The Gathering Storm (47 page)

Authors: Bodie Thoene,Brock Thoene

Tags: #Fiction, #Christian, #Historical

BOOK: The Gathering Storm

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I stammered as understanding stole my breath. "It was you! You've not grown old! But...you are...you...both of you..."

Evan opened the birdcage door and extended his hand. The nightingale hopped onto his finger and remained as Evan held the songbird close to his cheek and stroked the tiny feathered head. "It is almost midnight for the world. These are the final moments of
The Book of Hours.
We who remain have been granted permission...live...until He returns."

The vivid memory of Jesus' words in Scripture exploded in my mind:
"And if I want him to live until I return, what is that to you?"

Evan smiled. "We wanted you here with us tonight. Sixty-eight years since that night in Oxford. The blink of an eye. We thought of you when Lora found the injured bird in the garden."

Loralei said, "That generation almost all flown away now. So many old friends. Soon Jessica will leave us. But you—you must save the memories."

372

Evan completed the thought, "The sages say that the ink of the scribe is as precious in the eyes of the Lord as the blood of the martyr."

Loralei nodded. "You must write what we were in that generation. How the world turned away and what apathy and ignorance cost in the end."

Evan lowered his chin and held me fast with his green-gold eyes.
"We have begun a new life now. A new generation. The names of those two lovers who lived in the garret room above this house are written in water. But their love and their stories must be recorded in stone."

Evan moved toward the French doors, throwing them wide to the
garden. "The past must not be forgotten." Tucking the bird beneath his
chin he motioned, beckoning us both out into the frigid night air.

The stars shone clear and bright like a diamond pathway above our heads. Light from the lamp beside the piano fell upon the trellis of a rose tree. A few brown-tinged leaves stirred as suddenly a second nightingale hopped out. The male bird cocked his head and eyed them expectantly.

Loralei whispered, "Look! There he is, Eben!"

Evan nodded. "He's been waiting there for her, Lora. Singing to her every night. Waiting until she was free."

Loralei put her arm around my shoulders. "So many songs yet to sing..."

Evan lifted his hand, releasing the nightingale. She hesitated only a moment, then, seeing her mate, fluttered away to his side.

"Adieu! Adieu! Thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side, and now 'tis buried deep In the next valley glades: Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music: do I wake or sleep?"
⁹

8 John Keats, "Ode to a Nightingale."

~ 373

^{TAKING IT DEEPER...}

Questions for individuals and groups

For over ten years, Bodie the journalist has been intrigued by Loralei's life story. Whose life story intrigues you? What interests you specifically about that person? If you could interview him or her for ten minutes, what questions would you ask?

"I was both fascinated and terrified by the thought that Eben might be my nightingale" (p. 43). "He sacrificed himself to save the white rose. He gave his life for hers. By the shedding of his blood, the white rose was given life. A picture of Christ, some say" (p. 43). How did Eben truly become Lora's "nightingale" toward the end of the book? What price did he pay, in return, for loving his white rose? How does this help you understand Jesus' sacrifice for you?

"Knowing I'm right is not the same as
showing
I am, in front of people who might otherwise believe such stupidity...things will only get worse.
It I...it we
are not prepared for
everything
to come, this lunacy will continue until...I don't know what will happen. I just know that they're very bad people, the ones who make these claims based on
science,
and they will use gullible people to do unspeakable things if we don't all know how to speak up." Do you agree with Varrick's statements (p. 51)? Why
or why not? What examples can you give from history—and the
lives of your loved ones? In what situation
now
can you make a difference if you take a stand?

375

Lora, an American, makes a stunning decision to marry her friend Varrick, in order to keep this member of the Kepler family safe from the Nazis (pp. 73-74). Would you have made the same decision? Why or why not? What life event(s) do you look back on now that caused you to suddenly grow up? To see things from a different light?

"It seemed incredibly unjust that Judah and the good sergeant, who had accomplished so much and brought us so far, should have died so near to safety...it left me feeling bitter and angry" (p. 192). If Lora could have known then that Judah didn't die but lived on, how would that have changed her perspective? If you could look down the road a few years and see "the good" that may come from a current situation in your life, how might your perspective change to make you less bitter and angry?

"The world as we knew it was coming to an end, yet I could only
think of myself," Lora says (p. 196). "It was as though there was
no tragedy...no story but my own. There was me, selfish and self-absorbed...and then were those hundreds of thousands of refugees all lumped together into one tragedy." When life gets chaotic, do you tend to become more "me-centered" or "other-centered"? Why do you think that is? What patterns did you see modeled in your own family as you were growing up?

