Ben watched the wind sweep clouds of dust down main street, blowing past the shops and churches that were usually bustling on a Sunday afternoon in August. The town had been in turmoil for a week because of the "miracle" that Elmer Baggit discovered. Ben didn't trust anything that involved Elmer Baggit, but that wasn't enough to keep Ben from seeing it.
Of course, his mom had to come with him. Ben sighed and anticipated the torture of arriving with her in front of his teenage friends.
On the edge of town, Katherine turned onto a road bordering a pasture and parked amidst a sea of cars. Ben gazed at the pasture and the hills beyond. The place had "boring" written all over it.
Ben opened the door and looked toward the field. There, he saw a line of people marching to a windowless outbuilding. Ben rolled his eyes when he spotted Elmer Baggit at the front of the line. Elmer was grinning as he sorted money, stopping only to accept cash from the next in line and to escort them into the barn.
Ben and Katherine took their place in the column of people. Standing there, Ben watched Elmer stumble around; how could anyone so clumsy survive as long as Elmer had?
After what seemed like hours, Ben and Katherine were the next in line. Elmer stumbled through the door and flashed a toothy grin. "Five bucks and you can see the miracle of Red Rock."
Katherine reached into her denim purse and retrieved a five dollar bill. Elmer held out his hand and grinned like a shark as she offered the crumpled bill to him. He snatched the money and crammed it into his pocket.
"Now listen to me, young man," Elmer said to Ben. "When we go in there, you are not to touch anything." Forcing a smile, Elmer looked at Katherine and asked, "Shall we go? We have little daylight left and the miracle won't appear after dusk."
With Elmer in the lead, the trio walked into the musty shack. Ben surveyed the chamber, which was empty and nondescript except for a dark spot on the far wall. Before Ben could observe any detail, Elmer closed the door, leaving the interior in darkness.
Ben felt Katherine put her hand on his shoulder. Not in the mood to make a fuss over this sign of affection, he stood stoically. He heard a strange humming sound, but he forgot about the noise as he saw what was happening.
A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared in mid-air, crackling like fire. The lightning expanded, becoming a man-shaped flux of electricity. The blinding luminescence faded to a glow. Ben and Katherine gaped -- Jesus stood before them, smiling faintly.
They watched as Jesus scanned the area. Briefly, his soft gaze concentrated on Katherine and Ben. Then he knelt in prayer; the rustle of his robe was like a whisper echoing through the barn. For a brief moment, time stopped and all eyes focused on the figure.
Ben's awe wore off, and his curiosity demanded answers. Why did Elmer tell him not to touch anything? What exactly was that spot on the wall? He tried to spot Elmer, but he couldn't see anything in the shadows. With no way to answer his questions, Ben decided to wait until he could investigate.
The moment ended and Jesus arose, looking at Katherine and Ben with striking blue eyes. He turned slowly, the glow brightening to a blinding level. Suddenly, he disappeared, leaving Ben staring after him.
Elmer opened the door, flooding the room with evening light. As Ben walked toward the spot on the wall to examine it, he felt someone grab his arm and yank him toward the door. Ben wasn't surprised to see Elmer at his side, escorting him out. Once outside, Elmer released Ben and announced the closing of the barn for the day.
Ben, working his arm to shake the soreness, struggled through the crowd and found Katherine standing next to the car.
"Ben, do you know what happened in there?" she asked.
"Yeah. We saw something that looked like Jesus."
"He didn't just look like Jesus. He was Jesus."
"Mom," Ben said, "you haven't been to church since you were my age. Now you believe Jesus was in that building?"
"What am I supposed to think? Didn't you see the compassion on his face? I believe the Lord blessed us, and I don't care what anybody says."
Knowing that it was futile to argue, Ben shrugged and said nothing. Turning back to the empty pasture, Ben said, "I have to go back. I think I dropped Something." He ran back to the building.
