The Boils of Job

By Vincent Pumilia

An other-than-human visitor comes to Earth and causes great distress for humanity. Main characters: the US President and his staff, the director of the FBI, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his son, The Official White House photographer, Sarah Cooper and her parents Dan and Becky, Sarah's classmate, Willard, who wants to be a wizard, a pastor and his family, a girl in a group home and a newspaper columnist working on a novel and his wife and son. Fantasy, with some humor and profanity, 83,800 words. For young adults and adults.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vincent Pumilia
• Release date: Nov 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301277964

Vincent Pumilia

If a retired brain surgeon, an ultra-rich egomaniac, an admitted communist and an unscrupulous, compulsive liar who belongs in prison can consider themselves qualified for the presidency, why can't I consider myself qualified as an author? Buy one of my ebooks and decide for yourself.

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The Boils of Job

The Boils of Job

By Vincent Pumilia

Copyright 2012 Vincent Pumilia

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

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Chapter 01

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Due to the breakdown of society there are troubled biologically related and semi biologically related human units that are classified as dysfunctional. To alleviate their suffering there are social programs that offer housing and/or counseling to those who fall into that category.

One of those souls in need is a seventeen-year-old girl named Karyn, who has been placed in the Heaslip Home for Troubled Youths in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a stately 150-year-old Victorian home donated by the affluent Heaslip family (its patriarch, Jacob Heaslip, making his fortune from lumber and mining in the Appalachian Mountains). Neglect and other problems at home led Karyn to vice and delinquency and her mother, a troubled soul herself, sent her away.

Along with her behavior problems Karyn is also suffering from depression and a lack of self-esteem. And to make matters worse she is also tormented by her dreams.

Sometimes Karyn dreams about her father, who walked out on a miserable marriage and never looked back. Other times she dreams about her mother and stepfather arguing and of him hitting her, or of herself being hit by one or both of them. Sometimes Karyn dreams about arguing with her mother and attacking her.

Because of the dreams Karyn quite often wakes up angry, so angry that she occasionally screams and punches her bed. Sad but true, Karyn’s parents were too busy hating each other to notice they were hurting her.

Lately, Karyn has been tormented by nightmares of another sort, horrifying creatures that surround her bed, leering and snarling at her, grabbing at her as she struggles, unable to rise.

And there are other troubled souls besides Karyn.

Ravaged by our carnal nature and plagued by our predisposition to failure and error we have devised many ways with which we can destroy ourselves or destroy others.

Some of us do not acknowledge sin and others will not accept responsibility for their actions.

It wasn’t me – it was the drugs that made me commit the crime.

It wasn’t me – it was the alcohol that made me abusive.

It wasn’t me – it was the voice that came from the television.

It wasn’t me – it was the devil that made me do it.

According to some people the punishment for sin is eternal torment in hell. But for many, hell is this life and the punishment is every waking day.

There are unhappy marriages and divorce, both of which destroy families, and in these households are angry, rebellious or self-loathing children.

Some men abuse their wives and children.

Some mothers kill their children, suffocating them in bed, drowning them in bathtubs or cooking them in microwave ovens.

Also contributing to human misery are such things as mental illness, depression and suicide.

Then there are such things as drugs, alcohol and lust that seem pleasing, but are destroyers just the same. The pursuit of thrills, fame and fortune are also deceivers, and something as admirable as the desire to better oneself can be so deceptive some well-meaning people consumed by it will unwittingly sacrifice all they have – including their soul.

Considering all the problems that afflict so many of us it makes one wonder if we are all, in one way or another, dysfunctional.

It was a beautiful early April morning in Washington, D.C. and those who live or work in the District of Columbia were about their daily schedule. The tourists would soon too be ambulatory, getting their fill of the monuments and other sights, chief of which were the more than three-thousand ornamental cherry trees near the Potomac River Tidal Basin, their pink and white blossoms attracting as many human visitors as they would insects.

