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Bilocation?

Summary:

The religious from the old local monastery discovers some sort of miracle involving one of the priests, Father Karamatsu.

Notes:

First work here. The following is based from a prompt that had dawned upon me after reading about miracles of a few saints. Enjoy.

Work Text:

It was a peaceful midsummer morning in the local parish's monastery. The brothers had been tending to their duties as early as four am in the morning. Some had been making breakfast, some feeding the animals at the stable, some preparing a father's garments and other necessities for the six am mass, and those were only some of the things that had been going and had always been going on for their quiet, pious lives.

This faithful morning was rather different, for when one brother was supposed to be doing some cleaning by the grotto, he came back running through the monastery doors instead, panting and in a frenzy.

"My Brothers...! I have good news!"

"Brother Michael, we always have had good news," replied Brother Joseph, who had rushed to see all the commotion.

"No, no... I have seen something... Miraculous!"

"Miraculous? Whatever do you mean?" questioned another religious, Brother John.

"I've seen Father Karamatsu at the grotto...! Shouldn't he be at that retreat house in the next valley, having a recollection? How could he be here?"

Brother Joseph placed a hand over his mouth in disbelief, "Why, he's at two places at once..."

"Like Padre Pio?" Brother John mused.

"Just like Padre Pio!"

"Do you think he's still there?" asked Brother Joseph.

"He might still be if we hurry, come on!"

Father Karamatsu was right where Brother Michael had claimed to have seen him, standing by the grotto and smiling widely at the large marble statue of the Virgin Mary. He was not wearing his priestly robes, but it was definitely him.

"A state of religious bliss?" pondered Brother Joseph. The three monks were hiding behind the flower bushes.

"Just like St. Joseph?" added Brother Joseph.

"Just like St. Joseph!"

"We must tell everyone at once."

Soon word had spread like the Oral Tradition throughout the monastery, then eventually throughout the whole village. By now everyone knew of Father Karamatsu's strange ability, be they religious or the common. After three days, a village girl went knocking on the monastery door.

"I've seen him," she told the monks. "He was feeding a stray kitten at the village square. Even to the animals, he is kind!"

"That cannot be," uttered Brother Joseph with a hand to his lips. "He was just at the grotto a while ago. And the recollection wouldn't end for about two days more."

"Trilocation?" suggested Brother John.

One after another, more claims of witnesses came later that afternoon. For proof, a Father Mark told some of the monks to seek all four appearances of Father Karamatsu, at the same time as much as possible. Father Michael remained at the grotto, where the first (second?) Father Karamatsu stood once again by the statue of the Mother. Each father returned bearing the same news. They each saw him but in different places; one was the same Father feeding the kitten, another was collecting donation from the generous, another was speaking in front of a crowd, another was teaching an illiterate how to read. The Father Karamatsu at the grotto still remained there, sitting on a bench by the statue. They all said the time when they had first laid eyes upon him.

3:42 PM

"God be praised," muttered Father Mark upon hearing their reports, "Father Karamatsu is capable of not only being at two places... Not even three... But six!" The fathers and brothers rejoiced, and soon the miracle will be brought to the high priest in order to further test its credibility. Two more days passed and Father Karamatsu made his way back to the village. It was around nighttime when he did, so not many people were awake to greet him with great joy, now that they know of his newfound powers.

Five of his identical brothers, however, where all there, awaiting his arrival before he goes back to the monastery.