Month: June 2021

Hearthville Serial: Book 7

Episode 13

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 2021

All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes

Victor whirled his white van around the corner onto the side street and saw a red red van speed out of the back parking area of the church. Victor was right on its tail. And the chase began.

Steed asked, “How do you plan to stop the van? Do you have a gun or anything?”

“I don’t have any weapon but fist. What about you?”

Steed opened up his Sunday jacket to reveal a shoulder holster with four guns. He handed one and a thing of clips to Victor. “The clips all contain silver bullets in case we are chasing supernatural creatures.”

Suddenly a round of bullets were fired from the red van. Victor quickly swirled off to the side of the road so that bullets missed. A mail box that Victor struck with his van flew up into the air.

Victor said, “We are going to have to pull back. I was just lucky that my reflexes were good enough to dodge the bullets.”

Donny Maxtone’s ghost jumped into the back of the van. His ghost laughed. “Luck. Yeah. That is what it was. Magic had nothing to do with it.”

Steed said, “You know you do not have to pretend with me, at the moment I do know that I am a witch and that you are some kind of god.”

“Some kind of god. That is funny.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I am not a god. I am just a crazy guy that has weird dreams.”

Donny rolled his eyes.

Steed said, “Well, right now we are chasing some real men with real guns and if they have any weapons with silver bullets then they can kill us. I know the other side is all beautiful and all, or so my father says, but I am kind of liking this world right now and I do not want to die.”

“I know what you are saying. I just want to live a normal life as Victor and as a human.”

“So you know?”

“I don’t know anything except I want to catch these evil sons of bitches that we are chasing.”

“Yeah. And if they are human and don’t use magic then we will not use magic.”

Victor asked, “Do you know how to use magic?”

“Not very well. Mom and dad have started trying to teach me but most of my spells ping.”

Victor nodded. He looked into the back of the van and saw Donny. “What the fuck are you doing here man? Glad to see you.”

Steed looked back to see who Victor was talking with but did not see anyone.

Donny said, “Steed can’t see me.”

“Sure he can. Steed, look again.”

Steed saw Donny Maxtone. “You are dead.”

“Yeah, as a door nail. But dude, don’t insult me by pointing out the obvious.”

Victor asked, “What do you know about this situation?”

“Not a lot. I was at my place in Whitehead and Bare Town and was listening to Morris on the radio. He announced the situation and that you were in pursuit of whoever you caught who was in the process of of staging the bio terror attack. I thought I would pop in to see if I can help you.”

Steed asked, “Whitehead and Bare Town? Why does that place sound familiar?”

“You and Judy have a place there. You two have a nice place there.”

“Judy and I have place there. We are soul mates?”

Victor said, “You and Judy are not soul mates. Get that fuck out of your head. You and Rita also have a place. It is in Hockey Stick Town. Now you can tell me that you and Rita are soul mates.”

Steed shook his head. “Liar.” Then he thought a second. “You have to be lying. Aren’t you?”

Victor looked at Steed with an evil grin.

Donny said, “I love Hockey Stick Town. Sports Venue after Sports Arena and not just Hockey. Football. Baseball. Basketball. Water Polo. Golf. Swimming Competitions. You name it. It is there. I have so much fun when I go there. But without our gang there together, it is not quite the same.”

Victor said, “Okay. We have to concentrate on catching the bad guys. The question is, how are we going to do that.”

Steed said, “I would say approach from the back and try to bump them so they will lose control but they have some powerful weapons up there.”

Donny said, “I would pop into their vehicle but I don’t know whether they are mortal or witch or whether they have cages for ghost.”

Victor said, “No. We don’t want you being caged. That is for sure. But we have to do something.”

Steed said, “We can continue following them. See where they are going. I am going to call my father to see if he can send backup.”

***

Preacher Pat Pialo looked across his desk inside his house. “Where is my sermon? I need to make some changes. Where did I leave it?”

Preacher Pat’s cellphone began to ring. He looked to see who was calling. “What does Morris want? I don’t have time for some silly radio interview right now.” Preacher Pat did not answer his phone. “I bet my sermon is in my office at the church. I will run over there and get it.”

 

Hearthville Serial: Book 7

Episode 12

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 2021

All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes

Victor and Stewart began to unload the tables from the white van to set up along the walkway up to the church. Every once in a while they looked over a Preacher Pat Pialo on the porch at his house. He was still eating cereal.

Stewart said, “I like this van. Can I have it? I might could use it to start doing gig deliveries.”

