6

A Point That

Draws

Alexandra Pressley

Designed to be Worthy 2018

7

“A Point That Draws is a timeless masterpiece! An

enthralling mystery that is sure to keep readers

turning the page. Such an enticing story that was a

well written piece of work. A mysterious fiction, yet

shows the awesome work of God’s agenda. It also

shows how He uses situations that we think for the

worst, yet He means for the best. Such a thrilling

adventure, one could devour in one sitting!”

–Bentley Pressley

“An interesting read in the tradition of Sherlock

Holmes: a brilliant detective, an evil nemesis, and a

baffling case. However, this story shifts from

promoting the protagonist’s mental prowess to the

redeeming love of Christ’s sacrifice. In this story,

Thaddeus Deveraux uses his profound deduction to

unravel the mystery of the red stiletto. But along

the way, Thaddeus comes face-to-face with the idea

that there is a loving God.”

–Shawn Pressley

“A brilliantly formulated masterpiece, A Point that Draws was a captivating mystery novel with a

deeper meaning behind all of the excitement: the

meaning of life. A Point that Draws will bring you

into the life of Detective Thaddeus Deveraux, and

his work as a detective in the perilous London

streets, tangled in several confusing yet tied

together murder cases. This novel is a must read for

any mystery lover, and a fellow follower of Christ.”

–Nathan Olaires

8

A Point That

Draws

By Alexandra Pressley

Designed to be Worthy 2018

9

Published by:

Designed To Be Worthy 102 W.McElhaney Road

Taylors, SC 29687

Copyright 2018 Designed To Be

Worthy.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

First printing March, 2018

10

For Papa Cecil Smith

11

12

Acknowledgements

I have many to thank for making this

novel possible. So I’ll start with my dad. I

thank you so much for all of your helpful tips,

assistance, and for being the best editor that

one could ask for.

I want to thank my sister, Bentley. You

are an awesome proof reader, you are talented

writer much like our dad, and you’re an

amazing editor. Thanks, Vanilla Bean.

I really want to thank my mom for

registering me for this class, or else this novel

would not be in existence. Thank you, Mom, for

being supportive through this entire process.

Thank you, Heather, for being the best

classmate and friend that anyone could ever

want. You truly are amazing at writing.

Thank you, Vanguard Homeschool

Academy, for providing this astounding

opportunity.

I want to thank you, Mrs. Husman, for

giving me the opportunity to write this novel. I

have learned so much through these two

semesters. Thank you, once again.

Thank you, Pleasant Grove Baptist

Church, for allowing VHA’s students and

teachers to use the classrooms.

I want to thank my good friend, Nathan.

You truly are a great friend. Thank you for all

that you have done for me.

My last thank you will go to Mrs. Wong.

For being a phenomenal director, I thank you!

13

14

Table of Contents .

1. The Red Stiletto

2. A Toast of Merlot

3. A Case of Crimson

4. Ruby Red Wine

5. A Thorn of a Garnet Rose

6. The Scarlet Flow

15

16

Chapter 1

The Red Stiletto

“Miss Hutson, tea!” Thaddeus shouted.

“Tea?”

“Yes, T-E-A!”

“Thaddeus, how many times must I say it? I’m not

your bloody house keeper!” she bellowed as she ran out of

the flat. Eurus said, “Thaddeus, you need to get a case or

you’ll….”

“…I already have a case. You just need to shut up

and fetch me some stupid tea! Now, please.”

Eurus starred, but then walked into the kitchen to

fetch some black tea. His lack of manners annoyed her, like

always.

Moments later, Eurus returned to the living room

with hot tea and biscuits, asking, “What’s the case?”

“Another serial killer on the loose,” Thaddeus murmured,

sipping his excessively hot, black tea. Suddenly, there was a

clamorous thunder outside the nearest window. Two cars

17

had crashed. Thaddeus hesitated, and then shuffled over to

the window and saw the two crumpled cars together in a

clutter. Eurus dashed over to the window. She inquired,

“What happened?”

Because of the accident, Thaddeus rushed out of

the flat, sprinted to the totaled car on the left. A disturbing

sight, a body with a red stiletto in its chest, a note hung

from the stiletto’s heel. Written in the victim’s blood, it

said, “Miss me?” Damian Albro suddenly popped into

Thaddeus’s mind.

