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Each of us looks at others through the prism of our own passions. But what if your neighbor sees you as a witch... and wants to destroy you?
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... She flew along the corridor, and the whirlwind followed her with its tail, tearing off shreds of wallpaper and posters from the walls. Her cat companion was rubbing herself against her owner’s neck; bending, she blinked mockingly through a waterfall of hair as black as night. This hair seemed endless, polished to a mirror shine; they constantly moved, like the Gorgon’s favorite snakes, and beckoned everyone with them...
She was getting closer. Her hands fluttered freely to the sides, cutting the air with her nails. The heels clicked busily - thin needles, the knock of which made the heart flutter painfully, and from the lips that smiled in any weather, a fashionable tune escaped.
She was getting closer.
A drop of sweat rolled down from the tip of his nose and fell somewhere in the darkness. My breathing became hoarse and hot. Multi-colored eyes - sparkling green and innocent blue - as if an X-ray had pierced the door to pierce into him. Gasping, he slid another inch lower.
Girls don't have eyes like that. Girls don't have such doll-white skin!..
The smell of poisonous flowers is very close...
Girls cannot speak five languages. They can't ride a huge motorcycle. They can't earn more than men!..
The sweet tune stopped. She reached the gap and raised her palm, making the usual witchcraft pass.
- Hello, Jacob!
Jacob Stone slammed the door shut.
Bessie-Bess meowed sadly over the empty bowl. Sensing the return of the mistress, she rushed to her and, writing figure eights around her legs, began to complain about fate.
- Oh, you scoundrel! Did you really gobble it all up?
Celia Jones burst out laughing and, balancing like a tightrope walker over an abyss, moved towards the kitchen. Supporting her intentions entirely, hungry Bessie poked her nose at her and screamed, getting tangled up in her mistress’s legs.
- Here you go. – Celia smiled as she hobbled to the refrigerator. The cold depths opened up, revealing a kingdom half filled with cat food - Catch it, little monster!
Bessie-Bess jumped up and, with a purr worthy of a real tiger, swallowed a piece of salmon. The second handout was not eaten so greedily: Bessie was a well-mannered cat, therefore, having caught the food in flight, she decorously carried it into a bowl to enjoy from it.
Celia stretched and rubbed her day-weary eyes. A cucumber and salmon sandwich, a thermos of hot chocolate, the ever-present laptop and, of course, Bessie - all of this was grabbed and placed on the sofa with her. Work didn’t leave her home either, so Celia, having crunched a cucumber a little, soon stared at the flickering monitor, and a wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. Bessie, who received her name from the Egyptian goddess Basted, again imagined herself as a kitten: jumping onto her mistress’s shoulders, she gently played with her curls and purred, habitually clinging to her. Celia grinned, occasionally stroked her living collar and continued to tap on the keyboard...
Celia Jones was twenty-eight years old. She loved sweets, linguistics and electronic design. She loved to ride a motorcycle and spend time with a motley group of friends; she loved cats, her small apartment, which she could turn into a piece of paradise, her hobby work and hobby work...
Celia's day began with the same ritual: wrapping Bessie around her neck, she ran for a walk and only then, donning a leather jacket and favorite tie, rushed to work to create. Gorgeous websites, brilliant logos and “once seen, loved for life” advertising – that’s what Celia Jones created in a day.
Multitasking led to absent-mindedness. Celia did not meet deadlines, was late for work and sometimes mixed up the days... It happened that more than one or two clients were waiting for her in the office, clicking their tongues in displeasure. However, relying on personal charm, Celia greeted them with a white-toothed smile; Without blinking an eye, she came up with incredible bonuses for delaying the project - and received a new contract.
Sometimes smiles didn't work. Then Celia shrugged her shoulders and, dancing, went for the candy.
She tried to cope with any task, adding a pinch of smiles, a handful of charm or an attentive look to the solution. She tried to find a common language with everyone.
With every…
Almost.
Fluffing her pillow with dried lavender, Celia chuckled, remembering her unlucky neighbor. Jacob Stone lived in this house for the third year and, burning with envy, watched all her successes. There was nothing outstanding about him - just a small clerk in some office - and his playing at being a great fighter seemed all the more amusing to Celia. She remembered Jacob's slack jaw and numbness at the first meeting, her friendly smile - and the door slamming in her face. The meeting took place and...
The Stone-Jones confrontation has begun.
Celia wasn't too surprised to see her photo on the Witches Among Us website. She laughed heartily, looking at the mail coming in her name: all these crosses, prayers and threats on postcards, no doubt soaked in holy water... She raised an eyebrow and grinned, reading emails with the signature “Witch Hunter”...
Petty dirty tricks and nasty messages only provoked Celia. Her friends were itching, but she held them back as best she could, considering Jacob Stone to be a sweet, harmless psycho. Celia sent letters to Spam, regularly blew kisses to a closed door, and screamed “Boo!” the loudest on Halloween night. right under the neighbor's window...
Celia had fun and lived as she wanted, in complete harmony with the world and herself. She had absolutely nothing to do with magic.
But that was destined to change.
The foam cooled my cheeks, splashed softly into the sink and was immediately washed off with water. Jacob shaved - carefully and leisurely - every now and then turning his face in front of the mirror, looking for unaffected areas, and mentally repeating in his head the plan for the coming day. The thick report - the result of three sleepless nights - lay on the table, warming his soul. There was more than enough time to do everything; Jacob could just see how proudly he walked into the office, saluted the security guard, walked with a springy gait into the meeting room, placed his report on the lectern and...
A rustling sound came from the room. Jacob's eyebrows drew together. He came out of the bath and became petrified.
Slap-slap - foam fell on the patent leather, freshly cleaned shoes. The razor in his hand shook uncontrollably.
