Moment Of Truth
Her heart dropped. The priest watched as Kris’s face turned as pale as a ghost. “Kris, are you okay?”, he asked, but her feet were already moving. She wasn’t mistaken. She didn’t imagine this.
She climbed the small steps and placed her hand on the big marble stone. Her gasp echoed throughout the church like a ripple in the ocean. Then she felt someone grab her shoulder.
Another Sunday
It had started out like any other Sunday. Kris Zamlek and her husband cooked pancakes for their two kids before she helped them get ready for church.
Pancakes for breakfast, go to church, go to the park, eat lunch out, and go back home. That was their Sunday routine. Little did Kris know, today would be a Sunday like no other.
Church
Kris and her family arrived just in time for the 11 am church service. They sat silently in their row at the back of the church as they listened to the priest preach.
Kris had long taught the kids to be respectful and quiet. Now, all she had to do was shoot a deathly glare their way if they became restless. However, this time it was Kate who’d be the restless one.
Emergency Exit
Asking her husband to stand up and let her pass, she shimmied out of their seat and made her way to the bathroom. She exited the church and walked around the back to another smaller attached building where the toilets were located.
But on her way, she saw something that made her freeze in her tracks.
Something Strange
As she turned the corner, she saw a man walking out from the church’s shed. He looked out-of-place. She didn’t remember ever seeing him around here before. He was dressed in dark clothes. He didn’t seem like a member of their church.
But just before he disappeared out of view, she caught a glimpse of his face and she turned pale as a ghost.
Behind The Shed Door
Slowly, she walked towards the church shed. She braced herself for what she might find, hoping it wasn’t what she thought it was.
She pushed the wooden door open. Holding her breath, she peered inside. There was an odd smell. She looked around the darkness and then she saw it. It was exactly what she feared. In shock, she shut the door and ran back to the church doors.
Racing Mind
Her mind was racing. She completely forgot that she had yet to go to the bathroom. Instead, she sat back into her seat, and tried to calm herself.
They were in the middle of a service. She couldn’t say anything, she didn’t want to make a scene but she needed to tell someone and fast.
A Word
Once the sermon was over and people started to leave the church, Kris told her family to wait outside. She wanted to talk to the priest. Without much thought, her husband left her to it.
She walked up to the front of the church where the priest, Bruce Hitchen, was talking to a few other members of today’s service. He noticed her coming and excused himself to greet her.
Regulars
Kris and her family were regulars at his church so he knew Kris well and was happy to see her. However, he would never have guessed that what she had to say would leave him shaking in his boots.
But just when she was about to speak. A man walked in from the side door and headed towards the altar.
Behind The Altar
Again, Kris felt her heart drop. Bruce watched as Kris’s face turned as pale as a ghost. “Kris, are you okay?”, he asked. But Kris’s feet were already moving.
She was walking towards the altar. She climbed the small steps, placed her hand on the big marble stone altar table, and looked behind it. Her gasp echoed throughout the church. Then she felt someone grab her shoulder.
Gordon
Her heart pounded as she took in the sharp features of the man, kneeling behind the counter, cleaning. She wasn’t mistaken. It had to be him.
She turned around to see Bruce’s hand on her shoulder, his face concerned. “What is it Kris?”, he said. “Gordon?”, Kris whispered. “Gordon, is that you?”. Her eyes welled with tears. Who was he? What was happening?
Long-Lost Brother
Kris Zamlek went to church like any other Sunday. Only this time, she went to church and found her long-lost brother. She hadn’t seen him for 22 years. She had spent the last 10 years searching for him and always came up empty. She was starting to lose hope.
But how did he end up here? Why were they separated?
Sudden Separation
Gordon Petrie moved away with his mom when their parents got separated some odd 22 years ago. It was an ugly divorce, which would leave the siblings never to set eyes on each other again.
However, life wasn’t easy for Gordon. He got involved in the wrong crowd as a teenager and had been a drug addict ever since.
Changing Tides
He had been living rough on the streets for the last three years and found refuge in the church. Bruce, the priest, first noticed him cutting the lawn and taking out the garbage.
He was helping with the upkeep of the church out of his own initiative. Bruce then committed to helping him find housing while he squatted in the church shed. But now, things have changed.
Happy Ending
Bruce managed to find Gordon temporary housing as the shed was too dangerous to live in. They’re still looking for a permanent situation for him but he still works at the church and helps out when he can.
Kris was touched by the kindness of Bruce and hopeful that her brother's situation will improve as she thinks about how she can help him. “But for now”, she said, “he has a warm bed and a friend.”