Chapter 7 - Haunted
Not too far from the cemetery, the Temple Ami-Shalom was small and modest, but very old. It had served generations and generations of families in Amity Park for a long time. Rabbi Roberg was honored to serve the synagogue's small but faithful congregation.
Today he was starting to take inventory of the whole building in preparation for an upcoming Bat Mitzvah. The morning sunlight projected beams through the narrow windows that lined the top of the walls, illuminating the altar steps.
As he walked up the steps, he noticed that the smoke from the brightly burning menorah candles was drifting somewhat to the side, at an angle, even though there wasn't any breeze inside the temple. All of the candles were drifting, but in different directions! A breeze would blow the smoke in the same direction, but the smoky wisps from these candles were…undulating in an independent manner from each other! He pulled at his black curly beard in thought, and then readjusted his glasses for a better look.
As a large cumulus cloud outside drifted over the temple, darkening the windows, the smoke began to turn greenish-gray. The ropes of smoke began to drift to the center of the altar, twisting together in a slow moving vortex, the greenish column bending and pointing towards the wall where the sacred scroll of the Torah was stored. The Rabbi was frightened, and began praying for divine safety. He was frozen with fear and could only watch in paralysis.
Now the base of the twisting green vortex hovered over the podium, dancing in circles around the steps, as if searching for something. The top end of the vortex was revolving in front of the Torah. Blue streaks could now be seen shooting from the Torah, in twisted bolts, gleaming into the altar floor as it traced circles around the podium. The Rabbi could hear the blue bolts hissing as they traveled down the vortex, smashing into the floor with blue sparks, hissing that sounded like 'sssssaaaaammmmmm'.
Sam. Samantha Manson! She was the one who's Bat Mitzvah he was preparing! Could this be some sign to do with the thirteen year old girl? No one would believe him!
He bowed his head and began to pray. Then with a bright green flash, the vortex vanished! Sunlight gleamed in cheerful beams from the windows onto the altar once again. What had just happened?
He walked up to the Torah, and felt the scroll. He kissed the top of the scroll and prayed.