Heyman walked a few steps forward in the company of the two monks, and the people made way for him in awe, except for the girl who knelt on the ground, and before his eyes there was only a gray-purple sky and the mountains of the white forest, and the wind on the mountains was very strong, and Heyman's black hair and robes were blown straight behind him, and there was not much rain, and some drops of water were so large that they would not be blown away by the wind striking his face, and then running down his cheeks, making him look very sad.

He closed his eyes, took the cross, and said, "Virtue, chapter 16." ”

People chanted aloud to him, and when they were still fetuses, they began to hear their mothers recite the "Book of Chronicles" and "Samuels", and in the cradle, the boys and girls who cared for the babies muttered "Genesis", "Psalms" or "Lamentations" in their ears, and when they were older enough to walk around the room, the Bible was played all day on the radio on the private channel, and the "saint", that is, Jared. Strong Jacob's speech; In another year or two, both boys and girls will have to go to school, Jared. Strong Jacob continued to speak to them on the loudspeaker for hours, quoting sentences and even passages from the Bible. Girls hear differently than boys, and all girls learn is how to be a good wife, how to be obedient, how to endure; And the boys get more information - such as the end of the world, the Last Judgment and so on, they must be ready for war, they have to learn how to use a knife, how to kill a dog, a goat, even a "heretic", the "saint" swears, in his speech, the "devil" from the outside world has been trying to invade this pure and rich blessed land, day and night, never stopping. They have to be vigilant, they have to be brave, they have to be ruthless, to themselves, to others, especially to those monsters in human skin, who run around the highways, knock on every door that is not closed enough, abduct children and women with evil and sweet language, and sacrifice them to the devil.

before the end of the day. They also had a test where each child had to write down exactly what they heard, or else. The clergy would use rattan and leashes to pull the lazy devil out of their bodies, and this must have accompanied the Bible, and each clergyman was equipped with a small player that could be placed in his coat pocket or pinned to a belt.

"If children do not fear the Lord. Though there are many, do not rejoice in it. Do not depend on their lives, nor on their offspring; For it is better to have a Son who fears God than a thousand ungodly children. It is better to die without a son than to leave an ungodly son behind. Because of a wise man. It can make a city densely populated, but the family of sinners can make a city desolate. I've seen a lot of these things with my own eyes. I've heard more than that. The fire burns in the assembly of sinners, and the wrath of righteousness roars against the renegade nation......"

Heyman opened his eyes, and for the first second or second he felt that he could not see clearly, and the chanting of the monks and nuns came from a distant land—and in an instant, the sound and the sight were drawn closer again. He had to see and hear more clearly than he had ever done before. The prayer is over. The hymns were sung again under the guidance of, and men, women, and children tried to let go of their voices, lest they not stand out enough, and their voices shook the whole ceiling, their hands clenched into fists, and their faces flushed, and many of them closed their eyes, shook their bodies, and gasped desperately as they drew to the end of the psalm.

The girl on her knees was also singing, her eyes full of confusion, panic and fear, her voice sharp and piercing, her hands repeatedly clenching her neckline, as if she were going to hang herself. She prayed to God, almost in despair, that the hymns would never be sung, that she was willing to kneel forever on the cold, hard stone floor, and sing it so that she would not face what was to come until the end came.

It's a pity that no hymn can be sung forever, and today's hymn is especially short.

***

"Every morning I will destroy all sinners in the land, and I will destroy all the evildoers from within the city of the Lord."

People listened with bated breath.

"If there is anything more urgent than doing good, there will only be one thing – and that is to punish evil. For good can only benefit one person, a few, but the punishment of evil can benefit many—and today we are here to judge a sinner, Miriam. lowered his eyes and swept the ground in disgust, "She's charged with murdering Jared. Strong Jacob! He raised his voice slightly, "Jared. Strong Jacob, our Father on earth! A saint! ”

"I didn't!" The girl cried out in despair, she crawled forward, trying to grab his robe or foot, "I didn't, I didn't, I swear to God, it was just an accident!" ”

"You pushed him and smashed his forehead," took a step back and said, "Who allowed you to do that, who instigated you to do that?!" ”

"I just want to run away!" The girl trembled and said, "My pajama straps are caught in his wheelchair - I didn't pay attention to ......"

frowned, "What makes you want to run away?" Abandon your responsibilities and work? He glanced at the crowd, and a middle-aged woman cowered and lowered her head, she was Miriam's mother, "Say, although your sin is unforgivable, I will give you a chance to plead." ”

"Because...... Because the saints want to ...... Clean your body......" Miriam stammered, "but......" She plucked up her courage, she even puffed up her chest, raised her head, her eyes widened, she had a pair of beautiful green eyes, crystal clear with tears, "he wants me to lick with my tongue!" …… Licking his ...... Body! ”

She uttered the last word almost as if screaming, shame and resentment filling her body with a red tide, blood running and heat rushing across her face and neck.

