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Panic-stricken, upset and remorseful, Boy quickly scooped up the mammoth Slug, tucked it carefully into his pocket, and speedily bolted toward the old chapel. But alas, it was too late. When he arrived, his uncle, the strict Priest, was already waiting for him at the entrance—arms crossed, with the angriest glare the child had ever seen.
For a fleeting moment, the boy timidly considered the possibility of fleeing. Yet deep down, he knew it would be futile. Even if he somehow managed to escape, and even if the old Priest didn't catch him right away, the punishment upon his return would be far, far worse.
So, resigned to his fate, the child lowered his head, and slowly dragged his feet to meet the looming figure of his impassive uncle, still impatiently waiting for him at the chapel entrance. The Priest said nothing— his silence more terrifying than any scolding he could've dispensed. And when Boy came within reach, his uncle grabbed him firmly by the arm, and hauled the child into the old chapel's spare room. There, the strict Priest unleashed the longest beating and hardest spanking the boy had ever endured.
When Priest finally tired, he released the boy and walked towards the door, pausing in the doorway for a moment. The priest looked back sternly at the sobbing child and, in a scathing voice, uttered only four words: "Pray and repent, Boy." Then stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it, leaving the boy alone— without supper, in his boundless shame, and the crushing silence.
The remorseful boy cried and cried until he could weep no more. But neither physical nor spiritual pain could quell the anguish of his shame. When his tears eventually ran dry, the child, exhausted and drained, fell into an uneasy, heavy sleep.
Yet the torments of this long day were far from over, as the icy evening winds seeped through the spare room's broken window, biting all over little Boy's small body; and the shadows of the night plagued the ashamed boy's mind, twisting his feverish sleep, into a whirlpool of dark, hellish dreams.
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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!
