THE DARK MESSIAH

BONDI BEACH, NSW, late July 2024
The Harper family was seated amongst others on blankets on the yellow sands of Bondi Beach in the late afternoon. Although mid-winter late July had produced surprisingly balmy weather, so the Harpers like a few others were enjoying the late spring-like weather after a freezing winter to that stage.
"Can we go in swimmin', Dad?" asked Janine 'Jan' Harper, a tall, for her age, seven-year-old ravenette.
"It's still too cold for swimming," insisted her mother, thirty-something Deborah 'Debbie' Harper, whose raven hair Jan had inherited.
"But we wanna go swimmin'!" insisted Jennifer 'Jenny', a six-year-old redhead like her father. Not because she particularly wanted to swim, but because she always agreed with her big sister.
"It's still too cold," agreed Leyton 'Tony' Harper, a tall thin, forty-something man.
"Yeah, you babies," scolded Daniel 'Danny' Harper, a tall blond boy. At eleven Danny saw himself as mature compared to his 'baby' sisters.
"We're not babies!" protested Jan.
"No, but you're too young to go swimming by yourselves," pointed out Debbie, unwisely.
"Couldn't you come wiff us Mummy!" said Jen.
Both girls gave their poor mother the best 'moo-cow eyes' they could manage.
"Looks like you've been outvoted, Deb," teased Tony with a grin.
"Sooner her, than me," said Danny with a broad smirk.
Conceding defeat, Debbie Harper stood. Taking her daughters by the hand, she headed reluctantly down the beautiful golden sands toward the pale blue waters of Bondi. Dipping a toe reluctantly in the water, she said:
"Brrrr, it's much too cold, girls."
Dipping a big toe into the water, despite the icy cold, Jan insisted: "No it's not. Henyway, we'll get used to the cold once we're right under the water."
"White unda da water," mimicked Jen.
"Oh, okay," said Debbie reluctantly: "But I for one have no intention of getting right under the water."
"Good, 'cause we'd dwown if you did," said Jen as they three females started hesitantly into the water.
"Have fun," teased Tony, drawing a sneer from his wife.
"Have you any aches or pains in your body, sir?" asked the tall, lean, grey-haired man suddenly coming up to stand over the two seated males.
"What?" asked Tony, wondering if he had misheard.
"Have you any aches and pains?" repeated the man: "I am a man of the cloth, and healing is one of my specialties."
"Faith healing?" asked a sceptical Danny.
"No, the Lord's healing ... as did Jesus, John the Baptist, and others in ancient times," explained the Man: "In the days when Jesus walked the Earth."
"Frankly we don't believe in healing," said Tony.
"Other than by licenced doctors," added the blond-haired boy.
"My name is Seth Somners," said the man, who was dressed like a traditional priest in black robes, with a reversed collar.
He held out his right hand, and without think, Tony took it to shake. Instead, Seth held it in his and began to chant:
"Dear Father heal this man of all of his aches and pains."
"Now wait a minute..." started Tony, stopping as he realised that the arthritic pain in his left shoulder had indeed stopped. For the first time since early May: "Um, thank you."
"Only doing the Father's work," said Seth.
Despite her original reluctance, Debbie had allowed the two girls to lead her into the water until it was up to her thighs, and both Jan and Jen were swimming.
"See, Mummy, it's not dat cold," said Jen, despite being covered in goosebumps.
"Actually ..." began Jan, stopping as she saw the black fin heading toward them: "What's dat, Mum?"
Debbie looked round, then screamed: "Shark!"
Although no one had been killed in a shark attack at Bondi since February 2022, Debbie had the sinking feeling that was about to change, as she saw, three more black fins heading their way. Two scared to run, she nonetheless picked up her two daughters to get them out of the icy water.
On the beach, Tony and the others heard Debbie's cry and stood to stare helplessly staring toward her.
As the siren to evacuate the water started, Seth Somners raced into the water, to rapidly wade up to the terrified females.
Instead of helping them, however, the holy man continued past them toward the shark fins. Holding up his arms in salutation he cried:
"Creatures of the Father, stop for your forward path toward these good ladies. Allow them safe passage back to the sands."
"What is that idiot doing?" asked Danny as Tony raced into the water, followed by a female lifeguard.
They raced up to Debbie and the two girls, not expecting to get there in time. However, the sharks had stopped advancing as though listening to the preacher:
"The Lord's good creatures, return to the deep ocean where you belong!" instructed Seth.