While everyone was going about their business on what was to this moment a typical day, out of the clear blue sky a non-human being appeared about 100 feet in the air above Pennsylvania Avenue, near the Renwick Gallery, Blair House and the Old Executive Office Building, all located a short distance west of the White House.

A few pedestrians noticed. Some stood and stared at the being above. Others pointed to it. Most hurried to the spot where they thought the being would descend to.

The being did not land, but remained in the air, about 10 feet above the street. He smiled lovingly at those who had gathered.

I am a messenger who has been sent to bring tidings from the one whom the world loves and honors!

Thank you, Lord! shouted one woman, and a couple of other people followed with Praise Him, praise Him!

The being spoke again.

The one whom the world loves and honors will be here at noon on the third day.

At this time two members of the Secret Service came out from the White House. Not knowing what to make of the crowd they ran towards the gathering of people. When they reached the crowd they saw the being and stopped dead in their tracks.

The being spoke to them.

I have not come to harm you. Tell your leader that the one whom the world loves and honors will arrive at noon on the third day.

After saying those words he vanished.

The Secret Service quickly converged on the scene and confiscated the smart phones and the similar devices that were present. They also gathered the crowd, approximately fifty people, and brought them to a detaining room located at the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An FBI agent was present to make sure that the witnesses stayed put and did not speak to each other about what they had seen. After the FBI’s Unusual Phenomena division questioned the two Secret Service Agents they interrogated the witnesses.

Before they did this, however, the witnesses were allowed one (monitored) phone call to either their employers, employees, clients, et cetera, and were instructed to say nothing more than that they were witness to an incident and that their day would be delayed.

One by one the witnesses were taken to rooms where a federal agent took their names, addresses, phone numbers and their workplace addresses.

Then the questioning began. After several hours and a stern warning about not mentioning to anyone else what they had seen the last witness was released.

Each witness was questioned separately and the inquiry went along these lines:

Describe what you were doing the moment before the incident, Mrs. Roberts.

I was on my way to work.

Is traveling this route a part of your daily routine?

Yes.

What alerted you to the fact that something unusual was happening?

I saw several people running into the street so I turned around to see what was happening. I saw them looking skyward. I looked up and there was an angel . . . coming down to the street!

Coming down from the sky and landing in the street?

Yes – I mean, no! He was hovering over the ground.

Hovering?

Yes.

As in flapping his wings?

No, he didn’t have wings. He was just hovering above the ground . . . not moving.

How high was he hovering off of the ground?

Umm, 10 feet?

Are you guessing?

Umm – no. I guess it was 10 feet. It could not have been much more or less.

How far off the ground was he when you first saw him?

Fifty feet, I guess.

Then what did you do?

I ran over to see him.

You said that it was an angel. How do you know it was an angel?

It looked like one. What else could it be?

Have you ever seen an angel before to know what one would look like?

Yes – I mean no! I mean, you know, not in person . . . in paintings.

Do you think that the painters ever saw an angel to know what one would look like in order to paint one?

I’m not sure, she replied with a nervous laugh.

You said that the angel did not have wings?

Yes.

Before you saw this angel did you think that angels had wings?

Yes.

But you still say that this wingless being was an angel.

Well, yes. It looked like an angel . . . one without wings.

What did the wingless angel say?

I didn’t hear every word, but I think he said that he would return – no, I think that someone else would come three days from now.

Did he say who is coming three days from now?

He said that it is the one whom we love, or something like that.

The one whom we love?

Yes.

Did the angel give the name of the one whom we love?

No.

Did the angel give his own name?

No.

And you’re sure he said we would be visited again three days from now?

Yes.

What happened after he said that?

The police came from the White House.

The Secret Service.

Yes, the Secret Service.

Then what happened?

He spoke to them.

The angel spoke to the Secret Service?

Yes.

What did he say?

The same thing he told the crowd.

Which was?

That someone was coming . . .

Three days from today?

Yes, three days from today.