For a moment, no one made a sound, even her breathing was lightened, and Miriam waited, the rain gradually became heavier, and the cold water was taking away her body temperature little by little.

"Why don't you do what he says?" asked in a calm tone.

"He's my father! Biological father! ”

"It is because he is our Father, our Father on earth, that we serve Him day and night," said earnestly, with a little heartfelt anger, "This is your glory, your blessing, and not everyone is qualified to be so near Him. Look at him, soothe him—but it is clear that you love arsenic more than honey, dung more than agarwood, you love coarse linen more than silk—it is not your desire to serve the saint, you prefer to prostrate under the devil's heels, and do what he commands. ”

"Brother!"

"You don't have the right to speak here! Devil! looked at the maiden named Miriam. As soon as his words fell, Miriam couldn't speak, and she scratched at her throat in panic. Pull out bright marks on it.

"He's a pervert! Nymphomania! A voice said softly, almost lost in the rain, but Heyman heard, "Who's talking?" He raised an arm and pointed in the direction the voice came from. Immediately the people scattered there: "Whoever speaks evil words, you will not be able to act." ”

A big boy, a little smaller than Miriam and thin, he also wants to act with the others and hide himself. But he couldn't move, so he could only stand straight like a stone statue. The monk beside Heyman stepped forward nimbly and grabbed him.

nodded a little tiredly: "We don't have such words in our dictionary, it's the demon borrowing his body to speak." ”

Big Boy and Miriam were put together. They couldn't move, they couldn't speak, and the Strang Jacobs formed a circle, but they were far away, as if the two of them were suffering from leprosy. At the same time, they were looking at in awe, and it was not the first time that had shown the power bestowed upon him by angels and saints. But can there be more tangible evidence of the happiness that can plunge them into a trance every time? The Lord is in their midst, right in this room, right on this terrace!

The improvised stake was quickly erected, and the men set up charcoal and branches underneath it, and a monk was about to pour oil on it, but Heyman stopped him.

"This is a flame that cleanses any filth and does not require more manpower," said, "and as long as it is evil, it will be burned, the hair will be curled, the flesh will be charred, and the bones will be crispy." ”

The rain was already heavy enough to make people soak with firewood, no one left, two sinners were hung on the shelves, and the mother pulled up the headscarf, covering the baby's face, and by the way put her fingers into his or her mouth.

The lit matches were thrown into the pyre, and they miraculously burned little by little, and with it the milky smoke rose and irritated the eyes, and the flames glistened in the dark night.

Such a small fire may not be enough to roast a lamb—but it does not prevent people from seeing what they want to see with satisfaction—and although the flames can only touch the soles of the sinners' feet for the time being, they seem to have been consumed by the karmic fires of hell, and as Heyman says, their hair curls up, their frothy flakes and muscles fold and shrink horribly, and their mouths open and silent with scorched air—some of the more sensitive, or more pious, swear they have heard the sound of bones breaking.

only glanced at it, then turned his head away, he had more follow-up to deal with.

"Miriam's mother stands up, and you too will be punished, I have chosen you, and I trust you, that you should choose a daughter, to serve the saint, to take care of the saint, to sweeten his mouth and nose, and to warm his body; But thou art blinded by the devil, and the blood of the saints is a sin that thou shalt never be washed away from eternity, and whatever thou eatest, touch, hear, and see shall be rotten; People hate you, hate you, beat you, drive you away; You will have no place to live, you will not sleep well, and you will not have the taste to eat. ”

A monk stepped forward and took Miriam's mother away, but she certainly wouldn't be given the opportunity to pack her clothes and money, her room would soon be occupied by another person, and the few personal belongings would be confiscated by the monk and given to the other women as gifts, as appropriate.

Under normal circumstances, the deported person will be left on the edge of the highway, but the person with such a charge will only be taken in the opposite direction.

(To be continued)