Sister Maria had always lived a simple life of prayer and contemplation within the walls of the ancient priory. But today, as she made her way to the chapel for morning prayers, something caught her eye. A small bag of white powder was lying on the stone floor in the hallway.
She knew what it was immediately. She had seen enough of the world outside the priory walls to recognize the telltale signs of cocaine. But what was it doing here, in the sacred sanctuary of the priory? Her mind raced as she picked up the bag and held it. Was someone within the priory involved in the drug trade? Had someone brought it in from the outside? She had to find out.
As Maria made her way through the quiet halls, muted female voices filled the air. Some expressed thanks to god, others offered prayers for the ill. Maria wondered which voices were responsible for the small bag of drugs clasped in her right hand.
She noticed a feeling of tension in the air. Something wasn’t right. No one wanted to make eye contact. Everyone seemed on edge, their eyes darting back and forth as they did their daily tasks.
Sister Maria approached Sister Agnes, the priory’s eldest and most respected member. She explained what she had found. The old nun merely shook her head and muttered something about evil spirits.
“I knew this was coming. Go to the library. Look for the book next to the red bible. It may hold the answers you seek.”
Armed with this new mission, Sister Maria went to the library, where she knew the priory kept a collection of old journals and manuscripts. She scanned the shelves, looking for a book she was unfamiliar with, a Red Bible. Finally, she found it.
“What did Agnes say? The book to the left? To the right? Why didn’t I ask her to be more specific?” she muttered to the books, as if they would give her guidance.
On a whim, more like a hunch, Maria pulled down the one to the left of the Red Bible. Her heart began to race as she opened the small, bound book, and blew away the accumulated dust.
“I don’t know how this is going to help me, but Agnes is rarely wrong.”
As she poured over the musty pages, she was shocked. First, she found mention of strange rituals and secret meetings that had taken place within the priory’s walls centuries ago. But as she dug deeper, she found even more . . . words that spoke of drug use and shady dealings.
Soon, Sister Maria’s blood ran cold. With a huff, she slammed the book closed. Turning it over in her hands, she knew why. It had been written long ago, by a seer, whose odd predictions had a way of seemingly coming true. In one long, run-on section, the author predicted a group of nuns who would one day fall under the spell of a charismatic criminal. They would be seduced by his promises of power and wealth, allowing him to use the priory as a base of operations.
How is this possible?
Reopening the book, Maria began to flip through the pages, her horror growing with virtually every word. She slammed the book shut, determined to end this dark chapter in the history of her priory.
With resolve, she sought out those newest to the priory, who, in her mind, could potentially have brought their former criminal practices with them. She listened to their stories, and made every effort to understand how they had been led down such a dangerous path.
Finally, after much prayer and contemplation, Sister Maria found a way to turn the nuns away from their destructive ways. She helped them understand the damage they could cause to the church and convinced them to confess their sins. Being prudent, she also recommended to the Mother Superior that they all be transferred to different parts of the parish, praying that this separation would help them stay with their newfound faith.
Then, as soon as the nuns were shipped off, Sister Maria approached a local police officer who worshiped at the parish. She provided the bag of cocaine, and information gleaned from her conversations with the involved nuns to the officer. It wasn’t long before the narcotics task force put into place a sting operation, which swept up the drug dealer and his entire operation. The police soon learned that the drug dealer was also a murderer. This news solved several cold cases, and ensured the man and his minions would never be free again.
Aware that the seer’s predictions about the nuns and the priory had been accurate, Maria considered that the book might have been written by the devil himself.
After midnight on the day of the drug raid, she made her way to the library, collected the book, and exited the priory. Then, with what could be considered a godly pace, as if approaching the altar of the Lord during Holiday Eucharist, she marched towards a 55-gallon drum that glowed in the distance. Turned on its side, three homeless men encircled it, using the heat generated by a fire to warm their hands and bodies against the chilly weather. Maria joined the men, who were startled to see a nun, in full habit, sharing their fire drum.
At the edge of the flames, Maria’s face was illuminated in macabre fashion by the yellow orange tongues of fire. The men take note that the expression on her face is not what they’d expect from a nun clothed in her holy vestments.
With slow deliberation, Maria removes the book from underneath one of the two underskirts she wears and begins to rip the book apart, page by page. Without saying a word, she feeds every piece of it, eventually ripping apart the front and back cover, as well as the spine of the book. All disappear into the hungry, fire-breathing metal dragon.
Looking skyward, Sister Maria speaks clearly and without hesitation.
“Lord, I have done that which your spirit moved me to do. I hereby bind Satan and all his demons. They shall have no more hold on my sisters.”
Stunned, the men, half drunk, half high, but one hundred percent unsure about what they’ve just witnessed, nod and, in unison, mutter, “Amen.”