Then what happened?

The angel left.

Left, meaning?

Disappeared.

He didn’t fly away or upward?

No, he just disappeared.

After this, the agent gave the witness his explanation of the event.

"What you saw, Mrs. Roberts was a hoax, an elaborate one. While you were led to believe that an angel or some other being had appeared and disappeared it was a special effect of some sort, such as a hologram – as you would see in a laser light show – only more advanced. Whatever it was I assure you that it was not an angel, or any other kind of being for that matter.

"And while it was a hoax, I still must instruct you must keep this morning’s event to yourself.

"When you are asked why you were detained, your reply will be this: that you were witness to an incident which occurred in close proximity to the White House and that you were asked to give your account of the incident.

"Just say that the incident involved two cars and angry motorists. It will bring undue attention and ridicule to you if you should tell anyone that you think that you saw an angel, and if the rumor spreads it will cause a great amount of worry and confusion.

You’ve been very helpful, Mrs. Roberts. We’re going to release you now, but if we need to speak to you again we know where you live.

After the witnesses were questioned, Clint Boggs, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, went to see the president.

President William Dal Canton was in the Oval Office and with him were the first lady and the Official White House Photographer for the president, Carmen Rojo.

The president spoke to his wife.

"Beverly, this week’s radio address on drug addiction will coincide with the start of your Save the Children tour. That should help pave the way for you when you visit the schools.

Now I know you and Carmen would like to hear my address!

Sure, let’s hear it, replied the first lady with a smile.

The president, holding a copy of the address, rehearsed his speech.

"Good afternoon. My fellow Americans; while the war on drugs has been waged for many years, we have yet to achieve the results we are looking for.

"The siren song of illegal substances is still beckoning far too many people who are either damaged or destroyed by the caller, many of them young people, risking their health and lives for the cheap thrills they derive.

"And it isn’t just the wayward and pleasure seekers who take drugs. Career seekers and those who already have become successful also experiment with drugs, putting in jeopardy all they have accomplished.

Many interested in the arts and entertainment experiment with illegal substances, thinking that their minds will be expanded and thereby become more creative. Among them are musicians, writers and even visual artists, all seeking inspiration from something that will do nothing but ruin them . . .

Dana McDougal, the president’s secretary, opened the door to the Oval Office.

Mr. Boggs is here to see you, Mr. President, she announced.

Send him in, Dana, replied Dal Canton.

He managed to speak a few more words to the first lady as Boggs entered.

"And after that, I’ll speak briefly about drug use in general and then return my comments to young people where I’ll mention your tour.

Boggsie – good to see you again! the president greeted his longtime confidant.

Good to see you too, Mr. President. Mrs. Dal Canton, Ms. Rojo, good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Clint, replied the first lady.

The president spoke again to Boggs.

"Just going over my next radio address with Beverly.

So I understand you’ve been busy this morning, Clint. Care to inform me as to what has been going on?

Gladly, Sir, although I would rather speak with you in private, if that’s not too rude.

"No, not at all.

Carmen, why don't you accompany the first lady to her office? She’s meeting with education and drug experts today. I’m sure you find some good photo ops there.

Sure, Mr. President, replied Ms. Rojo.

She went for her bag then called out.

One quick pic!

Rojo photographed the president, first lady and FBI chief together. All but Boggs smiled.

See you at dinner, Bev, the president said.

I’ll be there, she answered.

After the first lady and Ms. Rojo departed, Boggs divulged the information.

"Mr. President, judging by what I’ve heard, there is a distinct possibility that we have been visited by either spirit beings – according to the Biblical definition – or extraterrestrials this morning. All smart phones belonging to the witnesses have been confiscated and the video is being studied.

And according to the witnesses the visitor announced that there is to be another visitation three afternoons from now and that you must be notified of this.

You don’t sound as if you doubt the veracity of the witnesses.

It’s not just them. Two Secret Service agents confirm most of what they said.