There was a cat in the room. The cat who was in charge of his house: sniffed the sacred books, disdainfully stepped with her paws on the carpet marked with signs... She touched his T-shirt, his pants, so carelessly thrown to the floor, with the tip of her tongue she tasted the old stain from spilled coffee... And then she raised her head and saw him.
Their gazes met. Jacob gasped and pulled back, hitting his sacrum against the cabinet and dropping the razor. The Witch's companion meowed and stepped towards him, but Jacob's brain was already working feverishly.
- Get out, monster! – he yelled, rushing forward.
The unblinking green eyes sparkled dazzlingly. The cat took off, jumped into the open window in one leap and rushed like a whirlwind along the parapet - only she was seen.
Sweat poured down Jacob's face. He closed the window, making the sign of the cross; trembling with disgust, he collected all the things that the cat had touched and threw them in the trash can, and then he poured holy water on all the floors, without fear of flooding the neighbors. The day turned into a nightmare: Jacob was lost in timelessness, and just a glance at his watch made him jump as if from an electric shock. Choking on a prayer, Jacob rushed to the mirror to finish shaving - and cut his cheek with a flourish...
Everything went wrong that day. Devilish eyes - mocking, green - appeared in every cat he met, forcing him to run across to the other side of the street. As a result, an hour late, lathered up, smelling of sweat and fear, Jacob burst into the meeting room and ran into dead silence. Feeling the ice in every hair, Jacob squeezed into his seat and pulled out the report. His hands were shaking with a slight tremor, his ears were blocked, as if from high blood pressure, and only a poke in the side made him wake up and slowly, with a wooden gait, ascend to the pulpit.
The faces of his colleagues blurred before his eyes, the tie turned into a thin nylon noose. Mrs. Black, sitting in the front row, waved for him to begin the speech; The emerald on her finger blinked ominously, and...
Unable to bear it, Jacob spilled his entire breakfast onto the pages of the report.
In the evening, escaping the cold under a blanket, Jacob quickly read prayers, begging for punishment to be sent to the heads of all living witches. He had no doubt that Celia Jones had sent the cat: to sniff, rummage, search... His weak points, his secrets and secrets collected over more than five years...
Jacob writhed and struggled like a fly in a web, squinting until there were stars in his eyes, but the poisonous green was still shining from the darkness, sending its cunning curses at him.
The next morning, Jacob had hair all over his pillow. As soon as you passed your palm, a clump remained on it, causing panic to begin to howl somewhere in the depths of your body. After standing in a crazy line, Jacob was ridiculed by the doctor (“It’s all from nerves!”) and ran to the pharmacy for vitamins...
But the situation was getting worse. Home appliances kept breaking down, tasks at work became impossible to complete, and co-workers looked askance, minor injuries were not long in coming, and my hair was rapidly shrinking, peeling off in shreds...
After a week, Jacob began to turn gray. The remnants of the hair faded into ugly white threads. Jacob walked around like a sleepwalker, buying and ordering all the literature on the fight against witches on the Internet. Thoughts were twisted into a tight ball, with which the black cat played, until one day he could not stand it - and made a retaliatory move.
- Bessie, I'm home!
Celia slammed the door and winked cheerfully at her reflection in the mirror. The pretty witch - a mane of thick hair, extraordinary eyes with a twinkle - winked in response, smiling from ear to ear. “Perhaps I need to change my lenses,” Celia thought, gently stroking the flower standing on the windowsill. “Maybe a violet one will suit me?”
Thinking about this idea, she walked into the kitchen, glanced at the empty bowl and looked around. No one was rushing at full speed, eager to greet her, no one was hiding under the table in ambush - so that their eyes only sparkle with emeralds... Taking out a box of cat food, Celia shook it, giving rise to the rhythmic sound of Mexican maracas, and then she chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. .
There was no particular concern: when she was a kitten, Basted often explored the world around her, returning in the evening with some trophy - a bright hair ribbon, a lump of an old sponge or bird fluff... Having become an adult and smart cat, Bessie began to prefer home, but sometimes , remembering her childhood, she loved to go away to poke her nose (and not only) into foreign territory.
Having popped a cherry lollipop into her mouth, Celia plopped down on the sofa, made herself comfortable and picked up a book. The first hour, the second, the third - and my eyes began to stick together. Drowning in a soft sofa, like a whipped cloud, Celia nodded until finally the book fell from her weakened fingers and the evening turned into night...
She woke up at ten in the morning. She stretched like a cat, arching her crunching spine. The wind blew from the open window, blowing the curtain like a sail and tangling her hair.
“Good morning, Bes...” Celia said, yawning, and fell silent.
The apartment was quiet. No meowing, no light knocking from creeping claws.
Remembering the past day, Celia, turning serious, slowly rose from the sofa.
- Bessie? Bess?
There was no response.
- What an obnoxious cat! I'm on a spree again!
Firmly deciding that she would give her a good beating upon her return, Celia began to get ready, ignoring her daily jog out of frustration.
Clouds were gathering in the sky; maneuvering between cars on a motorcycle, Celia clenched her teeth tightly and, to calm down, repeated the conjugations of Spanish verbs in her mind...
The working day, like quicksand, dragged me deeper and deeper. There was no drive or pleasure: Celia frowned, ignored questions more often than usual, glanced at her watch every now and then... Her neck with her hair pulled up seemed especially bare and defenseless today. A chill slid over her, which is why Celia kept trying to wrap her palms around her, wanting to feel the familiar, living warmth. She never took Bessie to work, but her photo in a cheerful frame stood by the monitor, always cheering her up. Today, however, looking at the photo sent pins into her heart.
Having barely reached the end of the working day, Celia rushed home - and stopped at the nearest store with a squeal of brakes. A feverish gleam appeared in the eyes; hands, like birds, with precise movements, threw the best delicacies into the basket: fresh cream, crispy, ice-crusted trout and steamed veal...
“Please be home! An obnoxious cat, no, a good, wonderful cat!..”
