[tshiggins]

(Continued)

Rev. Russ leaned forward, his forehead in his hands. They couldn’t see his eyes.

“She said we had to put our own house in order, first. Those who claimed to follow the path of righteousness, but who abandoned it in the name of political expediency….”

The brethren muttered angrily.

“…who abandoned it in the name of expediency when the bombs fell, if not before; those are the ones whom we must first smite. To test them – or to break them. She said we already knew their names. Some of them have spoken, here. Some of us have even volunteered to help them win elections, these past 30 years.”

Hank’s arms gripped his belly, tightly. He’d been fighting an ulcer for some time, and Rev. Russ feared it might be acting up.

“Reverend, I think…,” Hank drew a deep breath. “I think you should go and see Rev. Pike, and find out if this has happened anywhere else. But, I think this messenger – this angel – must be speaking the truth. I think you called us here because we’re the ones who already know this truth, in our hearts.”

Rev. Russ looked up and nodded, reluctantly.

“I fear that may be the case, brother. I do not know that the End Times are upon us, for the good book says none shall know the day or the hour. But I do believe a time of testing is at hand, and we must bear up under the burdens about to be laid upon us.”

Jim nodded, and looked back down at the rug. His eyes saw the bright pattern, but his thoughts focused on what lay beneath.

“I think that’s right, reverend, but I also think it’s wise of you to talk to Rev. Pike. In the meantime, we need to get more… well, we need to speed up our preparations.”

“What happened, then?” Hank asked.

Rev. Russ’ mug sloshed when he tried to pick it up, this time.

“She… she reassured me that, with faith and devotion, we’d come out of this alright, in this world or the next, and asked me to pray with her. I put my head down for a brief moment, and when I looked up, she was gone. Just, gone, like she’d never been there, at all. The step had a puddle, right where she’d been sitting, and the water was icy cold.”

The men all gasped, and several started to quietly pray.

“You, all of you, agree this seems to have been a blessed visitation, and not the act of the… Adversary?”

No one moved for a long moment, and then Al Borden closed his eyes and nodded.

“Yes,” he whispered, as the others murmured their assent.

“Well, let’s see what Rev. Pike, thinks. Meanwhile, I think Big Jim is right. We need to, well, speed things up a little. We’ll talk more, after I get back from Evansville.”

Chairs scraped as the brethren stood up and walked over to the sink to wash out their coffee mugs. Sam Wharton took care of the pot.

These are all good, conscientious men, Rev. Russ thought. They don’t hesitate to do what’s needed, no matter how small the task. Or how large.

As he ushered the men out the back door, Big Jim lingered for an extra minute.

“Did this messenger-woman say anything else?”

Rev. Russ looked troubled.

“Yes, and it’s a matter of considerable concern to me,” he said, after a moment. “I thought that, if she was an angel of the Lord, I might find her name in the good book, or some of the other references. I couldn’t find it, which is one reason I want to speak with Rev. Pike.”

“She told you her name?”

“Well, I don’t know that it’s her proper name, but she called herself… Lorelei.”