Chapter 104: The Primary Goal of the Ntfln

“Listen up, everyone!” began Sonika Jharm. Sonika gave a few sharp claps with her hands to get the attention of all the members of the Redsands First Congregational Church Youth Choir. It took a few minutes but eventually all was silent in the choir chamber just out behind the church’s main platform area.

Jessie Harper was sitting in the room with everyone else and waiting for the choirmaster to speak to them. She had a fair idea what Sonika was going to talk about but was still keen to hear it with all the others. Jessie was also still finding it a bit difficult to fully focus on things at hand after the shocking news she had just received concerning Carrie Pearson’s deteriorating health and the unbelievable fact that the girl was also two months pregnant. It was a job to keep focused but do it she did as she waited with the others for Sonika to address them.

“Thankyou” Sonika finally said and in a rather soft voice. “Firstly, let me give you an update on Carrie Pearson. As you all know the Pearsons are now settled in Germany and Carrie has already started treatment to hopefully do something about this terrible condition she has. Unfortunately, the latest prognosis is not very encouraging. Even though she is not in any pain or discomfort the doctors still only think they can slow the advance of the cancer through her body and not stop it or reverse it at all. According to Carrie’s aunt they are making some remarkable headway in the understanding of this very rare form of cancer and may be able to offer substantially more hope sometime in the near future. But for now all they can do is just slow down its progress and keep the girl comfortable. She still does have to stay completely naked at all times and this act alone does seem to have a major retarding effect on the disease’s spread. So, according Carrie’s aunt, the sad news is that it is still just a matter of time and the girl is being encouraged to enjoy her life as much as possible while she can. The other thing Carrie’s aunt has revealed to us is that Carrie is also two months pregnant. They did think about keeping this aspect away from the public domain but decided in the end to release the information to avoid any unfortunate and harmful speculation generated by the rumour mill!”

The choir chamber was deadly silent as everyone quietly absorbed this latest update on one of their own members. A hand was seen slowly raising itself with a small voice asking, “Do they know who the baby’s father is. Is it someone we know or aren’t they saying?”

Sonika looked across at Jessie Harper for some reason then back to the young girl with the raised hand and said, “If they do know then they are not saying but all the indications coming from Carrie’s aunt are that they have no idea yet who the father is. For some reason Carrie is keeping that secret very close to her chest ... and why? Well, we just don’t know. Perhaps more will come to light later on but for now nobody, apart from the mother, seems to know anything about the father.”

Sonika Jharm gave the choir members a good fifteen minutes to absorb and discuss all this and even gave time for an unscheduled coffee break to ease the awkward and sombre tension that had pervaded the room. Once she thought they were all ready she launched into the next topic ... the subject of the upcoming Teen Beauty Pageant and the role the choir had been offered to play in it. The opening up of this topic gave a definite boost to a more positive attitude in the room and even helped to lift poor Jessie Harper’s spirits a bit as well.

Just before Sonika began to speak again Jessie found herself snuggling up close to her boyfriend - Bjorn Erikson. She always loved the feel of his solid arms and shoulders against her body and that distinctive smell of male aftershave with just a hint of masculine body sweat. As Jessie snuggled in closer to Bjorn’s side she looked quickly up into his face just before giving the guy just a little peck on the cheek. It was then that Jessie Harper noticed a very distinct but very fleeting frown of some sort quickly traverse Bjorn’s face. That look came and went in just a matter of mere seconds but to Jessie it was unmistakable. Jessie had come to know Bjorn really well over the last little while and that fact coupled with her own female intuition produced a very small red alert deep within Jessie’s soul. Suddenly she knew that something was just not quite right with the guy. She had absolutely no idea what it could be but was still dead certain that something was wrong.