Eurus scuttled up behind Thaddeus to investigate

the other car on the right. Eurus found a body that also

had a red stiletto in the victim’s chest. It had a note that

looked identical to the other note, saying “Miss me?” Eurus

exclaimed, “Thaddeus! You need to see this!” As Eurus

tugged on the note, it came loose from the heel, and she

muttered, “Miss me?” Handing the note to Thaddeus, who

had arrived beside her. Eurus asked a simple question, “Do

you think he’s back?”

“No, I think we have a copycat on our hands, dear

Eurus.”

Eurus pulled out her phone to call the police, but

just as she was dialing, a loud siren sounded on the rainy

street up ahead. Apparently, someone had beaten her to it.

18

A police car swerved to the side of the two crushed cars,

and Amelie hopped out. The old friend smiled as she

joined Thaddeus and Eurus.

Amelie asked questions to all who had been

witnesses, which was both of them. Thaddeus allowed

Eurus to answer Amelie’s questions. Because he had too

much on his mind to have a civilized conversation with

anybody. Since he had already examined the bodies

enough, he returned to his flat to finish his tea while the

police investigated. As he walked up the stairs to his flat,

he passed Miss Hutson. Of course, she ignored him

because she was still ticked off at him. He knew it would

pass very quickly though. He sat in his fancy red chair and

drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair as his other

hand held his cool tea. A million things bobbled through

his clever mind.

Right after Thaddeus had finished his tea, he

rejoined Eurus and Amelie at the crime scene out on the

street. However when he arrived next to them, Amelie was

too excited to even realize he was there. Eurus and Amelie

had discussed arrangements for Amelie and Archie’s

wedding.

Eurus was always trying to set him up with some

girl, but he never was interested in any of the girls who

19

Eurus had picked out for him. Eurus eventually gave up.

Sadly, she busied herself with Thaddeus’s love life so much

that she sort of forgot about her own.

Thaddeus saw Amelie’s mouth running, but he was

so focused on concentrating that he didn’t hear a word she

said.

“Thaddeus…? Thaddeus? Would you want to do it?”

Said Amelie, anxiously waiting for an answer.

Thaddeus replied, “Do what?”

“Would you want to be Archie’s best man?” Amelie

asked once more.

Eurus interrupted Thaddeus before he could even

think: “Of course! Of course that would be such an honor!”

she said as she slapped Thaddeus on the back as if she

were just patting him.

Amelie smiled brightly and said, “Okay great, the

wedding is next Saturday at 2:00 in the afternoon. Just be

there extra early; I would appreciate it if you were.” Amelie

hopped in her police car and drove down the wet street.

Eurus smiled at Thaddeus and said, “Please do

attend the wedding. It would mean the world to Amelie.”

Thaddeus nodded and walked Eurus back inside, for it had

begun to rain again.

20

Chapter 2

A Toast of Merlot

Eurus had woken up early in the morning preparing

to leave for the wedding. A week had already flown by.

Thaddeus did not set his alarm, because he forgot that

Amelie’s and Archie’s wedding would be taking place

today. Thaddeus never remembered things that didn’t

really appeal to him. He didn’t understand falling in love

with another human being.

Several knocks came from Thaddeus’s bedroom

door. Eurus was, of course, waking him up to get dressed

for the wedding. Thaddeus rolled out of bed, and

eventually had made his way to the kitchen for some black

21

tea. Thaddeus asked, “Tell me… what is it that needs me so

early in the morning?”

“Why the wedding of course. You’re the best man,

remember?” Answered Eurus.

“Splendid,” said Thaddeus as he mockingly smiled

and reached for his steaming hot tea.

Eurus randomly exclaimed, “Ahhh…” As she ran

back into her room, she appeared holding a dry cleaned

suit for Thaddeus to wear on this very special occasion.

Thaddeus walked towards her and snatched the suit from

her. With disdain, he walked into his room to put it on.

Eurus smiled at him even though he didn’t look like he was

excited about the wedding.

Finally Eurus and Thaddeus were dressed and ready

to go. While they walked down the stairs to wave a taxi

down, Ms. Hutson stopped Thaddeus to apologize for her

raging outburst that occurred prior to this day. Soon after,

they went outside. Eurus shouted for a cab, “Cabby!

