Phone Calls From God

by Stephen Cote

describe her feelings, and placed her head in her hands.

  "I’m not crazy. I'm clinical sane, mother, despite interference by my real father."

  Craig looked from the second wad of paper at Father Jay. “You’re saying your real father is -?” He told Tabitha, “If anything she said is true, we should call the police.”

  Father Jay pulled a knife from his pocket and held it against Christine's throat. She screamed, and then fell silent when he whispered vile suggestions in her ear.

  "Father?" Alexis asked Christine. “The hospital lawyers think so.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. " I'm so sorry, Alexis. I didn't know. I don’t - don’t remember." To Father Jay she said, “This can’t be true. You couldn’t have been the baby’s father. God forgives, doesn’t He?”

  The phone rang. Christine held her breath, feeling the hot blade against her throat. It rang a second time. Father Jay smirked. “Go ahead. Answer it.”

  Craig swallowed and moved one arm from Tabitha's waist, and slowly plucked the receiver from the cradle.

  Craig offered the receiver to Father Jay. “It’s for you.” When he didn’t accept the phone, Craig held the receiver to his ear and listened. After a moment, he set the receiver on the cradle. “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."

  Father Jay said "Are you that much of a fool? Who do you think is making those calls?" He moved the knife against Christine’s neck. “There can be no salvation for killing my child of God.”

  Christine gaped, the blade pressing further into her skin. “Him?”

  “He raped me,” Alexis said. “Did he rape you too, mother?”

  And the secret, that dark secret, stirred in the recess of memory. God could not forgive her for the sin she had buried. The sin never belonged to her.

  Father Jay moved the knife away from Christine’s neck, gestured with the blade at the documents. “I can’t believe that you, both of you, turned your back on God. I tried to bring miracles and love into your lives. Instead, you blame God for your woes."

  Craig stood, set his hand on Tabitha’s shoulder. "But, you're not God." Christine saw Tabitha rummage through her pocket and pass a black box behind Craig’s back. "Father," he said as his fingers slipped the object from Tabitha’s.

  "What?" Father Jay asked.

  "The voice on the phone also said: You shall have no other gods except me."

  Father Jay looked at the phone, perplexed, and tipped the knife from Christine’s neck. “That recording wasn’t -”

  Craig raised the object, and pressed a switch. The blunt end sparked and silver threads struck Father Jay’s chest and shoulder. Immediately, he began to convulse and collapsed from his chair. Craig pressed the switch again, sending another electric jolt into Father Jay.

  As he lay twitching on the ground, Tabitha passed Craig a knotted jumble of objects from her purse. He fished a pair of handcuffs from a can of pepper spray and miniature airhorn, and ratcheted each cuff to Father Jay’s wrist. Then, he called the police.

  Christine gasped, rubbed her neck, and wiped her eyes. “Alexis, Tabitha.” That, That Craig. “Tabitha, I -” She scooted away from Father Jay and stood. “Tabitha, why do you have handcuffs and this junk in your purse?”

  “The police are on their way,” Craig said.

  Christine walked around the table, away from Father Jay, and hugged both of her daughters. She beckoned that Craig to join her, and whispered a prayer. She sniffed, closed her eyes, clenching Alexis’ sleeve. Then, she glanced at the phone.

  “And, what else did the recording say?”

  Craig shook his head. “Nothing. I didn’t hear any voice at all on the phone.” Then, he touched his left ear, “But in this ear I heard someone whisper,

  “Let there be light.”