Leonard

Chapter 2 - Oh! What Horror!

  How could I forget that night and the prayers that went up to heaven? As Annette’s father and mother came home, Annette’s mom, Marie, walked past her dad and picked up the phone and called her pastor to help with praying for their daughter. He called a few friends and within hours everybody in their church and their families were praying for Annette.

  As Marie walked into their room, Annette’s dad was on his knees, “My Father, my Father why did you forsake us? How could you let this happen to my little girl! HOW COULD YOU!!! HOW COULD YOU!!!!” as he fell sobbing in the pool of tears on the floor, his body was shaking violently and he curled into a small little ball while the sorrow washed over him.

  Marie looked at John and kneeled next to him, “Honey, I know this is hard, but...” as the tears rolled over her cheeks, “but we need to pray for Annette and we must be strong for her!” John looked at her, “I hope Squeal burns in hell! I will never ever forgive him for what he has done to my... our baby daughter! If you can find it in you to forgive and accept this abomination, don’t expect me to! And as a matter of fact, if this God we say we serve does exist, how could he let this happen! I give my love gifts every month, Annette helps out with the needy, where she happened to become involved with this demon! We go to church every Sunday, we have not missed one service, because we love our God and we believe that all things work together for those who love him. How could this God, who is supposed to be made out of LOVE, how could he let this happen? HOW? HOW I ASK YOU?” Marie looked at her husband, “I don’t know John, but I know that this was not from God! This was inspired by hell and it was a decision made by a human! Not God!”

  Marie, with tears in her eyes and a broken heart, left the room and walked into her study, “My Father who art in heaven, I don’t understand all off this, but I am begging you to please look after Annette. I am asking you, my Abba Father, to heal her, not only in her body, but in her spirit and soul.”

  Night became day and then turned into night again. Every time the phone rang it was a race to pick it up and every time it was somebody else phoning to talk, cry and pray for them. It was around seven ’o clock when the phone rang and John picked up, “Listen we don’t need your sympathy we need you to just leave us alone!” As he threw the phone down Marie grabbed it of the table, “Hello, who is speaking now?” a voice on the other side answered, “This is Doctor Botha. Annette was put under my care and I am just calling to give you some feedback on Annette’s condition, ma’am.” Marie waved at John, “Sorry for my husband’s rude shouting doctor, but we have been waiting for your call all day and every time the phone rang it was someone else. Our nerves are frayed, but please continue.” Doctor Botha, with a bit of a crack in his voice, continued, “It is okay Marie, I understand. After a long day we have stabilized Annette. We have put her under sedation for 3 days more to give her the opportunity to heal a little more. She is resting well and I will phone you as soon as we wake her up so you can be there.” Marie, now with tears running down her face, looked at John, “Thank you doctor, we will be waiting for that call.” John looked at his wife, “I cannot sit around like this. I am going to the police to find out what they are doing about this!”

  It was at that moment that Inspector Venter stopped in front of their house in Beaconsfield. He walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. The door opened, “Good evening ma’am. I am Inspector Venter and I would like to talk to you and your husband. May I please come in?” “Yes, please come in Inspector. John! Inspector Venter is here!” she called. As the inspector sat down, John came walking into the room, “Inspector what can you tell me?” The inspector flipped opens his little black book, “Well John, is it okay if I call you John?” John confirmed with a nod. “We know that a person called Kaffer alias Squeal is responsible for this. We also know he went back to his room at his mother’s house after the dance and packed his clothes in a bag. His mother has not seen him since. In her words, he was visibly shaken and covered in blood and he kept on mumbling, “Stupid, stupid me, how could I!” She thinks he might have gone to a shack close to his old hostel in Warrenton, where he used to hide when the boys of the hostel bullied him. We have sent our patrol cars out to the place and we hope to find him before he does another stupid thing. Problem is, we don’t know where this shack is exactly so we need to look for it. Is there anything more you can tell me about this teenager and his relationship with your daughter?”

