STONES OF FIRE

By Tessa Harvey

CHAPTER EIGHT

(Continued)

Furious and angry, Walt had apparently gone to a pub, downed a lot of drink in a short time and staggered out like a raging bull, knocking others down willy-nilly.

He had then gone to the jewellers, heaved a rock through the window and grabbed rubies, diamonds, pearls, opals, rings and watches, gold and silver bangles and other precious items such as earrings. The jeweller had come out and bravely tried to stop him, but was brutally felled by a cruel blow to the head.

He had been taken to hospital.

The police came to see Diane and told her what had happened.

"Who was hurt?" she gasped. "Thomas or Jason?" "The older man," the police officer replied. "It's quite serious."

"Where is Walt?" Diane asked. 

- No trace apparently. A search on foot and in police cars was still going on.

Jason lay still and silent in a hospital bed. His head was bandaged. Jean was with him and Thomas came as often as he could. For thirty years the shop had been safe and now all this had happened.

Jean had no answers, but she did trust that God would work all things out for good even when it seemed hard and almost hopeless. Even then.

In his head, Jason was far away. He drifted, sometimes in a seeming void, sometimes back in the jungle.... He didn't really want to come back, but he was aware of something bothering him. He tried to ignore it, but the voice was insistent. Where will you go? There is life after death. Where will you go?