There were days like this,
believe it or not, where some people knew in which direction their lives lay,
even though there were no signposts. This is not a story about those people.
But it was at one such
crossroads where two men, who were very different in purpose but not in
outlook, met by happenstance. One was pure, though his heart hung sometimes
heavy; the other had done and seen too much to turn back though he longed for
sometimes more.
“Well met, my son. What
ails you? You look in pain.”
“Well; I wouldn’t normally
admit to such a thing –for it wouldn’t do well in my line of work to admit to a
weakness- but for some reason I know that I can trust you. So yes; I must
admit that I am in some pain –the people from my last employment did not take too
kindly to the conclusion of the job and they refused to pay me… what’s more,
they tried to take my life and almost succeeded.”
“And is this the norm for
you?”
“Hazards of the job,
though it’s rare to suffer such a close call –I must be slipping.”
“I think it prudent that I
don’t ask about your particular line of business.”
“Ignorance is sometimes
bliss, Father.”
“Am I that obvious, my
Son?”
“Not to those who have not
learned to read people.”
“As you can imagine, it’s
not always wise to flaunt the cloth. There are too many people that see a man
of God as an easy target, often suffering from the misconception that we have
rich coffers straining under the weight of justly given gold.”
“Your secret is safe with
me, Father.”
“I thank you. Still I can
see that you are in need of some healing, and I would be remiss if I did not
oblige.”
And with that the man of
wisdom and sadness placed his hands on the other man’s shoulders and stood
behind him for some time. When at last he was finished both were of one mind
and knew that they were far closer in spirit than they had at first thought.
“It’s rare that I can
relax with others, Father; and for that alone I thank you. But for the other I
am clearly in your debt.”
“There are no checks and
balances here, my Son. There are things that I could ask of you in return which
would be impossible for you to promise in your current circumstances.”
“But I will not forget the
deed, nor the kindness that you have shown me.” The other man spoke. “Where are
you going, if I may be so bold.”
“I am going to Slaughly; I
hear they are in need of a lay preacher, so I was dispatched.”
“Just know that you are
going to Slaughley, and not the other way to Crawlin; which is where I am headed.
They are not the sort of company you would benefit from, nor would they from
you. It is foul business that brings me there and you would best be away.”
So the preacher followed
the assassin’s heed and took the left hand path until he reached the village. When he spied the ruin of
the church his heart broke and he wondered what the Lord was asking from him.
He found a cross amongst the ruins and propped it on the wreck of the altar
before changing into his robes.
“We were told that you had
your quirks, Sirrah; but we never thought that they ran this far.”
“I beg your pardon?!”
“You were sent here…”
“I was.”
“By the order.”
“I was.”
“To take care of certain
problems…” The men that now surrounded him were brusque, bearded with cold
eyes; hardened like dull steel.
“Yes; well – I am here to
provide council to those in need.”
“We are all of need here,
Father; but not of the type that you can offer us. I can see now that you are
not the man we were expecting. No matter; one man is as good as another where
killing is concerned.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We would ask of you to
take one of your own that step closer to God.”
“You know what you ask of
me and why I can not and will not. I am a man of the cloth.”
“Think of this as another
Crusade, Father; of a more personal nature where the stakes are far higher for
you.”
“How so?”
“If this person is not..
gathered unto himself than your life
will be forfeit.”
“You know what you are
saying and what the ramifications will surely be.”
“Look around you, Father.
Do we really look like God fearing people?” At this the men laughed. “The
Innkeep is not one of us; yet he is of powerful family that if one of us killed
him then there would be
repercussions. However, by you being here all that will surely be alleviated.”
“I will not do your dirty
work for you.”
“Then you will die and we
will find someone else. This way you can at least give him absolution.” The men
laughed again and walked out. “You have three days, Father.”
The priest wept then,
asking the Lord what to do.
On the first day he
prayed, sought to make penance for his previous sins –which must have been
great and many to have ended up in such a place- but he did not leave the
sanctuary of the Church.
