Journal 134

The ceremony started as before. Anna spoke the words of Aloysius and praised his good deeds. Joshua stood beside Anna, proud and regal. He was looking healthy. Vastly different from his feeble self I had seen just a few days before.

Tony, Marty, Kate, and the others took their places around the room. Everyone except Victor, he was not where he was supposed to be. Where did the little runt go? I adjusted my robe and stepped to the front just below the podium. It was time for the offering. I had a prayer to say before Anna would request the offering. I kept looking around the room. If Victor screwed up our plan, I was going to massacre him myself with a slow painful death.

Unexpectedly, the room went dark. Everyone in the room gasped at once. As quickly as the lights went out a spotlight lit up Joshua. He looked so tall. Joshua took a step forward and in a booming voice addressed the crowd.

Joshua announced to everyone in the room that evil sometimes reaches out and tries to destroy what is good. To keep evil at bay the righteous must sometimes take a chance and invite evil to walk among those who are good.

Panic hit me hard. I wanted to run but I couldn’t. I was frozen. I stared into Joshua’s eyes. They were so powerful. I couldn’t see anything else but those eyes. The rest of the room dissolved into nothingness. Joshua was talking directly to me. I felt the hair all over my body stand up on end as he announced to the crowd that evil walked among the Followers of Aloysius.