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Once upon a time there was an ancient Church, with a strict old fashioned Priest and a very naughty little Boy.
The ancient Church clung to the steep slopes of a country mountainside, its stone walls high, and the hallways cold and stark. At its peak stood an old bell tower, with thunderous bells dutifully ringing every hour. Each Sunday, the old Priest would personally climb the tower and savagely ring the bells himself, summoning all the townsfolk to gather for their weekly reprimand— though some stubbornly referred to it as Mass.
The Priest was extremely strict, and shamefully unmerciful. "A thousand Hail Marys!" he would often thunder, though the occasional "Flog yourself fifty times!" wasn't uncommon either. He never missed a chance to chastise his flock, or fervently reprimand them for their countless sins. And in private, the most defenseless soul suffering the worst, as the old Priest unforgivingly punished the naughty boy for every single mischief, which sadly must be confessed, were plenty.
The Boy was indeed very naughty, but also—profoundly innocent. He made innumerable blunders, it's true, and a great deal of 'misbehavings' too, there's no denying it. After all, how many times can a boy guiltlessly baptize a frog in holy water before he learns not to? The sacrilege! Yet, regardless of the inexcusable amount of frogs that dubiously found their way into heaven thanks to the child's 'timely assistance', despite all his misbehavior and sacrilegious mischief, deep inside— Boy's pure blameless heart never knew any harm. He was just... a little boy. A little orphan boy.
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YOU ARE READING
The Priest, the Boy and the Slug.
Short StoryThere was once an innocent naughty boy whose evil uncle-priest made him do all the temple's chores. The boy was miserable and all alone in the world until, one day, he found his best friend and hope- in a slug!
