Our Father Who Aren't In Heaven
Johnny Abrahams

 

The carpet squelched under my feet. For such an insignificant thing the feeling of my shoes on wet carpet was unnerving, unusual and distressing. As I trudged down the corridor pools of water would surface from the deep blood red carpet and surround my feet threatening to take me under to a deep dark abyss from which there could be no escape.

I was here because I was told that the old lady could predict the future, everyone told me to see her, even Frank who after visiting her gave up smoking cause she told him that he was going to die soon. Pity that bus driver didn�t give up drinking and curb hopping.

As I walked past faceless doors the smell of staleness strikes me like a physical force, I am sure there is cat urine here as well. My only thoughts are why does she live here? If she can tell the future, or at least charge for such an act then surely she could upgrade her lodgings? Probably failing to sugar coat her answers means that bad news doesn�t pay that well. I am not here for sweetness I am here to know the truth. Well to shut the others up who keep nagging me to come.

The last door on the right was my destination, graffiti decorated the door but a feeble attempt had been made to clean the bottom part, the top had remained untouched. My beliefs hardened upon reading some of the more descriptive remarks. I am sure I could make money publishing a book on correct spelling for today�s taggers. I shake my head and raise my hand to knock on the door.

Before my hand reaches the door, it opens, a small frail artificially aged woman beckons me in without a word and directs me to a small folding table that had 3 legs similar in make but the fourth was smaller and propped up by an assortment of soggy literature mostly written in an language unfamiliar to me. The top of the table was scratched and pitted as if witnessed to miniature carpet bombing attacks from minute foes. I sit on a chair designed for those buttocks small than mine, tight but at the same time comfortable.

My little diminutive woman sits across from me, I quickly remember from my friends that she is mute and only talks when in a trance and that her voice seemed not of her body. More parlour tricks I thought to myself. She reaches off to the side of the table and down into a box originally hidden from my view. She takes out a crystal ball so clear that it seems as if air itself had solidified into a sphere. I gaze awe struck at this ball, it seems so translucent my eyes have trouble focussing onto its surface, they slip off as if it was a visual banana skin. She slowly places the ball in front me I mean us. My eyes tire from trying hard to focus and I shift my vision lazy to stare through the ball. The image is crystal clear without a hint of distortion and is of the old woman�s blouse, a dirty grotty mess and I shudder as my mind drifts to what it could be hiding. I divert my attention away when she forcibly grabs my hands and holds them face up on either side of the ball. She looks up and takes a deep breath and closers her eyes. I think she must centring herself or at least thinking of some opener so vague that basically she couldn�t miss. I sat back and waited for the story to begin.

When she levelled her head and look at me, her eyes were gone. Rheumy nicotine stained orbs stare through me. I sub consciously tried to jerk my arms away but her grip was like a vice. Panic welled up into my throat like bad sushi. I could sense impending dread when she spoke,

�Hello, nice day isn�t it,� her voice sounded like Tom Jones mixed with Shirley Temple, whether this was meant to calm me or scare me I do not know.

�I guess,� I replied

�What would it be today? A complete read or just a Reader�s Digest special?� She asked.

�What�s the difference?� I asked back

�Well basically a Reader�s Digest is a condensed version, I tell you what will happen in the next 12 months, you ask some questions and be on your way. A complete read is more thorough and usually ends with the date of your death. This isn�t as popular as you would think,�

�No I could see why, but I am feeling adventurous, give me the works,� This should be good for a laugh.

�Okay then, your call,�

She fell silent then, veins appeared at the side of her forehead and beat rhythmically to some hidden beat. Beads of sweat broke out at her grey hairline and dripped down wrinkles in her face. Her eyes closed and underneath the REM looked like someone was making daiquiris with her eyes as blenders. The crystal ball on the table started to shake and actually before my very eyes lifted about 5 mm off the table before shattering into fine powdered particles that left us looking like someone with hay fever gatecrashed a cocaine party.

Before I could speak the lady in front of head butted the table unconscious, I cautiously made my way to the door to run the hell out of there when she came around and somewhat groggily spoke,

�Tell me about your father�

�Huh,� was my reply, cool headedness in the face of the unusual was not my forte.

�Your father, I must know about him,� she ordered

�I don�t know much about him actually,� I countered

�You must then find out, quickly or it will be too late, go now you have a big undertaking in front of you, you have the power to prevent a great calamity to mankind, be aware of bitterness in loved ones,� With that she disappeared into what I thought was the closet.

