The Final Blessing

The Final Blessing

General Glorydog was wounded while rallying his troops on the battlefield. Brought to a nearby farmhouse, a physician and a priest were summoned.
The priest was a man of small stature, somewhat timid but with a firm grip. When I first ushered him into the house I will never forget the way he held my gaze as we shook hands on his arrival. He seemed reserved and avoided others as the chaotic scene played out in the farm house turned hospital.
The priest was escorted into the bedroom that had been turned into a hospital room. Although the general was groggy he was aware of the activities around him. The mood in the house was more optimistic as the General’s condition stabilized.  The priest had asked for his bag, and for everyone to leave the room step outside so he could say a pray and give his blessing.
Everyone left the room except the general’s private bodyguard, a Lieutenant who adamantly refused. The Lieutenant took a position by the door at a parade rest stance. The priest blessed himself and made the sign of the cross over the patient. With hands clasped and in a low voice the priest said a prayer over the general. He then reached into his bag for holy oil and anointed the general’s forehead. Putting the flask away the priest pulled out a revolver, clasped it with both hands, dropped into a firing position and fired at the guard by the door. He was hit between the eyes and dead before he hit the floor. The priest moved swiftly to lock the door, the shot alerted everyone in the house. He turned and fired one more shot ending the general’s long and storied career. Ripping off the cassock, the spy bolted across the room and burst through the window as the door splintered open.
Shots rang out after the spy who had jumped off the roof onto his horse positioned for a quick escape below. The cavalry would pursue but never the catch the spy. The final story would recap the brilliant general’s successes that ended with a wound suffered on the field of battle leading his troops. No one would ever know about the spy disguised as a priest who had risked it all.