Fiction - Week 10 - A Fiasco in a Restaurant.

All characters are fictitious and have no bearing on any person, alive or dead.

A story based on Biblical truth.

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At Gemelli Hospital in Rome, a terrified nurse let out a scream and threw a full cup of coffee onto the floor, shattering the crockery into small fragments amidst a puddle of spilt coffee, creating a star-like mess across the room. The nurse then rushed to a nearby surgeon's office. She entered without knocking, and he frowned at her sudden, unannounced entrance.

Dr Giacomo, you'd better come and take a look at Caligula's corpse and see whether he truly died. I swear that I saw his eyelids move.

The surgeon rose and accompanied the nurse to the mortuary where the body lay on a raised slab. The doctor examined his face and, with a stethoscope, listened to his chest. He then shook his head.

There is no sign of life! The doctor exclaimed as if irritated by the nurse's alarm call. Get a porter to clear up this mess. Then go home and rest. Another nurse will replace you for now. Don't worry, you will still be paid for a full shift. 

After phoning for a porter to attend to the mess in the mortuary, the nurse left the building, climbed into her car, and drove home.

No further news was received from the hospital. Dr Giacomo has instructed all relevant staff members to keep any rumours confined to the mortuary. So, a thousand miles away, in an abandoned church in the English town of Egham, the group remained unaware of anything taking place in Rome. Rather, they were far more concerned about Russia and its Arab allies invading Israel.

Augusto Gemelli Hospital, Rome. 

A new guest, Phil Banks, had arrived at the church and was pleased to see me, George Bolton, among the group. We both put our restaurant dispute well behind us, and each made an effort to get on despite our opposing opinions on Biblical and spiritual matters.

I watched as Phil gazed at the radio perched on a cupboard. 

Is that all you have to remain in touch with the world? 

Emily answered, Yes, sir. We do have TVs and laptops at home, but none of us thought to bring one here when we first settled, which was a day after the Rapture. Now, it's too dangerous to venture outside, except to buy food. Even then, it's a very risky venture.

Stay here, all of you. My college apartment is nearby. George, may I borrow Steve's car?

Can you drive? I asked.

Yes, I can drive. However, I might have got a little rusty, as I haven't owned a car since I passed the test.

Okay, borrow mine. But be careful. Phil then caught the car keys I threw to him, and he disappeared from the fellowship room.

About an hour later, Phil returned carrying a bulging executive briefcase. He looked happy as he handed the car keys back to me. From the briefcase, he pulled out a laptop, its modem, and some wiring. He set up the computer in front of us all, and with its accompanying modem, he had no need to type in any special password or code. The laptop booted in successfully after a few minutes.

With everyone agreeing, Phil logged into the BBC iplayer. Under World News, we all had direct contact, which included the screen picture. Like that, we could now watch as well as listen.

According to the bulletins, Russia and its allies resumed their movement towards Israel. But as they got closer to its northern border, there were signs of discord among the advancing forces. Through proper investigative journalism, we learned the cause of the infighting. The Russians are out for plunder, enough to revive a dying economy. The Arabs want revenge for the destruction of their sacred Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, better known to them as the Haram Al Sharif. So which of the two causes takes priority?

The introduction of the laptop into the group was a great advantage. We all crowded around the screen to watch the military forces cross Israel's northern border from Lebanon. As they progressed further south, suddenly, it looked like an earthquake had just struck.

Just then, a reporter came on the screen. 

Good afternoon. There has been a massive earthquake in northern Israel, centred on the Vale of Jezreel. Although still unconfirmed, this is a massive shake. The world's most severe so far was centred on Biobio, Chile, in 1960. It measured 9.5 on the Richter Scale. This one may be 9.6 or higher.

The most shocking thing about this 'quake was that it occurred at the exact moment the Russian forces were heading south towards Jerusalem. Astonishingly, all the towns and buildings around the site have remained intact. Even the ancient ruins of Megiddo, its tel overlooking the valley, remain undisturbed.

However, what I am seeing here is that the Russian and Arab forces have turned in upon themselves. There is infighting across the entire troop. To add to the fighting, many military transport vehicles, tanks, and other weaponry have exploded or caught fire. All progress has halted. However, why the two forces are fighting each other is yet unknown. We may not be certain, as it looks like they are not only fighting each other, but many are slain. 

