GOD

SHORT STORY...

The night was getting colder and as everyone was walking faster, pants legs were rustling louder. That's when a small group of us, alighting from the metro, surfaced onto the street and walked past the dark alleyway. There was a loud sob coming from the alley.

We stopped, all of us wondering what was going on? We looked and as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, there was an old man seated on the cold alley path, with his back leaning against the wall. His knees were bent in the pyramid shape, feet flat on the path, and his hands, midway between the palm and elbow, rested on top of his knees.

One of the men who stopped, asked, "What's wrong? Are you OK old man?"

"I don't feel too good. I am weak and I can't go on," the old man in the baggy pants and worn trenchcoat said wearily.

The gentleman, then asked, with a sonorous voice, "Why? Aren't you getting enough converts? Aren't you getting enough of the humanity embracing your ways?"

The old man looked up. He had a look that indicated he wondered who the man was who spoke to him.

The younger man, probably in his 40s, stood with his back straight, but although his body was facing the direction of the old man looked away as he continued, "Why give up now after so long?"

That man suddenly stretched his right hand and a luminous spear suddenly lowered from his sleeve, he grabbed it instantly, clearly wanting to spear the old man.

I was closest to the threatening man and I saw another passenger, lightning fast, get a grip of his dangerous hand and weapon before the gentleman could launch his deadly spear. The grip was a solid one and with unearthly ease flung the suddenly ruby-eyed man and his spear away from the old man, across the road behind into the side of a building. The building shook when the gentleman's body hit it a second later.

The old man was shocked. He stood up. But the rescuer started walking away, nonchalant. As the old man asked repeatedly, "Who are you?", the rescuer just continued walking away and he didn't even notice that the old man was suddenly beginning to glow and the earth cracked under his feet. The rescuer disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.