A Story of Good Overcoming Evil.
Vicky sat by her bedroom window with the Bible in her hands, looking out into the afternoon sun, wondering, “Where could she be? Twenty four hours with no food or water.” Her eyes welled up with the thought. There were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. She'd been awake the entire night crying and worrying about Mindy, the family cat. Vicky’s parents had gotten the playful, loving Persian eight years earlier for her tenth birthday. But Mindy, it seemed, had simply vanished.
It was during the afternoon the previous day that Mindy had snuck out of the house while Vicky’s mother, Marianne, was carrying in groceries. She could hardly blame her mother, Mindy had always been a free-spirited cat. The curious feline had snuck out a couple of times before, but Vicky had always managed to coax her back into her arms. This time, however, Mindy was nowhere to be seen. Vicky was out of her mind with worry, fearing the worst. She turned around to see her mother entering her bedroom.
“Vicky, honey, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about Mindy. I'm--”
“Oh, it’s not your fault, Mom, Mindy likes to run. It could have happened to anybody.”
Vicky set the Bible on the window ledge and walked to her mother. They hugged.
Marianne wiped a tear from her daughter's face. “Don’t worry dear, we’ll get her back. Your father put the posters up with our phone number; someone will call.”
Vicky stepped back a bit and said, “Well, how can you be so sure; I mean, you don’t know that!” Vicky’s lack of sleep and stress overwhelmed her. “She could be dead for all you know!”
Marianne cocked her head, as always, when she wanted to convey her motherly wisdom. “Vicky, dear, you need to get some rest. Just trust in God, everything will be okay.”
Vicky got angry. “Don’t patronize me, Mother. I’m not a child that believes in fairytales anymore!”
John, Vicky’s dad, walked into the room, he’d heard the shouting. “Don’t talk that way to your mother, young lady!”
John was a big man; two hundred and twenty pounds of solid muscle, and built like an ox. He'd served in Iraq in ’03 but was granted an early discharge after a serious wounding. He’d taken a bullet in the chest while caring for a soldier down. The soldier died, but John was cited for his bravery under enemy fire; a bit of a town hero, actually, though he scoffed at such nonsense. After months of recovery he was back to his old self again, running his own auto repair shop in town. John was a gentle father, but his size could very effectively end an argument.
“Vicky, honey, Mindy is a smart cat; she’ll come home. Now get some rest or you’ll worry yourself sick.”
Vicky just turned and leaped onto the bed face down and started to sob. Marianne wanted to comfort her, but John shook his head "no" and gently pulled her out of the bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~§~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Five houses down the block sat an angry young man. He was thinking his hateful thoughts and waiting for a phone call. His sick mother was lying in the bedroom, too old to get around, and Mick was getting tired of taking care of her. There was no choice, he had to live with his mother--he was broke. He'd just turned twenty the week before, and he desperately wanted to be on his own again, as he had been the previous summer. That’s when he loved life, running with a biker gang from Cali that he'd met through his cousin, Jimmy. He bought the bike with the insurance money he got after his father died. The gang cruised the West Coast all summer, selling dope, robbing stores, and getting high every chance they got. After he left town with his cronies, the town cheered; he'd been the town bully and trouble maker since grade school, arrested numerous times for drugs and petty theft around town. Then there were the rumors he was dabbling in witchcraft and Satanism...
Vicky and Mick knew each other from their earliest years, but it wasn't until highschool that Mick became a thorn in her side. He'd made a move on her more than once, adoring her pretty face and petite body. Vicky shook him off, however, and he’d hated her ever since. They hadn’t seen much of each other after Mick dropped out of school and got a job at the car wash in town. He quickly became the foreman because of his hulking size, but was fired shortly after for threatening a customer who'd complained.
Now Mick was back in town, broke, angry, and looking for a way to regain his freedom, his happiness--to be powerful once again.
The phone rang. “Hello,” Mick answered.
“Yeah, well, you make sure you do,” he said with a bossy tone. “And you’re sure he knows that once he joins he can’t back out, right!” Mick listened and then said, “Alright, you know where to go. And don’t be late!”
After slamming down the receiver he picked up a razor-sharp dagger and played with it. He scanned the pages of the open book on the table and studied the Satanic verses he would be reciting later that night. At his feet was a closed cardboard box that jiggled with life. Playfully he tapped the box with his foot. “Tonight’s your lucky night my little friend,” he said in a low tone, careful not to let his mother hear. “You are going to give me the power. Yes, Satan will be pleased with you my little fur ball.” Turning the knife slowly in his hand, he repeated with evil glee, “Yes...yes...yes, I will be stronger than ever.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~§~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was about six hours later while Vicky’s family was in bed when the phone rang. John was sleeping so mom answered the phone.
“Yes, Mrs. Kellerman, thank you. Oh, Vicky will be glad to hear that; I’ll go tell her right now. Thank you, and have a good night." Marianne turned around to see Vicky standing behind her in the kitchen.