And to the astonished delight of Tony and the others, the four sharks turned round and headed back out to the ocean.
"How did he do that?" asked the lifeguard.
Tony grabbed his wife and two daughters and half led, half carried them back to the safety of the golden sands of Bondi Beach.
"How did you do that?" the lifeguard asked Seth as he finally started back out of the waters.
"Just doing the Lord's work," said Seth following the lifeguard back up to the beach.
On the sand, well-wishers surrounded Debbie and the girls, while others congregated around Seth Somners, congratulating him on stopping the potential shark attack. Many of them had filmed or videoed the incident with their phones, so it was no surprise when the story appeared in all major New South Wales newspapers the next morning, plus a few papers in Victoria and Queensland. Within two days the story was on YouTube, and most other internet forums, as well as having been broadcast on CNN, the BBC, and all major TV or radio stations in the free world, plus a few in the rest of the world. Most newspapers also carried the story.

Having refused to be taken to hospital, the Harpers were sitting down to breakfast the next morning. Debbie and Tony to bacon and eggs, Danny to three vegemite crumpets, and the two girls to rice bubbles with plenty of full cream milk.
"Modern Messiah saves three girls from shark attack on Bondi Beach," Debbie read from the Bondi Bugle: "Girls?"
"Take it as a compliment, babe," said Tony, making himself and bacon and egg sandwich.
"Yeah, Mum," teased Danny: "You're past the age where most people would call you a girl."
"You cheeky wretch," said Debbie with a smile.
"Cheeky wetch," agreed Jen, before going back to her rice bubbles.
After they had finished breakfast, Debbie and Tony washed the dishes, then while Debbie and Danny went upstairs to change, Tony and the girls went to have their morning shower together.
As usual Tony helped wash the two girls, then suddenly he stopped.
"What's wong, Daddy?" asked Jan.
"Can't help myself, honey," said Tony in a strange, high voice.
"Can't help...?" began Jenny, stopping as her father grabbed her around the neck and twisted her neck sideways snapping it and killing the child instantly.
Jan screamed and tried to escape her father, however, he easily grabbed her and killed her more slowly, strangling his older daughter to death.
"Just doing the Father's work," said Tony, before stepping out of the shower.
Drying himself, he dressed, then stepped out into the corridor, leaving the two girls in the shower cubicle, the now cold water still running across the naked corpses.\
"Hi honey, where are the girls?" asked Debbie as Tony stepped into the kitchen again.
"I left them in the shower."
"What?" asked Debbie. Puzzled, she started into the corridor, followed by Tony and Danny.
"Girls?" she said as she swung the shower door open. Then seeing them lying, twisted at strange angles on the shower floor, she raced in to pick them up: "Oh God, what happened to them?"
"I killed them," said Tony blasely.
"What?" asked Debbie, not believing what she had heard.
"I had to," said Tony: "I was just doing the Lord's work."
At that he raised his hands menacingly and started into the shower cubicle, oblivious to the still running water, to strangle Debbie.
Debbie cowered, still cradling the corpses of Jan and Jen, expecting to die herself.
A loud crack came from behind Tony, and Tony suddenly fell forward, making Debbie scream. Looking up, she saw Danny holding a huge glass bath salts bottle, which he had just used to smash in his father's head.
"Are you okay mum?" asked the eleven-year-old putting down the jar to help his mother up.

Mid-August 2024, Merridale Victoria
Over at the Yellow House in Rochester Road in Merridale, in the Victorian countryside, they were just settling down to tea at 7:30 PM.
"So what's for tucks tonight, Mrs. M.?" asked Sheila Bennett. A Goth chick with orange-and-black-striped hair, at age thirty-five, Sheila was Senior Constable and second-top cop of the BeauLarkin to Willamby area.
"All of your favourites, dear," said Deidre Morton, a short, plumpish sixty-something brunette up to chef standards as a cook: "Duck L'Orange, followed by Cherries Jubilee."
"Fabuloso," said Sheila.
"Not that I'm complaining," said Terri Scott. Also thirty-five, Terri was an attractive ash blonde, and top cop of the area. She was also engaged to Colin: "But how come we always get Sheils's favourites?"
"Because she's my favourite," said Deidre.
"It's a perfect symbiotic relationship," said Sheila: "Mrs. M. likes pampering me, and I like being pampered."
"Exactly," agreed Deidre Morton placing the roast duck upon the dining room table.
