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Father Ridalzo kneelt in shame before the alter and again fervently prayed that whatever was happening to him would stop. At first he thought that he had been blessed, but now he felt certain that he had been cursed. When he finished praying he started back to the rectory. He felt too unclean and unworthy to stay in the Church and at the alter, in a place of God. He decided to leave. He would isolate himself in his room and pray until his problem went away, or the world was destroyed by Dannos, whichever came first.
On the way, he passed Monsignor Kurtz. "Bless you my son," said the Monsignor.
"Thank you Monsignor" replied Father Ridalzo.
"I beg your pardon Father?" asked the Monsignor.
Father Ridalzo immediately realized his mistake. He had accidentally ‘heard’ the Monsignor's thoughts, and mistaken those thoughts for speech. This sort of thing had been happening to him all morning. He mumbled some sort of nonsense and hurried off again towards the Rectory.
He 'heard' her thoughts before he saw her. "You aren't avoiding me, are you Father?” She stepped out from behind the Oak tree next to the Rectory, where she had apparently been waiting for him. She was still wearing the rather short skirt and tight top that started him thinking forbidden thoughts earlier that morning. Maloney Trask was by far the youngest and most attractive receptionist that the parish ever had, or that Father Ridalzo could imagine having. And right now he could well imagine having her, in the biblical sense.
"Why thank you, Father! That's sweet!” she replied. "But don't be ashamed of your thoughts. Those thoughts are only natural, and I like them. Do you like mine?” Her thoughts came streaming into his mind then, much as they had earlier. Thoughts of things that she and he could do together, things that he had pledged not to do, so that his service to God and The Church could be complete. A soft moan escaped Maloney’s lips!
Yes, he did like the thoughts that they were both having, and they both knew it! This whole thing was just impossible! He turned away from Miss Trask in terror, and though he was no longer a young man, ran back towards the Church as fast as he could. He would try again to find the answer there, some way to defeat the evil curse that was torturing him.
Monsignor Kurtz was near the alter, talking to a small boy and his mother. Father Ridalzo recognized them as parish members, but couldn't remember their names. He overheard both their troubled conversation and thoughts as he approached them. He noticed that he received the thoughts clearly at a far greater distance than the corresponding speech. He stopped about three meters from them, close enough to hear and see, while not overtly imposing himself on what he took to be a private discussion.
"Yes Monsignor, he just started doing it this morning," said the woman, in hushed tones. "I just didn't know what to think! Show him, John.”
The boy took a small red ball from his pocket and held it out towards the Monsignor in his hand. When he pulled his hand back into his pocket, the red ball remained suspended motionless in the air, defying gravity!
A flood of discordant thoughts came from the Monsignor then, while John and his mother shrank away in fear and apprehension. Father Ridalzo watched the older man closely for his reaction. Monsignor Kurtz had seen much in his long life, but this was something new and confusing. It was clearly taking him a while to arrange his thoughts. The Monsignor seemed mesmerized by the ball, which was slowly spinning and slightly bobbing a meter or so in front of his face.
Something occurred to Father Ridalzo now that he hadn't suspected earlier when he discovered that Maloney too had a strange 'power'. This wasn't just some sort of curse visited on him personally, it was something that was happening to Maloney, and young John, and possibly others!
Meanwhile, the mother was now fervently praying. Little John, only five or six years old, was clearly terrified. The ball dropped to the floor. The boy had at first thought that what he could do was wonderful, but his mother changed that perception. In John's thoughts, Father Ridalzo caught glimpses of things that the boy's mother had told him earlier after he showed her what he could do. About devils, or evil things that he must have done, things that had confused, hurt, and terrified the child.
The innocent boy then looked up in fear at the crucifix behind the alter. "Please don't hurt me, Jesus," the boy thought clearly!
The boy's thought stunned Father Ridalzo. The young child's fear of The Savior was the most disturbing thing that he could imagine! Disturbing, and wrong. It was not only wrong for the boy, he realized, in a sudden rush of insight, but exactly the same sort of thing that he had been doing to himself. He had been fearfully blaming himself for his human weaknesses and denying God's help.
Father Ridalzo could sense that the Monsignor's thoughts on the matter were at last beginning to come into focus. From some amalgamation of Old Testament and St. Thomas texts, a view was forming in the Monsignor that would verify the worst fears of the child and his mother: something about sin and evil! The monsignor's thoughts weren't malicious, he was just trying to reach a logical conclusion; but he would still probably greatly traumatize the child.
Just then Sister Ann came rushing in through a side door. "Excuse me, Reverend Fathers," she said excitedly. "Have you heard the news? It's a miracle! On the VISICOM it's reported that all over the world, millions of people have developed fantastic powers of the mind! Some people can move things with the power of thought! Others can read minds. It started only last night! The President says it has to do with the Government's effort to save the Earth from Dannos!"
The Monsignor, who had been about to speak to the boy, paused in confusion. Sister Ann continued. "Monsignor Luke just received word from the Bishop that the Arch Bishop himself has been blessed with an ability to read thoughts!”
The old Monsignor sat down heavily in the nearest pew, mumbling to himself.
"Not only that," said Sister Ann, excitedly. "Our own Sister Marie can fly!” She pointed towards the door that she had just entered, which was still standing open to the open courtyard next to the church.
As if on cue, Sister Marie, a huge hulk of a woman, went floating past the door, smiling and waving at the astonished onlookers as she passed up and out of sight! ”Praise be!” she shouted, "I'm the flying nun!”
Father Ridalzo's suspicions were confirmed. It wasn't just himself and Miss Trask that had been changed over the last day. It had happened to millions of people, including innocent children, and even to the Arch Bishop! It surely couldn't be a curse then. Maybe it was even a blessed miracle!
In any case it was certainly a challenge, and one that he had not fared well with so far. The implications were simply mind-boggling. If even as a priest he was having difficulties, then there were many others that needed help this day, frightened people like John and his mother. People struggling with exposed feelings like himself, and with the temptation to use newfound powers to unfair advantage, like Miss Trask.
He consoled John and his mother first. They were greatly relieved to hear his assurances that John was not possessed or cursed by evil. They were astounded, as were Sister Ann and the Monsignor, when he actually acknowledged that he had himself had developed a capability to read thoughts.
After prayers of thanks, he next went to find Miss Trask. Sure, he was attracted to her, that couldn't be helped, but his life was pledged to God. With His help, he would first provide guidance to Miss Trask, and then look for others that needed aid. With this business on top of the pending Dannos crisis, he had the feeling that it would be a long, busy day.