Leaving the motorcycle, Celia, staggering from the load of bulky packages, hurried home. She shuddered all over when a meow came from the gateway to her left. Almost breaking her neck, Celia whirled towards the sound to see the cat - a large, well-groomed male, who was slowly moving away from her past the garbage cans.
“Or maybe it’s all because of him?” – a crazy thought flashed. The cat was good, even very...
Grasping the bags tightly, Celia rushed into the alley, imagining that this cat might well lead her to Bessie. “Fool, your cat has been home a long time ago!” - said an inner voice, but the pins in her heart did not disappear, and Celia, walking after the cat, suddenly strained her ears.
A howl came from the trash can. Deaf, distant and almost inaudible - it made the hair on the back of my head rise and my hands become covered in a nasty cold sweat. Something was beating there, in the depths, suffocating from the stench and lack of oxygen, howling with all its might, before...
Shopping bags flew out of my hands. Celia rushed to the bin, effortlessly pulled up the heavy lid and began to scatter the garbage. Broken bottles, torn oil paper, rotted rags, bags, sacks...
The dirty bag trembled under my hand. Celia clung to him like a cat and in one movement broke the tightly knotted rope.
The howl that had died down returned with a roar. A black, flexible creature jumped forward, hit her and fell down, landing awkwardly on all fours. It was ready to give in, but Celia was faster. Celia cried and hugged him to her chest, and the creature spat and howled, tearing her shirt to shreds...
So they appeared on the threshold of the veterinary hospital: a girl with tear-stained eyes and a cat, trembling with fine tremors, with a torn ear and a damaged tail.
Celia stood firm. Clutching the untouched tea in her hands, she watched Bessie sleepily sit on the table after a sedative injection. She watched how small wounds were washed, how they carefully stitched up her weakly trembling ear... And she thought, feeling how everything inside was curling up into an icy lump: who dared to do this to her?.. It was only worth imagining what would have happened if she had been even a minute late – and Celia’s legs gave out. A couple of times the vet rushed to her, but Celia rejected help, pushing him back to the cat.
Several hours passed like this. Having buttoned her jacket, Celia put the sleeping Bessie in the basket and wandered towards the motorcycle, stumbling at every step. Miraculously avoiding an accident, she stopped at the house, casually noticing a nearby neighbor, Mrs. Green, and a man quietly talking to her.
She did not immediately recognize this thin man with a receding hairline as Jacob Stone. This was helped by the look: Celia could not forget the look in his eyes that always appeared in his eyes when he saw her.
Without finishing speaking with Mrs. Green, Jacob turned sharply and walked—almost ran—in the opposite direction to Celia. Just a moment was enough for him to put his hands in his pockets - but this was enough for Celia.
The entire back of his hands was covered with scratches, like bloody cobwebs...
After standing still for a minute, Celia - pale, with a frozen face - went up to her apartment.
Bessie woke up in the evening. She walked around the house hesitantly, as if she was seeing it for the first time, flinched at any rustle and ate only a couple of bites from her bowl. Then, huddled in the farthest corner, she huddled there and hissed quietly, not letting herself into Celia’s hands.
The rooms were stuffy: all the windows were tightly closed. The music, which usually sounded even in the bathroom, stopped in a second. The lights were off, and only the flickering of the laptop, on the monitor of which the Witches Among Us website was burning, illuminated the white, ghostly face of Celia Jones.
Bessie meowed from her corner and began to howl thinly. Celia's lips trembled.
“So it’s war,” she said, slamming the laptop lid.
The plan was a failure: completely and completely. As he applied bandages to his bloody hands, Jacob ground his teeth in pain and fear. Gray hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, eyes red from broken capillaries continually scanned the room, all the time stumbling upon the chaos that reigned in it: scratches on the floor, pillows torn to shreds and books scattered in the corners...
Having tied the last bandage, Jacob climbed into the chair with his legs and wrapped his arms around his knees. The irreparable mistake of this day - his weakness of will - will undoubtedly have consequences. Well, what stopped you from finishing her off right here?!
Sobbing, Jacob buried his face in his knees. The Witch's Companion screamed before my eyes, her fanged, red mouth wide open. The Witch's companion, who was thrown into a sack - and saved by the Witch herself...
The night passed in prayers and nightmares. After cooling his face with cold water, Jacob, choking, threw in a meager breakfast and got ready for work. Suitcase, hat and raincoat - fully equipped, Jacob Stone walked out of the apartment with a firm step, taking out the key. But…
The key scraped against the door, missing the keyhole.
- Way to go!
Shaking off his stupor, Jacob pressed himself against the door, still barely believing what was happening. A line of movers stretched past him: businesslike, like large ants, they were carrying large and small mirrors, braziers and chests, tables with crooked legs...
A squeak escaped Jacob's throat as a huge cauldron was carried next to him, a couple of smaller cauldrons... And a broom.
At the end of the corridor, a door slowly opened.
- Bring it in, guys!
Jacob's eyes bulged. Her fingers dug into the door frame, as if wanting to rip out a piece of wood... Pulling the cherry candy out of her mouth, Celia Jones gave him a luxurious smile and let the broom and everything else pass by.
Choking a cry, Jacob rushed back into the apartment and slammed the door behind him.
The witch was no longer hiding. Having gained new strength, she began to walk even more carefree, look even more beautiful, and sing so that every bone in Jacob ached. Multi-colored smoke was coming from the windows of her apartment, worms were splashing out of her pockets, and toads and spiders were moving in grocery bags. Witch friends in colorful outfits came every night; organizing joint Sabbaths, they drew pentagrams on his door with lipstick, shouted his name under the windows...
Jacob covered his ears and rolled on the bed, begging the dawn to come quickly. He grew thin and pale, stopped recognizing himself in the mirror and spent all his free time reading books, almost abandoning his work.
