The Open Door (17 page)

  A sweet little girl named Abigail with
long, soft, blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a smile that would melt
the most hardened, stood before an orphanage, admiring the
beautiful array of colors the night sky offered.  Unlike most,
she appreciated God’s handiwork—she even liked rainbows—they were
her favorite. 

  Well mannered and very mature for
someone of only four years; she somehow—for reasons unknown to
her—lived parentless at a large home containing many rooms, and
filled with many children.  She longed for parents who would
love her unconditionally; she didn’t necessarily know the meaning
of the word, “unconditionally,” but her heart knew what it wanted:
a mother and father who would love her no matter what. 

  Abigail, in fact, had an idea of what
her parents would be like: a tall, strong, handsome father who
adored her and longed to spend time with her as much as she did
with him. And a beautiful but strong mother who looked after her
during moments of sickness, cooked the most amazing meals, and did
her hair each morning.  She could picture all three of them
running through a park, feeding the ducks, and having a picnic
beside a lake. 

  Four years seemed like a lifetime to
little Abigail. She began to wonder if anyone would want her in
such a way. Were there parents who would take her in and give her
such a home?  She never gave up hope, but with each passing
year, hope dwindled. 

  The old tree on the hilltop had
company this evening, and like the tree, this visitor was grey and
black and every bit as twisted.  The tall man stood by the
tree and against the now darkened sky.  Gusts of wind
fluttered his long coat, and feathered his long, scraggly, white
hair.   

  Looking down on the town, he fixed on
a single structure: the orphanage.  Staring. Studying. 
Looking at the front entrance as if trying to burn through the door
with his piercing coal-black eyes.  He spoke just over the
breeze, “I’m taking you home tonight, little one.  I’m taking
you home.”

  Several hours passed, and the man
still stood in the same spot, staring at the same
building. 

  As if the witching-hour had struck,
the man suddenly came to life and began walking down the steep
grade—kicking up dirt and rock with his tall, heavily weathered,
black boots. 

  Not a single soul was awake; the town
seemed sparsely inhabited with only a few street lamps still
illuminating small patches of dirt road.  A few stray cats
sensed something foul and dangerous, and fled under cars and other
shadowy places where they wouldn’t be found. 

  He reached the bottom of the hill and
stopped fifty feet from the small staircase that led to the front
door where he would find the bait he needed to capture his trophy
soul. 

  He smirked with a crookedness that
displayed the depths of his darkened soulless vessel, and began
walking.  With each step, he sensed he was closer to
victory.  This step would be easy—the final step would prove
more difficult, but not impossible.  He would succeed or lose
his last opportunity at eternal life, affording him travel through
endless realms.  He needed a pure but unattached soul that
beckoned a level of darkness, allowing it to be taken and used as a
Talisman of sorts, for places of great evil.  Such a soul is
nearly impossible to find in the realm of earth, and his time was
running out.  It was Scott Abrahamson, or he would be no
more. 

  He stood before the door, willing it
to open ever so quietly.  He stepped in, got a sense of the
room and its inhabitants.  Finding what he needed, he walked
directly to her bedside and gazed upon her golden locks. 
“Abigail,” he muttered softly.  “It’s time . . . tonight you
will assist me in gaining immortality, my child.”

  He picked her up and cradled her in
his long arms, then floated away into the night.  She remained
asleep in his motionless arms, as he seamlessly rode the night air
towards his final destination before attaining what all demons
desire: a place far from good.  A place where only evil
dwells, where it’s always night, and all realms of darkness connect
with one another, allowing souls to endlessly delight in acts of
reprehensible gluttony that would shame the lowest in earth’s
realm.   

The doctrine of demonology will remain just
that: a theory. Only those from the most raucous of realms will
ever know the truth.

This is God’s world, true. In fact, God
created all. He’s not the creator of evil however, for he is good.
God foresaw the existence of evil, and in knowing this unfortunate
fact; he created other realms for those who chose dark over
light.

Free will gave souls a choice, and those too
weak to stay on the righteous path of good would eventually turn
evil, and evil had to be separated from good, for both could not
exist in God’s Heavenly realm. That’s where Purgatory came in.

The most evil of souls who willingly turn
away from good, sadden the Creator of life. Those who are
unthankful for the ultimate gift: the gift of life, or who deny
that it is a gift at all, must be met by the most severe of
punishments. The rotten fruit of humanity are sent to other realms
where the absence of good is eternal, and only evil dwells,
writhing in its own filth.

The worst of the worst, those who took
innocent life out of pure pleasure, or who sought to destroy, to
bring about evil while living in their earthly human bodies, would
become what we now refer to as, demons. It’s safe to say that
ruthless dictators such as, Hitler and the like are now demons
serving their eternal sentence in Purgatory.

Some demons however, find a way to travel
into other realms, and in some very rare cases, back to earth’s
realm.

Once in earth’s realm, they often torment the
living. They can’t pick and chose; they must find those who have
left their door open to them. People who have given up on life, who
have been misled by false idols because they didn’t pay close
enough attention when reading God’s instructions, people who are
also evil and on their way to becoming demons themselves, or even
good people who have yet to find God.

The one that Scott and Ella refer to as, the
Tall Man—is the worst kind of demon. He committed unspeakable acts
when in human form, and during his nearly two hundred years in
spirit form, he’s finally found his way back to earth’s realm.

Entering back into earth’s realm is
considered the vilest of infractions. If viewed as a parallel, it’s
the equivalent of a murderer breaking out of prison to commit more
crime.

