Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Sarah is a young girl afraid of heights who accompanies her father to buy a flight from Richard and Don. Richard flies Sarah’s father, and when he returns, Sarah is flying in Don’s plane. Don convinced Sarah to fly with him by revealing intimate details of Sarah’s past and present life to her and helping her work through her problem with heights. Sarah is a catalyst character who helps Richard question the breadth and limitations of Don’s power. He learns through Sarah that Don’s divinity can be used to influence others. Though Sarah only appears briefly, she provides an example of someone with a pure mind being influenced by Don’s teachings. She implies that children may be more receptive to letting go of illusions because they have not lost their sense of imagination.

The man in the wheelchair from Chapter 5 parallels Sarah as someone who benefits from Don’s miraculous powers. The man was in a car accident 11 years prior and has used a wheelchair since that time. Don heals the man, who stands up and walks for the first time since his accident, and rides with Don in the airplane. The onlookers are impressed, and Richard feels their fervent energy as they hope to witness another miracle.