Cabby,” waving her hand in the air.

The wedding was located at an elaborate venue, an

old ship, called HMS President (1918). When Eurus and

Thaddeus arrived they were shocked at how majestic this

antique ship looked. This vessel was not all that big, but

one had to be very wealthy to afford an event here; luckily

22

Archie was very rich. As soon as the cab stopped, Thaddeus

and Eurus hopped out and started walking quickly to get

across the road and onto the ship. Amelie was very happy

to see them— she wore a big smile on her face. Eurus

envied Amelie because Amelie was a very attractive

woman. She was also about to have a good amount of

money in her hands. Although Amelie wasn’t marrying

Archie for his money. She loved him, and he loved her.

They made a great couple, and that made Eurus envy

Amelie even more. Eurus loved her best friend; she was

very happy for Amelie. That still didn’t make Eurus any less

jealous of Amelie’s flawless fair skin, sunflower blonde hair,

and her gleaming blue eyes. Eurus looked much simpler.

Chestnut brown hair that came down to her mid back, but

she always kept it up in a perfected bun. Eurus has OCD

that she inherited from her father, much like Thaddeus.

Eurus’s brown eyes stared at Amelie’s delicate wedding

gown. Eurus envied it, but she knew that today is Amelie’s

special day.

When the ceremony began, the people lowered

their voices. The bride’s maids walked down the aisle and

now it was finally Amelie’s time. Amelie began to walk

down the aisle. She looked quite stunning. Archie stood

agape at the beautiful sight of Amelie. As the usual

23

wedding piano music played, everyone starred at Amelie.

One could notice she was extremely nervous. It was that

time, when Amelie and Archie stood before each other

about to exchange their vows. Thaddeus carried the plush

pillow on which lay the two rings. He appeared nervous as

well. However, as soon as the couple gently grasped the

rings, Thaddeus believed his part was over. He, in fact, felt

relived. Unfortunately, he had forgotten what approached-

photos with the newlyweds and giving “The Speech.” Soon

after, Archie carried Amelie back down the aisle and people

began to throw rice at them.

Suddenly it was that time for Thaddeus to give his

inspirational speech to the newlyweds, only Thaddeus

wasn’t a very inspirational person. Giving speeches wasn’t

his forte. Yet he began. It didn’t go as well as what

everybody had planned, but he felt proud of his work. As

Thaddeus returned to his seat Eurus patted him on the

back and smiled. That made Thaddeus happy that he

pleased his sister. Even though he came here to please

Amelie and Archie, Eurus’s opinion was more valuable. He

still loved and cared about Amelie and Archie, but Eurus

was his sister, and siblings came first to Thaddeus.

Gentle music sounded from the speakers. Couples

slid out of their seats onto the dance floor. Lightly, they

24

swayed to the beat, whispering and smiling to each other

as if they were in a world of their own. Amelie and Archie

looked like perfection. Thaddeus looked at Eurus and saw

that she was staring at Amelie and Archie dancing out

there. He knew Eurus envied the couple. So he did what

any other caring brother would do: “May I have this

dance?”

She turned and looked at him in shock, but smiled

a beautiful smile and said, “Absolutely.” Their hands joined

as Thaddeus’s hand gently grasped her waist and Eurus’s

hand gently rested on Thaddeus’s left shoulder. They

moved gracefully and beautifully; they moved as if they

had already planned this out. Amelie and Archie actually

scooted off the dance floor and they began to admire

Thaddeus’s and Eurus’s graceful dancing. For a moment

Eurus felt beautiful. Soon after the dancing, that little

feeling of beauty disappeared, and she returned to her

normal self.

25

Chapter 3

A Case of Crimson

Another murder had happened over the

weekend, and Thaddeus returned to the case of the

Red Stiletto. Cases had always given Thaddeus a

thrilling feel of adventure. He deeply enjoyed

solving cases. Some would call him crazy, others

would say that he is just interesting, but Thaddeus

didn’t want to be normal. In fact he knew he wasn’t.

Thaddeus’s phone sounded from the

bottom of his coat pocket. He had been expecting a

call from the police. He knew there would be

another murder; he just didn’t know where it would

it would take place. Thaddeus answered, “Yes?

