"Here's your lunch, Ray. Be sure to come back for Bible study tonight. And bring your parents, I'd love to meet them. We're going to have cookies and milk for the youth group."
Ray warmed his hands on the brown paper sack. "Thank you, Sir. If they can't come, is it okay if I come alone again?"
The pastor opened his mouth, then closed it. A few seconds later, he sighed. "Of course. But do try. We can even make it a dinner meeting, if I know we'll have a big enough group."
Ray looked at his shoes. "I can't promise anything, Sir."
The man sighed again. "You have a good day, and stay warm."
Ray looked up, and smiled. "Thank you, I will. You have a good day too."
As the boy walked away from Mercy Parish, he began to cry. "Where are you, Mom? You promised you would come back soon, if I hid. Why did you even go with the police that night? We both could've hid from them, together."
Ray found a quiet spot on the curb, and sat. He began to eat. Before he had taken more than a few bites, an elderly woman pushing a grocery cart hobbled towards him.
"Excuse me, are you going for lunch?" he asked as she passed.
She nodded. "I missed it yesterday. I didn't get to sleep until it was almost morning, because it was so cold. I made sure I'd be awake today."
He grimaced, and looked at his lunch. "Here, you can have mine. They're finished serving lunch, I was the last one in the line."
She took a step back. "Oh no, I can't take your food. Thank you for offering, young man."
He stood and stepped forward, putting the sack in the cart. "It's fine, they're serving snacks tonight during Bible study. You can come too, if you want to."
She shook her head. "I don't think I will. Just look at me. My clothes are rags, and I stink."
Ray put his small hand over hers. "They don't care how you look or smell, I've been there a few times already."
She smiled. "I'll think about it."
After she left, he sat down again.
A car stopped across the street, and a woman got out. She went to the passenger side, and opened the door.
"I want peanut butter and jelly! I hate ham sandwiches!" screamed a young girl.
"Well that's the only thing I fixed, Honey. Maybe Mrs. Pierre will fix you one, if you ask nicely."
The girl got out, and stamped her foot. Then she threw something - hard enough that Ray ducked, to avoid being hit on the head.
"I don't want to go to daycare. And I don't like the way Mrs. Pierre makes sandwiches either!"
The woman sighed. "You threw your lunch away, so you're going to have to accept whatever she makes. Come along, or we'll both be late."
After they were inside, Ray retrieved the object. It was a green plastic container with a tightly fitting lid of the same color.
He opened it. "A ham sandwich and chips. There's even a chocolate chip cookie!" he gasped.
Ray looked at the door the woman and child had used seconds before. "I'll wait to eat it. If she comes looking, I'll give it back..."
When she emerged, she went straight to the car. "I'm going to be late," she muttered. A second later, she was gone.
Ray's stomach rumbled. "Wow... I still get to eat. And I have a nice container for my lunches too."
After he finished, he slipped the container in his pocket, then zipped it. He began to walk.
"Maybe I shouldn't go to the Bible study tonight. That guy is getting suspicious that I'm not with my parents. I should probably just disappear, and find another soup kitchen."
He looked around at his dirty but familiar surroundings. "The only problem is I have to stay here. And there aren't any other places to eat close enough. If I leave Mom won't be able to find me. I know she'll come back for me. Any day now..."
He kicked a can, sending it flying down the sidewalk. "I might as well go to the Bible study then. If they're going to report me they'll catch me at lunch anyway. I sure wish I had a big slice of chocolate cake right now, I'm still hungry."
Ray stopped at a small playground, which was deserted. He sat on a swing, and took out the container. "Maybe there are some crumbs left."
"That's impossible! It was empty," he gasped, staring at the open container. Ray inhaled. "It sure smells like chocolate cake. Tastes like it too!"
After he ate, he put the container away. "Now I don't have to go to Bible study tonight. I can lay low, and let them forget me."
"I guess I'll walk a little, then go back where I last saw Mom. Maybe she's there waiting for me now."
Ray looked around the narrow alley. "Mom? Are you back yet? I've got something to show you, you won't believe it!"
