"And A Child Shall Save Us"

by Joseph J Kusnell for Boomeryearbook.com

"And A Child Shall Save Us"

The vision haunted Joanne Kelly every waking moment of her life since she first discovered that her son Adam was a Healer, someone who could heal even the most deadly illnesses with the touch of his hand. It was her recurring nightmare that in a frenzy to be healed - those he most wanted to help would ultimately destroy him.

“Do you really think I hadn’t thought of that, Bob” she cried out. “Do you really think that wasn’t the first damn thing that came to my mind! That the leg came out of its socket and he simply popped it back in! Of course I thought of that! It was the first damn thing I did think of! The rabbit didn’t have a broken leg and the bird didn’t have a broken wing and none of this was anything but a weird coincidence! I have been telling myself that every day and night for over a year! But you don’t understand! You don’t understand how terrified I am! Do you know why? I’ll tell you why! Because if my son is a healer...a true healer...then one day it will destroy him as surely as you and I are sitting here tonight! When sick people hear about him, they will come first in hundreds, then in thousands, then in tens of thousands! Can’t you see that? They will come for themselves! They will come for their sick kids! They will come and come and never stop coming until they destroy him!

And she broke down and sobbed.

“AND A CHILD SHALL SAVE US” is a powerful story that dramatizes the life of a young man with the power to heal, of a mother who tries desperately but unsuccessfully to hide his gift from the world, and of the emotional frailty of truly desperate people.


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This book is dedicated to Sarah
"Heavens Special Child"


PROLOGUE

It was a cold, miserable evening in Philadelphia, a week after Easter, the kind of night when the damp air seems to go right through you. Joanne Ritter and her six-year-old-son Adam were glad to be inside their warm, two-bedroom duplex apartment on such a dreary night. Adam, a tall-for-his-age blond haired youngster, with an angular face and a serious disposition, was busy playing on the living room floor with his new pet rabbit Charlie, an Easter present from his mother who was presently laying on the living room couch reading a book.
Charlie the rabbit, a ball of fur with eyes, was scampering around the room ducking in and out of furniture when suddenly and without warning, Adam reached out and grabbed him as he ran by. Frightened, the little rabbit struggled frantically to get free but the more he struggled, the tighter Adam held him. Hearing the noise, Joanne looked up from her book.
“Adam, stop that...” she said firmly, “you’re going to hurt Charley.”
Adam didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he continued to clutch the rabbit as Charlie continued to struggle to get free. Suddenly, to Joanne’s dismay, she heard a snapping sound that frightened her. She jumped to her feet and, stunned, saw Charlie’s leg hanging at a grotesque angle from his body. “Oh my God, Adam” she cried out, “what did you do!”
Adam looked like he was going to cry. “I didn’t do anything, Mother.”
Joanne got up and hurried across the room, kneeling down beside them. She reached over to take the injured rabbit from Adam but, to her surprise, Adam wouldn’t let go. Again she tried to free Charlie, and again Adam resisted. She sat back staring at her son. “Adam,” she said angry but puzzled by his behavior, “give Charlie to me. I think he’s hurt!”
Adam shook his head. “No, I will fix him!”
Again Joanne tried to take the rabbit but again she failed. Adam continued to clutch the injured rabbit to his body.
Suddenly, freeing one hand, Adam began stroking Charlie’s body…back and forth…back and forth. As he did he began a soft crooning. Joanne sat motionless, staring at him. At first, she thought it was Adam’s way of trying to comfort his little friend and she felt badly for him; but as the moments passed, she knew that was not the case. Adam continued to stroke his little friend as she sat in silence, watching. Suddenly, without warning, Charlie wiggled furiously. He wrenched himself free of Adam’s grasp and jumping to the floor, he made a furious beeline across the room to the safety of an overstuffed chair. Ducking under the chair,he sat there panting furiously, obviously scared half to death.
Joanne was stunned. The little rabbit she had just seen dart across the floor had shown no sign whatsoever of any injury, and certainly none of a broken leg. But the leg had been broken; she was certain of that. She’d heard the bone snap and she had seen it hanging limp beneath the rabbit’s little body. She turned to her son, her voice betraying her amazement. “Adam, what happened! What in the world did you do?”
Adam looked at her, a pleased expression on his face.
“I fixed him, Mother, I fixed Charlie’s leg. It was hurt and I made it better.”
She stared at him not certain what he meant.
“What do you mean you made it better? How did you make it better? What did you do?”
Adam didn’t respond. He just sat there looking back at her
Joanne sat back staring, first at her son, then at the place where the frightened little rabbit still hid trembling under the chair. Slowly her mind went back over what she had seen – what she thought she had seen - trying to make some sense of it.
But she couldn’t.
Then, suddenly, she shook her head abruptly and came to a conclusion. It was a mistake. The whole thing was a mistake. Charlie had certainly been frightened – frightened half to death when he couldn’t free himself – but he hadn’t been hurt at all, just scared. She had over-reacted!
Relieved and reassured, Joanne got up and returned to the couch, picking up her reading where she had left off. But it wasn’t that easy to put it out of her mind, and every few moments, she found herself stopping and staring at her son now playing contentedly across the room with a video game – and wondering what had just happened.

