Lilith knew what to do. Her master's instructions were simple enough and she had never failed him before.
Pathop only used her for difficult assignments, but she wondered what was so difficult about this one .
Her assignment was old_yes, but not dead in his loins. However, he was a Christian and their kind could sometimes be a handful.
However Lilith had ..her ways .
The old man wouldn't be the first Pastor, nor the last to enter into her sticky web.
Chuckling to herself, Lilith remembered her last assignment in the South of Sweden. It had taken her only two weeks to ensnare Reverend Erik Lars .
After all his strong will and end time preachings, in the end, his lustful eyes set the wheels in motion for her to move into position. She had been patient, acting like a new convert in his church and playfully enticing him with sweet kind words during counseling hours in his church office .
In the end, dear holy Reverend had purred like a baby by the time she had finished with him in room 601, at the Merry Cal hotel.
What a pity she had to eliminate him afterwards. The Reverend had kind of grown on her, but her assignments were strictly ..catch and kill .
His mangled body was discovered the next day, head almost torn off at the neck.
The whole city had gone berserk . Their zealous preacher, naked and dead in an hotel room.
Before Lilith left the vicinity days later, many had already forsaken the Word. Backsliders were common after such incidents. Those who were never truly rooted in Christ_never carried their cross to follow HIM, but looked up to preachers and prophets instead of the Nazarene.
Definitely, this one couldn't be any different from the thousands she had twisted and lured away from their visions and dreams of doing GOD's work.
Now the stage was set once more. Everything was in place.
Simple Furnitures had been placed around the three bedroom apartment in strategic areas to prevent easy escape. The lights had been slightly dimmed to create a relaxed ambiance for her unsuspecting guest.
In completion, Lilith had transformed herself into a beautiful middle aged woman, dressed in a well covered kaftan. But underneath that, a transparent red nightgown .
Glancing at herself in the bedroom mirror and satisfied with what she saw, she knew it was time to set her plan in motion. There was no time to waste in this African town.
To her, the old preacher was as good as dead.
*********
Zebu stared intently at the sleeping woman sitting across from the side of the bed. She looked very familiar...like someone he had seen around town occasionally.
But what was she doing here..in this bedroom where he slept.
She was groaning in her sleep now_her lips, silently moving .
He could even make out the words .Jesus.
Suddenly her eyes flew open, searching all around her,then finally resting on the boy.
For almost a minute, they silently stared at each other.
Doris finally broke eye contact and stood up. She gently pulled the door open and called out into the corridor to Solomon.
The farmer immediately rose from among his companions and made his way towards her voice.
As he came into the room, Zebu flew from the bed into his master's arms, almost knocking Solomon off his feet.
Finally, a familiar face from his past.
Doris looked on, smiling at the two. She was visibly shaken by the dream she just woke up from but happy at the re-union .
Solomon sat the lad down on the bed, while doing a visual sweep of Zebu's body from head to toe, and finally resting his eyes on the boy's face.
Why hadn't he noticed the similarities between them all this while.
The arched and bushy eye brows, flat forehead and even his wide lips. Even the boy's legs were slightly bowed like his.
Zebu wondered why his boss stared at him so intently. What was going on with him?
Most times, the Farmer had a no nonsense attitude in his demeanor towards the farm workers, but today, Uncle Solo seemed a bit.. off.
Solomon sighed heavily with a smile on his face. He motioned to Doris to take her sit while he took his beside the lad on the bed.
"Zebu, we have a lot to talk about" exclaimed Solomon, dragging his words under his breath unconsciously.
" Uncle Solo, I know I'am owing you some money, but I promise to pay it back as soon as I start work on the farm" Zebu sputtered out, "or don't you want me working there anymore.." tears welled up in the boy's eyes as he stared searchingly at his master.
"Please sir! ,I don't have anywhere to go.."
" Stop boy!" Solomon shouted, as the other two froze . His face showing so many emotions . He had been trying to keep his emotions in check but it was too late now.
A single tear slid down his cheek as he choked up.
The lad glanced over at the strange but pretty woman, in confusion, before slowly turning his attention back to his employer .
What was going on here!
"Son,..this woman here" Solomon gestured to Doris.
"Well..her name is Doris, and she is ..your mother" the farmer blurted out, his words coming out as smooth as he could manage as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"And I'am ...your father"
Zebu glanced from Doris to Solomon, dumbstruck .
What did he just say. Father!...mother! . The two words he thought he would never hear in his lifetime .
Solomon cleaned the tear off his face and sighed loudly. He was exhausted.
His past was either coming back to haunt him or add a blessing to him. He looked over at Zebu and with the blank crazy stare on the boy's face. He knew he had to start explaining fast.
"We have a lot to talk about, Zebu" said the farmer, " and I would like you to listen to us with an open heart".
***************
Pastor Jacob had returned back to the Old community Church for his appointment with two newly wed couples for their weekly counseling.
He was on his way to his bungalow when Winifred, his secretary, informed him of an urgent phone call in the small general office were her station was.
It was a lady at the other end.
She sounded distraught, her voice shaky and very urgent.
Pastor Jacob was not familiar with her voice though she claimed to be a member of the church.
"Sir, please come quickly, I need your help.. my son! ..my son is dying" the woman cried on the other end of the phone.
"Why don't you call for an ambulance immediately mam" said Pastor Jacob, alarmed at the poor woman's ongoing ordeal , " I will definitely meet up with both of you at the hospital You direct me to" .
" No Sir..please .." the woman exclaimed, "this is a spiritual matter, not medical, ..please just come now, I will give you my address now Pastor. My son needs you to lay hands on him to get better..please Sir.., I don't know who else to call!".
" Alright then" replied Pastor Jacob, "what is the address? " stretching out his hand towards his secretary for a pen and jotter.
Winifred's puzzled face stared at him from across her desk, as she produced the items, clueless of what was going on, but seeing the urgency in her Pastor's demeanor as he wrote the address down.
Placing the phone back on it's stand, the pastor silently placed his hands on his hips, as he always did anytime he was worried about something.
This phone call just didn't feel right, ..but he couldn't ignore a parishioner in need of help.
" Winifred, please put my meetings for the day on hold" said pastor Jacob. "Secondly, kindly place a call to Mama Sai's home, drop a message for Amari and her prayer band to meet me at the address on that paper as soon as possible".
With that said, Pastor Jacob rushed into his office, locked the door and said a quick prayer before collecting his anointing oil and bible and quickly walking out the door towards his car.
==============To be continued ============