“Mom?”
“Well, that was Mrs. Kellerman with some good news. She said her son saw Mindy in the park by the woods on his way home from school. And--”
Vicky didn’t let her mom finish. She turned for the closet and grabbed her coat and said, “I’m going to find her.”
“Oh, no, you’re not, young lady, it’s dark and dangerous!” Mom said, shaking her finger.
“I’m going to be eighteen in one week, Mom, you can’t boss me around anymore!" Out the door she went, straight to the car to get the flashlight out of the glove box, but the door was locked. Not wanting to confront her mother, she headed for the park.
Vicky walked two blocks to a path that led to a small patch of woods near the park. The area was familiar to her, for she'd played there often as a child. As she neared the park she noticed an old, beat-up Chevy snuggled in the bushes near the woods. She recognized it: it was Mick’s car. She’d heard he was back in town. Vicky was nervous, but she was going to find Mindy--Mick or no Mick! Besides, he’s probably crouched in the back seat with a biker tramp, she figured. Then she heard some muffled voices. She snuck her way up to where the voices were coming from, and then peeked around a tree to see. In the full moon light she could see Mick standing in a small clearing with four other boys--maybe men--she couldn’t tell. Quietly behind the tree she stayed hidden, trying to decide what to do. Then out of the night came a voice she recognized:
“MEOW!”
It was Mindy! But where was she? Vicky didn’t want to call out loud--too risky. She peered out from around the tree at the group of five, and then gasped when she saw what was in Mick’s hands. It was Mindy!
Mick was conducting his satanic ritual this moon-filled night as part of an initiation for a new member of his club, “Satan’s Circle.” The rite required a sacrifice of a living thing to Satan. This was to take place after every one in attendance participated in a ritual-like torture of their victim: helpless Mindy!
Vicky lunged out from behind the tree and yelled, “Hey, that’s my cat!”
All five were startled to hear a voice. They turned to see a cute girl wearing pajamas and a coat two sizes too big. She’d grabbed her mother’s coat by accident.
“Well, look who’s here,” Mick said slyly, “if it ain’t little miss stuck-up.”
“Go to hell, Mick! Give me my cat!”
Mick raised Mindy by the nape of the neck to his face and said, “Look, mommy has come to rescue you.” Mindy was in too much pain to even meow.
Vicky rushed past the others. She didn’t recognize any of them, but she could see that they were merely teenagers, not men.
Vicky reached for Mindy, but Mick held her at bay with his left arm.
"Please, Mick, give me my cat," she pleaded.
The other boys were getting excited by Mick's teasing of the pajama-clad cutie. They formed a circle around the two of them, with Mick still holding Mindy. One of the boys behind Vicky lifted her coat with his shoe and tickled her pajama bottom with his foot. "Hey, babe, I like your bunnies." There were little pink bunnies on her pajamas.
Mick was emboldened by their tacit support. "You can have your little fur ball," he said with a sadistic tone, "after you get on your knees and beg."
Vicky grabbed for Mindy, who was still in Mick's hand, high above his head and out of reach.
"Give me my cat!" she yelled in Mick's face.
Mick became suddenly enraged. His left arm shot to Vicky's face, fast like a rattler's, squeezing until it hurt. The boys flinched and stepped back a foot or two.
"You always were a little b***h," Mick said spitting, his eyes bulging. "You were too good for me weren't you, ya little s**t!"
Vicky tried to speak, but couldn't, he was squeezing that hard. Mick turned to the kid at his right and said, "Here, take this thing." He handed off frightened Mindy, and then with his free hand grabbed Vicky's blonde hair from behind. He forced her against a nearby tree and pressed his midsection against her waistline.
The other boys were getting really worked up by all this. One of the boys coaxed Mick on with, "Do her, Mick! Just do her!"
Mick began to massage his midsection against her belly and started talking trash. "You want some of this, sweety? I bet you do; you're just a little s**t anyway, aren’t you. That's what I hear, you like it rough, don't you Vicky, honey." He was still squeezing her face; she couldn't speak. She wanted to knee him, but he was too much to handle. He started to massage her right thigh with his hand, still rubbing himself up against her.
One of the boys who hadn't even wanted to come got nervous. "C ‘Mon, Mick, she screwed things up for us, let's do this another night." He turned around and started for his ten speed bike. Mick half turned around and belched, "Stay there!" The boy stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't dare defy Mick.
Mick slowly pulled up Vicky's coat with his right hand, still pinning her helpless against the tree. He'd worked his thumb inside her pajama band and was beginning to slide them down her thigh when suddenly--"
"Run!"
The four boys scattered. One boy ran smack into a tree branch with his eye. "Oh, God!" he screamed. He put his hand over his eye and kept running. Another boy was so scared he dove into the river only yards away and swam down current. The smallest of the bunch disappeared into the woods, while the last boy, Jeffrey, just stood there not sure what to do. He was the one that hadn't even wanted to come in the first place. After a nervous pause he too ran.