"I'm not complaining," said Tommy Turner. A recent retiree, Tommy was short fat, blond, and loved a drink ... way too much: "As long as I can have a dollop of brandy of both my duck and cherries."
"No, we're the ones who complain when you do disgusting things like that," said Natasha Lipzing.
At seventy, the tall, thin, grey-haired old lady had spent the second half of her life at the Yellow House -- so named because of Deidre Morton's obsession with the colour yellow.
"So true," said Colin Klein.
The tall attractive redheaded man had been a top London crime reporter for thirty years, before at age forty-eight moving to Merridale to take employment with the Glen Hartwell Police Force.
"Absolutely," agreed Freddy Kingston, the last member of the household.
Also a recent retiree, Freddy was tall, stout, and bald, apart from a Larry Fine-style ruff of curly black hair at the back and sides of his head.
"Brandy is fab," insisted Tommy.
"Agreed," said Freddy: "When drunk after dinner from a glass ... But not poured all over your meal and dessert."
"Ah, you have no appreciation of the finer things in life."
"Coming from you..." began Freddy; stopping to tuck in as Deidre placed his food before him.
After tea, they settled into the lounge room to watch 'The World's Stupidest Stuntman Down Under'.
"How much longer does this stupid show go for?" asked Natasha, hating the show but sick of having to retire after tea to read in her bedroom.
"Two hours," said Sheila, puzzled.
"No, I meant how many more weeks will we have to endure this rubbish?"
"Through till the first week of November," said Sheila.
"Although how anyone could possibly not like it?" asked Tommy.
"The title is enough to make me not like it," insisted Natasha.
Picking up her mystery novel, Natasha started toward the stairs to the second storey. Soon followed by Deidre Morton with her knitting bag.
"She's knitting me a sweater to wear under my uniform," said Sheila.
"She really does pamper you!" said Terri snuggling up to Colin.
"As I said before, it's a relationship we're both happy with."
After the program finished Sheila yawned widely and said: "I'm well and truly ready for bed."
"Maybe, but we're all going to church first," said Terri.
"Damn, I'd forgotten," said Sheila.
"But it's 9:30 on a Friday evening," pointed out Tommy: "Have you lot all changed your religion."
"No, we're going to see the so-called Bondi Messiah," explained Colin as the three police officers stood up.
"The bloke who saved those three women at Bondi Beach a couple of weeks ago?"
"It was a mother and his two daughters," said Terri.
"Although only one of them was really saved," said Colin: "Since their father murdered the two girls the next morning."
"Well, what's he doing in Merridale?"
"He's not, he's in Glen Hartwell," said Sheila as they all headed toward the front door.
"Come to spread his so-called miracles to our area," explained Terri.
"I hope he was warned about all the monsters and maniacs in this area."
"Maybe the monsters and maniacs need to be warned about him," said Colin prophetically.

Forty minutes later Terri and co were sitting at wooden chairs in the main hall of the Glen Hartwell Town Hall in Boothy Street, G.H. Like the floor, the stage was highly polished teak, with green and cold curtains hiding the back of the stage on each side of the stage were three flags: The Victorian State flag, the Australian National flag, and the Australian Aboriginal Flag. Over a thousand people sat on chairs in the main ballroom, with hundreds more lining the walls.
"Good turnout," teased Colin.
"Well, it is the Bondi Messiah," teased back Terri.
"So how much longer do we have to wait?" complained Sheila.
"The Bondi Messiah is worth waiting for," said a blonde teenage girl in the seat behind her: "All hail the Bondi Messiah!"
"Yes, of course," said Sheila, trying her best not to raise her eyes to the heavens: "Do they sell Eskimo Pies or lollies here?"
"They're now called Polar Pies," said the girl dreamily: "But who could eat when the Bondi Messiah is about to appear?"
As though hearing the girl, a hand opened the centre of the green and gold curtains and out stepped Seth Somners.
"All hail the Bondi Messiah!" shouted the girl and a thousand other people.
"I wish I could command this kind of following," said Sheila.
"You can't perform miracles," whispered the girl: "Like the Miracle of the Sharks."
"The Miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand sounds more impressive," said Sheila, receiving a glare from the teenage girl.
"Good people of Glen Hartwell," said Seth Somners spreading his hands wide: "I am gladdened to see that so many good people have opened their hearts to the Lord ... through me."