  John looked at the Inspector. “You want to know about that inbreed? Let me tell you, I was the one that told my daughter that she should not judge him by what people said or how he looked. I was the one that treated him like a son because his mom and her boyfriend did not care for him or love him! I was the one that did this to my daughter, I am! DO YOU HEAR ME! I AM!” Inspector Venter looked at John, “John, this is just not true, it was Squeal, not you. The only thing you are guilty of was to give this youngster love and acceptance. You gave him a chance and unfortunately, like many kids in his situation, they bit the hand that feed them. I promise you, I will catch him!” With tears in his eyes John looked into the distance and with a cold voice asked, “Inspector, when you catch him, please can you call me? I need to speak to him? I just want to know why.” Inspector Venter nodded yes and excused himself.

  Squeal sat in his shack cursing the dark angel that was in his life. He was crying for the sweet little angel he had beaten so hard, nearly killing her, that is, if he did not kill her in any case. He was so confused and did not know what to do. His mind was racing at a million miles an hour. “You tricked me, you told me so many beautiful things, you made me belong and you gave me something to hold on to, but now I know that it was all smoke and mirrors. The price I now have to pay is more than I can bear!” The angel appeared next to him, “Well Lucif, I gave you all you wanted! I know it was not how you wanted it, but I kept to my side of our bargain! You my son, needs to understand that you are mine and not even death will keep you from me! The nice thing about selling your soul and that of your son and his son’s son to me, is that you are all mine!” The angel looked at Lucif in anger, “It is not long from now that you will be arrested for what you have done! No way out my son! They will catch you and drag you through the streets of Kimberley for the animal you are, except if you cheat them again and end it all. At least you know me Lucif and they have nothing good in mind for you! As I predicted last night, it happened and you saw that I was right, so you will see it again! All I can say is, I am glad that I am not you!”

  Squeal took out a paper, “You know Lucifer, I may have sold my soul to you but there will be no son or his son! You will lose!” Lucifer looked at him and grinned, “We will see, you insolent little worm!”

  Squeal sat down and started writing a letter to Annette. The hurt in his soul burst out of his heart and the regret ran deep through his veins. As he finished, Squeal looked up at heaven, “God of Annette, I am sorry for what I have done and I pray that my letter will get to her and her family. Please God, if you exist let Annette forgive me and please make her better, don’t let this dark angel, Lucifer, break her! I beg you!” Squeal walked out to the thorn tree outside his fort of pain and took a rope and tied it to the tree. He put the noose he tied so many times when he was in pain around his neck. He climbed up in the tree and looked over the landscape he loved so much. He remembered the times he hid here and was safe. How he could sit here and just listen to the night sounds. With tears in his eyes he jumped with the hope that Annette’s God heard his prayer.

  As Squeal fell down he could feel the rope tighten around his neck. The rope burned his skin and ripped into his throat. He felt how the rope broke his neck and how the pain illuminated every nerve in his body. He could feel the veins in his head expand due to the pressure on his neck. His heart pumped wildly and nearly ripped his chest apart. He looked at the sunrise and suddenly did not want to die anymore, no matter the consequence of his actions. But he could not move his limbs. He felt his body getting heavier a
nd heavier with the life being strangled out of him as he gasped for air. This was not possible because the rope was so tight around his neck that not even the air in his lungs that tried to force their way out could escape. He could feel his heart beating slower and with one last thunderous beat, his heart stopped forever. As the light in his eyes faded and the last life drained out of his body, he felt how his spirit and body divided and then his eyes closed.

  If Squeal thought it was over, he was sadly mistaken. He opened his eyes and looked into the red burning eyes of Lucifer himself, the angel that gave him a place to belong, who spoke to him in his dreams and made him feel good about himself. “Welcome home my boy! I have prepared a place just for you!” Lucifer grinned and opened Lucif’s eyes and he was in hell. The flames licked at his soul and flesh and all the pain, hurt and loneliness that he experienced in his life was nothing compared to the pain and utter forsakenness he felt in this house of horror.