Chapter I

It was a late summer evening in Mayfair, a section of Philadelphia’s Greater Northeast. Joanne Ritter, fifteen, and her sister, Carol, two years older, were sitting in the living room of their small, modest row home watching a movie on television when the phone rang. Carol, being older, looked over at Joanne and Joanne, getting the hint, got up reluctantly to answer it. She felt certain it would be for Carol anyway; it always was. Carol, meanwhile, had returned her attention to the movie.
“Hello?” Joanne said in a bored, singsong voice.
The voice on the phone was a faint, female voice, very soft, with a strange, detached quality. “Is this the Ritter residence?”
The caller had begun speaking without any kind of greeting and Joanne found this very unusual. So much so that it unnerved her. She looked across the room at her older sister. “Carol…?” she said tentatively.
Carol, seeing her sister holding the phone out to her, got up and walked across the room. “Who is it?” she said, a bit irritated that she had to get up.
Joanne shook her head indicating she didn’t know. Giving her sister a curious look, Carol took the phone from her. “Hello,” she said, “can I help you?”
Carol was tall and slim, almost three inches taller than her five foot four inch sister, and definitely more aggressive. Her outgoing, blunt nature had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion but she had little inclination to change. She simply wasn’t about to take a back seat to anyone despite her years. Joanne was convinced Carol could handle anything so she stood waiting while the caller spoke, half expecting an explosion since Carol didn’t like late night sales calls and that’s what Joanne thought this was. Strangely, the explosion never came. Instead, without warning, Carol let out a soft moan. Joanne watched, horrified, as Carol sank into the large upholstered chair next to the phone and began to cry. Joanne knelt down beside her.
“Carol, what is it? What’s wrong!”
Instead of answering, Carol let out another moan that seemed to come from deep inside her, then dropped the phone to the floor and, covering her eyes, began to sob uncontrollably. Seeing Carol like this so upset Joanne that she began to cry too although she still didn’t know what was wrong. She looked at her stricken sister.
“What is it, Carol? What‘s wrong? Please…tell me!”
Carol looked up at her then got up and took Joanne’s two hands in her own, holding them tightly. They stood that way for a moment then led Joanne to the couch and sat down beside her. She continued to hold her hands and now Joanne knew something was wrong…terribly wrong. Finally, Carol spoke.
“It‘s mom and dad…there’s been an awful accident…”
Again, she began to cry. Joanne was petrified. The tears were running down her cheek and her heart was pounding. The words came in a whisper.
“Are they all right…? They’re all right, aren’t they Carol?”
Carol shook her head slowly and once again, took her sister into her arms and held her close. The two girls sat that way sobbing for a long time. Neither of them heard the hum of the dial tone as the caller hung up.
It was the worst night of their lives.
Following the death of their parent’s, the girls—being too young to live alone— had to be separated. The family decided to send Carol to live with an aunt in New Jersey; while Joanne was shipped to a cousin in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Their parents’ modest home was sold and their estate liquidated and the money put into trust for the girls when they reached eighteen.
The families meant well, but the arrangement didn’t work. The girls hated being apart and Carol vowed to get them back together as soon as she could. After two years, the opportunity came. Following Joanne’s high school graduation, the two of them began looking for an apartment in Northeast Philadelphia and, in short order, they found just what they were looking for; a two-bedroom upstairs duplex apartment for six hundred dollars a month, perfect for the two of them. With jobs and the small trust funds that had been set up for them, they were certain they could make it. Beyond that, they were thrilled to be back together again.