Just then, a couple of Arab soldiers who fled the scene appeared, gasping for breath, as they were willing to be interviewed by the reporter.

You two look tired out. The reporter stated. You managed to escape from the chaos?

One of them answered, Yes. (gasp, gasp, gasp) Luckily, we were right on the edge of the (gasp) march. When the earthquake struck, (gasp) we slipped away and ran as fast as we could. (Gasp). We were already aware of the growing hostility between us and the Russian forces, (gasp) even before the earthquake.

After this, the reporter paused to allow the two to recover their breath before proceeding further.

Can you highlight this? The reporter then asked.

Yes, we can. The Arab replied. The Arab and Russian forces have joined to invade Israel, but our reasons for doing so are quite different. They wanted just to plunder. We were seeking revenge for our Dome.

You mean the Dome of the Rock at Haram Al Sharif? The reporter asked this for confirmation.

Yes, the one. The Arab answered. At first, we sent an embassy to Moscow to appeal for their help. But that wasn't merely pulling a rabbit out of the hat. We were aware of the prosperity Israel was enjoying, and the poverty the Russians were facing after their past defeat in Ukraine. Although the Russian troops were at first willing to partner with us, the long trek across Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon had already discouraged them, and they, driven by hunger, became touchy and short-tempered. Long before the earthquake, many Russian soldiers were insulting Islam. They wished that our Prophet Mohammad had never been born. That had angered us against them. By the time we entered Israel, tensions were on a knife-edge.

The earthquake was the final trigger. Tempers exploded, as did all the equipment. This was no mere in-fighting. This was wholesale slaughter.

The reporter then turned back to the TV camera. Well, there you have it. Confirmation of the seismic intensity of the earthquake has just come in. It was measured at 9.6 on the Richter Scale. This makes it the most intense 'quake in the history of mankind.

However, it was the timing of the 'quake which has aroused speculation. It occurred at the precise spot where the Russian forces and their allies were heading south towards Jerusalem. Some are already asking, was this 'quake divine intervention? Some believe that the slaughter of these forces is the fulfilment of a prophecy found in Ezekiel of the Biblical Old Testament. Further reports of a mass conversion to Yeshua, their Messiah, of many Jews here in Israel and those scattered abroad. Even many non-Jews saw all this as miraculous and were converted to their Christ.

This is Mike Hants of the BBC reporting from Tel Megiddo.

UTTER NONSENSE! Phil shouted spontaneously at the computer screen. Divine intervention indeed! For heaven's sake, how gullible could some be? A TV reporter coming out with that? Come on! Earthquakes have always been with us since the dawn of history. Those troops were merely unlucky! 

I watched as the rest of the group, especially Peter and Emily, cringed at Phil's outburst. During the three years we lived in this church, Bible study was ongoing. There was only one Bible among us, the one I took from the Padula's house the day after the Rapture. It became worth more than gold. We each took turns studying it, especially the prophetic section, from Isaiah to Malachi, and related these prophecies to both the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fulfilment of present events.

It was obvious that both Peter and Emily were troubled by Phil's outburst, and Peter also speculated whether the student was a secret spy for Caligula and here to report to his paymasters in London.  Yet, between his outbursts, he was gentle towards everyone in the group, and despite how he felt towards non-whites, he was courteous towards Emily among the rest of us. I wondered whether he too looked up at Emily as a mother rather than a sister. Her maternal feelings towards her missing son Richard were redirected towards us. Would Phil benefit too?

The Tel of Megiddo overlooks the Vale of Jezreel.

Meanwhile, back in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Dr Giacomo was alone in the mortuary. The nurse on duty had taken a lunch break at the staff restaurant, and the doctor was willing to sit in for her. Dr Giacomo was one of only two who knew that the body must not be buried. His associate was Elijah, whom Peter in the UK referred to as the false prophet. He and Dr Giacomo were the only two in the world who knew.

Dr Giacomo rose from his seat and went around to check on the other bodies stored away and awaiting burial or cremation. When he completed the tour, he turned to see Gaius Caligula fully awake, his head slightly turned and staring straight at Dr Giacomo.

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To be Continued.