A Chain of Whit's Ends?
By Jacob Isom
Imagine the scenario. Eugene Meltzner,
Connie Kendall, and John Avery Whittaker struggling to run two of the same business at the
same time. Recently something happened to change things in Odyssey. It has become a new
kind of Odyssey: questionable.
Ever since John Avery Whittaker opened
Whit's End, he had intended on it to be a place of learning and excitement. He had also
hoped for it to be a means to teach kids valuable lessons and things about the Bible. It
did. But as time passed, many kids learned important lessons. But now that Odyssey has
gone through a drastic change, the kids have too. A new mood has set in and Whit is
feeling the affects of it.
With time brought the invention of all
sorts of gizmos and gadgets, things that have definitely blocked Whit's communication with
kids. This obviously had an impact on Whit because in an episode called "The
W.E." Whit mopes around and feels upset because things are different. Ever since
Novacom took over, Whit's End has become a place for the crickets. Quiet.
Novacom is causing problems. With the
grand opening of The Novacom Kids Center, a new mood has set in and Whit doesn't know what
to do. What will become of his business? Will Whit's End be alive and prosperous in the
future days ahead? Will this rocky road mellow out?
In his desperation, Mr. Whittaker
decides to make a change, one that contradicts a past decision of his. But wait! You might
be asking this right now. Whit has contradicted himself? Yes, he has. Back in an episode
called "By Any Other Name," a con-artist comes to town to change the names of
businesses and various things to make money illegally. And then he comes to Whit. Whit
stands firm in his decision and doesn't allow his shop to be renamed. But why now? Why is
there a drastic change all of a sudden? Whit's supposed to be the man who never makes poor
decisions. It seems like now the Adventures in Odyssey crew doesn't care what Whit does
anymore.
"The W.E.", so says the new
sign in front of the old Whit's End. Whit's End has evolved from a loving, God-centered
shop to a building with a name change, computer ordering which requires no conversation,
and it's been turned into a video arcade, something Whit used to never even dream of!
One day a woman named Mary Hopkins who
owns a bookstore in Connellsville called Mary's Story Shop. She explains to Whit that she
prefers the old Whit's End much better. Then comes the real jaw dropper. Build a Whit's End
in Connellsville? What kind of problems will this cause the people who work at Whit's End?
Is it really a good idea?
Only God (and the AIO
writers) knows what will become of this entire situation. Can this Mary
Hopkins lady be trusted? What if things go wrong and both shops go out of
business? We are all wondering about all these things, and we
need to realize that if it's God's will for there to be another Whit's End,
things will work out for the good. I guess we'll all see in the days ahead
what having two Whit's Ends will do to those that are associated with it.
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