Seconds-Chapter 3

"The Girl"

The vision shifted. A young girl— he understood to be his mother—sat alone in a cold room, clutching a doll that she had broken. Her father, Alex’s grandfather, stood outside the door, raised a hand to knock, but turned away. There were tears in his eyes.

“This girl was taken advantage of by a partner of Soter in the ministry. This created a rift between he and his daughter... and ultimately, she and God. Authorities were called, but much damage was done.”

Years passed in seconds. His mother grew, along with the bitterness, her pain calcifying. She misread her father's silence as rejection, and saw his faithfulness to the church as cruelty. Her trauma became her truth. Alex could feel the wrangling emotions his mother experienced, and suddenly, noticed a small creature whispering in her ear as a child. This creature was red in color and had slimy skin, similar to that of a slug. To his horror, this creature enmeshed itself forcibly, until she and it were one. What had Alex just witnessed?

A change began to happen. Instead of feeling his mother's emotions only, he could hear the direction of her thoughts. Eyes widening in disbelief, he listened.

"I think I like girls..." she thought. "I just want the city to burn. I just want to stab everyone. I don't want to be here. I like women... How do I tell my father? If he doesn't accept me for who I am, he's a hypocrite and never loved me..."

Alex thought it strange that with the voice of his mother's thoughts were the back masked whispers of the creature. At times, they were one and the same.

Alex’s chest tightened. He saw now that her anger wasn’t born of malice—it was a wound left untreated. His mother grew, making good grades, going to church, singing in the choir, and searching for God, all the while feeling alone and lost. She tried to date in her early adult years, met Alex's father and got pregnant, yet couldn't be happy. It shocked him even more to see the secret dates his mother went on whenever she said she had to work overtime, since he was 12 years old! She was seeing another woman, sneaking off, when she finally ran into her father and mother at a private restaurant. Ashamed at the exposure, she responded in anger, and released all that had been pent up for years. Many bystanders sat by in awkward silence, embarrassed to have openly witnessed such a vulnerable moment. Her parents stood in disbelief grieved, affirming their love, though including their disapproval of the chosen lifestyle. As gentle as the reprimand was, Alex's mother fired back.

"You're so stuck in religion, so stuck in the bible, so concerned with other people's families that you let me drown! And Mama, you stood by him in his pride. I love who I am... and I was meant to be this way. No one, not you, not God can shame me for who I am and who I love. Because of that, I'm going to protect my heart... You will not be a part of my or my child's life from here on out, because I have to protect what's important to me." With that, she stormed off, hand in hand with her lover, leaving Alex's grandmother weeping in her husband's arms.

This was very different from the story that had been told. His mother claimed they were disinherited and cut off because her father lead an occult and refused to apologize for any wrong committed... Clearly that wasn't the case. The dots connected. It all made sense...

Alex saw the nightmares that tormented his mother at night; the same creature that was enmeshed inside of her was responsible for causing them. She was diagnosed at the age of 32 with bipolar disorder, manic depression, and OCD. Other evil spirits started to band together with the initial creature, wrapping tail and fang with wing and claw, exemplifying their presence through characteristics of binge eating, overworking, and alcoholism.

His dear mother...

The final vision came with a wave of the woman's hand. It showed his grandfather writing a letter that was never sent. Alex wasn't allowed to view what was being written.

“You were chosen not for what you are,” the woman spoke, “but for what you might become.”

She stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Beware, Aonnis. Wisdom will show you truths that others cannot bear. You will see the pain behind the anger, the love behind the silence. And it will hurt. You must warn her. If you don't, she will share the fate of the lost, and her purpose will be unfulfilled." The woman looked at him then, eyes sober and steady.

"What if she doesn't believe me? How can I help her not feel the way she does about... who she loves? I don't know what to say!"

"Pray, Aonnis. Travail as Soter does... he prays for you even now."

"But he's dead..."

"Your world exists and is bound by time... in eternity, his prayer will forever cry out for you."

Alex thought about this, amazed and conflicted. His mind wasn't nearly prepared to process the events trailing through it, so he touched the lightest thing.

"Who do I pray to? And how do I know they hear me? How do I know I won't end up back in the abyss?!"

The woman smiled softly, her radiant face shining with patience and warmth. "Aonnis, you have a choice. With what you've experienced, Truth will not force you to receive it. Every day you wake up, you're presented with the same option to choose... So choose wisely. Serve the God of the bible, take heed of the instruction, and confess the Lord as your savior, and your God. Go to church to learn. And never... compromise His word for the servants of darkness. I must go now... you will be home soon."

"Wait!" Alex called, waiving a hand before the space around him folded. "Why don't you call me Alex? Aonnis is a name I've never known. "

"Its who you are. Aonnis means gracious, and is another name for John..."

"My grandfather's name?"

"Soter, yes. Deliverer. Everything you have seen has been allowed for a specific purpose. Nothing is by coincidence. Remember... you... are working... with borrowed.... TIIIIIMMMMEEEEEE-"

The clock ticked and sped up louder an louder, the space around Alex folding with precision. A noise rang loud in his ears, so loud, he stilled his mind and looked around him. There he was in the dusty attic. And that noise? Was silence.

With a final pulse, the watch shrank back to its original form. The attic reassembled around him—dust, cobwebs, and sunlight. But Alex was changed.

Dropping the watch in his hand, he scrambled to his feet. His breath came out in rapid puffs. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he looked at the time. He'd arrived at the property around 12:30.. It was now 12:50. how...?

Anxious to leave, he hurried to the door, when a tug gripped his belly. Stopping, he frowned. Attempting to leave again, he felt that he couldn't. Inside was an alarming sense that there existed another task... as if deep within the estate, something waited to be found.

Alex dreaded the thought of rummaging through anything else, but knew it had to be done. Rubbing a trembling hand through his damp hair, he growled, shaking his head in frustration. Setting off down the stairs, he scanned the hallway, the den, the dining room, the foyer... He looked in closets and between shelves: still, nothing stood out in significance. What was missing?

Observing the quiet kitchen, Alex breathed, remembering a distant time... One where he was still too short to reach the countertop, and his Nana hoisted him up onto a stool to help her bake. He could smell chocolate chips and butter... Taste the savory fries she'd just taken out of pan. Hear his grandfather humming over papers across the room as he sat the table. It were as though his very voice lingered, tune blowing through Alex's ears in a gentle breeze... The wind had a voice. As soon as the memory came it went, and the chair his grandfather sat in was empty. A pang of remorse settled as Alex sighed, eyes resting on the table. All that sat on it was a paper. He frowned.

Coming closer, he saw that there was indeed not just a paper, but an envelope that had been sealed and addressed... With one word written on it: Alex.

Picking it up, he hesitated before opening. Taking the letter out with caution, Alex braced as he read.