Shameful Secret

"Mrs. O'Malley, I am afraid we have a problem. It needs to be worked out now unfortunately. I cannot allow what happened here today to become common knowledge."

She whimpered. He could not blame her. She had seen everything he had done to that boy. It must have been rather graphic and unnerving. Things like that aren't supposed to happen in quaint little parishes. It wasn't hard to lure the healthy young man back to his home. He was quite trusted after all. The Reverend was seen as a caring figure that could be trusted because not one shred of impropriety was ever even insinuated. Why would the boy not believe him when he told him he needed help hanging shelves? It was a perfectly reasonable request after all.

"I know what you saw was unnerving. What you viewed was not for the eyes of a nice widow like you. I would like to tell you it was a necessary evil. It was not. I was weak."

Once the boy had come in he showed him the ladder. The young man was most helpful. He went immediately to work on the ladder measuring and hammering. He looked absolutely delicious up there elevated like that. The Reverend could not control himself much longer. It was a torment that he had put aside his urges this long. He was what he was. Denying it any longer was not an option. He could not hold out any longer. The boy was going to be a victim of his urges. This shamed him but not enough to stop him from his action. He walked quietly till he came up behind the boy. He raised his hands to the boy's hip level. He felt shame like he had never felt before. This would change everything. There would be no going back from this deed. This was a thing that was unforgivable.

She looked unwell. She picked up her tea and took a sip. Her hands shook as she put the cup back on the saucer. She finally found the courage to speak.

"What kind of monster are you? He was just a boy."

She recalled every last moment even though she wished it would not be so clear. She was coming up the walk way and had gazed in the parlor window. Young James Tillney seemed to be helping Father Cleary put up some shelves. He was balancing the shelf while he measured spots for the nails on the wall. The priest came up behind the boy and his jaws spread open more than a man's should be able to. A tongue of an abnormal size licked his dry lips. His teeth pushed further out of his mouth than they should. He lurched forward and bit through the boy's abdomen in one swift bite. It was a matter of seconds to consume the whole body. He finished his feast and looked up to see her standing in her window with a vacant stare. It made sense really. What were you supposed to make of watching a priest turn into a monster and consume a young boy? Shock was probably the natural response.

"You are a blasphemy Father, a living blasphemy!"

She was still standing there staring through that window when he came to the yard and collected her. He took her by the elbow and gently guided her towards the door. The Reverend guided her to the living room and set her on the couch. He sat on the edge of the recliner chair and lit a cigarette. Her first instinct was to glance at the spot where James had been standing. There was no blood. There were no bones. There was not anything in that spot to show James had been there a moment ago. What had just happened? Could her aged mind be playing tricks? Did the priest just find her out in the cold and bring her inside? Is it possible she had just had some form of stroke and hallucinated? She chose to be silent. She was either about to accuse him of the unthinkable or reveal that her brain had become addled. The moment where silence could no longer be maintained came soon enough.

"My dear child, I know what you just saw. It must have unnerved you. I can understand that. I can assure you nothing like this happens at anytime time since I have given myself to God. It is an anomaly. The only question before us is unfortunately a dire one. Are you prone to silence or do I have to stain my soul further despite the fact that my hunger is in check?"

"Father, I do not know what you are but it is not of God!"

"I am, Matilda. We are all God's children. I have sinned but my work here is not finished. I must not have this single hurdle undo all of my works for the church here in this parish"

"That boy..."

"He was a wonderful young man. I grieve for him as much as you do, No, more so. You must believe me."

"And no wonder, for 'even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.'"

"Second Corinthians, Chapter 11. Yes, you would think that is apropos. You are mistaken. I truly love my God and I serve the best I can. I have repented as much as I possibly can. I fear I will burn and no penance will be enough. I need more time to repent though because I am sure what I have offered is insufficient as of yet. My fear here is that I will have two more deaths to atone for not one."

"You are a demon, then?"

"Of a sort. I am also a priest. We are all many things, some good, some bad."

"If you are truly a priest then you will hear my confession?"

"Yes of course."

It was a matter of just moments as she was quite a kind soul with a relatively clear conscience.

"Matilda, look down in prayer."

She bowed her head.

"Go with God and bask in his grace. You are more deserving by an immeasurable amount than I could hope to be."

She heard bones crack as jaws spread.

THE END

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