"Couldn't we just deal directly with the Lord?" whispered Sheila, making Terri and Colin giggle.
For half an hour or so the Dark Messiah sermonised, before stating: "Now is there anyone suffering from afflictions?"
More than a hundred hands rose.
"Then come up onto the stage to be healed."
"A faith-healer yet," whispered Sheila, just loud enough for the Messiah to overhear.
"No, dear lady the Lord heals through me, I don't do the healing."
So saying he began laying hands upon the infirm, most of who had bad backs, or sore shins and other trivial complaints.
"I repeat, I prefer the Miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand," said Sheila, ignoring the glares from hundreds of people around her.
Without showing any emotion, the Dark Messiah looked at Sheila for a moment, then looked at the audience and said: "Is there anyone here with more serious injuries."
Standing with some difficulty, an elderly man said: "I lost my left leg in the Vietnam War, and I have been having trouble with it lately."
"Could someone please help him up onto the stage?" asked Somners, and soon Seth was standing in front of him.
"Hold him up," instructed the preacher, before removing the prosthetic leg, which dripped puss and green slime.
"I don't think you should be touching that!" called Terri starting toward the stage: "He needs a doctor."
"The doctors can't do anything for me," complained the old man, Clancy Thomas.
"Well, he sure can't," said Colin, as the three cops started loping toward the steps to the stage.
"Oh Ye of little faith!" said Seth Somners to riotous applause from the audience.
Reaching down, he put his hands around Clancy's weeping stump, from which yellow puss and green slime began to pour like water.
"Get away from him!" ordered Terri.
But even as she spoke the fluid stopped running from the gangrenous stump.
"I take orders only from My Lord!" cried Seth continuing to hold the stump.
Which, to 'aahs' from the audience and disbelief from Terri, Colin, and Sheila began to increase in size. Slowly, but surely, the lost leg began to grow back before their eyes.
"What the fuck?" asked Terri Scott, not believing her own eyes.
"Do you have faith?" Seth demanded.
"Absolute faith in you and the Lord!" shouted Clancy.
As though waiting for that affirmation, the lost leg began growing back at a greatly accelerated speed, until in only minutes, Clancy Thomas had two whole legs again. With all signs of gangrene gone from the former stump.
"Do you believe!" shouted Seth Somners as the newly formed left leg began to fill out until it was stronger and healthier than the right left.
"Yes!" shouted Clancy Thomas, plus twelve hundred other people in the town hall.
"How the fuck?" asked Colin as the three chops started examining the newly grown lim.
"It feels real," said Sheila in disbelief.
"Of course it is real," said Seth sounding peeved: "Didn't you just see the Lord grow back this poor chap's leg."
"The Miracle of the New Leg!" shouted the blonde teen who had been seated behind Sheila.
"The Miracle of the New Leg!" shouted twelve hundred other people.
"Do you still doubt that My Lord works through me?" asked Seth, doing his best not to break out into a broad shit-eater grin.
"We don't know who works through you," said Colin Klein.
"Thank you, Messiah," said Clancy heading back towards the stage steps.
"Do you need a hand, Clancy?" asked Terri.
"No thank you, the Messiah has already helped me," said Clancy.
This time Seth Somners was unable to resist a broad shit-eater grin.
"Let's get outta here," said Sheila, and the three police headed after the healed man.
As they entered Boothy Street, Colin asked: "Can we give you a lift home, Clancy?"
"No thank you, for the first time in years I can walk comfortably."
"Can we ask you to see Jesus Costello tomorrow so he can examine your new leg, at least?" asked Terri.
"What for?"
Thinking quickly, Sheila said: "So he can see the Miracle of the New Leg."
"Well ... all right," agreed Clancy before starting down Boothy Street.
As they entered her police-blue Lexus, Terri said: "Tommy might not have had such a bad idea about us changing religion."



They have Clancy tested by Jesus Costello and Tilly Lombstrom who are equally astonished but have to admit that his healing seems to be real.
As they are examining him, Seth Somners turns up and agrees to heal people in front of Jesus and Tilly.
Then things start to go wrong.
People he 'healed' go mad and start killing and raping people.
Others commit suicide, sometimes killing their entire family.
Others join suicide pacts or start their own murder cults and start slaughtering people.
The priest points out that the healer is actually the Dark Messiah, or Anti-Christ, who has been sent up to Earth to create chaos and death!!
THE END

© Copyright 2024 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia