“All I’m saying,” the Reverend was saying, “is he’s a good kid who’s overcome a lot of adversion.”
“Adversion, huh? He talk about what kind of adversion?”
The Reverend answered calmly, “I don’t think I’ll tell you that, but what I will tell you is that he has forgiven his troublers.”
“What you talking about?” Dennis was shaking in frustration.
“I’m telling you that you have been forgiven.”
Dennis froze. “What did you say?” he hissed.
“I said you’ve been forgiven.” Dennis swung around, nearly looking dead at me. I ducked behind a large stump. What was happening?
“You trying to tell me something, mister? Something I should know? I know you preachy types talk in riddles, I know that’s s’posed to mean something in some language! Tell me, or you’ll regret it!”
“I’m not hiding anything from you, my friend…”
“Don’t talk to me like that!”
“If you want to tell me something, I’m hear to listen.”
“Yeah? Well listen to this: I’ve had enough of you!”
The fiery bang drowned out my petrified scream.