One the second day he
visited the Inn. He wanted to see the soul of the man he had been called to
end. He needed to understand why.
The Innkeeper took one
look at the man of cloth and laughed. “I am glad that my prayers have been
listened to, but it is not my soul that needs saving but my body. My BEAUTIFUL
body!” And with that he plonked down a flagon of mead in front of the preacher.
“What am I to do with
this?”
“I could think of many
things, but you might be offended by them.”
“How dare you!”
“You really are a man of
faith! I’m surprised to see you in such a place. Maybe some habits are hard to
break. If it’s not a drink that you’re after, then maybe a young boy?”
The man truly was
despicable; he was bull chested with no discernable neck or manners. His face
was badly scarred and pock marked, yet the women fawned over him; more from
fear than anything. His temper was fierce, fists flying over the slightest provocation
–and there were many.
During the time he spent
there the Priest witnessed much that churned his gut; he had never met such a
loathsome creature but did that mean he deserved to die? Would not that deed
make them equals?
And what set the Innkeeper
aside from the others? Simply that he was not ‘one of them’, despite them all
seemingly cut from the same; and the Priest knew that he could not follow
through on his deed. When he left the establishment he was accosted by the same
villagers from the day before.
“Vile, is he not? Over
ripe for pruning, surely?”
“Never before have I met
such a creature.”
“So you will do the deed?”
“You can not even say the
words. You wish me to murder him in cold blood.”
“He has done far worse.”
“And that justifies it?
But so have you all, and if I were to start with him and killed all those who
warranted it then you would surely be next; all of you; and I would not be far
behind.”
“So that’s a no then,
‘good Father’”
“That is a firm and
definite no.”
“Even though tomorrow your
life is forfeit.”
“I can not justify his
life for mine.”
“You have one more day.
Tomorrow we will find out which life you value more: his or yours.”
On the third day he rose
from a dreamless sleep. His prayers were unanswered, and he was no closer to
understanding why he had been brought here. All he knew was that he would be
dead by days end.
There were times when he
had become weak and had contemplated ending the Innkeepers life, but he had
remained resolute and strong. There were other times he had wanted to run but
he knew that he would never have been allowed to leave. There were no
alternatives but to accept the day.
In amongst the angst he
felt he was also becoming aware of a stillness, a silence that held peace. He
had accepted his self and knew that regardless of the consequences he had made
up his mind.
There was a strength that
he felt now and he knew that he would not die afraid. It was then that he heard
someone enter the church. It was his time. He looked up into the eyes of the
man he had met at the crossroads.
“Father, please forgive
me.”
“Dare I ask what you’ve
done now?” Despite all he had felt he now found himself smiling.
“I should not have tarried
so long at the other village, but I have never been accepted in such a fashion.
They never thought to judge me, or even want to know about my past. They only
sought to see the best in me. I have been naught but a vagrant for most of my
life and never wanted to settle down, but I could easily have done so there.”
“What made you leave?”
“When I realised just what
it would cost you, Father. And that I could not have lived with. I owe you and
now I owe you double for you have shown me another way of being.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“Leave, Father. Leave this
place and never come back. I am here to fulfil the contract as I was supposed
to. You will be allowed to leave unmolested –they know that they will have me
to deal with if they try to stop you.”
“And so you will kill this
man.”
“Aye.”
“And though it means that
you will be taking another persons life.”
“It is either his life or
yours. To me there is no equation to fulfil, nothing to balance. And though it
will lead me further away from my ultimate destination; thanks to you I now
know that there can be peace of mind for me.”
“Know that there will be a
place for you in our village. Your way will be hard for there will be much
penance for you to pay. Although you believe you are doing this for the right
reasons you are still consciously taking another person’s life and that is
still a sin…”
“But the way will be worth
it.”
“Yes; your way will
ultimately be worth it.”
“Until we meet again,
Father.”
“And we will, for I know
you to be a man of your word. And I will await you, our door always ajar.”
1 comment:
interesting and not what I expected,short sharp and with a very moral thread, again ending up wanting more, loved it
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