While in earth’s realm, demon’s have a
limited amount of time before being cast out, never to return.
They’re like a fugitive on the run, and if caught, they are placed
in a high security prison, most likely in solitary confinement.
However, if they can do the impossible, and find a good but lost
soul to attach themselves to, they can travel into other realms on
the back of their new vessel. Never the realm of Heaven of course,
that door remains eternally closed to the damned.

Some demons join forces with other evil
entities along the way. This gives the illusion they have more
power than they actually do. They can work together to speak in
different languages, temporarily split up and possess bodies,
etc.

In the case of the Tall Man, he entered the
world with several other demons, and in order to walk about in
human form, he found a body that suited him, one that resembled him
before dieing and being cast into Purgatory.

They have limited time to spend in possession
of other bodies before having to regroup in their original
vessel—most likely because the host eventually kicks them out.
Maybe that’s why they seek the suicidal and atheists; they can stay
in longer, or in rare cases the body will die from weakness and
both the host and guest move on.

There is much that is unknown to demons who
travel to earth’s realm. They enter with certain beliefs derived
from myth.

When the Tall Man took Mustapha’s life, he
scared him into believing his soul would be damned, but that was a
mere hope for the Tall Man. For the most part, he said it for
effect, to fill his victim with fear. In reality, demons have no
say where one’s soul goes. In Mustapha’s case, although a little
confused and misled, he was a good man who believed in God in one
form or another, so he could have very well been accepted into the
realm of Heaven.

The reason for the Tall Man seeking Scott
Abrahamson is due to his soul being lost for so long. He was good,
he did many good deeds, he dabbled in the Bible during his early
years, but doubt still clouded him, largely due to the numerous
religions that existed. Not a single one made complete sense to
him, and in his experience, people always thought their religion to
be the only true one.

This couldn’t be true, and Scott knew it. So,
for many years he became confused and doubtful, and the demon
sensed this. He gambled that this was the soul he needed.

Tall Man needed Scott to remain in his
confused state, so anyone attempting to help him clarify, or to
bring him closer to understanding God—must be removed from the
equation.

Ella was trouble. She was a true, pure soul
who believed and understood the true God. She knew to follow the
original Torah, and not some man-made, feel-good religion.
Religions designed for convenience, personal gain, or a group’s
agenda, would never be pleasing to God, and would lead people down
the wrong path. Ella had seen it and wanted no part of it.

For these and many more reasons, she proved
to be a greater threat to the demon than he anticipated. She was
protected, and although he wanted her to believe he could destroy
her, he never could. He would have to do what evil does best:
manipulate, lie, and deceive. He would have to disguise himself,
become something they would never dream of hurting or saying no to.
He would have to become something Scott and Ella would literally
die for. And this is where Abigail became such an important pawn in
Tall Man’s game.

The disappearance of Cody Wells, the dead
woman in his backyard, and the death of Benjamin Mustapha still
mystified police. To them, the crimes were not related but equally
odd.

Scott and Ella were the only two in the
entire world who knew the truth. Maybe not privy to all of the
facts, but they knew what was behind the senseless and gruesome
acts.

Cody’s situation still baffled them; he was
missing, but the most disconcerting was that Cody neglected to
contact Scott.

After returning to Scott’s house, Ella and he
discussed searching for Cody, but they had no idea where to start,
and the police were already working with other agencies to perform
a statewide hunt.

Instead, Scott prepared a meal for her and
they shared each other’s company over dinner—trying not to think of
what Mustapha must have gone through.

Afterwards, she introduced more Torah to
Scott and entered into in depth conversations. She knew an
understanding was needed, as was a good deal of prayer.

Although this was new territory for Scott, he
was fully aware that he was up against the supernatural, therefore
accepting the fact that strengthening himself spiritually would be
the only way to defeat the evil that hunted him.

For the first time in his life, he had an
intense interest in God’s word. And for the first time, he had a
sincere interest in spending the rest of his life with a woman; the
only woman he had met that showed an inherent decency, a conviction
to put others before herself, and a trustworthiness that until now,
had eluded him.

She showed him that good still existed, and
that there was someone out there for everyone, including him. He
felt truly blessed to have met this woman, and accepted the irony
of fate. Had he not been tormented these years and sought help,
they would have never met. It’s amazing to ponder what any number
of inconceivable events has to take place in order for certain
things to happen. More proof that there is something bigger than
them out there, that they’re all part of a plan larger than they
could ever imagine.

The entire night wasn’t spent on discussing
their situation; they learned much about one another: tastes in
music, art, culinary delights, dream homes, politics, current
affairs, movies, and future plans.

They agreed on most, and what little they
disagreed on was negligible. They were able to peacefully
understand each other’s views, and then find a common ground on
whatever topics they explored.

Both enjoyed the moments of that evening to
such an extent, they didn’t want it to end. They yearned for more,
and with each second spent together, the strength to beat all odds
in order to secure a future grew immensely.

Once time entered the early morning hours,
both Scott and Ella became exhausted.

The candlelight that danced upon her perfect
face, accompanied by the vanilla aroma the candle relinquished,
placed him in a hypnotic trance that nearly lulled him to
sleep.

“Looks like it’s about time to hit the
sheets, sleepy-head.” She said with an adoring admiration.

He snapped out of his coma and replied, “I
believe you’re right. I don’t suppose there’s a chance of you
picking me up and carrying me?” They both shared a tired but
sincere laugh, and then moved to the bedroom.

Ella was first to prepare for bed, and when
she exited the restroom she wore a long, modest nightgown. Although
it covered her from neck to ankle, it draped over her petite
athletic figure in the most flattering of ways. It caught Scott’s
attention, although he dare not show it.