Citrusy, fresh perfume scents filled the elevated ceilings with air that was begging to be inhaled. The ivory walls of the cathedral seemed to welcome the electric flutes that had been playing softly several minutes prior. The plush crimson carpet invited the soles of a perspiring foot to caress its surface.
Annika watched in amazement as the preacher cast out six demons from a man named Willie, who had run head first into the pulpit where the Reverend had been preaching. There was a crackling and a horrible ammonia smell. The sisters of the church had voiced their concerns about Willie’s reported use of sorcery. Annika pondered the surreal situation for a few moments, a chill rising up her abdomen. A moment later, Annika had to leave, feeling as if a strong gush of wind had descended upon her.
It had been thirteen weeks since that fateful day and she was experiencing a strong sense of mental urgency, emanating from within herself. She had been redefined, in the minds of those around her, as a medium, of sorts. Annika had begun hearing sentences more loudly; although not audibly, on a daily basis.
She had chosen to invite people to message her if they had been done wrong but hadn’t decided to seek legal help or retaliate in any other manner. She vowed to handle situations with a few details and nothing extra, other than names being given to her. She found that she could automatically read, what she perceived to be, honesty or dishonesty in the messages and she went from there.
After reading, a gush of wind would exit her. The real concern she finally experienced was when she had begun receiving thank you notes, expressing how the enemies of this person and that person, had turned up severely maimed or either dead; some pleading forgiveness. Annika was perplexed and stood up, deciding to give her eyes a break, but when she turned, she found herself peering into the eyes of a woman who she had never met, while in the process of ripping her skin away, with her very own fingers. Once she looked down, she saw that her fingers had been replaced with claws. She stopped, turned and started to run, only to notice a mirror, where her teeth protruded, as if a crocodiles. Her reflection was agonizingly shocking and she yelled in disgust. She paused, then, picked up her pace, running more quickly. She ran into a clearing and was faced with what looked to be nothing but tree after tree, for miles.
Annika fell into a dark hole, awakening in her chair. She was drenched in perspiration. Her teeth had begun chattering. The television was playing and the Reverend had just cast a demon out of a viewer’s body. Annika knew it had been her and she took a deep breath; grateful.