Someone groaned softly, then a glass bottle sailed over his head. "Hey, it's me. Mom, it's me!"
The voice groaned again, and a figure scooted further back into the shadows. "Don't come any closer."
Ray froze. "I'm not going to hurt you. Do you need help?"
After a few coughs, the figure was silent. Ray slowly approached. "Oh no, he's barely breathing. I've got to get him some help."
Without thinking, Ray sprinted to Mercy Parish. He opened the door, and ran through the long hall. "I need help!" he shouted, as he barged into the room full of young people.
A middle aged woman got to her feet, and put herself between him and the class. "What's going on?"
"A - a - a man is hurt, I don't know if he's still breathing," stammered Ray.
The woman took his hand. "Class, please stay here and review what we have discussed. I'll be back shortly."
She closed the door, and began walking towards what Ray knew to be a small office. "What happened?"
Ray started to try to pull her forward. "I don't know Ma'am, I found him like that. But he was still awake when I got there. I think I scared him..."
The woman sped to a trot, and opened the office door without knocking. "This young man found someone who is badly injured."
The man grabbed his jacket, making sure his phone was in the pocket. "Show me."
The two adults followed. "Hurry!" Ray urged them several times. Then he took off, forcing them to run. "He's right here!" the boy shouted.
When they saw him, the woman gasped. "It's Mr. Speler. He used to volunteer every weekend, until his heart attack. He's bruised all over!"
Minutes later, an ambulance arrived and the man was loaded. Ray looked at the two adults. "Will he be okay?"
They looked at each other. The man bent down to his level. "We can go to the hospital and wait. Would you like that?"
Ray looked around the alley. It was getting dark, and the distant laughter of teenagers carried to his sensitive ears. "Yes please."
The boy sat in a comfortable chair in the hospital's waiting room. "Sir, when you prayed you said something about feeding the masses with five loaves of bread and two fish. What does that mean?"
The pastor smiled. "Well, once Jesus had a big crowd listening to him. Five thousand people! They were far away from town and people were getting hungry. But there was this little boy. He had five loaves of bread and two fish from home, and he let Jesus use them. Jesus prayed then had his followers start to give out the food. They kept giving and giving, until everyone was full. There were even leftovers!"
Ray gasped and looked at his pocket. He unzipped it, and stuck his hand in. Nothing was there. He checked the other one, which was also empty.
The woman frowned. "Did you lose something?"
Ray sighed. "I'm not sure how, my pocket was zipped."
She smiled. "What was it? Maybe we can get you another one."
Ray blushed. "I think this was one of a kind."
The woman put a hand on his shoulder. "What was it? You seemed so excited to show us. Even if we can't get one exactly like it, maybe we can find something close to it."
Ray double checked the pockets, neither of which had a hole. He looked at the two curious adults, and smiled. "Just something that I found. It helped me to be in the right place, at the right time."
Before they could ask more questions, a nurse approached. "Excuse me, Mr. Speler is stable and conscious. He's ready to see you."
"Can I come too?" Ray spoke up.
The pastor nodded. "Without you, he'd still be in that alley."
The man on the hospital cot looked frail, but his ice blue eyes were sparkling. His mouth was turned up in a smile. "Well hello there. The last thing I remember is giving my wallet to a guy who was wearing a leather jacket and brass knuckles. What happened after that?"
After a brief explanation, he rubbed his chin. "Well, it seems like I owe you, young man. How would you and your family like a place to sleep? Just until you are all in your own place, of course."
Ray blushed, and looked down. "Uh, it was Mom and I out there for the whole summer. But a couple of weeks ago she had to go away for a little while. Thank you very much for your offer, but I have to wait there until she gets back."
Mr. Speler shook his head. "It's not safe to stay there, I'm proof of that. Come stay with me, and you and I will check the alley every day. But we'll make sure to let someone know where we are first. What would you think about that? I've got a dog at home that's missing my grandson something awful, since his mom and dad moved to another state. And I've got a game room that's in need of some attention too."
Ray grinned, his eyes shining. "What do I think? I think this is my wish dish miracle!"
Cover image made in Canva Pro using their gallery
