Read Online Tarnished Image by Alton L. Gansky - Free Book Online Page B

“Hey, come on in, buddy.”
    “Hi, David,” Timmy said as he entered. He walked straight in, then stopped abruptly, turned, and went back to shut the door that he had left open.
    “What are you up to?” David asked with a big smile.
    “Nothin’,” Timmy replied. “Mrs. Winters just left.”
    “Did you learn anything new today, buddy?” Mrs. Winters was the tutor that David had hired to work with Timmy. Although Timmy’s mind would never develop beyond that of an eight-year-old, eight-year-olds were capable of doing many things, including reading. There were many good books on the market for minds as young as Timmy’s. David was committed to helping him grow to his full mental and emotional potential.
    “Yeah, we read a Dr. Seuss book. It was neat.”
    “I like Dr. Seuss. He uses a lot of rhyming words.”
    “Yeah.” Timmy noticed that the television was on. “Are you watching a movie? I wanna see a movie.”
    “It’s not a movie, Timmy. It’s from a newscast.”
    “Oh,” Timmy said with disappointment. “Is that the ocean?”
    “It’s called the Bay of Bengal, and the shore you see is India. Someone took this video while they were flying in an airplane.”
    “Neat!”
    “Well, not really Timmy. Unlike a movie, real people got hurt, not actors.”
    “Oh,” Timmy replied. David had explained to Timmy the work of Barringston Relief. “Are you going to help those people?”
    “We’re working on that right now, Timmy.”
    “Can I see?” he asked, nodding at the television.
    David hesitated, wondering how Timmy would respond to such devastation. “I don’t know, Timmy. It’s not pleasant.”
    “I don’t care. It’s important, and you’re always saying that I should know important things.”
    David studied Timmy for a moment, attempting to discern his motivation. Timmy was a sensitive person who often felt the pain and sadness of others. Seeing the tape could prove traumatic. On the other hand, it might help him understand better the work of Barringston Relief and why David had to travel so much.
    “OK, Timmy, but if it frightens you, or if you have questions, then you must tell me. OK?”
    “OK, but movies don’t scare me.”
    That wasn’t true. More than once David had had to leavea theater with Timmy because a movie monster was too frightening for him to handle.
    “If it does, though, you promise to tell me?”
    “Sure.”
    “OK, then.” David rewound the tape to the beginning. “This happened in India and other countries near India. It was morning there.” David pressed the play button.
    “What’s that?” asked Timmy, pointing at the screen.
    “It’s a giant wave.”
    “Like what we saw at the beach?”
    “No, Timmy, those were small waves. This wave is much bigger and much stronger.”
    “How big?”
    “We don’t know yet, but Dr. Scott thinks that it may be between 150 feet and 200 feet tall.”
    “Wow.” He paused and wrinkled his brow. “How tall is that?”
    David paused the tape. “Come over here.” David walked to the window behind his desk. “You see that building across the street? The white one?”
    “Yeah, it’s smaller than our building.”
    “That’s true. Our building is fifty-three floors high. That one over there is only fifteen stories. The wave on the video would be about that tall, maybe even a little taller.”
    Timmy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wow! That’s lots bigger than the ones at the beach.”
    “Much bigger,” David corrected.
    “Yeah, much bigger.”
    Turning back to the television, David began the tape again. Timmy was wonderstruck. David watched him as the boy watched the video. Timmy took it all in, the suddenexplosion of the wave’s power, the wreckage left behind, the torn buildings, and the lifeless bodies.
    When the tape was over, Timmy turned to David and asked, “Why?”
    “Why what?”
    “Why did that happen?”
    “There was an earthquake under the sea. It caused the wave.”
    “No, I mean, why did God