Conjurer & The Sacred Lemons (12 page)

Patrick due to medicines fell asleep early while Ursula was busy clearing the kitchen. In the middle of night, Patrick’s sleep got disturbed. He heard some strange noises coming from outside the bedroom. The noises continued for few minutes and stopped. After few minutes, the window of the bedroom started banging and making a loud noise. Ursula was fast asleep. Patrick woke up and closed the window properly. As he was returning to the bed, he experienced some push from behind and which almost resulted in Patrick following on the floor. The noise was enough to wake up Ursula.

“Patrick, what happened “Ursula was worried.

“I closed the window and was returning and probably slipped “Patrick replied

“Are you ok “Ursula was worried?

“Yes Dear”

“Have you again experienced the similar thing “Ursula was little apprehensive.

“Yes but not something major…just relax...” Patrick comforted her.

Both again went to the sleep. Ursula was awake for some time thinking about Rag Peter incidence and what had just  happened to Patrick. She was now more determined to chase Peter and unearth the truth. However tomorrow her priority was the cleansing the house as was agreed with Father Agnel last week,

Chapter 9

Cleansing the house

Father Agnel was the head of the Hill point church for the last 10 years. He was known for his fluent sermons and his love for the needy and the downtrodden. A scholar of Christen traditions and an academic scholar of the revered Bible and the other traditional religious books. Wherever he was called or needed Father Agnel made it a point to be there. He had a deep faith in the Jesus and always believed that the Lord is there to protect one and all. He always preached that if you call the Lord with a right intension and faith he comes in different forms and helps you.

Father Agnel also had good experience in handling situations which were beyond the alms of normal science and medical. He believed that negative energies sometime come together and try to create problem with human life. He did not give any name to these negative energies. He believed that cleansing of the person and property helps them to get rid of the effect of the negative energies in their surroundings. Father Agnel hated those calling these negative energies as ghosts or demons. He believed that when the sinner’s evil wishes or unfulfilled wishes accumulate over a place, the place becomes enriched with negative energy. He believed these negative energies doesn’t have a form or shape and exhibit themselves in multiple forms.

The William’s were already early on that Saturday morning. Ursula and Patrick woke up early in the morning. They had bathed and touched the holy cross. The children got up at around 7.30 am. Ursula almost forced them to be ready by 8.30 am. Poor kids did not know what all this rush is about but like good kids they listened to their mother. Ursula’s mother was ready since 6.30 am. All of them had breakfast and coffee at around 8.45 am and they were eagerly waiting for the father and his associates.

The William’s had to wait for almost 3 hours before the father and his associates arrived there in their house. It was exactly at 11.45 am the father and his troop entered the William’s house. Patrick and Ursula welcomed them at the gate. It was a big gathering than expected by the William’s. Father Agnel was accompanied by a dozen of his associates. His disciple Jeery was carrying a huge basket which consisted of numerous items.

Father Agnel and his associates thanked William’s for the welcome. They seem to be in hurry and wanted to finish the job at hand.

Initially father Agnel had called all the William’s to come together. Patrick, Ursula, Mom and children assembled in the living room. Father Agnel then sprinkled the holy water on all of them. After sprinkling the holy water on the William’s, he sprinkled the balance water on all the pastors including him who were going to be the part of the cleansing activity.

The father Agnel and his group of 9 pastors came together. They all prayed to the almighty –Jesus. They recited the part of sermon which depicts Jesus’s resistance to the devil. They recited that the devil tried three times to woe Jesus. First time Jesus was tempted with the bread, second time he was tempted with the glory of the world and third time he was tempted with his pride. While reciting to the Biblical description of the devil and the Jesus dialogue , Father Agnel and the pastors prayed to the Lord to get the William’s of the Evil who is somewhere into the house.

Ursula, Patrick, Children and Mam were watching the ceremony standing nearby. Ursula and Patrick were completely forgotten themselves and were part of the whole rituals.

After the initial prayer to the Lord Jesus, Father Agnel and his associates were now ready for the prayer of the fire god. Father Agnel believed that the fire is both a symbol of respect as well as symbol of terror against the sin. To him fire manifests the holiness and the purity in the life. The logic was that fire purges the impurity. The Fire was considered to be a holy spirit and have presence of the God himself. It is considered to be having the power to destroy the evils.

Father Agnel asked Jeery to burn the holy William in the house. When Jeery did the same the William started burning and the smoke started moving all around the house. Till that time everything was alright. The burning William was carried all over the house by the pastors covering the entire house including the lawn and garage.

Father Agnel then asked all the pastors to be at one place. He asked all the William’s to come together also. In the name off almighty Lord then he started his cleansing of the house. He first took the holy water he had carried from the church and started sprinkling the water in every room of the house, while sprinkling the water he was chanting the Biblical verses. The pastors were supporting him chanting the verses with him. They first covered the living room. After sprinkling the holy water in the living room they fixed a small cross in the living room.

The next 2 bedrooms on the ground floor were covered by them. There also they sprinkled the holy water while chanting the Biblical verses. Ursula and Patrick were following them. The children were amused to see the ritual going on. In the bedrooms also after the ritual father Agenl fixed the cross.

