The Girl Who Was Buried in Her Ball Gown

As I passed through the plastic mirror for another visit into the pale–green concrete cell, Dad was not there. He must have been moved, or maybe he was simply someplace else. It didn’t matter, I had to go and find him.

I could feel the ominous presence of wickedness in that place; the sense of demonic power emanating throughout. It always unnerved me. I didn’t like it and I needed to find Dad quickly. I passed through the bars although I didn’t need to, the cells in this part of the prison were open at this time of the day anyway. I walked the compounds looking for Dad.

The first thing I saw truly disgusted me. There were a few spirit beings present – Pohane’s entourage probably. I knew their presence, I could smell them before I saw them. They were taunting some poor teenage kid and urging an older man to commit his twisted sodomy habit upon him, within a cell. He towered over the helpless kid who was whimpering and coughing quietly, while the man undid his trouser buttons. The boy was bent over the lower bunk and it looked like the older man had in his hand, a boot lace or something, which he had wrapped around the boy’s neck. It was loosened and dangled over the teenager’s shoulder and down along his back; both ends were still within the older man’s grasp.

Sudden realisation hit me. Oh no! It was Patrick! I recognised his face when he turned his head in my direction. I heard him pleading “No, not again! Don’t do this. Please!”

The man didn’t hear his pleas, or he just didn’t care. He was struggling with his buttons but he was determined, while the demons played havoc on his mind; the sickness planted within him.

“Ahh, shut your mouth, meat! It won’t take me long. I’m quick these days; I gotta be. The bloody screws, are regular around here with their patrols. Nah! It’ll be over soon. Now shut your trap!” He started to kiss Patrick’s neck, while fumbling at his helpless prey. I heard a shout above the raucous taunts of the evil presence there.

“Stop! What the hell are you up to! Leave the kid alone.” It was Dad! My Dad!

“Oh yeah! What are you going to do about it newbie?”

“It won’t take the guards long to get here if they’re called, Doug.”

“And you’ll be dead too when they get here, now piss off!”

“Leave the boy alone!” I was shocked, I had never seen Dad like this before. He was really stirred up about what this filth was trying to do to Patrick. I was glad; I thought the guy was going to kill him, but Dad stood his ground. Dad had done some self-defence classes before, but that was a while ago. I was freaking out, as the guy pulled up his pants and began to approach my Dad. Any chance of conflict resolution was over. This would only become messy from here on.

“Patrick, go get the guards! Quick!”

“You bloody stay there, meat. I’ll deal with him and then I’ll deal with you. Max bloody Walters, eh? Been here a month and you think you run the show!” The guy was easily another six–inches taller than Dad and built like a gorilla. He stalked towards Dad with confident strides. Dad looked like a kid at that moment beside the other guy, he was going to get himself killed! What was he doing? The gorilla approached Dad and squared up to him; I could see Dad sweating and yet he was unusually calm, prepared. I was flabbergasted, I couldn’t believe it! Patrick just stood there looking like he didn’t know if he should be pulling up his prison–green trousers and running, or to leave them down around his ankles.

The gorilla suddenly struck out at Dad with his right fist and Dad, my Dad, grabbed his arm and pulled it toward himself, causing Doug to lose balance and then Dad kneed him hard into his chest, winding him. The man kept falling and as he was dropping to the ground, Dad struck him again with his elbow across the back of his neck, causing him to crumple into a heap on the floor.

At that point, while the big guy was winded on the floor, Patrick grabbed what little confidence he had and pulled up his trousers and ran. Dad stood there agitated, nearly falling apart as he realised what he had just done.

“I’ll bloody kill you Max! Max Walters, you’re a dead man!” The gorilla was still puffing and trying to get back to his feet. Had Dad just solved a problem, or begun a new one? The options were grim and it freaked me out. Dad backed away, fists still clenched and turned to run in the direction that Patrick had just gone. I followed; the gorilla stayed on the ground, for a short while anyway.

