Excerpt:
Wade Essy sat in the passenger seat as his mom, Hope Essy, drove them home from Church this Sunday. Wade was a hustler. He could be a tough act. Most people would not guess he went to church with his mom most Sundays. He’d had some day. When the police–none of whom he knew in this small town of Hearthville–came into the church threatening to fine all of them and to put knives in their tires, he’d slugged one them. He intentionally breathed on another one. Then he lifted his leg like he was going to fart in the direction of one of them. He was pissed. He was living a tough life and going to church with his mom was the one thing that helped keep him sane. Not that he was too sane. Before the police had arrived he had gotten into an argument with the Preacher Biscue over whether Hades and Hell were the same place or not.
Hearthville Serial
Book 6
Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental.
All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2020
All Rights Reserved
Chapters
Chapter 3
Wade Essy sat in the passenger seat as his mom, Hope Essy, drove them home from Church this Sunday. Wade was a hustler. He could be a tough act. Most people would not guess he went to church with his mom most Sundays. He’d had some day. When the police–none of whom he knew in this small town of Hearthville–came into the church threatening to fine all of them and to put knives in their tires, he’d slugged one them. He intentionally breathed on another one. Then he lifted his leg like he was going to fart in the direction of one of them. He was pissed. He was living a tough life and going to church with his mom was the one thing that helped keep him sane. Not that he was too sane. Before the police had arrived he had gotten into an argument with the Preacher Biscue over whether Hades and Hell were the same place or not.
“Mom, I am sorry I embarrassed you. The police just really pissed me off.”
“That didn’t bother me. Hell, you’ve been fighting against the police since you were three years old and they came to arrest your father. But why did you have to argue with the preacher in front of everyone?”
“But mom, Hades and Hell are not the same place. Hell is for the wicked. Hades is where everyone can go after they die. Even Jesus goes there sometimes.”
“Blasphemy.”
“Whatever.”
“Why is important to you for you to think that Hades and Hell are two different places?”
“I don’t know. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said there is a difference between hell (the receptacle of the damned) and hades (the receptacle of all separate spirits), and also between paradise (the antechamber of heaven) and heaven itself.” The dead will remain in Hades “until the Day of Judgment when we will all be bodily resurrected and stand before Christ as our Judge. After the Judgment, the Righteous will go to their eternal reward in Heaven and the Accursed will depart to Hell.”
“But honey, we are not Methodist. We are Southern Baptist.”
“I love you mom.”
“I know you do.”
“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just got a bee in my bonnet because I was watching a video by mightymuddychuck suggesting reasons for the Mandela Effect.”
Hope came to a stop at an intersection as did four other cars. They each waited their turn and drove on.
Wade says, “Stop for a moment.”
“Why?”
“There are no cars behind you. Stop.”
Hope brought her car to a stop.
Wade says, “Look in the rear view mirror. What do you see?”
“I don’t know. What am I supposed to see?”
“There are no cars at that four way stop.”
“So.”
“On this road, do you know how often there are always four cars at that stop and yet when we drive on there are no cars at that stop. There are no cars behind us. There are no cars in front of us. If you are in town that isn’t true. I mean, there is always traffic. But when you are in a rural area, you notice it.”
“Can I drive on now?”
“Sure. See. When this machine was first created it was important for people to meet so as to fuck and reproduce. Have you ever wondered why when there were so few people on this planet, the paths of men would cross and shit would happen. Fucking and fighting and all between.”
Hope drives on. “What a way to talk to your mom? Fucking and fighting. Such language. I should have washed your mouth out more often when you were a child.”
Wade takes a deep breath. He tells his mom, “There is a chance that we are dead and in Hades.”
“You have lost your fucking mind.”
Wade laughs. “You are just now figuring that out.”
They come to a car that has run off the road and crashed into a tree. Hope pulls off the road and calls 911. Wade jumps out of the car and runs to the car. He pulls a young man out of the car just as the car begins to blaze up.
The young man cries. “Don’t save me. I want to die.”
Wade says, “Don’t worry, you are dead, and now in Hades. Man, that is life.”
“What do you mean?”
“It does not matter. So what is you name?”
“Bryan Wohand.”
Advertisement:
[contentcards url=”https://sayata.net/m/product/western-digital-2tb-elements-portable-external-hard-drive-usb-3-0-wdbu6y0020bbk-wesn/”]
Bryan, Wade, and Hope waited for the EMS and a truck from the fire department. The car fire burnt itself out. EMS never came. A firetruck never came.
“Bryan, where do you live at?”
“I lost my job. My wife kicked me out. I have no home. I have nothing. I just want to die.”
Wade says, “I told you. You are dead.”
Hope screams, “Don’t tell him that. We aren’t dead. We are not in Hades. That is crazy talk.”
Wade says, “So anyway, we dead people have to stick together. You can come home with me. I just bought myself a new camper and I am living at Hearthville Lake View Trailer Park. It is pretty cool there.”
“I don’t know you.”
“Well. If you don’t want help, fuck off. I don’t give a shit.”
Hope says, “Wait. You just tried to kill yourself and now you are acting like you are afraid of my son. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that is going to kill you.”
“He thinks we are dead and in Hades.”
“Well. Whatever. Son. Come on. Let us get the heck out of here.”
“I was in a car wreck and you are going to just leave me here?”
Wade says, “You can come with us. You can stay here. I don’t give a fuck.”
“I am sorry. Of course I will go with you all. Living in a camper with a male whore is better than being homeless.”
“Oh. So you know me by reputation. Cool.”
Advertisement:
[contentcards url=”https://sayata.net/m/product/hdml-cloner-box-evolve-2-hdmi-inputs-and-4k-video-input-supported-capture-hdmi-videos-and-games-to-usb-flash-drive-tf-microsd-card-without-pc-schedule-capturing-remote-control-cec-supported/” target=”_blank”]