This pasta is not a scary one as it has a good ending and as all my pastas will be it's my own work created in word pad because of their length. If you've ever had the feeling that an angel or even god himself has ever helped you do something or has led you in the right path sometimes then you might like this. Enjoy 
Intro: Some call them guardian angels, these spirit-beings that seem to be sent from heaven to protect us on earth. They don't always take the form of a traditional angel, with wings and flowing robes. Instead, they sometimes appear as normal human beings. Occasionally, they come strangely dressed, as if they have returned from a time in history. Some have even appeared as young children. But no matter what they look like, their mission is always the same-to save the faithful from danger or certain death. And as one Civil War soldier discovered, they can overcome the most powerful forces in order to accomplish their missions of mercy.
The American Civil War was a bitter and bloody event, fought with Springfield rifles and bayonets. The battles often ended in hand-to-hand combat, fights in which neighbor was often pitted against neighbor, brother against brother. It was a war that tore our country apart, a war from which the United States would take years to recover. This war divided not only the country, but families, too. The Bates family was one of those families. When Joshua Bates heard news of the war, he quickly signed up with the Confederate Army. He thought it was his duty to defend his Virginia homeland. But Joshua's father, a Baptist minister, was dead set against it. War was the devil's work, he claimed, and this war was certainly the most evil of them all. When Joshua left to join his fellow Virginians on the battlefield, his father was furious. He claimed he would never speak to his son again. Even though Joshua's mother begged her husband to reconsider, she realized her husband was too stubborn to do any such thing. If Joshua survived the bloody battles ahead of him, she knew that she would probably never see her son again. Joshua couldn't understand his father's feelings, but Joshua knew he couldn't change his own mind about becoming a rebel soldier. The battle in the Wilderness changed all of that. The Wilderness was a densely wooded forest in the Pennsylvania mountains. The vines and undergrowth were so thick that not one man-and certainly not an entire division of the Confederate Army-could move through. So on their journey north, Bates and the rest of the division planned to take a path known as the Orange Turnpike to bypass the tangled mess. But Union General Ulysses S. Grant got wind of their plan. Moving quickly, he mobilized the Union forces under General Warren and surprised the Confederate division with an all-out attack. The attack turned into a battle that spread throughout the Wilderness itself. To Bates, it was a bloody mass of confusion. The battle lines became confused in the thick brush. Bates found himself simply firing his rifle into the bushes, thinking he might actually hit a Union soldier. Other soldiers did the same, firing at the enemy at point-blank range. Others slung their rifles over their shoulders and simply fought hand-to-hand or bayonet-to-bayonet. Many soldiers died. Thousands more were wounded. They fell into the thick underbrush and lay moaning for help, but they were not likely to be found. And then the fires started. The rifle shots had started a few small fires in the dry leaves, and as darkness fell, those small fires grew larger, until a raging forest fire spread across the Wilderness. Joshua feared the worst. Unless something was done quickly, the wounded were doomed to die a fiery death. Maybe his father had been right, he thought to himself. War was the devil's work. As the night sky blazed with the fire, each army decided to call a truce. They would help each other recover their wounded before they burned to death in the Wilderness inferno. Bates volunteered to head one of he rescue teams. He and three others advanced into the fiery blaze. They retrieved the soldiers they could and carried them back into the clearing along the Orange Turnpike. They saved as many as they could. The site of the fire burning around him was bad enough, but the sound was even more terrible. The roar of the fire was almost drowned out b the screams of the men as the fire overtook them. Suddenly, Bates heard a wail right beside him. It was a wounded Union soldier. "My legs! My Legs!" he screamed. Bates looked down. The man's gray pants were on fire. Quickly, Bates grabbed handfuls of dirt and put it out. Then, coughing from the smoke, he carried the man from the blazing woods to the clearing. He left him there so others could tend to him, and Joshua headed back into the blaze once more. He repeated his mission of mercy over and over, rescuing ten soldiers, both Confederate and Union. His comrades begged him to stop. They knew he was tired. The fire was burning so wildly that there could be no more survivors. On their last trip into the inferno, they had heard no screams, only the roar of the blaze in their ears. But Bates had to be sure that he had saved everyone he could. "One more time," he gasped. "I'll gust go in one more time." Bates