Father Epping entered the house on Sunny Meadow where my family lived. He and his young assistant pastors, Vince and Edgar, both recently graduated from the Catholic Seminary began a ritual against evil used for centuries. The Priest using his aspergillum begin sprinkling holy water through the house while reading the Lord’s Prayer from his Bible. His young assistants did the same. Walking about the 3 bedroom two bath home. When Father Epping walked through the living room he suddenly felt a wave of heat and felt like he was suffocating. He loosened his collar as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He made his way to the bathroom in the hallway and turned on the cold water at the sink. He stared into a mirror that was pitch black even with the light of day coming through the blinds in the bathroom window.

What he saw next made him gasp as two fiery red eyes blinked from the dark depths of the mirror and two powerful hands with black claws on each fingertip grabbed him by the throat! “Vincent!” he gasped and collapsed!

Vince ran from the den into the hallway, saw Father Epping on the bathroom floor and screamed to Edgar, “Call 9-11 call 9-11! Something happened to father Epping!”

He immediately began CPR after ripping open the Priests collar kneeling down aside him as the water in the sink still ran. Vince tearfully tried to keep Father Epping alive until the ambulance arrived. An hour later sitting in the ER after following the Paramedics to the hospital. Edgar and Vincent sat outside the curtain where Father Epping was being treated. Vince was rubbing his tired face as Edgar tried to keep from hyper ventilating as he rubbed his hands together.

Finally, a tall physician emerged from the curtained treatment room, removed his mask, and peeled off his rubber gloves. “You were with the Priest at the time of his collapse?”

“Yes Sir,” Vincent replied swallowing hard. “Will-will he be alright?”

Your Father Epping has had a mild stroke, but I believe his recovery will be complete. The EKG shows his vital signs to be within normal parameters. He’ll need a lot of rest.”

“Can we see him, Doctor?”

Doctor Kelly sighed, “I wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe tomorrow. He’s resting comfortably right now.”

“Thank God!” Edgar gasped.

“I have a question,” the Doctor asked with a grave tone in his voice. “I found scratches on Father Epping’s neck. The kind that maybe an animal would make. Do you know anything thing about that?”

“I was giving father Epping CPR,” Vince shot back. “I don’t recall seeing anything, but I was busy just trying to keep him breathing!”

“And you did a fine job. He might not have made it without you, but I will say that’s a good thing that whoever or whatever made those wounds on father Epping’s neck, if they’d cut the jugular vein on his neck he would have been dead in minutes.” He paused as the two young theologians raised their hands helplessly not knowing what to say or do.

“What were you and Father Epping doing in that house?”

Vincent as tears welled up in his eyes, explained,” We were doing a blessing on the premises using holy water and reciting the Lord’s Prayer.”

“Well, I don’t know what’s going on in that damn house, but you people better be careful,” advised Doctor Kelly.

An hour later the two young men sat in the office of Father Wolfram, a close friend and associate of Father Epping. He took off his wire rimmed glasses and pointed at the two young men, “I don’t want word to get out about this incident to anyone! Not your friends, not your parents, not your girlfriend if you have one! This matter will be discussed among the elder clergymen! Now, what about the Doctor?”

“It’s Doctor Kelly in the ER,” Edgar replied.

“You Boys go and get yourselves a good dinner in you tonight and get some rest. Tomorrow, I will lead the house purging. We will exercise extreme caution and be thorough,” Wolfram stated speaking from the persona of his long white hair and goatee. He gave the two young ministers a long stern expression.

“W-what kind of precautions are we to take?” Edgar asked sheepishly.

“You will stay by my side every step of the way,” Father Wolfram responded in an ominous voice.

The night before, the first night my family and I spent at the hotel seemed okay. Mom and Dad ordered room service and we had French Dip sandwiches and French fries. I was able to eat and feel full before bedtime. We all watched a movie together before we slept. I fell into a deep sleep but it didn’t last for long. I had another strange paranormal dream that seemed just as real as the room I was sleeping in and my beloved family snoozing in the darkness. In the dream I awoke to see a figure standing at the foot of my bed. It was Uncle Samuel standing there cloaked in the shadow of night. He was about as tall as Dad, but his thin frame made him look taller. His long black hair was streaked with gray along with his black mustache. I was startled, but not scared. Even though we didn’t always understand Samuel we still cared about him.

“Hey Kid,” he quipped with a smile across his gaunt face. He always called me “Kid”. 

