The Not so Secret Agent Ch. 07

Arthur figured the priest meant 'would you give me a hand?' "Um, sure, what do you need?"

The priest put out his own hands palm up. "Your hands."

Arthur put out his hands. He figured the man was going to read his palms. He hadn't had that done in years, hadn't been to a carnival in years either. Instead of reading his lifeline, the priest gripped his hands, squeezing each of Arthur's hands in his.

Arthur watched with fascination, was this some kind of secret handshake? The priest closed his eyes and held an intense expression. It went on for several seconds; Arthur wasn't sure if he was supposed to do something or not so he just stayed silent, watched and waited... the priest would eventually get tired and let go.

When the priest did let go he looked down for a time, as if gathering his thoughts. "Arthur," the priest said. "Sometimes the Creator blesses us with visions... communicates to us so that we might do the Creator's will, the nature of such visions are often difficult to understand, it may require prayer and meditation and patience."

"Did... you see anything?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, I believe I saw you. You swam in cold swift water with a crystalline night sky overhead... and there was a snake coiled around your leg. What it means..." The priest said. "I cannot say, perhaps this represents something significant to you?"

Arthur expected better fortune telling, especially after all the anticipation. Psychics are supposed to tell you about finding your true love or how you'll get rich but this man didn't say a thing about sex or money, and what was the deal with that snake? Ridiculous, Arthur thought, snakes don't live in cold water.

"No sir," Arthur said, "nothing comes to mind."

The priest was preparing to end his visit. "Perhaps when you get back to Rika Chorna, you could visit the Church. One of the clergy there would be pleased to counsel you.

"I'll do that." Arthur nodded. "Thank you for visiting me sir; you've given me a great deal to think about."

The priest left and Arthur did have a thought, not one the priest would have appreciated, but a thought nonetheless. Perhaps, Arthur speculated, he could use their church to his benefit. He could act devout as the next guy. The first step would be to show interest toward their faith, and then sometime later he could have his "come to Jesus moment" ask for forgiveness and put on a good show.

An American nonbeliever converting to their faith and worshiping... whatever it is they worship might be a sign of this soul reorientation the priest kept going on about. He thought he might be able to use this show of faith to convince people that he's not such a villain after all, maybe even help his legal situation. Prisoners back in the US were sometimes paroled early after finding religion; it's possible, Arthur thought, that the same thing might work in Danubia. It was worth a try anyway. With a vague plan formulating in his head Arthur carefully lowered himself back down on his cot and rested.