Little Bobby’s mother said, “I’m going in to check on dinner. I’ll be right back out. You stay here in the driveway.”
The door closed behind her and Bobby immediately aimed his tricycle at the busy street in front of the house. He pedaled as fast as he could and giggled in glee at the rush of speed.
He launched himself out of the driveway and into the path of an oncoming car.
But an instant before tragedy could strike, an angel of the LORD appeared between the child and the vehicle. The angel smote the Mazda with his sword; the engine failed and, in violation of the laws of physics, the car came to an immediate stop. Its airbags deployed, and the driver was bruised but not seriously injured.
Bobby’s mother rushed out on the lawn and stopped in her tracks, scarcely able to believe what she was seeing. Dozens of other onlookers shared her amazement and all became quiet.
And the angel of the LORD looked down at the tricyclist.
“Robert, you were told not to leave the driveway. Instead of obeying your mother, according to the commandment, you rode into the street and were nearly killed had the LORD not sent me to intervene. He has a special purpose for you and you must not thwart His will. Stand up.”
Bobby slowly stood up and the angel of the LORD applied three light smacks to Bobby’s bottom with the flat of his sword, surprising the child far more than hurting him. Bobby sniffled and shed seven tears.
The angel waved the point of his sword in Bobby’s face. “Don’t make me come down here again, Robert.” The angel sheathed his sword and walked up into the yard to speak with Bobby’s mother.
“Actually,” the angel said quietly, “we predict a difficult childhood and adolescence. Commandments and common sense violated right, left, and center. I’m sure you’ll see me again. But do your best to keep him out of trouble. These days, the LORD prefers to avoid this sort of direct approach.” The angel started to turn away but stopped. A tiny package appeared in the angel’s hand. “Oh, and try this in your spaghetti sauce. It’s just basil. Use it all.”
With that, the angel of the LORD disappeared, leaving all who saw and heard greatly mystified.
Bobby and his mother did give thanks that evening for his deliverance, and for the wonderful herb that had been added unto their meal. As he ate, Bobby looked out the window and did ponder the tall oak tree his mother forbade him to climb.
And the wind blew softly, like an angel sighing.
Twice when reading this I laughed out loud. Or, I LOL’d, as I should say in this context. Or maybe it’s just “LOL! Good story!” I’m sticking with my first statement. The story surprised me at every turn and had the Cannon compactness and evocative selection of detail.
One correction: the past participle of “forbid” is “forbidden,” pluperfect is “had forbidden.” “Forbade” is simple past tense.
Great! Humor is what I was going for. I’m glad to know it worked. This story was written on the basis of, “Let’s start typing and see what happens.” I’ve fixed the tense problem; I was going for the KJV sound and missed on that one.
I had several laughs while reading this. The basil bit was a funny little surprise that lent the story a little extra charm.