A Gathering of Ghosts

A storm brews on the horizon, as clouds race each other towards infinity. One drop...two drops...a sudden downpour traps the car in it's grip, smashing against the windshields. Lightning, blinding, strikes in the distance, an angry jagged line tearing the fabric of the sky.

"The world is angry now." I say aloud.

The thunder accompanies the lightning, answering loudy as if to prove itself angry.

The highway road forks, and I swirve to the right, climbing up the exit ramp slippery with water. Forests flank both sides as I drive down the country road, age-old pavement uneven with cracks.

The towers of an ancient church building come into view, preaching to the violent sky. Built with earthy stone, the church stands tall and mighty. A crucifix, sitting at the top of the roof, greets my visit. I look away, clutching my shirt where my heart aches underneath.

I pull into the parking lot behind the church, where a small graveyard is hidden behind the church's divine face. Square gravestones planted deep into the ground mark the plot of land, a gathering of my ghosts.

I sit in the car, listening to the confessions of the world. The sky cries with guilt, the earth shaking underneath. The sins of reality speak to me, grotesque murderous deeds brought into the light of my car. Tears slowly burn down my cheek.

The storm doesn't die down, but nonetheless, I open the car door and step outside. Immediately, the tears of the world drench me to the bone, and I can't help but shiver in its frozen embrace. Furious wind pulls at my hair and clothes. Somehow, I find my way to the trunk and open it slowly. Rain rushes to darken the fuzzy lining, sliding off the garbage bag resting inside.

The garbage bag. A heavy weight fills my heart, a cross too heavy to bare. A storm, brewing for so long, ravages the inside of my soul. I can't help but double over the side of the car and puke loudly onto the concrete.

"We'd best go." I mumble, embracing the garbage bag in both hands. Its contents are stiff and cold. Its contents are...

The sparkling stain glass windows decorating the church smile at me, shining in rainbows though the world is downcast in darkness. The windows, somehow, keep glowing. The picture depected by the window is of Jesus' ressurection, and angels surround him in rays of light. His glass eyes invite me, his arms wide to hold me.

I don't deserve those arms, being a monster laden with sins myself.

"Forgive me, my Lord and Saviour, for I have sinned." I whisper, frowning as I turn away from my only saving grace.

I adjust my grip on the garbage bag. Carefully, I lay it down in the mud of the miniature cemetary. There's a shed by the back door, and I have the key.

I retrieve a rusty shovel, and set myself to digging as my past ghosts stare silently.