“You know Kid, after I got back from the war I could never carry on like nothing happened again. I couldn’t bring myself to marry or raise a family. That’s why you were like the son I never had. I loved your father and was glad to see him raise a family unlike me. After what happened to me, Kid, I never wanted to see anything like that happen to you. Your father and I grew up being bullied and having to fight at times. It was the way of the world back then, but I wanted to do something for you so that you’d always be protected and never have to go through what I did, but I think I made a mistake. You’ll see me again, Kid.” With that Samuel extended his hand and there was an orb of light resting on his palm. It flickered out and Samuel withdrew into the darkness!

I awoke gasping for breath with sweat on my forehead. I looked at my little brother who slept with a smile on his tiny face and Mom and Dad hadn’t stirred. I slipped out of bed and grabbed a Styrofoam cup and poured myself some ice water from a decanter. I splashed cold water on my face in the darkened bathroom and went back to bed with my head still damp. I lay there a long time thinking about what Samuel had said before I finally drifted off.

In the morning Dad announced he was going to the office to get some work done. Mom said she would order room service for breakfast and Dad said he’d get something on the way to the office. He kissed her and touched her face gently before slipping out the door. Watching Mom and Dad had given me an impression about marriage I could never quite attain for myself because the world, relationships, and women had changed before I even realized it as a young man in the years to come. How Mom and Dad never seemed to argue and always treated each other with respect, was something I was never lucky enough to have. I still cherish those memories of family life while I was still a young teen in their comfort and security.

That morning we all had pancakes, warm syrup, eggs, and sausage. I had my fill and with a large glass of orange juice I was feeling pretty good for once even after the bewildering dream the night before. Then Mom turned on the morning news and the wicked ways of the world invaded once again. The local anchorwoman delivered the sad news like it made no difference to her as local events, weather, and sports were covered, but one report was very upsetting.

“Local beloved Catholic clergyman, Father Epping was struck down with a mild stroke yesterday while visiting a local residence. He is a well-known figure at Mercy Hospital where he has been at the bedside of many sick and dying local family members. We here at KGBD TV studios wish him a speedy recovery. That bond election for a new northern corridor to relieve grid lock has been approved and a two year project is slated to begin soon. In other news…..”

Mom covered her face and wept when she quickly realized that Father Epping had collapsed at our house blessing our home, and that something terrible must have happened! I grabbed her and gave her a hug wondering what would happen next! Then the phone rang. It was for her. It was from the Catholic Diocese office. It was Father Wolfram. He’d just spoken with Dad and explained that the blessing ceremony yesterday had been delayed but that today he and his assistants would finish the holy task and there might be a need to spend a third night away from the house if that was okay with her. Mom agreed then after hanging up called Dad at the office which she rarely ever did. After they talked for a while she asked him what time to expect him home so she could order room service for dinner. Mom had grown very distressed now and I was feeling even more guilt than I’d felt before. Truth was I couldn’t take much more of this. My little brother, Craig, yanked on my pants playfully wanting to wrestle. I grabbed him and threw him in the king sized bed we had been sleeping in and tickled him until he couldn’t breathe anymore! Mom laughed and for a little while the tension subsided.

Father Wolfram entered the family house carefully. Not only this time had he brought an aspergillum but also a Thurible in which to burn holy incense. He placed the Thurible on the kitchen table to light it and had Vince carry it behind him and Edgar as he recited the Lord’s Prayer shaking his aspergillum and sprinkling the holy water. The sweet aroma of the incense wafted across the house as the three clergymen went about the task of purging the presence of evil. Father Wolfram had asked which bedroom was mine and made a special point of kneeling at my bedside and meditating. The ritual was complete now. Father Wolfram paused before leaving at the doorway to see if there was any impression he had gotten of a cleansed environment, but he didn’t feel anything. That disappointed him. They left.

I tried to relax that Saturday afternoon with Mom and my little brother. He watched some kiddy show later on and before we knew it, the afternoon was turning into evening. Dad got in just about the time room service brought fish and chips with plenty of tartar sauce servings. We all ate hearty servings and a feeling of relief settled upon us for a while. Just for a few precious moments the stress of strangeness and evil left our thoughts, and we once again settled in for a movie to round out the evening.

Father Epping awoke from the mild sedative he had been administered barely remembering what had led to his untimely hospital stay. He didn’t realize just why after all the years of proper nutrition and vitamins he’d taken, not to mention his timely walks on the hiking trails how he could have succumbed to a mild stroke. He then reached up to his throat feeling the bandage and feeling the wounds, and realized darkly what had happened. There was a demonic presence in the house, but he’d been left out of the loop, probably because they didn’t want to worry him in his present state. Never the less, he called Father Wolfram to get an update.

