[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Brother Larry,

The Great Dictum of the Newspaper owner is “All the News that is fit to print.” In my position as editor, I uphold that fearless tradition, unswayed and unconcerned by the outrage and in the resolute belief that anything my readers should know, they can know. Such traditions create communities.

The kicker is “that is fit to print”. People interpret this in many ways. To me it means “I will see that it is printed unless it is going to cause a fatal accident.”

In 1992, I reported the sad and sudden death of Brother Tory Wagner whose lifeless remains were discovered below the Old Bridge – a tragic accident that was caused by his attempting to balance across the rail of the bridge with his hands tied behind his back.

In 1997, my unfortunate duty was to photograph the remains of the charred body of Danton Backes found 2 miles downstream from the Old Bridge. The death was deemed to have been “spontaneous combustion followed by drowning.”

In 2004, it was Nathan Pierce most of whose body was found below the bridge and in the surrounding bushes and trees. The inquiry found that he had been seen juggling weeping gelignite just 2 minutes before crossing the Old Bridge.

You can read further and similar reports in the archives for the years 2009, 2012 and 2014.

I mention the Old Bridge as this was the only common feature other than the pure coincidence that each was under a delusion that Pastor Zeke was in some way “After them”.

Demons take many forms and often strike in lonely spots away from prying eyes. These demons seem to know a lot about their wretched victims and have little difficulty finding them and leading them astray. For instance,they would know that you recently paid $102.54 for a meal for two in Crockett’s Restaurant, Minneapolis, you had three courses and drank Beaujolais Trés Arbres 2007, and that the clock on your wall stopped 2 hours and 17 minutes ago, etc.

I think a Birth Certificate is rather private and not something FTL would wish to publish - if you return the envelope unopened, you may be eligible for a refund.

YIC


E.Bathfire, Editor.