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In the Beginning
Training
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The Guardian Saga Trilogy Preview
"In the Beginning"
Chapter 1
"Beginnings"
St. Thomas the Apostle Church was quiet this time of day. No sounds emanated from any part of the church. Most of the parishioners, who attended St. Thomas, were at work. It wasn't very often that a parishioner would come in during the week for confession. Father MacArthur might have a lost soul or two come in but not too often.
Knowing the workings of his neighborhood, he sat undisturbed in the confessional, thinking on the many blessings that the Lord had bestowed upon his parishioners this year. A smile of joy crosses his face as he reminisces on little Marvin Sampson running into the church excitedly last week. Marvin was coming to show him his latest report card. He had finally gotten a “B” in reading, a subject he had struggled with all school year long. The joy that encompassed Marvin’s face was proof enough that the programs the church had set in place were helping the community.
Father MacArthur was dragged away from his musings by footsteps. The footsteps were almost imperceptible, they were so light but sound carries in old churches like this one, so he was able to hear them. Suddenly, it sounded like the person had changed his or her mind. The footsteps appeared to be growing fainter and moving in the opposite direction.
He focused his mind once again on the many blessings that his parishioners had received and were still receiving this year when the footsteps grew louder once again. Whoever was coming to see him seemed to have resolved their uncertainty. Their steps were more purposeful and sure as they neared the confessional. He decided to let go of his musings for now and sat patiently waiting on the individual to enter the confessional.
The confessional door swung open and a young lady of no more than fifteen, by Father MacArthur’s estimates, entered the confession booth. She had the freshest face of youth he had seen in some time. The world hadn't beaten her down and cast her hopes aside just yet, but he sensed the turmoil within her. He had never seen her before, so he knew she wasn’t one of his many parishioners.
“Good afternoon my child,” he said in a welcoming voice, settling more comfortably in his seat.
“Father, forgive me for I have sinned. Oh, I’m sorry, please forgive my rudeness. Good afternoon father. This is my first time at confession and I don’t know where to begin. I’ve often heard people on television beginning their confessions in this manner, so I assumed it was okay to begin that way. I'm not catholic by religion, but I am seeking solace in this holy place of worship,” she said in a near whisper almost tripping over her words.
“It’s alright my child. What seems to be troubling you?” asked Father MacArthur. He was curious as to what this young lady might need to confess to at such a young age.
“Father, I'm not as young as you might think and I’m unsure of where to begin. There is so much that I have to repent for and I’m not sure if everything that I have done is a sin,” she said somewhat unsure of herself.
Father MacArthur jumped at the realization that she knew what he was thinking. He shook off the eerie feeling she had suddenly given him and addressed the young lady once again. “The beginning is always a good place to start. It will make it easier for you to tell me what you’ve done and we can determine if it is a sin or not, alright my dear,” he said from his side of the confessional. He adjusted his sitting position once again to give himself time to settle down and pay attention to the young lady’s words. He was familiar with the issues of teenagers so he prepared himself to listen to the normal woes that teenagers spilled during confession. I stole some money from my mom, I snuck out of the house to hang out with a boy my parents don’t approve of, I stole some liquor from my parents’ liquor cabinet or I stole a pair of pants from Marshall Fields. He was used to these types of confessions. So he sat patiently waiting on the young lady to begin. What followed was a confession so bizarre and incomprehensible that it would cause Father MacArthur to question his own sanity for beginning to believe the tale.
Agnes began her tale in a soft yet forceful voice. “Okay, I’ll start at the beginning. My name is Agnes and I am twenty-four years old. My life turned out very different from what I had originally planned. My dad used to say that "In life, you will always have choices to make. Make sure you can live with them." Well, I'm currently paying penance for the choices that I made and I am learning to live with them. You must understand father, I was born with talents that turned into curses. Talents that can be wonderful, and burdensome all at the same time. Many of the choices I would make in life weren't always conscious ones.
My mother used to tell me to "be careful what thoughts flow through your head, they might end up in your subconscious. Your subconscious is the last place you want certain thoughts to end up." It turned out that my subconscious mind is a very dangerous thing. I learned this at a very early age.