“He likes to wander sometimes, but he won’t hurt you or anyone else unless they threaten me. There aren’t any threats here, are there?”
Actually, he didn’t wander, not ever. What is that animal up to?
“Oh no, there aren’t any threats at all here. We are pacifists and don’t believe in participating in any kind of physical altercations. We love all creatures and want to share that love with everyone. Doing outreach is a very special way of doing that.”
“How long has the Institute done outreach and have you participated in it?”
“Oh yes, it’s wonderful, but incredibly challenging at the same time. We don’t always get the nicest receptions from people.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but one of the last times I did outreach, we were attacked by thugs. It was in Downtown and we were trying to speak to the homeless there. They took our cookies, but when we tried to share with them the word of The True One, they threw things at us and chased us away.”
“Why would they do that? Weren’t you just trying to help them?”
“That’s exactly what I said. We had no weapons and would never raise a hand even for our own protection. Several of the disciples were hurt.”
“Do you bring guards to the outreach for protection and avoid places like Downtown.”
“Oh no. That would be a failure of our mission and a disservice to our calling. The True One says in The Book of Truth that ‘you shall strive to bring light to the darkness, open the closed hearts and minds and show my love to the lost’. Who is more lost than the souls that attacked us? We always go back there. His highness says we need to show our faith and love to them before they can trust us.”
They were worse than used car salesmen. These people didn’t quit. It was both unnerving and irritating. If I hadn’t sent Rat and the scrappers into hiding, I’d ask them about the cult. They must have seen or heard something about the events Isa talked about.
“So now what? I’ve attended the sermon, meditated, made cookies, and now we’re in the garden. Isn’t there more? My first tour seemed more intent on learning of your practices.”
“Oh, we have barely even started.” She giggled. “There’s so much to show you. We have studies at night. We go over The Book of Truth and talk about what the words mean. We also have games and movies and other activities. His highness says we need to engage in everyday activities or we become too short-sided and cannot relate to the lost ones.”
I resented being called lost. I might have never heard of this god of theirs, but I’d never seen myself as needing to be found or saved. This was exactly why I hated organized religion. Each one thought theirs was the most superior and had best religious practices. It became the ultimate in exclusivity.
“And how is this going to help me as a seeker?”
“Oh, by listening and experiencing our ways and the words of The True One.”
“Have you ever seen The True One?”
“His highness has. He experienced visions instructing him to gather the lost. It was during his visions that he wrote The Book of Truth.”
“He wrote it?”
“Yes, he is very close to The True One. He believes in The True One and his work.”
“Don’t you wonder why no one else has had visions or seen The True One?”
“Oh Marty, hearing you ask these things makes me so sad and I worry for you. If this is how you feel, then you might end up being a seeker for longer than most people. I don’t need to hear or see The True One to believe. I have faith and can feel his love for us. The Book of Truth defines the hidden truths and so much more.”
“Do I get any alone time?”
If I spent any more time talking to Isa, I was going to lose it. She was condescending without knowing it. I knew what was true and what wasn’t. I doubted this god even existed. It was more likely a scam that Jarl was running.
“You can always have time to yourself to read The Book of Truth and think on what you’ve learned.”
“Oh, can I ask something else?”
“You can ask anything.”
“Are you sure they dispose of the blood from the sermon? I’ve always been warned about the perils of sharing blood, so giving it up makes me nervous.”
She laughed. “You sound like me. I was super worried about that at first too. I don’t worry now. I know that I can trust my fellow disciples. And, it’s not like they use it for anything. We don’t practice blood magic here. The blood is a symbolic gesture, like people making the sign of the cross or saying ‘amen’ after a prayer.”
“But you’ve never seen how it’s disposed of?”
“My, you are and untrusting soul. I don’t need to see what is done. I trust in His Highness. If he says that nothing is done with it and it’s deposed of, then I believe him. Please try to open up to us, Marty. The world is a lonely place when there is no one you trust. Not everyone is out to hurt you.”
Pain stabbed my chest and my stomach twisted. Being here is what trusting got me. They could shove their trust for all I cared. I was only here until I found out the cult’s secrets. That was it. I could fake the trust and belief in this True One crap, but, I wasn’t committing to anything. This was a means to an end and nothing more.
“Let me escort you back to your room. I think spending some time thinking things through will help. We can grab lunch to go. And I’ll come get you for the evening meal.”
She hugged me hard. “I’m glad you’re here Marty. We are your brothers
