1:13 Motivation or Juke Box Hero

The beast took notice of the angels, he watched with concern making sure they made no move towards him as he stood over his would be kill.

Garbriel and Verchi stared back, looking like to dogs at the edge of their fence wanting to jump over to attack the other dog walking by.

“Play Dyllan.” Michael turned to Dyllan who then looked to his mother and his brothers and sisters. “Play, make you Dad want to fight.”

“I don’t know what to play!” He said, his voice shaking.

“Dyll honey, just play, it will come to you.” my wife looked to her son, “honey its in you, sing, play it, look at your Dad and get him going, get him up and get him to kick that demons…”

“Mommy, careful there’s angels.”

Garbriel and Verchi took to the air circling the beast, it jumped and lunged for them, trying to rip their wings from their back, but they kept themselves just from his reach.

Tychius ran up to me and pulled me from the grave that the monster had beat me into. “Danel, take this, take this mask that I have made, it will give you access to your powers, you will have the armor of God on your side, put it on, listen to your son’s Hymn, and fight back!

A red and black leather mask, I tied it around my head and brought myself to my knees. I had no strength, I felt like I could barely move, every breath was a chore. I straightened myself up and looked over to my son. He smiled seeing that I had somehow surrvived that savage beating. And then he started to play.

The beast heard the song and clutched his ears, turned his attention away from the angels and set his sites on Dyllan.

“NO!” I ran to intercept and put myself between Dyll and the on coming train. “Dyll buddy, the angels said you can help me, play me something good.”

He hit the strings and started to sing:

 ”Standing in the rain, with his head hung low
Couldnt get a ticket, it was a sold out show
Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene
Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream”

The beast roared and charged faster.

“He heard one guitar,  just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes,  and the very next day
Bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store

 Didnt know how to play it, but he knew for sure

That one guitar, felt good in his hands
Didnt take long, to understand
Just one guitar, slung way down low

  

Was one way ticket,

only one way to go

So he started rockin

 Aint never gonna stop

Gotta keep on rockin

 Someday hes gonna make it to the top

And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juke box hero
He took one guitar, juke box hero, stars in his eyes
Juke box hero, hell come alive tonight

In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour
Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door
Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain
And that one guitar made his whole life change

Now he needs to keep rockin
He just cant stop
Gotta keep on rockin
That boy has got to stay on top

And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Yeah, juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
With that one guitar hell come alive
Come alive tonight

Yeah, hes gotta keep rockin
He just cant stop
Gotta keep on rockin
That boy has got to stay on top

 

And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Hes a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes
Just one guitar, put stars in his eyes
Hes just a juke box hero, aah aah aah
Juke box hero, juke box hero, hes got stars in his eyes
Stars in his eyes

 

1:12 The Powers

 

They glided down to the earth. Four of them. The real deal, the wing span had to be at least 6 feet. There was a glow about them, they were perfection, every move purposeful, they didn’t make a sound, in fact it was as if they absorbed all the sound around them.

The grigori were all on there knees averting there eyes and looking to the ground. They all became silent as though the principal just walked into the room and they were a group of bad behaving children.

Their feet touched the ground and they looked over at me, I could just barely see them through my swollen shut eyes.  They walked to my family who now had stopped crying and were simply gaping at these four angles that approached them.

“Tina” the largest one said. His voice sounded as though he gargled with gravel every morning. It was so deep that you didn’t just hear him, you felt the bass of his voice in your gut. “Tina” he said again. “It’s going to be okay.” We would come to know him as Gabriel

“Help him, please.” My wife grabbed his hand and begged for his assistance.

“We can’t, ” spoke one of the others, this one had long thick flowing black hair. It was like black fire, flowing about his head. “It’s not our fight.” He was Uriel, the flame of God.

“It’s man’s time, his fight.” The third stepped away from the group, his eyes set on the beast who had paused from pummeling me. His hair was pulled back and a huge thick mustache sat on his face. Dyllan calls it a MAN-stache because its just so manly and rugged. “we can’t interfere.” He was Michael.

“You have to help him, he’ll be killed! Please Help my dad!” Kortney cried out, spent emotionally she couldn’t take much more.

