THE DESERT 

By Tessa Harvey


    "Please Aunt Marnie, pray once more with me for Zack." It was Esther's voice. He remembered from Zoom - that one call when her dad had gone to a nearby town.
    He tried to answer. A man's voice, growly. "You gotta face reality, Esther. That boy's pretty crook. He's gonna....."
    ".....Get better, in Jesus' name," Marnie spoke up briskly. "No doubt, just believe, Luka." "Bah!" the man growled again.
    Zack struggled. Everything felt fuzzy, disconnected. "Reality is Jesus," he finally managed and fell into a deep, healing sleep.
    The doctor came in and was pleased. "He is going to make it," he reassured the visitors. "Go home and get some rest."
    "Wait," the sheriff came in. Sergeant Bellini. Everyone local called him Sheriff because they respected him.
    "Esther, your dad is going to jail. He tried to hide from the hospital security cameras,but was caught holding the bucket with the ants."
    "How did he know about Zack's allergy?" asked Esther, her voice shaking. "It was on a medical alert card in the car glove-box. He found it, illegally accessing Zack's vehicle. There's more serious news."
    


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