The Miraculous Glow (824 words)

Agnes was getting ready to leave for her office. She was near the door, putting on her shoes, when her mom ran up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Her mom was a superstitious person. She never called from behind when one was about to leave.

“Agnes, please say a prayer to the Lord before you leave, “she said

“Why, what happened? Anything you are worried about?” asked Agnes

“No, nothing in particular. I had a bad dream early in the morning,” she said

Both of them stood before the huge picture of the Lord and said the following prayer
‘Our Father in Heaven, Holy be Thy Name
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sinned against us
Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.”

Her mom smiled at her and said, “You are a sweet girl, and you always please me”

The work in the office was very tight. She had no time even for a cup of tea. She looked out from the third floor of the seven-storey building. It was dark even at 3 pm, with a heavy drizzle. She did not like it and wanted to leave for home at 5 pm. It was then she heard a strange rumbling sound with thuds. Soon, the furniture started moving, and before she could run towards the exit, the building started to shake and collapse, with the floor leading to the entrance to the office caving in.

With great presence of mind, she went under a strong table. She heard piercing screams; the deafening noise of the entire building collapsing, and the shrieks of the people hit by the falling debris. The power went out, and the space was covered by darkness. There was a sepulchral silence except for the wails and distant voices in a muffled tone. She could not move as some heavy object lay over her. She was cramped in a small space and could not extricate her legs or one hand. It was aching, but she was not seriously hurt. She could not locate her handbag and the mobile to contact others. Luckily, the watch with luminous hands was running. It showed 7 pm, and there was no sign of any rescue people near her. She could hear the cranes, the firefighters and the rescue team working, but trapped as she was in the centre of debris, she remained invisible. Her screams for help were inaudible

It was then she remembered her mother’s dream and her request in the morning for prayer. That made her recite the prayer again with all devotion. She pleaded with tears in her eyes “Father, I lift my hands to you. Please pour down upon me your loving grace, light, peace, mercy, protection, help, and healing. Humbly, I praise and thank you, Lord. In Jesus' Holy Name I pray. Amen.”

She was thirsty and hungry but tried to remain alert. She tried hard to fight the drowsiness that was enveloping her, as she did not want to end her life in a concrete grave. After what seemed an interminable wait, she heard, around 11 pm, some voices nearby lifting hopes in her heart. With a big piece of wood or concrete covering her mouth, her shouts were not heard even by her. As she repeated the prayer again and again, she found the place filled with an ethereal and comforting light. It was as if the Lord Himself was present there to care for her. She mumbled, “Lord, in you I surrender. You are my only resort,” even as a certain calmness descended on her. It was then she heard the bark of some dog nearby before she passed out.

The rescue workers, who were working from above and avoided horizontal rescue, heard the dog barking. They rushed to see that It was circling a particular area. One of the workers managed to enter through a small opening to find a glow from inside a void, where a victim could remain trapped. The glow appeared, as if a torchlight was burning inside. It was otherwise pitch dark around. With help from others, he managed to reach the place to find an outstretched hand. There was no response to his calls. He slid his hand through the opening and felt. The hand was warm. They worked carefully, using props and removing the debris, ensuring that nothing collapsed on the victim.

The source of the shimmering light from the area that attracted the attention of the dog and the rescue men was inexplicable, as no torch was found there, and the dial of the watch was black, when she was removed in a stretcher to the waiting ambulance. What was strange was that the miraculous glow disappeared once the rescue was completed.