DEDICATION

A very special thanks to Ellenee, Eliott, Allana, Jade and Chris, and also to the stalwart staff of Austin and Macauley in accepting the script and for providing the help and support in making the publication possible by the grace of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil (Prov. 1: 7, 23-33).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The different fields of source material woven into this story is well documented by many and various theological academics and scientists who are Christians and therefore doesnt warrant acknowledgement to any individual in particular, except to say thank God for granting them all the gifts and knowledge they have been blessed with and use wisely and benevolently to counter the obsessive, scathing bias brazened by secularists against creationism to date.

ALL THAT HATE ME WHISPER TOGETHER AGAINST ME: AGAINST ME DO THEY DEVISE MY HURT (Ps. 41: 7).

At lunchtime that day, George Grisslegrinde sat with the prefects. This he infrequently did when he either had something to say to the prefects or when he wished to find something out. On this occasion he wanted to avoid conversing with Zac, but wished to know what had caused the ruckus in his class earlier. Terence had overheard while he was teaching English in the class opposite. He even left his class briefly to listen to a portion of Zac's discourse, the merits of which he reported to George. "This is just what we require to add significant impetus to Malluch's departure, should he prove to be difficult," cried George in wrathful delight. At dinner, his time with the prefects proved to be very fruitful too as he sat engrossed in secret conversation with them at the dining table, nodding and shaking his head now and again with his face set hard, like flint. When dinner was over and done with he waited at the dining room door as the members of staff exited. When Zac filed past offering George a warm and genuine smile George glared back and said stiltedly, "I want to see you in my office directly after the last lesson of the day." His abruptness surprised Zac. "Yes," he replied. "Terence informed me at breaktime this morning that you wished to see me. Is anything the matter?" "You'll find out when you come to my office. Oh! And make sure you knock, and wait until you are called in," rattled George dramatically with an enlarged right eye to magnify his choler. "Yes! Right-ho!" replied Zac, not a little taken aback. He lingered to see if George had anything more to say but was snubbed when George quickly turned aside to greet and converse with Terence. Placing his hand on Terence's shoulder he said loudly, "Terence, my good man, would you come to my office straight after school." He pursed his lips and cocked his head and eyes sideways in Zac's direction to give Terence foreknowledge of what it was about. "Hello! Hello! Hello! What's going on? Is something afoot?" cried Tom, catching wind of conspiracy. George avoided answering and cried affably, "Good to see you, Tom." Following his greeting he thought, Yes, you're right you outspoken, arrogant toad, but the last thing we want is you finding anything out about this matter for the present. He smiled again to indicate that there was no cause for concern and asked, "Wife and Peter well?" To avoid any additional inquiry Tom might advance about conspiracy he added forcefully, "Well! Are they?" Having heard from Terence that Zac had visited Tom's house and had been, or so it seemed, instrumental in creating friction between Tom and Pam his question sounded pointed, sharp clairvoyant and cracked through Tom's brittle mantle of insufferable arrogance like a heavy hammer blow to a sheet of brittle glass. The guilt and shame of his neglect and mistreatment of both wife and child splintered explosively and injured his pride deeply and gave the Spirit of Rage the wicked means of creating serious mischief in the central complex of his cranial matter. What the hell does he know about my home life? It's no damned business of his and if he dares to make it his business he'll wish he kept his fat, hairy pompous protuberance well out of it. Terence had also let slip to Tom that George and Edna were also experiencing marital difficulties. This little snippet he deliberately used to extract as much information about Zac's visit as he could. Tom managed to smile confidently but replied awkwardly and with a whiplash of hostility, "Very well indeed, I must say. And how's Matron?"

The question regarding Edna's welfare put George on edge too, so he replied guardedly, "She's feeling much better now. Major tummy upset. Quite nasty; yes, quite nasty." Cuttingly he added, "Be sure to give your family my kindest regards won't you? I firmly believe that when everything is well at home, one's occupational vocation is celebratory, because it is unhindered, don't you think?" Tom glared back at George as he filed past. The Spirit of Hate caused him to contemplate, Does that fat oaf imagine that my tutelage here is impaired because there's friction at home; or does he think that I shouldn't be adhering to the concept of evolution?' At this point Rage took over. Impulsively, he barged past a group of boys behind him and stormed back to confront George. "Now look here!" he cried wildly. "I'll have you know that when one is as well qualified as I am, and as good at his job as I am, you shouldn't disrespect him concerning his views. Is that clear? If it isn't then it had better be from now on." George was both angered and surprised at Tom's dramatic outburst and thought he was referring to his privately planned dismissal of Zac that very evening. How could he know? With controlled Rage he replied squeakily, "It may work well to your advantage and future prosperity, Tom, if you were a little more courteous and a little less forthright, you know. And kindly remember that I'm running this orphanage, and I pay the wages, and I'll do what I feel is necessary to benefit this establishment with the funding I'm allocated. And if I think it is necessary to make staff cutbacks I'll do so. What's more I would appreciate it if you didn't poke your nose into matters which do not concern you." Having said that he brushed past Tom and added, "Damned cowardly and disingenuous, using a colleague to plead one's cause. Well, it won't wash with me." Tom returned to his classroom convinced that Pam had poured out her heart to Zac about their marital problems, and Zac in due course had informed George. "She'll think twice about blabbing when she finds out that her stupid snivelling to others about our domestic problems is threatening my career in this present recession. I know! I won't give her any housekeeping this week, that'll teach her to be more careful about what she says." On his way past Zac's classroom he popped his head round the door and scanned the group of nine to thirteen-year-olds with a pretended cheerful expression. Zac saw him and smiled back. Tom's smile withered and he cried mightily, "I imagine you'd like to see me change my views and the way I live my life, wouldn't you? Yes, everything would be rosy in the garden for you then, wouldn't it? Well let me take this opportunity to remind you that I've just as much right to believe what I believe as you have to believe what you believe." He shut the door and opened it again and added, "And don't forget to mention that to the Governor too when you see him tonight." He smiled broadly at the children once more before swiftly shutting the door again, giving Zac no chance to reply. He marched into his own class with a triumphant smile, but having failed to recollect that it was he who had confided in Terence concerning his debacle with his wife following Zac's visit to his home. Zac was left wondering what had caused Tom's sudden outburst. He did think to see him, but decided that if it was anything of profound significance Tom would talk to him when the opportunity availed itself. He commenced his lesson. George returned to his office and silently fumed there all afternoon. "Who the devil does that Reynolds think he is? Why should the stupid man, who is so utterly opposed to Malluch's ethics be so loyal to him." He removed his trousers and sat on his desktop to calm himself but the trance experience he longed for didn't come. "Bah! It's no good," he cried. Agitatedly he re-clothed himself and paced the room. Eventually he reseated himself and doodled on a scrap of paper, but again, his mind was in turmoil. The wicked spirits possessing him made him their bulwark of enmity against Zac. They laughed with shingling laughter in their evil realm because everything was working to

suit their evil purposes. George's black mood continued unabated all afternoon with their constant goading. That afternoon Edna sat in her apartment repairing various oddments and hand-medowns of children's clothing. Once in a while she'd stop to attend to the pastries she was cooking. She still felt extremely weak though her condition had greatly improved to enable her to manage these essential tasks, which never seemed to lessen. Her unhappiness was overbearing. George's conversation with her was distant, cold and pretentious. He asked for clean clothing and made a few mundane comments about the weather and behaved as if nothing was wrong. When she was alone she wept frequently. Her heart still ached for his love and companionship, and she desperately clung to the hope and prayed that he would soon realise how foolish, futile and unstable his relationship was with that loose woman, Lucinda. So great was the love of God in her heart for him that she would have forgiven him completely. While she hoped and waited she let herself be carried along on this raft of hope. She thought to see her parents but dismissed the idea because they had worries enough running their successful shipping line business in the present recession. She pinned all her hopes on seeing Zac that evening, knowing that he was a trusted and dear friend who would be of immense help. She stopped sewing and prayed with words that were scarcely audible, "Oh God, you are always so merciful and forgiving; you still care for your sheep even when they stray far from your path of righteousness. Help George return to the fold. I still love him terribly. I adjure you to keep me loving him while there is still hope. Please open his eyes to see that his lust for this other woman will be the ruin of him. Thy will be done in the name of Jesus." A ministering angel left her side and entered God's temple in heaven. The sheer brilliance of God's light radiated from his presence and obscured his marvellous appearance from the angel until he became accustomed to the fullness of light. Myriads of angels and resurrected saints surrounded the Lord and worshipped him. They were unimaginably elated beyond the limits of elation at the glory of his supreme wisdom, magnificence and splendour. The angel drew nigh to the throne and knelt, overawed and overjoyed at seeing the majesty of God, his Father. "Blessed Redeemer," he cried, "a faithful saint is in desperate need of your help." "I know, faithful friend and I grieve for her too," cried the Lord resonantly. "Isn't there anything you can do to help her, Lord? It's truly heartbreaking to see her so distressed." The Lord spoke softly and sadly, "Her husband has the free will to choose and has been blessed with a good life and marriage to his faithful and adoring wife. He has lived in the light of truth, but has forsaken all for a witch who delights in wickedness. Like a dog that returns to its own vomit he, having escaped once from the pollutions of the world by my Word, has again become entangled. Now he cannot cease from sinning and remains too stiff-necked and unrepentant to change. Comfort my child who weeps prayers to me. She is a precious jewel in my sight, who knows that her strength is in me. I will soon bless her with great joy for her faithfulness." The angel stood, bowed and left the Lord's glorious presence and his temple and flew to the New Jerusalem not far from the temple. This magnificent, incredible city stood on twelve enormous foundation stones. Huge three-hundred-foot high walls surrounded the stupendous metropolis, the whole of which shimmered in golden light. He entered by one of the pearl gates and looked in awe at the splendour before him. Superb crystal towers upon towers ascended far beyond vision and the glory of the Lord's light radiated throughout this heaven of heavens illuminating the whole beautiful city in a glorious rainbow spectrum of translucent colours. Peals of joyous laughter, irrepressible, indefatigable, adoring, unavoidable praise, rejoicing and thanksgiving rang out spontaneously from myriads of ghostly saints now living in this breathtaking celestial city. The sound of their joy could be heard across the heavens. These saints,

