JLE#16: Week 3 Story, Miracle Man

 Miracle Man 

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James stepped of the badly weathered ship after what seemed like an eternity at sea.  He was approached by a man with a disturbing appearance.  Upon closer inspection it became known that this man was not just a man anymore.  He had been overtaken by something which explains why he was bruised, bleeding from self-inflicted injuries, and his wrists and ankles were rubbed almost down to the bone from the chains he wore.  James asked the man for his name and they simply replied with “we are Legion” (Historically a legion was 3,000-6,000 men).  A divine figure, James would not stand for such a thing and so he said unto the legion “leave this man, or I will cast you out myself.”  The legion stalled James and pestered him with riddles before he acted.  James ran up to the man and grabbed him by his arm and demanded the legion leave his body.  As he did so, the evil spirits erupted from the man and flew into the ocean where they created hostile sea.  The weather changed drastically and large waves crashed into the docks.  James ensured the man was in good health and sent him on his way.  A nearby group of fisherman saw what happened and immediately followed James and his ways.

James continued his journey and amassed a large following throughout his long adventure.  Of that following there were the fisherman who he considered his most trusted allies.  The men spread his teachings and did everything James asked, regardless of what the outcome might have been.  They had faith in whatever he said.  Upon entering a prosperous city in the middle of The Great Desert, the holy men of the city were aware of his arrival.  They were not fond of the miracles James and his following had been performing.  James then became aware that one of his most trusted associates would come to betray him.  He accepted that even though these men were trustworthy, none had the divine will that he possessed.  He decided that he would flee the city and go north with the men he trusted the most.  They escaped the great city and left the beautiful oasis behind to ensure his safety.   At this point in James’ journey, he had become weak and did not want to live a life on the run. 

When they arrived north, they settled on a mountain top which had a natural path all the way to its peak.  There they would reside and those who needed blessings would come to him.  Those who opposed him were never able to capture him because of the strategic location they had established on a mountain peak.  Each time there was an attempt, a divine interference would occur causing blizzards, avalanches, and anything else to keep those that sought to do harm out of the area.  James spent the rest of his days writing about his journeys and recorded his teachings to be passed down.  

Author’s Note: I decided to go in a completely different direction than what I had proposed in my notes.  I wrote about how Jesus heals a man possessed by spirits and then continues to journey on into Jerusalem.  Jesus and his disciples are constantly being harassed by the Pharisees and high priests because they do not believe him to be divine.  Ultimately, one of Jesus’ followers betrays him and sells him out to local authorities in the Gospel of Mark.  He is then captured brutally beaten over time and then crucified on the cross.  I decided to take a turn away from that part of the story and just focus on the first part of his journey.  I wrote them escaping the betrayer and local authorities because I did not want my story to go in that direction.  Instead, I liked the idea of a happy ending and wrote in the escape.  James was never killed or crucified in my story.  I stayed in line with the original plot with the man possessed by spirits and keeping the betrayer and hostile priests/authorities.  Other than that, I kept getting different ideas as I was writing and decided to run with those.

Source: King James Bible; Gospel of Mark