Easter Sunday, early morning. The church bells rang clearly through the bright morning air. Families, dressed in their fanciest clothes, filed into the vestibule. Taking a bulletin, they shuffled off to their regular seats within the humble chapel. The elderly women settled into the usual seats they’d occupied every week for the last twenty-five or thirty years. Their husbands milled around the chapel, greeting one another and shaking hands while exchanging tall tales of the fish they’d caught the day before. Children scampered about, laughing and playing, greeting the friends they hadn’t seen since the week before. Young husbands and wives found the seats not already cherry-picked by the old timers, cramming the children plus themselves into ten feet of pew.

Mary Ellen, daughter of Father Danny, sat down beside her mother in the pew directly in front of the pulpit, hands clasped in front, Bible at the ready next to her. Mary Ellen, all of seven years old, had been the apple of her parents’ eye. She was a bright and gifted straight-A student. Teachers constantly praised her for her positive attitude and determination to excel above the rest.

When the clock struck ten, the deacon tending to the sound booth began playing a prerecorded instrumental version of “Amazing Grace.” Those in the chapel began awkwardly humming along to the tune they knew so very well.

Father Danny had been the pastor of Little Oak Baptist Church church for close to fifteen years. The congregation had grown to love him dearly. He was a beacon of light within the community, always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. As the music came to a close, he took his seat behind the pulpit as the associate pastor approached the podium and led the people through the opening services.

Father Danny preached the standard crucifixion story, a story he’d preached many times. He’d been through every facet of the story ad nauseum. There was no detail, whether literal or philosophical, he hadn’t mined from it, and he was abnormally proud of the message he brought to his congregation. He’d felt as though he were on fire and that the people could feel it, too. He hadn’t felt such a conviction since his days at Seminary, back when he was just a young man following what he believed to be the Lord’s will for him. In those days, he was filled with such an intense passion for his work, he shared it with anyone who’d listen. He hadn’t felt passion like that in ten, maybe twelve years, but he definitely felt it today.

After the service, he was standing in the vestibule, thanking everyone for coming and offering warm smiles and polite farewells. The old folks were pleasant enough, tending to the children and grandchildren. They all wished a fond farewell until the following Sunday.

“Don’t forget about the potluck next week, now. You’d better not skimp on those potatoes,” Danny playfully prodded.

After everyone had left, Danny returned to his office to attend to some church business and to begin putting the bulletin together for the following week.

Mary Ellen skipped merrily around the church grounds, running through the fields behind the property while picking flowers and other girlish things. She was as happy as a child could be, without a care in the world.

Sarah, wife of Father Danny, waited patiently, reading through lesson plans on her laptop for next week’s Sunday School for the children.

“Almost finished and then we can leave,” Danny told her.

They’d been married for eighteen years, introduced by a former member at one of the church functions. Their relationship had grown from there. They were immediately inseparable, spending day after day together, until the day Danny decided to pop the question. Sarah’s answer, through a waterfall of tears, was a resounding yes. They were just the cutest couple, as it was told by the people who knew them. They were just an absolute perfect match. There was a little turbulence when they originally tried to conceive, as the doctors told her that she appeared to be around eighty five percent infertile. The chance of her having a child was quite slim and this caused a brief hiccup in their marriage. God’s will prevailed, though, when after months and months of trying, Sarah finally received the amazing news that she’d tested positive for pregnancy. She was so happy, she nearly threw the phone across the room in a burst of joy. Restraining herself, she called Danny and he came directly home from work to celebrate. They were beside themselves and told everyone they knew almost immediately. Family, friends, strangers in the supermarket. They were elated to finally be on their way to the happy family they’d always wanted.

The day Mary Ellen was born was quite the spectacle. Danny was right in the middle of a sermon when Sarah went into labor. Danny hadn’t noticed, and he was currently in the midst of a heavy handed, fire and brimstone-flavored tirade, slamming his fist down on the pulpit and telling these people that if there were any who hadn’t repented, they would surely face the eternal fires of Hell. At one point, he slammed his fist down harder than normal, hard enough to surprise even himself, and at that exact moment Sarah, seated in the back so as not to disturb the other parishioners, contorted her face into a look of horror as her seat began to soak up the water escaping from her womb. Danny rushed down to her as one of the deacons called for an ambulance and one of the church wives ran for a mop and towels from the kitchen. Since it was a small country church, the ambulance driver had difficulty getting back to it, and as a result, baby Mary Ellen was born right there in the aisle at Little Oak Baptist Church. EMTs finally arrived, checked the baby to make sure she was healthy, and the family wrapped her up in her swaddling clothes and went home to bask in the glory of their beautiful new daughter.

Mary Ellen was brought up in a typical Christian upbringing. She attended Christian schools and was always buried in a book. She constantly wanted to learn. Some of the kids made fun of her, but her parents instilled in her a sense of pride in knowledge.

Father Danny sat in his office, finishing up his paperwork for the week. He poked his head out the open window in his office. “Mary Ellen! Come on, honey! We’re about ready to leave!” He could hear her giggling and playing in the field.

“Five more minutes, Daddy! Pleeeeease?!”

“All right, I guess,” he said through a smile.

After they’d finished up, Danny and Sarah were walking to the car when Sarah yelled for Mary Ellen to join them. Easter dinner awaited them on this Sunday afternoon; it was one of the family’s most cherished traditions. Due to the lack of grandparents on either side, they really tried to help Mary Ellen feel as special as possible and few things were more precious than Easter Sunday to them.

Mary Ellen appeared from around a bend and ran to the car, handing her mother a bunch of flowers she had picked from the field behind the church.

“For me?” Her mother smiled as she asked, as though she was surprised at the affection.

“Daddy, do you like the flowers I got for mommy?”

“They’re beautiful, pumpkin.”

“How beautiful, Daddy?”

“Almost as beautiful as you.” They shared a smile.

As they approached a stop light, they could hear sirens as they grew louder from somewhere off in the distance. The sirens appeared to get louder and louder, but Danny paid no attention. The light turned green and as he pulled out into the street, a car came barreling through the intersection.

Before he had a chance to react, the driver of the car slammed directly into the passenger side of the family’s van.