Chapter 17: Grace and Glory Are There for the Asking

For many reasons Molly is happy to be over her first menstrual cycle. From past experience Gabriel knows that usually doesn’t just mean blood, but mood changes. With Molly it only seemed to be accompanied by an increase in power, an increase in grace and an increase in love, hope and faith.

The immediate problem is where to put seven new people. Just like Molly, they do not want to be away from Gabriel in the slightest. Gabriel thinks they have not realized that Molly is the true power. And Gabriel thinks Molly hasn’t realized she is going to have to stay dressed.

“Please come in.” As the kids are walking past him he gets a whiff of a familiar strong odor. They all go into the bedroom and sit and stand where they can.

Maybe they don’t know or maybe they are feeling safe for the first time in a long time, but none of them seem too concerned with explaining themselves. Molly also does not seem too concerned with finding out what’s wrong, she probably already knows, the little brat, Gabriel thinks.

He and Molly make eye contact and Molly asks, “Are you hungry?”

The kids nod in unison and the younger woman answers yes. It would probably do no good to start working on the problems without first building trust and getting them built up in nourishment and grace. Grace is seen in the actions of people who walk the walk, not just talk the talk. It is to be done in love. Molly starts to lead them out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, but Gabriel stops them. He doesn’t ask them or care about their reaction; he leads the youngest girl to the toilet and tells her to go. She looks up at Gabriel with a little more apprehension than Molly did. Gabriel tries not to laugh. Not at the little girl, but at the wonder of Molly. The door stays open, but Molly stays in there with them while Gabriel is just outside the door. The younger woman shuts the door a little in modesty, but the grandma just needed to get to the toilet. Gabriel should have thought of that.

Eventually all are fed. “So, how can we help you?”

The younger lady says, “Something weird is going on around us. You won’t believe this, but I think we are being haunted by ghosts.”

“Actually you are under demonic attack.”

The grandma goes, “Oh God.” Some of the kids don’t comprehend, but that is okay for now.

“Actually, there are far fewer ghosts than people think. Even though ghosts have been enslaved by demons to work their will, most are just demons playing at things that they believe will pull people from the light, to believe in things that are not right in the Lord.”

The grandma asks, “What do we do?”

Molly answers, “You’ve already done it.”

Gabriel adds, “Yes, and since the Lord directed you here we know it is his will; so a little Word and a lot of love and faith and you will begin to stand up for yourselves. I think you should all spend the night and in the morning see how bright the day seems.

“Thank you.” everybody says in near unison.

“Firstly though, showers for everyone.”

“Michael is too young to take a shower.” The young woman is speaking of the four-year-old boy.

“So is Cindy,” says the grandma about the three year-old girl.

“They will take showers with you. We’re gonna have to do it that way anyway because the hot water is only going to last for so long.”

Molly immediately goes to the closet and starts pulling out extra pajamas and nightgowns. “And then you can help the other girls from the sideline, two girls at a time. I’ll have to go to my supplies for Saint Raphael’s Care Program, but we should have enough shampoo.” Everybody is just standing there. “Come on, let’s move!”

You would think it would be the younger ones who wouldn’t care, but the nine year old girl leads the way. Gabriel goes into the bathroom and starts the shower. The army would be proud of the efficiency that it goes by. Molly hands out towels and clothes and Gabriel starts to look at an immediate problem.

It is obvious they are not all going to fit in the bedroom and it seems equally obvious that none of them want to be away from Gabriel. Gabriel takes his bed apart and temporarily puts it in the living room. It’s a good thing Tom has run off or he’d be having a stroke by now. Molly and he with the help of everybody put down blankets to make one giant bed on the floor.

As Gabriel was putting the bed in the living room he heard Molly say, “Ahh!” Gabriel smiles because he knows Molly just realized she is going to have to stay dressed.

While Gabriel is sitting there brushing the nine year-old girl’s hair, whose name turns out to be Sarah, he starts to talk. First he glances at Molly who is not jealous, but she only smiles at him and nods. Then she comes over and sidles up to his left as he leans against the wall that used to be the head of the bed. As a side note Sarah used to be Gabriel’s favorite name, that is at least until he met Molly.

“Helen,” speaking to the grandma first, “What’s going on?”

“Well, their mom and dad are druggies and the father was molesting the girls and...”

Gabriel interrupts, “Despair. Sorry go on.”

“Ever since I got custody we’ve struggled financially and we hear weird noises and plus things, especially crosses, fall over all the time.”

Gabriel stops brushing Sarah’s hair for a second and kisses her hair. “Girls, one tactic of demons will be to make you think bad thoughts over and over again. It’s not that they can put thoughts into your mind, oh hell who knows maybe they can, but just their negativity can cause it. I just want you to know you did nothing wrong and none of this is your fault. Our first effort will be to make sure you all see what Molly and I already know and that is you girls are awesome and kick butt.”