Things went pretty well for the two girls for the next three years until one morning when things changed abruptly. It was a nice spring morning, the sun was shining brightly, when Carol came walking into the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from her sister.
“Sis,” she said, obviously excited, “I have to tell you something!”
Joanne was eating a jelly donut as she looked up. She could see that Carol was ready to bust. “What is it?” she asked picking up her coffee to wash down the donut.
“It’s about Tony...”
Tony was Anthony DeCinque, an intern at Einstein Medical Center that Carol had met two years ago and had been dating ever since. He was eight years older than Carol but that didn’t seem to bother either of them very much. Joanne had met Tony numerous times and liked him a lot. “So...what about him?”
Carol’s eyes lit up. “He asked me to marry him!”
Joanne was stunned. “Get out!” she yelled.
“It’s true! He asked me last night!”
She reached across the table and took Carol’s hands. It was hard to see which of the two was the more excited. “Oh my God, Carol, what did you say?”
“What do you think I said, I said yes! I’m crazy about him!” The two girls hugged each other. Joanne was thrilled.
“Oh, Carol, he is so nice!” They hugged again.
Carol’s words tumbled out. “And Joanne, Tony and I talked it over and we think he should move in here with us until we are ready to buy a house, then we can all move into our new home together. Isn’t that great!”
Joanne stared at her. Up to that very moment, she hadn’t given any thought to how the engagement might affect her; suddenly it was obvious. If Carol and Tony got married, she would have to move out. She certainly wouldn’t keep this place without Carol and she had no intention of intruding on the newlyweds so early in their marriage. She knew that a young couple needed time alone to get used to each other and this would be no exception. She separated herself from Carol and, sitting back down, picked up her coffee and began sipping it. Carol was upset by her reaction. “Come on Joanne,” she implored her sister, “just let Tony move in and see what happens. If it doesn’t work out, we can always find you another apartment. What do you say? Please?”
Carol had turned twenty-two and Joanne was approaching twenty. Joanne loved her sister and she was grateful for what Carol was trying to do but she just couldn’t see it.
She looked at Carol who was now obviously upset. Then she got up and freshened her coffee. As soon as she sat back down, Carol began again. “Come-on Joanne, it will be so fun. Will you do it...?”
Joanne smiled. She knew Carol was concerned about her and she loved her for it, but she had known what her decision would be, from the moment Carol broke the news. She was not about to live with the new couple. She would not interfere with their marriage. Her mind was set on that. She looked at her sister who was anxiously waiting for her answer.
“Carol, I can’t. It wouldn’t be right. You guys are going to need time to adjust to each other. I like Tony a lot but I hardly know him really. Having a third person here—anyone—would just cause problems. It will be much better if I find my own place and let you two move in here together.”
Carol wasn’t giving up without a fight. “No, that’s not true, Joanne, it would work out great...it really would!”
Joanne shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t Carol, and you know it. This place is just too confining for three people when two of them happen to be a new couple. Maybe later, in a home, after you have gotten to know each other, then it might work, but not here, not now.”
Carol tried one last time. “But Joanne, we have two bedrooms...”
Joanne laughed. “Yes, and one of them would be one too many. Trust me. Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but it won’t work. It will be much better if I find my own place, really. You can even help me. Then, later, after you two are settled in, maybe we can talk about it again...but not now.”