“We can’t fight…but we can help.” This one was smaller than the other three and had a more confident smirk on his face. He ran his hands through his hair and stroked the small goatee on his face. “Yeah, we can help…he just needs some motivation. He’s got a warrior spirit, its just asleep. He needs something to get him going.” This angel was Raphael

“Like a magic potion?” Austin ran over to the angel. “Give it to him, help my daddy.”

“No not a magic potion…” he replied. “Just something to get him in the mood. You, your Dyllan right?”"

“Yes.” Dyllan gulped.

“You have a Hymn angel inside of you. You can help him.”

“A Him Angel?”

“Not a HIM, a Hymn, a song, you have a musical angel inside of you. You can help your father. You just need something.” Then the angel eyed Dyllan up and down, again scratching his goatee. The two larger angels seemed impatient as if this was all for theatrics and not really neccesary. I learned later that they said it was, he of course holds true that it was needed. “This should do the trick.” He reached behind him and then pulled from thin air a guitar.

A beautiful white guitar, it gleemed and hummed with energy crying to be played. “Use this, motivate your Dad to fight.”

“Wow, this is gorgeous, what is this a Ibanez Red Alert?”

“No its an angelic. Play.”

Dyllan grabbed the guitar and felt the glow swallow him up as he put the strap around his neck. He pulled from his wallet his favorite pick that he always carried with him. He glided his fingers across the string and heard the perfect tune of the instrument. He looked at his family and then to the angels and then to his Dad.

“Play Dyllan. Play”

1:11 The Beat down

 

This wasn’t a fight. This was a thrashing. This was like when you see a baby with a toy and its smacking it around on the high chair, just banging away at it. Or like when your dog gets a hold of its new chew toy, running around with it in its mouth, shaking it viciously, tossing it in the air until it falls lifeless to the ground, only to pick it up and shake it all over again.

I’ll admit it, I cried, I cried like a screaming kid at Walmart. I’m big enough to say this, and the fact that I’m telling you this story in the past tense you know I survived the ordeal, and thats GOT to say something about me. But yeah I screamed, and cried and begged for the beast to stop. Its not that it didn’t understand, its not that it couldn’t hear me over the screams of the crowd and tears of my wife and kids, it just didn’t care. It had one purpose, kill me, and since I wasn’t dead, since I was still moving, it kept pounding.

Pounding

Pounding

Until one final punch, sent me reeling into a  pile of cut down trees and I was buried under hundreds of pounds of wood, pine sap and pain.

The beast roared and stood over me.

I could hear my wife calling my name, I could hear my kids screaming and the Grigori stood and did what they always do, they watched.

And then as if the cloud was covered with clouds before, but it was not, light shined down in a way that blinded us all.

The Grigori dropped to their knees but I couldn’t see what was going on.

1:10 When’s the last time you were in a fight?

  The beast roared down the hill like a tank, destroying everything in its path. Crushing the earth, up rooting trees, and screaming the whole way. This monster, this emobodiement of destruction was heading straight for me and wanted my blood.

   “HONEY! DANEL! RUN!” my wife screamed as I pushed the rest of my family away from me to keep them from harm. “Danel! What’re you doing! You can’t fight him! When is the last time you were in a fight?!”

When was the last time? There had been arguments in bars when I was a bartender, the occasional bouncing of a drunk guy to wait outside until the cab arrived to pick him up. There were a couple of issues in High School where some guys bullied me around and pushed me into a garbage can. But the last fight? The last time I had to throw a real punch? Ummmm I think the 6th grade, I fought some kid named Craig after school, I don’t even remember why, all I remember is that it was winter, and I had to try and fight this kid while wearing a snow suit and bread bags on my feet because my mom wouldn’t let me go outside without them.

Now this beast, this ‘demon’ was charging toward me and looked as though he meant to use my bones to pick his teeth.

“You can do it Danel! Have Faith!” Zaqiel shouted out. I gave him a nod and set my feet, I got in a stance I had learned from the self defense class I took in college. First his smell hit me, I don’t know how to describe it other than saying it was as if you had to pick up dog poop that had been sitting in the rain all day and just wreaked of disgustingness.

