THE BATTLE FOR A SAINTESS | PART 20
The quiet hum of the ceiling fan rotated steadily above, stirring the still air of the private ward.
Outside the corridor, nurses’ footsteps passed from time to time, their voices low and distant.
The faint murmur of traffic from the road beyond the hospital compound blended with the rustle of dry leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
Inside the room, the atmosphere felt thick with expectation and fragile relief.
Excel sat upright on the hospital bed, her back resting against the raised pillow. A pale blanket lay folded neatly across her legs.
Shadows of what she had endured still lingered in her eyes, yet beneath them a fragile light had begun to stir—small, but unmistakably alive.
Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wonder, stood close together near the wall.
Their fingers were tightly interlocked, as though they feared that releasing their grip might break the prayers that had carried them through the long night.
Their faces were swollen from hours of silent tears.
Orean stood near the foot of the bed, one hand resting on the metal rail. His posture was calm yet alert, like a watchman guarding a fragile moment.
His gaze remained fixed on Excel, filled with concern and quiet intercession.
The door creaked softly.
Excel’s pastor, Jesh, stepped in first, followed by a few elders from the church and several trusted believers. Their movements were slow and reverent. No one spoke loudly.
Even the breeze slipping through the half-open window seemed to move carefully, as though aware that something sacred was unfolding.
Unspoken questions hung in the air like invisible weight.
Excel slowly lifted her head. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.
Her lips trembled as she drew in a careful breath, tears already gathering at the corners of her eyes.
The late sun cast long shadows across the floor, and for a moment the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
Orean’s voice broke gently through the silence, steady and warm like a hand reaching through darkness.
Orean (gently):
"Excel, you don't need to feel ashamed for what you have gone through."
Excel’s shoulders quivered as fresh tears formed in her eyes. Her parents exchanged a trembling glance, and Mrs. Wonder’s fingers tightened around her husband’s hand.
Pastor Jesh lowered his gaze briefly in prayer while the slow turning fan hummed overhead, stirring the quiet air like a witness to mercy.
Orean’s gaze held on hers, steady and unyielding, as though shielding the fragile courage rising within her.
His shoulders eased slightly, the firmness in him giving way to quiet compassion. His tone softened, warmth threading through it as the words formed with gentle certainty.
Orean (reassuringly):
"God still loves you and is ever ready to forgive, purge and cleanse you from your unrighteousness."
A quiet stillness followed. The words seemed to ripple across the room like calm water.
One of the elders nodded slowly, whispering a silent “Amen.” Excel’s fingers trembled against the blanket as hope and shame wrestled in her chest.
Outside the window, a breeze rustled the leaves of a nearby tree, their soft sound brushing against the silence.
Pastor Jesh stepped forward slightly, the light from the window touching the edge of his shoulder as his voice rose with gentle authority.
Pastor Jesh (firmly):
"Excel, Orean is right. The battle has not ended yet if you don't confess it."
The weight of the statement sank into the room. Mr. Wonder bowed his head, his chest rising heavily as he struggled with emotion.
The believers standing near the wall shifted quietly, their faces solemn.
The late sunlight dimmed slightly as a passing cloud crossed the sky, deepening the sense that the moment carried both spiritual tension and divine attention.
Slowly, Excel lifted her hand and wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her fingers.
Her shoulders sagged beneath the weight of a burden she had carried alone for far too long. Her lips quivered before the words finally forced their way out.
Excel (weeping):
"I don’t even know where to begin…"
The room remained motionless. Orean’s grip tightened slightly on the bed rail as though steadying himself.
Mrs. Wonder pressed a trembling hand against her mouth, fighting the urge to sob aloud.
The gentle wind brushed through the curtain by the window, and the atmosphere seemed to lean closer to her confession. She drew another shaky breath, forcing herself to continue.
Excel (disbelief):
"The way I was led astray… even still, I cannot believe it."
