The church bells chimed in the early morning sun. Eleanor smiled at the light rays shining through the trees atop the crest of the distant ridge. It was a rare sight to see. The viewer had to be just at the right angle at the right time. There couldn’t be any clouds blocking the sun. It was a perfect alignment.

She walked up the staircase to the grand doors of the church. They were framed by a great arch decorated with golden calligraphy. Though the words were written in a forgotten language, she knew their true meaning.

She whispered the entrance phrase as she approached the doors. “Truth is guarded by illusion.”

The soft, artificial voice of the church’s AI assistant spoke from all around her. “Welcome, Madam Warvick.”

“Good morning, Ateera,” The doors swung inward noiselessly and Eleanor walked through. The lights on the ceiling and the podium blinked on. Two columns of pews filled the main hall. Both walls had miniature libraries set into them with study tables. The colorful stained-glass windows spread a warm glow throughout the church.

Eleanor took a few steps before realizing someone was sitting on the front pew. He had styled black hair, and his arms were draped on the backrest of the pew. From the back of his head, he looked to be in his late twenties. She narrowed her eyes and held her hand close to her chest. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

The man tilted his head slightly as if in thought. “Oh, madam. I’ve done something terrible, so absolutely terrible, and have come to confess my sins. Would you be so kind as to hear them?”

Eleanor took another step forward but hesitated. Something about the sarcastic tone of his voice put her on edge. Should she call the police? No, he hadn’t done anything yet, besides breaking into the church with no visible damage. Maybe there was reason enough to call the police. She swallowed and cleared her throat. “If you had waited until today’s session started, I would have been happy to listen, but considering your method of confrontation I may have to call the authorities.”

“Eh, don’t bother with that,” the man said, waving his hand. “The call won’t go through. Not with me in here, anyway.”

She glanced around nervously. Nothing seemed to be stolen or broken. Perhaps he did just want to talk? Maybe he really needed help.

“Okay,” she muttered. “What is it you wish to confess?”

“Heh.” The man chuckled and shook his head. “Where do I even start?”

“Ideally, at the beginning.”

“Oh, but that’s the funny thing!” He popped up to his feet and spun around. His eyebrows were the same prominent black as his hair. His mouth was smiling, but his hard eyes were unmoved by emotion, as if they insisted on scowling instead. “I can’t even remember how it all started. It’s all been moving and changing so fast, you know? It’s all a blur!”

This man only meant trouble. Eleanor’s heart began to race. “Perhaps start where it’s the easiest for me to understand.”

“Sure, that shouldn’t be too difficult,” the man said, clasping his hands together. He started strolling toward her between the two sets of pews. “Imagine, just hypothetically, that something of great importance was stolen from me, and that I really really wanted it back! Next, imagine that you happen to be an important piece of the puzzle to bring my ultimate, evil plan of recovering the lost goods to fruition. Then, imagine that I give you these.”

He picked something out of his jacket pocket. She blinked in disbelief. In the middle of his palm was a pair of the most expensive earrings she had ever seen. Intricate patterns weaved around the tiny red Aether crystal in the center.

He forcefully offered them to her, and she caught them just as he dumped them out of his hand. “And imagine that you wear them at all times! Then, imagine that I have my henchmen following your relatives around, eagerly waiting for my command to drop them where they stand. Finally, imagine that should you try to destroy those earrings, tell anyone of your very unfortunate situation, or try to isolate your family members from harm in any way, they will perish.”

He fell to his knees and put his hands together in prayer. There were tears in his eyes. “Wise madam, my sin is this: I have just lied to you. The situation I just described is not hypothetical. It is the cold, harsh reality we all live in. I have three assassins stationed around 3021 Parker Street, all with the clearest of shots. Isn’t it horrible?”

Eleanor’s mouth was agape. She had been skeptical until he correctly told her the address of her house. Shawn was in trouble. Her hand started to shake. “Uh… um.”

“I do hope you find the courage to forgive me of this terrible sin, madam.” He paused. His gaze penetrated hers like a dagger. “What advice do you have for me?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Her mouth twitched. She wanted to kick him in the teeth. “Leave this place… and never return.”

“Oh, good, I was planning to do that anyway.” the man chirped, standing again and patting down his clothes. He lifted his arm to his face and spoke into his wristpad. Ateera’s voice spoke simultaneously. “Have a wonderful day, madam.”

The man smiled, then blinked out of existence. Eleanor stumbled back, staring at the spot he had occupied. A gentle gust of air touched her face. She whirled around. She was alone in the church again.