harvested from the earth, yearned for the Almighty's complete rule of heaven and earth. A time when this New Jerusalem would descend from heaven to earth to become his tabernacle with mankind forever. Ecstatic with elation the angel returned to earth to administer to the precious, faithful saint, hoping to see her save many from harm and win the crown of life to enter the eternal kingdom of God forever, and, as a consequence of faithful service upon earth, hasten the day of the Lord's return. At 4pm Zac promptly dismissed his class of five to eight-year-olds, cleaned the blackboard, buckled his satchel and bounded to the office. Terence had dismissed his class fifteen minutes earlier and was in the office with George. He shrugged uncomfortably and said, "I so dislike unpleasantness. Is it really necessary for me to be here?" "Of course it is, Terence. I need you here as a witness," replied George emphatically. "Oh well, if there's no alternative I suppose I must resign myself to seeing this whole ghastly business through." He blinked and looked at his pocket watch and said nervously, "He should be here now." "Good show, Terence, that's the spirit. You know I did consider dismissing him with approbation and bell ringing. However, after a great deal of soul searching and much thought to what big Wally said I've decided to send him packing with a good old fashioned ear wigging. When all is said and done, he's nothing more than a selfopinionated, narrow-minded religious bigot who deserves nothing better. It's high time we cracked down on sectarians like him." "Without revealing our hand at least for the present," said Terence. "Why shouldn't we say we've received a higher calling?" replied George, looking fiendish and rive with hostility. "Well, other things might come to light if we do," replied Terence assiduously. "Like what? What are you twittering about Terence?" demanded George. "Lady Lucinda! If he finds out where we worship he might have friends in the locality who are aware of your relationship with her." "Umn! Yes! I suppose that would be unhelpful for the present," acknowledged George grudgingly. "Anyhow, I'm dismissing him. I'm not letting him go with any glowing attributes. He doesn't deserve any the self-righteous smart aleck." "You're right to, George. After all, we don't want the likes of him imposing limitations, and wrecking your brilliant modernising plans to inhibit the future success of this orphanage." "Definitely not. There's Edna to consider too. Rebellion breeds rebellion. Yes! And there's Tom to a lesser degree. He can also be Bolshevik." "Yes dismissing Malluch it may well keep Reynolds in line, I'm sure. I find him self-opinionated and overbearing at times," said Terence thoughtfully." "Definitely. This is why we must give no quarter," said George. Zac knocked the office door. Terence went to open it but George said, "Hold on, Terence. Let's keep Mr Smart Alec waiting. He's in for a double shock tonight. He's expecting to have tea with my wife." After waiting no less than five minutes Zac was about to knock on the door again when it swiftly opened. Terence, viewing him stonily, gestured for him to enter, closed the door after him and scurried to George's side. George glared at Zac and said gruffly, "What I have to say to you, Rev Malluch, isn't very pleasant and won't take very long." Zac raised his eyebrows in surprise. The Spirits of Hate and Rage possessing George and Terence viewed Zac with gross malevolence and fear. Fear because he had the authority to cast them out of their

hosts. They therefore fed their captives with as much nastiness as was decently possible to fit the occasion. "You were requested to teach the scriptures, were you not, Rev Malluch?" squeaked George vituperatively. Terence nodded reverentially. "Yes, that's right, and that's what I've done," answered Zac calmly. At the same time he was wondering why George seemed so formal and abrupt. "It has come to my attention that you have been criticising other faiths in the classroom," said George. "Yes, I have, but it was necessary" George raised his head and cried, "Answer my questions briefly, please. Yes or no will suffice." Zac nodded and George continued, "My colleague, The Deputy Governor informed me earlier that his lesson was disrupted today due to unrestrained uproar from your class. Why was that?" Terence closed his eyes and nodded knowingly. "Yes, I suppose there was, but only for a short while. There is a perfectly good reason, if you'll permit me to explain." "Answer the question with a straightforward yes or no," cried George. "Yes!" cried Zac. "Total uproar," cried George. "Limited, I'd say," said Zac. "And I gather that your tutelage delved into obelisks?" "Yes." "And there were female pupils present?" "Yes." "And didn't you remark that an obelisk was a phallic symbol?" "Yes." George looked up at Terence and remarked, "This is unbelievable and downright unacceptable." He looked at Zac and his face became flushed with choler. "Very unseemly," cried Terence. "It was necessary to discuss obelisks because one of the boys raised the subject." "No! It wasn't necessary because you were in control of the class, " cut in George sharply. "Yes, you were in control, or should have been," said Terence. "The boy raised the issue and I felt that it was necessary to explain how and why the obelisk came to be regarded as a phallic symbol of ancient pagan worship. The boy had already alluded to the fact that it was one. That's what caused the turbulence," responded Zac defensively. "You were granted permission to teach the scriptures here, not discuss obelisks to a mixed class of impressionable pupils. What you did was scandalous," cried George. "Unnatural!" cried Terence. "Extremely vulgar," squeaked George. "Don't you realise that if this becomes public knowledge we could be investigated." "And face closure," cried Terence. "And coupled with this highly inflammatory, narrow-minded, one-sided discriminatory attack against other religions you've been waging." George shook his head in disgust. "Pupils talk to me, you know. Sooner or later they'll talk to others when they leave here. What you are doing is reprehensible and intolerable." Terence nodded and said, "Indeed." At this point George lost his limited self-control. "You've no right to indoctrinate the nubile minds of impressionable young people with such inflammatory hogwash. That is something I will not put up with."

"Disgraceful!" cried Terence with an expression of profound distaste and blinking as if it were an affliction he was stricken with. "You're not aware are you," continued George hotly, "that we rely on the support of people of other faiths too to continue our work here. I don't suppose that thought ever entered your head. It's all very well and good to say that "God will provide. Well! So do people of other faiths." "And what will become of our neophytes when they leave here indoctrinated with your distorted views," cried Terence. "They'll be ruined from the outset, that's what will happen to them," ranted George, whose face was deep red and bordering on purple. "Pardon me for interrupting, but do I have any say?" demanded Zac, getting hot under the collar. "Just wait! Wait!" cried George. He leant back in his comfortable armchair and let out a long sigh. "Look! I've arrived at a decision in view of what I've discussed with senior pupils and other members of staff and sadly, I'm afraid I'm left with no alternative but to terminate your employment here." Zac was astonished. "Who's going to teach the scriptures in future?" "I have someone else in mind, but I'm not prepared to discuss the matter with you," replied George. An uneasy silence prevailed until Zac gathered his thoughts and said, "Have you finished questioning me?" George nodded. "I'd like to clarify a few things to show why I believe it is essential to discuss with the senior class the danger of unorthodox beliefs and the grave danger they pose." "What you say won't make any difference, my mind is made up," replied George. Now that he'd terminated Zac's employment he sounded casual. "I see," said Zac. "Well just for the record I shall express my views if only to help you both understand why I consider it is essential to expose heresy when teaching the scriptures." George yawned and looked at the brass office clock on the wall above the door and said, "Pray continue, but it won't make an iota of difference. I intend having the boarders taught about the merits of other great faiths too. All belief systems have something to contribute." "Belief systems. That sounds very evolutionary, if you don't mind me saying so," replied Zac, "Look, when I first came here I explained to you that it would be good to explain to the senior class some of the dangers and pitfalls of unorthodoxy. You agreed with me and said that I should do what I felt was necessary to enlighten them and steer them in the right direction. Terence and your wife were also present. You do you recall the interview, don't you?" "Yes. Enlighten them by all means, but within reason, within reason. Times are changing and I am of the opinion that your teaching methods are not for here. If you wish to denigrate other religions then you ought to teach at a Bible college or perhaps share your pointed views with your very own congregation, but not here. Here you've allowed normal lessons to degenerate into confusion, disorder and mayhem." "The boys and girls of the senior class are practically adults. One of them, who is interested in mythology, asked me a question concerning the god Osiris. The question was mischievous. He wished to know how he lost his sexual organ. When I tried to explain the paganism behind the mythological account the level of disruption escalated. Eventually, I had to bang my desk lid down hard to prevent the aberrant behaviour from worsening. A small number of boys were trying to vulgarise the discussion." "But you should never have let the lesson degenerate and become indecent and chaotic," cried George.