And that was that. Tony and Carol were married six month later in a private ceremony. A few weeks before the wedding, Joanne had found a very nice one-bedroom apartment in the suburban community of Bensalem, a town on the outskirts of the northeast section of Philadelphia. The apartment was smaller than what she had with Carol, but it was big enough for her and more to the point, the price was right. That was the most important thing to Joanne.
Living alone, Joanne found she had a lot of time to spare so she decided to look for a part time job to fill her evenings. Financially, she was okay; she had a day job as a secretary and she was also receiving a monthly check from the estate of her late parents, but she wanted the job to fill in her nights. The job she found was as a Hostess at Ronaldo’s, a popular Italian restaurant serving the Greater Northeast. It was at Ronaldo’s that she met Adam Butler.
Adam had been lucky to get this job. He had walked in looking for work on the very day one of Ronaldo’s waiters had quit, so he was hired on the spot. He began work the next day.
Joanne met Adam on his first day. She walked up to him and offered her hand. “Hi,” she said, “my name is Joanne Ritter.”
Adam smiled and took her hand. “Adam...Adam Butler, nice to meet you, Joanne.”
“Where you from?”
“Boston.”
“Really, what are you doing in Philly? You have family here?” Joanne thought Adam was very attractive: tall and slim with sandy hair and a mustache and dark brown bedroom eyes.
Adam grinned. “Nope, just needed to make some money so I stopped here. I was hitching cross country.”
Joanne was impressed. Philadelphia and Buck’s County were about as far as she had gotten in her short life. “Well,” she said with a smile, “it sure sounds fun. How long have you been on the road?”
He grinned. “Not very long, actually. I just left home ten days ago. But when I got here, I just figured I’d take a few days off and see what this town is all about. You from here?”
“Yep, born and raised. So how long do you plan to stay?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet, but I’m in no hurry. I sure don’t want to go back home, not for a while, anyway.”
“You still going west?”
He laughed. “Yea, sooner or later. But it can wait. California’s not going anywhere.” They sat down and Adam told her that he had been a student at Boston College for two years when he decided to take some time off. His folks didn’t like it much but he had made his mind up. “Just wanted to see the world,” he said.
Joanne laughed. “I can see why they wouldn't like it."
Adam looked at her. “Nope, but it didn’t matter. I left anyway.” He looked at her and grinned and his smile made Joanne’s knees go weak. She had never known anyone like Adam Butler. On some levels, he seemed confident and sure of himself, while at others; he was like a lost child. And even though he was four years older—he was twenty-five and she was twenty-one—when they talked, she felt like she was the more, mature one. But she liked him and they started dating. Within three months, they were going steady and within seven months, Joanne was pregnant with Adam’s child.
When Joanne found out she was pregnant, she was scared. She didn’t know how Adam would take it. She looked for the right time to tell him and it came one night when the two of them were sitting in the back of the restaurant, Adam was eating his dinner when she screwed up her courage and started. “Adam,” she said cautiously, “I have something to tell you.”
He looked up at her. “Yea, what?”
“I don’t know if this is a good time...”
“Okay.” He went back to eating his dinner.
She was so nervous she wanted to get up and leave but she knew she couldn’t do that. He had a right to know and besides, she needed him. She blurted it out. “Adam...I’m pregnant.”
He stopped eating and stared at her. She was certain he was angry and she was ready for an outburst, but there wasn’t any. In fact, he seemed surprisingly calm.
“Hey, that’s great Joanne, congratulations.”
She looked at him. Maybe he hadn’t understood what she said. She tried again. “Adam, did you hear me, did you hear what I said?”