Salem. Inquisition. Hammer of the Witches. These words swirled like a fiery whirlwind in his mind, burning out his mind. Jacob sobbed and gasped, writhing in fear of the Witch, for every day she sucked the life out of him.
One morning, sitting at his post at the door, Jacob saw Celia Jones passing by and uttering a joyful exclamation. She bent down and picked up something from the floor that sparkled in her fingers like thin silver. Looking sideways towards his door, Celia smiled mysteriously and hid the find in her pocket.
Clutching his head, Jacob crawled away from the door and collapsed in the middle of the room.
Silver. Thin. In their hallway.
Of course it was his hair.
Letting out a half-sob, half-moan, Jacob raised a trembling palm. There were a couple of the same hairs lying on it...
My eyes stung uncontrollably.
The witch found his hair.
The days counted down.
As soon as this thought shot through my brain, it turned inside out.
Jacob has been throwing up all week. Having taken sick leave, he staggered around the house like a greenish corpse and spent all his time on historical books. November was approaching, and with it All Saints' Day. Jacob had no doubt that the Witch would gather for her main Sabbath on Halloween. The finale was approaching, but Jacob did not want to die at all.
His head was swollen with knowledge, protective prayers covered the walls, the ceiling and his skin; dispelling the darkness, a candle burned in every corner of the apartment... And suddenly Jacob realized what he had to do. Jacob's mind cleared to such an extent that he burst out laughing.
Illumination flashed like a candle. His appetite and blush returned, his weak fingers became stronger, reflecting his readiness for battle.
- I will do it! The witch will answer for everything!
The last book slammed shut, having managed to show the maiden engulfed in fire. Jacob hugged the book to his chest and closed his eyes, smiling. Thick black shadows lay under the eyelashes.
- Warlocks... don’t leave him alive. – Jacob whispered.
Stitch - once...
Stitch - two...
Stitch - three.
Celia bit off the thread and examined her long dress with satisfaction. Dark violet to match the color of violet eyes, it was prepared for Halloween, completely matching the image of a magnificent witch. The silky fabric flowed through the fingers, playing with different shades, and covered almost half of the floor.
A timid meow coming from below distracted her from her dress. Bessie poked her ankle, asking for affection, and looked into her eyes. Instantly picking up her favorite, Celia hugged her to herself and began to cradle her.
- It’s okay, little one... I’m with you...
Standing up, Celia began to pace around the room. In the corners, fake mushrooms glowed with phosphorescence; lace webs covered designer furniture, and a cast-iron cauldron that stood proudly in the middle of the carpet became a container for books. Mirrors - small and large, ancient and not so old - reflected Celia and the cat; their vague silhouettes flashed every now and then in cones and bottles with the inscription “Poison”, scattered here and there on the shelves.
Stopping at the window, Celia pulled back the curtain and squinted. Through the thin crack she had a clear view of Jacob Stone, who, looking around furtively, was carrying a small canister.
Bessie hissed hoarsely and twisted out of her embrace.
Celia's lips pulled into a thin line. But then she grinned and began to fold her dress, whistling.
Halloween was approaching.
Pumpkins were lit on the street. Children smeared in black and white ran from house to house, demanding “candy or life,” crunching caramel and shiny wrappers. Ghosts, vampires and witches of all stripes crept along the alleys along with the autumn leaves, pouncing on ordinary passers-by. Laughter, howls and shouts of “Boo!” They made the windows rattle and join in the general fun...
Their home was no exception. Elderly matrons with grandchildren, couples in love and single adventurers - all of them, wearing masks made of rubber and papier-mâché, rushed up the steps to contribute to the chaos of the night.
But Jacob Stone was in no hurry. He stood, crumpling a knitted cap in his hands, and hesitated, looking at his reflection in the dim mirror. A black suit without a single light area set off his deathly whiteness. The tip of the tongue continually moistened dry, cracked lips; the gaze focused on the objects standing nearby, against the wall, and, as if ashamed, returned back to the mirror.
“Ah-ha-ha,” a witch laughed on the street.
Jacob swallowed the mucus that had accumulated in his throat and made up his mind. The crowbar burned his hand with grave cold, gasoline gurgled disgustingly in a canister filled to the brim, but Jacob was already walking along the corridor, seeing that very door in front of him...
It was quiet. No one saw him, trembling with anticipation of imminent revenge. “No one will see,” an inner voice whispered insinuatingly. After all, it’s not so difficult: break down the door, spill gasoline and hide inside, waiting, dreaming, praying... She will come in, and all that remains is to strike a match, jump out the window victorious and watch - for a long time, watch with pleasure! - how a fiery flower blooms...
The bottom of the canister hit the floor. A hand in a black glove raised a crowbar, and a drop of sweat rolled down to the tip of his nose.
- Jacob...
The fingers trembled, suddenly numb in the warm glove.
- Je-e-ey-cob...
He turned around...
...and became petrified.
The Witch was floating along the corridor.
Amethyst eyes under inky eyebrows. A porcelain face glowing in the semi-darkness. A grinning cat on her shoulder: her fur stands on end, and the light flickers on every hair. The dress is flowing, incredible - it fills the entire corridor, as if tentacles are reaching towards him along with his hair...
“What are you doing here, Jacob?” the Witch asks in a sweet voice.
A scream breaks out from within him, but his throat only spasms. He doesn’t believe what’s happening, because he saw with his own eyes how Celia Jones left the house. She never comes back on Halloween until morning, never!..
-What are you up to? Jacob?..
The fingers came to life, a scream broke through.
Jacob swung with force, bringing the crowbar in front of him.
The Witch's hand slid faster than thought into the folds of the dress. A doll and a needle jumped out into the palm. With his vision sharpened to the limit, he saw how the wax doll was grabbed tighter...
... and stuck a needle into her heart.
