This story is my early work, I wrote it in 2016.I ask readers to be strict in assessing my writing, but fair. Reasoned criticism and reasoned dialogue are welcome!
It was a cool May morning; it is on such days that the most interesting adventures take place, when there is no heat that melts your head, and there is no severe frost that fetters all thoughts. So thought Sebastian, a young Spaniard who graduated from a seminary in Rome itself and returned to his homeland to engage in missionary work.
The young man had just approached the church, but he was immediately met with a frown by the local head of the church – Karl, a seventy-year-old man who all his life had put people like Sebastian on the right path. But today was not his day, not the old man’s day, but the young priest’s day – on this Sunday it was Sebastian who was supposed to preach in the parish.
“You certainly prepared all night, didn’t you?”? The church is packed to capacity, you cannot disgrace the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ – the old man rasped.
– Of course, Your Eminence! – said the young man, revealing his beautiful white teeth and, quickly walking past the priest, entered the church building.
… The guy’s sermon was a success. Everyone listened to him, not daring to interrupt, and some even shed tears. At the end of the day, the men congratulated Sebastian on a good start to his career, and the women believed that he had been blessed by the Pope himself. He even received an invitation from Charles for a personal audience; they say that few people have received such an honor. And the last one, his name was Gustav, disappeared without a trace several years ago. They say that Gustav, like Sebastian, showed great promise in the parish.
… Entering the cell, the young man asked if he could sit down and, having received a positive answer, sat down on one of the available wooden stools. The old man poured them both some wine and they started talking.
– You simply shone today, well done.
– Thank you, Holy Father.
– But these walls are too small for such a nugget like you. You need to develop, and develop faster, otherwise your gift may die out just as quickly as it flared up.
-What do you mean, Holy Father??
— There is one city on the dark continent that the Pope has been wanting to convert for a very long time. Several gifted youths like you, Sebastian, have tried to do this without success.
– And what happened to them, Holy Father??
“I heard that they fled from there as soon as they got ashore, and one of them did not board the ship at all.”.
– Why? What scared them so much?
“Nothing, my son, they were cowards and did not want to do the will of the Lord.”. And you are given a rare opportunity to please the Pope, and, therefore, the Father himself!
Having said these words, Karl stood up and began to wave his arms passionately, as if he was trying to explain something to a mute man.
– I don’t want to seem selfish, but if I manage to convert this city, then what reward awaits me, Holy Father?
“My son, a promotion awaits you, you will become a cardinal, and perhaps a candidate for Pope, but know: this place is very dangerous, because uneducated people live there, savages, and they can kill you at any moment.”!
“I’ve heard a lot about the customs of Africa, Holy Father, but it doesn’t scare me – the Lord himself is with me.”!
“Okay, Sebastian, my boy, I will immediately order that the ship be equipped and ready to sail as soon as possible.”.
– Thank you, Holy Father, then I went to get ready for the journey.
… Having spent several months at https://saharasandscasino.co.uk/ sea, Sebastian did not lose his spirit at all. He was warmed either by the reward or by the desire to please God. He didn’t know, and he considered it unimportant, because he had the honor of turning the pagans to the true path, and somehow this would be credited to him. If not in this life, then in the next.
… Coming ashore, the first thing Sebastian noted was the indescribable beauty of these places. Then he headed deeper into the thicket with a guide (he was also a translator). They walked all day, trying to get through the thickets of plants and fighting off annoying insects. When it began to get dark, they decided to set up camp and spend the night in the middle of a small clearing…
… Sebastian woke up from sharp screams and bright light. But it was not their fire, but torches flashing nearby. There were a lot of them. The screams were terrible and at first the young man did not understand who it was – either a wounded animal or a person, but when he looked closer, he realized – it was a guide. A spear was sticking out of his stomach, and a small dark man was dancing next to him. Sebastian tried to get up, but he was immediately knocked to the ground by a tall, strong man, and someone hit him on the head from behind. The young preacher immediately lost consciousness..
… Having come to his senses, Sebastian found himself in a bamboo cage designed for 5-6 people, with him there was another dark-skinned boy, his right arm was missing, up to the elbow. My head was throbbing, but the bleeding had already stopped..