then turned and headed once again into the fire. this time he headed slightly south toward an area he had not searched before. Then he heard it. "Help us! Please, God, help us!" There, huddled underneath a rocky crag, were two soldiers. One had been wounded in his leg. The other seemed unhurt, but dazed, as if the horror of the battle and the fire that followed were too much for him to take. "I'm here," Bates said to the men. "I'll get you out of here." As Bates said those words, he heard a loud crack, followed by a crash. A huge tree fell just in front of the three of them, blocking their escape from the fire. They were trapped. There was no way out. Joshua was sure they face a fiery death. It would be only a matter of minutes before the fire or the smoke would overtake them. He thought back to his father and the angry words they had exchanged when he left home. How he wished he could take those words back. How he wished he could see his father again, just once more. Joshua knew what his father would do in this situation-he would pray. And that's exactly what Joshua did. "We must pray," he said to the two soldiers. "We must pray for our salvation." The three men joined hands and coughed and sputtered desperate prayers. Even as Joshua murmured the prayers, he prepared for the flames to engulf him. Then, miraculously, the figure of a man appeared in front of the three soldiers. The man was neither Union or Confederate. IN fact, he didn't appear as if he was a soldier at all. He was taller than the three men and wore a kind of brown sackcloth gown, almost like a monk would wear. "Come," the man said in a gentle voice. "Follow me. I will show you the way out." Incredulous, Joshua stood, then bent down and picked up the man with the wounded leg. "Quickly, now," the man said in a calm but firm voice. Joshua looked ahead to where the man was leading them. It was a wall of flame. They couldn't possibly pass through it, but Joshua knew he had no choice. As the man in the brown robe headed into the fire, it was as if a powerful wind blew the flames apart. The four passed through a narrow pathway, with flames leaping on either side. Looking back, Joshua saw the flames converge as the path closed after them. Joshua's heart pounded as the men reached the clearing. He was quickly surrounded by his fellow soldiers, all cheering him for his heroic act. The two other men were taken to be treated with the other wounded men. They would live, thanks to Joshua, his commander told him. "But it wasn't only me," Joshua insisted. "I had help. A monk helped show me the way. There must be a monastery or something around here someplace." "A monastery? In these parts?" His commander laughed. "I think not. Don't be so modest, Bates. There was no one else. You saved those two men yourself and you deserve the credit." "You're wrong. He must still be here. He showed us the way out." Joshua searched in vain for the man who had saved him, but he couldn't find him at the camp. And, as he reviewed the whole incident in his mind, it had seemed so strange-the tall man, the strange clothes, the way the fire had seemed to part to let them through. Joshua puzzled over the incident for the rest of the war. When the Southern forces finally surrendered, he headed back to his family's place in Virginia. He didn't know what he would find there. Would his home still be standing? Would his family all be safe? And, if all else was well, would his father ever forgive him? Now that he had faced death, he realized the importance of life and love for one's family. He couldn't waste any more time on an old grudge. As he walked down the path to his family's house, he could see the red rooftop shining in the sunlight. shining in the sunlight. His house was still there! He breathed a sigh of relief, then swallowed hard again. Now if only his father could have a change of heart. He knocked on the door, his hand shaking a bit with anticipation. His father answered, and a small smile spread upon his face the moment he saw Joshua. Words were not needed. Joshua knew he had been forgiven. Joshua and his parents talked long into the evening, discussing the war in the horrific detail. Joshua left out much of it-especially the part about the dangerous fire. He didn't want to upset his mother. When his mother finally went to bed, Joshua began telling more of the war's horror stories to his father. "Tell me, Son," his father asked, "of all of the dangers you faced, was fire among them?" Joshua felt his heart race. "Yes, Father, a terrible fire after a bloody battle. Many of the wounded burned where they fell. I tried to save as many as I could. . .," he said, his voice choking with emotion. "Father," he said, "how did you know?" His father sighed. "I dreamt of it, Son. Of a horrible fire and of you trying to save your fellow men. And after that dream, I woke up and prayed with all of my might. I prayed to God to send an angel to help you. I knew that without that help, you should surely die." Joshua thought back to the fire and the mysterious stranger in the brown robe. Now he knew why he had never seen the stranger again. Joshua knew it was an angel who had saved his life and who made it possible for Joshua and his father to forgive and go on.