The corridor was filled with hissing. Something flashed silver on the crumpled, scratched wax.
The crowbar hit the floor slabs loudly. And Jacob Stone flew next.
Pink foam appeared on his lips. He twitched convulsively, rolled towards Celia’s feet, causing her to recoil, twitched again - and froze.
Having calmed her trembling, Celia took out her phone to call an ambulance.
Wrapped in a blanket, she sat on the sofa, absentmindedly stirring her coffee with cinnamon with a spoon. Outside the house, below, an ambulance was taking away the lifeless Jacob Stone, a loser who decided to die on All Saints Day, wearing a burglar costume... The paramedics shook their heads, looking at the crowbar with gasoline, diagnosed a heart attack and advised Celia, a witness to the terrible accident - drink calming chamomile. There was no question of any attempted murder. Not on his part... Not on her part.
A whitish doll lay on the table. The hole in her chest burned through Celia's eyes. She only wanted to scare off the enemy. But it caused death. Why?..
Taking the doll in her hands, Celia turned it this way and that, examining the cracks in the wax - and the marks of the cat's teeth.
Something light slid from the waxy surface to land on Celia's little finger. She frowned, holding up a thin – and completely gray – hair to the light. There were still many errors on the doll: specks of dust, pieces of dirt and rings of thread. Bessie loved to play with rag dolls and stuffed animals, taking them to her den in the corner. And this doll was no exception...
Celia looked at Bessie.
The cat sat nearby and played with long rags hanging from her sleeve.
Celia smiled involuntarily. The darkest hour was drawing to a close, the first rays of sun were about to gild the curtain.
“Well,” Celia thought, taking out her laptop, “Problems disappear when you face them. Cats remain kittens...
... and sorcerers do not leave anyone alive.”
Let me note right away that I am not a church person.
The Islamic idea of the Ummah is much closer to me than the Christian church bureaucracy.
But I’m not a fool and I understand that this church bureaucracy is a historically conditioned phase of monotheism.
As, by the way, was pre-Talmudic Judaism.
By the way, angels naturally appeared in the original ending, but the authors got cold feet and decided not to anger their atheistic target audience.
The main villain is a hybrid of David Koresh and Fred Phelps.
David Koresh is the prophet who was killed by the FBI during the American government's siege of the Branch Davidian sect (the film shows a similar siege).
And Fred Phelps, for example, argues that God hates the United States, and the destruction of the Twin Towers and the death of American soldiers in endless wars is a just divine punishment for apostasy and pride.
Here is a real believer!
Here is another anti-Christian film, after which it is difficult not to support Christianity.
The film is pure fantasy - Hypatia did not reveal anything like this, and in general, wait a minute, is a Christian saint .
But you didn’t expect to hear anything good about Christianity from Talmudists, did you?
However, any criticism from the Talmudists is anti-criticism, PR.
Christians in the film are shown as Allahakbar cultists (which they actually were), who openly ridicule pagan gods and overthrow the pagan caste society based on slavery and social injustice.
This makes them similar not only to modern Muslims, but also to the “political religions” of the twentieth century - communism and Nazism. As we know, the German aristocracy hated the Nazis precisely for their egalitarianism, rejection of caste and class. Another question is that the load included a delusional racial theory stolen from the British - but then science did not yet know about the structure of DNA, so we will give the Nazis a discount for their lack of scientific knowledge.
There are four main complaints against Christians in the film: “enemies of science,” “restrict women’s rights,” “burn people,” and “don’t like Jews.”
Considering that Western science originated in monasteries - sanctuaries of literacy, and we can easily see the effects of feminism in the modern world, such criticism misses the mark.
As for the burning of people and anti-Semitism - here, I think, no comments are required.
The events described in the film have been repeated many times, and they will happen again.
We'll make sure that the newer pigs respect our cultural identity, listen!
Biomass into the bioreactor! Kafirov - to the Gulag! Hit the infidel with a blaster!
As long as the pagans erect idols, the faithful will burn them.
All degenerates, all occupiers - Burn! Burn!! Burn!!!
The fire of Herostratus is the fire of Prometheus!
Towers. They will. Burn.
At home. Necessary. Sit.
Floor. Sweat. Alive
We will burn out the old grass so that new grass will grow.
FIRST-THOUGHT//GIVER-OF-WILL_KNOWS_ALL--ACKNOWLEDGE//SUBMIT!!
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Various forms of magic and sorcery, sorcery and communication with the other world, star divination and other forms of occultism have been known since ancient times. The Bible repeatedly mentions various occult practices of that time and the people who resorted to them. The Old Testament distinguishes between the Khartummim, sorcerers and wizards in the court of Pharaoh, and the Hashshefim, magicians, fortune-tellers and sorcerers common in Babylonia, Assyria and Palestine. The first were most likely Egyptian priests and are known mainly for repeating some of the miracles performed before Pharaoh Moses and Aaron. Their power does not extend beyond this; the great miracles performed by God for the salvation of the chosen people remain beyond their reach. The power of the Khartummim, although real, appears limited in the biblical account. The second, hashshefim, most often were not priests, although their activities in one way or another turn out to be connected with paganism, especially in Palestine. Fortune tellers and astrologers, conjurers of the dead and makers of love potions, they were widespread throughout the ancient East and were popular among local tribes.
For Israel, the hashshefim represented a significant temptation, especially since they found imitators among the Jews themselves. Therefore, Sinai legislation includes a number of prohibitions on engaging in occult practices. This prohibition is most clearly formulated in Deut. 18:9-13, where various types of magic are called “abomination”, because of which God rejects the Canaanites who indulge in magic. It is characteristic that the rejection of sorcery, fortune-telling and calling the dead is usually found not in the cult and religious-practical sections of the law, but in its moral part; the ban on occult practice is adjacent to the ban on fornication and the requirement to honor elders (Lev. 19:26-32). Along with more or less understandable things, the law also lists long-forgotten forms of magic and sorcery. Such archaic phenomena include the prohibition of boiling a kid in its mother’s milk, spoiling the edge of a beard, cutting the head in a circle, etc.
