The Broken Window by Christa J. Kinde

ever bitten your tongue when you knew you should have spoken up? Have you ever slouched a little lower in your seat when you should have taken a stand? I know I have, and afterward, I was plagued by a whole mess of coulda-shoulda-wouldas! Now, I’m not saying that as Christians we need to be ever-ready do-gooders. But I am saying that we can’t hope to please God if we’re a bunch of do-nothings!”
    While he waited for that to sink it, Pastor Kern flipped open his Bible, casually glanced at a passage, then continued. “The Bible urges us to turn the other cheek, not to turn a blind eye. We may all agree that turning our back on someone in need is naughty, but is it easy to turn aside from our own plans in order to do the nice thing?” Scanning the audience with a small grin, he added, “And while I’m trying to turn another phrase, you may as well turn with me to… .”
    A ripple of amusement filtered through the gymnasium, and the lights came up so people could see their Bibles. Prissie followed along and heard him out, but by the time Pastor Kern was winding up, she wasn’t any clearer on what Milo’s message meant for her. Glancing guiltily at Koji, she wondered if her friend would be disappointed in her.
    When she tuned back in, Pastor Kern was saying, “Put simply, there’s the naughtiness of doing wrong, and there’s an equally naughty sin of neglect, of not doing what’s right. Nobody wants to be caught red-handed, but in the eyes of the Lord, it can be just as bad to be caught empty-handed.”
    Prissie knew she wasn’t getting something, and she knew it was important. However, she was glad that one way or another, God had made sure her hand wasn’t empty. Giving Koji’s hand a squeeze, she felt a little better when he squeezed back.

5
THE
PROTECTOR’S
LESSON
    T hat Hedge needs clipping,” grumbled the lumpish figure lurking behind a dumpster.
    “Be my guest, Murque,” his companion replied smoothly.
    Drawing his wicked blade, the demon growled, “Say the word, my lord.”
    “Not just yet,” Adin murmured. “We’ll give them time to grow lax. Let them believe they have thwarted us.”
    “Believing in lies, that’s what.” Murque’s beady eyes squinted at the rooftop of the bakery. “Too bad you didn’t snatch her at Halloween.”
    “Yes,” Adin replied darkly. “Next time.”
    With a malicious smirk, the demon pushed his luck. “Bet you didn’t expect to find a First One haunting the alley that night.”
    Adin frowned. “That meddler is cleverer than he seems.”
    “Seems a fool to me,” countered Murque. “Strolling into danger without so much as a dagger.”
    “And
yet,
you fled,” his lord mocked.
    “So bright!” the cringing demon complained. “
Too
bright, and that
song
!”
    Adin’s expression hardened, and he whirled, stalking back the way they’d come. “Yes,” he conceded in tones of disgust. “Driven before the light like the shadows we are.”
    After school on Friday, Prissie and Koji hightailed it from the bakery over to The Curiosity Shop for a visit. “Harken, can we talk?” she asked as soon as the pleasantries were out of the way.
    “Of course, child. What’s on your mind?”
    She huffed in frustration. “I’m not sure!”
    With a deep chuckle, Harken commented, “That’s not as uncommon as you might think. Why don’t you start talking? Perhaps, you’ll work your way closer to the heart of your concerns.”
    “But where do I start?”
    Flashing a broad smile, he suggested, “Let’s start by going into the garden. Gardens are good places for beginnings.”
    “Yes, please!” Prissie replied, brightening considerably. She’d come to love the ornately carved blue door in the back room of Harken’s store, for it led to a secret place that was bathed in heaven’s own light. Turning the glowing door knob, she slipped right out of time and into a forest glade where it was always summer.
    Following Koji’s example, she took off her jacket