A murmur of grief rippled through the listeners. One of the elders bowed her head deeper, her fingers clasped tightly together in prayer.
Excel’s shoulders shook as she lowered her gaze to the bedsheet, twisting the fabric gently between her fingers.
For a moment, she lifted her eyes and looked around the room at the faces watching her.
Her lips parted, voice unsteady, the tremor slipping through as the memory pressed forward.
Excel (trembling):
"It all started with something small. Very small. I allowed one lady to stay with me because I pitied her."
A few people shifted uneasily. Pastor Jesh’s expression grew more attentive, his brow tightening slightly.
Orean’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as if weighing the spiritual implication of every word.
The wind outside brushed softly against the hospital walls, carrying the distant sound of a passing vehicle.
Excel swallowed slowly, the memory clearly heavy in her chest, her eyes drifting for a moment as if pulled back into it.
Her lips trembled faintly, the weight of it pressing through before she could steady herself.
Her tone faltered as it emerged, fragile and uneven, the pain slipping through each word.
Excel (broken):
"She came to me with sad stories… painful stories about her life. She looked so broken… so helpless."
A sympathetic sigh passed through one of the women standing near the wall.
Mrs. Wonder’s tears slipped freely now, rolling down her cheeks as she listened. Mr. Wonder stared quietly at the floor tiles, shaking his head faintly as realization began to settle.
Even the air in the ward felt heavier, as though the unseen realm leaned closer. The ceiling fan rotated slowly above them, its soft mechanical hum filling the brief silence.
Excel’s gaze faltering as the weight of realization settled across her face. The words resisting at first, her tone tightening as the truth forced its way through.
Excel (painful):
"I thought... I was helping someone who wanted to know God. But... I never imagined she was a queen of demons called, Kaliqa, hiding behind those tears."
The name seemed to darken the room for a moment. Several believers stiffened slightly, exchanging alarmed glances. One elder whispered a quick prayer under his breath.
Orean’s jaw tightened as a flicker of spiritual alertness crossed his face. Excel lowered her gaze, shame washing over her voice.
Excel (sorrowful):
"I was too careless. I did not guard my altar the way I should have. I forgot that... the enemy does not always come looking like horrible creature."
Mr. Wonder covered his mouth with his hand, struggling to contain the storm of emotions rising in his chest.
Mrs. Wonder leaned weakly against the wall beside him, her shoulders trembling.
Pastor Jesh closed his eyes briefly, whispering a quiet prayer for mercy and restoration. The sunlight continued to soften as evening slowly approached.
Excel inhaled deeply, gathering strength to continue. She shook her head slowly, as though the memories were unfolding against her will, each one reopening something not yet healed.
Her lips parted, the words forming with effort, her tone unsteady as the past pressed through.
Excel (strained):
"Anytime we were about to eat and I wanted to lead the prayer…"
A quiet sniffle escaped from one of the women standing near the wall. Orean leaned slightly closer, listening carefully as though guarding every word.
Excel pressed her palms together tightly, as though trying to hold back a flood of memories.
Her eyes drifted slightly, focus slipping inward, as if the past had quietly stepped into the room beside her.
A faint, almost reluctant softness touched her voice, shaped by remembrance rather than the present moment.
Excel (recalling):
"She would quickly say, ‘Let me do it. Let me show you how mature I’m becoming in Christ.’"
A few believers exchanged uneasy glances. Pastor Jesh’s expression grew thoughtful, recognizing the subtle deception behind spiritual language.
The air near the open window shifted slightly as a stronger breeze slipped through the curtain. Excel’s eyes drifted briefly toward the window and then returned to the faces listening to her.
Something in her expression loosened—barely, but enough to show memory pressing in. Her gaze steadied again, tone lowering into something gentler, touched with reflection.
Excel (softly):
"At first, I felt encouraged. I thought she was growing spiritually."
A low murmur moved through the elders. One man slowly shook his head, already seeing the trap that had been laid.