They are young adults. Their minds and bodies are developing. They need help to come to terms with emotional and sexual problems they might encounter and have to deal with when they leave here. With good biblical guidance at least they'll know what is right and wrong to avoid the awful pitfalls that can ruin their lives." "You are single, aren't you?" "What's that supposed to mean? What are you implying?" demanded Zac. "Well, being single don't you think it was unwise of you to let classroom discussions concerning phallic symbols take place?" demanded George. "It's unseemly," cried Terence. "And I don't approve of it," cried George. Zac thought of David, Arnie and the others at risk, and the prefects who needed disciplining. "Look, I've done nothing wrong. My conscience is clear. The senior boys and girls are changing emotionally and psychologically. They are in a transitory period and need proper spiritual guidance to see them through it. Some of them still bear awful mental scars from the past. As a consequence they pose a serious risk of selfharm to themselves and to others here and in the outside world too." George stood up and said, "My mind is made up, Reverend Malluch. I no longer require your tutorage here." He opened his desk drawer and threw an envelope on the desk. "Your pay includes the weekend you stayed here. I think you'll find it a generous settlement." Zac was angry and let it be known. "I fail to see why you're doing this. You've obviously misunderstood my aims entirely. They are strictly in the interests of my charges and their future welfare." "Yes, I'm sure you're convinced they are. However, I've seriously considered the spiritual ethics of your tutorial methodology and feel that it does not identify with the rudiments of our comprehensive curriculum," replied George. "Please reconsider, I beg you," cried Zac. "I'm afraid my decision is final. I don't suppose you know that Rackman was raised as a Roman Catholic. He was dreadfully hurt when you claimed that Catholicism was rooted in Paganism." "Look, I'm deeply worried about that young man. I'm sure he has some serious behavioural problems stemming from his past." "I don't suppose you thought for one single moment what harm your prejudicial, restrictive knowledge might be doing to his mind and the minds of other pupils too? No doubt you didn't. If you had you would have been keen to develop tolerance and understanding of other persuasions instead of vibrantly discriminating against them," cried George. "Rackman is a sadistic bully. One day he may go too far. I believe he's already caused serious physical and psychological harm to some of the boys and girls. He is cruel, and as a prefect he's able to inflict harsh punishments with impunity. To my mind he's too unstable to be a prefect. If he told you he's been hurt by anything I've said about other beliefs it's because he is aware that I know what he is like. He'd love to see me gone from here," responded Zac. His remarks offended George tremendously. The Spirit of Rage caused him to cry hotly, "I know what you're up to. I know your game, sir. You'd like to become the chief educationalist here. You're a religious zealot whose aim it is to dominate this orphanage." "That's nonsense," retorted Zac. "You know who made Rackman a prefect? I did," squealed George. "And he's a jolly good one," cried Terence animatedly. "How dare you question my judgment? I think you'd better leave right now before I say things I might later regret," cried George.

Terence opened the door and twittered with an expression of repugnance, "Please leave, right now. Can't you see your effrontery has clearly offended the Governor." "Yes, please go. Terence and I have some pressing matters to attend to. I have nothing more to say." George re-seated himself and opened his ledger and began totting up numbers. Zac nodded. He picked up his pay and his satchel and left the room. Terence followed after him and said, "The Governor's ordered you a cab. It should be here. Terence overtook him and opened the front door and cried musically with sweet relish, "Oh look, the cab is here." "It seems that the outcome of this meeting was pre-rehearsed," said Zac. "Isn't everything, Reverend Malluch. God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform," cried Terence whimsically The slighting jocularity of his stinging, toxic articulation offended Zac immensely. Even so, he held his peace. "Yes, he moves in mysterious ways," reiterated Terence mockingly. "You're quite right," replied Zac. He quoted a scripture, "His eyes are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers." "How very true. He's certainly been quick to answer mine," retorted Terence. He chuckled truculently. "Oh!" he exclaimed as an afterthought, "I thought you might like to know that Mr Reynolds confided in me a short while ago. He related that when you last visited him at his home you caused a serious domestic row. I don't suppose he told you, did he? Of course, I had to explain to the Governor, because anything to do with disharmony and division between employees needs to be ironed out, don't you think? You do understand, don't you, Reverend Malluch?" Upon alighting the cab Zac called out, "Since what Tom told you was confidential you shouldn't bandy it about. It makes one out to be untrustworthy, a liar and mischiefmaker." Terence was clearly niggled by the retort and slammed the front door shut. The sharp rejoinder left him wanting to cause Zac more trouble. His chance meeting with Rackman on his return from the hall provided him with the inglorious opportunity to re-sweeten his temperament. "Oh Philip, dear boy, would you explain to the boarders at tea that Reverend Malluch won't be teaching here any more." "Oh, that's a shame sir. Un'appy 'ere wos 'e?" "No, Governor Grisslegrinde found his methodology discriminatory and therefore unpalatable." "Discriminatory! Wot does that mean altogevver, sir?" cried PR with a fretful expression to blanket his glee. "He wasn't properly suited to the administrative responsibility of schoolroom tutelage. I'm afraid that preaching from a pulpit is the antithesis of classroom instruction. Nevertheless there are a few who can manage it. Unfortunately, he's not one of them." Terence smiled condescendingly at PR and added, "Giving lessons to inculcate empty heads with conventional education requires sensitivity and acumen. Brandishing one's religious convictions from the pulpit every Sunday is all very well and good for those who delight in stringent seminarial dispensations to satisfy their own egos and satiate the cravings of their schismatic devotees." Terence looked at PR again with a fixed look of delight. PR smiled back and replied, "In uvver words sir, 'e got the push 'cause 'e wos no good as a teacher." Terence beamed an enormous inverted smile and said, "You have it in a nutshell, Philip." PR smiled wryly and said, "P'raps 'e oughta take note of 'is own advoice, sir, and pray for propa guidance in fuchure."

When Terence had parted company PR jumped up and punched the air with immense delight as he headed for the dining room. As Terence entered the office George was busy pouring out two very large whiskeys. Upon seeing Terence he ejaculated, "Terence! Come, let us celebrate with thanksgiving to the Universal Principal that Reverend Malluch is no longer with us. He gulped down most of his drink. "Good riddance to the self-righteous prig. I'm so pleased and relieved that he's gone. I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted from my shoulders." "The shackles of didactic conformity have been broken asunder," cried Terence, caught up in a buzz of relief and joy. George gulped the remainder of his drink down and poured himself another. He saw that Terence hadn't touched his and said, "Come on Terence, knock yours back, if only to celebrate his departure." Terence sipped his drink and smiled greatly. "After this one I'll be ready to face Edna," cried George. Following another big gulp he added, "She'll be upset that I dismissed him. Incidentally, what time are you leaving." "Oh, I've missed the usual bus, and I didn't want to go with Reverend Malluch so I thought I'd have tea with the boarders and then catch the 6:50 bus at the village bus stop." "You must come to my apartment and have tea with us," cried George. "Oh no. I couldn't. I'd rather not," replied Terence diminutively. "Yes! You must Terence. I insist. I need your support, especially at a time like this." "Oh, well, since you insist I suppose I ought to," replied Terence weakly. "Splendid! Let's go right away and get this business over and done with altogether," cried George rising from his chair whilst sinking the remainder of his drink. When they arrived at the apartment they were pleased to see the lovely mouth watering tea Edna had prepared. She'd baked bread rolls and had garnished them with chopped chicken, celery and mayonnaise. She'd also made cheese and egg sandwiches and cooked sausage rolls too. For sweet she'd baked a delicious sponge, filled it with cream and topped it with lemon icing. She heard the lounge door open and came in from the kitchen with a dish of pickles. She was expecting to see Zac and possibly George too, but when she saw George and Terence she did her best to hide her disappointment with a make believe smile she could barely tolerate. With further effort to sound pleasant she cried, "Hello Terence. I didn't expect to see you. Have you had a busy day?" Terence smiled bleakly and replied, "Yes, quite busy and enjoyable thank you Mrs Grisslegrinde." She looked at George and doing her best to seem cheerful she said, "Hello dear. Tea's ready. Where's Reverend Malluch? Isn't he coming?" "No, he's gone, my dear," replied George casually. The look of disappointment on her face was noticeable. "Does he have a church meeting to attend or a wedding ceremony to rehearse?" With hidden satisfaction George replied, "He's gone, my dear. He won't be teaching here any longer." "Gone! What do you mean?" cried Edna. "Oh, he said that he was finding it difficult serving his church and coping with his teaching ministry here. He came to the office this evening and we discussed the matter at some length. Neither Terence nor I could persuade him to change his mind. It's very unfortunate. There was nothing we could do was there Terence?"

"I'm afraid not," replied Terence. He blinked several blinks and looked very sad and added "We both did our level best to encourage him to stay, but he said that engaging in both ministries was becoming very, very stressful." "He's coming back to see you to explain one day in the near future and thank you for your hospitality," cried George. Terence nodded dolefully. The very thought of not seeing Zac for tea in future grieved Edna immensely. She knew she'd miss his company dreadfully and thought, I can't believe he'd leave and not say farewell to me. He just isn't like that. I know he isn't. She became suspicious and said, "Perhaps I'll go to Chelmsford next Sunday and attend the evening service. Maybe I can persuade him to come back. We really need him here to help the boys and girls develop a strong faith in God. He's been so good for them." She pushed the dish of pickles onto the crowded table and the dish of sausage rolls on the opposite end fell onto the carpet. "For goodness sake, what are you doing, Edna," cried George dictatorially. Secretly he was enthralled with the unfortunate diversionary mishap. It was all too much for Edna to bear. She trembled and went over to where the rolls were, picked them up and dropped them by the handful on the table. Some landed on the plate of egg sandwiches and others elsewhere. Emotionally she cried, "You terminated his employment, didn't you?" Her accusatory tone vexed George and his possessors immensely. He also received another spirit, the Spirit of Jealousy. This Spirit is bright green in colour. Its eyes are hawkish and dark green with yellow pupils. Its body is segmented and shaped like a centipede's with many clinging legs, which make it difficult to exorcise from its host. The creature's head is also like that of the carnivorous arthropod, with strong pincerlike jaws. These jaws contain poison glands of wicked jealousy, which the evil spirit injects into the brain. Chameleon flew it in from a man who killed his faithful wife with an axe and committed suicide out of guilt. This wicked spirit is not to be confused with the Almighty's Spirit of Jealousy who prepares the fertile ground for good relationships to develop and grow in godly love and protective concern so that everything works out well in loving Christian relationships. Chameleon hovered over George and dropped the Spirit of Jealousy on top of his head. It slowly sank into his head "Welcome aboard," cried Pride, Rage, Hate and Lust unitedly. The Spirit of Lust possessing George was the carnal image of Lucinda in George's mind. The Spirit of Jealousy was immediately aware of the situation and its victim's psyche and set to work to bring about the necessary changes to please its Grand Master. It injected its poison into George's receptive brain. "And what if I did terminate his employment?" shouted George. "But why?" demanded Edna hotly. "He's a good man and loves the boys and girls." "Yes. Ha! And he was becoming very fond of you too, or so it seems," retorted George nastily. "How dare you suggest such a thing, or even think of it. How dare you," responded Edna with flashing eyes. "Well, he's gone and that is that. It was my decision and that is that too," retorted George. Edna eyed him coldly. What love she had left for him now drained away from that moment. Godly pity and anger replaced it. "Yes, of course, now that you own Salem you can do what you like, can't you?" she said coldly. The love he still possessed for Edna caused him to regret his spontaneous jealous outburst. He tried to justify his termination of Zac's ministry. Lamely he said, "If you must know he was indoctrinating the senior class with a very provincial interpretation of the Bible. He was stigmatising different systems of belief."

