Confession
Confessional, St. Joseph and St. Anne Catholic Church, Chicago, IL 1924
The irish brogue thickened as his defiance grew, "You are here to do the devil's work and I will give you no quarter! Go back to the hell you've come from and leave a man of God in peace." He raised his hand, brandishing the thick wooden cross which hung from the wooden beaded rosary wrapped about his wrist in a warding gesture.
Seiko stood barely a foot away before the closed door of the tiny booth, dressed from head to toe in a very well tailored men's pantsuit in the eye-catching colour of red. Her shining, loose hair gleamed dully in the faint candlelight. She watched the man's antics impassively; then slowly lifted her arm with the utmost, deliberate grace and took the cross in hand, wrapping her cool fingers around his hot, moist hand.
Her voice is soft, "How do you know I am not here to do god's will?"
The dread within his heart grew till it was almost a palpable force threatening to smother him.
"The truth shall set you free, Father O'Malley. I want the names of those who have confessed that they have harmed their loved ones by hand or deed. Those who hurt their children.. their wives.. they do not deserve your silence. And if you do not cooperate to my satisfaction, then you will be punished for your own sins."
"I have broken no commandment." The words were spoken in both fear and a desperate, self-righteous anger.
"You are right, there is no commandment which states 'Thou shalt not molest the children of your parishioners' however I think you and I both know that what you have done is wrong. You face the Angel of Death tonight, Father. I would advise you to confess and hope that you are given a reprieve."
Anger faltered before a new rush of fear. The beads of the rosary began to clack as the priest's arm began to shake.
"I want names, Father. And their confessions. And if you lie to me, your death will be without mercy."
The priest saw nothing but ferocity in the black woman's strangely slitted eyes. With a shaking, defeated voice he began to share tale after tale of horrors. As he broke faith, he cried. As the shame within him grew, he cried. But he continued to speak. Time passed, the candle sank further and further until there were no more words in his mind and heart to speak.
He looked in the woman's eyes and felt no mercy. She asked quietly, "Do you really believe that you serve god by hiding the crimes of your Parish?"
He whispered, "A man's actions are between him and God."
"Do you believe that there is true absolution?"
"Yes. I have Faith in the Lord, Our God that it is so."
Seiko studied the priest and reached into her inner coat pocket. She pulled out a flask and handed it to him. He unthinkingly accepted it, "What is this?"
"Demon Liquor."
The priest frowned and tried to return it, "I have no truck with these unholy spirits."
She laughed, "But Father, do you not recognize your own flask? I know that you preach the evils of alcohol consumption, however I also know that one of your bootlegging parishioners always slips a bottle into that booth there every other Tuesday night."
The priest, pale and shaking held the flask to his chest.
Seiko's demeanor slowly shifted to a quiet rage.
"Drink it. Now."
Desperately in need of it, he unscrewed the top and lifted the flask to his lips for a long, deep pull; however he choked immediately at both the strength of the alcohol and as something like sand tore at the tender inside of his mouth and throat. The urge to vomit came upon him, Seiko's hand like cold iron covered his mouth.
"Swallow."
Fear risen anew, he swallowed the..was it sand?-laced liquor. The granules rubbed his insides raw and the liquor brought a searing fire behind it. He gasped as he tried to breath, swallowing blood. Her hand lifted and he coughed. "Wh..wha..why?"
"I have stood here for hours listening to you speak of the deplorable members of your church. But never once did it occur to you to confess your own sins."
A hand to his throat, he tried again and again to soothe the pain by swallowing but only made it worse even as the incredibly strong alcohol began to take effect.
She took the flask from him before he dropped it and held it up to his lips. "You will drink this, or I will burn you alive. Your choice."
Another wave of dread came over him and he saw Death's Promise within her eyes. He opened his mouth, too far beyond tears or fear. She fed him generous amounts of the concoction. His hand clutched at the rosary even as blood and kerasol occasionally escaped from between his lips. Finally satisfied. She stopped and handed him the flask again.
Thoroughly intoxicated, a fire raging through his center, he watched through watery eyes the strange black woman bow her head and depart without final words. The flask dropped from his hands and the last of its contents fell onto the stone floor. Reaching for the last remains of the candle, its hot wax didn't even register as it singed the flesh. He fell heavily to his knees and leaned close to examine the crystals lying on the floor. With a complete lack of dexterity, he put his palm flat over the crystals and tried to pick up the granules to examine them more closely however when he looked at his palm again, all he saw was red with shiny slivers sparkling in the candlelight.
"Glass." He whispered, coughing up great gouts of blood.
He closed his eyes and dropped the candle. The flame, near extinguished burst to life as it licked the kerasol on the stone floor and followed the path back towards the robes the priest wore. Father O'Malley repeated the Lord's Prayer as his flesh began to burn and ash and unconciousness mercifully took him before the bloody flux of his intestines could break free.
