After a quick prayer, the table fell into silence as everyone devoured their food. Then, conversations slowly crept up about the drama happening at the church, a person shooting and killing his wife, among many other things.

“What year is it?” Jalen asked after downing a full glass of cold water.

“Huh? 2027. How could you not possibly know?” Abigail answered.

Jalen almost jumped up in celebration. 2027 meant only 6 years had passed since he’d left Earth. There was a strong possibility that Ella was still alive. She probably just moved from the apartment. Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember her number. And he lost his backpack and phone sometime during the portal hopping with the monkey, Tanarion. Still, there were ways to find her. He just had to get out of this church, wherever it is?

“Well…uh…a lot happened, you know?” He said, unsure of how to explain things.

“Right.” Her eyes narrowed on Jalen.

“So…uh. Where is this place exactly?”

“You gotta be fucking with me.”

“Language! Abigail,” Ruth shouted.

Jalen dropped the topic for later, to avoid causing a fight between the nuns.

“Sister Catherine and sister Joan, please clear up the dishes,” Beatrice said, when everyone finished their meals. “Sister Abigail, you will show Jalen to his sleeping quarters for the night. Tomorrow come see me, Jalen, before you go.”

Jalen nodded and thanked the nuns for their meal. This elicited a few gasps from some nuns, probably still thinking he was a messenger from heaven. Abigail led him out the side door of the old stone church into a wet stone pathway. Lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the wet grass lawns flanking the pathway ahead. They passed through a garden with vibrant flowers and fragrant herbs, lit by ornate lamp stands.

“Muncy, Pennsylvania,” Abigail said.

“What?”

“You asked where we are. This is the Sancta Maria Monastery in Muncy, Pennsylvania.”

“Wow…”

“Far from home?”

“Yeah… I’m from Hermosville, New Jersey.”

“Oh wow. I mean… it’s not that far.”

“What do you—”

They were rounding the corner of the library when a short, stout man, a few steps from running, bumped into Jalen and spilled some books. Jalen’s keen eye also caught the glint of a dagger. The man rushed to retrieve his strewn belongings.

“Good evening, abbot Cornelius,” Abigail said, clasping her flattened palms together. “I didn’t know you were around today. I can get sister—”

“There is no need for that,” abbot Cornelius said, clutching his books. “I just came by to retrieve something. I’ll be out of your way Abigail and…”

“Oh, this is Jalen. He is a superhuman that lost his way, appearing through a portal. Crazy sh…stuff.”

“Is that so?” Abbot Cornelius shook Jalen’s hand, his grip strong and wet. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jalen. Please enjoy what our modest monastery has to offer.”

The abbot paced down the walkway, almost stumbling on his way.

Abigail led Jalen to a prominent three story building. The building was in a state of decline, spotting weathered stone walls and some broken windows. Worn stone tiles sat on its roof, their faded colors a testament to years of weathering and time. Moss and lichen clung to the surface of the walls and roof, adding an organic touch to the old building.

“Welcome to our nunnery,” Abigail proclaimed. “It has seen better days, so I’ve been told.”

Jalen chuckled. “You should see my former apartment.”

The duo laughed and joked on their way to Abigail’s sleeping quarters. On their way, Abigail gave Jalen a TV show-like tour of the building, detailing all the exquisite features like the broken staircase, croaked doors, and holes in the ceiling housing rats. Her bedroom was furnished modestly, with a bunk bed, wooden desk, and a small wooden wardrobe.

“You take the top bed,” she said, taking off her veil and the coif underneath, revealing her wavy brown hair. Next, she removed her black scapular, revealing a white form-fitting tunic.

“Should I step out?” Jalen asked.

Abigail was a beautiful woman under all that heavy garment. Her face, framed by luscious wavy hair, had faint freckles lightly sprinkled on it. Intricate tattoos of symbols and flowers covered her right arm. The tight tunic adorning her body showed a person fit to grace the covers of a magazine.

“You scared of a little skin?” She grabbed a towel and her bath essentials. “After that stunt you pulled at the church? Come on now, Jalen. I’ll be taking a shower. You can use my blanket. It’s freezing around here.”

Alone, Jalen hopped onto his bunk and laid down. The wooden railings beneath the thin foam dug into his back. It was a hassle to find the right posture to sleep. After so long stuck in the core of a star, it was no wonder he couldn’t fall asleep quickly like he used to. So, in the quiet of the slightly chilly room, his mind began to wonder. He thought about where his sister was now and hoped to God she was alright.

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Does God even exist? Probably.

He drifted into a tired slumber.

❊ ❊ ❊

Soft thuds followed by someone cursing awoke Jalen. It took him a minute to reorient himself to discern where the sounds came from. Abigail squatted, shoving dried leaves that fell on the floor into a transparent ziplock.

Jalen rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes. “Is that—”

“Weed? Yes, it is. Go back to sleep.”

Jalen burst into laughter and hopped down from the top bunk. “A nun smoking weed. The irony. Can you roll a blunt for me?”

“Fuck off.” She stashed the weed in her wardrobe, then turned to Jalen. “You slept in and missed breakfast, you know? I could tell sister Elaine to whip something quick for you.”

“No need. Please show me where the bath is?”

Abigail did just that, giving him some soap and a towel as well. After washing up, Jalen dressed in a black scapular with nothing underneath. All it would take was a strong breeze to bear his nether regions to the world.

