Azazel
bugsfic's ficlet Blood Sacrifice and last week's holiday got me thinking, which is always dangerous. Liturgy adapted from the Day of Atonement musaf prayer, and may G-d have mercy upon my soul for using it so.
For ar_drabbles challenge 27, "reconciliation."
In my honeymoon haze I'd forgotten the Day of Atonement until I rose from the pyre I'd begun to build for myself. Lords of vengeance, reveal yourselves in terrible glory. Bill goes to witness the executions and I pull a prayerbook off his well-stocked shelves, light a candle, and recite the liturgy.
He dipped his finger into the blood and as he threw he would count:
One: Tom.
One and one: Tom and Jaffee, who brought the coffee.
One and two: Tom, Jaffee, and Laird, to whom I always meant to speak, assure him that there was life after loss and the cruelty of other people.
One and three: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, and Jacob Cantrell, who was always the key.
One and four: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, and Maldonaldo, whom Bill had to shoot to get free.
One and five: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, and Gaeta, who never picked a side he didn't later betray.
One and six: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, Gaeta, and Anders, who like his wife isn't quite dead yet.
One and seven: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, Gaeta, Anders, and Galactica, dripping with blood, heart and walls broken by what she has seen.
He approached the live goat; the unintentional and intentional sins of the people he confessed: "We have added falsehood upon falsehood, we have joined evil groups. We have caused our friends grief; we have been stiff-necked." He lead the goat to the harsh desert; the spiritual blemishes of the people it carried in its heart.
I am again the leader. I am still dying. If we survive to find a planet I will die and Bill will exile himself in the wilderness, sweating off the sins of our people, our sins. His sins. Mine.
I wanted to be the people's sacrifice.
For ar_drabbles challenge 27, "reconciliation."
In my honeymoon haze I'd forgotten the Day of Atonement until I rose from the pyre I'd begun to build for myself. Lords of vengeance, reveal yourselves in terrible glory. Bill goes to witness the executions and I pull a prayerbook off his well-stocked shelves, light a candle, and recite the liturgy.
He dipped his finger into the blood and as he threw he would count:
One: Tom.
One and one: Tom and Jaffee, who brought the coffee.
One and two: Tom, Jaffee, and Laird, to whom I always meant to speak, assure him that there was life after loss and the cruelty of other people.
One and three: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, and Jacob Cantrell, who was always the key.
One and four: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, and Maldonaldo, whom Bill had to shoot to get free.
One and five: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, and Gaeta, who never picked a side he didn't later betray.
One and six: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, Gaeta, and Anders, who like his wife isn't quite dead yet.
One and seven: Tom, Jaffee, Laird, Cantrell, Maldonaldo, Gaeta, Anders, and Galactica, dripping with blood, heart and walls broken by what she has seen.
He approached the live goat; the unintentional and intentional sins of the people he confessed: "We have added falsehood upon falsehood, we have joined evil groups. We have caused our friends grief; we have been stiff-necked." He lead the goat to the harsh desert; the spiritual blemishes of the people it carried in its heart.
I am again the leader. I am still dying. If we survive to find a planet I will die and Bill will exile himself in the wilderness, sweating off the sins of our people, our sins. His sins. Mine.
I wanted to be the people's sacrifice.