"There's your tea," replied Edna coldly. "I won't join you. I shall tidy up the kitchen instead." Tears began welling up in her eyes. She left the room and went into the kitchen where she quietly wept as she worked. The hymn 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness' came to mind and brought solace to her grieving heart. George looked at Terence, smiled sheepishly and shook his head and said, "Now that's that over and done with let's sit down Terence and have some tea." They both ate the splendid tea in silence. "Smiiiverrrs! Come 'ere," yelled PR as the boarders sat at tea. Everybody stopped eating everybody except Piggy Rawlings. Piggy was the fat boy who lived in isolation behind the barricade of wardrobes in the infants' dorm. This jug-headed, nineyear-old with two enormous nostrils, both of which were always blocked and overflowing with nasal slime from congenital colds in winter and hey fever in summer was one of PR's favourites. His sacred mascot; sacred because nobody dared call him Piggy or offend him except the prefects. None of the boarders knew why PR had become his protector, neither did Chunk and Dim for quite some time. They couldn't bear the sight of the grubby, fat child; to them he was an anathema. The reason for this strange affection PR had for the fat child was eventually rooted out by Chunk when, in a heated exchange in their dorm late one afternoon, PR declared with a petulant snigger, "Oi use Piggy to check 'ow loyal the rest are. Whoever 'its or insults 'im gets smashed in the gob." "But why?" demanded Chunk bemusedly. "Weoll, if yew fink abaut it, oh fik one, you'll foind that rebellions usually begin wiv the persecution of the leader's loyal subjects. Fat brat is a koind of extended feeler of moine to root aut rebels in our midst who freaten our aufority." Apart from eating, sleeping and blowing off Piggy spent the rest of his time watching other children at play and reporting anything unusual to PR via Sap but never directly to PR. "Did yew 'ear me, dopey Arnold! Get over 'ere naaaw," ranted PR again. Arnie felt sick and remained seated. He was petrified with fear. The colour drained from his face. "Naaawaaah," raved PR, rising to his feet. " So 'elp me if oi gotta getcha kiddo yew'll be wonderin' whoy your neck's stuffed wiv broken bones, brains, eyeballs an' teef." Mechanically, Arnie obeyed the command, and with wobbly, leaden legs he presented himself before the sadistic prefect. PR smiled thinly at the ashen-faced child. The fear he instilled filled him with pride. "Oi got a bit of bad news for yew, moi san, an' p'raps for one or two uvvers who are prone to clackin' their chops off sneakily. Rev Malluch 'as gone. 'E's upped on 'is long fin sticks an skiddoladdled back to 'is 'oly shrine, the Mecca of Chelmsford neva to return." "Naw," cried Chunk in disbelief. PR grinned and said to Chunk and Dim, "As Oi stand 'ere in moi own skin it's true. Believe me it's true. 'E's scarpered. It's a shame 'e didn't take Matron wiv 'im but never moind, she'll follow soon, Oi'm sure." He faced Arnie again and said, "Which means that yew won't 'ave anybody to wimper to any more, don' it?" He looked at his audience and cried, "Oi want everybody t' shout, 'Oh dearie me, wot a shame', noice and loud naw." He waved his arms up and down to unite their response. The unanimous rejoinder was half-hearted. Many of the older boys seemed unwilling to participate. "That's not good enough, so yew'll all 'ave to do it again ," yelled PR. The response was slightly better, though it still lacked total support from the older boys and girls. They really were going to miss Zac because they loved his lessons. Moreover, they loved him as a father figure for the love, care and kindness he'd shown them. Something many of them had never before experienced.

"That wos lausy," cried PR. He couldn't help but notice the expressions of quiet displeasure on many faces. It made him feel uneasy. Quickly, he decided to cite Arnie as the focus of ridicule. He was aware that any more unkind remarks he made against Zac would gain him no plaudits. Such action might even cause the boarders to unite against him, which scared him. Strangely, his change of tack did just that. It instilled into minds of the older boys a subconscious awareness of his hidden fear. The only sound to be heard in the dining hall was that of Piggy noisily gorging himself. Upon hearing the lip smacking and noisy chewing made PR grin. "Oh littol Piggeeey! Piggeeey-wiggeeey. Come 'ere Piggeeey." Akin to a wild piglet alerted to danger in the forest, Piggy stopped cramming bread and marmite into his mouth and sniffed hard to lift the slime from his top lip. He sniffed once more to withstand another discharge. Clumsily he lifted his short fat pink legs up onto the bench in an unwise bid to set them down on the alleyway. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, slipped sideways and fell onto the floor beneath the table. A spontaneous bout of laughter erupted from the host of spectators who had been watching in silence. PR hammered his table top with his fist and yelled, " Shaaataaap!" Silence quickly returned as he cast a watchful eye over the assembly and said slowly and menacingly, "Oi won't 'ave anybody makin' fun of moi littol Piggy-Winky." His glare fell upon Arnie and he said, "Wot's is noime twig legs?" Arnie was about to say Piggy but corrected himself in the nick of time, "P-RRowland." "Don' chew forget it, Twig Sticks," threatened PR. With much puffing and panting accompanied by thumps and bumps, Piggy emerged from beneath the table with two more green candlesticks between his nose and his mouth. These were transferred to the sleeve of his jumper in full view of everybody. "Come 'ere, littol grunta," cried PR affectionately. Piggy chortled and eagerly tramped over to where his minder stood. Suddenly the fat child's eyelids flickered and he sneezed. He didn't quite manage to cup his hands over his nose and mouth in time. Tiny fragments of bread and marmite mush peppered the prefect's face from the full force of the big sneeze, including one length of slime, which was catapulted onto PR's forehead. PR narrowed his eyes and, overburdened with malice, watched Piggy. He wanted to hit the child hard but was afraid of what might stick to his hand as a consequence. Piggy blustered an apology and moved nearer to help wipe away the mess from PR's face. PR lifted his foot and forcefully pushed him back and snarled, "Keep away from me yew stinkin' littol fat turd." "Strewth!" cried Chunk, scrutinising his plate disgustedly. "Look! Bits from his fat gob have landed on my plate too." He glowered at Piggy and Arnie and said to PR, Why don't we do them both in and plant them under a vine and erect a little plaque beside them with the words, 'Here lay Pig and Twig good riddance'!" A titter of laughter came from the lower end of the prefects' table. More followed elsewhere until the whole assembly roared with laughter. The only ones not laughing were the prefects and Piggy. Even Arnie, frightened as he was, couldn't hold himself back from a brief snigger, which didn't go unnoticed. The unrestrained exuberant taunting uproar in his ears and the nauseating thought of Piggy's masticated victuals spotting his face inflamed PR to such an extent that it reached the outer limit of sanity. He kicked his chair back and screeched piercingly, " Shaaat-blaaady-aaap!" His chair hit the wall with such force that it bounced halfway back. To placate his friend Chunk stood up and barked sharply, "All right! Shut down the noise you lot." The laughter only partially abated and he could see that if he didn't do something to quell the uproar PR might well overstep that outer limit. He didn't want his friend to do that so he raved, "Shut it I said, or else I'll blaaady march round and shut each and every one of you up, so help me I will."

Silence prevailed. Chunk's outburst surprised PR and he simmered down. He caught hold of a sheaf of Arnie's hair and with flared nostrils and eyes demonised with rage he snarled through clenched teeth, "Fought it was funny did-ja?" He repeated the question and yanked the child's head from side to side with each word, "Fought-it-was-funny-didja?" His words and actions silenced all whisperings that were rising to a high hum. A wicked smile creased the prefect's face. He let go of Arnie's hair and smoothed it down roughly. "'Inkley still your friend, is 'e?" he demanded sweetly. Arnie said nothing. "Weoll! Is 'e?" "Yesh!" shouted Arnie. PR slapped Arnie's face hard and said truculently, "Don't yew evah shaut at me, yew ugly snotball." Chunk leant across and whispered in his friend's ear, "Careful you don't mark him where it shows." PR nodded and said to Arnie, "Enjoy your tea, did-ja? Arnie nodded tearfully. The side of his face tingled. "Weoll, you're goin' to 'ave a bit more call it dessert if you loike," said PR cheerfully. He looked across the room to the infants' table and shouted, "'Indley! Aut 'ere naw quick loike." He waited until David stood beside Arnie. "Stick your 'ands aut, Piggy." Piggy returned a vacant stare and did as he was told. PR grinned at Chunk and Dim and then looked at Arnie and said, "Naw, littol Arnie, Oi want yew to be a good boy and lick fat brat's fingers clean for afters." Chunk laughed gutturally and cried, "Now there's a real treat." He sat down in his chair and shuffled himself into a relaxed position to observe the feat. Arnie looked at Piggy's filthy, wart covered hands, smeared with sticky bread crumbs and marmite and shook his head in revulsion and said weakly, "No, I won't do it." "Eeet's naaat so bed. Start weeeth heees leeetle piggy feeenger and work your way along," said Dim with a big grin. "What's all that brown under Piggy's nails?" demanded Chunk. "What could eeet be apart from Marmite?" cried Dim. "See if you can chew some of his warts off, they look horrible," cried Chunk. PR cackled and said, "Yea, and tell us whether they taste crunchy or spongy." "They probably taste a bit like pretzels," cried Chunk. The three prefects laughed revulsively until PR sniffed and said coldly, "Weoll, Twig. Yew know wot yew gotta do. Oi'll 'ave to slap your friend on 'is nut box, if yew don't. Naw, yew wouldn't want me to do that, would yew? So get lickin' quick loike." Arnie shook his head. PR lashed out and caught David unawares with a resounding slap to the side of his head. The severe sudden pain felt like a thousand pinpricks. David shut tight his eyes to hold back the tears. Arnie broke out into the most awful caterwaul of a grizzle and cried, "Pleashe don't hit David." PR sniffed again and replied heartlessly, "Weoll, yew know wot yew gotta do, littol twig, so do it." Arnie shook his head again so PR slapped David hard on the other side of his head and said, "That 'urt moi 'and." In a rare show of anger, Childs started to lift his burley frame from where he was seated at the lower end of the prefects' table. He didn't know what he would do but nervously hoped that a chain of fateful events would answer his indecision. Hoskins, seated next to him, caught hold his brawny forearm to restrain him and whispered