Hmm… hmmmmm… I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

He quickly shoved his phone back in his

coat pocket, and paced out of his flat. Eurus was

26

soon informed about what had happened and

where the murder took place. Moments later, they

were on their way to the crime scene.

Thaddeus felt happy that the weekend had

come to an end. It was the strangest thing, but

Thaddeus was strange. He didn’t want to be just an

“average Joe”. So being strange enthralled him.

“Thaddeus! Thaddeus? Hello?” Eurus said

waving her hand in front of Thaddeus’s face. “

What?” he said angrily.

She knew that he didn’t like to be

interrupted while concentrating. “We’re here.” Eurus

answered looking out the window at the

abandoned warehouse. They hopped out and ran

across the street, because of the lack of patience

that drivers have in London. When Thaddeus and

Eurus entered, they acted cautiously even though

the police were already there investigating.

Amelie and Archie were not present

because they were on their honeymoon. Eurus

already knew that, but Thaddeus was not informed.

“Where on earth is Amelie? And Archie, as well?”

asked Thaddeus curiously.

27

“On their honeymoon, of course. That’s

common knowledge that I’d think you would have

attained by now,” Eurus rudely replied.

He ignored her and continued to walk

quickly ahead of her. She caught up to him, and

finally they were present with the body… it was a

young woman that was killed in exactly the same

way as the bodies in the car accident. The woman

had a bright red stiletto in her chest that apparently

had been pierced in her body several times. A

disturbing sight to see, Eurus was disgusted but hid

it because that’s her job. Thaddeus was used to it;

in fact, he immediately started his investigation. He

first started observing the body. How the victim was

killed, how the woman took care of herself prior to

her death, and how the scenery was related to the

crime.

“Why here?” he asked himself.

Several answers soon popped in his brain,

but he wasn’t satisfied with them. Something

seemed off. He knew this would happen. This

always happened, so he wasn’t surprised that it did.

“What did you find out?”

28

Eurus questioned while looking down at Thaddeus

as he searched the body.

“She’s in her early 20s, smokes occasionally,

just recently ended her marriage, but she still keeps

her wedding ring on which means her husband is

the one who wanted to get the divorce, she drinks a

lot of coffee probably trying to find something that

will substitute for liquor, because she is depressed

from the divorce, she also is a cat lover,” Thaddeus

stated as he continued investigating.

“Okay… and tell me how you know this?”

Eurus retorted, smiling because she knew that he

knew that she would ask him “that” question.

“Well, it’s obvious she’s in her early 20s

because she keeps up with the latest trendy clothes.

She smokes occasionally because I found this pack

of cigarettes in her pocket that says specifically on

the package, “One per week.” She is divorced

because she texts her late husband numerous times

but he never views the texts nor responds, and she

still wears the ring— it’s dirty on the outside, but

clean on the inside which means she removes it

quite frequently. So she doesn’t have the

dedication to clean the outside, yet still wears it so

29

she is still attached to her husband. She drinks a lot

of coffee because of the coffee stains on her teeth

which means she drinks it very often so she will

have energy to overcome her depression. Lastly,

she is a cat lover because of all of the cat fur on her

clothes.”

Eurus smiled at Thaddeus as some of the

new police officers stared agape at Thaddeus. Eurus

felt proud of Thaddeus’s hard work even though

Thaddeus didn’t call this “hard work.” He did this

with ease.

30

Chapter 4

Ruby Red Wine

The following day somebody else had been

murdered by this horrible serial killer. The serial

killer, of course, left the usual calling card: a red

stiletto. Thaddeus knew that the killer was trying to

prove a point, a point that draws.

They approached a mansion to investigate

more on the previous murdered young women. As

Thaddeus and Eurus entered the mansion with the

police, they heard a weep that came from the

second floor. Soon after, the butler informed them

that the mother of the murdered woman was quite

upset. However, the father held back his tears so he

could comfort his wife. Thaddeus suspected him

because of that, too. Jasper, the butler, calmly said,

31

“Mrs. Creedon, the police are here to investigate

more about the murder of your daughter, Edith.”

Mrs. Creedon broke out crying and

screamed, “Go, all of you!”

Eurus peacefully commented to Mrs.

Creedon, “We’re here to help. Now all we want is to

ask a few questions about Edith.”

Mrs. Creedon buried her face into Mr.

