As Michael is speaking to Jay at the Union, hall, he recalls a letter that was handed to him before he departed all that he knew.
Dear Michael,
I am Mrs. Jewel Wash, a resident of Santee. My husband and I lead a group of our people in Santee. I feel that it is my calling to assist the young people in their path and do so as an assistant at a church. I have some understanding of the great Miracles bestowed upon us to drive out the demons. I do hope that you wish to discuss your purpose here. I understand that you will be arriving on Saturday. I will be holding a prayer meeting on Saturday at 4 P.M at Bethal Prebyterian Church at (address).
You can reach me at 555-0287. I hope that you will be in touch with me as soon as possible.
- Jewel Wash
Bethel Presbyterian Church has two cars parked in the parking lot on a Saturday afternoon. One is a sporty two door Geo Storm in Ice Blue. The other is a 2003 Honda Civic two door in silver. A stuffed cat rests on a tea cozy in the back dashboard of the Honda Civic. Bethel Church was a modest church, small by the standards of Southern California. Entering through the main door, he sees a small worship place with pews that likely seat sixty people. There is a small office with a door that pushes open easily. He sees a name plate that reads ' Jewel Wash'. There is a secretary table with correspondence and a calender on the wall. He can see that 'Prayer meeting with A,D & J' happens twice monthly and happens to fall on today at 4 P.M. There are two notes in different handwriting that 'John' has a meeting with ' the Men' every other Monday at 6 P.M. There is an envelope taped to the door upon which has been written 'Michael'. Is he surprised?
If he takes the envelope, he finds a small note. He recognizes the handwriting from the earlier letter. 'Dear Micheal, I hope that this finds you well. I am unsure if you are coming and the girls were anxious to speak. Please come down the stairs and make our acquaintance.
-Jewel'
There are a set of stairs that lead downstairs - two doors are bathrooms and the large basement is divided by an accordion file divider. If he approaches the stairs, he hears voices rising and falling.
Michael stepped out of the sedan with a wide smile on his face. He crossed himself and nodded to the woman. "Bless you Mrs. Vasquez. I appreciate the ride." The woman smiled and nodded, "Good by Father O'Reilly, god bless." She replied before pulling away from the curb, leaving him standing on the sidewalk across the street from Bethel Presbyterian. He looked down and up the street before crossing the road and entered the church.
Michael was surprised to find it so empty, he walked into the office and took the note and read it, then walked down the stairway into the basement with a smile on his face.
"How did that make you feel?" A woman was asking as Michael walked down the steps. Michael follows the voice to a comfortable seating area. Two arm chairs sit beside a piano, both occupied by young women. One was Hispanic, brunette and stocky in a muscular way. She was wearing blue jeans and a conservative blue button up top. The second woman was blonde, wearing her hair in a pretty fishtail braid that highlighted her cheekbones (Striking Looks: Angelic). She wore a fitted white dress that hit just above her knee and flat gray athletic shoes. The third young woman in the room sat in the center of the room on a folding chair. She faced an older, matronly woman who also sat on a folding chair. The young woman looks very emotional. She replies to the question as you enter the room.
"Terrified. I realized that I was completely powerless. It looked at me and I felt that ... that..." Fright colored the young woman's voice. "- that it could see my soul. Into my being. I felt something telling me to work against my friends."
"That was the Beast, wasn't it?" The woman led.
"Yes..."
"Did you want to do this thing?"
"No. I knew that what we were doing was important. I thought that I was going to betray- and then I felt resolve. Some inner strength."
The woman squeezes the younger woman's hand.
"An intercession of saints, Diane. You had prayed for their intervention and you were heard. How did this effect your mission?"
The young woman glanced up, seeing you. The older woman stood and studied you for a beat. You see that she must be in her id forties. Her face is touched by laugh lines; although she looks somber now. Her eyes are steel gray.
Michael remained quiet as the women spoke, listening intently. He held his bible to his chest in his arms and smiled lightly.
"I apologize if I am interrupting, I am Father Michael O'Reilly." He replied to the older woman as he stepped forward. "I found your note and let myself in, if I am intruding I could head back upstairs."
"You were invited to a prayer meeting." Jewel stated. "This is it." She extended her hand to you for a handshake.
"I was the one who invited you. I'm Mrs. Jewel Wash. Ladies?"
The three girls stood up. "I'm Alma." Stated the dark haired girl.
"I'm Jaime," The blonde introduced. "- Father, are you coming to work at Bethel?"
"No, Jaime," Mrs. Wash broke in with a kind smile.
"Father O'Reilly is one of our order."
Understanding blossomed on the faces of the young women.
"They were indoctrinated into the Hunt when they were attacked," Mrs. Wash said to Michael with a frown. "- I counselled them afterwards. Some men have a problem with youth." Her eyes were keen as she studied you.
Michael nods. He smiles lightly as he shakes her hand.
"Thank you for inviting me." He replied to Mrs. Wash and then looked to Jaime. "I would love to work here but I will most likely be returning to Saint Agnes." He said before looking back to Mrs. Wash and nodded solemnly. "I see, I have no such problems I assure you." He replied with a warm, honest smile.
" Father O'Reilly, please have a seat."
Mrs. Wash gestured to one of the folding chairs. She reclaimed her seat and smoothed the skirt of her dress.
The young women followed Mrs. Wash's example.
"Diane, do you mind if we speak of your experience later?" Mrs. Wash turns to the youngest girl who had been speaking at your arrival.