harshly, "Sit down you fool. With Rev Zac now gone they'll beat you to a bloody pulp, label you a troublemaker and parcel you off to that correction home with George's blessing." The prefects' heard Hoskins' "quisk, quisk, quisk" whispering and looked to where it originated from. They noticed Childs half-standing. PR rattled petulantly, "Wot-chew up in the air foah Choilds?" "Got an itchy bum have we?" said Chunk in a low menacing voice. PR retorted, "Yea, the fat lump of naffink's probably got worms." He sniffed, sniggered and added, "'Avin' a woild party up there are they?" Chunk chuckled and remarked whimsically, "Purely from a scientific point of view, Professor Chopsmacker, worms cannot live in a solid block of lard." The dining room door suddenly opened and in walked Potter. Raymond quickly reseated himself. PR frenetically flapped his hand to warn Piggy to lower his outstretched arms, a command Piggy was only too willing to obey since they were beginning to ache terribly. Potter looked at the three boys standing in front of the prefect and said, "What's going on?" PR smiled cheezily and replied, "Oh just 'elpin' them to walk the straight and narrah, sir." PR looked at the three boys in front of him and said stiffly, "Roight, yew free, go an' sit dawn an' moind 'ow yew be'ave in fuchure. Roight off yew go." David bravely lingered. He was plucking up the courage to tell Potter. The Spirits of Rage and Hate induced PR to grind his teeth, narrow his eyes and glare at David and say slowly and controlledly, "Roight! Sit dawn, 'Indley, an' be'ave yourself betta in fuchure." David remained where he was. PR turned to face Potter and said, "Sad news abaut Reverend Malluch, sir. "'E's not teachin' 'ere any more." "Is that so?" cried Potter. "Yea, 'e's foindin' it too difficult to cope wiv 'is church and the school teachin' 'ere. Finished today 'e did. Weo'll all miss 'im we weo'll. 'E was a great 'elp. Someone the kids could chat wiv when they were un'appy." "What a shame he's gone," said Potter thoughtfully. "Go an' sit down Davey, lad. You're beginnin' to look loike the Statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square." Some of PR's supporters laughed bawdily. Others sheepishly followed suit. It was enough to convince David that with Zac gone any petition he made to Potter would be contradicted, derided and laughed off by the prefects and their supporters. He also knew that matters would be made far worse for him and Arnie later if he squeaked. He shrugged and returned to his seat. "Why's he sitting at the infants' table?" quizzed Potter. "'E's been put there 'cause 'e's bin naughty, sir." replied PR. He sniffed and, to change the subject, asked, "Did jew want to see me abaut anyfink, sir?" "Yes, I found this yellow cardigan outside the rec room." PR took hold of it, waved it around and cried, "Whose is this?" A six-year-old girl called Sandra Winterton hesitantly raised her hand. PR smiled charmingly and cried congenially, "You're a naughty girl you are, aincha? Come and get it. What if Mr Potter 'adn't come across it? 'And wot if it rained in the noight?" PR watched with growing impatience as the child hastened, though with great difficulty, to dislodge herself from between two of her friends. He laughed heartily and cried, "Stay where yew are softie. Oi'll bring the jumpa to yew." He walked the length of the hall and gave it to her, gently brushing her head with it to intimate to Potter that he was a jolly decent, good-natured chap. "Naw, don't go leavin' it autsoide again, silly." He chuckled as she took the cardigan and gaped at him with her eyes wide open and her generous mouth agape in fear and dread of him.

"Let me give yew a piece of advoice, kiddo. Neva do an 'andstand wiv your trap woide open loike that, 'cause if yew slip an' fall yew moight disappear dawn it altogevva. An' if that 'appens we'll 'ave to pull yew back aut wiv the cooks' sink plunga." The little girl believed him and closed her mouth. Loud laughter erupted from the ranks. PR returned to his place. Potter smiled too and asked, "Have the cooks gone?" "Yep, they always finish early on Froiday, sir," cried PR. "Oh! Right-ho! Good! Keep the peace," cried Potter as he exited the room. As soon as he was sure he'd gone PR went to the lower end of the table, caught hold of Rat Face's ear and raised him from his seat by it. He then led him by it to the door. "Whoy weren't you 'ere keeping watch, yew silly, wet muffin," he snarled. "You didn't ask me to," spluttered Wilfred, looking very pained. PR slapped the top of the boy's head and replied, "Use your knapskull, and don't chew dare get insolent wiv me. That's the last fing yew should eva fink of doin', 'cause it moight be the last fing yew eva' rememba doin'." Wilfred returned a sullen glare. PR slapped the top of his head once more and snarled, "Weo'll check to see the coast is clear, or will it be necessary for me to give yew anuvva smack to 'elp remoind yew to do it?" Wilfred did as he was bade and mumbled, "He's gone." PR raised his hand to strike the boy again. Wilfred cringed. PR smiled and said, "Fank your lucky stars Oi've got uvver fings on moi moind." He darted to the infants' table, where Sandra was. He snatched her cardigan and wiped the bits of marmite, bread and slime from his face with it. He then dropped it on her plate, yanked her hair to make her cry and said, "Don't ever forget your jumpa again. If yew do Oi'll personally shove yew dawn that big trap of yours." He went further along to Piggy who sat all by himself. The child continued gorging, but instinctively reduced the momentum of his jaw movements when he knew that PR was breathing very heavily behind him. PR caught Piggy by his shirt collar, yanked it upwards and shouted, "Out! Out! Out littol grunt." Piggy did his best to oblige but lost his balance again and fell to the floor as he lifted his leg over the bench. Still clutching Piggy's collar PR pulled the fat boy to his feet. "Come on! Get up!" he shouted. He marched Piggy to where Arnie was seated and clasped Piggy by the arms and mechanically slapped Arnie's head and face with Piggy's sticky, dirty hands. Arnie began crying. Potter happened to pass by the dining room window and casually looked in. "Potter's outside!" shouted Fuller. PR immediately stopped what he was doing and jostled Piggy back to his place with furtive slaps, pinches and punches to hurry the child along. When Potter had gone by he caught hold of David by the hair and violently shook his head to and fro and said, "Don't eva 'esitate to obey an order from me in fuchure. Zat understood, ponce?" David nodded. The pain of having his hair pulled so hard brought tears to his eyes once more. With the help of Chameleon and its fiendish assistants a deep gloom of despair swept over most of the orphans. Some of them were prevailed upon to contemplate suicide with growing enthusiasm because they knew that with their favourite teacher, come fatherly friend gone, the prefects would rule with impunity again and that frightened them immensely. Obviously it wasn't in the interest of Chameleon and its

Field Team to let any child perform such a terrible act unless it suited some future, wicked objective. Nonetheless, it behoved them to saturate the children's lives with as much misery, apathy, depression and rebelliousness as possible to render them meet for harsh physical abuse and a lifetime of macabre spiritual possession.

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS, WHICH COME TO YOU IN SHEEP"S CLOTHING, BUT INWARDLY THEY ARE RAVENING WOLVES (Mat. 7: 15).