Ben stopped in front of the door and pretended to look for something. He turned and peeked in the door.
Inside, Elmer stood, back to the door, fiddling with something. Ben hoped Elmer would turn around so he could see what was happening. A minute passed before that happened. Ben could see a device in Elmer's hands; behind him, where the strange spot had been, was a hole in the wall. Elmer adjusted dials on the device before putting it into the opening and placing a panel over it. Ben, leaning on the wall, felt a plank start to give way. Backing away, he stepped on a stick, which cracked loudly. He heard Elmer walk to the door. Ben turned and sprinted to the car.
Breathing heavily, Ben hopped in the car and tried to calm down. He mulled over what he saw as his mother drove. Now he knew the miracle was fake. He didn't relish the prospect of a fight with his mom, but he had to tell her what he saw.
Ben gathered breath and began the battle. "Mom...you know when I said I went back to look for something? Well, I didn't. I went back to spy on Elmer. I saw him take some weird projector thing out of the wall." Ben hesitated, then continued, "I don't think we saw Jesus today. I think Elmer showed us a movie of Jesus and I think that black thing projected it." Ben fell silent and waited for the eruption. In the rear-view mirror, he could see his mom's face turn light crimson. He mentally braced himself.
"Of all the stupid explanations. Jesus appeared today and all you can do is look for excuses not to believe," Katherine snapped.
"Look mom, I know what I saw. Elmer is ripping people off, and we've got to stop it. C'mon mom, this religious stuff is all well and good, but it's not real."
"Don't get smart with me. The argument is over. You sit back there and adjust your attitude."
Ben frowned and stared out the window. Behind some trees, he spotted the farmhouse that his mom and his father bought when Ben was born. Fourteen years and a divorce later, Katherine and Ben still lived there. Tonight, it was going to be an emotional minefield. He was going to be very careful not to set her off again.
Katherine parked, and Ben entered the house. Once inside, Ben sat silently while Katherine made dinner. He hated the dark silences that came after he fought with his mom. At the table, he fiddled with his food, shifting it around his plate. After dinner, he stomped up to his room.
Minutes later, Katherine came in and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Look, I'm sorry for getting angry, but you have no proof of what you're saying. No movie looks that real."
Ben grunted indignantly.
"Hey, listen," Katherine said, "I'm going to town tomorrow. Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?"
He considered her offer, then the lightbulb went on above his head.
"Sure," Ben said.
"Okay. Now get ready for bed," she said as she left.
Ben grinned. Sure he'd go to town. He would steal the device and prove that the miracle was fake.
Later, lying in bed, Ben planned the infiltration. Smiling at his brilliance, he drifted to sleep. He awoke the next morning brimming with excitement. After breakfast, he stepped out of the house into the fragrant air. The sun blazed in a cloudless sky.
On the highway, Ben looked out over the rolling hills toward town. "Today I'm going to run Elmer out of town," he thought. Then, he scolded himself for watching too many westerns.
They drove into town, and Ben thought it looked even more empty than it had the previous day. "So, where do you want me to drop you off?" Katherine asked.
"In front of the bank would be fine."
They pulled up to the bank. "I'm going to be at the Miracle Pasture talking to Maureen. If you need me, that's where I'll be. I love you and be careful," Katherine said.
"I will. 'Bye mom." He slammed the door and watched her drive off. Then he turned and walked purposefully down Main Street.
He continued to the end, where it curved to the left, leading down a hill to the Miracle Pasture. Looking down on the mob of people, Ben realized how tough this was going to be. He sighed and descended into the maelstrom.
Once he navigated his way through the labyrinth of cars at the bottom of the hill, Ben tried to lose himself in the crowd. He didn't need his mother to see him and wreck everything.
He slowly worked his way through the mass of praying believers and interested citizens. Eventually, Ben emerged into a clearing surrounding Elmer's shed. He spotted Elmer standing near the far corner of the barn, sternly lecturing some children who played in the dirt.
