Chapter 4: Returning to Xenopolis-Part 2

Still gazing at the derailed train for a moment longer, Emuna's chocolate eyes spotted some train workers put out the fire on the front train car. A portion of them helped a certain number of remaining passengers get out of the derailed train cars from the emergency windows and get off of them. Others went around talking to and comforting passengers.

The wind blew the sand near Emuna. Sweat kept coming down from her forehead and the sun heated her body. Her black skin radiated well against the sunlight while her hand still protected her face from it.

However, a few moments later, one of the train station workers walked towards Emuna after talking to a group of passengers a bit far away from her. The train worker wore a blue, white and grey uniform. Her facial wrinkles and ocean eyes stared at Emuna from a distance. The sunlight shone on her pale skin and a little wind blew her brown, curly hair from the west.

"Ma'am?" The train worker said when Emuna saw her.

"Yes, ma'am?" Emuna asked back.

"Are you alright?"

"Why, yes, I am."

"Good. I want to make sure you're okay. I'm letting you know now that the bus is coming here to pick up the passengers in about three hours. Please stay with the group of passengers, so that you can remain safe and not miss the bus once it arrives, okay?"

-'In three hours?!' In this hot ass desert?! Man, I better find a shade to protect me from the sun's heat. I'm roasting out here!

Emuna shook her head. "Alright, I will."

The train worker smiled, beginning to walk away from Emuna. "Good."

After the train worker left Emuna, Emuna looked around to see a passenger group in a shade. She didn't find one so far as most passenger groups remain in the sunlight, searching for the shade themselves. Then she looked up at the sky with her hand still protecting her face.

-Dear Elohim, please help me find a group of passengers in a shade against this heat. In Yeshua's name, Amen.

Continuing her search from the sky, she still didn't find what she was looking for. All the passengers sat underneath from the giant reddish-orange rocks' shadows. They appeared to have no room for Emuna. To make matters worse, every single one of them were close to the derailed train.

-Oh, great…jus' great…Looks like all that shade near the train is taken. I'll have to search somewhere else then, huh?

The wind blew the sand behind her and sweat kept pouring on her face a bit more. Her body felt the heat more than it could ever bear to handle.

-Man, this desert heat is killin' me! And I can't keep standin' here for much longer! I gotta keep tryin' to find a passenger group under the shade! It's hard though…

Then Emuna put her head down with her sad face, closing her eyes. She felt like she wanted to give up, until her heart prevented her from that mentality. She then tightened, frowned and shook her head sideways.

-No, persevere and keep searchin'! Elohim will lead the way. Jus' keep tryin', Emuna. And you'll get what you need.

Raising her head up and opening her eyes, she looked all over for the last time until she finally found a passenger group sitting under the big, reddish-orange rock. Its shadow covered them from the sun's scorching heat from behind her. It had room for her to be there although it's a bit farther away from the train. Emuna gasped, opening her mouth, putting her hand away from her face. She held onto her bags as her eyes widened.

-Oh, praise Elohim for finally helpin' me find a shade out of this heat! Even though it's a bit farther away from the train, I'll take what I can get! Woo!

She looked up at the sky with her excited eyes and grin.

-I thank You, Elohim, for helping me find a shade! I appreciate what You've done for me, and You deserve all the praise You get. In Yeshua's name, Amen.

Running towards the shade in a moderate pace, Emuna's heart slowly beated faster. She didn't allow the heat nor the sand being caught by the wind to bother her. Not even the sand entering her shoes didn't distracted her as she kept running.

-Here I come, shade! Whoo! Come to momma, now!

Once she stopped by the rock, she walked underneath it while the passengers watched her. She sat down on the ground, leaned her back against the rock, and looked around in front of her. Her heart kept pounding faster on her chest and breathed a bit faster when she looked around in front of her. Even though she could see the derailed train, her vision became blurrier as the train was a bit far away from her. She also saw the wind blowing the sand away from the west right in front of her. Her body began to cool off from the heat.

-Woo-wee! I'm finally able to manage to get out of that heat. Now I jus' need to wait for the bus to come and pick us up in such a long ass time. I jus' hope I don't miss it, because I desperately need to return to Xenopolis for my grandparents' ministry work.

Her heart began to beat slowly, her sweat disappeared from her forehead overtime and she breathed her slow breath. A few minutes in, as Emuna was about to close her eyes, she heard her stomach's growl. She widened her eyes.

-Huh?!

She stood up straight and looked down at her stomach, placing her hands on it.

-Looks like I'm hungry then, huh? Hell, I wish I have brought some food and drink with me, but the Theoterrean trains forbid outside food on board.

After her stomach grumbled again, she rubbed on it.

-I'll have to fast and swallow my saliva in order to combat this.

Then she looked up at the sky one last time.

