A Raging God Returns
Copyright© 2025 by Hunter Johnson
Chapter 4: Dinner at the Murphys
Science Fantasy Sex Story: Chapter 4: Dinner at the Murphys - An aspiring priest’s world shatters when a ruthless celestial power arrives. The Paradigm enforces its anti-religious agenda, culling the guilty and banning God, using mysterious cubes. Brendan Murphy is offered salvation aboard their starship, but only if he endures ancient trials designed to break minds and shatter souls. Is this the path to ultimate transcendence, or merely a sophisticated end?
Caution: This Science Fantasy Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fiction Military Science Fiction Extra Sensory Perception
The Murphy and Cohen homes were similar ranch-style houses but decorated differently. Both families owned supermarkets and were comfortably off. Sarah loved collecting things, while Siobhan took a Zen approach to decoration: the simpler, the better. David followed Ashlyn to the dining area in the family room adjacent to the enormous kitchen. The house was much as he remembered.
David walked over to a painting, knitted his brows together, and then raised his eyebrows as he turned to Ashlyn. “I would recognize the style of this remarkable artist anywhere.”
Ashlyn blushed.
Siobhan laughed from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. “David is your greatest fan. He may even be the most avid collector of your art, Ashlyn.”
The others laughed.
David blushed.
“Take your places at the table; I’ll bring the starters.”
“I might not have been here for a while, but I don’t want to break tradition. I’ll come to the kitchen to pick up my food,” said David, strolling into the kitchen. He hugged Siobhan. She hugged him back with one arm, the other clutching a serving spoon.
David deftly carried soup bowls to Peter and his mother and returned for his own. Ashlyn did the same for David’s father, while Brendan collected one for him and his mother.
“I would like to propose a toast to David and Brendan,” said Peter, holding up his wine glass.
“We congratulate both of you for getting through your examinations and theses. We hope you enjoy your careers and have happy lives. May you continue to grow, develop, challenge yourselves, and do worthwhile things for your communities.” Peter drank and sat.
The others raised their glasses and gave them three cheers.
Peter turned to Samuel. “Sam, what do you think about the news this evening?”
“The aliens are slowly showing their hand, doing a ruthless housecleaning. In this round, they’ve gone after politicians. It seems they don’t tolerate politicians who make bad decisions or are corrupt. I didn’t think Morrison was that bad!” Sam turned his lips down.
Samuel turned to look at David, who shrugged.
“I wasn’t surprised about Brazil or America losing presidents and ex-presidents. We heard in the car while coming here that the theocracies lost most of their politicians and religious leaders. Israel lost a third of its parliament, and Iran lost three-quarters of theirs. Saudi Arabia lost half its politicians. America lost a bigger percentage of theirs than we did. We’ll hear about the rest of the world tomorrow. The confessions of the corrupt amongst them made it easier for me to accept,” Samuel added.
David turned to Brendan and raised his eyebrows.
“The aliens are ruthless and don’t like a religious government. What will it mean for the rest of the religious establishment?” Brendan asked. “Nothing good, I am sure!”
“It is only just beginning,” said Ashlyn. “I’m sure there were many crazies amongst that lot. Good riddance!”
“I don’t like how they are going about the whole thing. They should get on TV and explain what they want from us. Let us ask them the hard questions,” said Siobhan.
“I agree, but it is a message. You are powerless. We can do as we please. You have no say in what happens,” said David. “I don’t think it is a negotiation, and they will not permit us to question them and their methods.”
“David, if this is the apocalypse, it will shatter our lives. Suppose the aliens disapprove of religion. You’ve got medicine to fall back on; I’ve got nothing,” said Brendan.
“Brendan, there is no reason for such pessimism. Why should they pick on catholic priests?” Siobhan asked.
“I feel the malign forces of evil!”
“Bren, you are behaving like a drama queen. You have tons of talents and lots of options,” said Ashlyn.
Brendan glowered.
“Brendan, you have nothing to worry about. You are a fine young man, a person of integrity and goodwill. You are dedicated to helping others,” said his mother. “I don’t see why they will interfere with you and your activities.”
Sarah looked around the table. “Did you hear the end of the news? The chronically unemployed and street people are dying in droves. Many people in state housing also died. The funeral industry is struggling to cope with the load.”
“I wish they would tell us what they want from us. The suspense is killing me,” said Brendan. “I am living in my worst nightmare.”
“My friend, the brother of the astronomer, tells me the aliens are changing the orbit of Earth. The powers that be are suppressing that information. The astronomers hope the aliens are helping us survive global warming,” said David.
“How can we deal with a civilization that approaches us this way? What can we do to resist?” Brendan asked as he sat rocking in his seat. “I don’t know how much more of this I can stand.”
“Brendan, I think you are making more of this than is warranted. Nothing they have done will impact you,” said Siobhan.
“Yet!”
“I wonder how many they are killing in Africa, China, and India?” Ashlyn speculated.
“I suspect it will be a similar percentage of people to us. Some countries more, others a little less,” said Peter.
“I agree with Brendan and Siobhan,” said Samuel. “They should let us know their unreasonable and drastic requirements so we can get on with it until they fly off. They hold a gun to our heads. If we don’t do what they want, they will kill us all.”
“Sam, that is a giant leap without enough meat on your plate,” said Sarah.
Everyone laughed.
“Mom, that is a mixed-up metaphor of the first order,” said David.
“You might be right that I jumped to making demands. I can deal with an unpalatable situation, but I struggle in a climate of uncertainty,” said Sam.
“Let’s move on from this gloomy topic. We can’t change what is happening. I want to hear how David landed up as a doctor-rabbi,” said Ashlyn.
“Yes, I also want to hear what happened,” said Siobhan. “I want to hear it directly from you. We all know how you agonized over whether you did premed or rabbinical training. Why go to New York?”
“I went to discuss how conflicted I was with Rabbi Goss. He told me how good the rabbinical training was in New York, then told me I might be able to achieve more than I hoped for, and called a contact he knew. He sent my CV to his contact. An hour later, Goss’s contact offered me a scholarship. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to discuss my decision with anyone. I decided there and then and had two days to organize myself and go.”
“The New York crowd must greatly respect your advisor’s opinion,” said Peter.
“You cut and ran without telling us,” said Ashlyn, her jaw clenched, glaring at David.
“We were shocked but supported David’s decision,” said Sarah. “However, I was not happy my little boy was leaving home and going so far away. Ashlyn, I agree he could have dealt with you guys better.”
David took a deep breath and scratched his forehead. “Ash, I am sorry, but ... no, I have no excuse. I avoided facing you guys. I felt driven to do the rabbinical training. There is no program here. I would have had to go to Melbourne, at the very least. I never considered going to the States before talking to Goss.”
“So, how did the whole medicine thing come about?” Ashlyn asked, her left eye twitching.
“I met my mentor a week after starting at University in New York. He took one look at my record and asked why I didn’t do medicine. I explained I thought I must make a choice.”
“What did he say?” Ashlyn asked.
“My mentor told me everything might not be as I thought and asked if Goss had told me about my options. I remember shaking my head. I was puzzled, but he wouldn’t clarify what he meant when I asked.”
“Was the standard what you hoped for?” Brendan asked.
David nodded. “It’s a university that sets a high standard and offers a diverse education. It was also a warm, friendly place, much like Notre Dame here but much larger. I had a heavy course load. I battled initially as I am more used to the sciences than humanities and religious education.”
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.