THE HAUNTED KINGDOM 3 by CHARLES E.J. MOULTON (ereader that reads to you .txt) 📕

is not bad. Pride by the way of hurting someone is bad. Cynicism is being too full of pride to admit that someone might not be like you. Therefore you choose to hate that they’re different and then joke about them. That is wrong.”
Alexander looked about the cave and found that the ox was watching him with a stern look of someone hoping for betterment. There was still the atmosphere of seclusion and safety inside the grotto, but there had been something added to this cosy world away from the storm.
“The problem is that men are weak” Luke added. “They will almost always follow what brings them down because they are very impatient. That is the forte of the demon. He will never rule over you unless you give him that power. People talk of possession. Well, it is not the case that you have a demon dancing inside that is doing bad deeds though you. He will arouse your hatred, he will arouse your lust. He will show the kingdom if the world, just as he did to Jesus and lure you into a trap. That is his way. It is only here in this illusion, or in special cases like when Lucinda appeared to you in the Grand Hall, that demons will actually show themselves. They usually don’t. They are extremely shy, Alexander: extremely shy. They are creatures of the dark, which never, or rarely, will jump out of the shadows. They will almost never possess you, because they want you to take the blame. They want you to believe what they believe. Superstition is like that. Superstition is compulsion to believe in lies. There are no lies, but people spend eons believing in them, because they want a quick recipe for fame. They want to find a way out that will make them believe that there is a quick answer that will make them famous and rich and very happy. They forget that the answer is all in heaven. You do not need more than just pray and the answers will be given you. The answer lies in the calm of the prayer and nothing else.”
“I have a question, Luke” Alexander said.
“Ask me anything” Luke said.
“Infidelity” Alexander said. “Why are men not faithful?”
“To their spouses?”
“To God, to their spouses and to the good cause.”
“Impatience” Luke answered. “The quick answer to solve all the problems is what people seek. Infidelity is like wine. It is the escape of not having to take all that responsibility. Tough men are unfaithful and feel masculine for laying another woman on her back: The odd thing is that these men only escape their own fate and are thereby the greatest cowards on earth only because they do not dare speak to their wives and instead are unfaithful only to keep from facing their own tears. The only quick answer lies in you and not out there. The demon will tell you that of course there is a quick answer. Being unfaithful to your spouse is just revenge and nothing else. It is being too weak to confront the problem. I will give you an example. You are a baker, a real virtuoso of the arts of bread and pastry. Your spouse is very different and not really a lover of pastry. You have different kinds of people, but your love holds you together. Now, when she makes great demands on you when you are not baking and making bread she tells you that she needs the one thousand things that she needs from you, you have a choice. You stay calm and try to find an answer. You either tell her calmly that you need some time to gather energy to be strong for your work or you take the easy way out. You run to another woman and roll in the hay. That woman is easy to deal with. She won’t complain. But you are being severely dishonest. That other woman will be there for you only for a short while. You are not confronting the problem. You are running away from the problem. You can avoid arguments all you want and be true to your spouse. That is fine. If you find a way not to avoid the truth. You can actually be very successful in walking the path of the Lord and avoid arguments. The demons will, however, lure you in a way that will make you want to be aroused. They will arouse you by making you angry. Concentrate your happiness. That is good. Be extremely happy. Live in bliss. But stay true to one person in that bliss. Enjoy many arts, many books, many foods with one person. Dress well, but know that dressing your soul is much more vital than dressing your body. Choose the honest road.”
“So, when the demons present to me something that may influence my judgement I must not judge or evaluate what I see. I must go where I want to go and not think what others want or wish, but what I want or wish?”
Luke nodded. ”People turn to vanity, Alexander, because they fear that they need to become like other people in order to be accepted. Physical attributes are only the means to be accepted. But people ignore the fact that they are neglecting who they are in order to be as well dressed as the other man. Calm, Alexander. If you can stay calm in most situations even when you are in ecstasy of happiness, then no demon will touch you. Be calm.”