Here it was, the moment of truth, the power of the Angels and God and everything they were saying was about to burst out of me and stop this demon gorilla in its path…any minute now…any minute.

First his smell hit me… then he hit me.

I swear my head completely spun around. My son later assured me that it didn’t but I truly thought my neck had broken and my head completely spun around.

1:9 Fire and Fear

     Fire rained from the sky, like a meteor shower happening in front of your face. Balls of hot molten rock showered down on the Renesaince Fair. Screams of horror and terror from all the guests as they ran from the park trying to avoid death from above. Explosions of earth where the fire had crashed and a cloud of smoke and the most putrid smelling odor you ever smelled.

“Oh my God, what is that smell!” My wife plugged her nose and clung my arm tightly.

“It’s evil dear lady it smells horific because it is horrific, it will try to hurt all of your senses. If you look at it too long your eyes will melt, if you listen to its words your ears will bleed, if you touch it your flesh will melt and if you taste it your tongue would boil.” spoke one of the Grigori.

“So don’t touch the big burning rocks.”I said

 ”Kids, don’t touch the big burning rocks.”

“Gosh Dad, there goes my afternoon.” Dyllan clutched his younger brothers and sisters ”Can we just please leave.”

“You can’t leave. This is it, this is the start, this is the fire and fear. Your time has come Danel.” Zaqiel stepped forward.

“Zaq, while I appreciate what your trying to do here, you heard Tychius touching the evil rocks equals bad. So, No. Not gonna go fight, just gonna go home, pretend this didn’t happen.” I said as I tried to move us away from the group.

The screams of those of the visitors to the fair still rolled across the land, and then suddenly a roar out did them all and everyone paused to pay attention to it. The roar came again, it was gutteral and violent, filled with phlem and spit and hatred. This was like no animal yawn or calling to its others, this was some vile creature letting you know, your going to die now.

He came running through the crowd swatting bodies and tossing them as though they were old toys. Then, over the ridge he stood looking down at us, looking down at me, glaring at me with the fire in his eyes. I was his prey, I was his target, everything else was just in the way. He was here to kill me. It looked like an ape, large mamoth shoulders and a gigantic thick chest. The arms so long his fists hit the ground as he pounced towards us. Two large horns on his head was the only thing keeping him from being mistaken for Kong. They looked charred and war torn, marks of where swords had clashed and blood had stained. coated and chipped at the giant ram like horns.

It let out a snort and fire blew from its nostrils, his eyes squinted and he charged towards us. He moved like an avalanche, fast and deadly killing all in its way.

“Go! Go! Danel, face the beast and show him you bare the weapons of God and that you fear no minion of the dark beast.”

It accelerated, picking up speed as it came down the hill its body crushing the ground under its weight. Arms churning, legs driving and chest heaving, but its eyes, its eyes un-moving, still fixed on me, still having one purpose, kill.

“Honey!” My wife screamed. But I didn’t move I couldn’t. I tried and it came out a gasp of air. The words were choked out of me. I trembeled. I wanted to pick up my family and run, I wanted to grab a hold of them and fly to safety. I wanted to scream so loud that the creature would explode, but none of that happened. I couldn’t do anything but stand there starring, paralyzed with fear. Waiting to die.

1:8 The Message

Epheshians 6:10-18

 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

“That was meant for me?” I asked.

“Yes, and for those who came before you, you are one of the chosen.”

“Weird, I thought I was Canadian.”

“This is not a time for jokes. The dark one will know you are here. That legion will be informed that you are what stands between them and spreading the touch of the beast across the world.” The angel spoke up.

“You keep using different names, are you refering to the Devil each time?”

“Yes, but to continuously use one name for it, would mean you know him, and I will not know him.”

“Daddy. I’m scared, I dont want monsters to come here.” My two younger daughters eyes filled, looking as though any moment they would explode into tears.”

“Shhhh, dont be scared child. You must have faith in your Daddy, and in God. Faith will be your greatest weapon.” Tychius tried to comfort my wife and children, but it was obvious we were all in shock and still were waiting for the big prestige, the ta-da moment of this being some big joke or fun time play. “You have the weapons I spoke of, but faith powers them, faith makes them strong.”