An important part of what the Pentateuch says about witchcraft is the story of Balaam, an astrologer and soothsayer, probably summoned from Babylonia. Balaam, a magician and spirit caster, was nevertheless able to hear the will of the One God. He blessed Israel instead of cursing them; according to Chis. 23:23, it was the absence of magic and divination among the chosen people that made them invulnerable to spellcasters.
In the story about the first Israeli king Saul, the prophet Samuel speaks of magic and idolatry as grave sins, comparable in essence to resistance to the will of the Creator. The book of the prophet Nahum names the main reasons for the death of the Assyrian kingdom as the cruelty and sorcery of its inhabitants.
However, having settled in Canaan, Israel did not avoid the temptation to resort to occult practices popular among the Canaanites to achieve earthly well-being. Many prophets denounced these facts, warning that magic and sorcery are disgusting to God and are a direct violation of the Covenant. The prophets unleash anger and sarcasm both on the sorcerers themselves and on those who resort to their services in order to achieve what they want at the cost of disloyalty to the Almighty. On the Day of the Lord, when God's judgment appears on all the earth, all sorcery will be destroyed and the soothsayers will be put to shame.
The Acts of the Apostles provides a number of examples of clashes between the apostles and magicians (in the Russian translation they are usually called Magi), who in one way or another opposed the preaching of the Gospel. Thus, the sorcerer Simon tries to buy the grace of the Holy Spirit from the apostles for silver, which is where the term “simony” came from. Elymas and other magicians and soothsayers are directly characterized as servants of Satan. In general, the New Testament fully confirms the categorical prohibition of practicing the occult and magic, since they are incompatible with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Proving in court a person’s involvement in witchcraft is a very labor-intensive task. The witch persecutors were glad to receive any official help. For many years, two books, written with knowledge and free interpretation of concepts, have provided the courts with the necessary legal basis.
One of these books was called “On the Demonomania of Witches.” Its author was the French lawyer and demonologist Jean Vaudin. The book was first published in Paris in 1580, and was subsequently translated into many languages and reprinted several times. Boden himself took part in the witch trials and summarized his rich experience in Demonology. He proposed the first official definition of a witch: “One who, knowing the laws of God, tries to carry out his actions by making a deal with the devil.”
“Demonology” truly taught cruelty and heartlessness, since in it Boden gave zealous witch hunters, for example, the following advice: “It is impossible to adhere to the generally accepted rules of investigation, because the evidence may be so inconclusive that it is unlikely that it will be possible to impose a death sentence on even one of them.” a million witches if you only act within the law."
He advised using the following methods of investigation and interrogation: not naming the names of secret informants, forcing children to testify against their parents. If only a shadow of suspicion fell on a person, he was already guaranteed the right path to the torture chamber, “since human rumor is rarely wrong.” A person once accused of intimacy with the devil could not be acquitted, unless, of course, the accuser’s lie turned out to be very obvious and “did not darken the sun.”
Boden spoke with no less cruelty about the penalties for witchcraft. As a supporter of the painful executions then practiced, he was concerned that witches were often given too easy a death: “whatever punishment is given to a witch, even roasting over low heat, it will still be light and cannot be compared with what what Satan has prepared for them in this world, not to mention the eternal torment that awaits them in hell. And our fire can burn them for no more than an hour, until the witches die...
And the judge who doesn’t look and lets the witch go should be executed himself,” Boden argued. Another book, beloved by witch hunters, was once said to be “...the perfect weapon for legal murder.” It was called "The Hammer of the Witches" and was published in 1486. Boden himself, having shown considerable diligence, gleaned a lot of information from its pages. Written in Latin by two Dominican monks, Dean of the University of Cologne Jacob Sprenger and Brother Heinrich Kramer, the book was a veritable encyclopedia of witchcraft. In addition, it became one of the first international bestsellers, going through no less than thirteen reprints by 1520. This manual has been translated into German, French, English and Italian.
The book consisted of three parts. In the first of them, the authors convinced civil and church authorities that the number of witches and sorcerers was huge and they were committing terrible atrocities. There were dismal, unconnected essays describing in great detail the renunciation of the Catholic faith by adherents of the devil, paying homage to Satan and playing with incubus and succubus themselves. It was said that any doubts about the existence of witches are in themselves heretical. It was written in the Bible: “You shall not let a sorcerer live” (Exodus, chapter 22, v. 18). Where else can you find a better guide?
The second part of the book prescribed a thorough study of the atrocities that witches could commit. This included every calamity and hardship known to man, from crop failure to heart attack. And there was no other explanation for them than the tricks of witches. The last and final part of The Witches' Hammer described private stories, explained how to bring a case against a witch, how to collect facts and how to obtain from the accused the necessary confession, without which a verdict could not be pronounced. The book, estimated to be a quarter of a million words long, offered, among other things, numerous tips on interrogation, confinement and torture of witches. Obviously, it was not so difficult to obtain the necessary evidence from the accused.
The final part of the “manual” was written entirely by one author - Heinrich Kramer, a man with extensive experience in the persecution of witches and executions of them. He was so cruel that even the local residents complained. It is known that to make the accusations more credible, he hired a woman, flexible, but not very intelligent, and forced her to hide in the oven, pretending to be the devil. On Kramer's instructions, she slandered many townspeople. The executioner drove the innocent into dungeons and subjected them to cruel torture. It took a lot of effort for Bishop Blixen to rid this area of Kramer's excesses. But the latter also did not remain idle and in 1484 received a papal bull from Innocent VIII - a document prohibiting interference with the persecution of witches. After the publication of The Witches' Hammer, Kramer was morally rehabilitated and even became extremely famous as an expert demonologist.