“The access to polish and cherish these physical things is so desirable, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Alex. Being well dressed is by all means not all bad. You present yourself well. But never forget that well dressed or well combed or well groomed is only means to an end. The soul is always the most vital thing. Never spend too much time with dressing up. Dress up your soul.
“Mark told me that a king’s benevolence lies not in his robe. How a king is lies in his heart.”
“Alexander” Luke said and took his hand again. “Remember that Lucinda is a physical being. Your strength lies in your spirit. She can flash her fangs and twirl her coat. But your firm sturdiness lies in the force of eternity. Never forget that.”
“I shall never forget. Will you be there to guide me?”
”We all will be there for you. But you must wander the road. No one can wander that everlasting road for you.”
”I must wander the road, must I not?”
Luke nodded. “You have now received reminders of your heart and your patience. Now you receive one from me: remember your mission and don’t look into Lucinda eyes for too long at a time when duelling. She will unmanifest and manifest, but when you kill her she will bother you until you free your family. She is still physical. Lucifer is not. Free your family and then none of them can hurt you.”
“Something in me whispered that I cannot duel my sister
because she is a woman.”
”Such rubbish. Lucinda is not a woman. She is a demon. Lucinda was Judas. She regretted what she did back then. But she kept on doing it in life after life. She needs to be saved. The last good peace of your sister needs to be saved.”
The flames flickered and the two men looked at the animals now seeming to sleep.
Without looking away from the ox, Luke said:
“There are lots of temptations. Stay on your course. You know your real road. Stay on track.”
“Luke?”
He looked back at Alex.
“Yes?”
“I know you don’t want me to speak of the village.”
He sighed. “You want to know why we left you.”
Luke smiled, bitterly.
”We never did. Alexander, you must understand something. We are ethereal beings. We love you. We can only manifest for as long as you need us. But when we leave you physically, we are still there ethereally. I held you when you let go of the tree.”
”You did?” Alex smiled.
Luke smiled. “Yes. And you needed to be alone. The time was ripe for you to move on.” Luke held Alexander’s hand. “You need to know where your strength lies.”
”Where?”
”In your honesty. Be honest to yourself. Be true. As true as you should be in recognizing your true self. There are too many people already who follow Lucifer’s suit in jumping on vanity’s bandwagon. You need to really be honest about who you are and what you want.”
Alex continued. “This duel is as much about me fighting for my true self as it is about winning my country back, is it not?”
”You see, my friend. Now you are trusting yourself. We have only been able to consult you like this because you were lead to the angels in the first place. The angels lead you and love you.”
”Who lead me to the angels?”
”Oh, Alex. What a question.”
“Belinda.”
”Of course. She lead you there.”
There was a tear in his eyes and it was rolling down his cheek.
“I won’t loose her, will I?”
”No, you won’t.”
“On the beach she was so tired and so gone somehow.”
”She was tired and distraught, that was all. She loves you just the same. She misses you, that is all.”
“But in the inn, she didn’t even …”
Luke held up a hand. “Behave, Alex. Please.”
This reprimanding tone made Alex feel very guilty. “I am sorry. So sorry.”
“The inn was a test. That was not Belinda. You will see her.”
”Who was that if it wasn’t Belinda?”
”A test. It was a test. Testing your heart and it lead somewhere, did it not? You know that it lead you to the next instance.”
”All this is about strength, isn’t it?”
”It is about strength. The strength of an ox.” Luke smiled. “You know something else about the ox?”
”What?”
“It is the greatest sacrificial animal. Whoever sacrifices an ox sacrifices something very important. The Gospel of St. Luke starts with Zacharias’s sacrifice in the temple. He wasn’t sacrificing an ox, but I think he did have the strength of one. After all, he listened when St. Gabriel spoke to him about the coming birth of John the Baptist. He had strength in faith.”
Alexander walked up in his sheep wool from his place to the saddlebag. He knew Mercutio was sleeping so he was very careful. He looked in his bag and found the scribe’s bible that he should’ve read more often. Luke was looking at him and smiling. He knew that Alex was looking for the third Gospel.
When he found it, he lay down next to the fire and started reading.

“Verse 13. But the angel said unto him: Fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son and thou shalt call him John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord … and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.”

“And I didn’t even have to hand you the book …”
Alex smiled.
“Read verses 30, 31 and 33.”

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary, for thou hast found favour in God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name JESUS. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

“Now read verse 37, Alex.”

“For with God nothing shall be