Church of Bungle

Entry 2

"Finally..." Fish exhaled. "I didn't realize how many people thought I could hear the gods..."

The door slammed open.

"Good work today, son! You helped many lost souls today. Jimothy Bungle would be proud." Darren smiled.

"Oh, thanks, Da- Father..."

Darren's eye twitched, but he maintained his composition. "Anyway, practice your piano. 'Ballad of Bungle' won't play itself at the function." He left Fish alone in his room with his piano and small splintered bed.

Fish sighed and laid down on the bed. He glanced at the walls. Father said he wasn't allowed to decorate it in any way.

There was a knock on the door.

Fish instantly got up and sat on the piano stool. "Yes? Come in."

A woman who looked very pale entered.

"Oh, hi, Mother." Fish said.

"No need for the formalities, Fish." She coughs.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We both know that your father doesn't want me to see you, but I thought I'd give you something to eat." Fish's mom places a small tin box on the floor.

"Janet! Are you over here?"

"Shit, Darren's looking for me. Goodbye, Fish." She stood up

"Bye, Mom."

Fish sat on the stool, alone again.

He practiced over and over again, to the point his fingers wanted to fall off. He practiced non-stop for hours on end.

"That's enough for today..." He sighed, not realizing the shadow that casted over his room until a little bit after the whispers.

"Psst, hey! Up here!"

Fish snapped his neck up. A small window with the face of a boy peeking through it. Was that window always there? Fish got up and tried to reach the window but was unsuccessful.

"I think it's a little too high for you to reach..."

"Who are you?" Fish asked the boy.

"My name's Jessie. What about you? I've never seen you around the church before."

"...I'm Fish."

"Woah, like Fish Nogard? The pastor's son? Like, the one who can hear Jimothy Bungle?"

"Yeah, that's right..."

"Then, what are you doing in that little room? I thought you had, like, fancy butlers who wiped your ass for you or something."

"Oh, uh, it's just a little practice room...for my piano lessons..."

"I know you're lying." This caught Fish off guard. "You have a bed in there. And a box. It's smells like food is in the box."

"You can smell it? I can't even smell it."

"I have very good senses." Jessie nodded.

"Alright, yeah, I lied. I just don't want Father to know I told someone about this. You're not going to snitch, are you?"

"Nope. Your secret is safe with me, Fish."

"...Can I trust you to keep another secret, Jessie?"

"Sure, what's up, dude?"

"...I can't actually hear Jimothy Bungle. My father just says so to the church members."

"Yeah, I know." Jessie said.

"What-?! But, how-?!" Fish asked, surprised.

"I have my ways. All my friends know, too."

"Friends? Hey, wait, you don't look like you're wearing the church uniform..."

"I'm not. It's just similar." Jessie paused. "Me and my friends already know a lot about you. Why don't I bring them next time?"

"Next time? I-I mean, sure!"

"Cool. I've got to go. Bye, Fish!"

"Bye, Jessie..."

Was he going insane? Or was he actually talking to someone just now?