Pastor Mike Layson, the presiding shepherd of Burning Light Ministries, one of the few surviving pentecostal churches in Costa Hera, battled with unusual insomnia that night. All the techniques he tried using, all in a bid to fall asleep, was futile—listening to music, a hot-turned-cold shower, reading a boring biography, counting numbers backward, name it...

More frustrating was the fact that his wife, Mrs Ruth Layson, Who he affectionately refers to as Rutie, was sleeping like a koala on hibernation, snoring softly and rhythmically with abandon, making him all the more antsy.
Given the fact that his schedule during the day had been quite clogged, draining even—from a counseling-turned-deliverance session, to preparing a bible study teaching, to calling some members who haven't been consistent in attendance—it was an alarming surprise to him that he could not fall asleep.

As midnight neared, he gave up the tussle and yielded to the inner prodding of the Holy Spirit in him to pray.
Seriously, he wasn't really in the mood, but he knew he had to. It was the only thing that made sense at the moment. Thirty-something years of being in the ministry and forty years of being a believer had taught him that much.

After he prayed in tongues on his knees in his study for some time, he felt the oddest urge to head straight to the church building.
A glance at his phone told him that it was just a few minutes to 2am.

"Lord, what am I to do in church? Is it prayer? I can do that much here."

Silence.

Sigh...
He knew he just had to go ahead and obey, even if it seemed illogical and quite absurd. Yes, God had told him to do some pretty crazy things in the past. An initial attempt at bargaining always yielded no compromise on God's part, and obeying turned out to be actual lifesaving in the end. He could not doubt God now.

He opened the wardrobe, grabbed a cozier jacket, a pair of gloves and socks. The weather was biting cold out there at night. Even without snow, sometimes the night temperature could drop way down to -10 degrees.
With a thud, he shut the wooden wardrobe. It reverberated through the walls, rattling the windows, causing his wife to wake up. She took in his movements with sleepy eyes as she sat up in bed.

"Where are you going to, Honey?" she asked as she stifled a yawn.

"Sorry to disturb you, Rutie darling," he said as he slipped on his jacket and sat on the edge of the bed to wear his socks. "I couldn't sleep all night, and now God has instructed me to go to the church auditorium right away. I have no idea why, but you know I have to go."

"I understand that dear," she replied softly. Then with a sudden burst of energy, she quipped, "How about I go with you?"

"What? No, no, no... You need to rest. I know you had such a long day at the store and you have to be up early tomorrow. And besides, this was God's instruction to me not you."

She was already out of the bed and rummaging through her closet for something way thicker than the silk nightdress she had on to wear.

"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. Two shall become one flesh, so says His holy word. Wherever the Lord has asked you to go, I'll go too. I'm Ruth remember," she said and shot him a grin.
He chuckled, amazed by how blessed he was to be the Boaz of this beauty.
He stood and went over to help her choose a dress. As he helped her zip up her maxi gown, he didn't resist the urge he felt to kiss her on the back of her neck. Her giggle was music to his ears. He would love her as Christ loved the church till his last breath and hopefully, God would answer their prayers and bless them with a child soon.

"Alright then. Let's go," he said as he took her hand in his.

They left the house in few minutes. Thankfully, this time their trusty old wagon, a Toyota that had been gifted to them by one of the parishioners, didn't need a spanking on its engine before it complied and trudged towards the church situated just four streets away on an escarpment at the suburbs of Ivory Town.

"Okay. Here we are!" Pastor Mike chirped as he curbed the car into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. They alighted the vehicle.
With the keys he had, he unlocked the doors of the church. Everything was dark, except for the rays of greyish-blue moonlight that filtered in through the glass windows on the walls, illuminating the floor, chairs and pulpit. 

"Well, from the looks of it, there isn't a burglar attack on the church. Neither are we going to face a gathering of witches," Ruth said with a serious face as she scanned the hall.

Pastor Mike looked at her with incredulity and laughed. She joined. So did the hall, in echoes. 

