Unlikely Salvation

With a thunderous clash, an old man appeared, silhouetted by the daylight behind him. Candace was just as surprised as her would-be assailants. The man was terrible and quisquillian in appearance, but somehow also beautiful. His clothes were ratty and disheveled. The lines in his face were chiseled as if by a sculptor. His eyes burned like blue flames. Without a word he walked toward Candace, and the thugs parted like the Red Sea. This improbable Moses held out his hand, and Candace greedily took hold. They both walked out of the alley back into the sunlight. Then the man vanished.