Anomalies and Aberrations

Jacobs Crossing

Chapter One

The trees whipped in the wind like a woman tossing her hair. A constant sheet of rain flew sideways. Sarah Cunningham huddled on a bench in the white gazebo at the center of the park. The structure was finished with white lattice siding and afforded little shelter. Streams of water ran down her glasses and continued in a zigzag pattern along her cheeks, onto her chin, where large droplets formed and fell on her gray raincoat.

She sat alone. He

r stare was fixated on the church that towered over the small town of Jacobs Crossing. It sat directly across the street from the park. Sarah wondered what time it was. “It’s got to be after midnight,” she thought. She couldn’t check. They were forbidden to carry or wear watches. She continued to sit, trying to build up her courage.

A cold shiver ran up her spine. Sarah was not sure if the spasm was caused by the thoughts of what might await her or the chilly January rain blown by its gale-force wind. It had been raining most of the night and the dead grass that covered the park was almost submerged in water.

A flash of lightning with a hundred fingers streaked across the dark sky. The massive black granite structure across the street appeared more ominous when illuminated by the temporary burst of light.

Bracing herself on the slippery back of the bench, she slowly pushed her body to a standing position. Her knees were weak, though not from age or lack of exercise. She had worked on a farm all of her life and under the slicker was a muscular body. She was only forty-five but they were hard years. Each year was a year spent plowing, tossing bales of hay, and pulling a living from the soil with both of her calloused hands. She and Joshua had given their lives to the land. The years of toil lined her face.

She was scared but there was nothing else she could do. She had to try to save her son. She had to appeal for mercy. She had ignored the situation when it was the sons of others. When it happened, there would be whispered rumors for a couple of weeks then life would return to normal. Now it was Josh, her son.

Bracing herself against the wind she made her way across the park using the raised cobblestone walk.

She stood before the formidable wooden doors, gathered her courage, gave a sigh and reached for the black iron handle.

The hinge creaked as Sarah pulled it open. A flickering candle provided light in the vestibule as she entered. The force of the storm outside slammed the massive doors, creating a loud echo from the bowels of the church. Then all was quiet. She stood there listening to the silence as water dripped from her coat, creating a pool on the stone floor.

Mentally, she grabbed the lapels of her coat and pulled herself the remaining distance down the dark hallway to the double doors of the sanctuary. They, too, gave a whining sound, amplified by the quietness of the empty church.

Within, the sanctuary was lit by a single large candle mounted atop a tall black iron pole, placed in the center of the altar. It emitted enough light to allow her to make her way down the aisle to the railing that ran along the front of the altar. She slumped forward, her knees coming to rest on the cushion at the bottom of the rail. Her hands were clasped in a posture of prayer.

She began to pray – her words slow and well chosen. “I have come to beseech you not to take my son, Josh. He is all I have. I was young and foolish when I made the agreement. I cannot live with the thought of what I have done if he is taken from me.”

As she spoke the doors to the sanctuary swung open, then closed with a slam. She turned to look. There was nothing, yet she could feel a presence approaching her.

As the force hovered around her slumped body, a feeling of dread filled her soul. The manifestation constricted the space around her, making it hard to breath.

“

Please have mercy on us. Banish us. Take the farm for your use but leave us alone. It is bad enough that my husband, Elijah, was taken by you. Let my son and I live in peace.”

She heard the sound of a soft laugh. Sarah felt an unseen hand grasp her left breast. Then there was a sensation of pressure building up in her chest. Her heart began to throb. She could hear it, like a base drum beating, faster and faster. It felt as though her heart was swelling, the muscles of the life-giving organ straining as it engorged with blood.

“Please.”

Sarah grabbed her chest as though she were holding herself together. Her mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. Her eyes widened in a prolonged stare.

There were two gasps and another faint, “Please,” as her body slowly slid down the front of the altar rail. Her face slapping against the slats of the railing as her body slipped sideways.

Her head came to a stop on the red padding. Sarah’s hands were still grasping her chest, her eyes and mouth were wide open...but there was no life in her body.