The Weakest Ending

Fourteen-year-old Diotrephes sat next to his friend, Tim, on the pew listening to the priest at the podium. He was speaking about faith and its power.

“Faith is the evidence of things not seen and of things hoped for. Let us now pray.”

The priest bowed and a pray was led by the priest. “May God bless you all!”

The two young friends slipped out of the pew before their parents.

“Church is so boring,” said Diotrephes.

“Pretty much. But wouldn’t it be astounding to actually make a mountain fall into the ocean with a mere word!”

“Eh, it’s just religious mumbo jumbo. I wonder why so many people believe this stuff,” said Diotrephes.

The two ran off to go exploring in the forest.

“Let’s see if we can’t catch a salamander,” said Tim.

“We did that two weeks ago.”

The two passed through some foliage and saw two guards in an open grove.

“Get down!” said Diotrephes.

They ducked and spied out what the guards were there for.

“It was last seen two days ago not far from here, Nithose,” said one of two guards.

“I just wonder how the person saw it and lived to tell about it, Nerem.”

“Perhaps it was not hungry.”

“I always figured dragons hunt for sport,” said Nerem.

“Well, our job is to scout for it. Let’s keep moving.”

The guards walked out of the grove.

“Did you hear that! A dragon!” said Tim.

“I thought they were all hunted.”

“Come on, let’s follow them,” as Tim sprinted ahead.

“Wait for me!”

The two trailed the guards, keeping them just in sight ahead.

A gargling roar resonated.

“That is it!” said,” said Nithose. “We have to see exactly where it is and retreat to inform the general.”

The guards pursued and Tim and Diotrephes followed.

When the guards met a large hill, a roar came from the other side of the hill. They climbed up the hill and peered over the top.

“We have found it! Let’s report back!” said Nithose.

The guards down and toward the castle kingdom.

When they were gone, Tim and Diotrephes ran up the hill to glimpse the dragon.

The beast was a twenty-foot behemoth and had a red body. Its wings were folded over its back that had a row of spines running down it.

“A living dragon! Amazing!” said Tim.

They stared at the sight.

“We should get going. It will get dark soon,” said Diotrephes.

They descended the hill and ran back the way they came.

Finally, they reached the stone houses.

“Let’s meet at the forest line in the morning before school,” said Tim.

Diotrephes nodded.

Dawn was just breaking as Diotrephes ran to the forest where Tim was. However, he was not alone. Standing next to him was the church priest.

“Priest, Theodor. Why are you here?”

“Tim told me of your encounter.”

“And you believed him! Few still believe.”

“I can discern the state of men’s minds. Dragons are creatures of evil. I have come to slay it.”

Diotrephes frowned and shook his head. “And…how do you plan to do that?”

“I will vanquish the spirit it has.”

“What?”

“With the essence of God Himself, I will rebuke the beast.”

“Let’s get going!” said Diotrephes.

Theodor smiled. “Show me the way, then.”

The excursion began.

Soon, Tim could see the hill beyond.

“We saw it just over that hill,” said Tim.

They approached the hill and ascended it and all three peaked over it.

“It is not here,” said Diotrephes.

“Maybe, it went a little farther.”

They walked down the other side of the hill and walked on. Twenty minutes later they found the evil creature curled up sleeping.

“What now Theodor?” asked Tim.

The priest took out a metal cross and neared the beast.

“What are you doing!” said Tim.

“I adjure you by God to leave this realm and back to the shadow land!”

The beast startled awake. It looked as though it was harmed as at writhed and shrieked.

Something the size of a small wagon flashed into view and struck Theodor, sending him flying against a tree.

A juvenile dragon had lunged into the priest.

“There are two now!” said Diotrephes.

The teenager ran to him.

“Diotrephes, consciousness departs from me.” He gave him the cross. “You must use your faith to dispel the beasts and its evil spawn.”

“But I can’t! I don’t have faith, and if I did, it would be almost nothing!”

“The Bible says that faith the size of seed can move mountains.” Then Theodor became still.

Diotrephes breathed heavily in a sweat. “I don’t know what to do!”

Tim ran to him. “He’s dead! What do we do now!”

“He said I am supposed to use my faith against the dragons. But my faith is small and weak.”

“He gave you his cross. I think you’re meant to do this.”

The two dragons closed in on the boys.

Diotrephes held up the cross and repeated Theodore’s words. “I adjure you by God to leave this realm and back to the shadow land!”

Nothing happened.

“You must count on your own faith, not another’s!”

Diotrephes prayed a sincere and dire plea to God for help.

He again held up the cross. Words and sensations filled his heart. He felt a bold strength within himself. For the first time he felt his faith, though weak it was.

Nevertheless, he spoke with authority. “In God’s name, I command you to submit to me!”

The two beasts reeled back then bowed before Diotrephes. “Depart in haste!”

The dragons fell on their backs and a black cloud consumed them from below.

Diotrephes fell to his knees.

Tim ran to him. “You did it!”

“This is a new day for me. How ironic that the having such weak faith, that in the end it would hold so much power.”

“We should go. We must tell the people of Theodor’s death.”

The two made their way back, changed forever.