  “Lucifer you leave Annette alone!” he screamed as the demons carried him off. Lucifer looked at him and growled, “You are mine now and you made your choice. Now she will become mine as well and the son, yes your son, growing in her will be mine even though you made that silly prayer before you jumped. I will take her and him for myself! I promised her to you though and I will give her to you because I am an angel of my word!”

  It was at about ten in the morning on the third day after the horrible beating and rape of Annette, that the police found Squeal hanging from the thorn tree. The crows already started pecking away at his rotting corps and some of the soft fleshy parts were missing. They cut him down and took his body to the morgue. As they went through Squeals little shack they found the letter he wrote to Annette and her family.

  The phone rang, “Is this John?” the voice asked. “Yes, this is John.” “Sir, my name is Constable Pieters. I was asked by Inspector Venter to call you. We have found the suspect. We have taken him to the city morgue. Inspector Venter asked if you could come and see him here.” With tears in their eyes John and Marie climbed into their car and drove to the morgue as fast as they could. As they walked in they saw Inspector Venter, “As you know we have found him, but he hanged himself. We found this note in the shack next to the tree we found him in. This note was addressed to Annette and you. We have already made a transcript of it so you can have it.” John looked at him, “Can I see him?” “Unfortunately not John as you are not family. His body has been released for burial to his mother. It is over! I would suggest you read the letter and go on with your lives.” John turned around and took Marie’s hand, “He was a horror in life that could not face his deeds. He has taken away from me, my justice, no my revenge, but may he burn in hell!”

  On their way home they stopped at the hospital to look in on Annette. As they walked to the intensive care unit, Doctor Botha stopped them. “Good afternoon, I just want to prepare you for what you are going to see. Please do not upset her or cry in front of her. The trauma of the night has kicked in and she cannot handle any emotion now. Be aware that she is bandaged from head to toe, restrained and is still under mild sedation. Please, while you are with her, decide if I can transfer her to our psychiatric ward for support and trauma treatment.” John and Marie walked into the room and gasped.

  Annette was still bleeding in some places and with all the tubes running into her she looked like a puppet on a string. Her arms and legs were tied down because of the violent dreams she had and in the process of these dreams she would pull out the tubes. Annette was awake, but weak, not able to talk, but her eyes told the story of the pain and hurt she was going through. “Mommy and daddy loves you baby! We will see you again tomorrow. The doctor said we could stay longer tomorrow if you are feeling better.” Marie and John walked out with tears in their eyes and walked into Doctor Botha, “Doctor, do what you think is necessary for my little girl.” “I will do so John and we will do our best so that she does not know it is the psychiatric ward for now. We will try and help her to the best of our ability!”

  Annette’s parents got in their car, looked at one another and cried. John took his wife in his arms, “We will be okay my love and so will our daughter! I know I am still angry at God, but I know that He will still provide!” “I know that John, but it breaks my heart that there are two people’s lives that are broken here, one in hospital and one claimed by Lucifer himself!”

  The rest of the way home they drove in silence. As they stopped in their driveway they were greeted by their church family, who hugged them and just loved them. As they entered the house all their friends walked in and started making coffee and food. As they finished the dinner they all looked at one another and formed a ring around John and Marie. “Heavenly Father! We are here today to support our brother and sister in this moment of pain. We pray that You will help them make sense out of this and that Your Word will be fulfilled, that all things work together for those that love Him. We pray for Annette that she will heal and that her voice will repair to its former glory to glorify the God she so loved. In Jesus name, AMEN.”

