Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page B

pledge our lives and souls to you and will serve you as you have asked.”
    The air was so crisp, the silence of the crowd so profound, that the c hicka-dee-dee-dee-dee of a black-capped chickadee shattered it like crystal. Over the birdsong came the unmistakable wail of a baby. The child was the real reason everyone had sold their homes, handed over their life savings to the church, abandoned jobs, and in some cases, their families. The congregation pinned their hopes and dreams for a better world after End Days on the youngest Caulbearer. It was time to introduce Jake to his followers.
    “Bring me the little one.”
    Miriam, who’d been standing on the sidelines holding the child, climbed two steps on the ladder and handed him up to Zeke.
    Jake wailed and cried, “Mama, mama, mama!”
    Zeke held the child on high. “I command you all to look upon the Chosen One.”
    Heads lifted, gazes locked onto the infant, and people wept.
    “Did I not prophesize this to you? Did I not say he would be born with a caul? Did I not say you would know him when you saw him and you would shout with joy?”
    An elderly woman, drawn and pale, beseeched him, “Father, help me, please. I have cancer. I’m in so much pain, please. Heal me.”
    How awkward . His usual tricks weren’t set up yet. Miriam always assisted him with the healings, bringing cancer-ridden victims to the front of the church. Using the old magician’s trick of distracting the crowd with his wife’s ecstatic movements, Zeke would pound on the petitioner’s back, shouting for the cancer to come out. Miraculously, the stricken would cough the “tumor” into Zeke’s hand. Miriam would then parade the rotten chicken livers around the church to show proof of the Reverend’s “cure.” Unprepared and out of poultry parts at the moment, he’d have to improvise.
    “You may approach.”
    The old woman struggled to her feet and wheezed her way to the base of the rock. “Lung cancer, Father. Years of smoking and sinful living caught up with me.” Tears rolled down her cheeks leaving tracks in the red dust on her face. “I’ve repented. Please help me.”
    Zeke handed the child back to Miriam and climbed down from the altar. He placed his hand on the woman’s forehead. “Sister Rose, I feel your pain. I’m not sure I can help you at this late date. My time in prison weakened me.”
    Miriam held the wriggling baby to her chest. “Father—”
    Through gritted teeth, he said, “What is it my good wife?”
    “The Chosen One.” Miriam nodded toward the ailing woman. “Let Sister Rose hold him. He’s such a comfort.”
    Lock jawed, he forced a smile onto his face. “Yes, of course, my darling .”
    Miriam placed the squirming child into Sister Rose’s open arms. Tiny arms and legs stopped flailing. The child placed his hands on the elderly woman’s pale cheeks and began to pat them. Enchanted by the baby’s touch, Sister Rose leaned her forehead onto the child’s, closed her eyes and smiled. Her labored breathing slowed, the wheezing receded, and splashes of pink bloomed on her face. Her eyes flew open.
    “The pain. The pain is gone.”
    Hysterical cries rose up from the crowd, and hymns of praise broke out in the crowd.
    The woman held the baby close and rocked. Jake giggled. “Thank you, thank you, Lord for taking away my pain.” She held the child up and turned in a slow circle. “The prophesies were true. He is here.”
    Miriam reached over to retrieve Jake, but Zeke grabbed the child. Opportunity was knocking, and he wasn’t about to let it pass by. “Yes, you’ve heard my prophesies, now you’ve seen the miracle. Sister Rose is healed, saved by the Chosen One.”
    A wave of murmurs rolled over the crowd, swelling to a crescendo of praises.
    “Return to your dwellings and prepare to celebrate the sacraments for the initiation of the Guardian of the Mothers of the Twenty-Four.” He paused and stared pointedly at Brother John. “Fast and prepare