Creedon’s shoulder as they hugged. Mr. Creedon

said with kind words, “I’ll answer the questions if

you don’t mind.”

Eurus nodded and spoke, “I don’t mind at all

Mr. Creedon.”

“Please, call me Edwin.”

Eurus smiled and nodded. The questions

started rolling off Eurus’s tongue. Thaddeus never

asked the questions. He normally snooped around

while the couple was distracted with Eurus’s

questions. They eventually noticed him sleuthing

around.

“Excuse me sir! What on earth do you think

you are doing?” Edwin shouted at Thaddeus.

Eurus interrupted, “Investigating! He’s

investigating.”

32

She rolled her eyes at Thaddeus wishing he would

be more careful. Thaddeus finally spoke, “Alright.

I’ve seen enough let us be on our way!” He walked

down the stairs as if he were a peacock.

Rushing to Thaddeus, Eurus whispered,

“What has gotten into you?! You are embarrassing

me! Do you want to solve this case? Of course you

do! Now stop acting like a stuck up know-it- all,

and solve this case.”

Eurus’s teeth ground as she stared at

Thaddeus. He rolled his eyes and continued his

peacock strut down the stairs. Eurus stomped her

foot and yelled at Thaddeus, “I’ve had it with you!

I’ve stood up for you, covered for you, spoke up for

you… and what do I get in return? Huh? Tell me?

NOTHING! I… I’m losing my… my mind. Do me a

favor, do your job and stop being so arrogant.” A

single tear ran down Eurus’s cheek as she sped out

the mansion’s door. The police took over from here.

They knew that this case was somehow turning into

something too personal, but Thaddeus wasn’t

giving up on this case yet.

Thaddeus then decided to investigate the

murder that had happened earlier. He knew he

33

should do this alone. He also knew that Eurus was

burying all of this anger, and she couldn’t keep it

hidden forever. He didn’t blame her for exploding.

He knew he was a jerk to her. He just didn’t realize

that it was seriously hurting her. Amelie getting

married to a multi-millionaire wasn’t helping

Eurus’s anger either. So he figured to give Eurus a

break and let her cool down.

The murder took place in a wine cellar.

Thaddeus thought to himself as he searched the

body lying beneath the wine bottles, “That killer can

do quite a lot of killing in such a short time.”

He found the murder weapon, which was

the red stiletto. For the first time, he noticed that

the heel came to a very sharp point, a point that

draws blood. He started to realize that maybe there

isn’t one killer, but two. He wasn’t certain, but he

was almost convinced that there were. The more he

thought, the more came to mind. He thought for a

long while that the killer was male. However, the

murder weapon is always a woman’s shoe.

Therefore, there was good chance that this was a

woman or women.

34

Thaddeus called Eurus numerous times to

inform her about all he had deduced, but she

would never answer. So he decided that he should

return home and apologize for what he had done.

He rode a cab to his flat, hopped out, and ran to

tell the information. He sprinted up the stairs so

quickly that Ms. Hutson didn’t see him, but when he

entered his apartment, it was dark. The lights had

been turned off, and Eurus was nowhere to be seen.

Thaddeus yelled, “Eurus? Eurus? Eurus!”

He searched every room, he yelled her name

several times, but finally he found a red stiletto

jabbed in the living room’s wall. There was a note

hanging from the stiletto’s heel that said, “Miss

me?” written in blood, maybe even in Eurus’s blood.

35

Chapter 5

A Thorn of a Garnet Rose

As soon as Thaddeus saw the blood, he ran

out of his flat and out onto the street to wave down

a cabby. He was furious. He was going to find Eurus

if she was still alive and kill the murderer. He had

enough of the killings and was finally going to put

down that forsaken soul.

He had no clue where Eurus could be, but

he thought he should go down to the police

station. He didn’t want to call and tell this all over

the phone. When the cabby let Thaddeus out, a

phone booth rang as Thaddeus walked passed. He

ignored it and continued walking, but it rang again.

So he decided to answer, “…hello?”

A slick female voice spoke,

“Hello, Thaddeus. You must be so blue. Have you

missed me?”

36

“Stop playing games! You’re not Damian Albro…

What… have you done with Eurus?” Thaddeus

demanded.

She answered, “She’s still breathing, but

things may go south and she will be floating dead if

the police get involved.”

He screeched, “WHERE IS SHE?!

