Smirks, Ropes and Furnaces

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

The stained windows reflect the nativity scene in aesthetic shades, across the thronged mahogany pews of dark faces, mirroring the concentration of the priest, as he leisurely closes the large hard cover book that reads 'The Holy Bible' in bold letters on the front.

God bless, remember to live through the eyes and heart of the lord" the priest boomed standing tall whilst adjusting his vest. Chatter and shuffling filling the chapel as people began to retrieve their family and exit. Large pale wooden doors swung open to the smell of pine and wet paint, revealing the many 1975 Chevys parked parallel to the beaming white building accompanied by a mossy green tiled roof. A young man and his mother stood by the grunge road, blank faced and undignified, as a vivid yellow bus drove by wearing faces as white as snow that looked over them in disgust, whilst the Chevy's manipulated the dust into the air like flightless birds.

White... No purity...Never...It will never be pure...But a foul stench of corruption and prejudice.

The illuminated sky grasped and treasured by the adolescent eyes, never to be seen again.

Mendez was thrown to the brittle floor only to shake him from his nightmare, at least he wished it be a dream. His lanky dark arm flexed up to his faultless eyes and rubbed at them to become accustomed to the stale rotten cabin like room, smelling of mold and blood.

"Get up coloureds, before i leave you to rot", thundered a glowing white figure standing a few meters from Mendez, lighting up the room with his demonic features.

Abed groaned and shuddered as he stretched out his leg only to kick Shehan to his consciousness.

Abed jolted from his position, gasped for breath as his collar is tugged with strength of the devil. Mendez and Shehan eventually tailed along side him down a dense musky hall. Their feet dragging behind them filling the corridor, producing nothing more than the sound of dead men walking.

Wails prospered through the large acoustic chapel, the crescent moon flourishing through the cracks between the silk black curtains covering the artistry. A tired man slugged over the lectern appreciating the grief of the families.

Shehan and Mendez's mothers gripped each other's back releasing their whimpers over their shoulders, whilst Mendez's father stood over them head bowed in woe.

"The lord will deliver", the pastor repeated with confidence as the women took a breath only to begin squawking like crows once again.

The mothers refuse...They refuse the thought of hope...They refuse the thought of a God, but welcome defeat, and surrender to it's depths. "They were only boys "the father muttered gripping a black chain wearing a rusty cross, surveying its abstract shapes morphed by his weeps.

"You will serve no one. You are animals. You have only one master now", roared a low musky voice throwing the weak bruised bodies onto the gravel. "You're all savages, you don't deserve hope" he kicked at Abed a chuckled over his suffering. Another large man dressed in the same uniform leant down, arms leaning on his knees just sitting above the gravel, his dark eyes rested over Abed's quivering scrawny body as he spat next to his face, "animals". Shehan reached out gripping onto the wrist of the offender, squeezing it with what energy he had stored, revealing his veins under his weak skin. "We will never serve you".

The man staggered from his position and 5 other men looking no different, darted at Shehan and began kicking at his flesh. "You'll regret this", the man hissed glaring down at them, blood dripping down his cheek.

Streams of golden treasure slid through the sight of the innocent. Squinting under the fragrance of pine and beauty, rattling chains materialized pinching at the their swollen wrists. Long ropes sat lonely wearing nooses tied onto a large branch of an oak tree, resting by a small rustic shed. The boys jerked along dragged their feet like dogs, approaching the bold tree that dared to stand. Tall men dressed in pure white bulldozed the boys onto the platform and wrapped the ropes around their unimpeachable throats. "The lord will punish you for your sins" a voice snickered from behind the platforms. Mendez glanced over Abed and Shehan in dread and closed his eyes in conviction.

...

Flocks of birds squalled and scampered from the autumn lime green trees in distress. White uniforms deflected their eyes. Some did not through the pleasure of pain, hidden grins sneaking between ears.

Chains rattled in the gusty wind. They crackled, only to fall to the gravel and bounce a few times. All eyes locked in intimidation. Six feet stood planted firmly in dust. Three smirking faces, eyes glowing in pride, gripping a broken rope in their hands.

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."