Sara Abraham

Word count: 1335

Daughter of Saints: Escaping the Church of Lies Commented [RC1]: Colon

The Church bells rang at the crack of dawn, signalling the completion of the daily mass to Commented [RC2]: Foreshadowing
implore the Lord to cleanse Cana of sins. The High Priest and Churchmen then opened the
heavy door of the church, and the flock of men sat in the centre of the town square, as a soldier Commented [RC3]: Figurative
of Cana, dressed in medieval armour, came forward and read a scroll containing the recent Commented [RC4]: Themes of the medieval era
names of the executed sinners. The soldier first yelled "Johnson Mary," which elicited shouts
from the men in the church. He then yelled "Brown Mary," which elicited applause and words of
condemnation. Finally, the soldier shouted out the last name, "Thomas Mary” – the
churchmen rose from their seats and cheered as if they had executed the devil herself. Commented [RC5]: Metaphor: compares the way Cana
treats women
Tens of white-veiled wives watched the ordeal, from their identical, blue-stained windows in
their similarly structured kitchen from the communal hostels, which surrounded the church like Commented [RC6]: Imagery
barricades. The women cheered and clapped, oblivious to the fact that those names could have
Commented [RC7]: Simile
been theirs.
I stood motionless in my own mourning shadow, as I saw flashbacks of blood searing out of Commented [RC8]: Personification
Thomas Mary and regrets in her eyes that her life’s journey will end, and no one would have Commented [RC9]: Foreshadowing
ever even known her real name – Lily Thomas, my sister.
Commented [RC10]: Euphemism for ‘died’
x—x—x—x—x Commented [RC11]: Hyperbole
My name is Smith Mary, and I was born on October 28, 1998, in a modern-day hospital. Our Commented [RC12]: Collective pronouns
mother was a waitress, whose innate nature was to give love, and our father was a watch
salesperson at a mall kiosk who aspired to be an actor.
I cannot remember much about the past; Lily recalled once, "though we were dead broke, we Commented [RC13]: Semi-colon
were on cloud nine because it was just the four of us in our tiny house, with one window that Commented [RC14]: Colloquialism and Idiom
outlooked a world filled with freedom, unlike Cana."
Commented [RC15]: Idiom and a cliché
Around my first birthday, Father changed from a gentle person to someone with broken dreams Commented [RC16]: Repeating themes of windows.
and hurt pride that caused him to find solace in the bottom of bottles, this went on for months
until one night he declared that he had dreamed of a prophecy– he saw the world in embers and Commented [RC17]: Images of mental health issues
fractures on the ground that exposed the abyss of Hell, which was coming closer and closer to Commented [RC18]: Repetition of ‘closer’
Earth to take the sinners away, and amid these horrified humans, a group of people, adorned in
white garments, and sparkling grins on their faces were being carried by Chariots and greeted
by singing Angels in the sky.
Father believed and explained that only the "People of Cana" will be preserved from the end of
humanity.
Though mother sensed deep down that the "People of Cana" was a cult, her instincts were
concealed by her love for Father, and so she brought us with her to follow father to join the
Commented [RC19]: Foreshadowing
People of Cana, unwitting of our future sacrifices.
Commented [RC20]: Personification
When we first arrived at Cana, we were surrounded by a magnificent valley, with lush trees that
Commented [RC21]: Personification
merged from the foothills onto fertile farmland, cutting through pristine rivers that snaked down
from the alps above, a lake that sparkled like polished glass, and rainbows that etched colour Commented [RC22]: Personification
into the Sky, all of which surrounded the Church like an epic finale. Commented [RC23]: Simile
Every night, before supper all the families would congregate in the church to say the concluding
prayer and each night I would gaze in awe at the Church's interiors: Oil paintings of Kind Saints
embellished the walls, wooden sculptures of brave and blessed Cana Soldiers who gave their Commented [RC24]: Alliteration
lives while on duty were honoured as Church pillars, and the ceiling was painted to depict the
Commented [RC25]: Alliteration
life of Jesus.
Commented [RC26]: Euphemism for ‘died’
When we arrived, we were briefed on the “Doctrine of Cana”: my sister and I were notified on
the importance of obedience to the head of the house and the High priest, who taught us about Commented [RC27]: Metaphor
the damnation of educated women, and that our roles remained in the kitchen and childbirth.
Commented [RC28]: Use of collective pronouns
To remind us about our God-given duties, our names were changed to our father or husband’s
last name, followed by ‘Mary’ as an ode to Mother Mary and an indication to follow her journey
of purity and sacrifice.
At first, Cana was our paradise on Earth. I loved to learn how to crochet, cook and clean at Commented [RC29]: Alliteration
school and then run and play with my friends till mothers dragged us home by the ear. L
Commented [RC30]: Humour
We lived in communal hostels – We worked together, we went to school together, we prayed
together. Commented [RC31]: Anaphora