Mick turned to his right and saw a very large mass coming toward him. He pushed Vicky to the ground, and then turned quickly to his canvas bag on the ground. He reached in and was about to pull out a small 38 cal. revolver.
"Don't even think of it, Mick. It's over!"
"Daddy!"
"Vicky, get back!"
John rushed to Mick and grabbed his gun hand and gave him a military wack in the neck with his right hand. The blow was so powerful it forced Mick's 200 pound frame to the ground with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. John put his right knee on his chest and gave him another wack on the chin just to make sure he was down.
"Vicky, honey, are you alright?" John asked.
"Yes, daddy, I'm alright." Vicky bolted over to the gun and kicked it out of arms reach.
Mick was seriously dazed but he quickly regained his strength. He began to thrash about wildly and was yelling threats. "I’ll kill you, you b*****d! You think you're a big tough marine, I could kill you!" Then Mick went totally crazy. "Kill me! Just kill me! Please, God, just kill me! Oh, God..."
John was still trying to hold him down but it was hard, he was thrashing so violently. Just then a squad pulled up with its spotlight on the scene. The officer bolted out of the car and did a quick scan.
"John, is that you?" It was Officer Smith, who knew John's family well.
"Dick, help, please! It's Mick, he's gone crazy!" John yelled.
Dick quickly called for backup and ran to John's aid. Even with the two of them it was almost impossible to keep Mick down and controlled.
"He assaulted my daughter, Dick!" John belted.
"Yeah, and he tried to kill my cat, too!" Vicky cried out.
Then Vicky realized something: Mindy was no where to be seen. John and Dick had managed to overpower Mick and he was starting to calm down now, so she turned about frantically looking for Mindy.
"Mindy! Mindy! Where are you?" Vicky called, scrambling about the area.
About this time two other squads pulled up with their reds on. They shined their spot lights on the scene. In the bright light Vicky could see two shiny objects staring back at her. It was Mindy's eyes!
"Mindy! come here baby!" Mindy came running to her arms like a bolt of lightning. "Oh, Mindy, I love you," she cried, cradling Mindy in her arms.
It didn't take long for the four officers to hustle Mick into the rear of a squad. He was completely subdued now, almost lethargic. In the meantime the other boys had already been picked up; except, Jeffrey, that is. He'd ridden his bike straight to the police station to tell them what had happened; a smart move that was to pay big dividends come trial time, for he was the only one that one wasn't charged with a crime. The boy who’d hurt his eye had to be rushed to the hospital for surgery. The boy who jumped into the river was picked up on a side street soaking wet, while the one who'd ran into the woods was picked up from his parents' home, based on Jeff's information to the police.
John and Vicky were talking to two of the officers that were still on the scene when they heard a yell. It was Marianne. She'd grown concerned and decided to venture out into the October cold to find them.
"John!" Marianne called.
"Over here, Hon!" John said, waving.
"Good Lord, what happened?" Marianne asked, frantic.
"Everything’s going to be okay," John said.
Vicky looked over to the squad with Mick sitting in the back seat like a zombie.
"It's Mick, Mom," she said pointing, "he tried to hurt me and Mindy."
"Oh, good lord!" Marianne wailed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~§~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All the business had been taken care of and it was time to go home. The last squad slowly pulled out past the three of them with Mindy still safely in her savior's arms. Mick didn't have the courage to look at the adults. He did, however, slowly turn to look at Mindy. Their eyes locked. They glared at each other as the squad slowly passed by on the park road. Vicky just scowled and turned away, pulling Mindy closer to her chest. It was good that nobody could read John's mind at that moment. He would like to have done things to Mick that shouldn't be thought.
The three of them walked down the path to the side street that led to their home with Mindy safely tucked in Vicky's arms. They walked silently for a short distance. Then Vicky spoke.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“That’s okay, honey, these things happen." John had learned to roll with the punches since Iraq. The soldier that had died while under his care was his best friend. It was a tremendous loss, but he’d grown spiritually as a result. He wrapped his arm around his daughter and pulled her tight to his side. Marianne was at his other side wiping away some tears.
Once they got home, Mindy had the biggest meal of her life, and tons of kisses and hugs from all of them. It was now 2:00 a.m. and everyone was in bed, exhausted. Vicky went to her bedroom window and grabbed the Bible from the ledge, and then walked to the dresser drawer to put it back where it had been for three years. After a short pause, she closed the drawer with the Bible still in hand. She placed the Bible gently on the nightstand and crawled into bed. After giving Mindy a kiss on her whiskers, she lay on her back with her eyes closed.
“Thank you, God,” she said softly.
Vicky took one last look at sleeping Mindy, and then reached over and turned off the lamp light. Then with a comfortable sigh, she rolled onto her side and snuggled up to Mindy, where they both drifted peacefully off to sleep.
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