“No, you can not have my van and why on earth would you want to start making gig deliveries. I want to set you up in a Sporting Goods Store.”

“Oh my God. I do not want to sit in a store all fucking day long.”

“But you want to sit in a van for around minimum wage, driving packages to their destination?”

“Well, yeah.”

Victor shook his head. “What if I make you my errand boy?”

“Errand boy. That sounds rather demeaning. Now I might take a job of being Vice President of Errands. But I would still get to drive around. Right?”

“Sure.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Yes. So will you take the job?”

“What kind of money are we talking?”

“I will pay you $200,000 a year.”

“Okay.”

“Changing the subject back to what we are actually doing, we need to put up signs that tells people what is written on the mask and tell them they must take the first mask they handle. The signs are right up behind the front seat in the van. You start putting the signs up while I go inside the church to pee. I am about to piss all over myself.”

“Yeah, we don’t want you to have to turn your pants around so you are wearing them backwards to hide the wet place.”

“Was that real? Did Trump really do that?”

“I don’t know. None of the pictures actually showed where he had pissed his pants. At least none that I saw. I think it was just twitter being twitter. Stupid.”

“Yeah. He probably just put his pants on backwards after having sex in a room with no lights burning. I’ve got to run. Seriously run.”

Victor took off running.

Stewart laughed at his brother. Stewart’s sister Judy walked up with her boyfriend Steed.

Judy asked, “Why is our bro in such a run?”

“He has to pee really bad.”

“Oh.”

Steed asked, “How do you pee really badly. Miss the toilet?”

Stewart laughed. “I see why you were friends with Victor. Same sense of humor.”

Judy nodded as she looked around. “So what you and Victor doing with these tables and putting mask out. I thought Preacher Pialo was going to do a maskless service.”

“Victor convinced him to use these masks instead until less pressure would be on Mayor Bare to arrest him for a maskless service.”

Judy asked, “Preacher Pat agreed?”

“Yeah. Thank God. I did not want to see him arrested.”

Steed asked, “Have you ever been arrested?”

“No. Just the thought of being in jail terrifies me.”

Judy said, “Dad said Victor committed a felony this morning without even thinking about it. He just casually did it.”

Stewart asked, “What?”

“He put ransomware on some media company computers so that they would get and release the Fauci emails that shows Fauci knows the dime store masks are worthless.”

“I see.” Stewart asked Steed, “Have you ever committed any crimes?”

“My father is a gangster. What do you think?”

Judy looked at Steed. She was not sure what to think.

***

Victor ran into the church and into the men’s bathroom that was off the foyer as he entered the church. He ran to the urinal and unzipped his pants and pulled out his monster. He began to pee. As he was peeing he heard some noise in the church.

“Come on you damn dick, let it flow and let me finish before I am retirement age.”

Victor finished. He put his monster away. He zipped himself. He washed his hands. He left the bathroom and walked beyond the foyer to inside of the church. He saw two men wearing Hazmat Suits and spraying something on the pews.

Victor called out to them. “What are you two doing?”

“We are disinfecting the church before services begin.”

“Who hired you to do this?”

“Mayor Hollis Bare.”

Victor pulled out his cellphone. He called Mayor Hollis. “Did you or anyone in your office hire anyone to spray disinfectant in the church?”

“Why?”

“I just found two men spraying the church. They are wearing Hazmat Suits. Why would you spray a church on a Sunday right before services with a chemical that requires a Hazmat Suit.”

“Let me call Daniel and make sure that he did not hire someone in my name because sometimes that boy just does not think right.”

Suddenly the men threw their spraying devices down and they start running toward a back entrance to the church.”

“God damn. They are on the run. Get a real Hazmat team here to see what the fuck they have been spraying. I am going to be in chase.” Victor shoved his phone into his pocket. He turned to run out the front of the church. He screamed to Stewart as he ran toward him and the van. “The church has been poisoned with a bio terror weapon. Don’t go inside. Don’t let anyone else inside. I was talking to the Mayor when they took off running. But call him to coordinate blocking the church off.”

Stewart watched Victor jumping into his van. Steed ran to the other door and jumped into the van with Victor. Judy called a friend a local radio station.

Judy said, “Morris. There has been a bio terror attack at Preacher Pat’s church. Start warning people to stay out of the area.”

“Are you serious?”

“Mayor Hollis is on the phone with Stewart right now. Victor and Steed are in pursuit of the men who were caught spraying the church with something.”

“Steed. Wait. Are you back with him?”

