Take Me to Church

- prologue

ghost, ghost, ghost

Prologue

Mama said there was no need for me to ever leave the house.

She made sure that I was stuck there with her. She didn't like being alone, and never did she go any place in the large mansion we called home without some sort of escort or me. I was being held hostage within the walls of my own sanctuary. She used to tell me I was being selfish when I asked to be put in a real school instead of having her hire some teacher for me.

"I's already done told you - no way you's leavin' this house," she'd say every time, "It ain't safe out there for you. Now, get back to yo' studies."

There was a time then that one of my teachers had told me about this God person. The old woman that had done so was small and frail. Her hair was graying and thin, and looked like it was gon' fall out at any moment. I felt bad for her; I reckoned she would have fallen over with every gust of wind that hit her. I wondered often why she didn't just blow away when she would lead me out to the fields for our "Science" class. She'd lie to Mama and say she was teachin' me some stuff about the Earth, only to preach at me in the grass.

Her eyes were always brightest when she spoke to me about God.

"He's a mighty good man up there in the sky," she'd tell me, "He done made this whole good Earth; he made you, too. You were planned before you were even a thought in that there's woman's empty ol' head."

It was often like that, the old woman repeating those things. She'd never say Mama's name out loud, like it was some taboo. I wasn't much in the mood for caring, just a thirteen year old with no need to care. Mama told me I was in that "rebellious phase" then. I used to get a good licking when I tried to sneak out the house, those times.

Now, I wasn't no fan of this God that hag used to talk about. She'd get to peckin' at me about sayin' my prayers and doing good, when I didn't even know what good was. I ain't never seen no good deed, so how was I supposed to weigh my own actions with those? I suppose I could have asked then, but I never got the chance.

Mama found out about the old woman teaching me these Bible verses and took her away. Said she was too close to those things. She said I wasn't supposed to have my head filled with nonsense. Mama was no believer of this God, but I took to believing deep down.

It was a small seed, like when you first plant it in the beginning of the harvest. I just didn't know it would blossom a little while later.

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It's been a long time coming, but here's the prologue for this story. I'm not sure when the updates will be, how they will be scheduled with all my other stories, but we'll see how it goes.

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