Of Priests and Drinks

“I don’t think there are any ghosts,” the bald priest, dressed completely in white, retorts after carrying out an examination half-assed without any interest in it.

“What do you mean? I clearly heard something last night!” I argue with him while frowning.

“I think it might be all in your mind or one of the tenants are probably pulling a joke on you.”

I don’t answer back this time. Not because it was impossible for the tenants to try and scare someone, since they did not have a very friendly impression of me, but because I remember about how Dr. Swind told me that my dreams are actually all in my mind and not dreams.

I still couldn’t really let go of the idea of a ghost haunting me but I did not have any other choices as the priest has already done his job and I can’t afford something more expensive. Not that it would help much since the priest’s basic detection, and pretty much the ghost detection method used by the church could not find any ghosts.

“You think a petty priest, who is a priest only for the free money, can help you get rid of your sin?” The same voice that I had heard twice called out. The last two times were both in the dark of the night and could even be passed away as a hallucination from certain cases. However this one was in the very middle of the day, in front of the priest and yet he showed no response; as if the voice is only in my head, which might have been the case if not for its abrupt and untimely appearances.

“You think God can cleanse you?” The voice laughs out loudly as a pale silhouette, barely visible appears. When I looked for details in the silhouette I could not see much other than a trace of ghastly smile spread through what was probably supposed to be the face.

“Ahh!! Who is it?” I cry out.

No reply could be heard as the silhouette started moving. The silhouette came in front of me and disappeared out of thin air while pushing me back.

“Help,” I scream, hysterically towards the priest.

The priest looks at me blankly as if I am a crazy patient on loose.

“Umm, there is nothing you know,” he states what appears the obvious to him.

“I understand I am sorry for this sudden action.” I apologize since I knew thing entire thing was going on in my mind. If others could not see it then the only answer is it’s all in my mind.

“Umm, I think you might have taken too much of something, you should check with a pharmacist.” He advises me.

“I will look into it.” I dismiss him. Dr. Swind is the person I trust the most in this world. There is no way he is going to give me some faulty medicine. The entire world could reproach me and beat me like a cur; but Dr. Swind was an angel sent by God to guide mankind. Dr. Swind was always correct.

3rd POV

In a certain dingy bar with red lights and too much sound to accompany, in one corner with assortments of bottles and frequently filled mugs; Cal Smidgen was drinking with eyes gaping and threatening to come out. He didn’t drink, prior to today, for some reason he himself could not remember about. But tonight was special. No it was wrong to call it special. Tonight he drank to quench his fear. He intended to drink till he would sleep like a log not waking up before the sun would set in the sky. He mind lay in disarray as he kept drinking from pint to pint, from mug to mug and finally from bottle to bottle.

“Easy there fella, don’t drink any more than this,” a well-built and well-dressed man in his early thirties or late twenties offered him a mug while giving an advice.

Cal accepts the mug, without as much as a nod and starts drinking restlessly.

“The bars closing you know,” the man advised him again, “I do not know what happened for you to waste your life away like this, but life is all about set-backs; you should stand up while you still can.”

Cal looks up at the man and almost tears up. For some reason he wanted to say that he was sick. He wanted to say that he was sick. And most of all he wanted to open himself up and say that he was starting to distrust Dr. Swind, the man he would have called father if he allowed him to. Then all of a sudden his eyes turn into looks of fear as he looks behind the man- offering him sound advice and starts drinking again even more than before.

The man who showed a kind smile laughs a little helplessly to this sudden change in the drunken man in front of him. He decided to pay no heed to someone who would not take his advice, and so went back to the bartender giving a few tips before leaving. Before the moment he left, he gives a final look and sighed in pity.