They got to the guard cubicle and told the burly guard what had happened. He didn’t look too thrilled; he knew trouble would come out of this. He suggested they would move Doug to another part of the prison. He assured them it would take a few hours for it to be arranged. While he organised that, Dad and Patrick went out onto the field where there were others around, including plenty of guards, if needed to settle any brewing retaliations.

I was amazed just how this development between my murderer, well not my murderer really, since it was an accident — my ahh, transition master, my passing through administrator? Oh, I don’t know! My, whatever he was, and Dad had actually defended him. Had he forgiven Patrick? That was something I must ask him. In the meantime, I would have to wait, before I could appear to Dad. Could I forgive Patrick as liberally as Dad may have? I was dead, because of him.

The gorilla was gone by the time Dad went back to his cell, I didn’t know where though and I felt queasy about it. Dad went for his shower and was preparing for dinner before I could finally show myself.

He was sitting on his bed with a book; the Bible I think, and I smoked myself up. Dad looked up and then nodded the secret code I’d shown him before; ‘do-you-love-me?’ I responded with a squeeze on his arm; ‘yes-I-do’. He nodded again; ‘how-much?’ Oh, did I give him such a squeeze and he started to laugh, it was so great to see him smiling and laughing again.

“Oh Emma, so good to see you again.”

“Dad! I was petrified when you challenged that gorilla! Do you want to join me or something? Please don’t do that again!”

“Yes, so was I. Doug is his name, D.o.u.g.l.a.s.,” Dad said in staccato, then he continued, “And he’s with ’The Dogs’! A gang affiliate. In fact, I think he might even be one of the HH’s! Head honcho’s! I don’t know what came over me Emma. I was so disgusted with what he has been doing to Patrick. That hasn’t been the first time either. Patrick has become Doug’s latest toy. Sick puppy! You’re fading again Emma. Can’t you stay a little longer?”

“I know I am but I can’t keep myself visible for very long. I’ve already told you this. We need to mind-meld and that’s really the only way to keep up… ahh, appearances Dad.” He laughed at that and he was a natural at it too. So, we joined together in communal sub–consciousness.

“Please don’t try to keep up with the Joneses’ Emma. It never works. Always be true to yourself, my girl.”

“I’m hardly myself now Dad.”

“I know, I know. I miss you so much honey. My whole world’s been turned upside down. And you my dear, I am so glad you showed me your secret code language.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “She has been in a few times to try and torment me actually, and Patrick. I now know when it’s her. She hasn’t understood our code, so far.” Boy was that a relief! “I nodded at her the four times and she just stood there, continuing her manipulations and lies, totally oblivious to our gesture code.” Good!

“Shhh Dad! Don’t talk about it. I am glad too Dad, more than you know. She is the epitome of evil. Her name is Pohane. I found out about the Maori word pohane too. I googled it on a random computer somewhere when I was passing through, oh that’s right, in the guard’s office a week or so ago. Do you know what it actually means Dad? It means to desire, to lust and to expose the bum, and practice sodomy! Can you believe it! Oh my gosh, no wonder! Take a look at what’s happening to Patrick.

“By the way, how did you and Patrick come to this neutral relationship anyway? He was the guy driving the car remember, Dad. He killed me!” Dads face was aghast, I’m not sure if it was because of the meaning of Pohane’s name, or the memory of the accident; the first accident. Oh my, he had been through so much, we all had. I was beginning to understand the magnitude of it all. How far–reaching one simple mistake could truly be and the massive implications of it, in this fragile world.

“Yes, I know Emma, but so much more has changed since then, since I’ve been in here. It has actually been good for me, you know. I was becoming a drunk, honey. Angry, bitter, out of control. I even hit your mother once Emma, I had never done a thing like that, ever! I was the epitome of evil.”

“Oh Dad, you are not! Heck, I didn’t know that you’d hit her! Poor Mum. I hope Nikki and Tim didn’t see that! Did anyone of them see you hit Mum?”