"Well, I guess not. But maybe we should just pray, you know,"

"Of course. What else would God have us do in his house? Dance ballet?" she said, the mirth still in her voice.
He looked into her eyes. Gosh, Ruth was everything he had ever wished for in a wife. She was the bright rainbow in his monotonous, neutral life. The music in his silence. The humour in his boringness.
If not for that thorn in their flesh, or rather the lack of it, their lives would be picture perfect.

"Then let's do it."

In sync, they began to worship God.
~~~

Ella could tell it was the witching hour. The air got colder around her and all the sound of crickets and frogs slowed until absolutely nothing was heard again.

She looked up into the sky. The moon was full, glimmering in it's glassy glory. Around it was a ripple-like wavefront of cloud, something like a boundary that made it all the more spectacular to behold. She sighed, wondering if it was time to head back. She'd to get her few stuff—mostly things Deborah had given her— and maybe leave a farewell letter to Deborah before she left for God-knows-where. The lady deserved that much.

She stood up and dusted off the sand from her pants. Hearing a distinct sound of water swooshing this way and that, she paused abruptly and waited. Nothing happened.

She resumed her turning. Maybe she was hearing things now.
This time the water splashed. Out came her nemesis. A fiendish friend. Mergirlina.
Ella was somewhat shocked to see her form again. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise though, seeing as she was drawn to this location by a compelling force.

"Aquifer," the mer-spirit called out in her alluring voice. "It's been a long time, don't you think?"

Ella narrowed her eyes at the spirit as her heart hammered in her throat. "What are you doing here?"
Actually, she was trying hard to mask the terror seeping through her joints. This was so not good.

Mergirlina chuckled. "You called. You invited me back, baby. Didn't you miss me?" She ducked underwater, circled a small circumference and came to the surface again, her white hair sprawled on the water, bobbing as the ripples spread.

"I don't think so," Ella murmured.

"Oh really? How did it feel to have your power back? And also, the promise to get your crush?"

Ella shoved down the bile in her throat. "He is my brother and you know it!"  She forced those words out of her clenched teeth.

Although she felt that she somehow was her familiar self again because of the return of her water-controlling powers, she dreaded the fact that it meant having to heed the bidding of her once-upon-a-time spirit guide. The problem was the reason for their parting had not been on good terms. The Redeemer had dealt a big blow to her pretentious allies, saving her from being sacrificed on that cold altar.

The Redeemer! How could she have forgotten so easily?

~~~

His brain was all knotty that night. Jeremiah. He was still trying to process all that had happened in the space of a day.

The letter from his father and its absurd content. The fact that Ella, or should he say Aquifer, was the subject of the formula. The emergency call. Mother had been as pale as a feather when he eventually arrived at the hospital.
Whatever had hit his dad must have been so unexpected. Well, it wasn't as though he really cared for his father, but things where beginning to look so complicated.

Now the police and the media were all over this case. This wasn't going to just be buried, he was sure. Investigation would be at top gear and he was caught in the middle of it all. Again. Just like when Joshua his brother had died.
The CCTV cameras would be checked. The secretary would be scrutinized and questioned till they'd ensured they juiced out every last bit of information from her.
And back to the letter. He refused to believe the worse case scenario. Ella? His blood? Hadn't Father referred to her as his spawn? Huh! What a joke!

Too tired to think or analyse anything further, he knelt by his bed and began to pray. Only God knew.

~~~

Deborah was not able to sleep as well. Knowing that Ella had yet again left the room high and dry, she prayed, laden with worries. Walking through every room in her house and particularly focusing on the one Ella slept in, she prayed as the Spirit led her on.

"Father please, please..." she groaned when she couldn't even find words to pray out the swelling feeling in her heart.

~~~

Mergirlina's face etched into a scowl. The minion could sense Ella's shift of attention from her to that-, that enemy. That was impossible. She wouldn't allow it.

"I clearly remember what you did to me," Mergirlina said suddenly. "To us. Don't you know we have a binding pact? A covenant. We are one."

"We could forget the past and start afresh. Come now. Your lords have need of you."

