Disturbing Questions

Ruthridge was terribly confused now instead of bewildered and shocked. Why in the world was Father Shane telling him to leave the church? They both loved 'the place' and looked after it like it was a surrogate child. It was odd for Father Shane to tell him this, even odder that he should as a ghost, and even odder that he should put himself through such obvious pain to get the message across. What was trying to stop him. Was he evil now? Was he trying to say there was no point being in the church, that he had wasted his life as a priest? Maybe the priest had found out in the afterlife there was no God?

This is a Warning

Father Shane twisted his head from side to side and his arms appeared locked behind him. The priest obviously wanted to speak, but a strong force was keeping him from forming words. Ruthridge reached out and his hand passed through the father like through a cold mist.
"What are you trying to say?" Ruthridge persisted again and again, but he received no comprehendable answer.
Finally, Ruthridge shouted, "Please, speak to me, I am listening!"
Immediately, Father Shane's head turned straight toward Ruthridge and just like that they were face to face. Then, in a perfectly clear voice, the priest said, "Leave the church as soon as you can. This is a warning!"

A Ghost

A week after Father Shane disappeared, he reappeared to Ruthridge as a ghost.
Ruthridge was sitting at his kitchen table, just at the moment of commencing his dinner, when Father Shane materialized before him. The good priest was shrouded in a fog-like substance, and he writhed in obvious pain, attempting to choke out some words, but an invisible force prevented his ability to say what he so badly wanted to say to Ruthridge.

The New Priest

He would remember that day with his daughter as an instance of what made Father Shane so special while sitting beside his hospital bed five years later watching the still young priest wither away to nothing. Cancer was making a mess of his internal organs, but his brown eyes shone kindly and he smiled often. Ruthridge let the priest clutch his hands when the pain became intense like he was helping him give birth to his death.

A few weeks later, the new priest arrived and he was as young as Father Shane once was. Ruthridge informed him of what his duties were taking care of the grounds, mapping and digging the plots, and his various other duties. The new priest's name was Father Julius. He was born in Hungary and he kept commenting on how much the surrounding countryside looked like his homeland. He would stand in front of the tiny church, put his hands on his hips, breathe in deeply and begin nodding his head in agreement, matching the two in his mind. The church watched from behind him like a curious stranger, or a child meeting a new relative for the first time.

Says 'I Love You' Too Much

On their way to the church, his daughter complained her mom says 'I love you' too much. This little girl of his was turning ten the next day.
"That's a funny thing to get upset about," remarked Ruthridge.
He put his arm tight around her and squeezed her against him.
When they arrived at the church, Father Shane gave them directions to Roy Ranch. Todd Roy allowed Father Shane to ride his horses around the countryside and after a quick call, Ruthridge and his daughter were on their way to go horseback riding. Neither one of them had ever ridden a horse before so they were giddy and nervous with excitement. Todd Roy met them at the stables. He was dressed in typical ranch clothes: worn, tight jeans, earth-encrusted boots and a dusty-brown cowboy hat that drooped lazily like floppy, puppy ears. He flourished it upon shaking Peggy's hand. She giggled at the dust it created and plugged her nose. Ruthridge informed him of their inexperience horseback riding, and chuckling, Mr. Roy said not to worry.
"These two here are my trail horses."
Mr. Roy patted the saddled backs of two horses happily munching on grass outside their stables. One was white with two brown spots and the other, black and glistening in the sunshine, was slightly smaller and obviously a female from the pink and white ribbons tied in her mane.
"Jason and Julia know their way across this countryside better than the birds or the ants! Just hold their reins and they'll take you around. You just might have to give them a nudge if they try to fill up on grass too much."

She's Worried

Ruthridge stepped between two pines and he was back in the forest. To his right was a sliver of a creek, which he followed deep into the woods. Its gurgling and splashing eased his thoughts and his mind always felt clearer after this daily hike. There were many rabbits in the woods that hopped away when they saw him and lots of other things slipped away before he could see them.
Father Shane was gone for several weeks and Ruthridge fully enjoyed his solitude. The priest was excellent company, but Ruthridge liked being left alone with his thoughts out in nature and at night he sat alone in the church.
He didn't exactly pray. Instead, he thought about everyone and that made him happy enough. He never felt lonely in the least. When Father Shane returned he planned on visiting his mother because he knew she was worried.

The Spiritual Aspect of Things

The priest walked up behind Ruthridge as he reached the halfway point of digging some extra graves.
"There's a phone call for you," said the priest.
Ruthridge climbed up on out wondering what his mother wanted. She was the only one he gave the church's number to. It turned out to be his best friend from college, Jeff. His mother gave him the number, he explained, because she thought he would like to hear from an old friend. She was deeply worried.
"No, I don't dig graves all day. I'm also the gardener, landscaper, plumber, and maintenance man."
His friend was impressed, but then he asked Ruthridge if he missed the town at all.
"Don't you want to go to a bar and meet some pretty girls?"
Ruthridge chuckled. His friend reminded him of old times.
"Yes, but I have a lot to do here. Father Shane is busy enough handling the spiritual aspect of things."