After covering the bedrooms father Agnel and the pastors moved to the first floor. When they reached the first floor along with the William’s they found that the burning William extinguished. The fire was completely doused. Father Agnel got upset at this. He asked Jerry to light the fire on a new William. While Jeery was trying to ignite the fire, suddenly he was thrown with a big force to one corner of the room. The pastors accompanying father Agnel also got scared.

Father Agnel thought for a minute and then started his prayer. “Oh lord Fire is a symbol of purism. It is you who taught us that fire is a symbol of victory over the devil and the sin. Please forgive us the sinners and help us in this hour of crisis “. As Father Agnel was praying the William started burning again. Father Agnel understood that the evil on the first floor is powerful enough to challenge the purity. However he was sure that Jesus the Lord is the supreme and no one is above him.

Meanwhile the William’s were watching the ceremony under deep stress. They were not sure whether this ritual is going to end the misery which Patrick was going through for the last 6 weeks. The only person who had faith in the ritual was Ursula’s mother. She was confident that Father would be helping them to drive out the sinful elements out of the house.

Father Agnel then sprinkled the holy water everywhere on the first floor. They covered each and every area of the first floor. By this time it was already 1 pm. But Father and his team of pastors were not ready to stop even for a minute.

The next area they embarked upon was the bunker. While stepping down the stairs of the bunker father Agnel and his associates were having some strange feeling. Somehow they were feeling that the sinful element resides here. William’s also followed them in the bunker. Father Agnel first tried the fire ceremony here. Here also his associate Jeery had faced some unknown force. While trying to light the firewood he experienced lot of push and pull. Finally Father Agnel himself came forward and lit the firewood. The entire bunker was now having more light. Father Agnel and pastors again prayed to the Lord Jesus and asked his help in getting over the sinners.

This ritual was followed by the sprinkling of the holy water all across the bunker. The William’s were watching the events with a hope to end the crisis which Patrick was facing for the last 6 weeks. Father Agnel recited the biblical verses commanding the Lord Jesus in overcoming the demon and asked his majesty to give the same courage to the William’s. Then he carefully fixed the cross in the bunker.

Next destination was the garage. Similar ceremony was performed there. This was followed by the ceremony at the lawns and the backyard. By now the entire house was covered by the group. Every room and place within the vicinity was purified and fixed with a cross. Father Agnel and his colleagues took a rest of 20 minutes before starting the balance ceremony.

After securing the place with fire, cross and Biblical verses Father Agnel and the pastors were ready for the balance part of the ritual. With his vast experience of more than 25 years Father Agnel knew the rules of the games very well.

Then the group started with a ritual of calling the evil or the demon to come forward and give itself in front of the supreme – The Lord - the Jesus. The group was chanting the verses which force the demon to submit before the almighty. However to their surprise even after half an hour of the ritual they couldn’t get a hint of the sinful or demon residing in the house. Father Agnel was disturbed. He had never experienced such incidence earlier.

Father Agnel suddenly remembered that they forgot one important virtue. The virtue was to be humble. Father Agnel prayed to the almighty that none of them measure to the expectations and the requirements of the Lord Jesus. As such all of them are feeling bad and asked for forgiveness for everything they have done wrong so far in the life. Father Agnel and the pastors also committed their life to the Lord –Jesus.

However even after this Father Agnel and pastors found that no devil or demon is coming forward in the form of any signal or hint. However the group was convinced that after the fire ceremony and sprinkling of the holy water the place is purified perfectly and as such no hint of any sinful or demon is getting noticed.

Father Agnel called the William Family together. He had sprinkled the holy water on all of them. He also tied small cross to their hands and blessed them.

At the end Father Agnel told William’s that the cleansing ceremony is over. The sinful element or the bad has gone and the William’s are now free of any evil spell.

The William’s thanked father Agnel and his colleagues. The group left soon after.

Ursula and Patrick were relaxed now. The cross at their hands was giving them strength. The purification ritual had convinced them that the Lord was with them and No evil could think of harming them.

The William’s were without lunch till now. The ceremony ended at 3 pm after which all of them had lunch. They rested for a while before they set out for a dinner outside in the late evening.

Chapter 10

Evil Fights back

The new week started on a positive note. In the afternoon Ursula got a letter from her travel magazine communicating that she was selected to make a short film on tourism in India. She was to be accompanied by the video unit and assignment was of 2 weeks. After struggling for nearly 10 years as a freelancer contributing numerous articles on US and Canada tourism finally she got appreciation in the form of this first international assignment. Ursula’s mother was happy to hear the news.

Ursula however was both elated and worried. This assignment of 2 weeks in India means leaving Patrick and children in Mandeville alone. Although she was comfortable for kids as her mother could take care of them. She was worried about Patrick. If similar incidences again happen to Patrick when she is away in India, who would support him and will take care of him. The whole afternoon Ursula’s mind was thinking on this aspect only. On one hand she was elated to get recognition in the form of the proposed assignment on the other hand worry about Patrick was making her depressed.