Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: SLANDER (09/07/17)
-
TITLE: Runaway Words | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jack Taylor
09/14/17 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Feona Backstrum wrinkled her brow and frowned. “I’ve read the blog post twice. He’s just talking about the way our society is changing. I’m not listening to gossip like this.”
Eloise White stroked back the blond locks behind her ear. “I’m not sure this is really gossip. Georgina is seriously concerned about this moral degeneracy that might be spreading through the youth. If this was all just idle chatter she wouldn’t be here letting us know that we need to protect our kids.”
Tina Johns buttoned her blouse and stood to her feet and rocked her sleepy boy. “If it’s not gossip it’s slander. This little guy of mine is not being protected in any way because Georgina is spreading news about how the new pastor is trying to reach out to the millennials in this neighborhood.”
Feona smoothed the hair on her little girl’s head and joined Tina in the mama rock. “Georgina, why don’t you write down your concerns for the pastor so that he knows what you’re thinking?”
“Are you kidding?” Georgina flopped herself down into a brown leather Lazy-Boy. “That pastor will probably sue me for libel. Not a word from my mouth is being put anywhere it can come back to haunt me.”
Eloise rose to her feet and joined the other two in their swaying. “I can’t see any reason why the pastor would sue you for libel. The search committee would have checked out all that before they brought him here. He hasn’t sued anyone in his last church has he?”
Georgina flipped up the foot rest on the Lazy-Boy and let out a sigh. “Now, there’s a good question,” she muttered. “Why did he leave his last church? Maybe they were sick of his perverting their youth with all his smutt.”
Tina walked slowly to her purse on the sink counter and pulled out her phone. “My husband was on the search committee and I am going to settle this. The pastor’s sermons are great and there’s no reason to be damaging his reputation with silly fabrications from an overactive imagination.”
Georgina flipped down the foot rest and lunged to her feet. “No need to get drastic over all this, Tina,” she said. “I’m just being cautious – not taking chances with this next generation. You hear all kind of crazy business on the news. None of these men should be trusted just because of who they seem to be.”
Tina set the phone down and turned around. “So now you’re saying it’s men in general who can’t be trusted. I don’t think this is a healthy conversation for any of us to be having. I’m not having you defame my husband or any other good man in this church.”
Eloise leaned back against a crib stationed by a wall. “Tina, not all the men here are trustworthy.” She looked toward the door. “Remember, my Bert took off with that waitress and now he wants me to just forgive and forget. And you heard the testimonies of those guys who just got baptized. You can bet they would never get near any daughter or sister of mine.”
“That’s what I am talking about.” Feona brushed open a curtain and looked down on the courtyard garden in full bloom. “The pastor is bringing in new people because he knows how to talk their language. He knows their issues. I really think that questioning him is slanderous.”
Georgina paced around the circumference of the Disney Character Circle rug. “You’re right. I need to hold my tongue.” She stopped and glared at Tina. “Trouble is, the last time I stopped talking my uncle got away with sexual abuse. My biology teacher got away with too many crossed boundaries. My neighbor got a lot too friendly with my sister.”
“I’m so sorry,” Tina said. “Violating someone into silence is never a good thing. All of us need our voices.”
“That’s true,” Feona added, “but it’s still not okay to use our voices to violate the reputations of others who haven’t done anything to deserve being smeared. Runaway words can destroy.”
Georgina shuffled toward the door and then stopped to look back. “I guess I need to talk with the pastor but I don’t want to go alone.”
“We’ll all go,” Tina pronounced.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
BLessings~
Well written.