  After saying their goodbyes, John and Marie sat down to reflect on the day, “John can we read that letter? Maybe this will let us understand what happened.” John looked at her, “My sweetness I don’t know if it will help, but maybe there is an answer in there somewhere.” They opened the letter…

  “Dear Annette,

  If you get this letter it means that the God you told me about lives. I still can’t believe that I did what I did to you, the one person in life who loved me just as I am. You see Annette, I was fooled by a dark angel and he promised me that I could have you if I served him. What I did not know was at what price I, and ultimately you, would have to pay for this acceptance!

  He used all the hurt, pain and loneliness in me to hook me. He boiled this inside of me to the point I could not control it anymore. When I did these horrible things to you I only felt this hurt, pain and loneliness burning in me and eighteen years of abuse and pain I poured out on you. I am so sorry that I did this to you and if I could, I would take all of this back, but I cannot.

  I pray that you will find it in you to forgive me for what I have done. I know I am going to hell, but I pray that you will not follow me there. This angel I met is a bad angel and a deceiver.

  Please, please forgive me!

  Dear Uncle John,

  All I can say to you and Aunt Marie is thank you for your love and acceptance. I bet you guys hate me for all I have done, but I beg of you to forgive me. I hope that Annette will heal. I know that I have roughed her up very badly and that she will be scarred for life, but please find it in your hearts to forgive me. You were like my own mom and dad for the short time I knew you, but this dark angel blinded me so that I could not see the truth. I beg of you to please forgive me and ask that you pray for me. Maybe this will help your God understand.

  Then my son,

  I bet you are looking at one another right now, asking what the hell? This dark angel called Lucifer told me that he will be born. Please forgive your dad for what he did to mommy. Always treat her well because she is an angel and love her and try to correct the bad things I have done wrong. Uncle John and Aunt Marie, please look after him and please do not hold against him what I did wrong.

  Praying for forgiveness.

  With all my love.

  Squeal

  John and Marie looked at one another with shock and horror, “Call the doctor! I want to know now!” screamed Annette’s father as Marie grabbed the receiver to dial Doctor Botha. “Doctor is my daughter pregnant?” asked John. “John there is no way we will know before six weeks has gone by. We cleaned and disinfected her very well and there was nothing left. The chances are very slim that she will become pregnant.”

  John sighed a sigh of relieve, “Thank you Doc, we are going to bed now, see you tomorrow.” John put down the phone and hugged his wife, “Doc says she will be okay and the chance of her being pregnant is slim to none.” With that rapport back they closed the
ir eyes and drifted off to sleep.

  They woke up the next morning with some relief in their hearts. It was Sunday morning and time to go to church. “I hope that our pastor has told everybody to back off today. I don’t want a whole church to cry and smother us!” whispered John to himself. Marie was excited to go to church, as this was the only place in the world where she could just be in the presence of God without anybody interrupting her for coffee or something they needed.

  I still remember the service that day. John and Marie were stunned when the Pastor started his sermon. “Dear Brothers and Sisters, today we will explore the words love and forgiveness. In the Lord’s Prayer we find that God commands us to forgive others as we want to be forgiven. As we read from the Word of God in John 15: There is no greater love than this that one man gives his life for another!” John lost it at that moment and drifted away in the hatred he had for Squeal. He thought of every conceivable thing he wanted to say and do to this washout.

  He searched his heart and could not find any love or forgiveness for Squeal or for himself, who allowed such a demon close to his family. Marie on the other hand sat back and started talking to God, “Father, you know my heart and that of John and I know this happened without your approval, but I pray that you will forgive Squeal firstly and that you will soften John’s heart so that he will find your way again. About Annette, all I can ask is enclose her in your love and Lord if it is your will, let her set Squeal free from this terrible deed. Amen.”

  As they left from church they were smiling, but their hearts were filled with dread for what the future would hold.

  The next day Squeal’s mother arranged a funeral for her son. She asked for government assistance and left Squeal in the mortuary. A van came to fetch his body and they loaded it in a cheap pressed wood coffin. His body, not even cleaned, was thrown in a hole with no marking. His body was treated as that of a filthy vagabond with no name or family and he was rejected even in death by his mother, the one person in life who should have cried over him. The words his mother spoke that day still stings my mind, “Good riddance, now I am free and he can burn in hell with his father!”

