The Temple Read Free Page A

me, thank not me. It is the Lord we must give
thanks to. Is He not the giver of all munificence? It is such a
pleasure to have you here, Sycko. But where are my manners again?
Here I am talking when surely you would like to tell a little about
yourself. Where do you live, Sycko?”
    “Well, I live in a room in my
parents’ place,” he said not at all sure he wanted to talk about
himself. “I ain’t got a job now. Well, I had a job and worked real
hard there, but I got the sack yesterday. There’s no pleasing some
folks and my boss was never happy. Anyway, I guess I’ll just be
staying with my parents until something else comes along.”
    Jeremiah had a gleam in his
eyes. “Yes indeed, the world is unjust, Sycko. You have been
treated most unjustly. But believe me, it’s all for a purpose. Is
it not written that a just man suffering at the hands of an unjust
man shall bring atonement to the world of the unjust for their sins
against God? Ah, my friend, I tell you there is more to all this
than meets the eye.” He leant forward and patted Sycko’s hand. “I
have a proposition to make, Sycko. A most propitious proposition I
might say even if I say so myself,” he said leering at the young
man. “It seems then that you are in want of a new life. Let me help
you get away from injustice. Cleanse yourself from the impurity of
avarice and ingratitude. Come and stay with us. There is a room I
can give you and you’ll live and eat in our community. Let not the
esurient be hungry and the sitient be thirsty is our motto. Join us
here in a new life and we’ll show you the way forward.”
    “You mean I can live and eat
here for free and all I’ve got to do is talk with you?” Sycko said
astounded. The idea of not having any work to do but being fed and
looked after for free was very attractive. Much better in fact than
staying at his parents’ place where there was always someone
nagging and moaning about him finding a job, or helping at home or
paying for the groceries. There was no peace to be had at all.
Maybe Jeremiah was right after all when he’d said that Sycko could
find his heart’s desire in the temple.
    “Yes, well something like that,”
Jeremiah said not quite understanding what Sycko meant. He quickly
smiled. “Is it agreed then?” he asked. “Will you come and stay with
us and learn our ways?”
    “All right, yeah, I’ll shake
hands on that, Jeremiah. You’re the most decent bloke I’ve ever
met. I don’t think anyone has ever been so generous and kind to me.
I’ll be happy to be here.”
    Jeremiah beamed with joy. “The
Lord be blessed thrice over!” he exclaimed. “What a joy, what an
exultation there shall be!”
     
    Sycko returned to the temple
later that forenoon. When he got home to pick up his things his
mother was predictably mad that he had lost another job.
    “And now you’ll be on our hands
again, like a millstone round our necks. You never manage to keep
any job longer than a fortnight, you useless lazy lad. Laziness it
is, I’m telling you, laziness.”
    “Well don’t worry. I’m just back
to pack my things and leave. I’m making myself a new life.”
    After some more arguing he left
home leaving his mother behind in tears. ‘What the heck,’ he
thought. ‘If she wants to cry let her cry. No way anyone’s going to
stop me from living in a place where no one expects me to work.
This is great. And if I can live for free I don’t mind drooling for
them every day if they like it so much.’
    Sycko started his new life by
doing what he did best, lazing around. He got his first free lunch
at noon and then spent the rest of the afternoon smoking and
relaxing in his new room. There was a wooden bed, a small white
table and a solitary chair, and at the front of the bed stood a
small sofa facing a TV set that was fastened to the wall. Beside
the bed was a small bedside table with a drawer. He opened the
drawer and saw a single book lying in it entitled The Holy Dryvel.
It was