No Dark Clouds

Inspired by the author’s 2 year observation of the struggles and disabilities of India’s beggar children, No Dark Clouds is a unique Christian fiction intertwining the lives of seven beggar children in Biblical Jerusalem with historical figures of the time, including Jesus. The novel brings forth the raw emotions of what a personal encounter with Jesus might have been like for a youth living at the time. The story gives the reader a possible glimpse of the lives of those who found themselves caught up in the Passion Week, trial, and crucifixion: people such as a slave, Roman soldiers, Pharisees, Barabbas and King Herod. This fictional account takes the reader to Resurrection Sunday, where he or she experiences the life-changing effects of that day in the lives of Pilate, his wife Claudia, the Disciples, Cleopas, the High Priest Caiaphas, among others. Beggar Boy and his companions all bear a form of disability. For him, 5 scars inflicted by a cruel man are etched across his face, rendering him an outcast. He has no home and no guardians to care for him. Being 10, he has to beg and steal to survive. His friends are controlled by Taskmaster whose income is derived from the children’s begging. Aditya, the oldest at 14, is also one of the shortest beggars. Her disability (similar to that of dwarfism), forces her to sing in the marketplaces in order to survive. The beggar friends grow up in a tumultuous Israel. The Zealots (led by Barabbas) threaten rebellion while the Romans (led by Pilate) are focused on squashing any type of revolt. In the midst of all of this, Jesus continues with his ministry and carrying out miraculous healings. By saving the life of a centurion (Leonidas) during an ambush by Barabbas, Beggar Boy is ‘rewarded’ by being allowed to live and work within the Roman Fortress Antonia. This also provides a way for him to steal food from the granary and distribute it to his beggar friends. A major task for the boy is the carrying and administering of vinegar wine to criminals being crucified on a cross. When he learns (then verifies) that a ‘Healer-Man’ has healed two of his beggar friends (one from deafness, the other from deformity), he sets out by leaving Jerusalem in order to find this man (Jesus) in the hopes of being healed of his knife-scarred face. However, Jesus is in the Holy City for the Last Supper, Gethsemane, His trial, and crucifixion. Beggar Boy returns only to find out that a crucifixion for 3 criminals is taking place. Grabbing his javelin and vinegar wine, he hurriedly departs to Golgotha. A climactic encounter unfolds when Beggar Boy arrives at Calvary only to realize that it is the ‘Healer-Man’ who is being crucified. He experiences ‘spirit-crushing’ disappointment and betrayal by his own Roman caretakers. The uniqueness of No Dark Clouds is that it includes 8 Biblical study guides embedded within the storyline as experienced by the characters such as ‘The Ministry of Angels’, ‘What is Heaven Like’, ‘The Miracles of Jesus’, ‘The Beatitudes’, ‘Tabernacle of Moses’, and others. It truly is an educational venture into the ‘realm of the heart’. A key fictional character is an Ethiopian slave - Mishea, 20, who is the royal tutor for the Roman children in Jerusalem. She becomes the ‘mother figure’ for the beggar children, and is the first to understand Messianic Scriptures from the book of Isaiah. ‘Life-trait’ themes of the characters abound within the novel including: God made you unique, reputation matters, judge someone from within, and everyone has God-given gifts. It also offers readers a unique blend of Biblical history, geography, Bible references, and Christian doctrine, all wrapped around the profound story of a beggar boy (and associates) in their search for and encounter with Jesus. A Thematic Unit Companion is available for a classroom experience