In God's House

Once again Samantha found herself waking up in an unfamiliar room. This time Reverend Crane sat on a chair next to the bed she lay on. The moment she saw his face, Samantha sat up in bed and looked for a mirror. "What did you do to me?" she demanded. She threw off a quilt to examine herself. As far as she could tell, nothing had changed.

"Be still, my child. No one is going to hurt you," Reverend Crane said. He reached out to take her hand, but she snatched it away. "There's no need to be afraid. You're safe."

"Liar! You already killed three children. Now you're going to kill me too."

"It was an unfortunate accident what happened to those children. But they received due punishment for their gluttony."

"And what about Miss Brigham, was that an accident?"

"For betraying the community and importing evil influences she deserved to meet the Lord's final judgment. I spared her life because she has served me well for many years and will do so now for many more."

"You made her into a fool."

"I changed nothing of her personality. She merely reverted to her adolescent state." Before Samantha could say anything else, Reverend Crane held up a hand. "I know this troubles you, my child. I did not want this to happen, but you brought it upon our community. Your influence over Miss Brigham and the children left me with no choice but to take drastic action."