-Dear Lord, please help me overcome my distraction while I fast for a while. I don't want hunger to overtake my heart. In Yeshua's name, Amen.

Leaning back against the rock, she watched the desert and the sky staring at the derailed train. The train workers and the passengers sat underneath the rocks' shade against the sun. The sun's heat scorched the desert and the wind blew the sand from the right. Emuna's vision remained blurry from far away, ignoring her stomach's growl as she recalled her time being stuck in a desert out of nowhere with her parents.

****

Once Emuna and her parents left the desert village far away from Xenopolis and drove for a long time, the car slowed itself down and stopped moving.

Emuna's father confusedly looked down at the wheel. "Huh? What the heck?" he asked, glaring at the wheel while he turned it on. The car didn't budge.

After he turned the car on twice and the car still didn't budge, Emuna’s mother leaned over the dashboard gauge for investigation. "Um, you're out of gas."

"Are you serious?!" Emuna's father asked as he also leaned over the car.

Learning about the gas being completely empty, he sighed and leaned back. "Ah, dag it…I forgot to add gas to the car."

"Yeah, I figured…" Emuna's mother said as she opened the car door. "Come on, now we gotta push this baby to the gas station."

"Alright, I will, honey," Emuna's father responded, exiting the car.

Six-year-old Emuna leaned forward, putting down her brown doll, placing her hand onto her seat belt. "May I come out and help you push the car?" she asked.

"No, it's too hot for you out here," Emuna's father responded. "I want you to stay in the car instead."

"But daddy…" Emuna said, displaying her sad face.

"No, buts, Emuna," Emuna's mother demanded, "Just do as you're told."

"Yes, mommy…" Emuna said, looking down below her, frowning until her stomach growled. "Awe, I'm hungry. May I get something to eat?"

"No, we're fasting today, remember?" Emuna's mother responded.

"But momma, I'm tired of fasting. I want to eat something now!" Emuna cried.

"Now what did I just say, Emuna?" Emuna's father questioned.

"'No buts,'" Emuna responded, guiltily looked down below her.

"This is the second time you said this," Emuna's father stated, "One more time, and you will have no playmate for three days. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, daddy..." Emuna said, giving her parents her sad face as she lifted her head up towards their attention. "I'm sorry, mommy, daddy for disobeying you."

Emuna's mother grinned at Emuna. "It's alright, Emuna. Daddy and I will forgive you."

"So you will have to swallow your own spit and fast. Remember what we taught you about Yeshua fasting throughout the Gospels and how He depended on Him through prayer?" Emuna's father said.

"Yes, daddy?" Emuna responded.

"So if He can do it, so can you," Emuna's mother said.

"Really?" Emuna questioned.

"Yes, you can. Besides, you still need to be trained for spiritual discipline," Emuna's mother answered, closing her eyes, smiling at Emuna. "Now if you depend on Him through prayer and swallow your own spit, you can overcome hunger."

Emuna gasped with her mouth opened. "Okay, I will!"

"Now that's a good girl, Emuna!" Emuna's father said when he and his wife closed the doors and walked towards the car rear.

Emuna swallowed her saliva, raised her arms up and looked up at the ceiling, while her parents pushed the car forward.

"Dear Lord, please deliver me from hunger, because I want to fast successfully like Yeshua. In Yeshua's name, Amen," Emuna prayed. Then she continued to play with her doll in the car, ignoring her stomach growling.

****

As time went on, less than ten buses had finally arrived. Emuna smiled as she grabbed her two bags and got up from the sandy ground. Then she looked up at the sky with her continued grin.

"Hallelujah! I praise and thank You, Elohim, for providing us buses to finally leave this place! You truly are the greatest that mankind has ever seen," Emuna said, returning her focus on the bases.

When she raced her way for the buses, she saw passengers already running towards them and lining up by then for entry.

-Oh, great! I need to find a bus with shorter lines. I can't remain in this hot ass sun in the desert for too long.

So she continuously ran for the fifth bus, fighting her way against the sandy wind and the passengers. She breathed and her heart beated a bit faster while her sweat came down from her forehead. She didn't even wipe the sand off of her body. She expressed her annoyed look on her face after the sand got on her.

-Damn, this sand is so freakin' annoyin'! I better hurry before I get more sand all over me!

Her vision became clearer once she ran closer to the bus until she made it. She only lined up behind a certain number of passengers.

-Finally, I made it. Now I need to hurry up and get this sand off of me before I get on the bus.

Emuna quickly wiped the sand off of her body before she boarded the bus. Once she entered and searched for her seat, she placed her bags near the giant window and sat near them, leaning back against her cushioned seat. Her body felt the cool air in the bus.

-Oooh, this cool air felt so good. It's definitely a lot better than the desert heat, that's for sure…so…relaxing…

When the rest of the passengers got on the buses, the buses left the unknown desert area and Emuna looked out the window in silence.