Solutions: The Dilemma of Faith by James Gerard (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📕

At first, Mary had not considered the challenge that would be faced by providing solid food.  The spoon fed paste of minimal life sustaining nourishment had rendered the need to chew useless.  Atrophy in the arms and legs were easily revived with feeling, but the act of chewing needed to be relearned.  Those initial nights of freedom involved working the fine muscles of the jaw to reacquire the techniques of biting and chewing and swallowing.  She took each of her friends through the process, feeding herself, mimicking the action, and using hands to point out the movements in the jaw.  She then gave her friends the solid food snacks, guided the movements of their jaws with her hands while whispering words of encouragement and success.  Eventually, she had renewed the process. The memories of the act that had been forced into dormancy brought the taste buds back to life.  She clearly saw that it had been a simple pleasure that all had missed.

After she fed all her friends, Mary took a minute at the nurses’ station to sit down and reflect on the night.  In a way it was a bit amusing.  She smiled while thinking that if anyone were to come down to the basement at that very moment, just how horrified they would be to see the children enjoying themselves.  This fact did not lie in her or her young and beautiful friends, but rather in those that rejected the love they brought forth.

Then, in a moment, the mind drifted off into the future.  A chilling thought blinded the eyes to the joy and opened up a vision that made the heart ache.  Sooner or later, either by natural deterioration of one’s body or by way of a summary decision to snuff out society’s embarrassment, she realized it would be just a matter of time before her services to the state would no longer be needed.  Her life would be cut off just as coldly as her friends’ lives were.  She would become useless.

“Mary,” a voice called.

She opened her eyes and looked to the hallway.

“Mary.”

“Valerie?”

Mary sat there stunned while staring at her friend and was absolutely amazed that Valerie, her body made a silhouette from the beams of brilliant light emanating from the window of the lone rear door, had mustered up the strength to get out of bed and step into the hallway.

“What’s wrong sweetie?”

“I’m okay now.  We’re all okay.”

Mary stepped out from behind the station and smiled.  “What are you talking about sweetie?”

“It’s okay now.  Don’t you see?  Look.”

Mary looked at the shining light at the end of the hallway and was overwhelmed by warmth.  But just as the peaceful feeling enveloped her completely by invitating her to walk towards it, the ground began to shake.  Thunder erupted.  The door came crashing down.

Mary woke up and gasped.  The blades of a helicopter created a swirl of wind in the hallway.  Sirens wailed.  Voices shouted.  Someone was running up the hallway.

“I’ve had enough of this,” she shouted.

Anger erupted from her very soul.  Rage consumed the very thoughts.  She jumped out of the chair and vaulted over the counter.  The rage raced directly at the figure.  With a piercing scream the figure was hit head on.  The collision halted the momentum and both tumbled to the floor.

“Calm down,” she shouted at the naked man struggling to break the grip.

The sound of boots pounding the floor was heard over shouting voices.  She glanced and saw a gang of men race towards her.

She clung to the naked man.  He lay sprawled on the floor.  His heart and breathing were rapid, but all of a sudden the resistance ceased.

Mary jumped to her feet.  “Stop,” she shouted as the lead officer sprinted towards her with a raised baton.  “Lay one hand on him and I will summon all the strength from my puny little body and strike you down!”

The officer ignored the threat and ran right at the naked man.

Mary clenched her fist and cocked it in position.  Just as she was about to unleash the rage, the elevator door suddenly opened and bright light illuminated and highlighted the scene.

“Gentlemen,” a voice shouted.  “Restrain yourselves immediately.”

The officer stopped as if offended by the call of restraint and shouted back, “Who are you to tell me….”

A man, a cane assisting his labored steps, came into focus and shouted,  “I am Councilman Frederick Neumann. And I swear, if you do not restrain yourself I will make you all suffer my wrath.  Each will be subjected to the sickest and vilest torments that lie in the depths of my mind.  Is that understood?”

The officer, still huffing and puffing, lowered the baton.

Councilman Neumann stepped up to the naked man safely shielded by Mary’s emotional shield.   “Young woman, I admire your courage but do you think you might be able to regain your composure and find a vacant room for this man?”

Mary, still breathing rapidly, eyed the officer with an urge compelling the fist to strike its intended target, but then turned the attention back to Councilman Neumann realizing his wrath had brought the officer to his knees.