He nodded. “Yea, you’re pregnant. I said congratulations.” His strange lack of interest upset her and she almost cried. Adam looked at her puzzled by her behavior.
“What’s the matter, Joanne, don’t you want it?” She stared at him shaking her head from side to side in disbelief.
“Adam, don’t you get it? It’s your baby! You’re the father!” And now, she began to cry. This time, she got his attention; the booth grew very quiet. So quiet, you could hear the soft raindrops beating on the windows. Adam continued to sit, staring at her. Not sure what to say, Joanne didn’t say anything. Time dragged by. Finally, Adam spoke. To her surprise, his voice was calm and matter-of-fact.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded yes. “I took the test yesterday.”
“No, I mean are you sure it’s mine?”
That hurt her. “What do you mean am I sure it’s yours! Of course I’m sure...you’re the only guy I ever slept with!” He looked at her. He had suspected she was a virgin the very first time they slept together, so he wasn’t surprised. He felt bad that he said that.
“I’m sorry, Joanne, I shouldn’t have said that. I just thought maybe you...you know...maybe you would be taking something...you know...to protect yourself...”
She shook her head vigorously. “Why would I! I never did it before with anyone but you. I didn’t need anything!” He was subdued by her outburst and he sat quiet for a moment.
“Okay, but I thought...I just thought maybe you would be taking something anyway. I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean anything by it. You scared?”
She looked away. “Yes I’m scared to death. I haven’t told anybody but you...” She wiped the tears away. “But it’s your baby, I wouldn’t lie about anything like this. Besides, you’re the only person I’ve been with, I told you that.”
He reached over and took her by hand. She wasn’t sure what to expect but he surprised her. “Yea, I know, you don’t have to tell me.” His words made her feel better.
“We can have a blood test if you want,” she said nervously.
He shook his head. “Nah, that’s all right, I believe you.”
For the first time in weeks, Joanne relaxed. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “You’re not mad?”
He grinned. “No use being mad. You didn’t do it by yourself. What are you going to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean about the baby. Are you going to have it?”
She stared at him. She was getting upset again. “What kind of dumb question is that!” she asked angrily. “Of course I’m going to have it!”
He shrugged. “Okay, okay don’t get pissed. Lots of people who get pregnant don’t have babies, you know .I just was asking if - ” His voice trailed off but she knew what he was driving at. “Are you saying I should get an abortion!” she demanded. “Is that what you want?”
He shrugged. “Why not? Lots of people do.”
Until this minute, Joanne had never given any thought to an abortion. Now hearing him suggest it, upset her. “I can’t believe you would say that! I don’t want an abortion and I’m not going to get one either! I would never do that!” She began to cry and Adam looked around to see if anybody had heard her.
“Ok, ok...” he said, “take it easy. Nobody said you had to...but you could. That’s all I’m saying - ”
She had not calmed down at all “I know I could for Christ’s sake, Adam...I’m not stupid! My sister’s husband is a Doctor, you know!”
He misunderstood her. “Great, so...end of problem. Just go see him and do what he says to do.”
She stared at the man across the table from her. Who was this guy, she thought to herself? They’d dated six months and suddenly he was going to be the father of her child. What kind of father would he be? He admitted all he wanted to do was wander around the country; that’s why he left home. He had a nice easygoing personality and he was fun to be with, but beyond that, she didn’t know the first thing about him. She began to tremble and the tears appeared again in the corner of her eyes. Seeing this, Adam was genuinely upset.
“Hey, what’s the matter, did I say something wrong?”
He got up and came around the booth and sat next to her. She didn’t answer him.
