Winch-Hunt: Part 20

Mel, exactly what is Tom’s plan? He says he has this plan and he thinks it’s foolproof. He won’t discuss it with me, and I don’t blame him. There are probably ears all through the lighthouse.”

“Oh Jeff, he has this crazy idea that he can scare them into righteousness by dressing up as the prif was y diafol and confronting them.”

“Um, excuse me Mel – the what?”

“The prif was y diafol.” That’s the devil’s chief servant. He’s actually the executioner, but he supposedly possesses super powers from the devil. Tom has this silly costume. He plans to dress up as the real prif was y diafol and scare them all straight.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I kid you not.”

“Mel, that will never work. They may be cultists, but they aren’t stupid!”

“I tried to talk him out of it, but you know Tom – thickheaded and as stubborn as they come. Know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I tried to get him to leave twice, but he says he has to stay and see this through. I admire his courage and resolve, but I’m not so sure how smart he is. But like he said, God is with him. Somehow I know he’ll be okay.

“Look, I got to run. I have to finalize my plans for tonight. I’m not about to quit on Tom now. You can have the rest of the pizza and – oh, Mel – don’t leave this place for anything. Stay right here. I don’t need another scare like you gave me this afternoon. Besides, Tom needs your prayer support.”

With that Jeff excused himself, and headed back to Sandy Hill just as night was beginning to fall.

The winter solstice had arrived. The night of sacrifice had come. There was no turning back for Tom or Jeff. Jeff located his brother. He could have gone back to Indiana a long time ago, but something kept him in Sandy Hill. Maybe it was the intrigue of the mystery. Maybe it was simply his concern for Tom. Maybe both. At any rate, the time had come. The end was in sight. The search for Jeff’s brother had come full-circle, and Jeff knew that he had as much eternal purpose in the fight as Tom did.

The time leading up to the midnight hour was spent in prayer by all three – Tom, Jeff, and Mel. Although physically apart they sensed a oneness in spirit. A strange peace settled over them all. What was to happen would happen. It would soon be time to reap what had been sown.

Time moved slowly. Jeff waited until 11 o’clock to make his move to the beach. Tom lost all track of time, and just waited for some people to begin to show. He was hiding in the room that housed the entrance to the Pit to Hell. As soon as he heard someone coming, he would enter the hole in the wall and dress in his prif was y diafol costume and get ready to appear as the real devil’s chief servant. It would soon be time for the showdown. Tom heard the lighthouse door open.

From Jeff’s vantage point he could see a long line of people walking toward the lighthouse in the full moonlight. He couldn’t recognize any individuals, but he was stunned by the sheer number of people. As they continued to flow to the lighthouse, Jeff realized that Tom would be certainly overwhelmed by the large group. There must have been thousands.

Mel continued in fervent prayer as midnight approached. Tom remained in the hole, but he could sense there were many people passing through the hall. He was waiting for the prif was y diafol to come for the sacrifice, for him, but no one came. The crowd continued. Through the wall Tom could hear muffled voices, but yet he couldn’t understand what was being said. It sounded like gibberish, unintelligible. Tom reasoned the choice of language for the night must be Welsh. There was an eerie silence for several minutes.

Jeff could see from his covering rock an orange glow begin to rise from the lighthouse base. A thousand candle lights shown through the floor opening that led to the Pit to Hell. The candles in the circular hall had been lit and formed a powerful circle of light around the room of sacrifice. The bright light could only be seen from outside. The place of sacrifice remained in the dark except for the candles that outlined the pentagram and its circle.

Out of the quiet a chant began to grow; soft at first, then growing louder in volume. It wasn’t until this time that Tom felt the full impact of what was to take place. He knew that shortly the Bendith Diafol would be coming to collect their sacrifice. This truly was a battle between good and evil; between forces in the unseen world.

The Lord intervened. “Tom, it’s time. It’s time to complete that which we’ve started. Tom, do you fully trust Me?”

Tom answered, “Until the last day and a half, I wasn’t sure. I know the answer now. Yes, Lord. I fully trust You. I’m ready for whatever happens. I will go in Your power and Yours alone. This must end tonight, for Your glory.”Tom began to dress in his prif was y diafol costume.