  Annette grew stronger and stronger as the days passed and her wounds healed as good as can be expected. It was ten days after the doctor stitched her up, as if she was made out of silk, when the stitches were removed and the wounds cleaned. The scaring was hideous; it looked like somebody took away her perfect face and replaced it with an old carving board. The scars made thick red lines over her face and body. She at least could hide her body under her clothes, but her face... It would take another 14 days before the doctor allowed her to talk again. The damage was vast and her voice sounded like sanding paper and had a real deep husky sound. The anger in Annette grew and the hate for Squeal became so deep, that she would hit some of her co-patients that just sounded or looked a little like him. The doctor worked hard with her and eventually she grew to understand the fact that she is no longer beautiful or can sing the way she used to. She had issues with God and did not want to pray to God because He broke his promise and left her. Yes, He has forsaken her in her hour of need.

  Her mom came to visit Annette every day and loved the time with her daughter. “You know Annette, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but you need to know that at some time in your life you need to forgive Squeal. He did something terrible to you, but for you to heal properly you need to forgive him.” Annette looked at her mother with disgust, “If this was done to you, would you forgive him? Mom I love you, but I did not ask for this, nor did I do anything to deserve this. Squeal did this all on his own and now my future and life is over!” Marie put her arms around Annette, “We will be okay Annette, we will be okay...” before her mom could finish, she pulled away, “How will I be okay mom, HOW! I am done, broken and no man will ever look at me again. I will not even sing again because my voice is gone mom! Tell me about how I am going to be okay! Mom tell me again how God will protect me?

  While I was out of it, I thought I was on my way to heaven. Suddenly this dark angel was in front of me and told me I first had to deliver something for him before I can go anywhere! Tell me mom, where was God when that happened? Does He even exist or is He just something people have dreamt up to feel better about their lives? Mom I don’t know anymore, I just don’t know!” Marie left her daughter with a heart filled with doubt and for the first time in her life she doubted God herself.

  “Dear God if you really exist and can hear me, help me to help my daughter! I beg you my God to heal her and to help her to forgive. Please! I beg you my God! Help me to get rid of this doubt in me and please manifest Yourself to show us the way.”

  At that moment Marie felt a peace wash over her as if God himself put his arms around her and said, “Be still my child I am with you always!” Marie started to cry and at that moment saw a rainbow that appeared out of nowhere. The rainbow that God put in the sky as a sign to mankind that He will never destroy the world by water again, but for her it meant that He was with her and that He will carry her and her family through to the end.

  It was in the sixth week that Annette started getting sick and it felt like someone was turning her guts upside down. She would stand hung over the toilet bowl for hours with nothing coming out. She had the smell of rotting egg in her nose that never left her.

  Doctor Botha came around for his usual rounds and talk with her, “Doctor Botha, I am feeling so sick. I can’t stand to eat anything and the smell of the food...” with that she ran to the toilet again. “I think I may have caught a bug ...” as she flung herself over the toilet again. Doctor Botha drew some blood and sent it away for tests. He was praying that it was not what he thought it was.

  Doctor Botha phoned Annette’s father and mother, “Please can you come into my office, I need to speak to you and Annette urgently!” John turned white in his face, “Is she okay Doc?” “Yes she is but we still need to talk!” John and Marie got in their car and left for the doctor’s office. They arrived that Wednesday afternoon around four ’o clock. They walked into Doctor Botha’s office, “Okay doc here we are!” Annette was already there and sat with wide eyes, scared to death. Doctor Botha looked at them, “Well there is no easy way to say this so here we go! Annette was feeling sick the last few days and we did some tests. The results came back...”

  After what felt like an eternity Doctor Botha looked at them, “Annette is pregnant!”

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