“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
“I don’t know where we’re going, but I sure am glad to be out of that dark place!” Allen shouted joyfully to Legion as they held tightly to each other. “One of us has the eyesight, one has the wings, so we definitely need each other!” Allen laughed.
Legion rubbed his eyes. “I think I’m starting to get my eyesight back.”
A delighted look spread over Allen’s face. “That’s wonderful! Can you tell where we are?”
Squinting, Legion rubbed his eyes again. “I think so.”
Allen’s voice was filled with anticipation, “Can you find the City of Light?”
The lighthearted reply came back, “Hey, no problem! I’ve traveled these regions for most of eternity you know.” The delight and certainty in Legion’s voice heightened Allen’s hope and was accompanied by chuckle.
Off in the distance Allen spotted some winged creatures approaching. A new alarm rushed into his thoughts. “Is it the Duns? Will we be recaptured?”
As the group flew closer, sudden relief swept over Allen. “Michael! Gabe!” Allen let out a welcoming whoop. It was a whole garrison of warriors from the City of Light. “Am I ever glad to see you!”
When Michael and Gabe threw their arms around Allen’s neck, he was almost smothered under their great size. “Hey, give me some air,” he pleaded. The two giants quickly backed off and roared with laughter as their miniature charge joined in.
After this moment of joy Allen noticed two of the warriors had secured Legion in chains. One of the warriors shouted, “We’ve captured a Dun and have him as a prisoner!”
“No, no, no, he’s my friend.” Allen came to his defense immediately and pleaded with Mike to let Legion remain free.
Mike clenched his jaw and tightened his fist. “But he’s a Dun and a threat to us.”
“Please, Mike,” Allen pleaded, “I'll explain it all to you later. Please let him go free.”
Mike’s heart softened when he saw the sincerity in Allen’s eyes and he gave the nod to release Legion. “We were on our way to rescue you!”
Allen massaged his temples with his fingers. Hot tears welled up in his eyes, and he collapsed in Gabe’s muscular arms. The strain of the whole experience had finally caught up with him. In a voice feeble from exhaustion and stress he asked, “Gabe, I was a prisoner for many years, where were you?”
Gabe spread his hand over his heart. “I know it seemed long to you, but it wasn’t long to us in this realm. Remember, there is no time here. The Dark Region is not a place where anyone wants to find themselves because there is no time there either and therefore no way of measuring it. Captivity seems endless and escape seems hopeless.”
“But I escaped, didn’t I?” Allen placed his hands on his head and shook his head in wonder.
“For now but soon you’ll be given back to time in your earthly realm. Someday you could return here.” Gabe swept his arm through the air. “This whole adventure is to show you the way to make your return, and so you can show many others this reality.”
Allen didn’t understand the full meaning of Gabe’s statement, but as he briefly pondered it, a question surfaced in his mind. “If people didn’t enter the City of Light, where would they go?”
Suddenly in one sweeping motion, the whole troop banked in a half circle and started the journey back to the City of Light. Off in the distance, Allen had a last look at the dark cloud over the domain that had held him captive and he felt a shudder ripple through his body.
As they approached the city, Allen felt much better and found himself wondering what would happen when they landed. Even though Legion wasn’t restrained, he was still surrounded by guards. Allen was determined to defend his friend but wasn’t sure how to go about it. He decided to chat with Gabe about his dilemma.
Allen shared the whole story with Gabe about his kidnapping, imprisonment, Legion’s coming to rescue him out of the cell, and finally the escape plan and how it almost failed. While he was making his final point about reaching for the night vision eyeglasses, he remembered the earring was still in his pocket.
“Excuse me, Gabe. I have something I have to do right now.” He cupped his hands over his mouth and hollered, “Mike!”
From the front of the troop Mike answered back, “What do you need?”
Allen beckoned for Mike to come to where he was. Mike exchanged a few words with another protector and turned the leadership of the unit over to him. As Mike approached, Allen plucked the dazzling earring from his jeans pocket and handed it to Mike. “I have something for you.”
The giant whooped and did a complete back flip in mid-air. Everyone cheered and laughed. Allen watched in amazement as the huge creatures celebrated. He made a funny face and asked, “Gabe, why is there so much excitement about my giving the earring back?”
“Every one of our earrings are personally given by Theos. If you inspect each one up close, you’ll see everyone is different. Each citizen is given just one. Ownership allows access to Theos at any time.” Gabe grinned and shook his head. “Do you know what that means?”
Hope soared through Allen. “I think so.”
“Well, let me explain it to you. Imagine being able to ask for His help in any situation, to have access to His wisdom in making decisions addressing concerns or problems you may have.” Gabe’s eyes never left Allen. “To lose the earring is to lose a great privilege. Mike has been devastated since he lost his. Of course, he’s known and loved by everyone and all were feeling sadness for him.”
“I bet.” Allen struggled with his feelings. “Man, I can’t seem to keep my emotions under control. Everything is so extreme here.”
Gabe told him a great search has been going on throughout the whole kingdom, but no one had found it. He didn’t have any idea how he lost it. “Do you know?” Gabe’s expression was earnest as he questioned Allen.
Again Allen's heart melted when he swapped looks with Gabe. He paused, pulled himself together, and described what had happened when Mike and Vulpine were in combat. “The earring fell into my hands when Mike and Vulpine were fighting just above my head.”
Gabe whispered “Amazing!”
Allen nodded firmly and turned to speak to Mike. “I’m so sorry I kept the earring. To be honest, I had totally forgotten about it. Even when I was imprisoned, I never realized it was in my pocket.”
Mike’s hand swallowed Allen's hand. The giant said, “Do you remember what happened when you took the earring out of your pocket?”
“Yes. Darkness turned into light.” Allen replied.
“That’s the power of the earring. Not the earring itself, but the access it has to the protection of Theos. As long as you wear it, darkness cannot capture you. It may still harass you but it can never bring you permanent harm.” Mike patted Allen’s hand. “It’s a sign that you belong to Theos. Darkness can never overcome the light. When I lost it, I was defeated by darkness.” Mike confessed, “If Theos had not taken extraordinary measures to rescue me, I don’t know what would have happened. Since I lost my earring, I’ve had a very difficult time remaining strong. I don’t know what would have happened if it hadn't been for those who care for me like Gabe and all the others around me. If Vulpine had engaged me in combat again, I would have been defeated and taken captive. Thank you, my young friend. You have no idea how precious this is to me.”
Gabe stretched out his arms. “Time for a group hug!”
“Man, this group hug thing wouldn’t fly back home with my friends, but it sure is fun here.” Allen laughed as he tried to throw his arms around Gabe and Mike. It was like trying to hug a red wood tree.
Everyone cheered and jumped for joy. Then they did another round of back flips, front flips, and somersaults. Delight permeated every fiber of Allen’s being as he reflected, “How wonderful it would be to live in a place like this forever!”