“Morris. Concentrate. Bio terror attack. Church. Warn people.”

“Right. Right. Right.”

Judy hung the phone up. Stewart said, “Daniel has been notified to start blocking the roads off.”

Stewart looked over to where Preacher Pat had been eating his cereal. He was no longer sitting on the porch. “Oh my God. Where did Preacher Pat go? Please don’t be in the church.”

Judy said, “You do realize our brother was just in the church.”

“I know but I can not undo that. I need to find Preacher Pat.”

“Call him.”

“Sure. I will call him. I will call him.”

 

 

 

 

Hearthville Serial: Book 7

Episode 11

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 2021

All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes

Victor told Preacher Pat Pialo that he and Stewart would go on over to the church and begin setting up the tables where people could get their face masks. Preacher Pat Pialo nodded as he ate on his bowl of cereal.

Stewart smiled. “You are seriously loving that cereal.”

“When I am nervous I eat like I am starved. It is a wonder I don’t weigh a thousand pounds.”

Stewart said, “Since this covid shit I have put on some weight but you are looking good.”

Victor said, “He is Jack’s.”

“I am not gay. How many times do I have to tell you, I like women. I may not have too much luck with them, but they do get my dick hard.”

Victor grinned. “They should put that Valentine’s Day cards. ‘I Love You Because You Get My Dick Hard.”

Preacher Pialo stared at Victor. “You really are the devil, aren’t you.”

Victor laughed.

Stewart said, “I had a dream where Victor was telling me that Jesus Christ is his higher brother. He went into some shit about being spawned or some crap. It was a weird dream.”

An image flashed in the mind of Preacher Pialo of standing with Victor at a scene from Jesus being crucified. Preacher Pialo shook the image from his mind. “Victor, who do you think Jesus was?”

“His soul is a spark from God herself. He is a great soul just as Buddah is a great soul. But his story, the true story of Jesus was hijacked by a subset of Jews to bring Rome down just as they are trying to bring the United States down. But don’t confuse that subset of Jews with the good Jews and make no mistake there are a lot of good men and women among that population.”

Preacher Pialo said, “Jesus was Jewish.”

“No. In that incarnation he and his cousin John were mostly Sumerian born to the outer tribes that maintained their secret identities long after their people, the Sumerian people, were defeated by the Jews. Joseph was Jewish but the Virgin Mary was mostly Sumerian.”

“She was from the Jewish Tribe of Levi.”

“No. She was not. She was Sumerian. See, the Jewish myth that was created does not even keep the tribes straight. They try to say that Jesus was from the Tribe of Judah. But he was not. He was mostly Sumerian. The remnants of the Tribe of Benjamin and the remnants from the Sumerians lived together and so if it can be said Jesus came from any tribe, he came from the tribe of Benjamin which had been decimated into oblivion by the other tribes. The bloodline of Saul became mixed with the Sumerians and so if it can be said that ancestral line of Jesus came from a former King of Israel it would have been King Saul. It sure as hell would not have been from that bastard, King David.”

“You don’t like the historical figure, King David.”

“Saul was a kind King. When his armies went in, he left the villages with enough to survive. King David went in to destroy villages. He massacred people for pleasure. He was a murderous asshole.”

Stewart asked, “Where do you read this shit at? It is not like any religious text I have ever read.”

“Sure. I read it somewhere. Who knows where.”

Preacher Pialo and Stewart stared at Victor with a puzzled look. He contradicted their beliefs, and that bothered them. But still, they did not want to enter religious debate with him.

Still, Preacher Pialo could not contain himself. “So you don’t believe in the bible.”

“I believe in the truth and not some fabrication by the Jew to destroy the Roman Empire. I believe in the true Christ and make no mistake the truth is more compelling to who Jesus was in that incarnation than the Jewish fabrication. His incarnation sure as hell was not intended to create an age of ignorance, the Dark Ages, for all of Europe. His intent was to help mankind find grace and redemption and find our way out of this prison we call Earth. His incarnation sure as hell was not intended to help the Jew create a worse hell on earth so as to torture the gentiles.”

Stewart asked, “Victor, are you anti-semitic?”

“I am anti-ignorance. But like I said, there are a lot of good people among the Jewish population and we have to remember that even as we face there are also a lot of evil people among that population. They are like every population. There is the good, the bad, and the ugly and allowing the Evil Ones to hide behind their religion, whatever the religion, is not acceptable. And the politicians who want to protect the Evil Ones just because they pretend to be religious or are hiding behind their religion need to all be voted out of office.”

