The Spotless Mind
“Come brother, let us pray to God for His forgiveness. Let us pray that his light always shine upon our home and hearth. That we never lose our way and walk with strong hearts, upon the path that He has laid down for us.”
Misha closed her eyes and tilted her face towards the eastern sky, where the light of the approaching dawn had tinged the inky black clouds with a hint of vibrant pink. She breathed deeply and the morning air lifted some of the fear that had gripped her for most part of last night.
How had her life changed so drastically in a matter of hours? She was just a little girl of fifteen! What sinister sorcery was at play, that had upended her entire world?
The words of a song came to her unbidden:
When I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the hill
Where I stop and I turn and I give you a thrill
'Til I get to the bottom and I see you again
Oooh Helter Skelter…
Well, will you, won't you, want me to make you?
I'm coming down fast, but don't let me break you
Well, tell me, tell me, tell me the answer…
What is the answer? Misha asked her God. Her God didn’t answer.
But He will; Misha was certain of it. He had answered their father; all those years ago. Thinking of her father made her heart sting with profound pain. It wasn’t his time to go. What will happen to his cult?
A keening sound came from her right and she glanced over to see her brother crying.
“Oh shut up John,” she said. “Honestly! You are such a baby sometimes.”
Misha heard his guttural cries through the duct tape that she had used to shut him up. He struggled against the rope that bound his hands and feet together. Misha shook her head.
“There’s no use crying now John. Father was doing God’s work! And you!,” she kicked at John’s bound legs with her foot. “You killed him for it!”
Misha wiped the tears that had seeped out of her eyes and stood up. She spread her arms wide and spoke loudly.
“I beseech thou my Lord and Saviour. Thy faithful servant can no longer fulfill thy command; he is a martyr and I implore thou to welcome him into heaven.”
John struggled wildly at Misha’s feet but she ignored him. Not long now.
“I prostrate myself in thy glorious service. I will take up the mantle thou bestowed upon my father. I will go forth in thy name and slay the devil that resides on Earth, hidden inside mortals! As a token of my faith, I give to thee the curdled soul of this demon that has possessed my brother!”
Misha kicked hard. John fell from the edge and into the depths of the dried well; where only hours before, he had pushed his own delusional father.
***
References:
"Helter Skelter" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney.
Helter Skelter was interpreted by cult leader Charles Manson as a message predicting inter-racial war in the US. Manson claimed the song was a coded prophecy of an apocalyptic war in which racist and non-racist whites would be manoeuvred into virtually exterminating each other over the treatment of blacks.
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