"Interesting newspaper. Oracle" No. 11 2013
1–20. Various cases of damage to a neighbor's property and punishment imposed for violating the commandment “thou shalt not steal.” 21–27. Indication of the rules for treating people in cramped and difficult situations. 28. On the attitude towards judges and bosses. 29–31. The obligation to bring to God the firstfruits of bread and grapes and the firstborn of clean animals and the prohibition of eating the meat of an animal torn to pieces by a beast.
. If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, then five oxen will be paid for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
The theft of an ox, as a more valuable and useful animal on the farm than a sheep, causes greater damage to it; For greater damage, greater punishment is imposed. Anyone who slaughters or sells an animal is punished more severely than the person in whose hands it was found. The reason for this is that the slaughter or sale of a stolen animal, on the one hand, deprives the owner of the opportunity to ever return the stolen property, and on the other hand, it indicates the absence of any desire on the part of the thief to confess his crime.
. If Who catches a thief digging in and hits him so that he dies, then there will be no blood will be imputed to him;
. but if the sun rose above him, then will be imputed him blood. Stole must pay; and if there is nothing, then let them sell it for payment for what he stole;
. if [he is caught and] the stolen property is found alive in his hands, whether it be an ox, or a donkey, or a sheep, let him pay [for them] twice.
Killing a thief at night is equated to unintentional murder, since in the dark it is difficult to determine where the blow is struck and to measure the force of the latter. Since it was unintentional, it is not punished. The murder of a thief in daylight, when the householder could have avoided him by using other means to protect his property, is considered deliberate and, according to general law (), is punishable by death. In the case when a thief is caught red-handed - he has not had time to carry out his plan to sell or slaughter a stolen animal, he does not cause damage to the householder and is punished only for the crime itself: he pays double for an ox and a sheep (). Such a ruling is completely inapplicable to poor thieves, which in turn could encourage them to steal. In view of the possibility of thefts being committed by people who, according to the specified regulations, go unpunished, a new regulation is being introduced into the law: if the person who stole is not able to compensate for the loss caused by his property, then it is sold, and the sale price goes to the satisfaction of the victim.
. If anyone poisons a field or vineyard by allowing his cattle to poison someone else's field, [depending on its fruits, let him pay from his own field; and if he destroys the whole field, he shall reward him with the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.
. If a fire appears and engulfs the thorns and burns up the haystacks, or the harvest, or the field, then whoever caused the fire must pay.
A neighbor's property should be valued and respected as if it were personal. A disdainful attitude towards her, all the more conscious: “letting his livestock poison someone else’s field”, is punished by the fact that the one who caused damage to the property of his neighbor compensates for it in abundance: he pays with the best of his vineyard. Greek and Slavic texts speak of rewarding the best only in the case when the entire field or vineyard is poisoned. When plants are completely destroyed, it is difficult to determine what they were, good or bad; but since the law is on the side of the offended, and not the offender, the latter gives the former the best of his field. He who makes a fire in his field, perhaps intended to burn weeds, is to blame for allowing it to reach enormous proportions - to burn thorns, hedges of thorny plants that separated one field from another, and the neighbor's bread ().
. If someone gives silver or things to his neighbor for safekeeping, and they are stolen from his house, then if a thief is found, let him pay double;
See interpretation of Art. 2–4.
. and if the thief is not found, let the owner of the house come before the judges [and swear] that he has not stretched out his hand on his neighbor’s property.
If the thief is not found, suspicion of theft falls on the one who took the missing item from a neighbor for safekeeping. To be released from it, it is enough for the suspect to take one oath before the judges that he “He did not stretch out his hand on his neighbor’s property”.
. About every thing in dispute, about a will, about a donkey, about a sheep, about clothes, about every thing lost, about which someone says that it is his, the case of both must be brought before the judges: whoever the judges accuse, he will pay his neighbor twice .
The above-mentioned special case gives rise to the establishment of a general rule on the resolution of litigation “in every wrong case,” i.e. in cases in which it is assumed that the interested parties act in a way that is incorrect and inconsistent with the truth. The question of who owns the disputed item or animal is decided by the judges, and if the truth is on the side of the owner, then the one who appropriated them pays him twice. If the owner slandered his neighbor, then he is subject to the punishment imposed for false testimony ().
. If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, or an ox, or a sheep, or any other livestock for safekeeping, and it dies, or is damaged, or is taken away so that no one sees it, -
. there shall be an oath before the Lord between both, that took He did not stretch out his hand on his neighbor’s property; and the owner must accept, and That will not pay;
Lack of testimony ( “no one will see this”), under what circumstances the loss of livestock taken for safekeeping occurred, is replaced by trust in the oath of the suspect (). Livestock owner "must accept" her, is content and has no right to demand payment.
. and if it is stolen from him, he must pay his owner;
If livestock given for safekeeping is stolen, and it is assumed that the thief has not been found, and that the livestock is stolen from a house where it could have been saved, then the one who took the livestock for safekeeping pays the victim.
. if it happens beast torn to pieces, then let him present what was torn to pieces as proof: he does not pay for what was torn to pieces.
The presentation of an animal torn to pieces by a wild animal serves not only as confirmation of the accomplished fact, but also as proof that the one who took the animal protected it and drove away the predator (the torn animal was not eaten). Therefore he is not to blame ().
. If anyone borrows his neighbor's cattle, and it is damaged or dies, and its owner was not with him, he must pay;
Cattle taken from a neighbor for use must be protected more than those taken for safekeeping, since in the first case they provide direct benefit to the taker. Therefore, if he does not take care of it, he is punished for his careless attitude, the consequence of which is death or damage to the animal from cruel treatment.
. if his owner was with him, he should not pay; if he was hired for money, then let him go for that price.
