Scary Short Stories †

fifty one

A true (?) story.

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When it all began, I was a lonely seventh grader at a large public school. I had few friends there, and even these "friends" of mine bullied and mistreated me more often then not. So I made my friends at church. At this point in my life, I was deeply religious, even at such a young age. I prayed and read the Bible daily, and my family regularly attended church. However, no matter how much effort I put into my religion, I always felt a great distance between me and God. I could spend all day praying, but every time I tried, I still felt like I was talking to the wall. How could I know He was there at all if I couldn't see Him, couldn't hear Him, couldn't feel Him?

But my father – oh, he could hear God just fine. I knew because he had seen them – seen the Angels.

My father and my mother, still married at this time, disagreed upon many issues, especially religious ones. So as the tension between them grew, my father turned to other sources of fulfillment. He began taking long walks each day, during which he would spend hours praying. He developed a kind of distant look in his eye, which constantly hinted at the fact that he was occupied with things outside our world. This only increased the tension in the household, as my mother accused him of being neglectful of household chores and duties.

Then, when he and I were doing yard work one day, my father revealed to me his Gift.

"Son, this may sound strange at first," he told me, nervously clearing his throat, "but I had a vision from God." He then began to describe to me his vision. Jesus had led him to the top of a high mountain overlooking the whole world. Upon the mountain, Jesus told my father that He was sending him out as His servant to win back the world for the Cross. My father resisted, claiming he did not have the gifts to take on such a task. Jesus then told my father that He was going to give him a special ability to aid him: the ability to see and communicate with spiritual beings. This would help my father complete his task. Still my father resisted, saying he was not worthy of such power. Jesus, becoming angry, swiftly brought my father down to the depths of Hell. My father looked upon the Lake of Fire. Thousands of thousands of souls were drowning in its flames, wailing in agony. Their skin was bubbling and dripping off in large clots from the intensity of the heat; the hair was completely singed off their heads; their bloodshot eyes burned red from the flaming tongues that continually licked them. My father grew sick to his stomach. "Do you see this?" Jesus said to him. "This is what will happen if you do not act soon. If you refuse to obey your calling, you shall be responsible for the eternal death of millions."

I was speechless. But that was not all. My father then went on to tell me that in the days following the vision, he had begun to see the Angels, just as Jesus had said he would. "They're everywhere. They're invisible to human eyes, but I can see them. Dozens of them. They're the most majestic creatures."

I had no idea what to say. How could I know, when my father had actually just told me in all earnestness that he suddenly had the power to see angels and spiritual beings? Was I losing my mind? Was this a strange dream?

Yet, even as insane as it sounded, I wondered: Was this the answer I had been looking for? I had never been able to hear God talk back to me before. Maybe that would all change now. Maybe I could finally see God, hear Him, feel him myself.

"Dad, do you think one day I'll be able to see them too?"

"Of course you will! It will take time, but if you have faith, nothing will be invisible to you." And so began my quest of faith, my quest to see these beings for myself, to see God.

—

Over the next several months, my father shared with me his stories about his frequent encounters with the Angels. He warned me never to tell another living soul, not even my mother; God had commanded him to keep his Gift a secret from all except me. Car rides with my father became adventures, as he would describe his conversations with the beings. Usually they appeared to him during his solitary prayer walks, or while he was out anywhere by himself.