When You Were Young

"Let me see him now then. I'd rather die than be your slave," she said.

"You speak too rashly, my child. In time you'll come to accept your situation. You'll see it's for the best for all of us. We will create a paradise here, where no one grows old or dies, where everyone follows His way. Here we will purge all the ungodly influences to create a land that is pure. A beacon of light among the darkness spreading throughout His world. So that when the time comes for Him to destroy the sinners as described in Revelations, we shall be the ones saved and rewarded in His new kingdom for our devotion."

"You're mad! You kill a good man like Rodney and then claim to be doing the Lord's work. What you're doing isn't the work of God. It's the work of Satan!"

Reverend Crane raised his hand to strike her, but then lowered it. "It is a terrible pity to see what you've become," he said. "I blame myself for turning you into this bitter mass of flesh. But just as He has shown me how to do His work, so too has he provided salvation for both of us." The reverend put a hand on Prudence's cheek. "Now I have the opportunity to atone for my sin and to make amends to you."

"Nothing you can do will bring Rodney back to me," she said. "You killed him and I will never forgive you."

"I am not speaking of your husband. Perhaps you have forced yourself to forget, but I cannot. It was the moment that drove me into God's arms and ultimately led me here. For that I thank you."

Prudence's stomach churned and her body shivered. Her chest tightened to the point she thought her heart might burst. Her breathing came out in wheezes. "What's wrong with the pig?" Pryde asked. "You want me to get rid of her?"

"No, I will deal with her. You can dispose of the little one," the reverend said. "He has served his purpose."

"No!" Prudence shouted as Pryde reached for his knife. "You can't kill him. Not Wendell too."

"What do you care for this stowaway? He is rubbish. He was no stronger as a man than he is now as a boy."

Prudence crawled over to Wendell's side, laying Wendell's head against her chest. "You don't understand. I love him. You can't take him away from me too. If you do, then you might as well kill me too."

"Fine with me," Pryde said.

"Hold," Reverend Crane said. "We will spare the little one. Take him below and keep him there for now."