literature

Blessings and Sins Intro

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Daylight Drifter

I'm sure you have heard it told that each of us possesses an angel and a demon within them, though I must say, I have seen this to be false.  I have only seen one angel and one demon, and they walk among us.  I have witnessed strangers, neighbors, friends, and even family feel the blessings and wrath of these creatures.

I only call it an angel because over the years I have observed it walk along light, filling those around it with passion, inspiration, love, generosity, and all those traits that we would identify in a superior being who has been placed in existence to improve and protect us, to guide us to something greater.  To think that such celebrations occur whenever this angel blesses the streets of cities throughout the world is not as absurd as I once would have imagined.

I only call it a demon because over the years I have observed it emerge from darkness and greet those foolish enough to defy curfew with an intense stare from a faceless visage, filling them with anger, listlessness, grief and fear: a superior being placed in existence to create chaos and fear, demoralizing and preying on us.  The thought of people evacuating the streets upon the coming of nightfall would have once merely vexed me, as I would most likely have believed this was all blown out of proportion.  Martial law for a mere drifter, but now I know better.

My first sighting of these creatures was one Friday morning in late June.  The sun caressed our fair town in its loving embrace, and the birds sang their melodies to usher in the beginnings of summer.  I began my morning with a routine walk to City Hall.  As head of the neighborhood watch and block captain, it was my job to maintain knowledge of all the goings-on in the village.  As I ventured toward City Hall, I noticed that the streets were eerily quiet.  I pondered the cause, thinking that perhaps I had missed a holiday on the calendar.  Yet I never miss holidays, and I would have been spearheading a project to decorate the block, as we are frequently recognized for our festive zeal.

I passed by many shops, most notably the baker’s, as he was always visible through the window, slaving over his stone stove to fill his seemingly impossible quota for the regulars that stopped by religiously.  I had recently been concerned for his health; it seemed as though the baker was waking up earlier and earlier for fear he would lose his customers.  I only knew of one day he took off during the week, and that was Sunday, for church.  I was never much of a churchgoing man, but I had seen him leaving the church in the afternoon with a glint of hope illuminated behind weary, beaten eyes.

As my mind cycled through ideas of where everyone could be, I made my way up the stairs that led to the entrance of City Hall. The bulletin board, which I check daily, is located around the corner after first entering the building, but that day I found the doors locked, the lights off, and no activity within.  Confused, I decided to investigate the village further, hoping to find someone who might have answers to the day’s peculiar activity, or lack thereof.

I decided to begin my search at the park.  As I made my way closer, I could hear commotion in the distance ahead.  The panicked voices of the villagers grew louder, and as I turned the corner, I saw the source of their fright.  Walking down South Main Street was a blindingly white figure, or more accurately, a flowing ethereal robe cloaked over a face, featureless except for the wide, soft smile stretching across it.  People stood around, mouths agape, eyes transfixed on this strange drifter.

"Over here!" A voice bellowed from the crowd lined along the streets; it was Tom, the baker. "David, look at this thing; it's, it's not like any sort of man I've ever seen!" He called to me, shaken up by the strange new event taking place in the village.

"Has it hurt anyone yet?" I asked, fearful for the answer I might have received.

"Not yet.  It’s been wandering town since sunrise, making no movements towards leaving." Thomas responded. "There has been talk of confrontation or blocking its path and forcing it out of town, but no one will make a move.  I fear that brash son of mine will attempt something." Thomas ran his hands over his face, but it did nothing to relieve his anxiety.

"Where is your son?  Where is William?" I asked, looking around the crowd, now desperate to prevent potential catastrophe.  At that moment, I saw William emerge from the wall of villagers and stand firm in the path of the stranger.

"What do you want?" William shouted at the cloaked man wandering the streets.

The stranger continued toward him, lifting its head, showing its large smile on its otherwise featureless face.

"Leave now; you have caused enough disruption here!" He raised his voice further but began backing up as the figure moved closer.  As he gazed into its face, William’s eyes glossed over, and gradually his anger subsided, making room for a smile of his own.

Tom charged into the street, standing protectively in front of his son.  Seeing his son’s sudden change of demeanor, he turned to the creature and yelled, "What have you done to him?  What are you?"

Tom stood his ground as the stranger continued forward, arms sprouting from its ethereal cloak, draped in long sleeves that nearly touched the ground.

"It's alright, Father." William whispered. "It means us no harm; I can feel it now." William placed a hand on his father’s shoulder and began to step forward.

"No!" Panicked, Tom stretched his arms out to his side to keep his son back and looked up at the creature, now only a few feet away. "Please, leave."

Tears welled up in Tom's eyes as he pleaded, but the creature did not hesitate in its advance.  Tom clenched his fists and moved forward to strike.  As he lunged toward the creature, it caught his fist and placed its other hand on his arm, lowering it to his side.  Tom was unable to move, stunned and locked in its visionless stare.  The creature placed its hands on Thomas's cheeks, tenderly holding his gaze.  They remained there in the middle of the street for what seemed an eternity before the thing released him and he dropped to his knees, his tears appearing due to joy over fear now.  Thomas turned to embrace his son, and the creature walked past them, its smile beaming with satisfaction as it continued down the road.

