Prophet: A Cautionary Tale

Behold! A prophet have we, that hath brought fire unto humanity!

The prophet walked slowly, over the land that was waxing red, in the coming of autumn. He carried nothing on his back as he walked along the road. He knew that the prophet had no need for anything, he knew that God would provide. He ate good meals on his journey, and he preached good words to the people he encountered. After he had spoken, though, they always forced him to leave; he never understood that they hated his words so much. Didn’t they all love God as much as he did? Still, he was not to care, since his journey was his own, no one else’s. Occasionally he would find a stray dog as he walked, and the dog would follow him a ways, eat with him, and would leave him satisfied. The dogs, at least, didn’t come to hate the prophet.
It was middle autumn when he entered the town of Isaiah. It was an odd town in the middle of Utah, with little to its name other than a church and a small store. The people all seemed so old, the prophet such a sharp contrast. The town was grim, and the smiling prophet knew what these people needed. It was odd that such a town still existed, he thought, but he was there with a job. He went to find shelter for him and Jeremiah, the dog he was travelling with. They found shelter at the church, welcomed as travelers. The priest, Stephen, simply listened to the young prophet, and agreed to allow him to preach the next Sunday.
Stephen was a jovial fellow, and, since he lived alone, agreed to have them for dinner. The prophet amused Stephen with his sharp wit, and the priest realized what had been missing from his town from the founding. The people had no sense of youth, and God was a laughing God. "Surely they will find truth on this young man’s face!" thought the priest.
The appointed time came, and that Sunday, the prophet rose to speak. No sooner had he and Jeremiah and Stephen reached the stage, than an outrage occurred in the town. “What man is this, that he should laugh in so Holy a place as this?” Everyone immediately left the church to consult as to what ought to be done.
The town gathered that Monday, and Saul the mayor came before all of them to speak. “We cannot find the boy, nor the priest, nor the dog anywhere. They have escaped into the night. Behold, we are rid of these accursed men who cannot fear. Look to the mountains, where does our help come from?”
The prophet and Jeremiah and Stephen looked down on the valley town, knowing that they should never return. No prophet is welcome who brings harsh words upon a deaf people.