be quite so tempted to lust."

"You will, Bud," said his Dad, his Granddad, Preacher Jim, Jeff, and Rolly in unison.

"It is such a joy to be holy by nature as well as by choice," Brother Jim said. "You apologized for thinking I was a pervert with your children. Except for the grace and mercy of The Lord, I could have been because I lived for so many years on Nevermore Island without a wife. You may remember Milly. She died, during our first five years of ministry on the island. She was the only woman for me, but lustful temptation had to be crucified daily. The Lord gave me grace to minister as a single man, and I confess before all of you, that I never inappropriately touched any of your children. For that reason, I always gave the young ladies side hugs, and I never lingered. A few seconds, no more. You all have such wonderful children. I was so glad they trusted The Lord's regenerative work in their lives, according to the TULIP of Calvinism. It has been my honor to watch over them these past seven years, but honestly, they didn't need my help. The Lord's Guidance and their own innate wisdom have served them well."

"Thank you for that, Jim," Bud said. "Your honesty is refreshing. I trust you, especially in this new body, that you can't lie. WOW! I've been so focused on my own reunions, that I haven't noticed what's happening with the other former citizens of Fairly Same," Bud said. He looked around on many joyful celebrations of reunions between parents and the children, that had disappeared those seven long years ago. However, in a couple of cases, apparent bitter tears had some people sitting on the ground with heads in their hands, being comforted by men he knew from the islands. Bud approached slowly and cautiously. Lem Cutter was nearest Bud. He sidled up to Lem. "Is everything okay, Lem?"

"Nah, Nah, Not really," Lem stuttered. These two are my daughters Cloe and Zoe. When they asked where their mother was, I had to tell them how Cora had been strapped to a seat in a boat and shipped to the mainland because The Lord didn't know her. Have you heard anything, yet, about what became of Cora on the mainland?"

"I haven't, Lem," Bud said," but when I figure out who to ask, I will ask, and let you know as soon as I know something."

"Thanks, Bud. You're a good friend."

Next, Bud saw Pace in a similar situation with a young man, and a young woman. Bud asked Pace, "Is everything okay, Pace?"

"Hardly, Bud," Pace said, "when I told Darius and Liesha, that their mother had been sent to the mainland because The Lord didn't know her, they became unconsolable, and haven't changed from that state for the better part of a half hour. Have you heard anything yet, about what became of Varuma on the mainland?"

"No. I haven't, Pace, but I'll tell you what I told Lem. When I figure out who to ask, I will ask, and let you know as soon as I know something."

"Thanks, Bud. You're a good friend."

The only good thing I can think of right now is that Griffin and Phoenix Fliar were childless, Bud thought. Both of them were shipped to the mainland with no one, but their friends to grieve their exile.

Governor Wisdom had been summoned to the coronation of King Jesus. He was standing near the platform. Bud walked over to speak with him and waited to be recognized.

"Bud Best, I'm glad to see you here at the ceremonies," Governor Wisdom said. "You seem to need to ask me something. What is it, Sir?"

"We have some grieving people among the citizens of Fairly Same, who took refuge on Mercy Island," Bud said.

"And you have no answers to give them, regarding their missing wives and mothers, who were sent to the mainland by our Messiah," Governor Wisdom peered through him.

"Yes, Sir. That's it," Bud said.

"Let me check my laptop," the Governor said. "According to the app, TULIP Blossoms none of the four are listed among the ones, who have recently been regenerated. Sadly, though they are all listed on the page, labeled, THORNS, meaning that each of them had taken the Mark of the Beast, and are all writhing in the lake of burning brimstone. I'm sorry. I wish I had good news for you."

"You've been more than kind, Governor Wisdom," Bud said. "Let me return to my friends, and make good on my promise."

To each in turn Bud shared his grim news with Lem and then Pace. The weeping resumed in earnest. I think none can help these families, except the Lord Jesus Himself. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, KJV)