On his way home Zac purchased two beef pies and a dozen scones from the neighbourhood bakery. When he arrived at the manse he examined his mail, removed his hat and coat and entered the lounge. The quietness of the room induced him to reflect on how much he missed his dear wife Ellen. She'd always been a tremendous support to him. Her faith, prayers, encouragement and wise advice always helped strengthen him with spiritual fortitude when he faced difficult problems and even dangerous situations from time to time. When he faced grieving parents who wanted to know why their child had died, or an angry, jealous husband who had beaten up his wife or the wife and children whose husband had deserted them left them penniless. There were politicians, councillors, cultists and irreligious organisations that schemed to bring about his downfall because he'd either questioned their motives and intentions or upbraided them; and now Salem. It was at times like this that he felt very alone and deserted without his wife. He fell to his knees and cried, "Oh Lord, I miss Ellen so much. I miss her companionship terribly. I know you are always present, and always answer my prayers and you are always with me to deliver me when I am in trouble. Help sustain me now and guide me through this present crisis." Chameleon fluttered into the room and landed on Zac's shoulder and taunted him to do evil to stop him from praying. "Why don't you speak to Ellen, after all, she is in heaven, isn't she. Like Mary, she'll comfort you." Zac was fully aware of where the thought came from and replied prayerfully, "I thank God that Ellen is in heaven, Satan. I'm also aware that I wouldn't be consulting with her, but you, the father of lies, if I did such a wicked thing. Be gone, for there is only one mediator between man and God the Lord Jesus Christ." Chameleon fled from him and he continued his prayers unhindered as his thoughts reflected the day's events. "Father, there's something dreadfully wrong with the way the orphanage is being run. Please reveal to me what it is so that I may help to work your purposes out according to your good will. You know the children there need to experience your love, care and protection. Remember your promise, 'Ask and you shall receive'." At that precise moment the phone and the doorbell rang. Zac went to answer the door first but hesitated and decided to pick up the phone. "Hi! Are you Reverend Malluch, the minister of Chelmsford Baptist Church?" "Yes, I am." "Good!" crackled the voice. The doorbell rang again. Zac faced the front door and cried, " Please wait, I'm answering a phone call." "Look, I'm the manager of the Waldheim Hotel. We've never met before; at least I don't think we have. I don't know whether I should be bothering you at all. It's a spur of the moment thing, I suppose. Anyhow, what I have to say might interest you, so here goes: Last Saturday evening we held our Charity Awards Show which is an annual event we stage to raise money for various charities and other good causes. During the course of the evening a very distressed woman called Mrs Edna Grisslegrinde came to my office. One of my stewards brought her here because it was the only quiet place in the hotel at the time. I was attending to matters elsewhere in the hotel. Do you happen to know her?"

"Yes, she runs Salem Orphanage. I taught scripture there until today." "Naturally when I returned to my office I was surprised to find her there. She was distressed, yes, very emotionally distressed. She cried and poured her heart out about some other woman her husband was having an affair with; and a plot she'd overheard the two of them secretly discussing. I gather that they are planning to run the orphanage by themselves and sideline her does any of this make sense?" "It's beginning to. Please go on," said Zac. "She went on to explain that she'd signed the deeds of her place over to her husband on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary before he became disloyal. She was very shaken and I felt for her. Oh yes, and there's someone else involved in this conspiracy: a Mr Smiley-Fiddler. That's about it. She seemed very genuine, and she wasn't inebriated. Some men and women do drink rather a lot and air their troubles and woes to any one who will listen. She didn't strike me as being like that; she seemed very sensible, sincere and dedicated." "I can assure you she is," replied Zac. "Well I hope I've been of some help to her. A problem shared, you know." "Yes, you have. You've been of immense help, I can assure you. I can't thank you enough for ringing. You've answered a prayer." "Oh! Good! Let her know that if she is made to leave I still have the vacancy for concierge and also accommodation at my hotel. She's just the kind of woman I'm looking for." "OK, and thank you once again for ringing," replied Zac. He opened the front door and saw an elderly grey haired man dressed in a grey suit and matching grey raincoat and an equally well dressed pretty, petite woman in her mid thirties beside him. They both looked like immaculate display models that had just sprung to life and stepped out of a shop window. "Do you ever wonder why we become old and eventually die?" demanded the man "Isn't it something to do with the process of ageing?" replied Zac bemusedly. "Wouldn't you like to live forever?" demanded the woman. "We all will in one way or another," replied Zac. "Some won't," cried the man. "You're Jehovah's Witnesses aren't you?" demanded Zac with a wry smile. A look of displeasure wiped the smile from the man's face when he realised that he'd visited the very person he'd been warned to avoid with his new convert. "Yes, we are," declared the man boldly. "Well why don't you declare who you are when you call?" "Well, we feel that it is best not to until we enter into proper conversation" "You both belong to a schism which began in the 2nd century AD, long before Charles Taze Russell became the founder of your organisation. The real founder member of your outfit was a theologian called Origen of Alexandria who, like you, preached another different gospel: a gospel that denies the uni-plural nature of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit." "The Trinity is a false teaching, which has spread to all denominations of Christendom. Not that the early church fathers were misled, I hasten to add. It was the counterfeit church which evolved afterwards, referred to in Revelation as The Mother Of Harlots," rapped the man excitedly. "Yes, you're right," returned Zac. "Mystery Babylon and her daughters. One of which is your Society. Why? Well it's because you all adhere to the mutilated Alexandrian manuscripts." The man went to speak but Zac raised the palm of his hand and said, "Look, I know all there is to know about your movement. I make it my business to know, so would you please hear me out?" "I wish to show you a few scriptures first," cried the man in an attempt to lead the discussion. He hurriedly began thumbing through the pages of his Revised Translation.

Zac reached for his Authorised King James Bible from the window ledge next to the door and said, "You do agree that Charles Taze Russell was the founder of the Jehovah's Witness Society, don't you?" "Well he in the light of understanding I suppose he was instrumental in the Look, let me say this first" Zac raised his palm again and said charmingly, "Since you are visitors would you please have the courtesy to let me have my say." "You should know that" "Please hear me out sir, without interrupting," cried Zac demonstrably. The man nodded. Zac smiled and looked at the woman expectantly. She nodded too. "Thank you," said Zac. "Charles Taze Russell, the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, was born on February the 16th 1852. In 1870 at the age of eighteen he was elected the Pastor of a small Bible group known as 'The Dawn Bible Students'. He was never ordained by a corporate body of any recognised church or Bible college, was he? Yet as a self-styled pastor he swore under oath before Almighty God in a court of law that he had ascended to a high degree of scholastic learning; claiming under oath, remember, that he was able to understand Greek, Hebrew and Latin in a libel suit instigated by him against Rev JJ Ross, a Baptist minister. Russell wanted to prevent the minister publishing and handing out defamatory leaflets exposing his fraudulent character and corrupt theology. Russell lost his suit. He was exposed for committing perjury on a number of counts. He also swore in court, under oath remember, that his wife had not divorced him and denied that the court had granted her alimony from him. The council defending Ross proved otherwise." Zac eyed his two visitors sombrely and added, "I can understand why you hesitated when I announced that Russell was the founder of your Society. You'd prefer not to recognise him as such wouldn't you?" "Now wait a minute" objected the man. "No! I haven't finished yet," cried Zac. "Your Society continues to adhere to his false claims, doesn't it? You refute the Trinity; the deity of Christ; the bodily resurrection of him; eternal punishment and the eternal existence of the soul. Don't you realise that you're serving the devil and his wicked aims?" "We are not," cried the man vituperatively. "And blaspheming against God?" The man looked highly alarmed and cried, "We most certainly are not." "And you are also calling him a liar." "How dare you," cried the man. "We are presenting people with the truth and inviting them all to become part of God's kingdom upon earth." "The devil's, you mean," replied Zac. "Now just you listen here" cried the man. Zac raised his palm and said calmly, "Now you did agree to hear me out, didn't you? Therefore you are avowed to let me have my say, unless you wish to follow in the footsteps of Pastor Russell." The man looked grieved and said irritably, "Yes, yes, go on. I hope you're not going to take much longer, we have other houses to visit." "Your Society teaches that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead bodily." "We believe that he rose from the dead as a divine spirit creature," replied the man confidently. "Yet when his disciples visited his tomb his body was gone. What happened to it?" demanded Zac. "Well-um-we don't know exactly. We imagine that it either dissolved into gasses or is being kept somewhere by God as a grand memorial," replied the man. "A grand memorial," said Zac with an expression of mock incredulity. "When Jesus visited his disciples after his resurrection they thought he was a spirit, a ghost in other words, didn't they?" Zac quoted Lke.24 36-43. "'And as they thus spake, Jesus

himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before them'." Following the quote Zac said, "Being so well versed in the scriptures you would agree with me that anyone who consults with the deceased commits an abominable act in the eyes of the Lord?" The man replied, "Yes, we agree entirely. Deutoronomy 18:10-12 states that it is a terrible sin for anyone to consult with spirits of the deceased or pray to them," replied the man. "We believe that Jesus could transform his spirit body to take on human likeness in texture. This is why we pray to Jehovah directly." "But why did Stephen, the first Christian martyr pray to him when he was being stoned to death?" Zac quoted Acts 7: 59 to verify the fact, "'And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'." Zac went on to say, "You do not believe that Jesus is a manifestation of God in the flesh, do you?" "No, we believe that he is the first of God's creation," replied the man, looking decidedly ruffled. Zac quoted John.1: 1-3 from his King James Bible, "'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made'." The Witness quoted from his Bible, "'And the Word was a god'." "In other words you believe that God first created Jesus who created everything else?" said Zac. The man smiled uneasily and replied, "Yes, that is correct." "Well, you must agree that two clear facts emerge from what you claim: God created Christ, and Christ created everything else." "Yes," replied the man, looking perplexed as he wondered where Zac's questioning was leading. "So! That which was not created by Christ must be God, because only God existed in the beginning. He is from everlasting to everlasting. You agree with that, don't you?" "Yes, God created Jesus who created everything else," said the man awkwardly. Zac replied, "In the Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah long before Jesus lived upon earth God said this: 'Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself'." "Where's that quote from?" demanded the man. "Isaiah 44:24," replied Zac. The man thumbed through his corrupted revised translation to the text and uttered it to himself and secretly noted that he could not disagree with the text Zac had quoted from his Bible. The woman likewise found the text in her revised Bible and consumed all the words and looked confused. Zac eyed them shrewdly and said, "How can you claim that he who created everything is not God in Jn. 1:1-3, when God, himself, declares that he created everything by himself?" Zac thumbed through his Bible until he came to the New Testament and quoted Jn.20: 24-29. "'But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas

