The fire was crackling, and the curtains pulled, as the family heard Uncle Jeff’s car coming up the drive. “Ooh, goody!” cried Betty, “Here’s Uncle Jeff, now we can have more story tonight!” “Now,” said Dad, “Don’t go pestering him as soon as he comes inside, he has to have a break first.”     So after Uncle Jeff had been talking grown-up talk with Dad for a while, he said, “I guess you want more story, Betty!” “Ooh, yes please Uncle Jeff,” Betty cried, and Bobby echoed her too. So they all settled down in front of the fire, along with Sarah and Mum and Dad this time too. “Can you remember where we got up to?” Uncle Jeff asked. “There were those three men asleep on the side of the track, and they were too lazy to move,” said Bobby.

   “That’s right,” said Uncle Jeff, “Well, Christian carried on walking along the track, and soon found himself going along beside a high stone wall.  He was busy thinking  as he walked along with his head down,  and didn’t see two guys climbing up from the other side and balancing on the top of the wall. Suddenly they lost their balance and fell down on top of Christian, knocking him to the ground.” “Silly man”, said Betty, “He should have been watching what was happening!” “That’s right’, said Uncle Jeff, “But sometimes we are like that too, and we don’t watch out for things that can knock us over. Things like something happening to our Mum and Dad’. “Yes”, said Sarah, “That happened to Leila at school last week, her mum and dad were in a car accident and ended up in hospital!”

“What happened then, Uncle Jeff?” Bobby wanted to know. “Christian asked them what they thought they were doing and what their names were. ‘I’m Double- Minded’, said the first one, ‘and he’s Perfectionist. We’re going to the Celestial City’.

‘So am I’, said Christian, ‘but didn’t you know that you’ve come in the wrong way? There’s only one way to the Celestial City and that’s through the Gate and past the Cross. Anyone who tries to get in any other way is a thief and a robber’.

‘Who do you think you are?’ they asked rudely, ‘Our way is just as good as yours!’ And they flounced off pushing past him and going on up the hill.    As Christian went over the hill, he saw them at the creek at the bottom on the other side having a drink. He soon caught up to them and had a quick drink before heading on up the road which was called Difficulty. ‘Is that the right way to go?’ called out Double-Minded, ‘It is for me,’ said Christian, ‘because it is the straight and narrow way and it is the way my Book told me to go.’ ‘Well,’ said Perfectionist, ‘there’s this other road around the bottom, and I’m going that way’. ‘And I’m going this way,’ said Double-Minded and we’ll all meet around the other side of the hill’. ‘Well, I hope we do,’ said Christian ,’but I’m sticking to the straight and narrow road’, and he set off up the hill.

   Perfectionist set off on his road which was called Danger, and ended up in the middle of a big forest where he got lost and wandered around until he died of hunger and thirst. Double-Minded took the other easy road which was called Destruction and he ended up in a large rocky area where he fell down a cliff face and died from his injuries. Meantime, Christian carried on up the hill singing a song as he went, not knowing what had happened to the other two.

And that’s enough for today”, said Uncle Jeff, “It’s time I went home and we’ll carry on with the story next time!”