Bell: Sound The Alarm

By Renee Lee

From a perfect existence to a traumatic start, Bell began her early years in an environment that nurtured and welcomed her God-given gifts. Suddenly, she is thrust into a harsh and relentless world in a life and death battle for her soul. Questioning her identity, Bell is in a fight with forces within and spiritual forces that aim to stop her from using her gifts and block her from ever realizing her purpose. Life as she knows it crumbles leading her to believe that she is all alone and has no reason to live. Then hope comes knocking at her door reintroducing her to the 'garden.'

Bell's supernatural battle will test and renew her faith. She will be reminded of her self-value, re-opening her spiritual eye and revealing that the power to overcome and 'so shine' has always been within her. Bell's powerful gifts will provoke the worshipper and creator in us to access new dimensions in 'Spirit and Truth' that came with the promise that the believer was given by being 'so loved' by God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781098071752

Book preview

The Collision

As time passed, Maria and the Reverend’s relationship grew deeper. A relationship built out of trust and the unfortunate desperation of a lonely, heartbroken pastor who needed help with his ailing wife started innocently. Regrettably, he only trusted Maria to her care when he was away and while he was resting. So, Maria was there, caring for Cloe when she was in pain in the late and lonely hours of the night. In the shadows, Reverend Watts listened to her singing and watched her as she took special and intimate care while feeding, bathing, and dressing his wife. Eventually, he stopped lurking from a distance, and they were like a team. At times, Cloe would open her eyes and look at them both together. Because of the pain of her illness, she kept her thoughts to herself, but the windows of her eyes held many daunting questions of her husband’s actions with this beautiful young nurses aide.

On a stormy night, after Maria had put Cloe to bed and had gone in search of a hot cup of tea in the kitchen—of course she was humming one of her favorite tunes to drown out the sound of the storm—Maria reached for a cup high on the top shelf when all of a sudden, lightning sharply jolted, and thunder shook the foundation of the house. The glass goblet that she reached for slowly fell from the cabinet as she made a slight shriek. Nervously, Maria reached to catch it before it fell to the floor and shattered. Little did she know, Reverend Watts was watching her. As Maria braced herself for the shattering of the cup, along with the final surge of thunder and lightning, Reverend Watts quickly came up closely behind her with his hands wrapped around Maria and caught the teacup while also trying to steady and comfort her. Startled, with her eyes wide open, she turned to acknowledge the reverend and to thank him. Wide-eyed, Maria, looking up into his glowing eyes, began to feel very uncomfortable because he was still in her space. The two frozen, the reverend continued to hold her shivering body…in a way to console her. Feeling awkward, Maria bashfully looked down and said, Thank you.

Then the reverend put his hand on her chin and lifted her head, saying, Are you sure you are okay?

Maria, looking up into his eyes again, said very slowly with a sarcastic chuckle, Yes.

Reverend Watts, continued to hold her awkwardly close, just staring at her. Maria had never felt anything like this before. She had never been this close to a man other than her father. But this made her feel some kind of way…bashful, excited, and uncomfortable and confused all at the same time. So she pushed away from him. Quickly coming to himself, he quickly handed her the cup.

Like two bashful and playful kids, they both began to giggle uncontrollably and then laugh, which moved to gazing into each other’s eyes. And the two, like magnets, were drawn back into each other’s arms, closely embracing into a passionate, desperate forbidden kiss. An innocent touch turns to a lustful mistake birthed out of loneliness and pain. They embraced, momentarily forgetting all. Maria, gaining her composure, quickly turned away from him and began to make her tea. She announced, I’m making my hot tea now. When she looked over her shoulder, the reverend was gone. Maria touched her lips and secretly wished he was still there. Then, thinking of Cloe, Maria’s thoughts began to sink in shame.

Forbidden Fruit

Each night after that, the affection of a forbidden relationship became both refuge and a curse. In her youthful adulthood, Maria didn’t know how to avoid the advances of the reverend. In an emotional mix of bliss and secrets, Maria gave into this uncontrollable urge to feel wanted by a man, something she had never felt before.

When Maria became pregnant she told Reverend Watts, his countenance changed, and she saw a side of him that frightened her. He forbade her to have the baby and urged her to move away and put the baby up for adoption for fear that he would lose his church, the community’s trust, and become an outcast because he sought the affection of a nurse’s aid—a beautiful one at that. And Cloe…Reverend Watts couldn’t bear the thought of Cloe knowing about his relationship with Maria and about the baby. He could probably confess his transgressions and request forgiveness and understanding from his church and his community, but his shame would be intensified because she was an employee, who, before him, was a virgin whom he had now come into covenant with. He could ask for forgiveness, but the people would never let him forget that he was an adulterer.

