The torment of Casey

Maze of Faith: I

“Do you, Casey Ann, take this woman, Eva Marie, as your lawful wedded spouse?” said the Pastor.

Casey stood in the outdoor breeze, the sun refreshingly warm, and said with a smile, “I do.” Her flowing white gown fluttered in the breeze as the onlookers smiled.

“Do you, Eva Marie, take this woman, Casey Ann, as your lawful wedded spouse?”

Casey waited for to-be spouse’s response. Eva stood there, wearing nothing but stockings and a veil, her soft, smooth skin glistening in the sun.

“I do,” came the reply. Casey smiled, tears welling in her eyes.

“I now pronounce you sinners for life,” said the Pastor as dark clouds covered the sun and the weather changed drastically. Loud thunder was quickly followed by heavy rain…

Casey woke up, her heart racing. She was covered in sweat. Another dream.

She sat up and drank some water. The light in the corridor outside her cell was on. There was no one around. It must be nighttime, she thought. She got up and walked over to the toilet and crouched. She peed into the steel pan and washed herself at the tap. She walked back to the concrete bunk and lay down.

The last several weeks had been quiet. She was in year seven of her confinement and penance. She hadn’t seen the Pastor in a long time. Only the volunteers who worked in the basement below the church were around. Occasionally she would hear the screams of newly-captured “sinners” who were quick to confess and repent and were set free. No one was as resilient as Casey, who, after over six years of torment, held her ground. They had run out of ideas and figured they’d let her rot in the concrete cell.

Casey had taken care of herself remarkably well. She washed daily at the tap, using the soap scraps they gave her. She ate her meals, which were slightly better than meager. At least she wasn’t starving. True, she had lost weight during her confinement but she still had a decent frame. Her hair was long again. That was hard to maintain.

She had no clothes, she had no company. She was all alone, except when a volunteer showed up with food. That happened twice a day. Rice and vegetable scraps for one meal and grits and banana for another. Occasionally, they’d give her half an egg. Maybe three times a week.

She sexual urges were undiminished. She still masturbated, even though there was a camera trained on her at all times. She figured the perverts upstairs would enjoy the show.

The days went by until everything changed again.

The Pastor had been busted for a homosexual affair. He was expelled from the Church and in his place, an even more conservative hardliner was elected. This new Pastor advocated crucifixion of all sinners and wanted to tag all vehicles in the county to keep track of people’s travels. Both ideas failed to garner enough support, though the residents were happy to witness routine humiliation, whipping and excommunication of anyone who strayed, including his own daughter, Eva Marie.

The old Pastor had started a new project titled “Maze of Faith”. This was a long maze, both indoor and outdoor, that sinners would have to go through in order to be absolved of their sins, even if they didn’t verbally repent. The shortest path out was nearly eight miles long, and along the way there would be tricks and deceptions. The new Pastor made sure the project was completed and he sent the first wave of sinner through in the first week of October. One emerged after four days. The second emerged after eighteen days. The third, Eva Marie, didn’t, even though a month had passed. Of course, they knew where she was. She had taken some poor decisions in the maze and was paying for it.

Casey was next.

II

Casey heard about the new Pastor when the volunteers were talking down the hall from her cell. She was hopeful for a moment but was soon discouraged to hear about his views and methods. He soon came down to introduce himself.

“My predecessor was right. You are a sodomite whore. Pure filth,” he said, stepping into the cell, “Stand up and face the wall.”

Casey got up and said, “I love sodomy and so do you.”

“I know you do,” he said, blindfolding her, “We have a game for you to play.” He cuffed her hands behind her back and led her out into a waiting van. The van sped off and after an hour they were at the Maze of Faith.

The Pastor held Casey at the entrance. He removed her blindfold and cuffs and placed a tag around her ankle. “You’re going in. You have to find your way out. If you do, you’ll be a free person again. You’ll find what you need inside. If the Lord has truly forgiven you, he’ll show you the way.” He pressed a buzzer and the door opened. He pushed Casey inside and the door slammed shut.

Casey stared ahead. It was a long, dimly lit corridor. She grabbed two water bottles from the rack near the door. She began to walk. When she came near the end, she found two openings, one on each side. She peeked inside both and got the sense that she was in a maze. She turned left.

Four hours later, she was exhausted and frustrated. She had finished one bottle of water and had to pee. She was also hungry. She had reached yet another dead end so she backtracked. She saw a steel receptacle at one end. She rushed over and peed into it. She sat down for a little bit to catch her breath. Then she got up and proceeded, leaving the empty water bottle behind.

She saw a sign that said, “food”. She stepped into the opening. She found bread and fruit. She ate. Then suddenly, the lights dimmed and went out. There were two noises. The space she had walked through was now sealed, and a small door opened in one of the walls of the area she was in. She had no choice but to crawl through the opening. She grabbed as much food as she could and went in. Once she was ten feet in, the lights got brighter but the entry shut closed. She crawled for what seemed like hours. Finally, exhausted, she stopped and ate, and fell asleep.