I dusted myself off in her lounge room, small crystal shards leaving tiny pin pricks of blood on my palms. I decided to visit mother. Stay tuned cause that will happen tomorrow at work cause right now I am tiring.

Mother and I haven't been seeing eye to eye lately, her unusual and newly developed love of the occult doesn't sit easily in my straight and narrow viewpoint. Although we communicate often, it is the usual repeated conversation on the health and well-being of other family members located closer to either one of us. This time I will pay her a visit.

Her house was a pensioners delight, enough knick-knacks to obscure one's visions of the walls, pictures everywhere but now a creeping in of occult paraphernalia had started at the mantle piece and was spiralling out into other areas of the house, whilst not completely over empowering it was becoming uncomfortable and I was ill at ease with all the eyes from various figures staring at me as I sat on the couch, looking at the space where the TV was.

Mother was preparing me a bacon and egg sandwich even though she had gone to the dark side, her skills in the preparation of various fats hadn't changed. Thank God for small miracles.

"So mother, hows father?" I asked
"Huh," she replied, must be genetic this dribble (For Chris's benefit)
"I was wondering how father was, you never talk about him,"

This was true, all my life I was lead to believe that father died early in the pregnancy, any questions into the man himself was normally met with a high fat meal or sweet hence my never ending battle with my ever expanding waist.

"Here is your sandwich, with the yolk runny just how you like it," Mother had the ability of most insane people to completely disregard any previous conversation titbit and carry on oblivious to it.

"Mum, tell me about Dad," I pleaded, her body shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting around the room, looking for some excuse to help her out here.

"What happened to your hands?" She asked noticing the flecks of congealing blood.

"I strangled someone who wouldn't provide me with answers," I replied, "Now tell me about father!"

Her posture actually crumbled right in front of me, she collapsed back into her chair and what appeared to be a great weight removed itself from her back and she broke down in huge racking sobs that continued for the better part of five minutes, I slowly savoured my sandwich, the yolk running onto my fingers carrying black glaciers of HP sauce. I allowed her to finish, not knowing if this was real or farcical. I was not going to get carried away on this surge of emotion until I knew something I could accept as the truth.

Eventually composure was regained and mother spoke,

"I guess, now I can no longer conceal the truth,"

About bloody time I thought, this should be fun, probably tell me about a one night stand that left her pregnant and the shame of it all in the community back then meant she needed to lie in order to prevent something from someone.

"Now that you are old enough, I shall tell you, but I ask you keep an open mind and don't judge me until I am finished, it will all make sense when I am through, firstly I can rightly say that I don't know who your father is," she said, she seemed to be struggling against a tidal wave of emotions whether for my benefit or not I am unsure. But I knew it, she had a one night stand, my father was some faceless prick who planted his seed then fucked off into the night. (I believe the swear was needed here for emotional content, not suitable for Jamie readings)

"Actually, I am to all legal and medical reasons, still a virgin,"

"Huh?" Whoa what a way to hide past memories, I am starting to think that she may have been raped, I decide to voice this thought,

"Mother, were you raped," I was actually getting incredibly angry. I am not one for this type of behaviour, but if this was true, I am here cause someone forced their way onto my mother, who rightfully in my eyes could of chosen to end me before I began.

"NO!" She roared back, I was worried then that she was going to slap me.

"Well then, GOD dam explain yourself,"

She did then slap me, the sting bought a sense of calmness back, I probably needed it.

"Don't you dare talk to your mother like that," She said and then continued, "Whether or not you choose to believe is your concern, but I can honestly say that I have never partaken in the act of intercourse, for pleasure or for business,"

Hearing my mother talk about sex was like hearing a rabbi talk about the virtues of pork, just not on.

"Well, are you my mother? Or was I adopted out?" An honest question I believe.

"No, now shut up and listen," She said "Twenty five years ago, before you were born a group of us from school decided to participate in a ritual we had heard through the underground promising a new and righteous peace here on Earth,"

God dam crap I thought but allowed her to continue unabated.

"We truly went out of curiosity, expecting to see a bunch of middle aged men trying to coax young women into orgies of debauchery and immorality. We were going to dobbed them into their wives and destroy their sleazy lives. But what we found defied belief, there was a small group of people hidden behind robes of purple velvet, chanting some mantra in a foreign language. There were pentagrams drawn everywhere and ouija boards set up and being used by more featureless robes. We became intrigued and joined in on the fray, I was nervous but didn't want to appear so in front of the others." She paused here eyes far off remembering some dark images in the recesses of her brain.

