The Truth About Heaven
Chapter eight.
From her hiding place in the woods, the young girl watched as the ten hooded figures swayed to the sound of humming. Flames from the large fire leaped into the air. She didn’t understand what was going on. She had watched her father strip and put on a black robe. She had followed her dad as a joke, but now she was scared.
The child shuddered, feeling something very wrong here. She couldn’t tell which person was her father now; they all looked the same from behind. Smoke filled the air from the pit of fire. She wanted to run away back to her father’s car, but she couldn’t move.
A female in a red robe walked over to a raised slab of polished wood. When the woman took off her robe, the young girl was embarrassed but fascinated. The woman lay down on the wood. She was their altar. The high priest began shouting, holding a sword high in the air. He pointed south, east, north and west, called up four names.
He requested things of these four princes of hell. He stroked a hand down the altar and the prostitute moaned on cue. His voice rose as he continued his requests. The smell of smoke choked the girl as she continued to watch, terrified. The chanting continued, and at some signal, two of the robed figures brought a young goat into the circle.
The ceremonial knife was drawn. When the girl watched the knife being drawn across the young goat’s neck, she sobbed, wanting to call out to her father. No sound came from her lips when she tried, and she seemed rooted to the spot.
She watched as they threw the goat into the pit of fire, once they had saved some blood in a silver bowl. She smelled the stink of burning flesh.
One of the men screamed and tore off his robe and drove himself into the altar. The other men ripped off their own robes and danced around the pit of fire. The young girl saw her father lower his hand into the goat’s blood, her own father. As he turned back to the other men, his fingers dripped with the blood…
Savannah woke up screaming, cold sweat running from her pores. She quickly turned on her lamp next to her bed, breathing heavily. She hated having that nightmare. She was having it more frequently. She figured it was because now she was in the same place she used to live before Robert took her. She knew why he took her now. And she learned to live with the fact that she was better off. This was the place she’d grown up. Near all the fields and trees, and the creek she knew so well when she was younger. They had moved a lot over the past few years. When Robert told her that her parents were no longer living here anymore, she liked the fact that she was going to be in the same setting she used to love so much as a child.
Savannah’s thoughts quickly turned to Frank. What if they moved away again soon? She didn’t want to leave him. There was something about him that made her want to be with him more and more. She ached to see him. She glanced at her clock, which read “5:47.” She sighed and rolled over. Why did she have such a hard time sleeping lately? She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
When her attempts at sleeping failed, she rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she’d see Frank again if she went down to the creek. Maybe he’d comfort her if she told him she had a terrible nightmare. Maybe… She grunted and rolled on her side again. She wasn’t going to do that. They’d just end up kissing again, and she was scared of that. She was scared of what she felt when he kissed her. Yet, something tugged at her to go down there.
Savannah sighed and rolled out of bed. She changed into some jeans and a purple tank top and a white pullover. Robert was out again, so she didn’t have to worry about him seeing her leave. He trusted her around here, though; because it wasn’t as dangerous as some of the other places they had lived. She slipped on some sneakers and left the house.
The child shuddered, feeling something very wrong here. She couldn’t tell which person was her father now; they all looked the same from behind. Smoke filled the air from the pit of fire. She wanted to run away back to her father’s car, but she couldn’t move.
A female in a red robe walked over to a raised slab of polished wood. When the woman took off her robe, the young girl was embarrassed but fascinated. The woman lay down on the wood. She was their altar. The high priest began shouting, holding a sword high in the air. He pointed south, east, north and west, called up four names.
He requested things of these four princes of hell. He stroked a hand down the altar and the prostitute moaned on cue. His voice rose as he continued his requests. The smell of smoke choked the girl as she continued to watch, terrified. The chanting continued, and at some signal, two of the robed figures brought a young goat into the circle.
The ceremonial knife was drawn. When the girl watched the knife being drawn across the young goat’s neck, she sobbed, wanting to call out to her father. No sound came from her lips when she tried, and she seemed rooted to the spot.
She watched as they threw the goat into the pit of fire, once they had saved some blood in a silver bowl. She smelled the stink of burning flesh.
One of the men screamed and tore off his robe and drove himself into the altar. The other men ripped off their own robes and danced around the pit of fire. The young girl saw her father lower his hand into the goat’s blood, her own father. As he turned back to the other men, his fingers dripped with the blood…
Savannah woke up screaming, cold sweat running from her pores. She quickly turned on her lamp next to her bed, breathing heavily. She hated having that nightmare. She was having it more frequently. She figured it was because now she was in the same place she used to live before Robert took her. She knew why he took her now. And she learned to live with the fact that she was better off. This was the place she’d grown up. Near all the fields and trees, and the creek she knew so well when she was younger. They had moved a lot over the past few years. When Robert told her that her parents were no longer living here anymore, she liked the fact that she was going to be in the same setting she used to love so much as a child.
Savannah’s thoughts quickly turned to Frank. What if they moved away again soon? She didn’t want to leave him. There was something about him that made her want to be with him more and more. She ached to see him. She glanced at her clock, which read “5:47.” She sighed and rolled over. Why did she have such a hard time sleeping lately? She closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
When her attempts at sleeping failed, she rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she’d see Frank again if she went down to the creek. Maybe he’d comfort her if she told him she had a terrible nightmare. Maybe… She grunted and rolled on her side again. She wasn’t going to do that. They’d just end up kissing again, and she was scared of that. She was scared of what she felt when he kissed her. Yet, something tugged at her to go down there.
Savannah sighed and rolled out of bed. She changed into some jeans and a purple tank top and a white pullover. Robert was out again, so she didn’t have to worry about him seeing her leave. He trusted her around here, though; because it wasn’t as dangerous as some of the other places they had lived. She slipped on some sneakers and left the house.