How the World Ends by Joel Varty Read Free Book Online Page A

us when we are weak in the spirit. It sits there, restless but silent, until we stumble blindly into its depths. Usually we need help to get us out of a place like that.”
    I look up, blinking into the beams of sunlight that sweep impossibly through the frosted windows – giving the place an other-worldly feel.
    “Who are you?” I say, wondering why my solitude can be so complete on a crowded train, yet I can’t seem to get a moment to myself in an empty church.
    “I’m Jim Black,” he says, and looking closer I can see that he is the minister here. His presence is a reassurance that the place is just empty of people, not abandoned. “Michael asked me to have a word with you. He’s worried about Gabe.”
    This isn’t what I expected to hear at this moment. Any chance for further introspection is gone as Jim approaches me. His earnest eyebrows are the only shield for his bright blue eyes, which are his most prominent feature. Plain clothes, grey hair and a medium build complete the picture of a man whose strength emanates from inside, as if the confidence in his bearing comes from knowing that he is on the right path. I see instantly in him what I am lacking.
    He stands before me and holds out a gnarled, strong-looking hand that both contradicts and compliments the gentle nature of his manner. I take his hand and rise to stand. I am a full head taller than this old man, but I seem to be standing in his shadow, and the light seems to shift behind him for a moment, causing a glowing effect above and around him.
    “Guilt is a trap we make for ourselves, and you simply don’t have time to go in that direction now.” Jim’s eyes are kind, but hard, and he gives me a sense of understanding and forgiveness at the same time that his eyes expect something more.
    “Alright,” I say. “What do I need to do?”
    Jim smiles a crooked, lopsided smile that reaches all the way to his eyebrows. This time he manages to look slightly mischievous while being completely joyful. “You just need to look after your family.”
    “Oh. Well that doesn’t seem so hard.”
    “You haven’t read your bible lately, have you?”
    “Not really,” I say. “What does that have to do with my family?”
    “That depends,” he says. “On where you go and who you take with you. Those who follow will become your family. And they’ll follow you because they can’t stay here. Neither can you.”
    “What do mean?” I ask, feeling, as always, like I am missing something.
    “You need to find a place where you can look after people. I can help you a little bit, but things are complicated right now. You have to find Gabe before he makes things more difficult than they already are.” He trails off a bit, looking down and to the side, as if there are a lot of things unspoken that I have missed.
    “What on earth are you talking about? Gabe is just a child! Where is he?”
    “Gabe is only acting like a child. That tends to happen when they try to overstep their bounds. You see, they are only meant to be messengers to this world, and rarely are they are allowed to seek out and influence those to whom they would speak.”
    This is starting to sound less and less believable.
    “What are you saying – that Gabe is trying to find someone?”
    “It’s more than that – he is trying to do something. This is strictly forbidden, and we have to intervene so that – ” he cuts himself off in mid-sentence. “Rather, you have to intervene so that the damage is not irreparable.”
    “What damage could a small child possibly cause that you need me to sort it out? Is this something to do with Ruben?”
    Jim looks at me and his face is solemn. “You are quite possibly here because of what happened to Ruben, but that is not the cause. As I said with Gabe, some things that have transpired only cause other things to be a little more complicated.”
    “You’re going to have to spell it out for me, then, because I’m not following you. All I know is