William turned to the crowd. "Hear me now!  This stranger is no enemy of ours.  Please, friends, neighbors, do not fear him.  He has come bearing gifts; he has blessed us with his presence and improved our lives from this moment on.  Our hostility was unwarranted, and for the good of us all, we must accept these gifts!"

The crowd erupted into conflict.  Many began screaming in horror that the creature had possessed Tom and his son, and that it must be stopped or they would all be in peril.  Others cheered, knowing in their hearts that William was speaking the truth.  Soon, what was once an angry mob was separated into believers and non-believers.  Those eager for blessing approached the stranger.  The white figure placed its hands on all willing, one by one, filling them with joy and clarity.  As the blessings were distributed, more and more of the people preached the divinity of this being.  They implored the others to come and accept its love, to enrich their lives as the others had.  Several villagers returned to their homes, fearful and angry that so many fell to temptation; others went on to accept the blessing.

I remained along the side of the street, unable to convince myself to take such a leap, as I had witnessed drastic changes in all who came into contact with the drifter.  As the crowd departed, I waited for a chance to speak with Thomas and find out in person what had happened to him.  I did not fear those who had changed, but I was cautious.  It was Thomas who approached me first. "Why did you not accept his gift?  There is still time, David.  It will change your life for the better."

"I'm sorry, Thomas, but I can't bring myself to do this until I understand further what is going on." I replied, studying the baker carefully.

"I understand.  I am not going to press the subject further." Tom responded.  His eyes showed acceptance, though he seemed no different the man I knew just yesterday.

"I have to ask, though; what happened?  One moment you were ready to attack the man, and the next you were preaching his divinity.  What did he do to you?" I was unsure if I would be able to trust what would come from his mouth, but every time I looked into his eyes, I did not see deceit.

"I saw into his soul.  I saw everything he has seen, and he enlightened me.  He showed me a world of peace, love, unity.  He taught me how to improve my life, how to improve my bakery, family, village, every aspect of my existence.  The angel did not give me all of the answers, but guided me along the path I must take.  I admit, I was terrified at first, but now I have never been surer of my place in this world." Thomas was ecstatic; each word he spoke seemed to bring great joy to him.

"That sounds amazing, Thomas, almost too good to be true.  I do wish I could follow you, but I believe there is more to this than what you are telling me, or what you know.  Can we keep in contact more frequently?  I really feel like it would do good to check in on you and your son, in case anything else comes of this."

I was still genuinely concerned.  There was no way this thing could solve all of life's problems with a simple touch.  I intended to find out more, though I was by no means about to make contact with it for fear I end up like everyone else.  The stranger began to walk out of sight, making no moves to approach anyone else.  Doors locked and curtains were closed, but others stood at their porches and cheered as it passed by.  I wasn't sure how long this thing would remain in town, but for now, I figured I should head home and think things through.  A few hours into the day, and already I was drained of energy.

I could hear commotion throughout the village as morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to evening. It wasn’t until the sun drew close to setting that things really picked up. For the first time today, there was silence. The silence lasted for a few minutes before the village was in a full uproar. I left my home and investigated once more after a day of seclusion and contemplation. My pace was quick and I wove between buildings, taking whatever shortcut I could find. I arrived at the center of the mixed shouts of panic and joy seeing a large mass of familiar faces I identified as believers. They were surrounding a single point in the street, grasping frantically at the ground. I could make out what appeared to be shimmering dust, and grabbed Thomas as he shoved his way out of the crowd.

“What’s going on? Where is the stranger” I asked, curiosity consuming me.

“He up and vanished” Thomas’s face was lit up brighter than ever with a grin ear to ear, “But he left us this!” He shouted, opening his hands to reveal a pile of dirt.

“I’m sorry, he left you dirt” I asked very confused at the situation.

“What?! No, there was…” Thomas siphoned through the dirt in his hand, “It can’t be! What happened to the shimmering powder?” Thomas was devastated, and I was still very confused. “He descended to the heavens and his body transformed into spectacular holy powder, I grabbed some but now it’s dirt, I don’t get it, this is terrible” he cried out to me.

“I’m sorry” was all I could say, still unsure as to what I should believe, “Wait” I continued, gesturing to his hand.

“It’s” he paused, staring at the dirt in his hand, “It’s turning jet black, do you think this is an omen?” I could see Thomas wanted to drop it to the ground in panic, but he still held it delicately in his hands.

“I don’t know, but I suggest you either get rid of it or contain it. We still have no idea what we are dealing with” I looked around hopelessly for something that he could store it in.

“Oh god it burns!” he shouted, dropping it to the ground as the rest of the crowd cried in pain and did the same.

The crowd broke apart and began to fall into hysterics as they vigorously tried to rub their hands
clean. The powder dissipated into the earth and briefly an unnatural shadow flickered in the corner of my eye. I turned to face it and it was gone, but throughout my body I had a very ominous feeling.


Please critique my work.

Summer has begun, a stranger enters town at sunrise, people change, our main character is eager to put mystery to rest.

Proofread by blackdragon1313 Please support, it's very cheap ^-^
Comments7
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sevenofeleven's avatar
This was well done.
I like how you covered all of the people's reactions.

I also like how seemingly good people feared and distrusted the being.
Readers can see what is going on and make up their mind on the being or not.