The next day Joshua returned to normal life and he wanted to give more back to the community so he got a job at the hospital so he could save more lives. Even though the South lost he still had hopes for the young country. He helped save lives as an amputation doctor. Though he will never forget the courageous acts he had to achieve to save the wounded from their would be fiery deaths. He often thinks of the angel that saved him and two other soldiers that fateful night during the war. If it wasn't for his father having that dream and praying for an angel to help his son and for Joshua himself praying for salvation then he and his fellow men might not have survived as they did, Joshua thought. Joshua often wonders what would his parents' lives be like if he had perished in the fire. His mother would be devastated and his father would always regret the choice of words he said to Joshua when he was about to go join the Confederate Army. Best to keep those kinds of thoughts out of his head, thought Joshua. Anyways his life is good and he has a high paying job. He ends up marrying his girlfriend from his school boy years. That was when he was in his early to middle teen years and now he is married by the Baptist community. He eventually got his own farmhouse and land and proceeded to harvest crop and raise animals to provide for his family all the while never straying too far from his parents' house in case they needed anything. He was a good son. He lived to have three children. Joshua continues to be an active member of the Baptist faith always remembering the day of his survival. His kids carried on his legacy of helping people in need and always did their best to a good model and inspiration to others. They helped the homeless and fed and clothed the needy and even took in stay animals so they too would know what it is to feel loved and wanted. They helped their church by giving donations so all of this could happen and they were recognized for their support and generosity. Joshua grew into an old man, but has never forgotten the angel and is forever grateful that he lived through the bloodiest war in American history. This pasta is not a scary one as it has a good ending and as all my pastas will be it's my own work created in word pad because of their length. If you've ever had the feeling that an angel or even god himself has ever helped you do something or has led you in the right path sometimes then you might like this. Enjoy
Intro: Some call them guardian angels, these spirit-beings that seem to be sent from heaven to protect us on earth. They don't always take the form of a traditional angel, with wings and flowing robes. Instead, they sometimes appear as normal human beings. Occasionally, they come strangely dressed, as if they have returned from a time in history. Some have even appeared as young children. But no matter what they look like, their mission is always the same-to save the faithful from danger or certain death. And as one Civil War soldier discovered, they can overcome the most powerful forces in order to accomplish their missions of mercy.
The American Civil War was a bitter and bloody event, fought with Springfield rifles and bayonets. The battles often ended in hand-to-hand combat, fights in which neighbor was often pitted against neighbor, brother against brother. It was a war that tore our country apart, a war from which the United States would take years to recover. This war divided not only the country, but families, too. The Bates family was one of those families. When Joshua Bates heard news of the war, he quickly signed up with the Confederate Army. He thought it was his duty to defend his Virginia homeland. But Joshua's father, a Baptist minister, was dead set against it. War was the devil's work, he claimed, and this war was certainly the most evil of them all. When Joshua left to join his fellow Virginians on the battlefield, his father was furious. He claimed he would never speak to his son again. Even though Joshua's mother begged her husband to reconsider, she realized her husband was too stubborn to do any such thing. If Joshua survived the bloody battles ahead of him, she knew that she would probably never see her son again. Joshua couldn't understand his father's feelings, but Joshua knew he couldn't change his own mind about becoming a rebel soldier. The battle in the Wilderness changed all of that. The Wilderness was a densely wooded forest in the Pennsylvania mountains. The vines and undergrowth were so thick that not one man-and certainly not an entire division of the Confederate Army-could move through. So on their journey north, Bates and the rest of the division planned to take a path known as the Orange Turnpike to bypass the tangled mess. But Union General Ulysses S. Grant got wind of their plan. Moving quickly, he mobilized the Union forces under General Warren and surprised the Confederate division with an all-out attack. The attack