GENESIS (GODS CHAIN) (75 page)

Observing the service and all those inside as a hymn was finishing,
the man
then moved slowly and unnoticed behind the people, quietly sitting on a long wooden bench by himself
.

Outside the church stood two solitary figures.
The air was freezing and this did not seem to bother
either of
them
,
but something else did
.
They did not speak to each other
—
content only to listen, not for the sounds of church hymns,
but
for the sounds in the night....
Each individual
took
shelter just inside a tall
,
arched stone entrance and positioned
themselves like sentinels on
either side of the large heavy church doors.

The mysterious visitor wore a rich fur hat
,
Russian styled and made of rare “black foxfur”
,
with leather gloves to match his attire. Stitched into the foxfur forehead he bore proudly a military badge.
Shaped in a small shield and made of a weave of rich fabric threads,
the badge
de
picte
d
a golden and scarlet
p
hoenix, focused in steep descent with sharp set eyes.
The magical bird flew angled in swooping flight with its strong
,
elevated wings curving like cupped hands, enclosing a smaller shield with a blue background. Inside this shield was an upturned and red enflamed dagger with an open parachute on top.

The
b
ird fiercely gripp
ed
its claws in immortal combat these words
:
“
Silendo Libertatem Servo Mobil”,
a motto translated “Serving Liberty Silently in Motion”
,
and indeed it was a most eminent award of posthumous distinction in recognition of an elite fighting unit and individual
’s
ultimate self sacrifice!

Inset into his fur headgear above this unique military ensign was a much smaller object. It was more like a
crescent-moon—a waning shaped
silver symbol of intricate design with an origin much, much older and of a very different nature
...
and as his head turned it glinted a little in the light.

**********

So cold it had suddenly turned that nothing and nobody walked outside in the village streets this evening with the exception of
a fleeting shadow.
At some point after those mysterious visitors arrived, a dark shape progressed unseen and
silent along the graveyard outside, concealed by the moonlight shadows.
Stealthily it moved uninvited into the church.
There was another way in!

Service was finishing and the minister stepped back from the altar a
s
F
ather Polletti raised his hand high in blessing.

‘Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ
,
’ he exclaimed, his hand making the sign of the holy cross
.
‘We all leave as children unto God almighty
,
who looks upon
u
s all this Christmas Eve.
Under God and under one roof all friends together
,
we are saddened that our own church of St Mary’s was destroyed by fire on October this year
,
when our village witnessed a freak of nature; some would say it was the work of the devil.
However
,
time has moved on and I have news,
which
arrived today.’
The Father paused and some of the congregation murmured together
and
then listened as he spoke,

‘Unfortunately
,
the holy pontiff’s office could not release any extra monies at this moment.
The Vatican treasury is tasked with the relocation of essential finances for other important missions
,
al
though assurance they give to me that our church will be rebuilt
at some point in the future
. Come, let us pray.’

So Father Polletti and Reverent Graham prayed in unison, each man
’
s voice complementing the other
’s
in harmony as the
y
spoke the words
:

‘
All things that happen, Lord, we understand that they happen for a reason. It is only through you
,
Lord God almighty, only you know why things happen.

‘
We all gather together tonight and celebrate the birth of your son.

History has
a
destination to the present and then on to a future. History moves forward, from pieces, towards a united humanity in Jesus Christ as we move in his direction towards a perfect spirit.

‘
Christ is the one who opens the gates to eternal life, snatching us away from the limitations of death and evil. Trust and believe in him for our salvation. If he did not exist in our hearts and in our spirits and
in
our minds then our sin
would
have no salvation and
we’d be
damned to eternal torment
;
we would
allow evil to grow and become all powerful
un
til time unending.

‘
Glory be to the power of God and trust in his son Jesus Christ, a son who was born in Bethlehem on this very night long, long ago.
It
is
to him that we celebrate.
He gives us all everlasting hope, happiness, salvation and love.

‘
In truth, God
is
within
us all!

May all his children enjoy this holy night and for evermore. Children of God!
We are here
.
L
eave your sacred house safely and with reassurance in
your
mind of eternal salvation.

‘
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen!’

Everyone chorused.

‘Let us all lift our voices in a final hymn before we depart
,
from hymnary
,
page sixteen
,
hymn number fifty
:
“In the cold mid-winter”
’.
T
he congregation stood up and s
a
ng one last time.
Top voices could be heard over the lonesome countryside and over the white
-
capped woods; drifting warm harmonies resonat
ed
off the crystalline white crusts far away across the crispy meadows and frozen moorlands.

The visitor with the foxfur hat watched silently and waited patiently from behind the congregation
.
S
afe for the moment
,
he did not want to leave
…and
then an uneasy feeling stirred within him and it was one of ill intent...someone was observing him from above on the balcony!

The vigilant strangers outside were almost stationary
as they
wait
ed
patiently for their companion to rejoin them.
Both were continually shifting their positions in apparent
ly
insignificant movements almost indistinguishable to observe, slow and irregular in constant motion...
.

Each person was wearing similar warm garments
to those worn by
the enigmatic visitor inside.
Neither of them bore such a distinguished “Badge of the Phoenix”
,
al
though all personnel had the same small singular silver symbol inset on their soft foxfur helmets.
Their skin tone shone of a ghostly luminous complexion in this uncanny moonlight. The two glacial figures were caught in time like photographic negative
s
staring upwards in the washed lunar light; up they gazed, high up into the stellar arctic night sky!
The bright full moonlight reflected off their intricate silver ensigns.

T
hese
cunning
guardians were fixed in mind and purpose
,
ready to use deadly force
to
neutralise any sign of a threat.
This peril they sought was already inside!
It was nearing ten minutes to midnight
,
and Christmas would soon be here
...
.

**********

The Church had been recently adapted for both religions to find it acceptable
,
as the kneelers could be used for prayer.
Illumination inside the old atmospheric church
was provided by dim candle light all around the walls
,
casting varying degrees of shadowy effects in the large hall and balcony overhead.
Mr and Mrs
Fludd
could be seen on Scott’s right hand side
,
sitting next to Charity.
The
children
had become very good friends over the past school term
,
and the boy
was
completely aware of her amusing antics
.