The Punishment of Sodom

I apologize for having taken a month to post here again. The truth is I was very busy with my other writing projects and, of course, the festive season came in the way. First of all, let me me wish you all and your loved ones a much better 2021 than 2020 was. Soon there will be news from my Werewolf Trilogy but for now, let me share with you a short story I wrote earlier today on Daily Prompt. The prompt was "Your character has just escaped the City of Death. Tell the story of what happened there." Below is what I came up with. Enjoy!

The Punishment of Sodom

I had been running for longer than I could even remember. I was so scared that I only stopped when my body literally collapsed on the ground with exhaustion. The old man, who ended up revealing his true identity as a heaven sent angel, had warned us about our sins and misconduct but nobody had listened. Not even me.

“Thou shall be punished by the Lord’s wrath if thou do not change thy sinful and shameful behaviour.” he had warned us.

In good truth, we didn’t treat him right. He was an old man - or so we all thought - who had been travelling on his own for days. When he arrived to the city he was exhausted and famished. He looked for shelter but, seeing him in rags, many innkeepers refused to let him in.

“Get out of here, you filthy old scum. I bet you don’t have a cent to pay for your stay. No money, no shelter.” was just one of the many hateful answers he endured after begging for shelter.

I was just a poor shepherd and I didn’t have much to offer but I took pity on this man and told him he could come to my hovel for some rest. I gave him some water and bread which he literally gobbled.

“You have a good heart, young lad.” he said in between bites of bread. “I heard this city has become selfish, greedy and materialistic so I am very pleased to find someone genuinely good here.”

“I am very sorry for the way you have been treated, sir.” I muttered.

“It is not you who has to apologise. But the Lord knows and He will give these people the punishment they deserve.”

I didn’t really give this last sentence the attention I should. I thought it was just one of those things people say when they are revolted. But just a few days later, when I fled the city I’d engrave them on my mind forever. The old man stayed. He wanted to find a job but all he got was being laughed at in return and even pushed away.

“What do you think you can possibly do at your age, you old fool? Get out of here. No old tramp is allowed in my premises. I bet you’re full of fleas and diseases.” was what the city’s main merchant, who was as rich as he was detestable, told him, when the old man offered his services as a humble servant at his place.

“What was the idea of asking for a job at the merchant’s home, of all people you could have asked?” I asked him in disbelief while we munched on more bread and some cheese from my goats that evening. To my surprise, he didn’t seem bothered.

“Don’t you worry, son. The Lord knows.”

I just shrugged my shoulders, not really thinking yet of what those words really meant.

The discrimination, mockery and even violence against the old man continued. I was getting uneasy. I didn’t want him to suffer but he had this stubborn tendency of approaching the worst people in the city to ask for help. It was as if he was doing on purpose. Even I was already starting to be mocked for having him with me and I started fearing for my own safety.

The fateful day, one I’d never forget, came when my guest approached a fountain on a very hot day to drink some water. A bunch of young nobles saw him and didn’t miss the chance to bully him.

“Get out of here, you old rag! This is the city’s fountain, you are not allowed to drink from it.” said one of them, pushing him away from the water.

The old man didn’t offer resistance, but warned them:

“Thou shall be punished by the Lord’s wrath if thou do not change thy sinful and shameful behaviour.”

The young men just laughed and pushed him further until he fell on the ground. As the lads got ready to kick him just for the fun of it, the old men got up, too quickly for a man his age. When his feet lifted from the ground and he started moving towards the sky, I started thinking of his words again. They were a warning but I didn’t know.

The young men were equally shocked and fell silent. My friend, floating in the air, started changing. His skin softened, his hair darkened and a pair of beautiful, immaculate white wings grew from his back.

“It’s an angel!” someone shouted.

“I indeed am and my name is Raphael.” he roared. “I have been sent by the Lord to confirm your hateful conduct.”

I saw what I thought was a dark cloud approaching quickly. My body froze in fear and I couldn’t say a word, just stare at this angel.

“Forgive us, angel Raphael. We didn’t know. We meant no harm.” the young lads babbled, getting themselves on their knees.

“Oh but you did. The seed of evil has grown in your hearts and for that, thou shall be punished. All of you but one person, the only one who treated me right, shall burn or choke to death.”

He stared at me. The cloud was getting closer and closer. From the ground, branches of thorny brambles started growing, holding the citizens ankles. They tried to run but they couldn’t. Raphael then looked at me.

“Run!” he ordained.

I didn’t wait for a second order and took advantage of being the only person in Sodom whose ankles were free. A strong smell of sulphur invaded my nose as I saw the city suddenly being set on fire. The cloud was upon us, distilling its lightening on the houses like an enraged god. Soon everything would burn and become ash.

I kept running, tears rolling down my eyes. I had been spared because I had always treated Raphael right despite his looks. However, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for my city, where I had been born and grown up in. When I finally collapsed, I was panting and my head spinning. Sodom was no more but I could still feel the acidic smell of sulphur in my nostrils.