It started with the Bible. She hid it in her room like porn, read it secretly at night. She stopped hanging out with the girls she’d known since pre-school, instead preferring the company of people she would name but never introduce.
Only full names, which was odd. Joshua. Stephen. Bethany. No Jeff or Steph or Liz.
We confronted her when the attendance office called to report she’d not been to school all semester. She sat there, placid as a marble bust, staring through us as though we were apparitions.
We woke next morning to find she was gone.
Fluent, thoughtful story about the ensnaring of a young woman by a cult, as seen from the pov of her parents.
Sadly, this is the image and progression of cults and closed societies. Isolation, radicalization, dogma, demand for absolute fealty, an Us versus Them. Well written. Sadly truth for all too many.
Whoa… this does the prompt proud. A friend took this photo and I liked it knowing some good stories would come. This was more than good. You can see her work here… https://instaology.com/
This is perfectly written, the sadness settling in with every line. Tragic.
One can only hope she discovers the other side of her cult before it’s too late.