Sina sat on the ledge of the window. His head rested against the glass so that every time the thunder roared, he felt it down to the core of his being. Touching the rumbling pane, Sina felt every vibration. Outside the day had turned black.
The rain was needed. This Sina knew. He could almost see the farmers dropping pitchforks and falling on their knees to praise the God they sometimes believed in.
Cookie had left an hour ago. He had accidentally woken Sina as he dashed from bathroom to kitchen to bedroom, getting coffee and beautifying himself. He had been singing something Sina knew was a hymn because he'd counted twelve Jesuses and seventeen Saviors along with a bunch of Hallelujahs.
Sina thought back to how Cookie lit up as he got ready for church. It was like he got when a john fell into a drunken coma that second after he'd handed Sina the money and right before Sina had to do anything. So that's what God must be like. Not getting fucked but still getting the cash.
Raindrops fell onto the dust. Sina saw the ground sizzle.
It wasn't that he didn't believe in God. He did. He knew God existed but he didn't do God or church. It wasn't possible. Sina also knew the Devil existed. He knew there was a hell just as much as there was a heaven. But Sina hated them all: God, Devil, Heaven and Hell. That's why he was stuck on earth – to endure a lifetime of grief.
Reaching to the sofa under the window, Sina grabbed a red, white, and blue blanket with WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS printed along the length. He draped it around his shoulders and shuddered as a chill nipped at his flesh. By Friday, he would have to have found a new home or a sturdy cardboard box. Frowning, he squished his forehead to the glass and wondered if he broke through it if it would be sharp enough to end him.
In the distance, Sina Noir heard singing. He knew it was a hymn but didn't care as to which one. The voices carrying it sucked, all but two and he knew one was Cookie's. Were he human, he wouldn't have been able to hear it at all. But Sina had never been human.
Rising slowly, he slipped his feet into his shoes and traded the blanket for his jean jacket. As Sina walked out of the house, the singing got louder. When the rain fell over him and plastered his hair to his skin, he turned his face to the dark sky, closed his eyes and listened.
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Heaven - ONC 2022 LONGLISTED - old version
ParanormalDARKLINGS, FYI: a new, longer version of Heaven can be found here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/321729586-heaven The arrival of a new priest, Father Caleb Hill, causes ripples in the sleepy community of Heaven, Arizona - a place full of people who...