So you are saying that we were visited by a creature from outer space?

No, Mr. President. The ‘blob’ would be a creature from outer space. What appeared outside the White House was a highly intelligent life form, if not an angel a flesh and blood non-human entity.

And where would this non-human entity be from?

From another planet in our galaxy, I surmise.

Were alien vessels sighted by the witnesses or picked up on radar?

No to both. The witnesses made no mention at all about alien spacecraft, and radar here at the White House and at the Pentagon detected nothing unusual. The same goes for Dulles, Washington National and BWI airports. That doesn’t mean a spacecraft was not present. An advanced race of beings with superior technology may be able to ‘beam down’ a visitor without being detected.

You think we’re being watched by space aliens?

As you know, the Pentagon has long been preparing for an alien invasion and how best to protect our Nation from such an occurrence. They are monitoring the skies over the U.S. especially over the White House, the Capitol Building and military bases to be sure we are not caught unawares.

That’s if the aliens prove to be hostile. What if the alien means no harm?

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, Sir. What I’m concerned about is the reaction of our citizens to such an event.

Some are ready, said Dal Canton.

Some are ready, but most aren’t. That’s what worries me.

It worries me too, replied the president. I can’t imagine what effect it would have on the fearful and the religious.

A hostile alien cannot be kept secret, said Boggs. Such a being will make itself known not only to us, but to the entire world. A visitor of a more gentle nature can be kept under wraps – maybe.

What if it was an angel?

"I don’t think we have a say in how or where such a being comes and goes, or how to hide one from the public. We have been led to believe that angels are benevolent beings, but if they return and interfere with world affairs or commerce I’m sure world and financial leaders will want us to do something about it.

I suggest you inform select members of the National Security Council immediately. In case this is legit, the Pentagon and Homeland Security are going to need time to prepare for what might happen as a result.

Dal Canton nodded his head in agreement as Boggs continued.

But what concerns me the most at this moment is that it was mentioned that the being who is to arrive three days from now is ‘the one whom we love and honor.’

What do you think that means? asked Dal Canton.

I’m not sure. We’ll have to check with the theologians about that.

That’s reason for concern, but we do have three days to work with. What do we do in preparation?

We’re working on it, said Boggs. Right now our main concern is how to keep our citizens away from the White House on the afternoon of the next visitation.

That will be difficult to do if the witnesses speak to the press, said the president.

They were instructed not to.

Do you think they’ll listen?

We know where they live and work. The witnesses are not only under surveillance at their homes and workplace, but their phones have been tapped and we will also monitor their computer activity, email and social networking websites as well. At first opportunity we will enter their residences and bug their homes.

Is that necessary? We have to consider the legal aspects before such actions.

Considering the circumstances, Sir, it is most definitely necessary.

And if they attempt to speak to the press? How will you stop them?

That, Mr. President, is something you’d be better off not knowing.

While they tried their best, they could not keep all the people silent. One person, who was unable to join the crowd and left the scene as the Secret Service arrived, reported what he saw to a local TV station.

While the disclosure was doubted the witness sounded honest enough, as if he had actually seen something. This made the story worth pursuing and at worst it would be a humorous anecdote to close the newscast with and maybe even be broadcast on other news stations across the country. So living by the saying that the only bad publicity was no publicity, the station sent one of their reporters to the White House.

Approaching the secret service checkpoint he spoke to security.

Hello, I’m Wayne Derby, a reporter for WLMP TV. Someone came to our station claiming that a visitor from outer space appeared nearby the White House, and according to the witness the visitor had the appearance of an angel. I’d like to know if there is any word from the White House about this.

You’ve got to be kidding! was the security agent’s response.

No, I’m not kidding, although we suspect our self-proclaimed witness is. Still, I’d like to speak to the Press Secretary.

I’d let you speak to him, but he’s in conference with Bigfoot right now! joked the agent.

Don’t do this to me, said Derby.