Mrs. Wonder wiped her cheeks with trembling fingers while Mr. Wonder placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.
Excel’s fingers tightening faintly on the bed, as though the memory itself carried weight she didn’t fully welcome.
Her voice softened, growing heavier, each detail unfolding with restrained concern.
Excel (quietly):
"She began leading morning devotions… evening prayers… even Bible studies."
The believers listened in troubled silence. Orean’s brow furrowed as the pattern became clearer.
Outside the window, the breeze rustled the branches of the hospital trees, their shadows stretching slowly across the compound.
Excel paused, throat tightening as she forced down the weight of the memory. Her fingers curled faintly against her own palm, as if bracing herself against what came next.
A fragile honesty slipped into her tone, softened at the edges but heavy underneath.
Excel (softly):
"Slowly… I relaxed. I allowed her to take over everything. I thought it was help… but it was manipulation."
A faint murmur spread across the room like ripples across water. Pastor Jesh lifted his chin slightly, his eyes filled with sober understanding.
One of the elders exhaled deeply, realizing how quietly spiritual compromise had crept into her life.
Excel rubbed her palms together slowly, as though trying to warm cold hands that no longer obeyed her calm.
Her voice surfaced unevenly, carrying the strain of reflection she was no longer hiding.
Excel (guiltily):
"As she kept doing everything… I started doing nothing. My personal relationship with God began to scatter."
The room fell completely silent. Orean’s eyes softened with compassion as he watched her struggle with the confession.
Mrs. Wonder leaned against her husband’s shoulder, quietly weeping while the soft hum of the fan continued overhead.
Excel lifted one hand weakly and placed it over her chest, fingers pressing lightly as though trying to steady something breaking beneath her ribs.
Her tone came out fragile, stripped of confidence, honest in a way that hurt to admit.
Excel (pain):
"My prayer life died small-small. I stopped reading the Bible the way I used to. The hunger I once had for God… it disappeared."
Mrs. Wonder’s quiet sob echoed across the room. The believers standing near the wall bowed their heads, deeply moved by the honesty of her confession.
Pastor Jesh clasped his hands together as though interceding silently while the evening light faded gently through the window.
Excel wiped another tear, her fingers lingering briefly at the corner of her eye before falling back to her lap.
Her gaze dropped, shoulders drawing in slightly as if the memory itself carried weight she no longer knew how to hold.
Her lips pressed together, then parted with restraint, shame settling into her tone as the words surfaced carefully.
Excel (ashamed):
"Sometimes she would come to me and say, ‘Come, let’s pray… let’s study the Word.’"
The words lingered painfully in the room. Orean’s face tightened with concern as he listened.
One elder slowly shook his head, sensing the cunning spiritual strategy that had unfolded step by step.
Excel’s head lowered even deeper. Her voice slipped out thin and fragile, like it had to find its way through something already breaking inside her.
Excel (broken):
"I would just say… ‘I’m tired. Please do it and remember me in your prayer.’"
A heavy stillness filled the hospital ward. Mr. Wonder looked away toward the window, blinking rapidly to hold back tears.
The believers remained silent, the weight of her confession pressing deeply into their hearts.
Excel’s shoulders trembled faintly, as if something inside her had finally loosened its grip.
Her throat tightened, and her next words struggled to find shape. Her tone broke as it left her, fragile and unguarded.
Excel (sigh):
"And even when she was praying… I would be dozing off."
The words fell like stones into the silence. The slow turning ceiling fan seemed louder now in the stillness. Orean closed his eyes briefly, whispering a quiet prayer under his breath.
Pastor Jesh remained motionless, his spirit alert, knowing that the deeper part of the story—the true spiritual battle—was still about to unfold.
The late evening light dimmed further through the hospital window, and the room remained suspended in a solemn quiet as Excel gathered the courage to reveal the rest of what had happened.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Written by Agbemawle Atsu Norvishi
© All Rights Reserved. Shared freely to bless and inspire.
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