After all the
introductions were made, Abe and Anna and their extended family bid farewell to
everyone. Linda looked around but couldn’t find Father John anywhere. He had
disappeared at some point earlier—after the destruction of End House. He didn’t
even stay to meet Abe’s family. This had her worried. She questioned Shana,
David, and Mike about his absence, but no one had noticed him leaving. She
looked around for him, but had to finally give up and follow the others back to
their cars.
Chapter 38
When Abe returned to his
house, he opened his hand to reveal the small folded-up piece of paper that Father
John had slipped into his palm. The Father had brushed past him just before
he’d disappeared. Abe sat on his bed in the darkened room, slowly unfolding the
note.
Written inside were the
few words “Meet me at midnight at the church.”
He wasn’t too eager to
visit the church so late. But he had no choice.
Later, when everyone was
asleep, Abe left the house and walked to town. He approached the church and saw for the
first time the utter devastation the last storm had bestowed on the beautiful
building. The once-white church was now darkened to almost black. All of its windows had been
blown out and its roof had caved in. The tall bell tower was no longer visible;
it must be lying somewhere amidst the rubble of the building’s interior.
He didn’t see the priest
anywhere outside, so he walked through the doorway or what had been the doorway. He climbed over large
pieces of wood that must have been the front doors.
Inside, nothing remained
standing. Statues lay smashed on the ground. The pews had been crushed flat by
the fallen roof. Even the stained-glass windows had been shattered to pieces.
As he was lamenting over this terrible loss, he heard a shuffling noise behind him. He turned around to find the Father walking
toward him.
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