“What weapons…” But before I could ask more.  The prophecy began…Fire and Fear came to me.

1:7 Enter Tychius

Okay, so this is the begining of my story. Now you know of Al Hillah, the truth behind the Renaisannce Fare and the day the door cracked open. Zaqiel had explained that throughout the ages whenever evil would rear its head a chosen one would step up and assist the angels in sending them back to hell.

In the 12th Century the foundation of the Knights Templar came about and fought one of the first infestations from Hell. In the 15th century Joan of Arc comes about in 1429 and turns the tide in the 100 year war. In the 18th century Benjamin Huntsman who was the creator of modern steel was their champion. Each time someone who was not the typical hero, not the typical muscle bound warrior, was chosen by the higher power to stand and fight for the side of angels. Every 300 years something happens that causes the forces of Hell to makes it way out and attempt to usurp Heaven by way of infecting the Earth.

Now was my time, I was being told by a group of fallen angels that I was the one who would be the champion in this century. My two marks, the fact that an angels touch lit the fires inside me, and the door had cracked on the day I arrived here all pointed to my destiny begining.

The angels stood around smiling, clamoring with one another about how they ’felt good about this one’ and ‘he’s a good husband and father, he’ll have no problems facing the demons’.

“I’m sorry guys, but I don’t buy this, I’m not really as excited as all of you are and my family and I really need to get out of here.”

“What are you talking about? This is an amazing oppurtunity. When Gabrielle came and made his announcement to the others they all dropped to their knees and thanked the Lord for this oppurtunity.”

“Yeah, well i guess that’s not me, and I dont see the arch Angel Gabrielle around here, I see a bunch of workers from a Renasaince Festival and as far as great oppurtunity? Fighting a legion of demons? And I have no say in this, its just my time? Oh and I’m following in the foot steps of the Knights Templar, Joan of Arc and Ben Steele?”

“Ben Huntsman, creator of Steel.” One of the men said. “Who is Ben Steele?”

“He’s a friend of mine.” my oldest daughter stepped forward. “Dad! Ben Huntsman, not Ben Steele! Listen to the Angels.”

“Angels? Angels?! You think they’re angels?”

“I do.” My wife laid her hand on my chest and rubbed my scar as she often had. “There’s something about them, there’s someting going on here, you can’t deny that, don’t be scared.”

“Don’t be scared? Have you been listening? I’m supposed to fight on the side of the Angels! Me! Honey you know me, you know my past, I’m no Angel!”

“It is your destiny.” Zaqiel said again. 

“My Destiny? Right, yeah, thanks McFly, but I’ll pass on my density. Come on guys, what is this some elaborate prank, some big skit and the jokes on me.”

“You feel it in the air don’t you? The energy, the spirit, its here, today is the day and you are the one.” When this guy spoke it was melodic and while the words were coming out of his mouth, it was like his face barely moved. As though his whisper was as loud as a regular speaking voice.

“So you’re all angels here, and I’m just supposed to say, oh yes of course you are, sure. And I’m the guy in a prophecy of angels.”

“Yes”

“I’m sorry, we’re going to get going. We had a lovely day, I loved the big turkey leg, thank you for somehow rigging it so that I won the archery contests and the other games, but we really have to go, thank you, buh bye now.”

“Wait. Don’t go.” An man approached, his face cracked like the leather he wore with a thick white mustache and arched back he didn’t look like some of the other men here that worked at the show. He looked…older, not so perfect. “We are not all angels here. I’m sorry.”

“Good. Okay, thank you. Someone realizes a customer is getting upset with the prank.”

“I am Tychius, messenger of Paul, bringer of the word to the Colosians and the Ephisians and now I bring the word to you. The message to the Ephisians Chapter 6 verse 10 was the word that was brought to your predecessors, and as I told it to them, now I’m here to tell it to you.”.

1:6 Al Hillah

A city in central Iraq, located on the Euphrates river, population just over 300,000. It resides in what the media dubbed, the Triangle of Death. It is the capital of Babi and located near Babylon, it is rumored that the Jewish prophet Eziekel is entombed in a nearby village. I have it on high regard that its not just a rumor.