turned into a battle that spread throughout the Wilderness itself. To Bates, it was a bloody mass of confusion. The battle lines became confused in the thick brush. Bates found himself simply firing his rifle into the bushes, thinking he might actually hit a Union soldier. Other soldiers did the same, firing at the enemy at point-blank range. Others slung their rifles over their shoulders and simply fought hand-to-hand or bayonet-to-bayonet. Many soldiers died. Thousands more were wounded. They fell into the thick underbrush and lay moaning for help, but they were not likely to be found. And then the fires started. The rifle shots had started a few small fires in the dry leaves, and as darkness fell, those small fires grew larger, until a raging forest fire spread across the Wilderness. Joshua feared the worst. Unless something was done quickly, the wounded were doomed to die a fiery death. Maybe his father had been right, he thought to himself. War was the devil's work. As the night sky blazed with the fire, each army decided to call a truce. They would help each other recover their wounded before they burned to death in the Wilderness inferno. Bates volunteered to head one of he rescue teams. He and three others advanced into the fiery blaze. They retrieved the soldiers they could and carried them back into the clearing along the Orange Turnpike. They saved as many as they could. The site of the fire burning around him was bad enough, but the sound was even more terrible. The roar of the fire was almost drowned out b the screams of the men as the fire overtook them. Suddenly, Bates heard a wail right beside him. It was a wounded Union soldier. "My legs! My Legs!" he screamed. Bates looked down. The man's gray pants were on fire. Quickly, Bates grabbed handfuls of dirt and put it out. Then, coughing from the smoke, he carried the man from the blazing woods to the clearing. He left him there so others could tend to him, and Joshua headed back into the blaze once more. He repeated his mission of mercy over and over, rescuing ten soldiers, both Confederate and Union. His comrades begged him to stop. They knew he was tired. The fire was burning so wildly that there could be no more survivors. On their last trip into the inferno, they had heard no screams, only the roar of the blaze in their ears. But Bates had to be sure that he had saved everyone he could. "One more time," he gasped. "I'll gust go in one more time." Bates then turned and headed once again into the fire. this time he headed slightly south toward an area he had not searched before. Then he heard it. "Help us! Please, God, help us!" There, huddled underneath a rocky crag, were two soldiers. One had been wounded in his leg. The other seemed unhurt, but dazed, as if the horror of the battle and the fire that followed were too much for him to take. "I'm here," Bates said to the men. "I'll get you out of here." As Bates said those words, he heard a loud crack, followed by a crash. A huge tree fell just in front of the three of them, blocking their escape from the fire. They were trapped. There was no way out. Joshua was sure they face a fiery death. It would be only a matter of minutes before the fire or the smoke would overtake them. He thought back to his father and the angry words they had exchanged when he left home. How he wished he could take those words back. How he wished he could see his father again, just once more. Joshua knew what his father would do in this situation-he would pray. And that's exactly what Joshua did. "We must pray," he said to the two soldiers. "We must pray for our salvation." The three men joined hands and coughed and sputtered desperate prayers. Even as Joshua murmured the prayers, he prepared for the flames to engulf him. Then, miraculously, the figure of a man appeared in front of the three soldiers. The man was neither Union or Confederate. IN fact, he didn't appear as if he was a soldier at all. He was taller than the three men and wore a kind of brown sackcloth gown, almost like a monk would wear. "Come," the man said in a gentle voice. "Follow me. I will show you the way out." Incredulous, Joshua stood, then bent down and picked up the man with the wounded leg. "Quickly, now," the man said in a calm but firm voice. Joshua looked ahead to where the man was leading them. It was a wall of flame. They couldn't possibly pass through it, but Joshua knew he had no choice. As the man in the brown robe headed into the fire, it was as if a powerful wind blew the flames apart. The four passed through a narrow pathway, with flames leaping on either side. Looking back, Joshua saw the flames converge as the path closed after them. Joshua's heart pounded as the men reached the clearing. He was quickly surrounded by his fellow soldiers, all cheering him for his heroic act. The two other men were taken to be treated with the other wounded men. They would live, thanks to Joshua, his commander told him. "But