Doris was lost in her thoughts as her husband drove her to Church . Fred had informed her of their appointment with the Senior Pastor at twelve noon.
She didn't know what Husband was expecting her to say there, but she also didn't want him to feel bad.
Pastor Jacob knew of her past but not its details. If the truth were to get out there,what would everyone think of her. Only her husband knew of her secrets .
God had given her such a wonderful man, despite all of her short comings. When Fred had proposed to her many years ago, she thought he was joking, ..her!, a prostitute. And somehow, it had all worked out. Even his family adored and dotted on her.
But Doris made sure to tell him of her past before marrying him, ..she owed him that much.
Her friends at the motel were she worked had told her how risky it was to tell Fred, but she would have it no other way. The man was too good and kind for her to hurt.
After she had told him, Fred surprisingly, professed his undying love for her even more, crying with her as she exposed her past to him.
Doris knew she didn't deserve this man. She glanced over to her side and smiled at him, ..and here he was,..her knight in shining armor.
Fred parked the car beside the Church and walked to the passenger side to open the door for his wife. He led her quietly to Pastor Jacob's office were the meeting was to take place. Winifred, Pastor Jacob's secretary told them to take their sits in his office, while she informed him of their arrival.
Doris' palms were sweating. She was so nervous as she felt her husband's eyes on her . Fred kept looking her way as if she was about to make a run for it . And she was.
"Sweetheart, I need to use the ladies" Doris said, as she hurriedly stood up from her chair, "just give me a few minutes". And before her husband could say anything, she was out the door.
Winifred led Doris down a small corridor to a very neat restroom. As she locked the door behind her, Doris went straight to the oval mirror by the sink area and started talking to her reflection.
What are you going to do Doris? Your secret is about to be exposed to someone else.You don't even know if Pastor can keep it to himself . What if..
" You are going to tell them nothing !" said a low voice
Doris swung around but saw no one. Was she hearing voices now. She looked back into the mirror and that's when she saw it.
A shadowy face, cloaked in a velvety blue fabric started to emerge from the mirror, right before her eyes.
The shadow took the form of a beautiful middle age woman. She threw back her cloak revealing jet black hair, covered in cowry and shiny shells .
" Omiwa!" Doris screamed, " what are you doing here ?!".
"Ohhh..So you dare to call me by name now, and not goddess," Omiwa retorted. I should have killled you since the day you left us, but the FATHER has not allowed you to be touched" Omiwa continued, moving around Doris and sizing her up.
" Anyway" Omiwa said, ..reaching out and touching Doris' checkbone as the other slapped her former deity's hand away, "I am not here to chit- chat, .. I am just here to warn you this first and last time, ...not to say anything to that Pastor, or anyone for that matter"
"But why" said Doris, suddenly feeling confident , "I don't even serve you anymore, i have accepted Christ into.."
" Shut up!" Omiwa shouted, " you dare say that name to me, Doris?, ..you who hated Christians and their ways". Omiwa laughed, grabbing Doris' left hand and turning her hand upward.
The Sa'Omiwa tattoo was still faintly visible on the thin skin of her wrist. Doris quickly pulled her hand away and shouted a bible verse at the water goddess.
"Whom the Son has set free is free indeed," Doris shouted, ..but still fearful of the wrath Omiwa could unleash on her if GOD didn't do something to save her from this cruel being now.
Omiwa moved gracefully towards her former worshipper and grabbed her by the neck, lifting Doris off the ground as if she were but a feather.
Doris began to struggle as she tried to make her lips form a single word, nothing more than a low whisper , ..which surprisingly to the goddess, even came out at all .
'Jesus '
And that was all Hareb needed to hear.
Without warning, the goddess was thrown against the wall of the restroom. Doris fell to the ground, bewildered at what just happened to the goddess.
Before Omiwa could stand up, a mighty hand grabbed her by the hair and flung her out of the Church premises.
Doris witnessed everything. The LORD allowed her to see what was happening in the spirit realm. It was glorious.
She ran out of the restroom, almost knocking a lady down in the narrow corridor.
Doris heard Winifred calling after her but she didn't stop until she came out of the church premises.
Winifred, alarmed at Mrs Ejimwa's behavior, ran into Pastor Jacob's office, panting .
She hastily informed the two men of what was going on outside, as they got out of their seats.
At first, Pastor Jacob and Fred were both surprised at the secretary's rude interruption, but as her words sunk in, the two rushed towards the church entrance to see what was going on.
