1 A good day

It was a sunny, beautiful morning, one of those days when it seemed that having a bad mood was frowned upon by the universe itself.

A little girl, her red skirt moving frantically as she jumped up and down, ran down the meadow carrying an empty water bucket.

"Nana!" she shouted at the top of her lungs when she saw a petite woman with long white hair come out of the little house. "I'm bringing water today!"

The girl's cheeks were red from the excitement of being in charge of such an important task.

"Very well, honeybee," the old woman smiled, and deep wrinkles around her eyes became visible.

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron. She had already finished her morning chores.

"If you bring me some water too, there will be a delicious pie for you to eat after we come back from church," she said to the girl.

The girl hurriedly sped up. There was nothing she liked more than her grandmother's pie. She was going to bring water to Nana and then to her parents. This was going to be a good day.

On the other side of the village, another family was already having breakfast.

"Be a dear and pass me the creamer," a man with a slightly receding hairline smiled at his pretty wife.

"Of course," she responded sweetly.

The two teenage boys at the table were neatly dressed and gave the impression of being well-behaved.

"Can we play ball outside for a bit?" one of the boys asked once he finished his omelet.

The other boy also looked up, his eyes full of hope.

The woman shook her blonde head.

"We're going to church today. You can't mess up your clothes, you know that."

"But, Mama, we'll be careful."

"We won't run around!"

The man took a sip of his coffee and frowned.

"No discussions, boys. Listen to your mama, or you'll lose your way."

The boys lowered their eyes. They didn't want to lose their way, that's for sure.

Everyone, dressed in their best Sunday attire, left for church early that day. Perhaps that's why nobody noticed a young man in dusty clothes enter the village via the main road shortly after noon.

He wasn't much of a looker, with half of his face hidden behind a black handkerchief, and the visible part covered in peculiar scars.

The man wasn't surprised by the emptiness of the village. In fact, he headed straight for the church, appearing to know his way around.

As he approached the neat wooden building, he heard the voice of the pastor:

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

The man raised his eyebrows, took out a half-empty pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one up. The sun shone into his eyes, but he felt no need to squint. After finishing his cigarette, he finally entered the church.

Initially, nobody noticed his arrival as everyone's eyes were fixed on the handsome young pastor continuing his sermon on forgiveness. But when the man approached the altar, people began to pay attention.

"Excuse me, young man, were you not able to find a seat?" one of the ladies in a fancy hat in the first row whispered, her voice full of judgment.

The man completely ignored her as he pulled out a gun from his back pocket, wiped it on his old jeans, and, before anybody could react, shot the bewildered pastor in the head.

Most of the blood spattered onto the painting of a blond, blue-eyed Jesus right behind the altar.

He kicked the lifeless pastor aside and took his place.Panic ensued. Terrified screams and miserable wailing filled the church. The man had anticipated the reaction, so he patiently allowed people to process their emotions.

A couple of younger men attempted to subdue him and bring him to justice, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get closer than a few feet. An invisible barrier seemed to separate this uninvited Sunday guest from everyone else.

As some people headed for the exit, the man snapped his fingers, and the church doors immediately bolted shut.

"Who are you? Why did you commit such an atrocious act?" the grandmother of the girl in the red skirt exclaimed, lifting and shaking her cane.

"You know why, ma'am," the man said, bowing politely to the older lady. "As to who I am, let me answer with a quote from our Lord and Savior, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.'"

"What are you talking about?" another woman exclaimed. "We don't know why a criminal would break into our church and commit such a heinous crime in front of all these honest people."

"Is that so?" the man asked, slightly taken aback. "In that case, forgive my manners. I will explain once you all sit down."

Confused, terrified, and unsure of what to do, the good people of Emberville obeyed.

"Don't worry, honey," the father of the two well-behaved teens whispered to his wife. "The sheriff is on his way."

The man at the altar removed the handkerchief covering his face, causing people to gasp. One of the ladies in the front row even fainted.

"I'm sorry for the state of my face - I really couldn't help it. But it does give you some clue as to who I am, right?" the man asked, pointing at his disfigured face. It was difficult to identify a mouth or a nose amidst the mangled mess.

"You're alive…" one of the men in the back exclaimed.

"Hate to disappoint," the man sighed and tied his handkerchief back on.

"How…?"

"That's a long and very boring story, but I want to get to the main part as soon as possible, if you don't mind."

"It's been over 200 years," the older woman shook her head. "It's impossible."

"Has it been that long?" the man wondered. "Oh well… you would know better than me."

"What do you want from us?"

The man raised his hand and slowly said, as if savoring each word, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near, and their doom rushes upon them."

"We have nothing to do with that anymore!" the mother of the two teenage sons exclaimed. "It's been centuries. It's not our sin."

"It is somebody's sin, though. And somebody has to pay for it. Don't worry, once we meet again, you'll have a different perspective on all of this," the man shrugged and raised his fist. In that very moment, every person inside the church caught fire.

For a couple of minutes, the man stood amidst the burning bodies, engulfed in terrified screams and pleas for mercy.

But soon, silence descended. The crackling of burning wood was the only sound.

"That reminds me," the man said to himself. "I need to find him a fireplace before I'm gone." He walked through the fire as if it didn't affect him in the least.

He left Emberville in flames, lighting up every single building he passed on his way out.

This place will soon be gone.

And after that... The man was finally going to find peace in death.

Today was truly a good day.