She collapsed on the nearest pew, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down. She had no idea what to do from here. Canceling today’s sessions crossed her mind, but she decided not to. He had given her no choice but to continue with her day as if nothing had happened. She frowned and gripped the wooden backrest with force. Just as she thought the world was changing for the better, it decided to blackmail her. Now she wasn’t so sure the planet’s future was bright.

Looking back at where he had stood, she contemplated what she had seen. She had never seen anyone use Aether crystals to teleport before. That shouldn’t have been possible. She would have to ask Brandon and hope he was in a good mood. She scowled at the earrings in her hand, then begrudgingly put them on.

She spent the next half hour walking around the church floor, trying to compose herself. Normally, she would be looking through the Nephrinan and deciding which passages to reference for the day’s teachings. Now, all that ran through her mind was images of her husband and son. She knew, as soon as she got home today, she would tell them that she loved them.

Gossip drifted in from in front of the church. Eleanor hastily wiped the tears from her face and made her way to the entrance. She and Ateera welcomed in the first batch of students. They were the families that showed up for the early teachings, not fond of being a part of the full classes in the middle of the day. As she smiled and shook their hands, someone asked if she was okay. She realized her eyes were still red from crying, so she said she was fine and it was probably the spring allergies getting to her. She also smiled at the complements she received for her new earrings.

After they settled into their seats, she took the podium and told them the page to turn to in their virtual Nephrinans. She addressed them before reading the passage. “I know we planned to explore the true source of wisdom today, but now I feel there has been a shift in the world. For that reason, we will instead focus on a story that illustrates the power of courage and forgiveness.”

She put on her reading glasses, wiped her nose with her hand, and began the teaching.

***

Brandon massaged his forehead in frustration. He swiveled back and forth in the old office chair with one leg crossed over his knee. He was up much later than he had hoped. His son, Evan, tinkered away on his homemade hoverboard in the middle of the garage. He was surrounded by a myriad of tools on the floor. A wisp of smoke still slithered out from the internal components. Evan had yet to complete the hoverboard’s startup sequence, and he wanted to get it working by tomorrow, otherwise he probably wouldn’t be able to show it off at the high school science fair. It was a project of several month’s work.

“What went wrong this time?” Brandon asked, sleepiness pulling his eyelids half-closed.

“I don’t know, you tell me.” Evan snapped, unscrewing the belly plate of the hoverboard and inspecting the smoking box.

Brandon sighed. “Too much voltage.”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“Still too much voltage.”

Evan threw the dishrag to the ground, sat back, and scowled. “It won’t get off the ground if I go any lower!”

“Look,” Brandon leaned forward and put his elbows on the armrests. “You at least need it to start up. Forget about it hovering. Just get the engine flowing first.”

Evan scratched his head. “But it just looks pathetic running but not floating.”

“It looks even more pathetic right now,” Brandon said, nodding to the hoverboard.

Evan glared at his father. “Man, can you not say something negative for once?”

“Do you want my help or not?” Brandon asked, raising his eyebrows. “I’m sorry if I sometimes say things you don’t want to hear.”

“I think it’s possible for you to tell me what I need to hear without making me feel shitty about it.”

“Well, would you rather have this happen at the fair…” Brandon gestured at the hoverboard. “Or have a semi-working version on a test stand?”

Evan rolled his eyes. “I’d rather be standing on it in the air as people passed by.”

Brandon looked at his wrist pad. “If that’s the case, then you have roughly two and a half days to make the necessary breakthroughs. Otherwise, you will have to settle for less than perfect.”

Evan paused a few seconds before lowering his head. “Go to bed.”

“What?”

“Go to bed,” he said louder. “I can tell that’s more important to you than this.”

Brandon avoided his son’s gaze. He was so perceptive at times.

“Fine,” Brandon said as he eased up out of the chair. He walked to the garage door that led to the rest of the house. He paused and looked back. “Try making it lighter.”

Evan picked up a screwdriver. “Can’t.”

Brandon sighed and decided to let him be. The kid was so smart, if only he would just listen. Brandon hated watching him make one mistake after another in the effort to subvert his advice. Maybe he’ll grow up eventually.

He made his way to the bedroom where he saw his wife Marvain already asleep. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, those dreaded images passed in front of his mind’s eye again. The slow-motion chase. The terror. The fall. And the inevitable staring into a maw of a thousand teeth.

A shiver went up his spine. He swore silently to himself. The dream was eager to recur again, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Tonight was going to be rough.