Preachers son||Austin Abrams

1. Introduction

As he kneeled down, against his bed, with his hands together, praying. He wondered if God really was listening. Is god even real? He thought.
A thought he knew was sinful.

A knock at the door, his father, Pat. Opened the
door, "Do you have your sermon ready for church tomorrow?" Pat asked Austin. "Yes Sir". Austin replied. Knowing he hadn't even began working on it.

Austin's father was the pastor at their local church. Austin lived in an extremely religious household. With his mother Angela, sister Kate, and father Pat. They lived in the middle of nowhere Mississippi. Surrounded by farms and acres of  land. Their town had one main street, which consisted of one grocery store, two restaurants, the butcher, a gas station, car mechanic, gun shop, and one big clothing store.

This was all Austin ever knew, everyone knew everyone. Especially at church. Which meant word spread around fast. Luckily, Austin's family was a very respected one. I mean the father was the pastor of the church everyone attended every Sunday.

It was the big day, September 20th.
The day Austin was going to perform his first sermon.
He finished writing it before going to bed. He felt pretty confident about it. Becoming a pastor was something Austin knew he would have to do, follow in his dad's footsteps, but it wasn't his true calling. Austin was passionate about music and art. But he was trapped in simple Mississippi, forced to continue in his families path.

On the way to church, which was a 3 minute drive down the road, Austin began to feel very nervous, biting his dirt-filled fingernails, and running his hands through his soft dirty blonde hair. His mother gave him words of "encouragement". "Don't be nervous child, this is God's plan, you'll do great".

They pulled into the parking lot, some families had already arrived. The service was set to begin in 30 minutes. The usual greetings occurred, but this time there were some unfamiliar faces. There had been talk in town of a new family that had moved in from New York City. Most residents in their small town had never been to a city like new york or even met anyone from there. The idea of "city foreigners" moving into their town worried them. But the newcomers arrived at church this Sunday, which was a promising sign, they were a family of faith.

The Beacon family, Father, Jeff, Mother, Nancy, and Daughter Lily. As they entered the church doors, the sacred walls went silent, everyone was staring. They walked in looking fresh, trendy, and  most of all, like outsiders. What were they doing in simple, old, middle of nowhere Mississippi?
Still, everyone welcomed them. As it was gods intention to welcome all.

Austin was in the churches back room, pacing back and forth, preparing for his sermon. Sweat dripping from his face and seeping through his cotton clothes. There was no AC in the church, and it was still summer in Mississippi.

Pat began opening the holy ceremony, welcoming regulars... and some new faces. Pat then started giving Austin's introduction, elated that his son was about to give his first sermon.

As Pat left the alter, Austin came walking on, wiping the sweat off his face. It was dead silent, Austin walked to the microphone, gazing upon everyone in front of him, a some 50 people. He stared off into the distance, clearing his throat, flies flying around him, and his breath trembling. He almost began to speak and then looked away for a moment, in that second he noticed something... or someone.