“Come-on Joanne,“ he said, trying to comfort her, “I didn’t mean you had to have an abortion. It’s up to you if you want the baby. Whatever you want is okay with me.”
“I want my baby!”
“So, have it then. It’s okay with me.”
She stopped crying and took out a handkerchief and dried her tears. “Is it, Adam? Is it really okay with you?”
He shrugged. “Sure,” he said offhandedly, “whatever you want is okay with me.” Joanne noticed his attitude and it worried her.
“Are you going to be here when the baby comes?”
He shrugged again. “Sure, why not? Where am I gonna go? I just thought....”
“You know, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to...”
“I know I don’t, I want to.”
For the first time, she began feeling upbeat. “Do you really want to?”
He nodded. “Yea. Why not?” He leaned over and kissed her and suddenly she felt a lot better. They spent the rest of the hour discussing their plans and then they said goodnight, Joanne going home to her apartment and Adam to his room.
The next evening when Joanne came into work, the first thing she did was go looking for Adam. He was nowhere in sight. As the evening wore on, she got more and more concerned until finally she went up to her boss. “Have you seen Adam tonight?”
The manager was sitting at his desk doing the books. He looked up. “Butler?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Yea, he quit. Came in this morning—picked up his check-—and left. Said he was moving on to California.”
Joanne was devastated. There were no notes or messages; one day Adam was in her life; the next, he was gone. She was alone and pregnant.
Suddenly, she felt sick and thought she was going to throw up. She told her boss she had to leave, and went home. Once there, she broke down and cried until she had cried herself out. Then, she called her sister, Carol. Carol could tell something was seriously wrong and promised to be right there. When she arrived, Joanne told her about Adam and the baby. Carol was shocked that this had happened to her baby sister.
“So what’s Adam have to say about this?” she asked bluntly.
Joanne was ashamed. She wanted to go and hide somewhere but it was too late for that. “He’s gone,” she said bitterly.
“Gone? Gone where?”
“I don’t know, he just got up and left. California, I think. I guess it was too much for him to deal with.”
“Oh my God, you mean he ran out on you?”
Joanne sat there nodding, tears beginning to run down her cheeks. Carol leaned over and put her arms around her. “That son-of-a-bitch!” she said angrily, “that rotten son-of-a-bitch! What did he say!”
Joanne took a couple of deep breaths to regain control. “He didn’t say anything, he just left. Last night when I told him, he seemed okay with it, but he must have changed his mind because when I got in, he was gone. No message...nothing. He just left.”
Carol leaned over and hugged her. “Then forget about him. Tony and I will be here for you and the baby. It’ll be just fine.”
Once again, Joanne broke down and sobbed. Carol waited until she had recovered. When she did, the two of them sat for hours talking about the difficulty of being a single mother...money...responsibility...even the unlikely possibility of meeting someone once you had a child. They were all hurdles to overcome and despite her bravado, Carol was deeply concerned for her sister. When the two of them had exhausted the subject, Carol got up to leave. Joanne got up with her.
“Thank you for coming over, Carol,” Joanne said, “I love you and I can’t thank you enough.”
Carol kissed her. “Forget it, that’s what sisters are for. So, what are you going to do?”
“About?”
“About the baby. What do you want to do about it?”
Joanne looked at her. She was irritated and she was tired but her voice was firm. “I’m going to have it, Carol. I’m going to have my baby.”
Carol chuckled. “Good for you. If it’s a girl, you can name her Carol.”
They both laughed at that and Carol bent over, kissed her again, and left.
The baby was born early in the morning on December 23rd. It was a boy. Joanne called him her Christmas baby.
There to greet him were his Aunt Carol, and his Uncle Tony. Wanting legitimacy for her baby, Joanne named him after his father: Adam Butler-Ritter Jr.

