The Clint Faraday Mysteries
#10
... Or So the Gods Said
(c)2011 by C. D. Moulton
Smashwords edition © 2011
all rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, either electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder/publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental unless otherwise stated.
Clint is having a discussion on the bus with a priest from The Church of Absolute Truth in Life .. or something such. The conversation gets weird. There are always a few nutcases here, so he doesn’t think much of it – until the murders.
Contents
About the author
CD was born in Lakeland, Florida. His education is in genetics and botany. He has traveled over much of the world, particularly when he was in music as a rock rhythm guitarist with some well-known bands in the late sixties and early seventies. He has worked as a high steel worker and as a longshoreman, clerk, orchidist, bar owner, salvage yard manager and landscaper – among other things.
CD began writing fiction in 1984 and has more than 115 books published as of this time in SciFi, murder, orchid culture and various other fields.
He now resides in Bocas del Toro and David, Panamá, where he continues research into epiphytic plants. He loves the culture of the indigenous people and counts a majority of his closer friends among that group. Several have “adopted” him as their father. He funds those he can afford through the universities where they have all excelled. “The Indios are very intelligent people, they are simply too poor (in material things and money. Culturally, they are very wealthy) to pursue higher education.”
CD loves Panamá and the people. He plans to spend the rest of his life in the paradise that is Panamá
- Estrelita Suarez V.
Clint groaned inwardly when he got on the bus to Chiriqui Grande from David. The only seat open was next to a thin tight-lipped sour-looking man in his early thirties who had a Bible in his hands – which was probably why no one sat next to him. Clint nodded shortly, said “Buenos,” shoved his small maleta under the seat and sat.
“Good morning, Brother,” the man announced. “I am The Most Reverend Emanuel Howland Charleston. May God bless our journey through these savage dangerous pagan lands with his never-ending mercy.”
“Whatever,” Clint replied. “Faraday. One of the savage pagans.”
The man looked a little embarrassed. “I meant no disparagement. These misguided people are unaware of their damnation for the unmoral lives they lead. I am here to attempt to educate them in The Way.”
“Oh, really? `Savage dangerous pagans’ isn’t disparagement of them?” Clint asked innocently. “Perhaps we have a different dictionary. I find most of these people to be very moral and peaceful people.
“I’m not interested in your brand of religion. Religion’s a personal matter. I would never try to force my beliefs – or lack of them – on anyone else. That’s never appreciated.”
“I fear for their eternal souls! The Bible tells us plainly what is the fate of those who will not accept the gracious offer of The Lord for eternal peace and plenty!”
“Uh-huh. And five hundred other cults also have the ultimate answer that excludes anyone who doesn’t follow their idiot codes.”
“Sir! I resent that! I have found the ultimate truth and it is demonstrated daily for all but the deliberately blind to see and hear! There is but one path, one very clearly marked, to truth and salvation! The Bible tells us exactly which path leads to heaven and which leads to hell!”
“Oh? You didn’t read the part about spouting your religion on the streets being a fast way to guarantee you the hell you’re so afraid of? I believe the part I mean is something like `... for they shall not know the kingdom of heaven,’ or something in that vein,” Clint asked a bit stiffly. “Maybe you should check your concordance for the reference. It would seem to me you’ve taken a dangerous detour from your path to salvation.
“We should maybe discuss other things. I don’t prance around the fact I don’t like to argue religion in public.”
“But you do believe in an all-powerful god, surely!”
“Ask yourself, `If there is an all-powerful god why am I even needed?’ All such a god would have to do is put the socalled facts in the minds of everyone at birth. The least thing would be to make the announcement where there would be no question.”
“But every sunrise and sunset demonstrates the undisputable answer! Every flower and tree shouts the truth to us!”
“Really. Ever smelled Bulbphyllum putridum? Beautiful flower. A whiff of the odor and you vomit. How about cockroaches and scorpions? What evidence of god is there? A red sky in morning is an old warning that storms are to the east and will come toward you. The sunrise and sunset make statements, I guess, but they can be downright ominous warnings. It’s the nature of light, not a picture painted by god.”
“But those are not things of god, necessarily. Satan has placed such things to deter us in our thoughts and divert us from the true path!”
“So now Satan can create? I thought only God could create. Isn’t that what your Bible tells you?”
“You, sir, are among the damned! You will not see the truth when it is demonstrated by the very fact you exist!
“I am not descrying your sad life. Honestly, I am most concerned for your immortal soul!”
“I said from the first I don’t swallow your brand of crap. I’ll appreciate it if you save it for someone who gives a damn about it. It bores me and begins to get on my nerves. As the natives say, No moleste!’
“But, sir! I’m in great fear for your personal damnation if you refuse to see the True Path!”
“Here’s a quarter for your concern. Use it to spread the words or something. Just don’t try to spread it to me, Okay?”
Clint noticed how he seemed to be totally insulted – but he took the quarter. Clint almost laughed out loud at him. The man in the seat behind let out a little snort. Clint looked at him and grinned, which got him a grin in return. The man had very blue eyes, rare in the Panamanian people. Clint thought they must be contacts. Panamanians did like blue eyes.
About an hour later as they were crossing the Enel Fortuna dam, The Most Reverend Whatever put his head against the seat in front of them and was mumbling a prayer in what approached abject terror. He was reacting to the magnificent vista outside by never glancing out, but the dam is not something you can ignore. The view to one side was of a beautiful river/reservoir and a drop on the other of several hundred meters to the picturesque river, which seemed a small creek from the distance. Clint felt an urge to throw the ass’s words back at him, so pointed to the valley to their left, then to the river and said such magnificence did make one feel a reverence. It was humbling. Such a pity man built that dam in that spot, forming the reservoir, not god.
He got a very sickly nod from his seat partner. “I’m afraid of heights. Since birth.”
Clint forbore saying that must be a punishment from god for something his parents must have done. It couldn’t be a punishment to a newborn baby, surely!
He could picture the reply. It was a test of faith. Clint would point out that a newborn baby needed a test by an all-knowing god, of faith? Why would any test of any type be needed by this all-knowing, all-powerful god?
It might pass the time, but was hopeless. No one could reach the type.
On the other side of the dam Emanuel said he often wondered what God’s plan was for him that would include such a burden. He only knew for certain that God had a plan for him and that it wasn’t for him to know or understand what that plan may be.
Again, Clint was tempted to ask what the purpose of acute acrophobia in a disciple could possibly be. Wouldn’t that tend to deter him from spreading the word in these mountainous places?
Yeah, right! The answer would be that he went to such places in spite of the phobia to serve God! THAT could be what the test was about! There was a paradoxical answer to anything. Hopeless.
Just before Mali Emanuel said he suspected that there was more than one god. There was one for Earth, but each world where there were men might have a different one.
Clint said the Bible stated there was only one god.
“One God for this world! That is my question. I pray daily for an answer. I have studied religion as history. I have to agree that there were possibly or even probably other gods in ancient times. God was victorious in expunging them from this world. I believe this happened in the earliest times of the Greek civilization. The later Greeks and the Romans simply took the older religion – the older gods – and continued them. There were, and still are, followers of those old religions.