Photo prompt courtesy John Brand
I looked at the stairs leading up to the Church, and froze.
I remembered how I used to jump up and down those stairs when I was a kid. My mother used to say, “He’s like a little angel, climbing up the stairway to God’s house.”
Somehow, I lifted one foot, and set it upon the first step. A jolt of sharp, almost physical pain, ripped through my body. My face was dripping with sweat by the time I reached the huge Church door at the top.
I pushed it open slowly, and shuffled inside, making my way straight to the confession booth.
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned,” I said softly.
“What is your sin, my son,” asked a concerned voice.
“That I kept quite for so long,” I replied, and then, without me even realizing it, my voice became louder, till it filled the Church and burst out of its seams, till it flew down the stairs like the little angel who used to jump down them, till it reached the ears of the God who had allowed it to happen in his own ‘home’, as I shouted, “And…I….am….not….your….son….you creep!”
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199 words.
Written as a part of Sunday Photo Fiction, hosted by Susan Spaulding. The challenge is to write a story in 200 words or less inspired by the weekly photo prompt. For more details visit HERE. To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
jagahdilmein 
What has happened that made him cry out loud? Who is the creep? Father or lord?
The priest had sexually abused him when he was a child. He’s finally found the courage to speak up against it.
Highlighting an extremely troubling topic. Still shocking that so much abuse has been happening and covered up for so long in the name of religion.
It put’s the “me, too” campaign to shame in comparison. The rampant abuse in the clergy is just beyond apalling.
Absolutely, I still can’t believe that they’re getting away with it even in today’d day and age.
And is still being done. If I were a parent, I would not allow my kids to ever enter the places of worship where the Bosses condone and hide such crimes.
A well told story, sensitively told, about a horrible subject.
Thank you so much
Wow! That spoke powerful volumes, enough to hear the world over. Great write!
Thank you so much Jelli. I wanted to write something happy as usual, but somehow, this needed to come out.
What one has to write, one must write
Absolutely, stories have a life of their own.
It’s horrifying and disgusting that this kind of abuse still continues…
I couldn’t agree more.