The Church (Every Town has this place)

The Church (Every Town Has This Place)

    Legends surround at least one place in every town. Whether it's an old house that hasn't been lived in for years or the forest surrounding the town that is believed to hold monsters and demons.

    My town is no different. The place is a stereotypical two story run down church with broken windows and a floor when stepped on improperly lets you experience the basement. You can probably picture it in your head right now. Think of a church then imagine the paint being replaced with the old grey wood color and the window frames being nothing but lost in time. Teenagers go to it and scare each other by locking themselves in it. Occasionally a homeless person will make it their home for a few days or months at a time. Personally I find it interesting and a historical place.

    One day I decided to enter the church and take a look around. I brought my phone and camera to take pictures of the architecture inside to have memories of the place when it inevitably falls down or is no longer safe to enter as a whole. The door of the church is still sturdy but there are a few pieces of wood missing and you can glance into the church once you get to the door. There is nothing stopping you from opening the door and entering. Immediately when I entered the church the musty smell hit me. It smelled of rotting away wood and for lack of other words mouse feces. I looked at the floor to avoid going inadvertently into the basement. The floor was sturdy as I walked up to the altar which had seen better days. There were still remnants of the paintings on the wall and the statues that once brightened up the place. At the altar I turned around towards the door and took a picture of entrance. I could almost feel all the people who had entered the church in the old days looking for a place to sit and talking with their neighbors and their friends. The church felt like it would of been a nice place to spend a Sunday morning and did not feel unwelcoming in any order. I placed my camera on the altar and pulled out my phone.

It was mid afternoon and I checked to see if I had any new notifications. I got a message that asked me to pick up some food before coming home. I would do the task once I finished looking around the church. I looked to the side of the altar and seen the old entrance to the basement. I walked up to the entrance and went into the basement. The basement was nothing special think of a wide open room with nothing in it. Light was coming in through the open floor boards and the windows that were non-existent. The floor was littered with broken wood, glass and other bodily substances. 

    My phone started to ring and I picked it up, I had to leave the church and get some documents from work that I had left on my desk. I went up the stairs and exited the church. I drove to my workplace and picked up the documents. When I was on my way to the grocery store I realized that my camera was still on the altar at the church as I had completely forgotten about it when I had gotten the phone call. I decided to get the groceries at the store which took about twenty minutes or so. When I was done getting the groceries I decided to drop them off at my house. Once I was done unloading the groceries I headed back to the church.

    As I approached the church looked the same as when I had left it. I went to the entrance and opened the door without looking through the broken door. I went inside and a man that looked to be in his late forties had my camera and was looking at it. I asked him if I could have my camera back and he smiled. The man looked to be not homeless but not very well kept. The man said that I had to be carful as there are a lot of thieves that would steal a camera like this. The man asked if I was from around here. I told him that I was. He said weird I've never seen you here before. As I approached the man I heard a crunch realizing that I didn't watch where is was walking. I fell through the floor and went straight into the basement. There was still a glint of light and I could see the entrance to the main level of the church. I walked to the stairs and climbed up the stairs. 

    The man was still there with a large smile on his face. The man told me I should watch my step and to not explore places after midday. The man had pale blue eyes and a skin texture to match them. He handed me the camera. His fingernails were long and dirty. The man then stated that it was even dangerous to explore a church with the blessing removed from the altar. I did not know what that meant. The man stepped back and said look under the altar where the priest would stand. I went up to the altar and looked under it. There was a small square carved in the altar that looked like it had housed something years before. The man then stated a familiar was here before me and had done his job for his master. The man turned and walked out of the church. He never looked back at me or said anything else. I stood there clueless for sometime after the man had left. I then exited the church and went home.

    Later on I found out that a familiar was a servant to a vampire and would do anything for them. The removal of the blessing to a church turns it into a place where anyone or anything can enter. It is no longer a holy place when the blessing is removed. I never had anything happen to me after this. I never went back to the church. I never seen that man again either. Had I met a familiar searching for a new home for his master? Had I met a vampire who knew he had to leave? Had I met someone who was just warning me to stay out of places? Or was it just a hoax? Either way I will never explore old buildings again. 

Matt