The Leap For Faith

It was two past midnight. Aunt Lilly sat outside of her home facing the empty street with her eyes closed. The neighborhood was mostly deserted because of the recent events happening there. She heard footsteps approaching behind her from the woods. She anticipated them yet trembled. She closed her eyes tightly. The footsteps appeared to be entering the main entrance. She kept the door open. ‘Lift your hands and show you are unarmed’ a morphed voice commanded her. She turned and did as she was asked. ‘Is there anyone else inside your home?’ the voice asked. She shook her head. ‘Keep your eyes closed and recite your prayers wholeheartedly till the process ends’. She agreed. ‘Are your safety lockers open?’. She nodded. The footsteps entered her home. She had borrowed some money for the event along with most of her savings.

After an hour, The footsteps approached her back. ‘Now sniff your kerchief and open your eyes’. She had it in her hands. She took a quick sniff of the handkerchief dipped in the special recommended solutions and opened her eyes to see three dark semi-transparent beings almost floating in the air. ‘You are clean now’. She joined her hands and thanked them. ‘Do you need help getting inside?’. She nodded. One of the ghosts assisted her inside her home and let her in her bed. ‘Thank you’ she said. The ghost shushed silently. ‘We will lock the door and put the keys in through the windows.’ She fell asleep and did not respond.

8 am

Her nephew reached her phone.

‘Hello, Are you okay?’

‘I’m good.’ Aunt Lilly wiped her eyes as she woke up and looked at the safety locker. It still had most of the money left.

‘Did they come?’

‘They came.’

‘They took the full money?’

‘No. They left a lot it seems.’

‘Why?’

‘This is what we deserve I guess.’

‘What should we do now?’ He got anxious.

‘We have to wait. We will get another chance sooner or later.’

The Cult

‘Our god demands more sacrifices.’ Lingram the priest said.

‘How much more?’ the manager asked worriedly.

‘How much? How much do you want to populate our next world?’

‘As much as I can. First, we should get sophisticated with wealth.’

‘Why are you always about money? Money is just the path. The destination is our next world.’

‘We can’t spread our message without money can we?’

‘The ghosts do not work for money. Do they?’

‘…’ The manager kept quiet.

‘We can spend the money in this world to gain more followers but it is the souls that can reach other worlds and prosper.’

‘We will have our time. It is too soon now.’

‘Why exactly?’

‘Because the law and the police are mightier than us in this world. They can terminate the progress we have made this far.’

‘Police don’t know. We only whisper.’

2 am

Aunt Lilly was sleeping. She felt like someone knocking at the window. She took a sniff at the kerchief and looked at the window. There stood the ghosts. She opened the door for them.

‘Come with us.’ one of the ghosts whispered.

‘Restroom’ she said.

‘Okay.’ the ghosts waited.

She came back carrying the books and ornaments the cult had presented her over the years. They walked silently into the woods. The ghosts offered to carry her. They reached the cliff after two hours.

She took a look at the magnificent first light of the day breaking in the east.

‘Can you whisper my nephew too?’

‘When he gets chosen.’

‘He is a very faithful person. You can’t find that deep of faith that easily in anyone anywhere in this world.’

‘…’ The ghosts waited patiently and did not reply.

‘Well I guess the gods need him in this world then?’ she asked and looked at the ghosts.

‘Only when he gets chosen.’

‘I understand...’ She said and realized she could now see the legs of the ghosts clearly. She could see the masked faces. She got clearer as she tried to focus. That was just one person wearing a black mask and a headcover. She looked at the tired eyes of the person. Maybe this person is having a day job and working here at the night? She felt pity for the person. Then it struck. She realized she was losing control. She sniffed her kerchief. It seemed it went dry. the ghosts did not appear. One simple man stood there.

‘Here.’ the person helped her with his kerchief. The voice was very human. With the tone, she guessed he could be working at a customer-facing retail shop.

‘Thanks.’ She closed her eyes and took a strong sniff. She opened the eyes to see that the ghosts appearing back. She smiled. ‘Thank you very much’ she said and jumped.

She did not enter into any other worlds. She just ceased to exist.