VESSELS UNKNOWN

THREE

          Screaming voices and rowdy praying humans was the first thing I heard when I came to.  I squinted to see their faces.
I had gone back into one of  my intense fright mares. But, this time, it ended better than the previous ones.

           "Thank you Jesus." A woman repeated severally, while her arm cradled me like a child.

It took few seconds before I could trace the features of her face. It hit me, I was among these crazy set again.
Wriggling my self from her hold, I quarantined myself to a corner in the big hall, fending off anyone who tried to come close.

Confused, I watched them circle around me like vultures. Their mouths speaking words that made no sense. The rumbling of my stomach was loud, I looked around in embarrassment.

The lady who previously held me,  hurriedly brought food. I grabbed it and ate voraciously, gulping down multiple cups of water.

         Done with the meal, I picked myself up, still dazed from my ordeal. My legs weakly dragged me to the bathroom, following the sign and staggering with each step.
Same lady wrapped her right arm around my waist, supporting my body.

After I got my bladder emptied, my face and hands washed. I turned to my helper in obvious confusion.

             "Do you know what's going on?" I asked Joan as she later identified her self. She nodded.

             "The pastor will update you." She answered scantily. A faint smile barely scratching her face.

I helplessly heaved a frustrated sigh. Reluctantly, we walked back to the hall. The people were now seated in a circle. I was confined to the center.

        Five men and four women pinned their eyes on me kindly. I slowly bowed my head and stretched myself to a laying position. I was too weak to sit on my butt.

A young man tried to raise me to my feet, but their leader told him to leave me be.

             "So, what did you see?" The same voice repeated again.

            "This stupid question again?"  My mind argued.

            "I saw nothing." I answered weakly.

        His flaring nose got me smiling slyly.  He pulled off his jacket, dumping it on the chair he had just pulled himself from. His mouth twitched in anger as he approached me.
I sneered at him.

He caught on and walked closer to me stretching himself to his full length. His arms rested on his hips while his broad chest proudly stared in my face in a failed attempt to intimidate me.

I didn't react but stared on. I took in all his expressions joyfully, he was in for a shocker. Frustrating him was going to be easy.

             "First off, what has my experience got to do with you all?" I stated calmly.  

             "Secondly, right now,  I am super tired." Glancing at his team, I'm sure most of them need rest just like me."

I negotiated with their thoughts, planting mind mines as their thoughts came to me.

          Instantly, most of them will fall into the mind mines I had carefully planted for them.
As if Jinxed, the all moved their heads up and down in a nod, agreeing to my suggestion.
The pastor now defeated, agreed to let the people rest, including me. I smiled cunningly. 'I live to fight another day.'    

                                                                                                             
           The night moon woke me from my troubled sleep. Few of Crickets cried in a distance. I pulled myself up, scanning my surroundings.

The church was dimly lit. Dark shapes laid across the room, I assumed I wasn't the only one catching a rest inside the church.

Distracting my self from that thought,  my foot silently tiptoed to make an exit through the back door of the church.

I grabbed the handle lightly and pushed gently. Quietly, I eased myself into the cool night.

Outside the church, the moon beamed it glorious light, illuminating everything within its reach. Its beauty, radiated on my body and soul. I watched as its full nature sat beautifully in the sky.

It even chooses to show a full or half measure of it's self.
A full moon had always had a connection to me. It is one thing created by nature that can read the rhythm of my heart without a stethoscope. I had sneaked out of the church to watch it rise in the sky. 

A set of logs spun around the pond. I eased my self on one and watched the moonlight overshadow me.

My lustful eyes focused on it like a bride waiting earnestly for her groom.  It's overwhelming ability to push out the clouds, and take authority over the sky made my heart flutter.

Once every month, it ruled as king in the sky keeping darkness at bay. I felt the cool breeze grace my skin. I took deep breaths and exhaled slowly, relaxing my mind.

           Sitting comfortably on a piece of  log by the pond close to the church, I threw rocks into the water, and watched as it's splash reflected in the moonlight.

A huge frog sat on another tiny log across the pond making calls into the night. Soon the other frogs followed, echoing its calls.

I smiled at how their little world could look like while relieving the bits and pieces of my experience. My body shuddered at the thoughts of ever having such experience again.

             In a distance, a sweet voice began to sing.
   
                  "Would you like to dance and dance you will"
                  "Would you like to dance and dance you will" 

My thoughts went blank as my ears listened. A lovely voice was singing beautifully in the night.
Curiously, I walked to the edge of the pond to get a sense of where the song was coming from. But nothing.
The moon began to move slowly, I watched it go. Distracted for a bit,  I followed it, for I needed to know if it really moved.

Inquisitively, my mind followed its trajectory and ended up in the vast bush behind the church, away from frequent human activity. There were pieces of blocks stacked loosely against each other.

Weed shrubs grew so tall into into them. It was more like an empty land for an abandoned building project.
I stood still, squinting the lenses of my eyes to see beyond where I stood.

         The song grew louder, drawing my attention away from my temporal adventure.  Even though I knew it came from the pond, I searched for it around me because it's presence I felt, intensely within me. Yet, nothing.

A warm misty air caressed my neck, the wetness shriveled me in time. I tensed, rubbing my finger around my neck. Warm mouth planted a kiss on my left shoulder, I gasped in fear.
Quickly, I swirled on my heels, scanning my present environment, but  found no one around.

Without a second thought, I broke into a flight, sprinting at high speed, only halting few feet away from the church.

But, then at the entrance, the voice came again, it's presence terrifyingly strong.