Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-24946232-20140519105202

If I get positive feedback on this blog i'll go ahead with it:

19/05/2014

I thought I’d start this blog to document something that I think might be pretty big, maybe nothing will happen but in case it does I’ll keep you updated. For now I only have one weird thing to report. Before I start, I’ll set the scene: I recently moved to a small town in South Africa to live with my dad. I’m from the UK and have been brought up without religion. To me it all seems so silly; but here in George it’s everywhere. Every street has a church, I don’t know how there are so many churches in such a small town! How do they fill the pews? My new high school is so different. Very conservative and strict: uniforms and short back and sides. Every Friday there’s happy clappy praise sessions. I feel like a complete alien. Even though I consider myself to be completely different from everyone, and pretty isolated, I’ve become really close friends with a guy named Ben. He’s also religious (like everyone else) but he’s such a funny and kind guy. Like me he’s also only recently moved to George. His family came down from Johannesburg to escape the crime, the final straw was a nasty hijacking. Yesterday I went to stay over at his place. This is where the story begins. I arrived at his place at around 5. We swam in his pool, took his dog on a walk and had dinner with his parents. After we’d eaten we played some video games and watched movies etc. At around 1 we got ready for bed. I noticed that Ben had a big old Bible by his bed, I didn’t say anything because I like him and didn’t want religion to spoil our friendship. Very soon we were settled down and ready to sleep.

I was woken by Ben thrashing around. I’m not a heavy sleeper so small things can wake me up. Upon waking I realised I really needed the bathroom so I went off and took a piss. When I got back, Bens lights were on and he was sitting up in bed all bleary eyed and he asked me what I’d done with his Bible. I hadn’t touched it, but there was nothing by his bedside table anymore. I told him I hadn’t moved it and he checked if it at fallen of his bedside. There was no sign of it.

“Seriously dude, where is it? It was right here.”

“I didn’t touch it. Are you fucking with me?”

“No, ah I’ll find it tomorrow”

He slumped back into bed and turned off the lights. We went back to sleep. My dreams after that turned into nightmares. I can’t remember what happened but I had a really unnerving feeling when I woke up the next day.

Over breakfast he asked how I’d slept. I told him I slept well but that I had had nightmares. He asked me what they’d been about and I told him I couldn’t remember. He then told me that he’d also had nightmare but also couldn’t remember what had happened. I then asked him if he’d found the Bible. He’d obviously forgotten because after I asked him he bounded upstairs. He checked every drawer, under his bed, every cupboard. He then asked me where I’d put it, he thought I was messing with him. I told him that I hadn’t and he got angry and started swearing. It was his grandpa’s old Bible and meant a lot to him. I felt bad, but I was as clueless and confused as he was.

He told his parents and soon the whole family was looking for it. It was really awkward. They were really distressed.

My dad then called me to say he was picking me up in ten minutes. I got my stuff ready. Ben’s mum then stopped me, holding me by the arms and asked me really seriously if I’d moved his bible and if I was playing a joke. She then said if I was then it was a sick joke and that I should stop now. I told her I hadn’t.

My dad soon arrived and Ben stopped his search to walk me to the car. On our way out we passed the pool and Ben stopped. I followed his gaze and there at the bottom of the pool was the old Bible. He looked at me and his face was full of hate and he began shouting at me, accusing me of throwing it in. I looked him straight in the eyes and told him I hadn’t. He didn’t buy it and told me to fuck off. I walked to the car while he fetched the net. I felt so confused and unnerved by the whole situation. I know I hadn’t touched that Bible but what could I do to make him believe me?

For the next week Ben would not talk to me. He was really pissed off. I tried to tell him it wasn’t me. I begged him to believe me and he’d say it had to be me because who else could have done it. I then began to doubt myself, maybe I’d done it in my sleep…

Then the next week arrived and to my surprise, on Monday morning, Ben walked up to me. He looked terrible, like he hadn’t got any sleep. He apologized and said he didn’t think it was me who’d done it anymore. That Saturday the whole family had woken up to missing Bibles and they’d found them all at the bottom of the pool.

There was something weirdly exciting about this and I told him I had an idea. That Friday coming up I suggested that I come round to his house. We could stay up all night and see what happens.

So in a few days I’m going back to Bens; I’ll report back after.  </ac_metadata>