Amari was also present at the scene. She was trying to calm Doris down . This screaming lady had almost knocked her down in front of the restroom door.
Instantly Amari had felt a great urge to follow the woman and help her from whatever she was running from.
They all stared at Doris who suddenly became quiet and was looking straight up, above the Church,..her mouth agape, as if she was seeing something or ..someone.
Doris couldn't believe what she was seeing. Right in front of the Church was a beautiful angel, he must have been five times taller than the church building. And floating above him, as far as her eyes could see, were angels of different shapes and sizes. She had never seen anything so wonderful. Words just could not describe it. No one would believe her even if she tried.
Overwhelmed by the scene, Doris began to weep, falling to her knees and hugging herself like a child. Her husband ran to her and picked her up.He carried her back into the church, towards Pastor Jacob's office.
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Zebu knew he had to escape from the cave before the demon came back and inhabited
his body once again. Saluu was always on guard, never allowing the boy out of his sight.
Two days ago, a young girl of about 3 years old, was brought to the cave by some men. Zebu knew how the poor girl's fate would end. A sacrifice of two other children had already taken place in the space of one week . The children were strapped down on a wooden frame, deep inside the cave, and a knife plunged deep into their chest cavity.
But the most painful part of it all, ..he was the one who dealt the final blow that ended their lives.
During the ceremonies the demon always possessed him, imprisoning his mind and will, ..driving him deep within himself. It was like sinking in deep waters, unable to rise to the surface for air.
The two deaths had devastated Zebu. He had cried days on end, when he realized what the demon had made him do. Afterwards he had made up his mind to escape with the new victim, Lila, no matter what. He just could not see himself drive a knife into her.
Such a lovely child she was. Lila had walked up to him and introduced herself. She had not been bound and dragged in like the other two. And she seemed to know one of the men that brought her . Zebu noticed that the child referred to him as Uncle Tombo.
He pitied Lila. The sweet child did not know what was to befall her very soon. The high priest had produced a teddy bear for her to play with, distracting and treating her like a princess.
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Saluu was planning on transporting the vessel off the rock to an old hidden temple. The journey would take close to six days towards the east of mount Kuna . They would cross the Faraw desert and climb another mountain were one of Ethjab's old temples was located. It had remained uninhabited and intact for centuries now.
With the return of their Master, new converts would be initiated into their cult, spreading their tentacles all around that region .
When things settled here after six months or a year, they would come back and re-establish the cult once more. But for now, this place was no longer safe.
The high priest had seen with his third eye, what had happened to the Water goddess, Omiwa.
Her failed visit to intimidate the vessel's mother had confirmed Saluu's greatest fears,..
the prayer warriors were not playing around. If he and the Master were not careful, these righteous ones would definitely banish them again.
The journey was to take place the first week of December. All preparations were being made for the journey, but first, the Master demanded sacrifice again and he would get it. The demon had always been a blood thirsty being.
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Zebu knew If he didn't escape tonight, he would be doomed . Saluu had told him about the hidden temple in the middle of nowhere. There were no means of escape there, and even if he did manage to get away, where would he go. Traveling along the Faraw desert alone was very dangerous.
He heard stories of how human bones littered the golden sands along the caravan trails. There were also slave traders, unknown to many, which still existed around those regions.
Finally,there was the possibility of him being blindfolded through-out the journey, so as not to know his bearings.
However, he would take his chances tonight, It was his best bet. It was either he escaped soon or never at all.
Zebu planned to avoid drinking the wine Saluu gave him every night with his dinner. He had a feeling the drink was laced with a sleeping drug. He always, almost instantaneously, drifted off to sleep, later finding himself in his soft camel hair bed in the cave, remembering nothing the next morning .
He would pretend to be asleep and then escape with Lila .He had thought about it deeply.He couldn't go back to the farm, ..the demon would find and overpower him there . The only place Zebu and Lila would be safe was at the old community church.
Last time he was at the farm, Papa J had given him an open invitation to come over when he was ready to give his life.
Now, he was so ready.
He regretted his stubbornness that day. Maybe if he had accepted the Savior, all this would not have befallen him.
If only he could turn back the hands of time, he would have done it all differently.
Silently, Zebu prayed for the first time since he left the Mission as a strong headed fool, hoping that GOD would grant him only one request that night; to make it down the mountain to the old community Church, without Saluu detecting him and the girl's absence.
==================to be continued================
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