In the deep South, religion tends to be more active than contemplative, more assured of its rightness than modest. Rory and Betty Sloan, for example, entered the first of 40 rooms in the new Motel 6 to place Holy Bibles in 40 night tables. As members of the Little Rock Evangelical Church of God, they had been called to spread the Word, with the blessing of the motel manager, furthering God's work on Earth (and adding stars to the crowns the Sloans would wear in Heaven).
They moved along the shady breezeway onto which all the rooms opened, smelling the fresh paint and carpet glue, taking their time on that warm and glory-filled August day.
The walnut-stained night table in Room 211 had been sitting undisturbed in a dark warehouse for two years, and a brown recluse spider had set up housekeeping in its drawer. She did not like the blue-veined hand that slipped into her domain with a large square object, and she did what hermit spiders always do.
Had it been you or me whom the spider bit, we might have gone to the emergency room or perhaps to an Urgi-Care Center to have the bite looked at. But Betty Sloan believed that the Lord would protect her, in a general way because He was merciful and also in a specific way because she had been doing Good Works when the hurt occurred.
She said nothing and soldiered on at Rory's side, a frail osteoporotic woman with a weak heart, until her hand -- afire with poison -- fluttered once, and Sister Betty Sloan went Home.
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I know someone who does this.
Brilliant last line. You know me, I love the Bible thumper stuff .
Valhalla. Good story. I look forward to more of your work to be continued.
Gowin, you need to come down here and get you some salvation.
Warren, thank you. This little piece of flash won't be continued, although the Rorys and Bettys of the world will carry on, I have no doubt.
oh lord this was fun! I'm so glad the spider killed the old froot loop! serves her ass right!
Plain old joy. Delighted laugh from me as I reached the end. Betty's demise is not met with grief since in heaven, as the story proposes, her crown will be adorned. The spider is very interesting. Gideon, this just came up. A good name for a kid, I said, if you could distance it from the Gideon version (translation) of the Bible. *
Misti: I'm not sure, but isn't schadenfreude some kind of sin?
A little slice of heaven with some nasty ala mode. *
If you needed proof that God is not watching over Motel 6, look no further.
Great work!
the ala mode, is always special at the end. Nice twist on faith. Nice story all around, Gita.