with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed'. Please note that Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for calling him God." The woman looked nervously at her mentor, hoping and expecting that he would furnish a suitable reply. He made no reply. Zac studied them both keenly and said, "Now, what does Colossians 2:9 say: 'For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily'." He didn't need to look the verse up. The man hurriedly thumbed through his corrupted translation and said, "Ah! Our version declares, 'because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily'." "Does either of you have any understanding of Greek, Hebrew and Latin?" demanded Zac. "No, we don't. We've no need to," replied the man quickly. He looked uneasy as Zac led him out from the shallows into the depths of understanding. "Well, neither did Charles Taze Russell, the founder member of your outfit. However, I do." Zac recalled the text again, "'For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily'." He studied the man's face carefully and said, "Theyers Greek/English Lexicon of the New Testament states that Theotetos (Godhead Deity) is a form of Theot (Deity) or in his own words, the state of being God, Godhead. Your Society perverts the true rendering by using a subtle misconception to change the meaning to divine quality. You've altered the authentic translation tes theotetos the Deity, meaning Jehovah God to theiotes which is derived from theiot and means divinity: thus robbing Christ of his Deity. Theyer was a Greek scholar and a Unitarian a member of a sect that, like your Society, denies the Deity of Christ. Therefore he should have been inclined to agree with your intended artifice, but he doesn't. He states that theot Deity differs from theiot divinity as essence differs from quality or attribute. His 1886 edition of the Greek/English Lexicon recognises Christ as God and gives an honest and unbiased rendering: one that clearly exposes your Society's deliberate dishonesty." The man, sporting a look of sudden enlightenment, flicked hastily through his Bible to Proverbs 8:22-23 and read the text aloud. "'The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth'." He looked at Zac and vaunted, "There, you see. He was the first of God's creation." The woman smiled too. She felt reassured that her mentor had reclaimed the high ground. Zac replied, "The King James Bible declares thuswise: 'The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was'. Since it's already been proved that Christ is God how can you go on to claim that he was the first of God's creation? If you read Proverbs chapters 8 and 9 you'll see that the writer is referring to the wisdom of God, not a supernatural being created by God." "And why then in Revelation 3: 14 does Jesus refer to himself as 'the beginning of the creation by God'?" demanded the man. Zac replied, "When he refers to himself as 'the beginning of the creation of God'. He means that he is the beginning of a new creation 'the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive' (Rev. 2: 9). You've twisted the scriptures to suit your very own

perverted version of the corrupt Revised Translation. You've received another false gospel and another Jesus: a created being who rose from the dead spiritually, but not physically. This is why you cannot discern what Jesus meant when he said to Nicodemus in John. 3:13, 'And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven'. In this profound insightful disclosure of his he cryptically refers to the purpose of his coming and his eventual death and physical resurrection as the firstfruits of many to follow. He makes this apparent in the rest of his conversation with Nicodemus, 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved'. (Jn. 3:16-17). He is the first of the new physical creation that will join him at his second coming. This is why Paul was able to say in his letter to the Corinthians 'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming'. (1 Cor15:22-23). In Colossians 1:18 he says, 'And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence'." The man waved his Bible in the air and cried, "This is the Bible we rely on. It's yours that's corrupted." Zac let rip and zealously replied, "True Christians always rely on the 1611 Authorised King James Bible. This is because the Majority text, upon which the King James Version is based, has in reality the strongest claim possible to be regarded as an authentic representation of the original text. Nevertheless, nearly all modern-day translations of the Bible are based on the Revisers text of 1881.This text was distilled from two corrupt manuscripts: Vaticanus 'B' and Sinaiticus 'A'. It's widely believed that these two manuscripts evolved between the 2nd and 4th century when latitudinarians of that era, namely Origen and Arius of Alexandria deliberately downplayed the Deity of Christ by advocating that He was created. Later copyists (favouring the same spurious Antichrist idioms of belief), on discovering additional Bible verses and passages which did not agree with the textual criteria of their ersatz scripts either rewrote them or eliminated them altogether. There's very good reason to suspect that the two previously mentioned manuscripts were part of a consignment of fifty Bibles hastily produced by Eusebius (a close friend of Arius) for Constantine the Great, Emperor of Rome. Even Tischendorf and Hort agreed that the two manuscripts in question (considered at the time to be the oldest and best) were two surviving copies of the fifty hastily provided for Constantine in AD331. It was Tischendorf who discovered the Sinaiticus manuscript in a waste-paper bin at a monastery on the slopes of Mt.Sinai. Hort was one of the prominent Revisers on the 1881 committee. Moreover, from the 4th century onwards these mutilated manuscripts became the growing medium for a worldwide religious system of harlotry: Roman Catholicism, and the spawning ground for all the pseudo-Christian cults we see around today. The real father of the Jehovah's Witnesses was not Charles Taze Russell it was Origen! He was the first influential theologian to suggest that God and Christ were not one and the same Divine Substance but two very distinct realities: a heavenly Father who created a Son to work beside Him before creating everything else through His Son. This is why you Jehovah's Witnesses hold so tenaciously to the Revisers' Text: you know the Received Text, from which the Authorised King James Version (AV) is translated, exposes the shameful inconsistencies and distortions of the Revisers Text, which your translation is based on. Work on the Revised Version began in 1881 and was completed in 1885. Two brilliant but spiritually inept scholars, Drs Westcott and Hort, formed a committee of prominent revisers, several of whom, including Westcott and Hort, had strong ties with Catholicism. Still more outlandish is the fact that one of the committee members was a Unitarian (a person who believes that God is one being and rejects the Trinity doctrine

and the Deity of Christ). Under a veil of secrecy, the Revisers decided to update the Authorised King James Version by using the incomplete and mutilated manuscripts Vaticanus and Sinaiticus to produce what is commonly known today as The Revised Standard Version. "The Received Text, or Textus Receptus in its Latin form, from which the King James Bible of 1611 is translated agrees with the vast majority of all manuscripts ever found. Literally thousands of Greek manuscripts are now available for study varying from scraps of Paul's original letters and fragments of John's Gospel to whole complete New Testaments to confirm without question that the Authorised King James Version of the Bible is the Inspired Word of God. Of all the manuscripts ever found only five percent agree with the two corrupt manuscripts Westcott and Hort staked their all on. Worse still, within the five percent that do loosely agree there are literally thousands of differences. For instance, one of the texts has no account of the resurrection; another has no record of the Virgin Birth and Ascension. This is why certain passages originally omitted from the incomplete manuscripts Westcott and Hort used are either included as mere postscripts in Revised Bibles, or as meticulous nit-picking footnotes explaining that certain ancient manuscripts omit them altogether. Understandably, such clumsy, unnecessary adaptations tend to make the Authorised Version look questionable as 'The Inspired Word of God'. This, of course, is precisely how the master of lies and deception wants it to look because he hates it and knows it is God's lifeline to free mankind from his evil clutches. Bear in mind that many of the Revisers' changes (nearly six thousand altogether) deliberately downplay the Deity of Christ because Origen and Arius both taught that Christ was created and therefore was not part of the Godhead. Remember too that your Translation of the Bible is based on The Revised Standard Version that descended from the Roman Catholic Bible that, in turn, evolved from Origen's corrupt manuscripts. This is why I forewarn my congregation not to use the Revised Bible based on Origen's ersatz text. I go on to explain that if they do their arguments will be ineffective against cults like yours that deny the Trinity, and Deity of Christ. There's only one Bible to read and use when dealing with the cults: The Authorised King James Version." "Do you know for sure that the Alexandrian manuscripts are wrong corresponding to the Godship of Christ? You don't do you, because you have no proof," replied the man vexedly. Zac smiled and replied candidly, "Well, God, whose wisdom is supreme, foreknew that Satan's most pernicious and cunning attack would be aimed at maligning His Word. Nevertheless, to safeguard his marvellous teachings he masterfully exposes the evil, covert deceptions by the hidden truths the meticulous, schismatic, Alexandrian heretics failed to see, conceal or eradicate. Look up the following texts in the Westcott and Hort Revised Version based on the Alexandrian Manuscripts to substantiate beyond any reasonable doubt that Christ lived on earth as a manifestation of God in the flesh, and be assured that the Received Text the Authorised King James Version is founded on is the true rendering of the Holy Scriptures. He gave them each a slip of paper with printed texts: The Holy Trinity: Gen.1:26; Rev.4: 10-11;5:6=Mat.1: 18-21;Jn.1: 1-3; 10:30; 2Cor.3: 17-18;Jn.14: 10; 15: 26-27; 16:13-15,27-28; 17:8;Acts 5:3-4. God Will Not Give His Glory To Another:Isa.42: 8; 45:22,23; 48:11=Jn.5: 23; 17:5; Php.2: 9-11; 2Thes.1: 12. God And Christ Are One: Ps.90: 2;Isa.44: 6,24; 45:18; 48:11-13; 7:14; 9:6=Mat.1: 23;Jn.1: 1-3,14; 5:18; 20:25-29;Php.2: 6; Col: 2:9;Heb.1: 3,8; 2:10; 3:4.Also Zech.14: 1-9=Mat.24: 30;Acts 1: 11; 1Thes.4: 14-17; 2 Thes.1: 7-12;Rev.1: 7,8. God The Great I Am: Ex.3: 14;Deut.32: 39,40; Isa.43: 10-13;Jn.8: 58. God The First And Last:Isa.44: 6=Rev.1: 8,18; 2:8; 22:13.

