The following is a chapter from a historical novella that chronicles real world events. It is the result of nearly 4 years of research and hard work. Some of the names have been changed
Chapters 2,3 and 4 removed
Chapters 7,8 and 9 removed
Chapter 10: Integrity Dysphoria
“The music never stopped. I’ve been trying to deafen it for thirty years but it never stopped. In the darkness of that cell I could hear it as clear as day. Food and drink they are singing. I refused their sacrament that night and thought it was over. But I exchanged my place at the table for one on it.” Father Gomez*,* writing in his diary June 12th 1966
Upon his death Father Alexander Gomez bequeathed all his earthly possessions to the Church. This consisted of various garments, an apartment in Winnipeg, $367,256.01 in savings and a guitar. However the estate could not find the last item. Solomon Morgan, the church’s lawyer in Rhodesia would replace it with a maple wood and birch fiddle
“…as for the last item on the list; we have failed to find it among his belongings at Leaf-point. However there is a single fiddle that the staff will verify had been in the possession of Father Gomez for several years. The issue may be the result of a troubled mind. I suggest we change the item to the fiddle. I will take it with me to Salisbury for appraisal” Solomon Morgan, writing to Young and Bolt (Winnipeg Lawyers) on June 27th 1966
However due to unknown reasons the fiddle remained at Leaf-point. It would be added to the Mission’s list of assets but labelled as “on loan from the Archdiocese”. An unlisted item, Father Gomez’s diaries would also remain at Leaf-Point. Both would eventually be transported to Salisbury after the events of 1967
Father Jefferson Davis would initially take charge of Leaf-point. His tenure would last from July 1966 to October 1966. His personal beliefs alienated the local population but re-established links between the Church and European community. As shortly after coming to Leaf-point he segregated Sunday service and supported Sargent John Brown’s restrictions on indigenous religious practices. Father Davis would often refer to ancestral worship as demonic and a sin in sermons. The local Svikiro (Shona spirit medium) in particular a target of the union between church and state; with Sargent Brown accusing him of spreading revolutionary propaganda while Father Davis accused him of Satanism. The Svikiro would eventually flee persecution into the mountains.
The fiddle during this time would stay locked in the church office. Possibly due to Father Davis having witnessed (based on Lawrence Morgan’s statements) Father Gomez’s death. However despite the banishment of the Svikio and imprisonment of the fiddle several mysterious events would occur in the last months of 1966. Thanks to medical records, correspondents between Father Davis and Salisbury and local myths regarding the period we have a clear timeline of events
The first being the discovery of a Rat King at the front door of the church sometime in late September .The legend of which is even today shared by children at the school. Father Davis would be the first to stumble upon the mass of hair, excrement, limbs and screeching rodents. Traditionally Rat Kings are considered a bad omen and for one to be found in front of church would normally be of great concern. But with added death of Father Gomez its appearance sent Father Davis into a frantic panic. He allegedly demanded all the nuns to douse the poor creatures in anointing oil before he ignited the Rat King. We can only imagine what terrifying sounds could be heard by the children in the nearby school. Satisfied that he had vanquished the evil, Father Gomez ordered the Rat King’s burnt remains to be buried at the foot of Father Gomez’s grave
In the morning Simon Sibanda, the handyman discovered that the Rat Kings remains had been exhumed and vanished. The culprit was speculated to be feral dogs. However Father Davis (in the local legend) was convinced that the Rat King had crawled out from the pit. He ordered school be cancelled and requested every adult and child assist in the search. They searched high and low but couldn’t find any evidence that the rats were still alive. Slowly the group thinned and only the priest, nuns and handyman remained
It was twilight when they abandoned the search. However Father Davis did not rest. He spent the night praying in the church; begging for protection and illumination. Eventually he fell asleep in the pew. In the silence of night the rats emerged from their hiding places and gnawed at the Priest’s feet. Leaving small bite marks around his right ankle. In the morning he visited the doctor. He was informed that the injuries where insignificant and there was no sign of infection
“…the patient has three small bite marks located around the ankle. Due to the risk of rabies; I have prescribed a regiment of Postexposure prophylaxis over two weeks. However this is a precaution as there is a low risk of infection.
The patient also has several psychological symptoms; irritability, restlessness and anxiety. These may be the result of lack of sleep so I have prescribed diazepam.
The patient also claims to feel a shallow pain in the limb. However I have determined this to be psychological in nature” Doctor Thomas Stanford; notes on Father Davis treatment date unknown
In the coming weeks Father Davis behavior would become increasingly erratic. He refused to enter the church and would conduct service in the courtyard. His homilies became fixated on illness and penitence. While the doctor had cleared him of any serious injury he began to walk with a limp and complained of constant pain in his ankle
“He has requested I prescribe him morphine for phantom pain…
…the patient appears to be suffering from a complete psychological breakdown. He refuses to accept that he has no serious injury. Therefore I am requesting the assistance of the police in transporting him to Salisbury before he inflicts harm on himself or others” Doctor Thomas Stanford; letter to Police Station 6607W October 17th 1966
Before Father Davis could be assisted he entered the locked office where Father Gomez had taken his life. There he wrote a letter to a friend, Father David Roberts
“I have been infected by evil David. I’ve been trying to suppress it but I can’t any longer. The music, I can hear music. More than that, I can hear Gomez singing. Food and drink he keeps repeating
This pain in my leg is his doing. It whispers to me at night, calling me to sin.
If your hand causes you to sin cut it off” Father Davis to Father Roberts October the 19th 1966
On the morning of October 19th, Sargent Brown and Doctor Stanford would find Father Davis in a pool of his own blood. In a manic state the Priest had attempted to amputate his leg. Fortunately he was alive but in a comatose state. He would be transported to Salisbury were he would be sectioned for paranoid schizophrenia. Father Davis would remain in a mental hospital until his death sometime in the early 1980s