Don’t do this to yourself, or I’ll see that you’re never allowed near the White House again, replied the agent.

Word quickly reached the president about the reporter.

Waiting in the president's private study room for that evening's WLMP broadcast were the president and Vice President Mitchell Price. With them were Chief of Staff Jeff Healy and Boggs. All were seated except Boggs, who held the remote and was standing near the television.

You know, Mr. President, I can jam the airwaves with just one phone call, he said.

You can't do that. If you do it would be just like admitting that there was a visitation and the networks will definitely get wind of it, replied Dal Canton. We’ll just have to weather out this storm.

As far as the news was concerned this is what they heard from as the broadcast began.

Good evening and welcome to News 5 at six, I’m Stan Uhlaender . . .

And I’m Marilee Saletta, said his co-anchor.

Uhlaender began the newscast.

"Our top stories this evening: an accident on I-95 leaves two dead; the D.C. homicide rate is at a record-setting pace this year; salmonella poisoning in an Arlington restaurant; the two-day standoff between police and an armed Mechanicsville, Virginia man has ended; and fact or hoax: a D.C. resident claims that the White House was visited by a being from outer space!

But first, our top story. A collision between a sports utility vehicle and a two-door sedan left the two occupants of the smaller vehicle dead . . .

Boggs lowered the sound on the television.

At least it’s not the top story. Let’s hope they do it after the sports and before the dancing pig or whatever story they close with.

As the news continued the vice president questioned Boggs.

How long will it be before a conclusion is drawn on the video?

Tomorrow morning, the latest.

What is your gut feeling based on the interviews with the witnesses?

My gut feeling is that something out of the ordinary happened.

The vice president looked at Dal Canton. The president shrugged his shoulders.

The first two stories were finished and the camera was now on the co-anchor.

Five people became ill in an Arlington restaurant due the salmonella bacteria. Diners in the Imperial Chicken's Wholly Roasted Empire, a restaurant chain of twenty locations in the Southeast . . .

There’s nothing like a chicken in a toga to get people’s minds off of space aliens! quipped the straight-faced Boggs.

The chief of staff joined the conversation.

Now that the visitation story is being broadcast we have to get some answers ready for tomorrow.

Maybe, maybe not, replied Dal Canton. If they don’t take this report seriously, Reed can have some fun with the press tomorrow and buy us some time, said the president, referring to Press Secretary Reed Adams.

I’ll call Reed right after the news and tell him to prepare for tomorrow’s session, said Healy.

Just tell him to hold the reporters at bay for a day or two, replied Dal Canton.

Have any of the witnesses inquired about their smart phones? asked Healy.

No, but I’m sure they will, replied Dal Canton. And when they do, The Counsel’s Office can handle it. I have too much on my mind right now to worry about legal issues.

Unfortunately for the president, the story of the alien visitor came on just before the first commercial break and was taken seriously by Uhlaender.

"Was the White House visited by a being from outer space?

"A witness, who requested to remain anonymous, claims that an extraterrestrial visitor that closely resembled an angel appeared outside the White House this morning. The witness claims that as he left, the several other people who also witnessed the visitation were taken from the scene, presumably for questioning. As unbelievable as this sounds there may be proof.

According to the witness, not only did members of the Secret Service also observe the event, but some witness had smart phones, all devices being confiscated by The Secret Service. News 5’s Wayne Derby went to the White House, but they refused to comment on the matter.

Uhlaender turned to the weatherman.

A visitor from outer space or a hoax? What do you think about that? he asked.

Angel or space alien? That’s real spooky stuff! exclaimed the weatherman. Well, there’s nothing spooky about the weather, however, as . . .

Boggs turned off the television.

Any suggestions? Dal Canton asked Boggs.

"I'll have my agents keep their eyes on the papers, TV and Internet for public opinion, maybe influence it somehow although we don’t have the time to set up something elaborate. I suggest that you consider instructing the CIA to exploit a situation at home or abroad. We can always make