Ella, not knowing where the sudden resolve appeared from, snapped. "No way am I going to go back to being you guys' toy again! I'm free."

Mergirlina's initially shocked facial expression burst into an amused, evil cackle. The echoing, unearthly ring of it caused chills to spread all through Ella's dermis. "You think you are? We'll see for ourselves. You're coming with me whether or not you feel like it," she said, her voice turning to a growl.

Then, out of nowhere, Ella felt claws on her heart. They, the two strange visitors who accompanied Mergirlina, were forcing her. Pulling her once again into the waters.

Every iota of her being screamed resistance, yet it seemed the more she squirmed for release, the deeper their pull.

A single thought flashed through her head. She was surprised by it, seeing as she had tried to sweep it out. The Redeemer.

With no other choice, she called on the one who had saved her from the clutches of death once. Maybe, just maybe he'll have pity on her and rescue her again.

The reaction was imploding and almost immediate. The screeches were wild. She couldn't see much but as she fell back to the sand, she knew that she had escaped narrowly yet again.

Now to run. But where? She had no idea. Anywhere would do, she thought as she spun and ran like she could do nothing else. Something clicked in her mind and she knew just what direction to run to.

~~~
Griel hovered few inches off the ground right behind Ella propelling her faster and stirring her heart to run headed to the right direction. As much as he had been delighted to launch an attack on the taunting demons that had dared to toy with the Lord's chosen one, he knew this was way important.
And besides, Ammiel and Haliel were doing a great job dealing with them back there. Way to go bros. Give 'em what they deserve.
Haaaaaa! What bliss it was to wrench those ugly gooflings out of Ella's heart. It hadn't been easy. All the hours of laying dormant and watching with distaste as those annoying imps wagged taunts at them.
Griel's wings flapped so fast as the whirlwind that characterized his persona trailed behind. The mission was clear. Get her to safety. To a spiritual covering once again.

"First turn. Go right. Down street. There it is. Go!" he gave instructions mildly yet firmly as he followed Ella.

~~~

As Ella continued to run, fatigue, common sense and hope battled within her. Who would be up at this odd hour? And exactly where was she going?

The building up ahead was dimly lit. The sign above it read, Burning Light Ministries. Wait! Wasn't this the place her mom always ranted about? The place Ella never could enter for the fear that the light would expose her darkness? The best refuge? Heavens help her or she was so dead.

Still she ran.

She burst into the church auditorium which was surprisingly unshut. She faintly heard a gasp. Or was it two? Unable to hold her trembling feet up any longer, she crumbled. But as she fell, she didn't feel pain.

Maybe all this is a dream. Maybe I'm in a cocoon. Maybe it's all a lie. Even my existence.

Still conscious but terribly weak, she lay on the laps of a woman on the chilly floor. Someone else fanned her and she could faintly hear a low but powerful chant in a language she didn't understand coming from the lips of her rescuers. It somehow soothed her. She was out of breath and her throat was bone dry, but all she could do was lay there.

*********

Author's note:
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*Whimpers and then slowly crawls out of her writing cocoon.*🥺

*Bawls after seeing the mob of fuming readers.*😭😭😭😭😭😭

I am so, absolutely, sincerely, sorry guys!
Sorry for not updating this book for so long. Twas exam fever (literally) that prevented me from dropping this sweet update you guys so deserve.😖

So far, we see Ella still in a mess. And what do you think of Mr and Mrs Layson. Pretty sweet couple, aren't they, huh?😍😜
There's more to unfold in this story. So sit back and stay with me please.🤗

Just remember that when you're in a tight situation, when you can't sleep, when you're worrying your heads off, praying to God is a perfect means to do the trick.😇

Expect more regular updates (hopefully), as I am finally gonna finish me session papers this Saturday. That's tomorrow, guys. I'd have skipped with joy but it's the dreaded Mathematics!😩

Thanks for sticking by this little attempt at a story. Tell me what you think in the comments below. It cheers my heart to read your rants.😁😄

Keep basking.

Your baby,🤭
PeculiarPraise. 💖