“No. No, it was just between Mum and me. Oh, I am so sorry.” He was weeping, I could tell by his small convulsions. I left him to recover, not saying a word, just letting him get it out of his system. I hugged him, I could do that much at least; thanks to Peniel, and Elohim. What a precious gift they had given, not only to me, but to whomever else I could share it with.

As he recovered, his mind started to become anxious. He thought through what had happened between Doug and him and was on edge.

“Doug is not going to be a happy camper. What am I to do now? He’s probably planning an attack on me already, Emma. In here, people control others with fear, and also favours. Cigarettes are like gold in here, even if you don’t smoke. You can trade, barter and force people to carry out any number of ‘favours’ for you, with those.”

“Pray Dad! Pray for God’s protection. I was with Nikki when she was about to be raped Dad, and an angel came to protect her. That filthy whore-man couldn’t touch her and neither could my nemesis, Pohane! Someone had been praying for her, I’ll bet! Mum, or a person from church; someone would have been. That is why no harm came to her. But Toni, oh poor Toni. I bet no one was praying for her and she was raped and murdered Dad. She had no protection over her. The angel said just as much. Peniel, told Pohane that Nikki was covered, covered by the blood. Covered by the blood of Jesus, Dad. So are you!”

“Yeah well, if it is of any consequence Emma, I have been doing a lot of praying lately. I’ve got a lot of time on my hands and so I’ve been doing things differently. I’ve been praying for your mother, Nikki, Tim and others. As much as I hated to, I was even praying for Patrick. I knew what was happening to him, what Doug was doing with him. It sickened me. I guess my heart grew bigger, rather than my hate.”

“I’m so glad, Dad. I really am. See, you’re no evil henchman. All of us make mistakes.”

“As I prayed for him, Emma and for Doug to stop what he was doing, I started to understand just how Patrick must be feeling. About his part in your death, about being a young man with his whole life ahead of him and how he had seriously compromised his own future. Stuffed it up completely really. He’s actually a nice kid, kind and caring. But is now marked as a murderer! He’s been raped several times himself.

“He tried to hang himself in his cell a fortnight ago, the poor guy. I saved his life actually. I was a couple of cells down from him and I felt this unction, like a command in my heart, an inner voice saying, ‘Get out of your cell Max! Go and free Patrick.’”

Dad continued, “The cells were not locked and he didn’t know I was in my cell. At that moment, I struggled to get off my bed; I didn’t want to save him Emma! The bitterness came back. He was still the one who killed you, no matter how nice he might have been. But God literally filled my heart with love for the guy. He told me, ‘Patrick is My son, and you are also My son. Do to him, what you would have someone do to you and your own son!’

“So, as you can see, He didn’t give me much of a choice. Well, He did, but I knew the other choice I could have made, it would haunt me for the rest of my days. I would be no better than Doug. So, I did go and am thankful for it. I pulled him down from his make-shift rope and loosened the loop. Just as well the guards didn’t find out about it, otherwise he would have been put into a tiny cell and he would not have been allowed to get out of it. That would be a very lonely place to be and I think it would do him more damage mentally, than whatever else had happened. He’d be a candidate for the nut farm pretty soon, after something like that, I’m sure.

“I’ve taken him under my wing Emma, as a lost son…” Suddenly Dad started sobbing again. And what he said next, nearly broke my heart, “…my lost daughter!” I gave him another hug, a really tight one and let his weeping run its course. I was a mess as well. Soon after, we both just sat quietly, in good company. Then, I understood how Dad and Patrick had bonded. Forgiveness, what a wonderful thing. There was no stress in forgiveness, once you’ve crossed over the threshold of it, that is. However, actually stepping over that threshold was the tricky part.

There was a funny electronic buzz, which sounded throughout the prison. It must have been the dinner bell, to assemble most of the inmates together. All in one room. For a brief moment, I wondered who else might be there and who I might see. Maybe friends of Pohane?