In 1986 I decided to visit Boston. I had been introduced to Christian Science a few years earlier and hungered to know everything about it—from understanding spiritual truth to seeing The Mother Church edifice. When vacation time rolled around, there was no doubt where I was headed.
While I spent my days studying Science, I had late afternoons and evenings to explore the beautiful city of Boston. I was soon adept at transferring between bus lines and figuring out shortcuts to different areas as I explored historical sites, museums, shopping areas, and restaurants.
One afternoon, while shopping, I realized that it was much later than I had thought. I had made plans for the evening and was really cutting it short to get back to my hotel on time. When I left the store, instead of taking the well-lighted, well-traveled sidewalk, I decided to take a shortcut through an alley. I dashed into what I thought was a straight laneway, but instead found myself immediately lost in what seemed like a maze. As I struggled to get my bearings, nightfall descended and I was very soon in complete darkness. I found myself in an area where some homeless men lived, and I stumbled onto a scene where several of these men were drinking and arguing. As I turned away from that, I came, literally, face to face with a man who also appeared to be at home in the alley.
