12
Apr
Not quite my usual fare for a flash fiction, but I was feeling a little more pensive than usual, so it probably reflects my mood. Let me know what you think.
The boy wandered down the aisles of the church, his mind it all at ease and wander. He had come here for a purpose, but what that purpose had been he could no longer remember. Instead, he found himself staring upwards, fascination with the carvings overwhelming his sense of worry. Shrugging, he found himself a pew and sat there, looking at the giant cross that hung suspended in the nave.
Covered in gold filigree and beautiful carvings, it reminded the boy of nothing so much as a blossoming tree, reflecting the light in oh so many directions, light that played all across the inside of the stone church. He felt comfortable here, as if he had come home, and his worry drained away. Whatever his task had been, it could wait until later days.
The light within the chapel shifted from the left to the right, and still the boy sat there, his eyes caught on that cross, his mind soaring upwards, twisting through flights of fancy to wing its way towards the heavenly gates. He arrived at the gates to find that they were barred, and standing before them was an apologetic angel. With a silent gesture of negation, the angel sent the boy tumbling earthwards, his mind reeling.
He arrived back in his body with a great cry, tears dampening his cheeks. Fury and passion and anger rolled across his face and he grew violent, tossing away the pew upon which he sat. For many minutes he stormed, tossing the furniture and the furnishings about the church until it looked a ruin. Yet he would not touch the cross, nor pass the line of the altar.
His anger spent, the boy slumped down on a broken chair, and cried to himself. He had been rejected, he still did not remember what he was meant to do, and he had destroyed works of art. Remorse stole throughout his body, leaving him a quivering pile until, at last, the boy regained control of his emotions. With a face blank of expression and puffy from tears, he slipped away, disappearing out into the cold world beyond.
The figure on the cross spoke then, his eyes fixing the altar with a stare. “This happens every Sunday, Father. He tries to ascend and you do not let him.” From the altar came the sound of a sigh. “I wish I could, my son, but he is Damien, and to let him into heaven would cause all this to fail. And so I must turn away an innocent, a boy purer of heart and of mind than many who have passed through the gates.” The statue on the cross let his eyes fall to the floor. “I know, Father, I know. But it wrenches my heart.”
“Mine too.” The altar and the cross looked towards the grand doors of the church, where the boy had long since departed, and both cried, their eyes wet with blood.
Comments
Leave a Reply
T.S. Bazelli on 04.13.2010
Definitely different fare. I was having a little trouble comprehending how a boy could toss entire pews by himself until I got to the end. I still think I’m perhaps missing the reference. Damien? (The movie the Omen was the third thought that crossed my mind)
The Four Part Land on 04.13.2010
In this case, I’m using Damien as the alternate name for the Son of Satan, the Anti-Christ, the man supposed to bring about the time of Revelation. I don’t remember if one of his goals is supposed to be to break into Heaven, but it seemed appropriate. Was also interesting to play around with the idea of the Son of Satan being a small innocent child, and not evil.
T.S. Bazelli on 04.13.2010
Ahh that clears it up. There is also a saint Damian, which added to my confusion. An interesting bit of flash!
Michael Tate on 04.28.2011
I too was confused about the pews and Damien, then I remembered seeing the Omen way back in the day. Re-reading this makes much more sense, and it’s pretty powerful. I like it.
The Four Part Land on 04.29.2011
Yeah, I didn’t want to use the term Anti-Christ, because that has a lot more negative connotations than just a name, even if it does make the story a little harder to follow.
Thanks for the kind comments 🙂