&&&Jonas spent his life fighting demons. The scars on his body spoke of a rough life. He was not old by measurements of years nor was he wise, not like the mythical shopkeeper whom was the last of his kind. A dying breed of prayer men that could hold your hand and with their eyes closed spoke a tongue unfamiliar and lost to the rest of the world. When the prayer was over, and the Amens said, the seeker would be granted a miracle that would transform all of their most painful and hurtful experiences into something loving. A testament to the unbreakable bond between the seeker and God.

&&&The nights spent following the sun into the darkness, mesmerizing prayers of protection, warding off waterfalls of minor spirits that could eat the souls of the many the way locusts eat crops, catching the rain with the palms of his hands after rebuking a major demon of drought so that his mother and baby sister had something to drink the next morning were beginning to take a toll on his still young body— all of these experiences led him here and had to mean something he thought.

&&&He stood still as the shopkeeper held his hands, mumbling a prayer he could not understand. “Amen.” The old shopkeeper finally said. The room flashed a gold as bright as a sunrise and Jonas felt a shaking warmth envelope—lifting his body before he opened his eyes again. “Here it is Jonas, it grows with the wearer.” The shopkeeper said and handed Jonas a small toddler sized plate of shimmering white armor. Jonas’ eyes furrowed “There must be a mistake.” Jonas gasped “I cannot fit into this!” The old shopkeeper examined the armor once more before turning around and walking away. “It’s not meant for you son, it’s not meant for you.”

Jonathan Darren Garcia

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Jonathan Darren Garcia is a San Antonio based writer. He was a featured poet in San Antonio’s Collective Carefest and is a Staff Contributor to PEPPER magazine. He has been published in multiple literary magazines including Royal Rose, From Whispers to Roars, Scum Gentry Alternative Arts, Beyond The Veil, Crepe & Penn (now C&P Quarterly) etc. On his off time he is dreaming of a story worth telling.