Nobody Can Say It's You

75

"Thy release and rest I give to thee, dear one. Come not hither down to earth again. For thy everlasting peace, I pledge my soul. Amen."

The sin-eater.

Some say he roams these hills no more.

Some say that in this modern age, there is no need for one who pawns his soul for others' sins.

Some say.

There once was a man who lived far back in the woods. Shunned by all, he was only summoned when death visited the mountains.

The somber line of folks march to the graveyard. The body of the loved one goes with them, laid flat across the bier.

She looks at peace. Her Sunday dress and hat. Her boots polished to a shiny black. Her hand lay still across her breast. She looks at peace.

But is she?

Is it just a ruse she plays? She lays so still. Too still to be alive.

Her body's cold and waxy. A bluish tint to her lips.

But is this just a ruse?

Her soul has not departed. It is here with us in this desolate place, this graveyard full of stones that mark the ones who've preceded us to the great unknown beyond this mortal life.

She is here. Just as much as if she still inhabited the flesh and bones that now lie here before us all.

I feel her. Her spirit. She is looking over our shoulders. Making sure that we do this right and proper.

She is here to oversee her body laid to rest.

The torches flicker in the mist. The night is heavy and bleak, a mirror's reflection of our souls. We do not speak. We do not smile. This is not the time for such.

She is laid upon the mound of dirt that will soon lie over her.

A cloth is spread across her stomach below her folded hands. A wooden plate holds a piece of bread. It is set upon the cloth. A wooden cup is placed near the plate. The table has been spread.

We turn our backs. I shut my eyes. I do not wish to see what is to come.

But my ears are open. Opened wide. And I cannot help but hear his heavy steps.

For he is coming.

He is coming.

He is here.

The sin-eater is here. I cannot help but hear him. He is so close by. He stops. I know that he is at the body. I hear him grunt. He must be kneeling down, as I've been told he does.

I hear him eat the bread. He chews and slaps his lips. He slurps the wine in great gulps. He belches.

I hear, speak, and know that he is almost done.

"Thy release and rest I give to thee, dear one. Come not hither down to earth again. For thy everlasting peace I pledge my soul. Amen."

He has taken her sins. They black his soul. He will leave now, burdened with another's trespasses. It is his call in life. His duty.

His only friends are the unclean spirits who are as unholy as he.

We will not look into his eyes. We do not call his name. He is the leper. The Outcast. The Unclean.

He may walk among the strangers who live in town. They do not know what he is. They do not care. Non-believers look him in the eye, but he casts his down.

The shadow follows him wherever he goes.

He keeps to himself.

How did he get this way? Why was he chosen?

Did his father take the sins of all upon him to stave off starvation?

The sins of his father are passed down to him.

He wears the iniquity that scars us all.

The sin-eater.

***

It was another essay sent to Anna by the same anonymous author. She knew because there was that image at the end. What was it? Anna wondered. There was nothing to do but print it out and study it.

"Hadley," Anna said, "I can't believe my luck. I was just wondering if you were busy."

"I'm returning these books I checked out a couple of weeks ago," Hadley said. "I want to stay on the head librarian's good side when it comes to late fees."

Both women laughed.

"What's going on down in book land?" Hadley asked.

"Nothing much," said Anna. "Same old same old. But I got another one of those strange essays. It was sent yesterday. I only got around to opening up the emails this morning. Here take a look."

"Another one of those strange flowers at the end," Hadley said. "It's like a signature."

"I don't know what to make of it," said Anna.

"Can I have this copy?" said Hadley. "I have some stuff to do, but later, I can give it my undivided attention. It's haunting, isn't it?"

"Yes," said Anna. "I wonder who is sending me these. I feel like there's almost some kind of message or something."

Crash!

It was the sound of metal meeting metal, just outside the library's door.

Hadley and Anna rushed to see what was going on.

"Oh my lord," Anna said. "It's a wreck."

"Is anybody hurt?" Hadley asked.

No one was hurt. It was just a fender bender.

"That light was green!" Beul Fifield said.

"It was red," said Orvis Noonemacher.

"Yes, it sure was on your side!" Beul said.

Bill was quickly on the scene.

"Let's let the sheriff sort that out," Anna said.

"Your right, Anna," Hadley said. "We didn't see it happen. And I think that the only thing we'd be in is in the way."

Anna and Hadley started to step back inside the library.

Hadley turned around. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was one of the Elanor twins driving Button Dudley's truck.

"Anna," Hadley said, "look."

Anna turned and looked over Hadley's shoulder.

"Did you see that?" Hadley asked.

"What, Hadley?" Anna said.

"All I see is Beul and Orvis giving Bill one heck of a time."

"Strange," muttered Hadley. "Very strange."