Every day was like this. A single person would find him, beg him to do his thing, and he would oblige. The monotony of it all was far more painful than the first time he healed someone. How he did it was a mystery.
The woman’s head lolled. It was an obvious sign that whatever this green light he produced was, it helped with pain.
He recalled that first time with vivid clarity. The man had a broken arm and he could sense it. Softly, he reached out and touched the damaged limb. Green light lit the room around them, and after five minutes, the man’s pain was gone. When the light dissipated, their eyes met for an instant, then he fell unconscious.
For the next month, he lay in a coma. Doctors said that he wouldn’t make it, and if he did, he wouldn’t be able to move ninety percent of his body again. Life saving equipment was turned off, and only heart monitors tracked his vitals. To everyone’s surprise, his heart continued beating. There was no stopping this man’s life.
“Thank you,” the woman said to him. Her words brought him to the surface of the here and now.
“You’re welcome.” The green light disappeared. “Remember, if the doctors ask you what happened… you don’t know. You just woke up one day and felt better.”
“Cancer doesn’t just disappear.” She looked at him with a disbelieving stare.
“Well… technically… it just did.” He stood and smiled at her. “I don’t want a million people at my door.” He started to leave the woman’s house.
“I have a friend,” she started.
He hung his head. “How long until whatever disease they have takes them from this world?”
“She has six months.” A tear was forming in her eye.
“Tell her to continue treatment and you can contact me in a month with her details.” He told this to each of the people he helped. A month between healings was enough time to remain anonymous without piquing anyone’s interest, unlike early on. Connections, on the other hand, would eventually get him caught.
Then… he’d be dissected for what he could do.
The woman smiled and hugged him. “Thank you!”
He smiled at her and pulled away. “You’re welcome.”
“Why don’t you want your gift shared with the world?” she asked, still holding him in place.
“How would someone with my skin color, accent, and seemingly miraculous abilities be looked upon?” He shook his head. “My people, though not my people, are often looked at as terrorists. I’d be looked upon as the leader of some cell looking to recruit. People would say I was drugging people to make them feel like they’re better and I was simply swaying them to my side. Your doctors can provide all of the proof that this is not the case. Hate will always be hate, and I don’t want to be hated for my ability to help people.”
She stepped back. “Surely, no one would think that of you?”
He smiled. “I appreciate the confidence.” With that, he opened the door and walked out, leaving the woman staring at him.
He recalled the day he woke from his coma as he walked down the snow lined streets. It was two weeks since all equipment had been turned off and only feeding tubes and monitors remained. His insurance was decent, so when he woke, his bill was a fraction of what it would have been.
The doctor, who said he would never move again, was bewildered when he raised his arm to sign the papers placed before him. While the signature flowed, the doctor’s mouth hung open. When he rotated his whole body and stood on his own two legs without issue, the doctor fell into a nearby chair. He watched the man walk, face resting on his palm. Granted, he wobbled as he stood, but a month lying in a hospital bed would do that to anyone.
Weeks of physical therapy resulted in his body coming back to life with no lingering effects. Three months later, he healed another person. This time, unlike the previous, nothing happened to him.
A cool breeze blew across his neck as he walked down the streets of the small Maine town. It reminded him of the relief that day. It took control of him. His mother had been shot when the hunting rifle she was preparing to clean discharged. The slug entered her chest and exited through her back.
There was no second thought as he rushed to her side, hands already glowing. She breathed raggedly, clearly about to die. All he could think was save her.
His body seemed to take control. Wounds closed in minutes, and her breathing eased. When she breathed freely once more, no longer feeling the pains that had filled her only moments before, tears dotted her face and he wept in relief.
Though she was thankful for still being alive, a distance grew between them over the next month. It was difficult for either of them to understand why he had these powers. First, she thought a jinn had taken her son, and he had somehow managed to control it.
For his part, he thought about this regularly. The only time they had really seen anything like this was in the movies. Magic was not real.
Five years later, that was the only explanation.
He was able to control the green light with accuracy. His mother now lived in Florida, and he took residence in their family home. Eventually, back then, she came around and told close friends of his miraculous abilities.
Soon, there were people coming to the house on a weekly basis. It had gotten so bad that, eventually, he told people they needed to meet him elsewhere to maintain the sanctity of his and his mother’s home.
He never accepted payment for anything he did. It was all a kindness that the one true God had given him the power to administer. Praise Allah! he thought to himself as a fleck of snow landed on his neck.
I knew it was going to snow today. He shook his head. His house was still five miles away and he only chose to walk because his car was low on gas.
“Evenin’, sir,” a beautiful woman said to him.
He smiled but said nothing.
“Would you like a ride?” She was leaning against a black sedan.
“No. Thank you,” he replied and continued walking.
“What if I could give you the answer to why you can do what you can?” she asked, wrapping her coat around her tighter.
He stopped and thought for a moment. “I don’t know what you mean,” he replied and continued walking.
“I understand. You’re worried that there may be something more… nefarious with what I’m saying.” She stood and walked quickly to catch up to him. “I promise you, I’m only here to tell you why and present an option to you.”
He pulled his own coat tighter around him when he stopped. He looked down the barren street as the lights turned on. Snow had been falling for days. Sidewalks had been salted, so walking was safe. They stood outside a dive bar. He shook his head and sighed. The open sign showed a blue and pink aura across his darkening surroundings.
“A drink perhaps?” he asked.
She smiled. “So long as I can pay.”
He nodded and they walked inside. They found a quiet corner and sat across from one another. The waiter took their order. He ordered a soda and she ordered a glass of red wine. They stared at one another while they waited for the waiter to return. When he did, she handed him a wad of cash and asked that they not be disturbed.
The waiter only nodded and walked away.
“So, you know what I can do?” he asked.
“Not just you. A lot of us have been drafted to work for an organization that looks to help people.” She sipped her wine.
“The government has people who can heal people like I can?” He was confused. If the government could do what he could, why was there so much suffering?
“Not exactly. We act as a governmental agency, but have no actual affiliation with any governmental entities.” Again, she sipped her wine.
“Have you done this a lot?” he asked.
She nodded with a smile.
“So why is there so much pain and suffering if you have these powers?” He stared at her, his soda untouched. The pain and anger within him flowed with every word.
“We help a lot of people in a lot of ways. We have teams that are dedicated to not revealing our secrets, while also saving those in need.” Her wine remained on the table. “We have people who do other things as well. Financially, we’re an organization that needs no governmental oversight. People employed by us often find themselves in vastly different situations financially.”
“And?” He wasn’t doing what he did for money. It was for the sake of those who needed help, and no other reason.
“Well… let’s just say that I know you’re financially struggling. Your car is in disrepair. The house your mother paid for is about to foreclose thanks to loans taken for one reason or another. You lost your job after the, let’s call it an accident, and you just can’t afford to pay for anything. That soda you haven’t touched, if I weren’t paying, would be well out of your price range.” She leaned in. “I know you buy a bag of rice once every three weeks and that has to last as long as possible because unemployment just ran out, along with your food benefits.”
Shame filled him. “My personal situation is no one’s business but my own.”
“Yet, you help everyone who needs it. You don’t ever ask for anything in return, even though your clothes hang from your body and I’m certain your ribs are the widest part of your frame.” She leaned back and sipped her wine. “We have an offer for you.”