CHAPTER 4 - A Night at the Seminary

After Nick suddenly went home due to a family emergency, Fr. Eli proceeded returning to the seminary. It appears that something happened to his children so he made a silent prayer for their safety. In order for a priest like him to help the Dimaguiba family, he had to get to the bottom of Mira's spiritual affliction. So he went over some files of other ongoing cases on his desk. He just gotten back from vacation but the works he left seemed to have piled up even more than before. With a sigh, he began to scan over the files on the table and arrange them according to their respective degrees of urgency. He also tried to find files on past cases as reference to help him with Mira's case.

Fr. Eli recalled that there are three known stages of extraordinary demonic activity: oppression, obsession and possession. Every stage has different manifestations that identify them. Movies, TV shows and documentaries made people most familiar with cases of demonic possession, but only a few knew the two lesser forms of demonic activity that happen before they lead to possession. He couldn't really just assume that Mira is under possession. There also exists a possibility that she's under the one of the two lesser forms under possession. But it can only be confirmed if Mira personally admits experiencing signs of demonic oppression or obsession.

Putting an end to demonic activities also requires the victims to willingly cooperate in expelling the demon (or demons). They must also agree to take every possible preventive measure to make sure that the expelled demons won't exploit the victims' weakness again and come back. After learning about these facts from his mentor, Fr. Eli realized how similar cases of exorcism to a physical illness. Treating the symptoms but failing to treat the underlying sickness can cause the patient to continue to suffer being ill.

So Fr. Eli made a quick analysis using the known facts he got from Nicholas to get some conclusions:

First point: Mira was engaging in occultism. New Age books, Ouija board and notes on how to become a spirit medium pretty much confirmed that fact. As to when she started performing those practices, how frequent she did them and why she was trying to learn about them… that is what they have to find out.

Second point: She lost her mother recently to an accident. It can possibly lead her to try to establish communication with the dead. But without confirming when she started these practices, there is no telling whether her mom's sudden death was her primary motivation for performing these acts.

Third point: She also began to steer away from engaging in any religious activities. Nick couldn't tell whether she's starting to develop different religious beliefs due to the influence of the New Age or if she actually was suffering from a case of aversion to everything sacred. Honestly, both are bad for Mira. Demons easily prey on individuals with a poor relationship with God. It can make her susceptible to beguilement, which may eventually lead to demons gradually taking control of her body, soul and spirit. This is what happens when a person is possessed.

And the last point: Mira didn't exactly have a good relationship with people, especially her family. It can pose a great challenge for him. At this point, he can only conduct a background check on her. Having such few people as reference to learn from about Mira's character can make it really difficult for him to draw a better conclusion. He just wished that regardless of their numbers, each would be able to give him crucial information on Mira's activities, habits and behavioral patterns.

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At 7:27PM, he joined a number of fellow priests for dinner. These priests were all recently ordained this year. Some of them are younger than him by a year or two. To them, this was their first time to share a dining table with some of the older priests in the seminary. Every utensil was neatly placed on the table. Finally, the food is ready to serve. Four ceramic bowls filled with Tinolang Manok (1) simultaneously released a mouth-watering scent. Everyone seated had looks of anticipation on their faces… and there was silence.

"What are we waiting for? Let's bless the food and start eating. I'm really hungry," said one of the older priests with glee. Laughter broke the silent awkwardness of the priest at the dining hall. That priest was Father Danny. Everyone was silently thankful for brightening the atmosphere. After all, there is guarantee that everyone would be sharing the same dining table again.

Fr. Danny enthusiastically presented to lead the blessing of the meal. The rest followed his lead by staring with the sign of the cross.

"Bless us, O Lord, in these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

"Amen."

They started to enjoy their simple dinner as if they were eating a sumptuous meal. The joy of priesthood comes from the simplest act of sharing the blessings of God. The conversation between them started to become more animated as time went by. They started sharing random of stories and fun facts about some of the known priests inside the seminary. The newly ordained priests were beginning to insert themselves in the conversations.

"Actually, Father Jun, I just arrived here at the seminary last night so I really don't know a lot of things about this place yet," a neophyte started to initiate taking part of the conversation. He goes by the name Lino.

"How'd you like it here, hijo (2)? Even if we're situated in the heart of the city, under the shelter of the trees, we can still enjoy a breath of fresh air," Fr. Jun chuckled as he brag about the seminary's healthy green landscape. The San Antonio Seminary boasts itself in its simplistic but functional design. It maximized the use of its uneven landscape to make it appear as if it was situated on the mountains despite being constructed at the heart of the metropolis.

