Intolerable Entities

     A sudden blast of surreal wind imploded the first two stained glass windows.  The front of the church erupted into a colossal, broken kaleidoscope.  People screamed and ran toward the priest as pieces of glass impaled them.  The statue of Jesus teetered precariously on its pedestal then crashed to the floor, narrowly missing James.  The coffin lid flew up and blew the cloth covering across the church.  It wrapped around the face of an old woman.  She cried out in horror and frantically peeled it off as though Satan himself was on her face.  Shards of glass hurled wrathfully into the casket.  Malodorous chemicals seeped from Madeline’s cut corpse, watering eyes and burning throats.

     The priest reached for the door handle, and in a spirit-time second, the entire church quieted.  A powerfully brilliant sunbeam invited itself in and landed directly on the cracked Christ.  Everyone gasped and stood frozen, except for the nuns who made lightening-speed signs of the cross over their breasts.  After several moments of the shocked silence, the priest walked daze-like to the altar.  His hands trembled as he picked up the chalice and gulped down the wine.

     “In light of what’s happened,” he said hoarsely.  “I’m going to end this funeral now.  If anyone needs medical attention, please seek it.”

     In an odd slow motion, people began to inspect themselves.  A few of the funeral attendees did indeed need stitches.  A barely audible sound chilled the blood as pieces of glass plucked from bodies dropped to the floor.

     “The rest of us will take time to calm down and regroup and we will meet back at the cemetery in three hours.”

     He poured additional wine into his chalice then sat down with a spiritually threatened exhaustion.  His gaze floated out across the church to Amber and Adrian.  They peered into one another’s eyes.  He slowly shook his head with sullen disgust, and then downed the wine as though his very existence depended on it.

     “He thinks we did it, Adrian.”

     “I know he does.  Let’s go home.”

     As they walked down the church steps, they heard the priest’s voice one last time.

     “May the soul of our sister, Madeline, rest in peace.”