Part 3 – The Crossfire of Faith

Part 3 – The Crossfire of Faith

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

[The courtroom crackles with tension. Mr. Damien Vale is now pacing with the arrogant strut of a man who smells blood in the water. He pauses mid-step and turns sharply to you, narrowing his eyes like a predator.]

Mr. Vale:

Mr. Shunnar, let’s shift gears.

Tell me do you believe in the supernatural?

Me: (with quiet certainty)

Absolutely.

Mr. Vale: (grinning like a hyena)

Of course you do. I expected that.

Then let me ask the obvious question...

If this “supernatural” force you swear by is so mighty and magnificent, so present and protective—

Why didn’t it save your son?

Why didn’t it heal your mother?

Why didn’t it get you out of those tight, suffocating corners you found yourself in?!

[He leans closer, voice dripping with venom.]

Mr. Vale:

Why didn’t it show up when you were crying behind bars?

Why didn’t it speak up when you were broke, betrayed, alone, and in legal hell?

[The courtroom shifts. A few people gasp. The judge furrows her brow.]

Mr. Vale: (voice low and sharp like a blade)

You know what the hell I’m talking about.

We can keep that part between you and me, okay? I promise No one has to know.

Unless... you want me to go there.

Unless you want me to remind this court that you had some... shall we say... “complications” in Georgia?

[He taps the table slowly, deliberately.]

Mr. Vale:

Do I need to go there, Mr. Shunnar?

Do I need to unpack the legal trouble you danced with?

Or do you recall it just fine?

[Silence falls like a dropped gavel. You stare at him. Then, slowly, a smile forms on your face not of fear, but of fury seasoned with faith.]

Me:

Oh, I recall it vividly.

Every court date. Every sleepless night.

Every moment I had to sit with my shadow and ask,

“Are you going to be broken by this, or broken open?”

Mr. Vale: (mocking)

So you admit it?

Me: (laughs)

You say it like I ever denied it.

See, I’m not like you I don’t hide my scars in pretty suits.

I wear them like medals. Each one a chapter where God pulled me through hell and whispered, “You still belong to Me.”

Mr. Vale: (now red, grinding his teeth)

But why didn’t your supernatural blessings stop it from happening?!

Me:

Because this isn’t a Disney movie, Vale.

Faith isn’t about avoidance. It’s about endurance.

The supernatural doesn’t always block the storm it becomes the umbrella in it.

It’s what kept me from ending it all when I had the means and the motive.

Mr. Vale:

You mean to tell me your "God" let you suffer just to prove a point?

Me:

No. My God walked through the fire with me, not above me.

And while you’re mocking me from a bench, I’ve been molded in trenches you couldn’t survive an hour in.

[The courtroom shifts again. Whispers spread. One juror mutters “damn...” under his breath.]

Mr. Vale:

So you think pain is proof of purpose?

Me:

No. I think survival is.

I think the fact that I’m sitting here, mentally sound, spiritually anchored, and still reaching for light in a world that handed me darkness that’s proof.

The supernatural didn’t keep me from bleeding.

It just made sure I didn’t bleed out.

Mr. Vale: (now desperate, furious)

You're standing here, calling that “divine”? You’re out of your damn mind!

Me: (stepping forward, voice rising)

And yet, here I am unbroken.

Not because of luck, or logic, or legal loopholes

But because the same supernatural presence you mock gave me grit when grief gutted me.

Peace when pain poisoned me.

And vision when I was too ashamed to open my own damn eyes.

Mr. Vale:

You’re delusional!

Me:

Then maybe delusion is the only thing keeping people like me alive and dangerous.

Because the world you call sane is the one that tried to kill me.

And yet I rose. Not cleaned up, but cracked open.

Not perfect but purposeful.

[Mr. Vale slams his hands on the table, his composure cracking. The courtroom erupts. The judge bangs her gavel.]

Judge:

Order! Mr. Vale, you’re losing control of your witness.

Mr. Vale: (gritting his teeth)

This isn’t a witness, Your Honor.

It’s a walking contradiction!

Me:

No. I’m a walking miracle.

And whether you respect it or not, you’re gonna witness it today.