Frustrated Baptism
6 Dec 2023 672 readers Score 5.6 (15 votes) PDF Mobi ePub Txt
The town of Oakville, a remote enclave nestled between hills so dark green that they seemed to absorb the sunlight, was not a place Elijah had ever wished to return to. After years of absence, only tragedy dragged him back to his roots.
Elijah, a son scorned by his parents, had avoided Oakville since the age of 18. He hadn't even returned for the funerals of his parents, choosing to mourn their deaths from a distance. But this time, he had no choice. The passing of his beloved sister, Grace, and her husband, Gary, forced him to confront his past.
The couple, Grace and Gary, had lost their lives on their way to the town church for the baptism of their baby, Sarah. A truck struck them suddenly, but by a benevolent twist of fate, Grace's friend, who would be the godmother, carried the baby a little ahead and managed to save her from sharing the same fate.
Grace had begged Elijah to be the godfather in several phone calls, but he always had rejected the offer due to the painful memories that haunted him in that town.
And even though Grace felt disappointed at her brother's refusal, she understood his reasons. She would have fled the town herself, just like Elijah did, if not for the deep love she felt for Gary. It was precisely that love that kept her anchored to Oakville. Meanwhile, Gary had a more tangible reason to stay: he was the heir to the family bakery, an institution in the town that had served as the heart of the community for generations.
Sarah, the orphaned baby, had no one else in this world except her uncle Elijah. The paternal grandparents of the child also both died of a heart attack when they learned of the death of their son Gary in the church where they were waiting for the start of the baptism. It was a strange and unfortunate event.
The disapproving glares of the locals followed Elijah as he walked through the narrow streets of Oakville. No one seemed to have forgotten the scandal that had erupted years ago.
Elijah had maintained a secret romance with Michael, the son of the then mayor, a liaison that turned into an uncontrollable fire when Leonard, Michael's father, caught them in their own house loving each other. Anger and shame overcame him, and his shouts echoed throughout the town, revealing that the good friends were, in fact, lovers.
Regret came too late for Leonard. The news became gossip, ridicule, and public humiliation. Michael couldn't bear the pressure and decided to take his own life with his father's revolver.
Leonard and his wife left Oakville, but before leaving, they visited Elijah's house and unleashed all their frustration on him. They blamed him for corrupting their son and for his tragic end.
Elijah's parents rejected him, turned their backs on him, and threw him out of their home. In the midst of tears, his sister Grace tried to stop them, but her pleas were in vain.
Elijah managed to escape to the capital, where he sought work and strived for education. It wasn't an easy path, but with perseverance, he completed a degree in systems engineering and, over time, enjoyed a comfortable life with his partner, Richard, who shared his profession.
The night of his return to Oakville, Elijah was approached by Agnes, the elderly healer, who warned him that he must leave the town with the baby before the next full moon.
"Oakville is not safe for you or the child," Agnes said, leaving Elijah with an unsettling feeling of fear.
Elijah promised to leave soon, but the old woman reminded him that the full moon was only two days away.
Elijah's unease grew as he took on the responsibility of organizing the burial of his sister, Gary, and Gary's parents. This forced him to interact with the locals, many of whom whispered, lamenting the fate of Sarah, expressing their disapproval that two men were raising the baby.
Finally, with the burial concluded, Elijah felt momentary relief. He planned to leave for the capital the next day, but at night, uncertainty caught up with him. While wandering through his late sister's house, he noticed shadows moving on the walls. Hastily, he went to the room where Richard and Sarah slept.
The sight of the crib shrouded in shadows made him scream in terror. Richard woke up and tried to calm Elijah, suggesting that what he had seen was the spirit of his sister bidding farewell to the baby.
Elijah tried to convince himself of that, but a persistent chill refused to disappear. He knew deep down that it wasn't his sister; it was an evil presence. His fear wouldn't let him be.
At six in the morning, Elijah and Richard, along with Sarah, got into their car to head to the capital. But they encountered an unexpected obstacle: a landslide during the night blocked the road to the highway. They were trapped in Oakville for a few more days.
Back at his sister's house, they encountered Agnes again, who stopped them.
"I warned you to leave with the child before the full moon, and that's tonight," she told Elijah.
Elijah explained about the landslide, but the old woman was adamant. "You're in deep trouble, boy."
Elijah was bewildered by that sentence, thinking that the old woman's words were due to the people of Oakville potentially harming him.
"Your only option is to try to baptize the baby immediately," Agnes continued.
"What...?" Elijah said, confused.
"To prevent the goblins from taking her and to protect your life and your husband's, foolish boy. Can't you see that the goblins were the ones responsible for your sister's, her husband's, and the grandparents' deaths?" Agnes said, raising her voice.
Due to the incident with the shadows just a few hours ago, Elijah and Richard looked at each other with concern, while the sky suddenly darkened.
"Do you see? They're the goblins," Agnes murmured, pointing to the grayish sky. "They have power over the weather and eagerly await tonight's full moon. Every 100 years, they have permission from their patron Beelzebub to take the abducted baby and do as they please with the creature. The goblins prefer girls to satisfy their twisted perversions. They're cunning and sadistic beings."
Agnes withdrew with those terrifying words, leaving Elijah and Richard with a knot in their stomachs. Although goblin stories sounded absurd, fear clung to them.
The town priest, whom they turned to for help, refused to baptize the baby, citing that Elijah and his partner's lifestyle did not follow the commandments of God. He also dismissed Agnes's warnings as the delusions of an old woman. Instead, he advised them to give the baby up for adoption, arguing that it would be better for her to grow up in a traditional family. Elijah and Richard left, annoyed and worried, although with the hope that Agnes's warnings would not come true.
But when the full moon illuminated the entire town of Oakville, the house of the deceased Grace and Gary was plunged into complete darkness. Elijah and Richard's screams drowned in the blackness, just like Sarah's crying.
The next morning, Lucy went to the house of her deceased friend Grace to "take" whatever might be left of value in that home. She hoped that Elijah, Richard, and Sarah were no longer there, but what she found was a gruesome scene. Sarah's tiny body lay in the crib in a state of extreme violation, and in a corner of the room were Elijah and Richard sitting on the floor, trembling and with vacant stares. Lucy's screams and tears filled the house before she fainted.
Neighbors rushed in response to the screams and were paralyzed by the horror before them.
As expected, the accusation of such atrocity hung over Elijah and Richard.
The goblins not only forced them to witness all the abuse against Sarah, but they were cunning and malicious. The two would bear the guilt of the committed crime. That couple would be their scapegoat.
The town, completely uncontrolled and furious, dragged them to the square, and even the authorities of Oakville joined in to impose justice by their own hands. Nothing could prevent them from being burned alive. Elijah and Richard, completely unhinged, couldn't even say anything to defend themselves; they only screamed as their bodies burned, and in the distance, Agnes watched with regret. She knew the truth, but she also knew that no one would believe her.
Now, the goblins have to wait again to obtain Beelzebub's permission, as in the next 100 years, all the unbaptized babies they abduct will be destined solely to their dark patron.
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