The young Belgian girl, Inga, has gone through such traumatic circumstances that she wishes she were dead (p. 278). Have you
ever felt hopeless and depressed, like Inga? How did you respond
during those times? Who helped you endure and fight through them? In what way(s) can those tough times strengthen you for the road ahead? How might you encourage others who are going through similar hard times?

Eben sits for hours with Lora in the Paddington tearoom as she recounts her story (p. 229). "His eyes, tender, were fixed on me, drawing me out of myself. I talked more than I had intended.

~ 376 ~

I wept without embarrassment. At the same time his gentle questions drew me into his soul. He wiped my tears like an old familiar friend." When you have felt "inside-out," as Lora did that day, whom do you turn to? Why is that person so comfortable for you?

Were you surprised that Lora found love with Eben, and that they married? Why or why not?

In a London park Lora meets a middle-aged woman with a pleasant smile. The woman asks Lora questions about Eben's photographs, then points out the Hebrew words embedded in the pattern of each rose in his poem. Lora is stunned, because she hadn't even seen them until her eyes were opened by the woman's words: "Everything means something" (p. 247). Have you ever encountered a person you thought might be "an angel," sent to help you? If so, tell the story.

Do you believe it could be possible that there are Thirty-six Righteous (witnesses of God's glory) walking the earth today, holding back God's judgment against the earth? (pp. 296-298) Why or why not? How could the
possibility
of it being true influence the way you look at others? Respond to others? The way you relate to your Creator?

Would you want your name to be written in water (p. 369)—or stone? Explain.

Step into Lora's shoes for a moment. You're married to the love of your life when you discover that your first husband, whom you thought was dead, is actually alive (p. 364)! What would you think? Feel? How would you resolve the situation?

Do you believe that "We must speak for those who have no voice"
(p. 213)? Why or why not? How are you actively "speaking" your
beliefs? What are you doing for "the least of these"?

377

15. Every life has a story to tell. What about your life might be intrigu
ing to "the next generation"? What events might give them hope
in the midst of their own tumultuous journeys? Why not share your story? (Even better, write it down!)

378

_{ABOUT THE AUTHORS}

_B⁽

ODIE and BROCK THOENE
(pronounced
'
Tay-nee)
have written over fifty works of his
torical fiction. That these best sellers have sold more than twenty million copies and won eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—that the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers' minds and hearts. In their timeless classic series about Israel (The Zion Chronicles, The Zion Covenant, The Zion Legacy), the Thoenes' love for both story and research shines. With The Shiloh Legacy and
Shiloh Autumn
(poignant portrayals of the American Depression), The Gal-way Chronicles (dramatic stories of the 1840s famine in Ireland), and the Legends of the West (gripping tales of adventure and danger in a land without law), the Thoenes have made their mark in modern history. In the A.D. Chronicles they step seamlessly into the world of
Jerusalem and Rome, in the days when Yeshua walked the earth. Now
the Zion Diaries cover the time period between their best-selling Zion
Covenant series (1936-1940) and Zion Chronicles series (1947-1948). "These timeless tales are the missing pieces of the lives of some of the
most beloved characters from our Zion Chronicles and Zion Covenant series," the Thoenes say. "Their compelling stories of courage and love chronicle the darkest of times, when good seemed lost, but God's Truth stood firm and shone as a beacon in the midst of Hitler's evil. Based on decades of interviews and divine encounters, the Zion Diaries are our most up-close and personal books ever."

379

Bodie, who has degrees in journalism and communications, began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as
U.S. News and World Report, The American West,
and
The Saturday Evening Post.
She also worked for John Wayne's Batjac Productions and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as "a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!" Long intrigued by the personal accounts of history, and the romantic and often mysterious stories based in Hawaii, Bodie has also authored
Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii.
"There, the past and the present overlap through the lives of elders sharing their memories," Bodie says. "When I met an old Hawaiian woman, who was making
leis
in the shade of Lahaina's banyan tree, I was entranced by her photos—and her personal remembrances of Princess Kaiulani. The rumors she shared shed new light on the old story, as if Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending. As she told me the legends and the romance, I knew I must write it one day."

Brock has often been described by Bodie as "an essential half of this writing team." With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role as researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, the Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college.

Bodie and her husband, Brock, have four grown children-Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their children are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks. Bodie and Brock divide their time between Hawaii, London, and Nevada.