 

Excerpt:

Preacher Pat said, “Victor, you aren’t going to talk me out of taking a stand. I am tired of this totalitarian bullshit. We’ve got to take a stand. It begins by just saying no to the face masks.”

Victor said, “Give me a couple of weeks and I will prove the face masks are a bunch of Trilateral Commission bullshit. But I need time.”

 

Hearthville Serial: Book 7

Episode 10

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 2021

All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes

Victor walked into the kitchen. His father was sitting at a table. He looked up from his laptop computer at his son.

“Stewart is worried about you. And he is upset that you were not tough enough with the mayor.”

Victor walked to the refrigerator and opened the door. He knelt down and looked inside. He retrieved a beer from the top shelf. He closed the door. He popped the tab of the beer. He took a long, hard drink. He sat down next to his father. “May I use your computer for a moment.”

“I guess. Why?”

Victor took the computer. He began typing.

Elliot looked to see what his son was doing. “You are using my computer to put a ransom ware virus on media computers?”

“I am giving them ten days to request and make public the Fauci emails. They will not be able to track what I did back to you.”

“What do you think will be in Fauci emails?”

“He originally said that wearing dime store masks was pointless. Then after he got an invitation from the Trilateral Commission he started pushing the narrative to wear a mask. There should be something about all that in the emails. Now if I can convince Preacher Pat to hold off on his stand against face masks until the emails are released.”

“You are sure they will not be able to trace what you did back to us.”

“They will not know.”

“Son, that you can commit a felony with such ease bothers me.”

“Yeah. It is all just a dream anyway.”

Elliot stared at Victor. He shook his head. He said nothing.

Ellen walked into the kitchen. “My. You two are up early.”

Victor stood up. His kissed his mom on the cheek. “Love you.”

Ellen smiled at her son. “Back at you.”

“Well, I need to go talk to Preacher Pat. Do you think Stewart will want to go with me?”

Elliot said, “Yeah. He was almost crying when he was telling me how Preacher Pat might get arrested by Daniel Bare. You know, some people take the threat of being arrested seriously.”

“Some people.” Victor grinned. “Daniel is an asshole. Mayor Hollis is a good guy but for some reason there was a lot of pressure being put on him to have Daniel arrest Preacher Pat. Well, let me go see if I can wake Stewart up.”

Victor left the kitchen.

Ellen and Elliot looked at one another.

****

Preacher Pat was sitting on his front porch in a green rocking chair. He was wearing a robe that was most open to reveal his pink, blue bubbles with hearts, pajamas. Victor and Stewart walked up. Victor and Stewart were each holding a large box. Preacher Pat stared at them.

Preacher Pat said, “Victor, you aren’t going to talk me out of taking a stand. I am tired of this totalitarian bullshit. We’ve got to take a stand. It begins by just saying no to the face masks.”

Victor said, “Give me a couple of weeks and I will prove the face masks are a bunch of Trilateral Commission bullshit. But I need time.”

Stewart stared at Preacher Pat. “Do you sleep in pajamas?”

“I never know when I am going to get a late night visitor.”

Stewart smiled. “Jack.”

Preacher Pat laughed. “No. Not that kind of visit. I am always here for the people of my church when they need to visit me to talk. My door is always open.”

Victor nodded. “So will you give me a couple of weeks.”

“A few days ago I got a call. The person was upset. They were not really talking much sense. They hung up on me. I guess they didn’t think I was talking much sense either. At first I was kind of angry at the conversation. I felt they had been so rude to me. Then I got to thinking that was not like them. I thought on it some more and I got worried. I decided I needed to go see them. Then I realized I was out of face masks. I was thinking, ‘Oh, I got to wear a face mask when I visit members of my congregation. That is where my mind was.’ So I went to the store to buy some before I went to check on the person I had been talking with. When I got to the person’s house they were being put into an ambulance. Luckily a neighbor had shown more concern than me and they were gotten out of the garage before the fumes from the running car killed them. But if I been the only person who might have saved them, they would have died. And partly because I had to go buy a damned face mask that doesn’t work. It serves no purpose. It is stupid.”

Victor said, “I agree with you. But if you take a stand today, you are going to go to jail. Instead, give out the face masks we have in these boxes.”

“Give out free face masks. Are you insane? I am not doing that. I don’t want to ever see a face mask again.”

Victor sat the box down on a step up to Preacher Pat’s porch. He pulled out a knife and cut the tape that sealed the box. He opened the box. He pulled a face mask from the box and handed it to Preacher Pat.