She spoke smoothly and softly, “Just

remember that I’m watching you like a hawk in the

sky.”

The phone beeped signifying that the other

end had hung up. He threw the receiver and busted

the dinky pay phone, screamed in rage, and yanked

his hair.

Moments later, Thaddeus was still

contemplating about what had just happened. Then

he realized that the strange woman was giving

hints where Eurus was the entire time. Blue. When

she said, “You must be so blue… but will be floating

dead… watching you like a hawk in the sky.” All

included images of blue. Blue as in sad, blue as in

floating on blue water, blue as in a summer sky in

which a hawk glides. Thaddeus thought that Eurus

must be near water or was drowning. He starting

37

worrying, but then he realized maybe she was in a

boat out in the ocean. He also remembered that

she said, “Things may go south…” He knew that

there was a dock called South Dock Marina. So, he

waved down a cab again, and he set out to save

Eurus and kill the strange murderer.

When Thaddeus arrived at the dock, he saw

that two young women were waiting for him, but

the closer he got, the more he realized that they

favored each other. Thaddeus looked at their feet

and saw they were both wearing red stilettos. He

then knew that all of the killings weren’t done just

by one person, but two, twins. As he approached,

he casually observed to see if Eurus was somewhere

nearby, but she was nowhere to be seen. Finally

Thaddeus stood before the killers of too many

innocent citizens. It was hard for him to contain

himself with all of the anger that had been building

up.

“Hello, Thaddeus. We’ve been expecting you. My

name is Avery, and this is my twin sister Ivy. It’s a

pleasure to finally meet you after all this time.”

“Well I wish I could say the same… where is

Eurus?”

38

Ivy finally spoke, “Please board the boat…”

“… Answer my question please…” Thaddeus

said in an angered tone.

“Board the boat, now please,” Ivy said as she

slowly eased a gun out of her coat pocket.

Thaddeus then cooperated. However, as soon as he

boarded the boat, one of the twins hit him over the

head with her gun.

The boat sailed far off shore. Thaddeus sat

tied up while questions filled his mind. He heard

Avery and Ivy below communicating, but he

couldn’t make out what they were saying. He saw

London far off in the distance, but then he heard a

familiar squirm below. “Eurus,” he thought.

Suddenly, the door in front of Thaddeus swung

open. He heard a chair being dragged up the stairs,

and saw Eurus tied to it. Ivy finally got Eurus up the

stairs and pointed a gun at her head. Thaddeus

began to cry from relief that she was still alive.

He spoke, “Put the gun away! Eurus, its okay

I’m going to get you out. Please put the gun down!

She’s all I have.”

Eurus had duct tape across her mouth and

tried to scream, but all that came out was a muffled

39

cry for help. Avery stood beside Ivy who had the

gun pointed at Eurus’s head.

Avery said, “Listen to me and stop your

crying. We planted bombs all in the subways. If we

press this button London goes boom. Now we’ll

give you a choice, your sister or London?”

Eurus instantly screamed, and Thaddeus

spoke, “Let her speak please!” Avery rolled her eyes

and bent over to rip off the duct tape.

Eurus said, “Thaddeus, I love you, and I

know you love me. But I don’t want you to sacrifice

the entire city of London for me… so save London.

Do it for me… this is what I want.” Eurus cried as she

finished her last sentence, and so did Thaddeus.

Thaddeus stared at Eurus. He didn’t want to let her

die. He didn’t want to destroy London either, but he

knew what he needed to do.

So he spoke, “… Don’t set the bombs off.”

Eurus took a final deep breath, closed her eyes, and

then uttered her final words: “I don’t fear death.”

Ivy pulled the trigger. Thaddeus stared in shock.

Then his breath weakened as tears streamed down

his pale face. Time froze. Thaddeus couldn’t believe

what he had done.

40

Chapter 6

The Scarlet Flow

Months had passed since Eurus’s death.

Thaddeus blamed himself for her fate. He hadn’t

left his apartment in months nor had he worked a

case. He felt like killing himself after what had

happened to Eurus. He just couldn’t live with the

pain. One thought crossed his mind: maybe God

wasn’t finished with him yet. Throughout his life he

questioned whether God was real or not. He wasn’t

convinced that God would sacrifice Himself for us,

but after Eurus sacrificed herself for the city of

London, he wondered if God could be real. That still

didn’t change the fact that Eurus was dead, but that

made him wonder where she had gone. He didn’t

want to believe God was real. He pondered,

41

“If God is real, why would he do such horrible

things to innocent people?”