----
Seiko observed the family through the window of their home and plotted her next murder.
The irish brogue thickened as his defiance grew, "You are here to do the devil's work and I will give you no quarter! Go back to the hell you've come from and leave a man of God in peace." He raised his hand, brandishing the thick wooden cross which hung from the wooden beaded rosary wrapped about his wrist in a warding gesture.
Seiko stood barely a foot away before the closed door of the tiny booth, dressed from head to toe in a very well tailored men's pantsuit in the eye-catching colour of red. Her shining, loose hair gleamed dully in the faint candlelight. She watched the man's antics impassively; then slowly lifted her arm with the utmost, deliberate grace and took the cross in hand, wrapping her cool fingers around his hot, moist hand.
Her voice is soft, "How do you know I am not here to do god's will?"
The dread within his heart grew till it was almost a palpable force threatening to smother him.
"The truth shall set you free, Father O'Malley. I want the names of those who have confessed that they have harmed their loved ones by hand or deed. Those who hurt their children.. their wives.. they do not deserve your silence. And if you do not cooperate to my satisfaction, then you will be punished for your own sins."
"I have broken no commandment." The words were spoken in both fear and a desperate, self-righteous anger.
"You are right, there is no commandment which states 'Thou shalt not molest the children of your parishioners' however I think you and I both know that what you have done is wrong. You face the Angel of Death tonight, Father. I would advise you to confess and hope that you are given a reprieve."
Anger faltered before a new rush of fear. The beads of the rosary began to clack as the priest's arm began to shake.
"I want names, Father. And their confessions. And if you lie to me, your death will be without mercy."
The priest saw nothing but ferocity in the black woman's strangely slitted eyes. With a shaking, defeated voice he began to share tale after tale of horrors. As he broke faith, he cried. As the shame within him grew, he cried. But he continued to speak. Time passed, the candle sank further and further until there were no more words in his mind and heart to speak.
He looked in the woman's eyes and felt no mercy. She asked quietly, "Do you really believe that you serve god by hiding the crimes of your Parish?"
He whispered, "A man's actions are between him and God."
"Do you believe that there is true absolution?"
"Yes. I have Faith in the Lord, Our God that it is so."
Seiko studied the priest and reached into her inner coat pocket. She pulled out a flask and handed it to him. He unthinkingly accepted it, "What is this?"
"Demon Liquor."
The priest frowned and tried to return it, "I have no truck with these unholy spirits."
She laughed, "But Father, do you not recognize your own flask? I know that you preach the evils of alcohol consumption, however I also know that one of your bootlegging parishioners always slips a bottle into that booth there every other Tuesday night."
The priest, pale and shaking held the flask to his chest.
Seiko's demeanor slowly shifted to a quiet rage.
"Drink it. Now."
Desperately in need of it, he unscrewed the top and lifted the flask to his lips for a long, deep pull; however he choked immediately at both the strength of the alcohol and as something like sand tore at the tender inside of his mouth and throat. The urge to vomit came upon him, Seiko's hand like cold iron covered his mouth.
"Swallow."
Fear risen anew, he swallowed the..was it sand?-laced liquor. The granules rubbed his insides raw and the liquor brought a searing fire behind it. He gasped as he tried to breath, swallowing blood. Her hand lifted and he coughed. "Wh..wha..why?"
"I have stood here for hours listening to you speak of the deplorable members of your church. But never once did it occur to you to confess your own sins."
A hand to his throat, he tried again and again to soothe the pain by swallowing but only made it worse even as the incredibly strong alcohol began to take effect.
She took the flask from him before he dropped it and held it up to his lips. "You will drink this, or I will burn you alive. Your choice."
Another wave of dread came over him and he saw Death's Promise within her eyes. He opened his mouth, too far beyond tears or fear. She fed him generous amounts of the concoction. His hand clutched at the rosary even as blood and kerasol occasionally escaped from between his lips. Finally satisfied. She stopped and handed him the flask again.
Thoroughly intoxicated, a fire raging through his center, he watched through watery eyes the strange black woman bow her head and depart without final words. The flask dropped from his hands and the last of its contents fell onto the stone floor. Reaching for the last remains of the candle, its hot wax didn't even register as it singed the flesh. He fell heavily to his knees and leaned close to examine the crystals lying on the floor. With a complete lack of dexterity, he put his palm flat over the crystals and tried to pick up the granules to examine them more closely however when he looked at his palm again, all he saw was red with shiny slivers sparkling in the candlelight.
"Glass." He whispered, coughing up great gouts of blood.
He closed his eyes and dropped the candle. The flame, near extinguished burst to life as it licked the kerasol on the stone floor and followed the path back towards the robes the priest wore. Father O'Malley repeated the Lord's Prayer as his flesh began to burn and ash and unconciousness mercifully took him before the bloody flux of his intestines could break free.
----
Seiko observed the family through the window of their home and plotted her next murder.