“Everything is okay now,” she whispered to the naked man as she knelt down and embraced him.  Mary sprang to her feet and removed a set of keys from a pocket.  She pointed down the hallway.

The Councilman looked to two of the officers who had seemingly regained their composure from the rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins.  “You two,” he commanded, “would you be so kind as to escort this man to the room.”

Mary carefully observed the movements of the officers as they raised the naked man to his feet, but the rage over the violent intrusion was still simmering.

“Follow me.”

She knocked a shoulder into the lead officer in passing, the one she deemed disappointed that he was unable to unleash his cruelty on the prey that had been cornered.  Mary was hoping for the slightest utterance of anger so she could justify the punch that was still aching to be delivered, but the officer remained mute in the presence of Councilman Neumann.

“In here,” she said as the officers came up from behind.

“Mister Hatfield,” the Councilman said to the man that now stood beside him, “is there something available to sedate the man?”

The hospital director looked to Mary, “See to it.”

Mary just barely recognized the director from the hair that had turned gray, from tired eyes staring out from a wrinkled face, and from the bloated body that used to be thin.  

“Yes sir.”

She stepped behind the station and retrieved a syringe from a locked cabinet.  After loading it up with one of the many tranquilizers available, she marched back to the room.

“What are you doing?” she asked as the two officers hovered over the man with heads lowered.   Each was holding one of his hands while they were whispering something into his ears.

The two officers smiled and backed away.

Mary cleansed a small area on the man’s arm and plunged the needle into the flesh.

“You have to be kidding,” she said as the crucifix around the man’s neck caught the attention.  At first the thought of having shown compassion to a believer irked her, but there was something about it that increased the rage.  It was strangely familiar, but she did not know why.  A hand lunged out to rip the chain off the man’s neck.  She shouted, “How dare you.”

Just as she was about to yank the cross away one of the officers reached out and restrained Mary by the wrist.  “Please,” he whispered, “let it go.”

Mary looked at the man’s smile and noticed the subtle features that spoke of a calmness she had never witnessed in any other officer before.  She released the chain from the locked grip and backed away.

The officer stood by the believer’s side and continued to smile as she backed out of the room.  Mary stood quietly outside the closed door and allowed the tension to ease.  Curiosity, however, diverted the eyes through the door’s window.  They continued to hover above the man as if they were consoling him.  Again, they gently held his hands and whispered secret words.

“Mary,” a voice shouted.

She turned the attention to the Councilman and hospital director.  She could see they had distanced themselves from the gang of officers and were whispering amongst themselves.

As Mary neared the two she could see the calmness in both men and wondered what they were talking about, but she could not get close enough to hear as the approach was waved off by Councilman Neumann.

Councilman Neumann turned the attention in the direction of the mob of officers.  “Mister Hatfield, I think it would be best if all of this is handled in the morning,” he announced.  “I will consider a favor if the man could rest comfortably for the night.”

“Of course Councilman Neumann.  There is no problem with that.”

“Officers,” the Councilman addressed the gang of men, “I think it is time to wrap up this investigation until morning.”

“But….”

“Not another word!” shouted the Councilman while staring down the officer who dared to speak up.  “You can leave the two officers to watch over him.  Mary will be here and can handle any episodes that might occur during the night.”

“Yes, I can do that,” said Mary.

“Good.”  He looked to the officers with apparent contempt, “Well, why are all of you still standing there!”

The officers, having had stood there meekly in posture, quickly turned and shuffled out of the broken door. The headlights from the cruisers faded away.  The buzz of the helicopter fell silent.  Councilman Neumann and Director Hatfield disappeared into the elevator.  The hallway, her domain, although wrecked by the violent disturbance, returned to a state of calmness.

Mary tiptoed back to the room and stared through the window.  The officers were still hovering over the man.  Though she was curious to know their intentions, the urge was fought to burst in and demand answers from the believer who dared to wear the crucifix.

No longer able to withstand one more minute of a day of twisting and turning, of watching the clock, Mary fled the apartment and raced down the stairs without any regard to those offended by the clamoring noise.  All day long she had waited for accusers to come rushing in, but there was neither a daytime call nor a daytime visit from any who would demand an explanation of the things she had done in secret.

The thoughts of being so stupid and