Days later, a very depressed Thaddeus still

considered that question. A correct answer never

came to his mind. He thought about visiting a

church and possibly asking the pastor the lingering

question, but he didn’t want to believe in God. He

was still very angry at Him. Finally, he gave in. He

decided that he was going to start over. He was

going to be a new person. He instantly thought of

Ms. Hutson. He directly went down to her

apartment room to apologize for everything.

Thaddeus knocked numerous times before there

was an answer. Finally an old lady appeared, Ms.

Hutson. Thaddeus smiled and then spoke, “I just

came here to apologize for everything really. I

haven’t been polite to you ever, and I’ve been even

worse after Eurus. So I just wanted to say… sorry.”

Thaddeus’s pale face turned red as tears ran down

his face.

Ms. Hutson stared, but cried as well. She

said softly, “I’m sorry, Thaddeus. I truly am sorry

about Eurus… will you please come in?” Thaddeus

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nodded as he walked in. Ms. Hutson offered,

“Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please.” Thaddeus and Ms. Hutson sat

by the fire drinking their hot tea. He didn’t talk

much— he mainly listened. He had always enjoyed

listening. He had never been much of a talker. After

a bit, Thaddeus knew it was getting late, so he

decided it was time for him to leave. He drank the

rest of his tea and told Ms. Hutson, “Goodnight.”

Day one of Thaddeus’s new life: Thaddeus

was going to go to church for the first time in his

life at age 32. He was nervous. He was going to

attend a church called London City Presbyterian

Church. He got dressed, but he really didn’t know

what people wore to church. So he just wore his

normal attire. He waved a cab down and was on his

way. When he arrived, he saw a tall white building.

He was a little intimidated, but he wasn’t going to

back down now. When he entered, he was greeted

by several kind people, and he felt welcomed there.

Thaddeus sat on the farthest pew in the back. He

waited and watched people around him. Some

wore formal, and some wore casual attire. Finally

the Pastor stood before the congregation at the

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podium. He began to speak about Job, and how

Job had gone through so many trials; however, Job

still stood with God. Thaddeus didn’t understand

how one could go through so much, yet still stand

firm with God.

Before Thaddeus knew it, the sermon had

ended. He couldn’t explain how much he enjoyed

the Pastor’s sermon, but he knew now that he

should talk to the Pastor. Thaddeus approached the

Pastor with a handshake and smile, “Deveraux,

Thaddeus Deveraux.”

“Pastor James Addington. It’s a pleasure to

meet you.”

“I have a few questions, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“If God is real, why would He do dreadful

things to good people?”

Pastor Addington paused for a moment, but

then spoke softly, “God is good, and he doesn’t

want us to suffer. Suffering came into the world

because of sin. So, it’s not God making us suffer. It’s

the sin of humanity that’s making us suffer. That

suffering affected God himself. Because of sin, His

only son had to die, but because of his son’s death,

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we have the hope of living in heaven where there is

no suffering.”

Thaddeus stared for a moment so he could

contemplate on what the Pastor had just said, but

then he nodded.

Then Thaddeus spoke, “Okay… thank you,

Pastor Addington.” Thaddeus shook the Pastor’s

hand, and returned to his dusty flat. Thaddeus lay in

his bed, still contemplating on what the Pastor had

said earlier. He understood it better now, and he

was positive he wanted to devote his life to God

from now on.

Years passed, and Thaddeus had become a

member of the London City Presbyterian Church.

He had become a child of God years ago. The only

wish he had now was to know if Eurus was a

believer. He still missed her very much, and he

hoped and prayed that he would see her in heaven.

Thaddeus still often pondered this point, a point

that draws.

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About the Author

Alexandra Pressley is a student,

volunteer, TeenPact attender, CAP cadet, 4-

Her, NCFCA public speaker, author, editor,

artist, and animal lover. However, she would

just call herself a girl. A girl who has been

extremely blessed with many titles and

talents. She can often be found hanging in

her hammock either drawing, writing, or

reading, all done by listening to music. She

loves her hammock, but the only thing she

loves more is God.