Short Stories

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Simplicity always followed her. Not that she really minded of course. In her experience, complexity always spelled trouble...of course, trouble kept life interesting, but she preferred not to think of it that way.
Melinda had at eighteen years of age, mastered the art of simple living. She had moved out of her parents house a year ago and acquired a stable, if not well paying job as a waitress at one of the two time-honored restaurants in town. She had even started saving for retirement. Fortunately for her, life hadn't thrown too many obstacles her way. She had only experienced one car breakdown and it had been relatively simple to fix. A hundred and thirty five dollars later, her starter was working again and she didn't have to worry about any more interruptions to her routine for a while.
As you may or may not have guessed, this story is about one of those interruptions...



Five years passed in this no-nonsense manner before she realized that her life was as empty as her pocketbook was full. She had become so accustomed to life that she couldn't even enjoy the simple things anymore. As she mulled over these thoughts in her mind one night, her eyes wandered about, viewing anything that happened to be outside her window. She thought she could see something moving across the street from her house. Yes... there was definitely someone dancing around a fire in the woods...
Curious, she stood, reached for the knob, and cautiously pulled it so that she could close it at a moments notice.
Dark, shadowed figures waited outside her door. They just stood there, or hovered, or existed...she wasn't quite sure, but the melody they sang had a trance like quality to it.

"You are empty, let us fill you.
You are hungry, let us feed you.
You want meaning, there is power.
All you have to do is let us in."

The appearance of these creatures was frightening at first, but after she heard the song, how could she not let them in? She had been longing for just what they offered. How could it hurt to hear them out?

She slowly opened the door, not quite sure whether these short guys in black robes would come in or not; not sure whether she wanted them in or not.
They all converged on her door, now starting to glow slightly as they moved...



Five years later, a man walked into town. He carried a gas can over his shoulder and attracted the stare of many townsfolk on his trip to the filling station.
Something about this town unsettled him slightly. He wasn't sure whether it was the hostility of the residents, or the lack of green grass that abounded in spite of the rain they had been having sporadically for a week. Whatever it was, he wasn't interested in staying here any longer than he had to.
The weather had different plans.
Just before he reached the filling station, the bottom fell out of the dark clouds and torrents of water descended on the poor traveler. Anyone unfortunate enough to be outside was soaked inside of a minute. He ran the rest of the distance to the station and headed inside to wait out the downpour. In the mean time, he opened up the Bible he always carried with him, and thumbed to Psalm 145. He had read most of it before a young woman in a white dress walked in. She had an umbrella, so she wasn't too wet, but seemed to have something pouring from her. Her eyes were fixed on the book in Dr. Feindricks hand. He felt heat building at his fingertips and suddenly realized what was horribly wrong with the woman.
From his mouth came the word he had hoped never to have to use, "I rebuke you satan, and I command you to leave her right now!"

From the woman came a laugh that could have petrified a tree. It was followed by, "You think you can stop us? Poor deranged human. You will see the darkness that kills." and with that, the demons started to choke both the shopkeeper and the woman.
Dr Feindricks wasted no time in calling out, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, go to hell and leave them alone!"
The effect was immediate. He never saw what happened in the spiritual realm, but in the natural world it was obvious that the woman was happy, if somewhat out of breath, and the shopkeeper, shocked...



One year later, Melinda cried as she held the Bible Dr. Feindricks had given her and told her new church where she had been. "...And there in the filling station, Dr. Fiendricks told me about a sweeter melody; one that will truly fill me and give me meaning."
She smiled as she sat back down, with her Bible in one hand and her newborn son cradled in the other arm. God had made her life, and her marriage fruitful.

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