…Towards evening, a strong, tanned man approached him; he was not like everyone else – he wore shoes and clothes that covered not only his butt. Approaching the cage, the man turned to Sebastian:
– Hello, brother, how did you end up here, in this wilderness??
At first Sebastian did not understand that he was being addressed in his native language, so he stared at his interlocutor for a short time, but immediately pulled himself together.
– Karl sent me here..
— Karl?!- a man interrupted him. This old bastard fooled someone again?! Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, my name is Gustav.
“Gustav, Gustav…” recalled Sebastian. And then it dawned on him.
– So you weren’t lost then??
– Of course not! I went here to help these poor people find God, I thought this was a city, but here is just a small clan that doesn’t even know how to speak humanly. They left me alive because I can translate from their barbaric language, but they simply devoured the rest before my eyes!
– Wait, they are cannibals?
– Yes.
Then a native who came from nowhere intervened in the conversation; it looked like he was their leader, or something like that, since he wore a necklace made of teeth, he had a staff with a pommel made of a human skull and a large headdress made of the feathers of some strange bird.
The leader began to growl in his gut and Gustav translated:
– He wants you, like me, to turn to their gods.
– Wait, what?? I refuse! I will not betray our Lord!
-You have no choice, fool! You will die, but first they will eat you piece by piece and, in the end, death will seem like deliverance to you!
– I don’t care, I’m ready to accept martyrdom!
Gustav translated Sebastian’s words to the leader. The leader looked displeasedly at the priest, then mysteriously bared his black teeth and, pushing the traitor aside, headed towards the fire.
– He is extremely dissatisfied with you, get ready, brother, pray to your God.
– You are not my brother, traitor!
Gustav looked sadly at Sebastian and slowly trudged towards the fire.
Very soon the area around the fire was filled with savages and Sebastian was dragged to the center. He was immediately forced to his knees and threatened with a knife right next to his eye. Gustav babbled something about mercy, urged him to come to his senses and agree, but Sebastian only spat in the face of the thug who stood in front of him and immediately the leader gave the go-ahead, the show began. The natives cut it slowly, removing layer by layer, and the screams seemed to reach the very heavens. Sebastian lost consciousness and came to his senses many times, but the pain did not subside even for a minute. Finally, he passed out completely…
… Waking up the next morning, he whined pitifully and tried to get up, but immediately a terrible pain pierced his whole body, the young man screamed. Looking around, he realized that these bastards had cut off his left arm up to the elbow, as well as two fingers of his right hand…
… Coming to his senses the next time, Sebastian again saw a familiar picture: a crowd of savages dancing around a fire, and a thug with a knife in his hand was approaching his cage. Sebastian screamed and jumped to the far corner of the cage, but he was unceremoniously grabbed by the hair and dragged towards the fire. There he was again offered the same choice: betray or die. And again he spat in the face of the thug with the knife…
… Having escaped from oblivion, Sebastian examined himself: this time they cut off part of his thigh and cruelly burned his face so that he could not see with his right eye. The pain was terrible, but then he was distracted by a rustling sound – Gustav came out of the shadows towards him.
– Go away, I won’t accept your offer.
– I came to help you escape, you must tell everything to Rome, you must stop these atrocities, come with me.
Sebastian didn’t remember much about that night, but he remembered very well that when they ran out of the jungle, they were caught up by the same thug who cut Sebastian to pieces. Gustav tried to detain him, but immediately received several powerful blows to the head with a stone and fell dead. Local pirates were already waiting for the young man on the ship, and with a well-aimed shot from a musket, one of them killed the thug…
… Returning to his native Spain, Sebastian first went to the local pub. Nobody recognized him there, which is not surprising. He did not remember how long he surrendered to the arms of Morpheus. But one day, walking down the street, he accidentally came across Karl. He was polite and frowning, as always. Approaching him, Sebastian said only one phrase: “You burn in hell, you brute.”!».
The young man did not know whether the old man could understand his words, whether he recognized him or not, but he didn’t care.
Sebastian was never seen again in the church.