As Josh breathed deeply, taking in the warm spring air, he noticed a boy around his own age sitting on one of the benches in a small grassy area between the church entrance and the parking lot. The boy was a scrawny, short kid, several inches shorter than than Josh, with red hair, pale skin, and lots and lots of freckles. He didn't remember ever having seen this boy before, at church or anywhere else, but the name Caleb suddenly appeared in his mind. "There's that omniscience at work again," he smiled to himself.
He walked closer to the boy, but was overcome with a sudden feeling of despair, sadness, and inner turmoil. He glanced over at Caleb, who was looking down at the ground as he swung his feet back and forth below the bench. "Something is troubling this boy a great deal," Josh realized. He decided to go investigate.
Walking to the bench, he stood in front of Caleb. "Hi," he said softly.
The red-haired boy avoided eye contact with Josh, still looking down at his feet. "Hey," he mumbled.
Josh sat down on the bench next to him. "I've never seen you at church before. Are you new?"
The boy turned slightly away from Josh, apparently unwilling to talk to a stranger. Josh breathed in slightly, closing his eyes. He could tell the boy was in pain, but how could he find out more about him and help if he didn't speak? Then he remembered the vision of Mrs. Reynolds's car being vandalized. "I wonder..."
He looked for a way to touch the boy without being too obvious. Stretching and reaching out his hand casually along the top of the bench, Josh brushed it against the side of Caleb's shoulder. Instantly, he saw a flash, and then stood inside a plainly decorated bedroom in what looked to be a small, neglected house. Caleb was lying face-down on the bed, crying softly into his pillow.
Suddenly, the door flung open, a dirty, unshaven man coming into the room. Josh could detect a strong smell of alcohol coming from the man, and he staggered up to the bed, obviously very drunk.
"W-whatddya doin' cryin' there like a--a BABY!" The unpleasant man sneered at Caleb. "Just like yer stupid mother. Dontcha two apreshate whatcha I do fer you? I's work my hands to the millbone fer ya slobs, and this is the thanks I getch?"
Caleb jumped off of the bed, his face red and streaked with tears, an incredible, passionate anger building. "Don't you dare talk about my mom that way, you drunk!" He clenched his hand into a fist, pulling it back and swinging it at the man's stomach. It hit with a soft thud, knocking him back but only momentarily.
The drunk man's sneer became a mean-spirited grin. He lunged for Caleb, grabbing his shirt collar with one hand and slapping the boy in the face with the other. "Howdja like that, you li'l ingrate!" He hit Caleb again, throwing him back down on the bed. "That's whadja git for talkin' back to me!"
Caleb glared up at the man looming above him, still fiercely defiant despite the beating he had just received. "I wish my mom had never met you! I wish... I wish..." His voice trailed off as he started tearing up again.
Josh noticed that Caleb was looking down at a framed photograph on his bedside table of a handsome, well-built man dressed in a Marine Corps uniform. Sitting in front of the photo was a small medal on a ribbon. that Josh quickly identified as a Purple Heart.
A chortle escaped from the man's lips as he saw what the boy was looking at. "Your daddy? He's sleepin' ina shallow grave in Afg-- Afgani-(hic)-stan. Wishin's not gonna bring 'em back! Stupid kid." He continued to laugh as he walked out of the room down the hall.
Josh blinked, and he was back in front of the church. He looked over at Caleb, nearly in tears after seeing the boy's incredibly sad past. "What can I even possibly do for you, Caleb..." he whispered.
He didn't really intend for the boy to hear him, but Caleb turned around, a shocked look on his face. "H-how do you know my name?"
Josh took a deep breath and tried to smile. "It's a long story, I guess. I can tell you if you want. Let's just say I want to help you."
"Help me? With what?"
Josh looked straight into his eyes, seeing and feeling the hurt in Caleb's soul but also knowing there was a strong-minded and intelligent young man yearning to break free. He made up his mind. "I'm gonna you become happy again, Caleb."
"W-what do you mean?" Caleb looked at Josh uneasily, definitely apprehensive but with a flicker of faith and hope in his eyes. Josh remembered the passage that Father Williams read that very morning where Jesus said faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains. "Well, I don't think I need to go that far," Josh thought, "but I think I know what I need to do..."
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