CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11

DAVID HERINGER

THE NEXT DAY, ALL THE NEWSPAPERS were announcing the death of the world — famous musician, David Heringer.

His family was completely inconsolable.

What parents in the world could get over the loss of two children?

It seemed that not even God made that immense pain pass from their hearts.

It was amazing how William Johnson and Catherine laughed at David's funeral. Oscar Heringer couldn't even look at that embarrassing scene, he only looked at the sealed coffin — since the autopsy said he had been in a car accident so violent that he was completely unrecognizable — where his son lay.

Jennie tried to hug her new parents, but knew that the hug they needed was the hug from David — the best child anyone could ever have. A beloved son, intelligent, talented and sincere with people. Not even David knew about all these qualities, but his parents knew he was special since he was a child.

Both knew that God had big plans for their son, but for them that was not part of it, maybe he had already conquered everything his dreamy heart could want, the love of a great woman, success in the whole world, wonderful parents.

For his parents that was just the beginning of everything for him.

After the funeral, some fans wanted to make a museum to honor David Heringer, and wanted their parents to give permission for such an act, but as pastors, they couldn't do that.

The answer was simple, not subtle and objective:

— Do you want to worship someone? Worship God, my son was just His servant, and he died believing this, please don't ever ask this of us again...

People didn't know what to do at first, but even so, they made the museum about David Heringer's incredible trajectory towards stardom, considered by many critics:

The most talented musician of that generation.

His parents were never in any of their son's fan clubs, they thought that was perversion itself gives society modern, that those teenagers were wasting time with dead people instead of helping those who most needed love, affection, or at least a little bit of attention...

The people who were still alive.

JENNIE WAS NOT KNOWING what she would do from then on, but her new parents reassured her, told her she would have all the best, she was just a girl. David, without a doubt, would be proud of this noble attitude they were taking with her... and that now, she had become the only child they had. The daughter that God provided for them to have, even though she was not generated in the womb of Esther Heringer, but they knew that not all children were generated in the womb.

As shepherds, their sheep were children that God allowed them to guide him in the best way, and that's how Jennie was raised by them, with all the love they could give her.

Jennie reciprocated by being the best student, getting a scholarship at Harvard, being considered one of the best students that that institution has ever had the privilege of having.

The Heringers continued their mission of evangelization across America — and everywhere in the world where they were invited to share the word of their God –, discipling young people, transforming failed marriages into blessed marriages, young drug addicts into great teachers of life, "trouble boys" into excellent athletes.

DAVID WATCHED THE BURIAL himself without understanding why he couldn't reveal himself there to end the immeasurable pain of his parents, that was more than torture.

Carlisle Burke had just said that certain pains make us more resilient in life, and that it was really necessary for the "greater good".

Greater good? — David thought more confused than he already was — Does this guy only speak in codes and riddles?

David had been chosen by Burke to represent humanity in the future...

Future? What did the future have to do with all that crazy business?

The Doctor. Burke had said that David had been The Chosen to represent our present in the future...

A thousand years into the future...

David laughed at the whole circus they were presenting to him, it was all too fanciful to be true.

It 's a joke, isn't it? — David said almost laughing, who while he was amused by the doctor's comment, was saddened by remembering his mother's tears at her own funeral.

David was even amused by the idea of being the only person alive in the world who has ever had his own burial, and who still went to see the show.

It was amazing...

David didn't know what to make of it all...

It was a joke... — that's all he thought...

But Dr. Burke was too serious for this to be such a bad joke.

David asked if the government had built a time — traveling machine like in the movies and books.

Carlisle Burke laughed.

That was a joke... — thought the skinny doctor.

— Time Machine? — Said Carlisle Burke — It's just a creation of writers with above average creativity, like JJ Benitez, HG Wells or even Steven Spielberg, who enjoys and enriches himself at the expense of his incredible creativity in playing with history, that's all, Don't confuse reality with fiction.

Carlisle Burke explained to David that he would be hibernated, and that only in a thousand years would he wake up to tell people what our millennium was like.

— But... — said David stuttering, understanding that this was much more serious than he thought — why me?

The Doctor. Carlisle Burke explained:

— You are the most complete person in the world David, you know all sides of life... you know success, as you know failure. He knows love, like the loss of it, he knows God in his essence like no one else, but he is the person who was least involved with Him at the same time — which is good for the project — he was the best history student there was, he is a brilliant musician, multilingual, he has everything that a ninety-year old would have if he studied his whole life and passed all these tests.

Understanding nothing, David was hibernated without his own consent, but in his heart, maybe it was for the best...

What would he do in that century?

There was nothing of value left inside him after he lost Ivy. David didn't even know that when he'd lost Ivy, he'd also lost his son — which no one had the courage to tell him that, because they knew he couldn't take it.

Without a doubt, David couldn't take it.

THE DOCTOR CARLISLE BURKE PREPARED everything so that David would be welcomed a thousand years into the future by his fellow descendants.

He didn't know what the future would be like for sure, he just knew that this was the best decision he could make, he was helping David, as he was also helping all of humanity, sending the best man they had available to represent them.

David never imagined himself to be the best of men — not the worst, just average, a man striving to want to be happy next to his great love —, not understanding that being the best means someone open to a new life., far from everything...

David was the only person capable of that, who would get used to a new reality without going crazy about it.

BEFORE HE WAS SLEEPING, David asked the skinny doctor:

— Why don't you hibernate yourself?

The answer was simple and straightforward:

— I'm too much of a disbeliever for that, David, you don't.

David took one last look at his wrist, saw Ivy's name written there, but realized he had no one else in his life... no one else would hold his hand and support him when he was weak...

Ivy said:

Together they were unbeatable...

But now, David was fragile as crystal.

At least her heart was that fragile.