The presence of the owner at the death or damage of livestock loaned to another freed the latter from the obligation to pay for it, because the owner could personally see that there was no negligence or cruelty in the treatment of his animal, and he himself could take measures to protect his property. “If he is a hired man, then let him go for his rent.” By lending to another with his cattle for profit, for a fee, the lender, taking advantage, takes at his own peril and damage, which can be covered by the rent received.
. If someone seduces an unengaged maiden and sleeps with her, let him give her wine [and take her] as his wife;
. and if the father does not agree [and does not want] to marry her to him, let him pay [the father] so many silver, how much relies for the girls.
The seduction of a girl is the theft of her highest asset - her virginity, and at the same time her devaluation in case of marriage or sale into slavery. Therefore, the seducer pays a veno of 50 shekels () and, if the father agrees to the marriage (), marries her without the right to divorce for the rest of his life.
. Don't leave the witches alive.
The laws set forth in these verses do not protect one or another rights of one’s neighbor, but determine the punishment for the intolerable violation of the fundamental principles of their moral and religious life among the people of God. The common punishment between them is death.
Divination, an imaginary or actual entry into communication with a dark force, is incompatible with belief in divine protection (the fact that they decide the same thing) and the existence of revelation (). Soothsayers, fortune tellers, sorcerers, etc. should be put to death by stoning (), and a feeling of compassion for a weak woman should not incline a Jew to the desire not to apply the law to the witch in all its severity.
. Every cower shall be put to death.
Bestiality is a vice of peoples rejected by God (etc.), is a violation of the law and the purposes of marriage, and defiles the earth ().
. He who sacrifices to the gods, except the Lord alone, shall be destroyed.
As God's chosen people, Jews must serve Jehovah; he who sacrifices to other gods is a violator of the law that lies at the basis of the covenant between God and the chosen people ().
. Do not oppress the stranger and do not oppress him, for you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.
A humane attitude towards aliens (, , , ,), persons of other nationalities, is based on its motives - “For you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.”– application of a general rule to a particular case; “don’t do to others what you don’t want to do to yourself” (). As can be seen from, the law means not only the avoidance of offenses and a partial attitude towards them, but much more, namely love for them: “love him as yourself.”
. Do not oppress the widow or the orphan;
. if you oppress them, then when they cry out to Me, I will hear their cry,
. and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.
The easy opportunity to oppress widows and orphans who do not have an intercessor for themselves, to deny them legal demands (), to take away their property (,), turning them into slaves (), should not serve as bait for self-interested people. The protector of widows and orphans instead of the deceased head of the family is God himself (); He will hear their cries, as well as the cries of all those in need (), and will punish the oppressors with the widowhood of their wives and the orphanhood of their children. The basis for a humane attitude towards widows and orphans is the same as the basis for a compassionate attitude towards aliens (see above).
. If you lend money to the poor of My people, do not oppress him or impose an increase on him.
The purpose of a loan is not to enrich the creditor, but to support his impoverished neighbor (), therefore, one cannot take interest from him, neither silver nor grain can be given at interest rate (, , etc.). The basis for this particular prescription is the general position that there should be no poverty among the Jewish people ().
. If you take your neighbor's clothing as collateral, return it before the sun goes down.
. for she is his only covering, she is the garment of his body: what will he sleep in? So when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am merciful.
To ensure payment of the debt, the lender was allowed to take collateral from the debtor, but even in this case the former had to be guided by compassion for the poor debtor. The lender could not go to the debtor's house for this collateral; the latter was left to choose the thing himself, without which he could relatively easily do for a certain time (,). Such a thing was, by the way, clothing, often given as collateral (, ,). Returning it to the debtor is an act of compassion for the poor neighbor, otherwise doomed, for lack of a special cover, to tremble from the cold during the cold eastern night (). In the latter case, the injunction would tend to raise respect for the law, which is undermined by the reproach of its representatives. But since the understanding of “elohim” in the sense of “judges” introduces a tautology into legitimation: “Don’t slander the judges, the boss,“the same judge, do not reproach”, then it is much more natural to mean by “elohim” God. This is guaranteed, by the way, by the fact that the injunction: “do not reproach elohim” comes before the speech about delays in bringing the fruits of the earth to God and delivering primordial(). Finally, with such an explanation, the connection between the words in question and the preceding ones becomes completely clear and natural. Fulfillment of the moral instructions given in , restrained the tendency of many to increase their well-being by oppressing the poor and therefore could cause grumbling and dissatisfaction with the law. In view of this, it is now said: “Do not blame God,” - do not complain about God, do not murmur at Him for the fact that you are given instructions that constrain your selfish endeavors. “Do not vilify the authorities” who monitor the implementation of these laws.
. Do not delay [to bring Me] the firstfruits of your threshing floor and your winepress; give me the firstborn of your sons;
The beginnings of the “threshing floor”, i.e. bread, “grind”, i.e. grapes and oil were brought to God, as the ruler of the promised land, in gratitude for the gift of it to the Jews (), and He gave them to the priests (). So that the latter can receive the means necessary for life in due time, the Jews should not delay in offering the first fruits. The people are warned against a frivolous attitude towards fulfilling the commandments. "Give Me the firstborn of your sons". These words do not represent a repetition of the previously given commandment (), but only the application of the command “not to delay” to the fulfillment of the already known commandment regarding the firstborn.
. Do the same with your ox and with your sheep [and with your donkey]: let them be with their mother for seven days, and on the eighth day give them to Me.
The remark about offering the firstborn of clean animals to God on the eighth day after birth suggests that they were intended as a sacrifice (). And since the need for sacrificial animals was great, the law requires that there should be no delay in delivering them.
. And you will be holy people to Me; and do not eat meat torn to pieces by wild beasts in the field; throw it to the dogs.
Eating the meat of an animal torn to pieces by a beast desecrated a Jew (,), therefore the prohibition to eat it is in connection with the commandment to be holy people.