Preacher Pat took the face mask and looked at it. On the front of it read, “This mask does not work.”

Victor handed another mask to Preacher Pat. On the front it read, “Fauci Works for Satan.” Victor said, “There are also masks where you can use a marker to write whatever you want, such as a proverb. I talked to Mayor Hollis and he liked the idea.”

Preacher Pat smiled. “Okay. But next month, I want these masks gone.”

“I understand. Hopefully by then enough pressure will have been taken off of Mayor Hollis so there will be no chance of you being arrested. You know Jack and Stewart love you and that means I love you. We don’t want you hurt. And I know you don’t want members of your congregation hurt.”

“Of course I don’t.”

 

 

 

 

 

Excerpt:

“Donny. We talked about the soul who spawned me. Amelia.”

“You know when you talk about these things, I don’t understand. And then you always end by saying that it was all just a dream. What do you mean by saying that she spawned you?”

“Souls split. It is called spawning. When it happens they create lesser souls but still the soul that spawns us is part of us and we are part of them.”

“So who is Amelia?”

“She is God. She is the one who created this world, this prison.”

 

Hearthville Serial: Book 7

Episode 9

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 2021

All Rights Reserved
Chapters / Episodes

Victor stood in his bedroom and looked out his window. He stared up at the sky. He stared at the stars. He touched the glass of the window. And then he saw his own reflection in the window and he saw the tears in his eyes. He touched a tear drop rolling down his pinkish cheek.

Victor’s brother Stewart opened the door to Victor’s bedroom. “I was looking for you.”

“Why?” Victor’s voice sounded distant. He did not turn to look at Stewart.

“Preacher Pat Piaolo is planning on having church tomorrow. He is telling everyone he doesn’t want to see any damned face mask in church. Mayor Hollis and Daniel are talking about arresting him. It was a big deal on the radio today. I know you have influence with Mayor Hollis and Daniel.”

“Daniel hates my fucking guts.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. But I will call Hollis.” Victor turned to pick up his cellphone.

“You are crying? Why are you crying?”

“I went to see Maureen Bingo. I had these ideas. I had these plans.”

“She is married. And she is too old for you. Besides, I thought you were going to pursue things with Tabitha.”

“I guess for a moment I was having horny thoughts about Maureen. But honest. That is not what I wanted with Maureen. Do you remember when we were up in the mountains and the Bingo family was there and Maureen was pregnant with Billy.”

“Not really.”

“Do you remember Barry Whitehead?”

“I heard his name in the news. He died in the car crash. But no. I am pretty sure I never met him.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

“I think I am losing my mind.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I feel myself getting lost between the world of the living and the world of the dead. After I visited Maureen to give her a check I ended up in an after life / before birth community. I talked to Donny Maxtone.”

“Donny? Not Jossette?”

“Donny. We talked about the soul who spawned me. Amelia.”

“You know when you talk about these things, I don’t understand. And then you always end by saying that it was all just a dream. What do you mean by saying that she spawned you?”

“Souls split. It is called spawning. When it happens they create lesser souls but still the soul that spawns us is part of us and we are part of them.”

“So who is Amelia?”

“She is God. She is the one who created this world, this prison.”

“Wait. Are you trying to say that you are the second coming of Christ. That is blasphemy.”

“In the after life, Jesus is my higher brother. He was also spawned by Amelia.”

“What you are telling me all does sound crazy and it doesn’t fit with the bible at all.”

Through his tears Victor smiled. “I guess it all was just a dream.”

“You have some strange dreams.”

“I do. I really do. Now let me call Hollis.”

Victor hit speed dial and called Hollis.

“Hey Hollis, this is Victor. You can’t let Daniel arrest Preacher Pat.”

“Victor. We don’t want to arrest him. But I am getting calls from the fucking White House. Let me repeat: the fucking White House.”

“Let me remind you, I sent Belial to hell.”

“Boy, I know you did. And honest to God I do not want to go against you. I don’t want you sending me to hell, but if the Preacher holds church tomorrow without anyone wearing mask, I have no choice but to have Daniel arrest him. I am sorry. Honest to God I am sorry.”

“I know you are. I will talk to Preacher Pat.”

Stewart said, “Preacher Pat is not going to back down.”

Victor disconnected from Mayor Hollis. Victor vanished from Stewart’s sight.

Stewart screamed, “What the hell. Victor, where did you go?”