“You would make a fine priest,” Abigail said. She wore a pair of ripped jeans and a lace crop top.

“That’s not a problem. As long as we can hit blunts together.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t exactly go home dressed in that. Plus, sister Beatrice said she wanted to see you. Come on.”

The duo traversed the stone walkways and headed to the main church. Nuns dotted the compound, hard at work cleaning the windows of most buildings, mowing the grass, and tending to the gardens. Once there, they checked the alcoves, greeting many nuns before finding sister Beatrice. The elderly sister asked Jalen many questions about his well being and if he saw visions in his dreams. He had to remind her he wasn’t an angel again. Beatrice, with a sly smile, fished into her pocket and gave him 200 dollars. He stared long and hard at the 4, $50 denomination notes.

“It is okay, young man,” Beatrice said. “You will need all of it for your journey home. I only hope you come by sometime in the future. Goodbye, Jalen.”

He bid her farewell. On his way out of the courtyard, Jalen thought about blessing the nuns, sister Beatrice especially. It was only right after what she did to help him. He chuckled a bit. If he did that, they wouldn’t let him leave, stating that he was an angel after all. The process of blessing them was actually easy. All he had to do was touch someone and will his life force to impact the person positively.

The distance from Sancta Maria Monastery to the town, Muncy, was a 30-minute walk, so walk, they did.

“What’s got you cackling like a rooster at dawn?” Abigail asked.

“Just something stupid. Never mind.”

A car zoomed up the hill, whipping by Jalen and Abigail.

“That’s Abbot Cornelius’ car,” she said, glancing back at the car. “I wonder what’s got him so pressed. So, Jalen…”

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t lie to me,” her blue-eyed gaze fell on him. “Are you really just a superhuman?”

“I mean… I thought you explained it perfectly back at the church last night for me.”

“Jalen.”

He sighed. The sign of a gas station caught his eye. They were finally in town.

“The most I can tell you,” Jalen said, “for your own safety, is I’m a powerful superhuman.”

She had an inquisitive look on her face, but chose not to press any further. Their first stop was the thrift store. Jalen wanted to save as much money as possible for his trip, so used clothes were naturally the smart choice. He didn’t fuss about size or fit. A Steelers jersey and baggy black jeans seemed right to him. When he paid and changed his clothes, he noticed that Abigail had remained quiet.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“Nothing.” They were near the entrance of the store. She stared blankly, out of the glass storefront before turning to him. “Have you tried Philly cheesesteaks before?”

“Not really. I know it’s like a hotdog, though.”

“What! Never let anyone hear you say that if you know what’s good for you. Come, let’s go to Riss’s Place.”

“I was thinking about heading home now.”

Abigail grabbed his arm. “And I ain’t letting you go. Not until you eat something for the road, at least. Come on.”

She pulled him through Main street, passed many restaurants. He tried to tell her to head into any of them. But she was adamant they go to Riss’s Place, which in her opinion served the best Philly cheesesteaks in all of Muncy. Once they sat down with their cheesesteaks, Jalen had to admit…

She isn’t fucking lying. Jesus.

He wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t eaten all day, or since he left Earth, but the sandwich went straight to his soul. It was a while before he remembered someone else was with him. Abigail chuckled and urged him to feast some more.

“You know,” she said, when her cheesesteak was almost done. “You kind of reminded me about my dad there. I mean… The most I can tell you for your own safety. That’s just like him.”

“Look—”

“I know you mean good, Jalen. It’s just hard. I hate him.”

Her eyes watered a bit, but she held herself back, relying on deep breaths. Then she pulled up her phone. “So yesterday when you were sleeping, I searched up ways you can get to New Jersey. You take a cab from here, down the river to Shamokin Dam. Then you hop on a bus and stop in… Harrisburg. Switch to a—”

“Let’s head back to your monastery.”

“Why?” She looked up at him. “You’re not going?”

“I am. I just forgot to give sister Beatrice something.”

The trip back to the monastery gave Jalen the time to reflect. He did not think he was going to bring much good to this world. Not with his inherent personality or the plans he cooked up in his head. The least he could do was repay kindness with kindness. Perhaps, in the future, the passing of time would erode his sense of reciprocation. However, not today.

The monastery courtyard was serene, the gentle calls of birds providing a relaxing atmosphere. Before they left, sisters traversed the courtyard, cleaning every nook and cranny. Now, only the sound of those birds permeated the air.

“That’s weird,” Abigail said. “Go check the nunnery, and I’ll try the chapel. Maybe they are having lunch.”

Jalen nodded and parted ways with the young nun. On his way, he plucked some white lilies from the garden and savored the sweet fragrance. He was still unsure of what blessings to give. Such thoughts, he pondered until he reached the nunnery.

Jalen concluded the building was empty after searching the building and knocking on closed doors. The surrounding buildings yielded the same result, so he retraced his way back to the garden and on to the chapel.

The chapel shared the same condition as the monastery’s other structures. The passage of time had left the stone walls weathered and chipped, and some windows were in disrepair. The deterioration extended to the interior of the chapel. Abigail spotted Jalen as soon as he came in. Her demeanor alluded to nervousness and fear.

“Something fucked up is happening,” she said, grabbing onto his arm. “Come lemme, show you what I mean.”