Joe said good-bye to Ben and cut across the lawns to get home.

"Mom," he called as he came through the front door.

"Here I am." Debbie Kahn wiped her hands as she came into the room. "Oh, Joseph, I'm always glad when you're home. I feel as if you might disappear too. The house is so quiet. I feel scared all the time." She didn't mention the terrible presence she seemed to feel.

"I know," Joseph said. He hated to admit that he was afraid too. "Are you ready to go to the old City?"

"Yes," she said. "It will be good to get out."

"Yeah," Joe agreed. "You haven't been out of the house since--" he faltered not wanting to talk about it anymore. Maybe if he didn't talk about it it wouldn't be so painful.

"I know." His mother put her arm around him, and handed him a birthday card with money in it. "I'm sorry Joseph. I'm really trying to snap out of this awful black mood I'm in. I know it's hard on you too."

Joseph opened the card. "$25.00 -- thanks Mom." It was enough to buy the knife, but somehow it didn't seem very important now. He tried to act enthused for her sake.

The October sky was black and heavy as Debby and Joseph made their way by bus to the old City of Jerusalem. Clouds hung low. The strangeness of the quiet trip bothered Joseph but he tried to push it out of his mind.

Dark evil creatures laughed as they perched on their shoulders.

"The fools are in our power now," Spirit of Depression howled to his evil partner.

"Oh, goodness how I've enjoyed haunting people the last few days," Guilt shrieked. "We can give them all the evil dreams we want. There'll be no help for these inferior humans now." He cackled and bellowed.

Joe and his mother got out of the bus and walked through the gate of St. Stephen. A crowd of people just inside of the gate stood watching two strangely dressed men. One of them was shouting loudly.

"Jesus was your Messiah," said the man in the long robe. "The prophets foretold this time. What you are witnessing is the beginning of Jacob's troubles."

"I wonder who they are." Joseph stopped to listen. They looked like the prophets of old that he read about in the scrolls in school.

"Jesus died for our sins," the man continued shouting. "Accept Him today and be saved. The times will get worse. Your one world government is a false peace."

"I don't know who he is," Debbie said. "This city attracts a lot of weird characters. He's going to get arrested if he's not careful. Come on, let's go."

Joe reluctantly followed his mother, but looked back as they walked through the gate of the city. He was curious. Who was this man who spoke so carelessly?

They went through the Old City, past the Moslem Dome of the Rock, the gold topped structure that sat where Abraham had offered his son as a sacrifice to God. It was a sacred spot to both Jewish and Arab people, the spot where Joseph's people felt that they should build their temple. The Moslem Dome had caused many arguments between the Israelis and the Arabs.

Soon they came to the wailing wall. It was all that was left of that great and wonderful place of worship, the remnant of Solomon's temple. The temple had been destroyed when the Israeli people were taken into captivity during Bible times.

"Look," Guilt pointed. "They're going to the wall." He laughed and shouted in Joseph's ear. "It's too late fool -- too late. What good will it do for you to pray now? God doesn't hear you. He isn't interested in you."

"This is useless," Depression shrieked in Debbie Kahn's ear. "Your prayers are worthless." The ugly creatures rolled on the ground as they howled.

"God won't hear you now," Guilt cried.

Always before when the Kahns went to pray at the wall, the other children had waited on a bench while Joseph went to the wall with his parents. Today there were no children. Joe wasn't sure he wanted to pray anymore, what was the use? But he knew that his mother expected it, so he took a pencil and wrote his prayer on a piece of paper just as his people had done since 1948 when they had regained the sacred wall. He stuffed the note in the cracks between the blocks of the wall, beside the many other scraps of paper that stuck out of the old weeping wall.

Memories of his brothers and sister filled the air and regret flooded over Joseph. He laid his head against the stones and for the first time since the disappearance he cried. A man could cry at the wall. Joseph tried to pray, as he shed bitter tears. He thought he had known how to worship God at the synagogue, but for several days he had felt nothing. He was like a robot walking around with nothing in his heart but dread. He had found himself wondering if there really was a God.

After a few minutes Joe turned away from the wall. His Mother was wiping her eyes. She put her arm around him and they walked slowly back to sit on the stone benches for a few minutes before they went on to the old City.

"Stupid human, it's ridiculous to pray. Prayer won't help you. It's too late." Depression stuck his claws into Joe's head and screamed.

"Ouch," Joseph said.

"What's wrong?" Debby looked at her son in concern.

"A sudden pain in my head," he put his hand to his head.

Guilt sunk his teeth into Debby's neck. She put her hand up.

"Oh," she said. "My neck is stinging, something's biting me."

"Oh, you taste so good," Spirit of Guilt laughed. "Think I'll have a few more bites." He opened his mouth and headed once more toward Debbie's neck.

The evil creatures were howling so loud they didn't see the two bright angels who flew at them, until they were suddenly knocked into the air and sprawled on the pavement beside the wall.

"Where -- where'd you come from?" Depression jumped to his feet with his fists raised.

"Fool-- " Sunny Angel smiled. "Did you really think that God wouldn't hear their prayers?"

Hopeful Angel grabbed Guilt by the neck. "Get out of here" and booted him. The two wicked creatures flew away.

"Look, Joseph." His mother pointed to the sky. "The sun is shining. I think it's the first time it's shone since -- "

"The disappearance," Joseph finished the sentence. "I never appreciated the sun before."

They walked without talking through the old Arab quarters and into the crowded stone walks of the marketplace where no cars could come. It had always seemed to Joseph as if they traversed through the gate to olden days, when he saw the narrow, crowded streets of the old city marketplace, and the scores of shops. The awnings blocked out the sun because the canvas touched overhead. It was an interesting place with fascinating merchandise stacked on tables outside of the shops. They strolled on walks, past stands covered with clothes, jewelry, fruit and olive wood figures, among people of all shapes, men wearing colorful scarves on their heads, and women in long dresses.

Since they had moved to Jerusalem Joe had learned the art of bargaining with the shop owners. He compared the knife he had picked out previously to other knives. He wanted to make sure he got the best bargain for his money. The shopkeepers gave their usual greeting to Joseph.

"I'll give you three camels for the lovely lady," the Arab with the turban on his head called.

"Make it four," Joseph answered, "And you can have her." He grinned at his mother. She laughed -- the first laughter Joseph had heard since the day his brothers and sisters had vanished.