“Tom, go take a look around. See what’s happening. Then come back here for your final instructions.”

Tom crept out into the hall. Slowly he made his way toward the meeting room. He could hear mumbling and shrieks. He dropped to the floor, and peeked around the corner. To his shock he saw a standing room only crowd involved in all kinds of perverse acts.

He crawled back into the hallway and continued to survey the layout of the chamber of sacrifice. Keeping low to the floor, he couldn’t see the altar or the throne of the Almighty Mother, but he could see a burnt-orange glow eminating from the opening behind the throne. He too, understood what caused the orange light to radiate from the base of the lighthouse.

A loud gong sounded three times, summoning the participants back to their places. Tom returned to meet the Lord for his final instructions.

“Tom, first thing’s first. Take that ridiculous costume off. You’re here to do the Lord’s work, so stop masquerading as the enemy. Show yourself as a child of God, not one of the Bendith Diafol. Hurry, there’s not much time.

“Now listen very carefully. These people are past the point of no return. They don’t love me. They never will. They must be destroyed tonight to protect future generations. In my mercy, I will send them one more warning through you, but know they won’t listen.

“I’ll give you the words. Yield yourself completely to me now, and I’ll send fire from Heaven. Are you ready, Tom?”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Good, go preach to your church.”

“Wait a second. They’re not my church. They’re the devil’s church.”

“Just go, Tom. It’s time.”

A powerful surge of enegy ran through Tom’s body. He knew the Lord was with him, and he ran down the hall to the meeting room. He stopped outside the door to listen. He couldn’t make out all the words, but he could hear enough to tell that someone was taking a vow to become the next Almighty Mother. He listened more carefully. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Then there was laughter. Tom knew it was Sophie Brachston from Shady Rest. Her laugh was one of a kind.

He listened even closer as the woman took her vow. This was a familar voice as well. Sophie continued. “To take the position of y fam hollalluog, you must bring us a sacrifice of unusual worth. Who do you offer?”

The familiar voice said, “Thomas Winch, the last in a line of Winches that have tormented us through the centuries.” Even though y fam hollalluog was cloaked in black, including her face, Tom recognized the voice for sure. He didn’t want to believe his ears, but he had no choice. The voice was very distinct. It was Mrs. Camp.

The others were dressed in black, but as of yet their faces weren’t covered. God did indeed send Tom to preach to his church one last time. Joe and Peggy Carlson were there. Jesse, Rob, and Tony Royer were there. Mrs. Camp’s neices Clarice and Patience were present for “the festivities”. Jeremy Marsh, the Hathaway family, Charlie Moore, and of course Doctor Warren, were all in attendance as well as what seemed the whole town. The crowd was oversized, even for the large room in which they met. This truly was a town event.

It broke Tom’s heart to think that his efforts had been misused. Betrayed, he stood at the entrance, as of yet unnoticed. A tear trickled from his eye. He felt a twinge of what Jesus must have felt as the very ones he loved betrayed him.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him as he burst into the room.

“Hear the Word of the Lord. Your sin has found you out, and the cup of God’s wrath is full. In His righteousness, He must judge. Repent or you shall all perish this very night in this very place.”

That was the shortest sermon Tom ever preached, but it had the desired impact. God was in complete control, and with this final message, God allowed the hearts of the Bendith Diafol to be hardened for eternity.

The new Almighty Mother summoned the sacrifice. He was now in the room. The Pit to Hell had been bypassed. There was no more need for an offical presentation of the sacrifice. The group turned on Tom as he began to race to the ladder. His only hope was to beat them to the door.

Fortunately, Tom had studied the layout of the labyrinth and knew just where to go. The Bendith Diafol flooded the halls and rooms in an effort to stop him. Tom was almost clear. He reached the ladder and began a swift ascent.

Outside, the commotion was sensed by Jeff. He could hear the voices of an entire town as they raced after Tom. Although Jeff didn’t know what was happening, he knew something was – and it wasn’t good. He heard the now familiar clicking sound 50 yards or so down the beach. He watched as a man appeared out of the sand. He continued to watch as the man ran for the lighthouse door. Once the man was inside Jeff crept over to the first floor window. Reaching the top of the ladder, Tom had been cut off as the man barged through the door.