Five Stones

“It’s all gone. Every penny,” the man said, tears welling in his eyes as he stood with his daughter at the ATM.  “What will we do now?” An anxious crowd pushed him out of the way, desperate for different news about their own funds.

The same despair befell millions of families across the nation on April 10^th. The 100^th day of the year would soon be remembered as “Cyber 9-11.” The attack came in an instant, like the gory devastation of “wolfpack” murders by ISAM—the Islamic State of America. The country’s weak financial infrastructure, and most of the digital communications, all crashed under a massive cyber assault. Bank accounts were wiped out from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of seconds. Every dollar drained into the bloody hands of ISAM.

“We’ll fight back,” Miriam said, clutching two children as she huddled with fellow worshippers in the mosque. “ISAM is the enemy. Not us.” She pointed out the window at an army of rioting citizens. “Those people will help us—if we can just make them understand.”

Miriam caught a brief glimpse of a toy sling shot laying on the floor of the mosque’s play room. The sight of it sparked memories of her Uncle Benjamin and his many stories. One tale flashed into her mind, its hope of good conquering evil instantly drowning out the screams of an angry mob.

David took five stones into battle. But he only needed one to win.

To learn more about Islam, and to access Austin Boyd’s blog and teaching resources for “Understanding Islam,” visit www.islamicstateofamerica.com