Chapter 4: There Comes a Time in Every Life for the Hard Truth

“Ladies, we need to talk.”

Kate’s head bows in both shame and regret, “Yes, it is time.” Though she is standing at the edge of the abyss and has great fear and shame weighing her down, her heart begins to soar with the hope that maybe just maybe by speaking by telling this sad tale it will begin to unravel the horror of misdeeds and desires. She owes it to herself, she owes it to the world, but mostly she owes it to Molly.

They walk into the living room where all things are covered in a layer of dust. In his mind Gabriel sees a tumbleweed roll by reminding him of a ghost time. Without hope, without purpose people lose their drive to care for the true wonders and gifts around them. With hate in your heart you will see too much ugliness. As Kate is trying to get the first layer off the couch and chair they will be sitting in, Gabriel in a ceremonial fashion begins to open all the windows. Under his breath Gabriel prays, “Milord, always do you give us a way. Today let the windows of our hearts and minds be opened wide for your glory and grace, amen.”

Gabriel sees Kate getting frustrated that no matter how much she tries to dust it just does not look any different: to the point of trying to clean a painting of the mind. Gabriel thinks something is not right, but it is par for the course this day. He pushes Kate onto the flowered couch and he sits in a fluffy red chair. Molly goes with him.

They get to the truth of it, “I’m sorry if some of this is going to be hard to talk about, but the more I know the better I can create a plan of action. Especially since I am a Catholic and if I come to believe there may be possession involved I will have to get evidence for the Catholic Church to get involved. Let me ask some preliminary questions and then we’ll go from there.”

“If it is alright with you I would just like to tell you everything.” Gabriel feels Molly begin to shake in his lap.

“Sure. Do you have a tablet and pen or pencil I can use to take notes?”

Kate gets up and gets them and then with heavy purpose sits back down and while studying her feet she starts. Softly at first, but she builds. Her eyes are no longer in the present. “I have a brother and sister named Damian, who is forty-three, and Ellie, who I believe is forty-two now. I’m the baby out of us three. They are Molly’s parents.” Kate stops to see Gabriel’s reaction.

After he doesn’t hear Kate anymore he looks up from finishing his notes and sees both Kate and Molly looking at him, apparently waiting for a reaction. What was just said registered in Gabriel’s brain, but he is the last person to judge another’s past actions. With Molly sitting in his lap he has to put effort into taking notes. For the most part Molly has still never pulled her eyes away from Gabriel. “Please go on.” Gabriel forgets taking notes and sets them aside.

While still trying to get a read on Gabriel, Kate continues, “Our mom and dad were into witchcraft. We grew up around coven gatherings, but it did not appear to necessarily worship the Devil, at least not that I recall. But you know kids; each generation has to go one further to prove themselves better. So Damian and Ellie got into Satanism. When I was twelve, just a week after I had my first minstrel cycle, Damian and Ellie came to me and wanted me to join too. I was just happy that my much older brother and sister wanted to spend time with me. That night they raped me. From this point on was when I realized Damian and Ellie were more than brother and sister.”

“How old was your brother at the time when you were twelve.”

“Nineteen, no wait he was excited that he was going to be turning twenty-one soon so twenty.”

“Okay, sorry for the interruption, please continue as you need.”

“That went on for years and as time went by I willingly got into it. When I was eighteen I was glad to go away for college. I made an effort to never return home on breaks. I wanted to forget all that had been done and all that I did. I got a degree in finance and hoped to live a life far away. But unfortunately you cannot outrun memories.

“Over the years I had heard that Ellie was pregnant once or twice, but shortly after the first birth the baby mysteriously died. I was working hard, but when Covid hit I lost my job. Mom and dad had died a year earlier in a suspicious car accident and left the house in San Francisco to the three of us. So I returned home in hopes of selling the house. Of course Damian and Ellie were there and so was Molly. She was ten at this time, getting ready to turn eleven.” Kate stops and takes a long drink of water.

“Damian and Ellie had turned the house into a pit of evil. I could feel it. Damian and Ellie never acted like anything they did was wrong. They were arrogant and boastful and started telling me about Molly and their plans for her. At birth they bonded her to a demon and...”

Gabriel interrupts her, “They didn’t happen to mention the demon’s name they bonded her to, did they?”

Kate thinks back on it for a second and then shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. “Anyway, and as soon as she has her first minstrel cycle they are, were, going to sacrifice her to that demon. I was scared and wanted to run away, but knowing that Molly was getting ready to turn eleven I knew puberty wasn’t far off. By this time I had spent some time with her and came to love her.”

Gabriel can feel tear drops hitting his hands that are holding Molly so tight and protectively. He moves his hand up and down on Molly’s tummy and says, “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Words can heal or break, but the Word of God only has the ability to heal. Even when he rebukes it is for healing intent. Gabriel leans down and whispers into Molly’s ear, “Heavenly Father, this precious girl, so deserving of your love and grace longs for a life to be lived in the light,” and though he does not know where it comes from he finishes with, “Babygirl, I am your knight.”

Molly’s body, Molly’s heart, Molly’s spirit comes to life and an energy radiates out from the both of them. They both can feel it and it is electrifying. The jolt of pleasure and power that just got sent through her is making it very hard for her to sit still. As her grip tightens on Gabriel’s arm and hand, Gabriel tightens his grip on Molly. He wraps both arms around Molly from her lap to ribs and squeezes her so tight she couldn’t move if she wanted to. They sit there in silence all the while Molly at his chin is looking at him with an oh-my-god look of wonder. She is tightening and stretching and flexing every fiber of her being; even though because of Gabriel’s death grip or more like life grip, no movement can be seen. Only Gabriel and Molly can feel what is being shared between them. With the heat building and the tingling spreading the grace will soon be hard to hide. Molly’s eyes go big as a sweet and cute little squeal escapes her. Gabriel hides his smile by bending down and giving Molly a kiss on her check. He gives her one final tightening of the embrace and then slowly releases them from the divine jolt of power they just shared. Molly grunts and even though Gabriel loosens his grip Molly does not. She pushes herself into Gabriel for all that she is worth. Is this divine harmony?

“What was that?”

Gabriel and Molly look at each other first before answering, “I said a prayer for Molly of hope and longing and the Lord hit us with what felt like a bolt of lightning.” Though nobody notices it, there is a circle around the chair, around Gabriel and Molly that has absolutely no dust.

It takes them a few seconds to get their wits about them, but finally Molly gets back to the business at hand and says, “But my mom and dad are brother and sister, too, that is bad.” Molly has pushed herself back into Gabriel so hard she can feel his heartbeat steadily pumping throughout his body and then hers. Her body, mind and spirit are racing wildly and oh how she loves it.