it wasn't only me," Joshua insisted. "I had help. A monk helped show me the way. There must be a monastery or something around here someplace." "A monastery? In these parts?" His commander laughed. "I think not. Don't be so modest, Bates. There was no one else. You saved those two men yourself and you deserve the credit." "You're wrong. He must still be here. He showed us the way out." Joshua searched in vain for the man who had saved him, but he couldn't find him at the camp. And, as he reviewed the whole incident in his mind, it had seemed so strange-the tall man, the strange clothes, the way the fire had seemed to part to let them through. Joshua puzzled over the incident for the rest of the war. When the Southern forces finally surrendered, he headed back to his family's place in Virginia. He didn't know what he would find there. Would his home still be standing? Would his family all be safe? And, if all else was well, would his father ever forgive him? Now that he had faced death, he realized the importance of life and love for one's family. He couldn't waste any more time on an old grudge. As he walked down the path to his family's house, he could see the red rooftop shining in the sunlight. shining in the sunlight. His house was still there! He breathed a sigh of relief, then swallowed hard again. Now if only his father could have a change of heart. He knocked on the door, his hand shaking a bit with anticipation. His father answered, and a small smile spread upon his face the moment he saw Joshua. Words were not needed. Joshua knew he had been forgiven. Joshua and his parents talked long into the evening, discussing the war in the horrific detail. Joshua left out much of it-especially the part about the dangerous fire. He didn't want to upset his mother. When his mother finally went to bed, Joshua began telling more of the war's horror stories to his father. "Tell me, Son," his father asked, "of all of the dangers you faced, was fire among them?" Joshua felt his heart race. "Yes, Father, a terrible fire after a bloody battle. Many of the wounded burned where they fell. I tried to save as many as I could. . .," he said, his voice choking with emotion. "Father," he said, "how did you know?" His father sighed. "I dreamt of it, Son. Of a horrible fire and of you trying to save your fellow men. And after that dream, I woke up and prayed with all of my might. I prayed to God to send an angel to help you. I knew that without that help, you should surely die." Joshua thought back to the fire and the mysterious stranger in the brown robe. Now he knew why he had never seen the stranger again. Joshua knew it was an angel who had saved his life and who made it possible for Joshua and his father to forgive and go on.
The next day Joshua returned to normal life and he wanted to give more back to the community so he got a job at the hospital so he could save more lives. Even though the South lost he still had hopes for the young country. He helped save lives as an amputation doctor. Though he will never forget the courageous acts he had to achieve to save the wounded from their would be fiery deaths. He often thinks of the angel that saved him and two other soldiers that fateful night during the war. If it wasn't for his father having that dream and praying for an angel to help his son and for Joshua himself praying for salvation then he and his fellow men might not have survived as they did, Joshua thought. Joshua often wonders what would his parents' lives be like if he had perished in the fire. His mother would be devastated and his father would always regret the choice of words he said to Joshua when he was about to go join the Confederate Army. Best to keep those kinds of thoughts out of his head, thought Joshua. Anyways his life is good and he has a high paying job. He ends up marrying his girlfriend from his school boy years. That was when he was in his early to middle teen years and now he is married by the Baptist community. He eventually got his own farmhouse and land and proceeded to harvest crop and raise animals to provide for his family all the while never straying too far from his parents' house in case they needed anything. He was a good son. He lived to have three children. Joshua continues to be an active member of the Baptist faith always remembering the day of his survival. His kids carried on his legacy of helping people in need and always did their best to a good model and inspiration to others. They helped the homeless and fed and clothed the needy and even took in stay animals so they too would know what it is to feel loved and wanted. They helped their church by giving donations so all of this could happen and they were recognized for their support and generosity. Joshua grew into an old man, but has never forgotten the angel and is forever grateful that he lived through the bloodiest war in American history. |
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