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Back The Last Christian
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Other Books by This Author
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Prologue
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. Author’s Note

She resumed her walk. I wondered if I’d done the right thing by letting her go unaccompanied. But what choice did I have? From what I’d observed, her walking was equivalent to my jogging. And I wasn’t about to jog the entire lake. I could have driven next to her…Very macho.

She’ll be fine, I told myself.

I rode home and began a task I had twice promised Abby to do: finishing her evangelism message for the Grid. I sat at my home desk. I needed to insert the backdrops Abby had selected for her presentation. She had jotted her choices down with an old-fashioned pen in a small paper notebook of hers. Where had she left that?

I scanned my study without success, then the living and dining rooms. I walked up the stairs and entered Abby’s room. The notebook was sitting on the desk in the far corner of the room. I walked over, sat at the desk, and opened it.

The notebook was a journal. My eyes landed on the first entry, February 17, 2088. Abby had started this volume this year. I flipped toward the back, looking for the list of locations for her Grid message. The list was the last item she had entered. I scanned it, then started to close the notebook, but I noticed my name written at the top of the same page. I read the entry.

… none of my beliefs, yet I have found Creighton to be as faithful as a brother, providing me with shelter and food and companionship, even helping me in the mission God has given me (while believing none of it). And though his actions have been brotherly, yet I wonder if his eyes reveal more. If so, why has God given me a man such as this, at a time such as this? I’ve been cast on him like the waves cast a shipwrecked sailor on the shore.

I glanced toward Abby’s bedroom door. The house was quiet. I sat on the edge of the bed and turned to the beginning of the journal.

26

The lake was deserted. Halfway around, Abby stopped to sit on a bench. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and prayed silently. The sound of footsteps startled her out of her reverie. A young woman rounded a nearby hedge of bushes. She headed for the bench, then hesitated when she saw Abby.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted you.”

Abby sat up straight. “No, not at all. I just sat down for a minute.”

“Do you mind if I join you?” the woman asked. “This is the only bench on this side of the lake.”

“Please.” Abby motioned for her to have a seat. “It sounds like you come here a lot. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I walk around the lake every day. I never run into anyone this time of year. Everyone’s in VR, out of the heat.”