Chapter 2

With a growing child and living in an apartment as a single mother, Joanne found herself spending a lot of time indoors. She was either at home—or at Carol’s—and that was pretty much her life for the next few years. With a few dollars earned babysitting and money from her parents’ trust, she was able to get by without a full time job and was thrilled to be able to be a stay-at-home mom.
It was one fine fall afternoon seven months after the rabbit episode—Adam was almost seven years old now—when Joanne went out to sit on her patio to soak up some afternoon rays. She had just closed her eyes when she heard Adam come out the back door.
“Is that you, Adam?” she said, without turning her head.
“Yes, Mother.”
“What are you doing, Hon?”
Adam had walked to the other side of the patio and had stopped to look at something on the ground. “Nothing, Mother,” he murmured distractedly.
“Okay, well don’t go anywhere. I just want to rest a minute.”
She lay back preparing to nap, when something about Adam's voice stirred her curiosity. She sat up to see what he was doing and saw him bending over, looking at something on the ground.
“What are you looking at, Adam?” she asked him. “What is it?”
Curious, she got up and walked over to see what he was looking at. It was a small bird. The bird was jumping around, flapping its wings, but it didn’t seem to be able to fly.

Then she saw the reason. One wing was hanging loosely at its side as though it was badly injured, or broken. As she stood there, Adam knelt down and was now talking softly to the bird. She could hear the sound of his voice, gentle and soothing. “What’s the matter little birdie...what’s wrong...can’t you fly?”

The bird stood still as Adam reached to pick it up. Joanne’s first impulse was to stop him. For one thing, she was concerned that if the bird was hurt it might attack Adam out of fear for its own safety. For another, she was afraid it might be carrying an infection or a disease. Before she could act, Adam looked at her and shook his head. Her hand stopped in mid-air, as she stared at him.
“What’s wrong with him, Adam...?”
He put his fingers to his lips. This time, the gesture was so deliberate that it took her by surprise. While Adam was mature for his age, his mannerisms at that moment seem to be those of a much older child. With a deliberate motion, he reached down and took the bird firmly into his hands and began stroking its head. Then, slowly, he began to run his fingers along the damaged wing. He continued to do this, saying nothing until finally, Joanne could stay quiet no longer. “Adam...” she whispered, “what are you doing?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the bird nor did he stop stroking the bird’s broken wing as he answered her. “I’m making him better, Mother. I’m fixing his wing so he can fly.”
As she stared at her son, mesmerized by the scene in front of her, memories of the little rabbit came flooding back. Suddenly, Adam released the bird and stood up beside her and together, they watched the small creature flap its wings a couple of times and take off and soar into the sky. Adam stood there, engrossed in the now diminishing speck.
Joanne took two steps backward and fell heavily into a lounge chair. As she sat there, she tried to understand what had just happened. That bird had a broken wing. She could deny it if she wanted to but she knew the bird had a broken wing. Yet it flew. How? How was that possible? She stared at Adam, her mind reeling with the unwanted implications.
Then without warning, memories of Charlie – the little rabbit with the broken leg - flooded her senses.
Feeling suddenly ill, she put her head back and tried to relax. Adam seeing this came hurrying over to her. She could hear the concern in his voice.
“Mother, are you all right?” he asked, obviously worried.
“Yes, I’m all right, Honey.” She pulled a chair next to her own and indicated he was to sit down, which he did.
“Adam, what just happened. Did you just heal that little bird?”
He nodded; his little face serious. “Yes,” he said, “he was hurt and I made him all better. Was that good, Mother?”
“But how? How did you do that? How did you make him better?”
His smile was one of innocence. “I made him all better so he could fly.”
Joanne stared at him as waves of uncertainty flowed over her. Once again, her mind flashed back to Charlie. She knew now that Adam had healed him just as he had healed this bird. It was also becoming obvious that Adam didn’t know how he did it...but he knew that he could. Her emotions were on the edge. She was all but in shock.
Joanne was not a believer in miracles. And if there were to be a miracle worker born on this earth, she was certain beyond a doubt that he wouldn’t be born to her. Yet, if these weren’t miracles, what were they?
She looked at Adam again. He was standing beside her as if nothing unusual had happened. She started to speak but changed her mind. She wasn’t at all sure what had happened, but of one thing she was sure, her son was not an ordinary child.
She pushed it all out of her mind. Nothing more was said about the bird or the rabbit and Joanne did her best to get control of herself.
She slowly laid back and closed her eyes. Returning inside, Adam went back to his video games.

End of introductory Chapters.

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