LoveTober: In the World of Samaritan's Legacy

Chapters 22-28

10/22 Uncharted

What did I do?

Hember wondered as he sat, kneeling on the sidewalk as Mauma and Noa hung from a pole outside the library. Their faces were contorted and frozen; trapped in the agony that claimed their lives. The way their bodies swayed marked his soul, leaving a scar that will follow him for the rest of his life.

The words of the officer responsible for their deaths echoed in his ears like an evocative haunting.

"You were reported for praying in a public place. They said it happened a week ago and it took them until today to disclose it. Thankfully, it was a misunderstanding." She sneered, "You ended up being innocent, and unexpectedly, we found two instead of one, so I'm not disappointed. It was a better result."

She crouched to Hember's level and lifted his chin so her bright green eyes bore into his, "I thank you. I haven't been able to string up one of them in a long time." She cooed, a sound that made him understand just how much she enjoyed it.

She went over to admire her work, leaving Hember to his punishment. His spirit was unwell, as though it was being torn by a wild animal and burned by a dragon. It was like a poison that spread throughout him, tearing his being and rotting him from the inside.

And he didn't know why.

For hours, he sat there in guilt. He was responsible for the deaths of two people he had wanted to meet all his life. All because he prayed in public on his way to the library. Yet his pain went deeper than guilt.

He refused to rest. He didn't deserve to move from that spot.

It wasn't until Embrith appeared at his side, speaking comforting things that did not quite reach his ears and pulling him by his hand, that he moved. He followed her, not knowing what else to do.

The images of Mauma and Noa burned and seared.

They invited him into their home and gave him the fellowship, the bond he craved since he was little.

Now he'll live knowing he killed them.

10/23 Mother

"You didn't kill them. If you keep thinking that, then bless your poor soul," Mary said to Hember. Including Emrith, the three of them sat in a spare bedroom of the orphanage. The topic of conversation is the deaths of the couple, Mauma and Noa. "You are missing the point."

Her words cut deep. Hember had found out that Mary does not mince her words. Embrith fidgeted with her hands while sitting on the floor and leaning on the bed next to Hember, who sat on the bed with a defeated expression. To anyone who saw him, he looked like he lost everything. He was losing the fight. The cliff drew nearer.

"What point?" Hember asked darkly, without anger. He had no rage in him, just sadness.

Mary, who was sitting on a chair in front of Hember, stood and sat on the bed with him. Her old hand cupped the back of his head, and she pulled him into her embrace.

"Be still a child. Life has not been easy for you, and you are trusted with more than you can bear. It's okay to lament over those you hold dear."

He did cry. He cried silent tears and covered the woman's shoulder in his sorrow. His voice did not break, and he did not scream. His desolation flowed easy and smooth, for the mess in his life had already been cleaned. Now was only pain in death.

Embrith never expected this was what she would find when she signed up to finish her degree. Her missionary work had gone smoothly until she met Hember. She left pockets of scripture and worked with those willing to find a way to make Christianity more available in Delair.