The city has been plagued with death and violence. In February of 2005 it had seen the largest single attack by insurgents up until that point. A car bomb killed 124 people outside a clinic. In May of 2005 another car bomb killed 31 police officers. In January of 2007 another,  killing more than 73 people and now on the 7th of July two car bombs killing 124 people and changing the world forever more.

The door to a pocket of Hell had been cracked open and the legion of demons that lived in that firery pit were about to escape. All this happening on my vacation day, a nice fun relaxing day at the Renaissance Fare and I get to hear all about this. I get to be told that Hell’s fury had just been unleashed and it was heading this way.

1:5 The prophecy

I awoke in a tent. My family and the group of knights who had been following me were at my side.

“Honey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, wow, what happened, it was such intense pain and heat.”

“It’s the MARK you bare.” said the knight who had swatted me on the back. “You bare the MARK and today is the day. We’ve been waiting for you. Tell him Zaqiel, tell him the prophecy.”

The man they called Zaqiel stood before me, his eyes showed years of wisdom but his face was like a child. When he moved it wasn’t as though he walked, it was more like he flowed.

He spoke 

 On the 7th day of the 7th month in the 7th year

A hero will be born out of fire and fear.

In a land far far away

Where terror fights every day,

Fire from above will crack the door

And evil will be held at bay no more.

The Triangle of Death will be their exodus

But from the city of silver and angels he will come to us

He will bear to marks of head and of heart

Chosen by fate, branded at the start

Look to Ephisians and the Powers for Aide

 Toss away doubt and a hero may be made

 True Love his counterpart along with a scion of five

their love for him, and faith in The Lord will keep him alive”

As Zaqiel finished his tale, the knights bowed their heads, a hush fell over the tent, entire fare seemed silent, the town, the state, the country, silence for a brief moment, echoed around the world. 

And then it was broken as a bomb exploded in  Al Hillah. The war on terror continued in Iraq, and on this day duel car bombs exploded. Later we would learn that 114 people were killed, and over 145 seriously injured. The blood of innocents soaked the ground and the shock wave of evil rocked the earth. Far below its surface in a cave untouched by man stood a door, put there before man even walked the earth. Put there to hold back a legion of hell. Demons. And on this day, at that momemnt, the door cracked.

1:4 It burns

We walked around and were having a great day at the Fair. Actually I was having an incredible day. I entered the Archery contest like I do every year, but this year I WON!

I played the axe throwing game, and I won!

Strong Man competition…yep, won!.

I was on a role it was crazy, it got to the point where a crowd was watching every time I went to play one of the games at the fair.

But when I looked around, I realized, it wasn’t other visitors at the fair that were watching me, it was the workers. A good portion of them men in their knights costumes had gathered together to watch. They all cheered and rooted me on, but while they were watching it seemed as though they were studying me, tracking my every move I could hear the chatter as if it were in my head or all around me, it was difficult to understand what they were saying. It blended together in a static noise where only a a word or two would come to the surface and be audible. All I could pick out was “finally” and “the day” and “the mark”. I thought nothing of it and just thought it was them playing their roles.

 My family and I headed over to watch the jousting competition, another favorite of ours at the fair, and of course before we stopped to watch the show we had to get our goodies to eat. A giant turkey leg for me, pickles from the pickle lady for my two boys, a sweet tart for my wife, and some large soft pretzels for my three girls. As I stood in line waiting for the sweet tart an unusually large man walked up behind me “Excellent show today my friend, you faired well in the competitions.” He slapped his large mitt of a hand on my back with a thunderous slap and it burned.

 Hot searing pain, focused at the base of my skull, like I was an ant under an immensly large magnifying glass. Scorching the flesh from me, feeling it peel away to reveal the muscle, cooking that to the point to the meat falling from the bone, heating, hotter and hotter until the spine itself began to dry to the point of becoming ash.

I dropped to my knees and clutched my chest, my wife screamed for help and my children ran to my side. “What did you do to him!” She screamed at the large man staring at me in wonder. “Dan…Danel! What’s Wrong!”

“Danel…” The large man whispered.