With Cloe’s touch being many years past, the purity of Maria’s body and spirit becoming one with his was like a drug that he had to have more and more of—the forbidden fruit. If exposed, he felt he would have to leave the town, and his dear Cloe’s name would be put to shame in her death. So he turned away from Maria in an effort to hide his sin and what his heart was feeling for his lover.

With the help of her mother, Maria was sent to live with her aunt until the baby was born. She was pressured into putting the child up for adoption not only by the reverend but also by her father, who was very disappointed in her. He would look at Maria and say, Shame on you. The Bible says, ‘Flee sexual immorality. Fornicators and adulterers will be judged by God.’ You disappoint me. Those words from a once-adoring father crushed Maria to the core. Maria knew that her adulterous act was more than sinful, and a child would only be a reminder of the worst pain she had ever felt: the rejection of the two men that she dearly loved, her father and Reverend Watts. So she agreed to the adoption of an unborn soul she had never known.

When it was time to give her child up for adoption, Maria could not do it. She had fallen so in love with the child and still longed for the forbidden, Reverend Watts. Heartbroken, Maria was pressured by Reverend Watts not to return home for fear that their shame would be exposed, and Reverend Watts would lose his credibility and honor. Not only that, Maria’s family, who was very well known and liked because of her dad’s violin talent, agreed. Without doubt, the family would be seen in a negative light, not to mention the scandal it would cause for the church.

Denial

Maria named her baby Bell. On Bell’s first birthday, Maria secretly took a bus back to her hometown. In her heart, she thought that if she took Bell to see her father, Reverend Watts, he would somehow love her and Bell even if it was secretly. She also missed her mom and dad desperately. Maria wanted to mend the relationship with her parents, especially her dad, who had always validated and supported her.

Arriving in town in the late afternoon by train, Maria went immediately to Reverend Watts’s home. At first, he seemed relieved and happy to see her. Then he stared at the baby Maria was carrying in her arms. Maria said, This is your daughter, Bell.

He began to weep uncontrollably and say, I can’t do this. Can’t you see? I can’t do this!

In desperation, Maria said, We can leave this town and move to another and raise your only child together. Can’t you see that I love you and want to be with you? Giving birth to Bell alone in an unwelcoming city was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I love you. Can’t you see that we need you?

And just as suddenly as he began to sob, his demeanor and countenance changed to anger. The reverend began to scream that he had let his Father in heaven down. He then demanded she get that thing away from him and to never show her face to him again because that bastard child had ruined his relationship with his Father. He said that he was tormented day and night because of his sin and the disturbing fruit that was produced. He told Maria that she disgusted him. Even though he could never admit it, he too was madly in love with her.

Forcing her to leave by shoving Maria and Bell out the door and telling her to never show her face to him again, he shut the door before she could see his tears. He desperately wanted to embrace her and the child. With his back against the door, he covered his face with his hands and cried, slowly, sliding down the door to the floor. On the other side of the door was Maria. Her back against the door feeling the overwhelming shame and emotional pain that comes from rejection. She looked at Bell and drew energy from the child, pulled herself away from the door to begin her lonely journey into the unknown. When Maria left the door, Rev. Watts felt the separation, a ripping in his heart. He sobbed as if to mourn.

Broken Hope

Distraught, hurt, and broken, Maria walked the lonely road home with Bell in her arms. As she walked, she sang, How did I get here? I don’t know who I am. I want to give up, but I have you, bright eyes. Unable to focus because blurring tears filled her eyes flooding her emotionally dazed face. Maria cried as she took each dreaded step down the dusty, rocky, red clay back road that would lead her further away from her forbidden love and closer to her mother and disappointed father.

As Maria walked down that lonely road, she remembers the disappointment in her mom and dad’s faces as her stomach began to grow. She begins to daydream about Bell’s beginning…

Her dad would say, We didn’t raise you this way, child. Then he would say, Did he force himself on you? God is not happy with you. I don’t believe he is happy with us either because we allowed you to be in an unsafe environment.

Then, Maria told her dad that she consented and that she and Reverend Watts cared for each other. He’s a married Pastor with a dying wife, her dad screamed. He looked Maria in the face, wiped tears from his eyes, and turned his back to her as if she were a stranger. He didn’t look at her the same after that day. He avoided eye contact,