"So in the night prayer, do I pray four cycles or seven?" asked the boy, reclining on the couch.
"You should pray seven cycles but you must pray at least four," said his mother from the adjoining kitchen.
"Run that by me again," said the boy.
"It's like this. Most days, just do seven. Make it a habit. But if one day, you're dying of a fever. Or maybe your back feels achy, then you can do four. Makes sense now?" said the mom. She was staring at a casserole dish that would not get clean.
"You realize when I go off to college, I'm just going to do whatever I want," said the boy.
"Maude's boy just graduated. He still kept up his prayers. He's probably going to be made deacon by June," huffed his mom.
"Daniel? Why would you compare me to him? He doesn't have any style. He once came to school in a white dress shirt and gray sweatpants."
"He's just an example. It isn't about him. Look, people have practiced our religion for 1900 years and on five continents. It's beautiful and also quite powerful," she said.
He got up, suddenly curious. "What do you mean 'powerful?"
"It's not good to talk about this. We don't know who or what is listening."
"Mom, are ya messing with me?"
"Kiddo, when I was ten, I went from being a normal, happy-go-lucky kid, to one day falling into a coma. Doctors ran all their tests but couldn't find anything. My parents didn't know what to do. They brought in a daras, a faith healer. He walked into my hospital room and instantly knew what was wrong. He even knew how to handle it. He recited some prayers over me and I came back to consciousness," the mom said.
"Well, there's probably some scientific explanation for that," the son said.
"What I believe is that something evil wrapped itself around me and wouldn't let go. The daras read prayers at that something and it got scared. Maybe it was reminded that God could punish it. I'm not sure how it worked, but I know it worked. There's something in what we believe and what we do that is more powerful than evil."
YOU ARE READING
Aurora, Illinois
Mystery / ThrillerIt starts with a shocking crime. Kids at the local high school collapse into grief. The police try to unravel the mystery, but this one may be more than they can handle. Meanwhile, criminals are bringing drugs and sex workers into a town that can't...
