Provision
by Carrie Harris

Jason ducked silently into the shadows, too afraid to even breathe, and prayed he hadn't been seen. Seconds later, the sychronised marching of the soldiers passed him, oblivious to his presence. Jason waited a few seconds, then exhaled slowly ... that was way too close!

He peered out cautiously from the pile of boxes he had hidden behind, and made sure no-one was around. Seeing no sign of people, he ran swiftly and silently across the open ground, his sack-covered army-style boots making no sound. He dived into a dark corner seconds before more soldiers passed him by. His leg began to cramp due to the awkward angle it was in, but he dare not move it in case someone heard ...

Jason clenched his teeth and bit down on his lip as the cramp contracted his leg muscle ... musntmakeasoundmustntmakeasoundmustntmakeasound ... As soon as the soldiers were out of earshot, he corrected his position and massaged his leg muscle until the pain eased, no time to stop and rest, must keep going ...

He winced at the pain as he put weight on the leg, but he determined to ignore it, remembering what was at stake. His dark camouflaged trousers were covered in dirt, and he had lost two buttons from his shirt. Common sense told him to retrieve them, to leave no sign of his presence, but there was no time. If he didn't move now, it would be too late.

Jason limped quickly to the rear of the building, and checked his watch. Ten seconds to spare ... he pressed himself against the wall, and waited for the siren. Mentally, he ran through the plan. Siren sounds, guards exit the building. Two minutes pass, the new guards arrive. Only two minutes, possibly less, to do what needed to be done.

3, 2, 1 ... there was the siren, right on cue. Jason counted to ten, then cautiously opened the door a crack, just in time to see the guards leaving through the front door. Quick, quick, he had the door open in a flash, darted in, grabbed the package, then darted back out again, closing the door behind him to give himself a precious extra few seconds before the guards realised the parcel was gone.

A cursory glance around, then run all out until the first set of shadows, peer around the corner, run to the next set of shadows, another look, step back into the shadows, the guards are returning. Jason dare not pant, although his chest was burning, crying out for air. The guards pass, Jason silently dashed to the last set of shadows, and out the door and into the trees.

So far so good, but he wasn't safe yet. Jason clenched the parcel between his teeth, and shimmied up a tree, then balanced along the branches across to a neighbouring tree. A small jump, then on to the next tree, and the next. Mustn't leave tracks.

He passed several trees in this way, then shimmied down and dropped carefully to the ground. With the package still between his teeth, he bolted at full speed to the edge of the trees, beyond the clearing, past the waterhole, and down to the small cave in the side of the hill.

Now that he was safe, he collapsed to the ground and drew in deep gulps of air, until the burning in his chest subsided. Sweat poured from his forehead as he then got to his feet, package in hand, and inched along for four or five feet to where the roof of the cave was higher.

He made his way through the maze of tunnels that he had come to know so well, until he came to a small cave just off to the left side of the hill. A woman lay sleeping, a small child by her side, but she arose quickly when Jason coughed gently.

No words were spoken, but her weary eyes asked the question: Had he been successful? Jason walked slowly forward, holding the package out triumphantly. The woman smiled, before tearing the package open hungrily. After she had checked that the package contained what she needed, she woke the sleeping child.

Jason sat down, his back against the wall of the cave, and smiled affectionately as his beloved wife gave their child the much-needed medicine. Nobody knew what tomorrow held, but Jason knew, with a faith that had made them outlaws, that somehow God would provide for tomorrow as He had today ...