Billy - Part 3

Billy did well at school, even though he was always a little distracted. He seemed to get through his class by mere coincidence since most of his time was spent staring out the classroom window. He spoke very little to his teachers and even less to his classmates and after five years, he had no friends.

Billy was a peculiar little boy. His peculiarities set him apart from the other children. His appearance soon changed. The freckles on his face got darker as he grew older until they became black spots that covered his cheeks and his nose and even though all the other children teased and taunted him, it all seemed to just roll off his back, as if he never heard them. While all the other boys were off playing games in the parks after school, he preferred to stay his backyard. He played with wooden swords, battling unseen fiends with such passion that his mother stared at him from the living room in astonishment and awe. His continued seclusion bothered her greatly. It was on one fine spring morning when Billy was ten that his mother decided to do something about it. She dressed him in his finest clothes and took him to the priest.

Father Joseph was not a friendly man. Billy saw Father Joseph every Sunday at church as he sat in the front row with his mother and he disliked him greatly. His loud voice seeped though him and his talk of hell fire and the monstrous demons that lived there greatly disturbed poor Billy's young mind that he regularly appeared in his nightmares. It was not hell that Billy feared, it was the Father Joseph's talk of hell, the way he eyed the crowd as he spoke of hell, looking for sinners in their midst. It seemed to Billy, that every time Father Joseph looked into the crowd, his eyes always settled on Billy and in those eyes Billy saw a fire that burned stronger than the fires of hell.

On that fine spring morning, Billy walked reluctantly next to his mother with his head hanging low, murmuring under his breath and dragging his feet. His mother held his hand firmly in hers and pulled him along. When they arrived at the church, Billy took a deep breath and entered. The church was a small one, built of stone with very few windows. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dimness and as he followed his mother to the altar, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. Father Joseph was kneeling before the altar in prayer, and Billy felt his chest tighten. They waited silently for Father Joseph to finish and when he did, he turned around to greet them. Billy looked into his eyes and he did not like what he saw. Fear gripped his heart as Father Joseph looked at him with those unforgiving eyes and he breathing became labored. He could hear his mother talk to Father Joseph but he did not understand what she said. Faster and faster his heart pounded in his chest, he couldn't breathe. He needed to leave the church, he needed to get away from the priest. He felt a sense of panic engulf him and just before he felt his heart was going to collapse, everything went silent. The pounding stopped and everything around him seemed to disappear. He felt as if he was floating on air, surrounded by white fluffy clouds. A strange sense of peace settled over everything and as he sighed in relief, the silence was pierced was by a muffled scream that seemed to come from far away. He tried to ignore it but its insistence made it louder and louder until he realized that it was very loud and very close. He blinked and suddenly the world around him came alive. His mother stood next to him screaming and all around him people were running towards them. It was then that he realized what had happened. Father Joseph had died.