As we grew, the Churchmen forbade us to play in the valley and ordered us to focus on our
God-given duties. Though sometimes a few secretly played a game of tag - but this spirit of
rebellion was abandoned at the sight of my friends coming back home one night with blue
bruises on their backs resembling a leather belt.
When I turned sixteen, I learned that I was being observed by the High Priest and that he
thought I would make a good wife for his son, Moses Smith.
My father offered my hand in marriage. After the wedding, my name changed from Thomas Commented [RC32]: synecdoche
Mary to Smith Mary.
Unlike his father, Smith did not have burrowing eyebrows or brooding eyes, instead, his small
face excluded whimsicality and had kind blue eyes. Despite, only having met a few times before
the wedding, we had long, exciting conversations about our future and made vows that he
would lead the people of Cana, and I was to be at his side and support him forever. Commented [RC33]: Hyperbole

However, after Smith took over the position of High Priest, his ego rose when he sensed that
the other Churchmen thought he was incompetent to be the High Priest and just like that…the Commented [RC34]: Ellipses
once kind eyes I knew, turned into a sight of fury: He would break the vases, punch his fist into
Commented [RC35]: Metaphor
walls and dig his hands into my neck, as I sobbed.
Maybe seeing my black bruises gave him the same sense of control that the Churchmen felt Commented [RC36]: Alliteration
when they executed innocent women that questioned their authority under the guise that “God
wanted us to kill the sinners.”
Despite, my secret thoughts on the absurdity of the laws and my desires to escape from Smith
and Cana, I never acted because I feared that I would be discovered and executed.
However, Lily was not afraid like me. She was often hushed when questioning the laws by Commented [RC37]: Metaphor
mother because she understood that men created religion and used it as a weapon for
oppression. Yet, she never let her voice be silenced. Commented [RC38]: Idiom
The Churchmen feared and threatened women like Lily, but their failure to control made them
believe she was possessed by a demon and unknown to us, the Churchmen were organizing Commented [RC39]: Metaphor
something truly evil… Commented [RC40]: Ellipses for suspense
One day, my husband surprisingly invited Lily to our house for dinner, and as I cooked the finest
meals, I was unaware that I was making a feast for a future funeral. Commented [RC41]: Alliteration and foreshadowing

Everything seemed ordinary till we were about to eat, when two soldiers of Cana entered, took
their swords, forced Lily to her knees and slain her neck.
As I watched blood searing out of her neck, tears fell down my cheek, I bent down on my
bloodstained floors, her hands caressed my face, as she whispered, “Refuse to be silenced.”
Lily’s words sparked something and made me implode, I was determined to leave and so I Commented [RC42]: Figurative
escaped Cana at night with nothing but a certainty that I would never be controlled again.
Present Day
As I sit in a maternity ward, observing the wallpaper of red tulips with a darker crimson towards
the stem as if they had been cut and are beginning to heal there, I realize that my newborn Commented [RC43]: Metaphor and Symbolism of being
daughter in my arms, gives me hope of a better world, and so I aptly name her Mary because I hurt and healing from pain.
never perceived Saint Mary as subservient to men, but rather a powerful woman who is
celebrated because of her daring choice to love and that is bravery in its truest forms. Commented [RC44]: Present tense