Nights at the Pump - Chapter 4 The Congregation

Chapter 4

The Congregation

There are two factors that greatly influence the personality of a church. Everything else that identifies a church is derived from those two things.

The first is the Minister and at The Church of Spiritual Holiness and Mystic Missions the minister was Orman Krasner, the six foot four inch, angular man who peered at us from across the street. The second thing is the congregation. What made the congregation difficult to judge was that we had never seen them.

We thought it strange too. How can you have a church with no congregation?

We had heard them. At least there were noises from inside the church on Sunday night that sounded like they came from people. What else could the noise be coming from? It didn't sound like animals. Obviously, we had to do some reconnaissance. Tomorrow was Sunday. We would go and look inside the windows during the service.

If I was to be a part of the scouting party I’d have to be sick so I could stay home from my own church service. I’d better do some work on that if I am to convince my parents of that. In the meantime I wanted to get together with Harold about getting inside tonight, blue light or no blue light we were going in.

Saturday there were lots of chores to do around the house and the usual get together with the kids from school at the Daniel Theater. That would fill the day while I thought about what to do tonight. I went over to Harold’s house to see if he was home.

Harold and I went to his room and made a list of all the things we would need to enter and investigate the Big Blue House. First, a flashlight, no, two flashlights, some rope, maybe a little snack of some kind in case we get locked in the house we’ll need food. Harold had a Swiss Knife, which was good. I had an old Night Stick that I found in the basement of our house. The man who lived there before was a policeman. We could use that for protection. We’d need a couple of pencils and a note pad to write down anything we saw that was unusual. Camera, no, all we had were Kodak Brownies and even if we got pictures it would take a week to get them developed.

We finished our list and I went home to do my chores.

The rest of the day went like all Saturdays, chores, movies and gathering at the pump. Just at dark Harold and I went through the shadows and down the street to the Big Blue House. Our supplies were in our knapsacks and all our clothes were black. We worked our way around the block to a neighbor’s yard that was next to our target and entered the yard in the back. We moved quietly alongside the house and to the corner where we saw the blue light. Harold went to the door and tried it. It was open. He opened it and we both went inside.

It was pitch black. We didn't want to turn on the flashlights so close to the door so we waited until our eyes had adjusted to low light. Then we saw the three steps up and the long stairway down to the basement. We went up, another door. I tried it. It was locked.

We went down to the landing and then inched our way into the darkness of the basement. It seemed much colder there. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up. I could feel the fear rising in my stomach. My skin felt like it was on fire. We couldn't see a thing. It was time for the flashlights. But before we could turn them on the black cat came rushing up the stairs and knocked us both down. When we looked up we could see his yellow eyes at the top of the stairs. What was that shadow next to the cat?  

It looked like Orman Krasner.

To be continued......

©Herb Ratliff, October 26, 2012, All Rights Reserved