That night as my Mom, Dad, and little brother settled down for the night things at the house ended up quite differently. Flashes of light burst through the windows, one neighbor saw a strange looking dog with glowing red eyes in the yard! Our close next door family thought that perhaps a fire was smoldering from within the house and called the fire department. Afraid that there could be a back draft the Fire Marshall ordered the house to be vented so as not to ignite an explosion of flame should a sudden influx of outside air feed a hidden inferno ready to rage. After breaking out a couple of windows and not seeing any flame or smoke the firefighters entered the house, but could find nothing wrong. Then one of the firemen noticed a growling noise coming from a closet, but when they checked nothing was there.

We received a call from the fire department night shift Fire Marshall that a false alarm report had been received but as a precaution two windows had been busted out to make sure there hadn’t been a smoldering fire. Dad said he’d be right over. I begged Dad to go with him and he told me to stay with my mother but I told him there was something important I needed to tell him about so he finally relented and we drove over to the house just 10 minutes from the hotel. On the way there I told Dad about the dream I’d had with Samuel. He turned to me then steered to the curb before driving all the way to the house. He listened to everything I said and then admitted that he too had dreamed that Samuel had come to him in his sleep. We both sat there speechless before heading the rest of the way to the house.

By the time we got there the fire engine and paramedics had left, but the Fire Marshall remained. He was a short stalky man with a beard. He was wearing a white uniform. He shook hands with my Dad. “We got a call that perhaps there was a fire inside the premises. We had to break a couple of windows. Sorry about that. I had my men clean up the broken glass.”

“That’s okay,” Dad sighed, “my homeowners insurance will cover that. Just send me a report.”

“Listen,” the Fire Marshall paused, “Something strange I need to tell you. One neighbor claimed to see some big dog on your property with glowing red eyes. I don’t know what they were smoking, but then one of my men said he heard a growling from inside a closet and thought maybe a pet dog or something had been trapped but when he opened the door nothing!”

“Oh God no!” I stammered. Dad grabbed my shoulder and squeezed signaling to me to shut up!

There was a long silence until Dad finally said, “Maybe there was a mistake in all the confusion.”  

The short and chubby Fire Marshall seemed to get the message that Dad didn’t want to talk about it further, “Well, okay then. I won’t mention the strange stuff in my report. Thank you for your cooperation.” He drove off.

Dad and I stood outside in the front yard in silence when he uttered, “You know son, I don’t think I want to go on living here much longer. I think we need a change of scenery.”

“But, Dad, I want to at least finish the last of my school here instead a whole new school and all. I don’t want to lose my friends,” I complained.

“Yes, yes, I know we have a good school district and I won’t make you change schools if we can find another house close, “Dad added quietly. We got back in the car and Dad looked at the home we once lived as a family together as if looking at a place he had lost all affection for. Had all this been my fault?

I was exhausted after the ordeal and I could tell so was Dad. We both got back and Mom was waiting up. Dad said everything was fine and we’d talk in the morning, besides he had worked at the office on a Saturday and he was worn out. We all settled in and I slid beneath the covers after talking a quick shower. I fell quickly into a deep sleep. I fell deep into the corridors of a coal black shaft where dreams seemed to be sucked into a black hole. There he was again. Samuel standing at the foot of my bed. Although I was a bit surprised I didn’t feel fear. I greeted him with a great effort as if my jaws weighed a ton. Even in my sleep I felt as if I had no strength or energy left. “Hey Kid! Told you I’d be back. I have some good news for you.”

I glanced down at Samuel’s arm and he was holding something. It was a chain that led to something that did frighten me. It was like that red eyed beast that had scared me so badly a few nights before. It was crouched down, a miserable beast that nothing good could come from. It made a low growl as if it were resentful for being restrained, but couldn’t do a thing about it. I couldn’t identify what kind of animal it could be other than having two clawed hands and a devilish face.

“I told you I made a mistake, Kid, in trying to protect you I used the wrong source, and people got hurt. So did you, and for that I’m sorry, but you don’t have to worry anymore. You see this?” Samuel looked downward at the demonic figure he had chained. “I’m taking this back where it belongs in hell. You’ll never have to worry about anything like you’ve been through in the past. Your guardian evil spirit will be gone now. Now you will have to fight your own battles, and I’m sure you can do that. Kid, sometimes we do things with good intentions but then we realize we went too far. You be good to your father your mother, and your little brother. I wish I could have been around longer to share life with you guys. Tell your Dad, Samuel says hi!” he looked down and jerked the chain pulling the demonic thing along with him and disappeared into a darkness only dreams could conjure.

THE END