III

-

III

-

        The pews were uncomfortable. Several compacted pieces of cheap plywood serve as the seat with trusses at five foot intervals to accommodate the more girthy of churchgoers. Fat people didn't outright bother Gabe Atherton, but he caught himself staring at the fleshy mound of ridges and folds that was Sheldon Pimberton. How could one person be so damn sweaty? Not like the little folded-paper fan was doing him any good as he sweated, listening to yet another sermon from Reverend Donaghue, decrying the wicked ways of fornicators, sodomizers and drinkers.

        Gabe stared intently ahead, making sure he leaned towards the showpiece pulpit on which the Reverend had undoubtedly spent much of the congregations tithe. Behind the white birch veneered construction he looked the part of an instrument of God. But it wasn't the ornate pulpit that kept Gabe's attention or the heat that made him sweat like Sheldon. Tilly's hair was a bonfire contained by the smallest of elastic ties, making a neat ponytail that hung halfway down her back. He never saw much of her face or her gray eyes during service. He sat towards the back and she sat to the front, but her nose looked like perfection in profile, tilting slightly upwards at the tip, almost taunting him to come talk to her.

        Every Sunday morning during greeting he wanted to shake her hand, but found himself congregating with the church elders who loved nothing more than to talk about how much music and television were damning the youth. Children surely didn't act this way in their time, no. There was discipline then.

 

As he pretended to stare at the pulpit he barely noticed the erection growing in his lap, pitching the crotch of his slack up slightly. Not until it was time to sing Take a Stand for Jesus did he notice his indecency. Halfway through his rise, he sat back down and covered himself with the hymnal, too embarrassed to move. Shirley Mills, the on-call choir director, glanced at Gabe and squinted through her small, gold-rimmed reading glasses. She disapproved of his nonparticipance and made sure he knew it, snapping her face back to the hymnal and singing even louder than she previously had been. Her performances among the general church body had gotten her some footing with the main choir, many who thought that louder was, in fact, better.

 

        Swaying and bulbous, the asses of the congregation filled Gabe's sightline, making him queasy enough to close his eyes. He breathed deep and exhaled as slowly as he could through pursed lips, a relaxation technique he'd read about from some yoga site on the internet. When he opened his eyes he saw that a forest had taken the place of the church, a breeze moving through the thicket. Gabe stood up and wiped his eyes, pushing his glasses onto his forehead. Warm rays of sun filtered through the canopy, carrying an almost inaudible music with it. It sounded like flutes trapped inside a glass enclosure, the sound just making its way out.

        He stepped cautiously around the trees, crunching through the fallen red and brown leaves and underbrush, making sure he didn't disturb the poplars and firs. He passed by a cluster of three large oak trees and stopped. Just ahead of him was the most beautiful tree he'd ever seen, and he'd only ever seen a picture of one before. A cherry tree was in blossom, vibrant reds splashed across it's pure white background, like it was bleeding. He felt compelled to move closer to this beauty and he reached a hand to touch one of the closest pink petals.

        "The Spirit of the Lord has touched Brother Gabe!" The Reverend's joyous roar brought Gabe back to the church, where he found himself standing in the center aisle of the pews, his hand raised high. The whoops and hoots of the congregation ushered him forward to the open and waiting arms of the smiling Reverend, who placed a trembling, veiny hand on Gabe's head. "Let this faithful servant of the Lord our God bear witness to His glory and righteousness, to inspire faith and courage among the meek of heart who may be in attendence at this very service today!"

        An intense heat was building up in Gabe and he started shaking, trying to control his breathing like he had before, but his legs abandoned him and he slumped to the floor. The congregation erputed, many who shouted praises to Jesus, some who found themselves also filled with the spirit and speaking gibberish. The Pimbertons and a handful of others were jumping upand down causing the wooden floor to undulate beneath them and Gabe to move about on the floor before Reverend Donaghue.

 

Reviews

[S. Liberace]

omg write more! i want to see what happens!

this is really good. sometimes it got confusing, like when he was masturbating in the tree house -- it went to the scene where he was f*****g the girl and i got confused for one little moment. i think you should put his thoughts into italics, so it's easier to distinguish. sentence structure needs a little work, you should use commas and semi-colons, but otherwise it's amazing work. also EXCELLENT imagery and i like your metaphors/similes. imagery is pretty difficult to accomplish, so i congratulate you on that. well done!

i really do hope to see more. :) it sounds like a really interesting story.