Though the church is plain
and unassuming on the outside, the inside gives you the feeling of being
in a holy place. Nothing fancy, but clean and quiet. Not having
much to attract the normal tourist, it is quiet inside. You walk
into the sanctuary with it's royal red plush carpeting and are attracted
to the painting on one of the walls. Though it's no Rembrandt, it
is a lovely painting of Christ in the clouds. His nail scarred hands showing,
and a single tear in His eye as He looks down at the people He loves who
are focusing on the world, and forgetting all about Him.
While you're looking at the painting,
you feel, rather than hear, someone come up and stand beside you.
You force your eyes away from the painting and to a man dressed in dress
pants and a crisp white shirt.
"Pastor Dan" he answers the
question you've not even voiced with a firm handshake.
He shows you around the church, and seems to sense that you have some questions, so he leads you to his office and invites you to sit in a delightfully comfortable chair. He takes a seat across from you, looks you directly in the eye, and asks "Is there something bothering you?"
His friendly, open ways disarm you, and you spill everything. You explain your reason for coming to this town, and assure him you are not a reporter or anyone who will try to make money off of the mystery of this town. It's just your own curious personality.
He sits back, very thoughtful, and doesn't speak for a bit... You look around his office, and try to understand him. He has no diplomas on his walls, so you assume he's not a prideful man. He must do alot of reading, because he has two walls covered by bookshelves.
Before you can go on, the pastor speaks. He first reminds you that curiosity killed the cat (perhaps a warning to you?), then says he will tell you what he can without causing trouble or gossiping.
He tells you that the town was named after Sheriff Branch's father, back in the spring of 1963. He mentions how some evil had taken over the town just before that, and that John Branch Sr. had, with God's help, broken the grip of evil and reclaimed the town for God.
When you ask about the evil, and was Lucy Fire involved, he pauses a minute, then tells you that while in the grip of satan, there were weird things going on in this town. Things that most people wouldn't believe, but that he had seen with his own eyes. He mentions fires starting with no one around, people actually being in two places at once, demons causing havoc, and the prevalence of deceit and pure evil.
He also mentions a single cause to the whole destruction. When you try to find out what that was, he just tells you that some things are best left unknown. Since he describes the destruction as huge, you ask why authorities from other cities were not brought in. He tells you because, first of all, it happened all at once. He says all that most people know is that there was a town fire that burned down more than half of the buildings. Many lives were lost, and many people chose to move away. When asked if the fire caused the deaths, he shakes his head, and leaves it at that.
Now, Pastor Dan stands up, and shakes your hand, signaling that he is done talking. You thank him for sharing with you, then ask the question that has been burning in your mind: Why would he tell you all this?
He smiles and tells you there was something about you that showed him you could be trusted. He sensed that you were someone who would know "how to pray when the time comes". He said he also sensed that you would not drop this matter here and would continue searching for answers, even though it would be his suggestion to just enjoy the town now and not worry about it's past.
You smile and nod, knowing he is right. You cannot let this drop now. You've only started discovering the secret. As you turn to leave, Pastor Dan sends you off with a "God bless you and PLEASE be careful".