Storm clouds portrayed a fierce darkness across the sky as he stood in an open field. He was fully aware of the potential danger from the sudden bolts of lightning that preceded the majestic sounds of thunder. But there was something different about this storm. One that he had never experienced in the brief existence of his youth. Never had he witnessed lightning with what appeared to be words imprinted within some of the bolts. Swift streaks that seemed to freeze long enough to make the words known. Maybe this was normal during storms, he thought, but he had never been outside this long during one to experience it.
There was some kind of magnetic force drawing him to experience this mysterious display which overcame his natural fear of lightning. He didn’t seem to be overconfident or foolish in his mind to not seek immediate shelter. There was still within him a respect for the storm and a sense of humility toward it but the unseen power that seemed to draw him combined with an ounce of childhood curiosity kept him preoccupied. He continued to wait for another bolt to streak across the sky hoping to see another sentence of words within it. Thunder repeatedly rumbled near and far away as another bolt flashed again. It appeared as an upside down y-shape with a crimson, reddish color.
Parts of the bolt were thick with yet again what seemed to be a phrase of words inside of it. He continued to gaze at it while a sense of caution made him steadily walk in the direction of a nearby house. During each step his head was still facing the sky. The storm was getting stronger and unbearable as rain began to fall with a gusty wind. His eyes remained fixed on the area of the horizon where the lightning would appear as he continued to move closer to shelter. That was the limit of what he remembered as a young boy as the same eyes, thirty years later, now gaze at the sky yet again. But this time he rests at the rear of a ship as he watches the darkness over a vast ocean. Alone he waits for the dawning sun to rise over the water, which was his usual morning ritual on the ship.
He sat with his thoughts and a Bible clasped in one hand upon his lap. Those same child-like eyes face the dark, early morning sky as a shooting star blazes across. The heavens above have always been a fascination to him since the lightning experience as a child. The skies have been a source of chaos and comfort. His mind flashes back to another time after the shooting star faded away. It was the same thing he happened to see during a despairing moment in his life. Sometime ago he was sitting on a bench outside of a hospital trying to avoid the grieving pain of misery inside after his wife died. He remembers calling out to God in a soft, grieving voice while facing the sky. After a minute or so had passed, a bright shooting star came streaming across the horizon.
There was a strange sense of comfort that came over him at that time while the hurt still dwelt but in a lesser degree. After he thought about that moment in the past he opened his Bible to a certain passage which came to mind. He was able to see the pages enough by the dim lights of the ship’s runway nearby. It was Genesis 1:14, And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
“Hmmm…signs!” he mumbled to himself after reading the verse.
He then thought about another verse concerning stars. His Biblically-trained mind knew at what areas to look if not the exact location of a certain Scripture that applied to life's situations. The passage he turned to was Daniel 12:3, And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.
“Forever...a long time is just the beginning,” he silently whispered.
He then closed his Bible as he looked to the sky again. The light of the sun started to appear making the ocean more visible. The few rays that appeared shined upon the water making beautiful sparkles like shimmering diamonds. It was similar to the sparkle he used to see in his wife’s eyes. Those ocean blue eyes that would penetrate his soul came to mind. He thought how funny memories can stem from things you wouldn’t expect such as a ray of sunlight on the ocean reminding him of his wife.
As the sun continued to rise, he saw another display of light in the sky moving steadily closer toward the ship. He knew immediately from his usual morning ritual what it was.
“Right on time!” he said to himself as a Hyberprobe returned from an early morning patrol flight.
The Hyberprobe is the standard fighter aircraft of the West Earth Navy. It is designed like the fighter jets of years past but more advanced in its appearance. On the tips of the two wings are mobile afterburners along with the large, stationary afterburner behind the main body. Whatever direction the pilot shifts the control stick the wing afterburners will turn as well. This makes the Hyberprobe the most maneuverable aircraft in the world with its ability to break right and left, up and down in a split second. This is a necessity to help out during an aerial dogfight, especially if being chased by enemy craft.
Contrary to the Hyberprobe, the standard fighter aircraft of East Earth, known as the Ziglagger, is another story. The Ziglagger was not designed for swift and nifty maneuverability. Its appearance looked like a flying turbine with a cockpit in front and large afterburner in the back. The wings are what make the turbine effect with their constant spiraling, clockwise motion during flight. Each wingtip contains a barrel that fire laser rounds like a modern, space age Gatling gun. The Ziglagger is indeed an intimidating craft in aerial combat.
He continued to watch the Hyberprobe drift slowly above the ship to make a landing. Once it reached a vacant spot in the landing area it became stationary in the air as the middle afterburner died down while the winged afterburners remained on. They steadily swiveled upward as the craft vertically lowered gently on the ship as their fiery display began to fade to nothing after it landed. After the sound of the engines shut down he remained sitting against the wall facing the ocean while it became more visible by the rising sun.
The sun's rays on the water were still reminding him of the twinkle in his wife’s eyes. It wasn’t but a few seconds later a voice interrupted the morning silence. “Chaplain Silver…you’re needed in the cafeteria for morning chapel! Whenever you’re ready that is.” said a middle-aged looking man holding a broom.
After being a little startled without budging, he calmly turned his head.
“I’ll be there in a few, Tomaro!” he replied as he slowly lifted himself up and began to stretch with his Bible in one hand.
“Can’t wait to hear what the Lord has given you this morning,” said Tomaro with a distinguished deep voice.
“Well Donnie, be sure to bring your pillow,” he replied with a humble smirk on his face.
“Oh, quit putting yourself down like that, Clay!” Tomaro jokingly responded. Clay Silver was not like most other chaplains in the Navy or any other minister in various fields.
Whether you agreed with his teachings or not, he had respect among believers and non-believers alike. He knew what most go through being an experienced fighter pilot himself who still gets called to gear up in a cockpit during intense situations. Behind his tall stature and neatly groomed dark hair was a specimen of grace and truth with a relentless ambition of learning wisdom each day to bless man and honor God. Among others he was a champion of the underdog and a friend to the outcast. Although he would not claim it with his own lips, he’s a genuine reflection of the light of Christ.
After taking one last glance at the morning sky while breathing in the sea air, he turned and walked from the rear of the ship toward a small building that sheltered a stairwell. As he entered and started making his way down the stairs he kept his mind focused on the message he was gonna deliver in the chapel service. At one point he found it unique how most of the crew wanted to have chapel a few days in the week since the current cease-fire of the war between East Earth and West Earth due to both sides signing the Jubilee Act. He and the rest of the crew knew the cease-fire could end at any moment and many prayers for continuing peace were being offered a lot in each service.
Not to mention another reason how Clay really taught the Bible in a very gifted way that constantly whetted their spiritual appetites. So he was definitely in demand among the ship. He reached a certain door in the stairwell that led to an eerie-lighted hallway with a few rooms on each side. After reaching the first door on the right, he pulled out a set of keys to unlock his study. The sound of a dove echoed peacefully on the other side of the door as he turned the knob to open it. Turning on the light, he was greeted with the usual sight of his desk at the left side of the room with a huge bookcase against the wall on the right.
Against the middle wall facing him stood a huge wooden birdcage that sheltered the ivory, white dove that suddenly stopped singing after Clay entered the room. “Oh, Comfort!” he said facing the birdcage, “don’t stop singing. I need your peaceful, encouraging songs right now.” He moved closer to the cage to get a better look inside. There was a neatly wrapped bandage on the dove’s right wing that he carefully examined while looking to see if his food supply was low.
“It’s going to get better with time, Comfort,” he said after his examination. “Time will be the main healing factor for both of us.” He then gave Comfort a humble smile and said, “Until then, you and I have one wing. We need each other to fly.” After noticing the food supply was sufficient for the moment he sat down at his desk facing another chair directly across from him. His eyes looked down briefly while he took a deep breath as if he were about to talk to someone in high regard.
With his elbows resting on his knees he leaned forward in the chair he was sitting while still holding his Bible in one hand. His eyes looked up at the empty chair across the desk in front of him. “I’m not worthy to be sitting here like I’m in charge,” he said with a low tone. “This is your office and your ship and I am yours also.” He paused for a moment as he looked down again. “I’m about to deliver your Word to these men in the chapel.” His eyes looked up at the chair again as he continued, “and I need your help.”
After pausing in silence once again, he got up from his chair with a seemingly revived sense of energy while looking at the one in front of him again. “You know I must go now and I just want your will to be done.” Clay then pushed his chair in the desk with his Bible in hand and made his way to the door. He turned off the light and before closing the door, he could see the white silhouette of the dove that faintly stood out in the dark room.
“Hang in there, Comfort,” he said holding the doorknob. “I’ll be back momentarily. Chaplain Silver has some business to attend to.” Then he shut the door.