"Uhmm … yes. It's really peaceful here, Father. I just couldn't sleep last night due to footsteps going back and forth coming from the corridors, just outside of our room. That way past midnight too," Fr. Lino replied in a bashful manner, scratching his head.

The priests who lived longer in the seminary gave each other meaningful looks before Fr. Danny suddenly stood up laughing while going around the table. Upon reaching Fr. Lino's side of the table, he halted beside him. That was when he stopped laughing, his right hand placed over Fr. Lino's shoulder. He suddenly felt his hands and feet growing cold.

"Well that was one unique welcome you've got, hijo. I think you've already got the idea. If you needed help, I'm sure Fr. Eli here will be more than happy to be of service," Fr. Danny spoke with a hint of playfulness as he slightly tightened his grip on Fr. Lino's shoulder before abruptly releasing it.

"All right, my dear brothers in Christ, I'll be going upstairs and sleep. You go ahead and finish your meals. Don't forget to pray before sleeping and avoid staying up late, okay?"

As he finished saying those words, Fr. Danny's voice was gradually disappearing into the connecting halls while he briskly walked away after suddenly tossing the ball to Fr. Eli. His quick exit gave poor Fr. Eli no chance to react.

"Hey! Suddenly tossing these newbies to me then running off. You irresponsible priest! Get back here!" Fr. Eli's internally crying now. Fr. Danny just passed to him the responsibility of orienting the neophytes about these 'other' matters of the seminary. His hands are full with matters of his ministry. And that was when he realized, "Even priests could sometimes be a piece of work when they get older, huh?"

"Oh well, I need to start wrapping up. It's getting late. You guys enjoy your dinner," Fr. Eli stood up immediately after realizing that the longer he stayed, the more curious they would get. Given that his age isn't that far from these newbies, he feared these guys would find it easier to ask him all sorts of questions. And he will say goodbye to his peaceful days inside the seminary.

Halfway through his walk going back to his room, he heard footsteps catching up from behind him. He can already feel his face warping as if he got constipated. Helpless, he fixed his expression before turning around to face the expectant gazes from their fresh faces. He used to be the new guy in the block, might as well just do them a favor and give them some brief introduction of the place.

"Yes, my brothers. What can I do for you?" Fr. Eli asked while forcing a smile.

"Father Eli, about the noise we hear at night… is it really–"

"Do you pray before you sleep, brothers?" Fr. Eli interrupted with a question.

"Yes, we all do…" the young priests nodded with eyebrows furrowed.

"Then that's good, my brothers. Just don't forget to pray when walking down the halls late at night and before you sleep. If you can, please keep yourself from staying up late at night," he gave a nod of approval before he continued explaining the phenomenon.

"In any case, aside from footsteps during midnight coming from the hallway, some invisible entities by the recreation room playing billiards, and others playing the switch on and off while lights remain off down the halls, I think that should be pretty much everything. So far, you should only hear noises at night and nothing more. Don't worry, they don't really happen every night," Fr. Eli tried explaining and reassuring them with his bright smile but, actually, he himself is just as afraid as these guys are.

"If you see someone you don't recognize as someone from this realm, no matter what, don't talk to them. Just pray while passing. In case you encounter something more disturbing about them, please visit the Office of Exorcism during open hours. My mentor, Fr. Gabriel, and I will help you there."

The bombs he just dropped one by one shocked the wits out of the young priests who leaving their mouths open. No matter how funny these guys looked like, Fr. Eli couldn't bring himself to laugh at them. How could he? He keeps experiencing these things himself, and now, he might have to go through it tonight because of the all-nighters he's about to pull out.

"Stay strong, Eli! Have faith," Fr. Eli was trying to cheer and pump himself inside his head. On the outside, he's all acting as if what he just said was nobody's business. He gave Fr. Lino and company a light tap on each of their shoulders, smiling more brightly. His acting skills could really bring him a FAMAS (3) right now. Maybe he should have been an actor than a priest.

"Anyways, nice to meet you guys. I'll see you around. Goodnight," Fr. Eli quickly retreated to his room before the souls of these priests come back to their bodies. He can't afford to stay up longer tonight than he should or he would put himself into risk of hearing more of those unearthly noises.

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(1) Tinolang Manok – a light Filipino-style chicken soup served with large cuts of chayote or green papaya and chicken boiled in a light ginger-flavored broth, topped with moringa or spinach leaves

(2) Hijo – a Spanish term for "boy" which was adapted by Filipinos, especially older one whenever addressing a young boy or a young man.

(3) FAMAS – an abbreviation for Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences, which also refers to Philippines' most famous local award-giving body that honors achievements in the Filipino cinema and is held in the country annually