Sweet Essence of Truth

Today was the first time he had been given the gift of respect, a quality never before offered throughout his entire life. This pastor of the church talked to him as if he were a member, a parishioner who worshipped on a regular basis. It was not a ploy for something else, for Fester was skilled in the ability to sift out the real cons from the ‘wanna-be’s’. He knew, for he was the real con, quietly stealing into others’ lives before they knew the reason. It was then he asserted his control after carefully maneuvering his plans the way his father had taught him. Only Nellie’s parents saw through him. They were the first to see him as he really was: a man without purpose, direction, or morals.

Fester got up to go, then paused. Lowering his head as if in deep thought, he slowly enunciated the next utterance.
“If you know about me, then you have to be true to who you are.”
“Fester, I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand…”
“Give me five minutes. Then, do what you have to do.”

Not knowing the reason he was compelled to respond as he did, but without thinking and without any hesitation on his part, Nathan extended his hand, ready for acceptance from Fester. The ‘man on the run’ was taken back by his response. This was the first time in all his adult life that such respect had been given; bestowed upon a man beyond the edge of decency and right. It was genuine, unlike the superficial gestures of the world he was accustomed to.

“Preacher man, I wish I had known you back when I was young. I might have turned out different then. Maybe I would know about this God you talk about. A real father…”

Less than two hours spent in a sanctuary of all places, and his heart was filled with the unexplainable. He was tired. The running had sapped his very energy. He felt as if he were in the core of a tornado, being whirled in all directions. What bearings he felt secure in had evaporated, leaving behind a heap of frustration. His control was no longer there. If not with him, then where? Where had his self-assurance gone?

Fester, for the first time in his life, was in confrontation with his Maker. He could no longer hide; not realizing God knew his whereabouts all along.

*****

Heart-Note

From Author To Reader:

When novel four was approaching its end and a conclusion had been rendered, my ‘writer’s lament’ had begun. It was bittersweet to say my last farewell to the characters who had endeared themselves to my heart. It was extremely hard to let them go; to bid them my final farewell.

Having penned the final chapter and assuming the work was done, it was a walk that prompted the ‘whispers’. Walking and listening, I knew without a doubt Whose they were. Knowing the command of His voice, I was empowered to another dimension for the series; one that had previously escaped me. In the stillness of the walk, God was preparing my heart for new revelations. Though novel four would have been closure in and of itself, it was a conflicting closure; one that readers would accept, yet, it fell short of one crucial component in the message God wanted conveyed.

Novel four ends the way one might expect. But God gave this writer an insight: if the characters found God through their confessions of faith in Him, how were the readers to know except it be told? If God had entered their lives, what better way to give testimony of that presence than to write novel five; sharing what God was doing in their lives since they found that vital relationship.

Thank you, readers, for allowing me this ‘postlude’ to the other novels. Without the penning of novel five, the series would have remained incomplete. As the author and ‘listener to the whispers’, it is my responsibility…and privilege…to finally come to the end; the end that is needed. May God bless you in your reading. The characters await you for the last time. If by chance you want more than what novel five offers, let your imagination and thoughts travel their own path to discovery as peace follows the rest of your walk. The end is not the end until it’s totally claimed by you, the reader.

Written for His honor and glory,

Shirley Ann Williams

Author of the Broken Pieces Series

A five-book series