Chapter 52

“You read it!” The voice came from back in the crowd.

“No. No I did not.” Deacon winked. “You see, my soul was hungry, and it had been offered food, but I did not know that this was what I needed. I saw that he had left that book behind and I wondered if I could use it to level my cot.” He flipped open the pages and held out the book. The crowd was silent as the screen above him came on, the camera zoomed in so people could see the torn pages.

“That’s right, friends, I took this good book, the word of the Lord himself, and I opened its pages and tucked it under the leg of my cot. When the Lord’s words were offered to me, I slept on them, but not in the way I should have.” He closed the book and held it high so everyone could see it. “That night, I wasn’t visited by angels. I didn’t see Jesus. Instead, I slept in a void, in a darkness so bleak that I wondered if I would have the strength to make it through tomorrow.”

A woman two seats over burst into tears.

“G