Keeping his eyes on Elmer, Ben sneaked toward the barn, stealthily, meandering closer to the door. He looked around to see if anybody was watching. Then he stole into the shack.
Ben walked to the far wall. The hidden panel was apparent, but there were no handles to take it out. He tried prying it out, to no avail. Then he searched for hidden levers, but there were none. For five minutes he sat in the room trying to figure it out. Finally, Ben lashed out and hit the wall. He heard a cracking sound, and the panel fell off, revealing the device.
He grabbed it, turned to leave, and ran into Elmer. Ben's heart shifted into third gear.
"So, what are we doing? Are we making a pain of ourselves?" Elmer asked.
"Uh...I'm uh...well I...," Ben said.
"Why don't you save yourself the trouble, and give me the projector?"
Ben looked from Elmer to the projector. He slowly held the box out. As Elmer reached for it, Ben heard Katherine's voice outside. She was just a few feet away. If he could just escape.... He snatched the device from Elmer. "Come get it," he said.
Elmer's face darkened, and he stepped toward Ben, who waited until he was in range. Then Ben stomped on his foot. Elmer howled in pain. Ben bolted outside while Elmer did a one-footed hop.
Ben, blinded by the sun, ran into Katherine. When he recognized her, he gave her the projector.
"Mom, this is the machine I told you about. Turn it on and you'll see."
She looked at him suspiciously, then she pushed a button labeled "on." A second passed. Nothing happened. Anger slowly spread over Katherine's face. Then the box emitted a flash of light, and a lightning bolt appeared. She turned the machine off. With a dark look, she began to speak to the astonished group.
"It seems that Elmer made fools of us. This miracle was just a hoax," she said bitterly. Something occurred to her, brightening her face slightly. "I have an idea. How about we go get our money back?" she asked.
The crowd went from astonished to angry. Elmer stumbled out the door. When the people saw him, they charged. Elmer's eyes got huge before he was buried in the riot.
Ben stayed on the fringes of the ruckus, watching. Someone found the money box and began distributing money. Sometime during the battle, Ben saw Elmer slither into the building with the box. Ben peeked in the door.
Elmer sat in the middle of the room in his tattered purple suit, fiddling with the projector. Ben, concentrating on Elmer, was surprised to see the Jesus image when he looked up. Elmer noticed it too because he stopped fiddling. He grumbled and rotated the device to turn it off. When he did, he noticed something : the projector was off.
Several things happened simultaneously. First, Ben gasped and almost fell into the barn. Second, Elmer became petrified and began to whimper. Third, Jesus began to walk toward Elmer.
The man's eyes grew wider as Jesus drew near. White, flowing robes cascaded down over his sandaled feet. Chestnut hair tumbled past his gaunt face onto his shoulders. He was clean-shaven and his face shone with an ethereal light. His eyes were sparkling portals to another place.
Elmer was babbling, as the manifestation slowly strode toward him. The crook tried to scramble away, but found it was hard to back through walls. Jesus was a yard from Elmer, whose eyes were bigger than the moon on a clear night. The being crept closer and closer. Elmer finally had enough. He cried out in terror, and promptly fainted.
In the back of Ben's mind, a voice was telling him to go get someone. He pried himself away from the door, turned to find that the field was empty. Everyone was in the parking area. Ben went back to the door, but the spirit was gone. The only person in the barn was Elmer, sprawled out on the floor.
The police came as Ben walked to the car.
"We are here to pick up Elmer Baggit. Do you know where he is?" a deputy asked.
"He's in there," Ben pointed to the building. "He's out cold, so I wouldn't worry." The officer thanked him and continued toward the shack.
On his way to the car, Ben thought about what happened. So the Big Guy existed after all. It was kind of too bad, though. Elmer had a good idea. He just executed badly. Maybe, if Ben could get the machine...
He gazed skyward and smiled. "Just kidding," he said.