RACER

by Ed Price

For the second time in a week, little Tony had been rushed to the hospital's emergency room by his stepfather.  Supposedly, he had fallen again.  "Tony's a clumsy kid," the stepfather explained.  The doctors knew better, but there was little they could do except patch up the boy and send him home again.

Tony's mother had died six months before. Now Tony was in the custody of his stepfather, the president of a local bank with great influence in the community. He was also chairman of the hospital board and a major contributor to its charity fund. State law required that doctors must report all cases of suspected child abuse to the authorities. They had done that in Tony's case. But a legion of expensive lawyers had kept the stepfather out of trouble. The doctors, as well as the authorities, were clearly frustrated.

Tony had a large wooden rocking horse that he called Racer. The horse had been a present from his grandfather and it was Tony's best friend. Tony talked to it -- he told Racer all that happened to him. As the horse listened, his painted expression would seem to change from a smile to a frown. Without Racer to talk to, Tony thought he would die.

"The child's injuries are serious this time, the emergency room doctor told the stepfather. "The x-rays don't show anything, but we still suspect a concussion. We'd like to keep him in the hospital tonight for observation."

"No way," the stepfather replied angrily. "Tony goes home with me."

"I would advise against it," the doctor insisted.

The stepfather's face dissolved into his most sinister smile. "I said he goes home with me. And if I hear one more word from you, doctor, I'll make sure that you lose your privileges at this hospital. Do I make myself clear?"

When they got home the stepfather sent Tony to his room, saying that he would bring him supper later. "You've caused me enough trouble today," he said as he swatted Tony on the seat of the pants. "Now get out of my sight!"

Tony fled up the stairs and into his room. He ran to his bed and flopped on his stomach. A moment later, he turned over and looked at Racer through tear-stained eyes. The wooden horse was frowning. The little boy padded across the room and put his arm around the horse's neck. "Take me away, Racer. Please? I don't want to be hurt any more. God can't let me be hurt any more."

When Tony's stepfather walked into the room an hour later, he found the boy perched on Racer's back, slowly rocking back and forth. "Get off that stupid horse," his stepfather shouted. "You want to fall off and kill yourself?" He grabbed Tony by the collar and cuffed him so hard that his head snapped backwards. "Now get in that bed! Eat your supper! And I don't want to hear anything else from you for the rest of the night!"

It was very early in the morning when Tony awoke with a terrible pain in his head. He sat up with his back against the pillow. He thought briefly about calling out to his stepfather, but he didn't want another beating.

In the darkness of his room, he could barely see Racer at the foot of his bed. Perhaps, if he sat on his wooden horse's back.... He always felt better sitting there. Tony crawled out of bed. The pain nearly blinded him. He flung his arms around the horse's neck, holding on for support. "Racer," he croaked, "I hurt bad."

Slowly, carefully, Tony climbed up on Racer's back and began rocking back and forth. He soon noticed that the pain was leaving him. He rocked faster. Suddenly he was aware that the horse was rising off the floor. Then he was outside the house. Tony looked down. He and Racer were floating over the rooftops. Tony should have been afraid, but he wasn't. He looked up. The clouds were getting closer -- pinpricks of light winked out behind them. A refreshing breeze fanned his face. Racer, with little Tony on his back, was headed for the stars.

Above the clouds were huge spheres -- brightly colored balls of planets hung in a velvety sky. Music like the delicate tinkling of wind chimes -- only more beautiful -- danced in his ears. Onward sailed Racer, onward through blackness that didn't seem like blackness at all.

One of the stars was getting brighter. Racer was heading straight for it. Into the light Racer glided, Tony clinging to his back. Then the little boy saw a figure just ahead. Then two. Then three. One of the figures he recognized immediately.

"Mommy!" he shouted.

Then a powerful, yet comforting voice came from all directions at once. "Not now, My precious child. It is not time."

"Mommy," Tony shouted again.

The figures slowly dissolved into grayness, then darkness.

"Mommy... mommy... mommy..."

"He's calling his mother," the female voice exclaimed. The voice was far away, but it sounded strangely familiar. Then came a man's voice, this one unfamiliar. "He's coming out of the anesthesia. He's probably hallucinating a bit."

Tony had no idea where he was. He opened his eyes, but all he could see were soft blobs of light -- nothing distinct. Then a shadow appeared in front of him, shaped like a human head. The woman's voice again; "Tony?"

"Auntie Edna?" Tony's voice was weak.

"Thank God. He can hear me," she sighed. "Doctor, will he be all right?"

"I think so," the man replied. "We got him to surgery just in time. I don't think there are any permanent injuries. He's young. He'll mend."

"And what about that man?" she asked, referring to Tony's stepfather.

Tony heard the doctor chuckle. "Now that's a different case. He's not going to be all right because he's not going to wheedle out of this one. The authorities are having a little chat with him right now."

"It's about time," the woman said.

"I agree. But there's something we have to remember. If he hadn't heard Tony fall off that horse, saw him unconscious on the floor, and rushed him to the hospital right away, the boy would be dead right now. In fact, Tony was clinically dead when he brought the boy in and it took all of our medical skill to revive him. We have him to thank for getting the boy here in time. There must be some good in the man after all."

"Someone was certainly looking out for Tony, that's for sure."

Yes, Tony thought. Someone was indeed looking out for him, but not his stepfather or even his wooden horse. In his child's faith, Tony immediately thought of the One who had really protected him. Tony had heard His voice and had seen His glory. And, best of all, Tony knew that he would never have to be frightened any more.

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Copyright 2001 by Ed Price