Only God Is Sinless: Deut. 32:4;Mat.19:17. Christ Also Sinless: 2Cor.5:21;Heb.4:15; 1Pe.2: 22. All Have Sinned:Rom.3: 23. Except God: Mat.19: 17+Php.2:6-7;God the Creator: Gen.1: 1;Isa.44: 24;45:18=Jn.1:1-3 Additionally, compare the following Revised Standard Version and Authorised Version texts to prove wisdom (she) is not Christ to expose yet another major Origen/Jehovah's Witness perversion: Prov.8: 22,30+1, 11,12+ Ch.9: 1-11. THE TRUTH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE Dear reader, the true church teaches that to become a Christian you must first recognise that Jesus Christ was the personification of God in human flesh who lived a sinless life and suffered a terrible, agonising crucifixion and death as a result to save you from your sins and free you from the dominion of sin (Jn.3: 16-21). And that He rose from the dead miraculously in the same body of flesh He was crucified in to become the FIRSTBORN of the NEW CREATION from the dead as GOD the SON (see Lke.24: 36-47;Jn.20: 24-29;Acts 2:27; 1Tim.3: 16;Zech.14: 5,9+2Thess.2: 1,8; Col.2: 9;Tit.2: 13;Heb.1: 2-10; 3:4). Next YOU MUST BE BAPTISED in the name of Jesus Christ in order to be forgiven for your sins and receive the gift of the HOLY GHOST (the Spirit of God, see Jn.14: 23,26;Acts 2:38;Rom.8: 9-16). Finally, read the Bible daily and fellowship with true Christians who accept it as THE LIVING WORD OF GOD. The woman placed her slip in her Bible for safekeeping to read later. The man screwed his up and thrust it in his trouser pocket to indicate that it was of no interest to him. He wished to avoid any further conversation with Zac and move on because the terrified Spirits of Pride and Deception controlling him hardened his heart. Cleverly he said with false humility, "You know, we shouldn't go discrediting each other's beliefs because in doing so we discredit the Bible, don't you think? Therefore we must agree to differ. Good day." Zac noted that the woman was taken by what he was saying. To keep them on his doorstep he replied, "Why shouldn't the true church upbraid false teachers? Surely it must! Jesus and the apostles did!!! Clearly, if pseudo-Christian cults like the one you are sold into are also targeted on outreach too and exposed for their false beliefs before the world, then at least those who show any interest will not be so easily led astray. As a consequence, false prophets like you will be checked and their gross perversions won't hinder the true gospel from spreading to save souls and hasten the Lord's return." The man was greatly agitated at Zac's precise articulation and replied, "It's people like you who are false prophets, sir, scaring the public into thinking they will go to a terrible place of torment when they die. You ought to be ashamed of the utter nonsense you and your kind preach. You're all part of the Great Babylonian Empire ruling this present system of things." "That's not so," replied Zac. "You are the false prophets because you preach lies by deception. For example, you believe that we become extinct when we die." He quoted Mat. 10: 28. "'And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell'." Having quoted the text he reasoned, "If hell does not exist as a place of torment why should anyone fear extinction? Let me quote some other texts to illustrate how ludicrous your reasoning is on the subject of hell. I'll do exactly what your Society does. I'll switch terms when it suits me. Instead of using hell where it literally means a place of torment in the Bible I'll call it the grave, just like you do, 'Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into the grave'. (hell. Lke.12: 5). "'And shall cast them into the grave (furnace of fire) there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth'. (Mat.13: 42).

"Then shall he say to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the grave (the everlasting fire), prepared for the devil and his angels. (Mat. 25: 41). "'The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the grave in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment in the grave ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night'."(Rev.14: 10-11)." "I think it's time to move on," said the man. Zac continued his scholarly onslaught, "Your Society refuses blood transfusions. Transfusions are not taken from anything slaughtered or killed, but from willing donors who recuperate the loss very quickly. Therefore the act does not contravene God's Old Testament law or the New Testament endorsement of the law because the donors do not die. Your Society causes many to reject the Holy Bible out of hand because of your dangerous, evil decrees. Moreover, those who indulge in crime are likely to throw caution to the wind if they're misled into believing that extinction follows death. I warn you: Repent of your wicked works right now and receive the real Jesus as your Saviour." The man glanced at his watch and said, "Come on Mavis, we've wasted enough time here with this nut already." She hesitated before leaving and Zac thought, There's hope for you yet, my dear. I must pray for you, Mavis. He closed the door.

THEY PROPHESIED IN BAAL (Jer. 23:13).

After seeing the infants to bed in their usual brutal manner the three prefects returned to their small dorm. Chunk clutched his side dramatically and fell back onto his bed. He was pretending to be a mortally wounded outlaw cowboy. He kicked the air with his leg and cried: "Ya sure got me this time, Sheriff McGraw, You're the fastest gun I ever-gasp-saw. One last request I gotta-gasp-ask, Before I breathe my-ugh-gasp-last: When you drop me in that ole pine box, Leave my boots on, 'cause there's 'oles in my socks." PR wasn't very amused and replied, "Yea, yew've got an even bigger, more useless one in your 'ead, Jake." Chunk sat up with a start and cried, "Here, it's strange how old Malluch suddenly upped on his long, skinny shanks and left like he did, isn't it?" "Weoll Oi'm glad 'cause Oi 'ate 'im," replied PR with flared nostrils and an ugly twist to his mouth. "Oh really!" cried Chunk, laying back down. Yea," answered PR. "Oh! Is that what happened to him. I imagine he tasted a bit leathery, didn't he?" replied Chunk. "Wot?" exclaimed PR, screwing his eyes up. Chunk's banal banter was disrupting his train of thoughts concerning what Terence had said earlier about his forced departure. "You said you 'ate him; you mean gobbled him up," laboured Chunk. He grinned affably. "Ha! Ha! Very blaaady funny Oi don't fink. Look if you want to give yourself a laugh whoy doncha look at yourself in the mirror?" returned PR sourly. "Now why should I need to look in the mirror for a good laugh when I can look at your ugly chops instead," replied Chunk. He flopped back down. PR narrowed his eyes reflectively and said, Y'know, Oi reckon Oi 'ad a big 'and in 'oly longshank's departure, just loike Oi 'ad a big 'and in getting' rid of Partridge." "Huh! How?" guffawed Chunk. "Weoll, me bein' Cafolic and 'is stand against all uvver religions includin' Cafolicism. And Grissolgats questioning us at the dinner tabol. Weoll, Oi reckon what Oi said 'elped elbow old longshanks aut. And if yew ask me 'e got 'is just dessert." "And perhaps it had nothing at all to do with you. Maybe it was old George who didn't want to be caught in his underpants on his desk communing with Vulcan and his Cyclop mobsters," responded Chunk. "Hold on!" he cried in mock startlement. "Do you think he ate the Partidge kid?" "Ave yew gone mentol?" demanded PR irritably. "Don't you see? George might think he's Kronos, the brat eating god," cried Chunk. All three laughed. When their collective mirth died Chunk said, "Rev Zac was too good for his own good. That's why he went." He produced a large green cooking apple from his trouser pocket and raised himself up and began crunching his way through it. "Oi! Where ja get that from?" demanded PR as his friend hurried to finish the apple.

"Payment! The wages of sin, you could say," replied Chunk. "One of the kids wanted me to whack another as a special birthday treat. I did and he gave me this apple as payment for a job well done. Do you want a bite?" "There's only the core left, yew fag end," replied PR rattily. "Well, you're welcome to it, pips and all." PR looked hurt and replied, "Naw, stow it sunshoine." "Now if you were enterprising, you'd see the real value of what's on offer: Pips!" Chunk devoured the core, pips and all and then continued his dialogue, "Yes, you could have planted them, and in a few years time you could have been picking and eating your very own apples from your very own orchard." "Naw, 'cause yew would 'ave probably sold the lot to 'Oward, the Welsh Druid," replied PR scornfully. "Well, since you've neglected to jump at this chance I'm going to package them in a special manure from my own factory and give them back to the nation as a generous gift for posterity," cried Chunk, smacking his lips together. PR stretched out on his bed, crossed his legs and placed his hands behind his head and said speculatively, "Yew know what Oi'd loike? Oi'd loike to see that dopey lookin' littol Smivvers brat got rid of from 'ere too." "What! Eaten by ghastly Kronos in his underpants?" cried Chunk. He laughed and flopped back down on his pillow and added, "If that little object of pity went we'd have nothing to laugh at." "Ever since 'e came, fings 'ave changed for the worse, some'ow. We don't seem to 'ave the same koind of control. Oi fink we should squeeze 'im aut loike Partridge an' 'oly smokin' longshanks." Dim hoisted himself up on his elbows and said, "The meeeneeester went because I prayed to the speeereeets of my ancestors." The other two partially sat up. PR winked furtively at Chunk and casually replied, "Oh yea, an' 'owja manage that then?" "I asked them to make heeem go and they deeed." "But whoy? Oi fought chew loiked 'im?" "He said eeet was wrong for me to pray to my ancestors." "Oh yea, and where are they living? In some shiny, magic oil lamps waiting to be rubbed, I suppose," cried Chunk cynically. "I hef prayed to my ancestors every night seeence I last spoke to you about eet. And no, they do not leeeve eeen shiny oil lamps." He looked resolute and added firmly, "I tell you, whatever the reason was for Zac's leaving eeet was because the speeerits made eeet happen." Chunk was a touch flustered and replied, "I'm inclined to believe old Zac when he said it was dangerous and very wrong to pray to the dead, yea, especially your monkey eating relations." He looked around fearfully as if Dim's ancestral spirits were present and added, "Their spirits might visit my grave and eat me when I die." "That's 'cause they'll have mistaken yew for the missin' link," scoffed PR. He studied Dim and said to him, "Yew reckon all that mumbo-jumbo stuff works?" He sensed that Chunk was disquieted, which made him excited and intrigued, and also secretly unnerved. "Yes, bat it eees not to be laughed at. Eeet can be dangerous eeef you don't behafe respectfully towards the speeereeets." PR sniffed and said, "If these spirit fings are flittin' abaut and can 'elp us get wot we want, whoy not get in touch wiv 'em, respectful loike." He sniffed. "You mean shake their hands and invite them to join us for a chat?" cried Chunk. "Weoll, whoy not do whatever it takes to get their 'elp," replied PR. "Oh yea, you carry on like that mate and they'll be carting you off to the happy house kicking and screaming. Don't ask me for help when they do."