Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

This is the Wakefield Doctrine’s contribution to the Six Sentence Story bloghop.

Denise is the host.

Following is the next installment in the (serialized) ‘backstory’ of the newest character from the Six Sentence Café & Bistro oeuvre, Sybil Trainor.

This week’s prompt word is:

VISA

“Hope everything was to your liking,” the waitress raised her eyebrows but stared down at the card reader on the glass counter at the door of ‘Stillwells Eat ‘n Go Luncheonette’; pulling the card from the front-left pocket of her jeans, Sybil hovered the Visa like a latter-day Holy Spirit until it bestowed $9.78 worth of blessings.

Her decision to drive to Radcliffe by way of state and secondary roads only, came to her as the sign ‘Leaving Yates Center (pop. 1372)’ disappeared in the rearview mirror; now, walking along Main Street of Edwardsville IL, the smile that ushered in her decision, chased up behind her like a childhood friend; looking to her left across the Sunday-quiet street at the plate glass shop windows, her smile sharpened into a grin at the white dress and Sunday-to-Church-hat her reflection wore.

Diagonally across from where she had lunch was the Town Square, which for all of no longer being in Kansas, was as familiar as her right forearm; all forty-five degree angles and dry decorative fountains, as if the founders, quite in thrall of the civic DNA from ‘Back East’ were simply too exhausted to do more than pay lip service to a world left behind.

A voice, echoing quietly off the storefronts, drew her attention to a large black man standing at the back of an even larger, but also black, SUV; it’s tailgate open, a small array of loudspeakers aimed at the curious,

“My brethren of the cloth love Revelation 17:1-18:24, more intent, sad to say, on causing fear in those who must bear under the Great Tribulations that approach,” the man stood on a small area rug, held a cordless microphone in his left hand and wore a 21st century version of a Nehru jacket.

“While it is true the Rapture will take up the Saved, our Lord is merciful and those of us remaining will be given a second chance,” like the thin branches of a dowsing rod, the man’s eyes rose above the small crowd and locked on Sybil’s;

“We are invited to stand with Him against the army of the Beast, ’cause God loves you and the things you fear make you unworthy, are the very things that gives it power”.

Sybil stared back at the preacher as he began to sing and wondered, with a smile, that maybe she hadn’t given religion enough credit for bringing something into the world that might help with the endless hunger that grew in a part of herself she allowed no one to see.

*