Crossfire in Canberra

A street in Canberra

A very short story

written very late at night

simply to entertain

my very bored self...

7/15/10

Bullets cracked through the silence of the calm mid-day crowd on a street in Canberra. Marcie collapsed on the concrete with a thud as one of the bullets struck her. The pain shooting through her body was just as startling as the shock of the attack. Shouts of panic escalated from people all around her. Chaos marked the moment as fear registered on each face. She lay stunned on the sidewalk. Every fiber of her being was summoned in that split second of time; attempting to understand what had happened and in that same moment, grasping with reality, telling herself this couldn’t be…it couldn’t be real…and knowing she must survive…she had to survive. This should not be happening to her. Not to Marcie.

Springtime in Canberra stimulates the city - reviving it with colorful signs of life. Blossoms throughout the capital announce the change from colder air to more tolerable temperatures. The days are bright and vineyards bloom with vitality. Marcie chose to walk to the market today. It was only a few blocks from her apartment and she was anxious to pick up the few items on her  grocery list. Her dinner guest would be arriving later this evening. It would be a perfect dinner. Baked chicken with all the trimmings. It was his favorite. The trimmings didn’t matter all that much to him. Veggies or salads were only extras and were meant to enhance the luscious, moist, tender baked chicken. He preferred his portion served with a side of melted butter for dipping.

Eight months had passed since Marcie started attending a Bible study with her coworker. She knew in her heart that there was a God, somewhere. Her problem was that she didn’t know how to find Him. The leader of the cell group who lovingly shared the gospel with the faithful ten or twelve each week was Brother Mike, an associate at the fast growing training center located in the middle of Canberra. It was this plan of salvation presented weekly by Brother Mike that finally supplied all the missing pieces in Marcie’s mind, and she, at long last, had found her way to God. The night Marcie received Christ as her Savior she not only found freedom from sin, she also found the freedom to live. The Holy Spirit cleansed her innermost being…washing every nook and cranny of her soul.

Marcie found God. Stephen found Marcie. A dark haired, stocky built, full of life, full of God kind of young man.  As he walked in the building, he once again felt the bulge in his inside jacket pocket. It was the box containing the single diamond engagement ring which he had intended to present to Marcie on this night. The waiting room of Memorial Hospital was not where he had planned to spend the evening. His cell phone was ringing constantly with inquiries about Marcie’s condition. The city was buzzing with the news. Marcie, along with other innocent pedestrians, had been caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs. The local news channel had labeled the afternoon shootings as Crossfire in Canberra.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stephen noticed Brother Mike hurrying up the hallway, making his way to the critical care waiting room and to Stephen's side. A sight for sore eyes.  “Brother Mike. Am I glad to see you! Thank God you are here,” Stephen said. “Stephen, the Lord sent me with a message for you. Let’s sit over here in the corner where we can have some privacy.” Brother Mike led a rather shaken Stephen to the opposite side of the room where two chairs were pushed against the wall. After taking their seats, he spoke quietly, with a voice meant only for the ears of Stephen.

“Stephen, God has a plan for you and Marcie. The enemy has pulled out all the stops in an attempt to hinder that plan. But know this: Today, you will see the Hand of the Lord at work. He will perform that which no man can perform. What the enemy meant for evil, the Lord will restore for good. She shall not die, but live. You will say of the Lord, He is your refuge and your fortress…He is your God and in Him will you trust. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day…You will not fear the destruction that wasteth at noon day. There shall no evil rise up for destruction against you. Crossfire in Canberra shall be known as Christ in Canberra for I will manifest my glory in the midst of the storm.”

After giving praise to their loving Savior, Stephen and Brother Mike rose from the privacy of their corner of the large room. Stephen bade the messenger goodbye and slowly made his way back to room number three and to Marcie’s bedside. She greeted him with a weak, but loving, smile. Stephen reached for her hand, leaned over the bed, lowered his head and whispered softly, “Marcie, I love you.” Marcie looked deeply into Stephen’s eyes, her heart filled with gratitude to be alive and with a longing to spend the rest of her life with the one she had grown to love. With ever so much passion she spoke the words he was waiting to hear, “I love you, Stephen.”

Some time later, on a warm summer day in Canberra, a dark haired young man walked up to the apartment located just a few blocks from the market.  As he approached the door the aroma of baked chicken tantalized his sense of smell.   As he raised his right hand in preparation to knock on the door, he checked his inside jacket pocket just once more.  He felt the bulge inside the coat and he smiled.