It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, warm and filled with sunshine.
"Luigi, let's go to the mall," I said.
"Ahhh... I don't want to! Why?" he complained.
"I need to stop by the supermarket. We'll leave in half an hour, so go get ready. Afterwards, we can have ice cream if you'd like."
"Okay," he replied reluctantly.
We wandered through the mall for a while, did our shopping, and headed back to the parking garage.
"Mom... I saw a tall, dark thing walking between the cars."
"What was it doing there?" I asked, startled as I started the car.
"It was just watching."
"What did it look like?"
"Dark gray... almost black... and it had gray hair."
"Do you think it'll follow us?"
"I don't know."
The thought stayed with me all the way home.
A few days later, I was lying on the couch, resting, when Luigi came running toward me.
"Mom! You know that thing we saw in the mall parking garage? It's in your bedroom now!" he cried.
"Are you sure?" I asked, puzzled.
"It was peeking out from behind your wardrobe. Then, when I got closer, it turned into smoke."
"Did it have eyes?"
"They looked gray... or maybe white. I couldn't really tell. It happened too fast."
Luigi turned on the television.
"My cartoon's starting!" he said happily.
He sat beside me on the couch.
"Before bed, let's pray Psalm 91 over the house."
"Okay," he replied, already absorbed in the cartoon.
That night we prayed, asked God for His protection, and went to sleep.
I had many strange dreams.
The following morning, Lívia sent me two photos.
The first was a passage from the Book of Psalms:
PSALMS
David trusts in God during adversity.
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me...
But You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts up my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.
I lay down and slept; I awoke, because the Lord sustained me.
I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
Salvation belongs to the Lord; may Your blessing be upon Your people.
The second showed a small clearing deep in the middle of a forest.
"The Lord is with you, Ana. I'm praying on the mountain," she wrote.
What a beautiful message. Thank you, I quickly typed back, since I was swamped with work.
My soul felt refreshed.
I took a deep breath and returned to work with renewed peace.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word.
That evening, Luigi and I were in the kitchen finishing a bowl of soup.
"Luigi, I had some strange dreams last night."
"Were there bad things in them?"
"I think so."
"Good things too?"
"Yes. It was all... mixed together."
"If you didn't watch any horror movies, and your dreams are a mix of good and bad, it means good and evil are fighting."
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious to hear where he was going.
"Someone wants to harm you," he answered matter-of-factly.
"Who? A spirit?"
"A demon. But you have angels protecting you. You're on the side of good."
"Why would it want to harm me?" I asked, already sensing the answer.
"Because you love God very much. You're an obstacle to them."
"What have I done?"
"For example, when you pray for Lívia, your prayers interfere with their plans. That's why they come after you. But there are angels surrounding you to protect you. That's the battle between good and evil."
"You're right..." I said thoughtfully.
"What I said is too accurate to be just my imagination."
"It really is," I agreed, clearing away the dishes.
"Shall we go to bed now?"
"Yes. Let's lie down and talk. That's one of my favorite moments of the day."
We talked for a while.
I hugged him and covered him with little kisses.
As I prayed, Luigi drifted peacefully to sleep.
Careful not to wake him, I got up and went to my own bedroom.
Sometime during the night, I woke to use the bathroom.
When I lay back down...
I saw it.
Enormous spider legs stretched across the room, frantically weaving a black web around me.
The web resembled a giant fishing net and filled the entire room from floor to ceiling.
The spider—and its web—were moving closer.
Then I saw its eyes. Gray. White. Deep...
Almost hypnotic.
It came toward me quickly, dragging its web behind it.
Yet I felt nothing.
No fear. No peace.
Only an immense emptiness inside me.
It didn't seem evil. It didn't seem good.
It was simply... there.
Closer and closer.
I stared into its brilliant eyes while its impossibly long legs loomed behind it.
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name..." I prayed silently.
At last...
I managed to react.
The spider dissolved into the air like smoke.
I looked around.
Its enormous web had vanished as well.
Salvation had come from the Lord.
His blessing rested upon me.
I remembered the psalm Lívia had sent earlier that day.
Thank you, sister... for remembering me in your prayers.
I finished praying the Lord's Prayer... and fell asleep.
The following night, Luigi and I were talking in bed.
"Are you sure the thing you saw in my bedroom was the same one from the parking garage?" I asked, still wondering about it.
"I don't know. They all look alike. They're spread all over the Earth. It didn't seem evil... and it didn't seem good either. It's neutral."
"But it's a spirit without light," I replied. "That makes it evil. It was disguised. Do you think you could draw it? I'll get you some paper."
"Sure. It looks kind of like a giant finger," he said as he began sketching. Then he added, "I feel like... it doesn't value itself. Like it doesn't care about itself at all—only about everyone else. Oh... and I think it was wearing a cloak that reached the ground."
I placed the drawing on the bedroom desk and lay back down.
Could the thing actually be the spider?
They both appeared in exactly the same place... my bedroom.
Suddenly...
The pencil rolled off the desk and hit the floor.
"You scared me!" I gasped, clutching my chest as my heart pounded.
"Me too!" Luigi exclaimed. "I just saw a spider... kind of like a tarantula. It was walking with its legs tucked in because it didn't want anyone to notice it. It was heading toward the bathroom window."
"You're dreaming with your eyes open, Luigi. Let's pray before you fall asleep."
"Okay... I'm getting sleepy."
After Luigi's vision of the spider, I'm certain now, I thought. The thing was the spider in disguise.
"It's gone now. God is always watching over us," I reassured him.
Luigi fell asleep peacefully as I prayed.
Good night, my beloved son.