"After awhile we were separated from the main groups of people and were spoken to by man all dressed in black, he promised us that one of us would be responsible for the saviour of all mankind. I at the time didn't think we needed saving but it was as if I was hypnotised and could only obey his commands," Here is where tears started flowing again. I couldn't really fathom this level of crap. Surely Freud would have picnic with this woman.

"The next thing I know I am lying on the ground, wearing a white silk robe and people were standing around me chanting phrases unfamiliar to me. As their voices rose pain developed in my stomach rhythmically increasing in intensity with their voices until I passed out from the pain. I awoke some time later alone, re clothed and cold. I stood up and stared down at the pentagram that I had been lying on, I didn't feel like I just saved the world, more like I destroyed it."

I guess that she is trying to repress something here. But I wasn't going to stop her just yet I was enjoying this.

"Two months later I found out I was pregnant, medical investigation in my privates showed no signs of entry but there I was pregnant. I decided to hide it the best I could and did a good job helped by no end having my friends disappear completely from my life. I was alone, frightened and had this thing growing inside of me,"

"Thanks Mother," I interjected but she continued on

"I decided to investigate this group of people, it wasn't hard cause actually they were investigating me! Well at the least they were watching me. I managed to confront them and learnt that well, you are um well apparently a child of sin. A minion of the devil impregnated me. Not the devil himself mind you, I wasn't good enough! Hah, at first I thought it was rubbish and even tried to have you aborted but back then abortions were kept quiet and were done in shonky out of the way places. The man I convinced to perform the procedure on me you wouldn't let bathe your dog, but before the operation could begin, a stray cat launched into his neck from behind and severed his main artery and he died in front of me, leaving me wearing his blood like a red dress. Then to top off this weirdness the cat actually spoke to me and told me it wouldn't be that easy. After that I was taken hostage by this group of madmen and basically was captive until you were born."

"Then what happened?" I was intrigued and actually getting interested.

"Would you like some coffee?" Mother asked heading towards the kitchen.

"Yeah why not, but please continue this story," I started to follow but mother stopped me and told me she would yell,

"Well after you were born, I just fell in love with you and hoped what they said wasn't true, why are you interested anyway?"

I neglected to inform her about the fortune teller but now I was actually entertaining the idea that this could be true, looking back through my life I now realised that basically I have never been sick, never wanted for anything and despise modern religion. I am a son of a devil, cool. Mother handed me my coffee and sat across from me.

"You are here to prepare the way for the master, his time is near," she said. I looked at her, it is as if she was a different person.

"I don't know what to do about that," I replied, I for one didn't want to actually be known as either a fruitcake or the destructor of mankind.

"If you believe this malarky what would you do? Would you actively participate in the destruction of the world?"

"Hmmm good question mother," I ponder further reply, surely I could not destroy the world, but would like to see certain parts of it go, most Muslim countries I could wipe out without a blink of an eye, but why persecute millions for the lunatic ideals of a few? "No I don�t think that I could,"

"Good I hoped that you wouldn't, but what happens for instance if you can't control yourself and you act involuntarily to some hidden instinct that is beyond your logical control?" She posed this question more to the air above her head than to me.

"Well it would be hell of a ride," I sipped the coffee, it was more bitter than usual "Have you added that chicory stuff to this? It is quite sickly,"

"No its just a new blend, now answer me this, what would you do if some animal instinct makes you do things harmful to others? Could you have the blood of innocents on yours hands?"

"No I would not like that, but I would like to think that I have some form of control and would prevent that, but at the very least have the strength of mind and purpose to take my own life before I would do something like that," As I spoke my breathe became laboured and my chest pounded like a epileptic jack hammer.

"Well son, I am so glad that you said that," She stood up horizontally in front me. She wasn't horizontal, but I was, I have lost control of my body. "Forgive me boy, but it is for your own good, well not actually yours but for the good of mankind,"

She walked to the phone, she has poisoned me. If I was a son of a devil surely I couldn't go down this easily? "You bitch," I exhaled with close to my last breathe, mother looked at me, tears rolling down her face freely. She also looked scared, probably like me thinking this is too easy and I am not putting up much of a fight.

As my life force ebbs away my dying thoughts drift back to that one night stand I had 2 weeks ago, I remember removing my condom and noticing that it had leaked my sperm through a small hole in the head, a smile emerges upon my dying face���

 

 

Copyright © 2001 Johnny Abrahams
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"