"Yes, Jewel." Diane spoke, moving her chair back from the center of the circle. Diance took a seat and regarded you with interest. Mrs. Wash glanced to the three young women and back to you.
"Now your arrival came without the usual fanfare. " Mrs. Wash stated. Her finger brushed a pocket, perhaps where a letter of Michael rested.
"I know very little about you. Normally there is something for me. A passage of your piety. A statement of your battle prowess..." The woman tilted her head as she studied you.
"Yet they did not see fit to do this, so everything you say must be measured. "
You wonder at her words. You were a Father of the cloth yet is she suggesting that what you are about to say could be a lie?
"Tell me about yourself, Mr. O'Reilly. Do you know any other of our order here in Santee besides who is in this room? "
Her tone is direct but not unkind. Her gray eyes are sharp and watch you closely. You note that the girls in her company watch you with eagerness; but Jewel does not seem to be excited.
"Have you experienced an intercession of saints for yourself?"
Michael sat down across from her and set his bible down in his lap. He thought on her questions for a long minute, flashes of his time in the army and his near death encounters. He looked down at the tattoo on his arm of the cross. He remembered the day he had gotten it, and the men who's dogtags decorated it. The good honest men, he stroked one set of the tags with a finger tip as he thought of it's owners death in battle.
He looked up and nodded slightly, "I honestly don't know any others of our Order here." He said honestly, he had little knowledge of the others of Malleus Maleficarum outside Rome where he has spent the last year and a half.
Michael leaned back in his chair, scratching his unshaven chin and suddenly remembering he hadn't shaved in near a week and a sudden wash of insecurity came about him. "I must look a mess." He thought to himself before turning his train of thought back to the saints. Before he could think on his words he spoke, looking down at the floor as if he was staring off into the distant memory.
"Once, When I was in the Army. Our unit was tasked with searching this rundown neighborhood for contraband weapons and we were going house to house." He said before sighing and continuing. "My sergeant ordered me to check the back room and there I found a boy.. maybe.. seven I dunno." Michael stroked his chin as he spoke, his eyes cold and distant.
"I saw something metallic in his hand.. it was a grenade. He pulled the pin and dropped it at my feet, I dove behind the bed and the grenade went off." He said as he continued his story, "An inch wide piece of shrapnel hit my flak vest but instead of hitting my heart my Saint Adrian medal had stopped it from entering my chest." He replied as he drew out the iron medal, a large hole in the center of it where the shrapnel had been.
Jewel's expression is one of sympathy as you tell of your near death experience. The girls listen with rapt attention. Your story causes a look of surprise to cross Alma's face.
"You were a soldier." Alma speaks, sounding surprised. You can hear a faint accent as she speaks.
Jewel glances to the girl as though surprised that she had spoken out. Alma and Jewel exchange a look. Jewel looks back to you.
"Most of the priests that work at Bethel were dedicated to a life different than that of a soldier." Jewel explains. "Its a new experience for her."
Jewel seems to be considering your words very carefully, comfortable with a few moments of silence after this explanation. Diane looked from you back to Jewel.
"That wasn't exactly what you meant by your question, though, was it?" Diane asked Jewel.
"No, not exactly," Jewel replies to Diane. "- but it was informative. "
Jewel leaned towards you slightly as she speaks. "You've shared an emotional experience with me. I would like to tell you about how I found the Order." Jewel's eyes search and find yours, watching you as she speaks.
"My husband and I were coming out of a restaurant. We had parked a bit of walk away and were walking down a dark street." Jewel exhaled deeply, as though the next part was difficult to speak of.
"John fell against me. The attack was so quick that was the first thing that I recognized. He had thrown his arm over me and thrust me away from the street. As we fell onto the sidewalk, I realized that something warm was on me." Jewel paused for a moment, looking downward. "It was John's blood. He had received a serious cut to his arm. I pressed my hand to it, but.. I felt for sure that he was leaving me. It felt like an eternity, holding onto him on that dark street. Then some men arrived. One took my hand and prayed with me..."
Her eyes were lifted and met yours again, dancing with emotion.
"- and my John came back to me. You and I both were spared a terrible blow by his Divine Intervention. These girls," Jewel nodded to the three young women in the room with you. "- also felt the Calling. Yet they are young and have led a somewhat sheltered life. They are not prepared to take up blade and Bible and venture out to eliminate the demons."
Jewel looked to you. "It is my place to be a Counselor. I teach the ways of our Order. I have taught these girls how to guard their mind against the tricks of the Devil. I guard these girls against the folly of youth and the teeth of demons. "
Her voice becomes lower and her eyes lock on her as she continues.
"What is your place? They have told you there are no others of the Order Of Saint Longinus here?"
Michael nodded slowly, taking in the words. He had indeed been a soldier and while he has never felt he had a saint come to him he has risked his life several times, some would say by pure luck he had survived or divine intervention but he could not be the judge. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, slightly uncomfortable at what he had revealed. People of God rarely wished to hear of a soldiers horror stories but it was the closest thing he had to what she had meant.
"I know it wasn't exactly what you meant but it was the closest I have ever had." He went silent for a moment as he thought, "Maybe the Lord has been watching over me or maybe I have just been lucky. I honestly don't know, it is not my place to determine that." He said while placing a hand on the tattoo of the soldier and the cross on his arm. He looked at the tattoo for a long while before looking up at Jewel, matching her eyes. Behind them was a fire, a fire of righteous anger and a desire for justice. "My place is between the Devil and Mankind... but as to others of the Order here, I do not know."
Draft this Post