Victor called back to Stewart. “Go back to bed Stewart. You are just having a dream.”

“I am just having one of Victor’s dreams.”

****

Victor appeared in Preacher Pat Pialo’s bedroom. Preacher Pat was asleep in his bed. He was wearing pink pajamas that had baby blue bubbles on them and red hearts in the blue bubbles. He tossed and he turned. He kicked at his covers. Every once in a while he screamed, “God! Help me.”

Watching Preacher Pat, Victor shook his head in a saying no fashion. “What am I going to do with you Preacher Pat? Stewart and Jack love you. And I don’t want to see you hurt. How can I protect you?”

Victor stepped into Preacher Pat’s dream. He walked up to Preacher Pat in the dream. He took Preacher Pat’s hand. Preacher Pat looked at him as they stood in a line of people along a narrow sandy road that was climbed up a hill. Then they both turned to look at Jesus carrying a cross up the hill. The scene was not exactly like Victor remembered when his higher brother was crucified but the scene was close. Had Preacher Pat been there or had he seen the scene in a movie?

“In a past life, did you ever see Jesus preach?”

“I don’t believe in reincarnation.”

“So is what you are dreaming from a movie?”

“I guess.”

“Most movies don’t picture the sandals the way they were at the time of Christ. It is something even the souls who were there at the time often get wrong. But your dream’s depiction of the sandals is correct. You were there when Jesus was crucified.”

“Was I among those who called for his crucifixion?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve had this dream before but you were never in it.”

“I am here now.”

“If I was there. If this is a memory. Why didn’t I help Jesus? I pray that I was not among those who called for his death. But why in this dream do I just stand and watch? I don’t want to just stand and watch. I want to make a difference. I want to make a difference for good.”

“Allowing yourself to be a made a political prisoner is not going to make a difference. You couldn’t save Jesus. And going to jail because you don’t want the church goers to wear face mask is not going to save America.”

“The face mask is a symbol of fear and tyranny. Every time I put that face mask on to go shopping, I imagine that mask is as heavy as that cross that Jesus is carrying to his own death. We are wearing the mask even as they plot to kill us. It is such a joke to them, like making Jesus carry his own cross. Does anyone think these Pontius Pilate’s give a flying fuck about us? No. They want to own us. They want to control us. They want to make us slaves to some vaccine passport system. We can’t allow that. We must not allow that.”

“I know what you are saying.”

“Do you? If you are in a room where the virus is in the air, the mask actually pulls the air down to your nose and mouth. And when you breathe out, it pushes the air up to make the spread more effective. They are making us wear the mask not because they want to save us but because they want to kill us. They want to infect as many people as possible during their bio-terror attacks. The dime store mask help them do that.”

“I don’t want you to go to jail. They are going to arrest you. Daniel has already been given orders. Hollis does not want it to happen but he has even been received calls from the White House.”

“I should have helped Jesus.”

“He understands. He does not blame you.”

Preacher Pat stared at Victor. There was an anger in his expression. “Who are you to say that Jesus understands and that he does not blame me? Do you see him there? He is angry as hell and in the end he thinks God has forsaken him. He thinks all of us have forsaken him.”

“Jesus could have stopped what was happening more so than you could have. “

“I don’t know why he couldn’t save himself but I don’t believe he could. Just look at him.”

“I see him and I tell you that my brother is a better man than me. I would not have allowed myself to die on any fucking cross. But know that even I, a lesser man than my higher brother, would not hold any grudge against you.”

“I did nothing and I guess the grudge is all mine to own. And now, still, if I do nothing, the grudge will still be all mine to own.”

“Are you sure? In the end will that be how you think. If your congregation can not stop Daniel from arresting you, will you hold a grudge against them.”

“Maybe the grudge I hold is against God. Where is God? In the end, even Jesus wondered. Why isn’t God helping us against the Evil Ones?”

“Our God sleeps. She sleeps. I don’t know fully why, but I know she sleeps.”

“She?”

“Look at the Virgin Mary there. Look at the pain in her face and know her pain was as great as the pain of Jesus. Do you think she did not want to save her son from that pain? Do you think she doesn’t want to save us all from this prison planet? But then she sees the evils. The evils not just of the world, but of us. She sees the betrayals. She sees and there is only so much she can stand to see. And so she sleeps. She sleeps.”

“Victor, you speak so oddly. Your religion is not my religion. And yet I think I understand.”

Victor vanished.

Preacher Pat Pialo woke up. “Somehow we must wake God up.”