The Scary Tale of Purgatory Box
A long and somber procession from the oldest member of a family who had died after 100 years of life took the longest road to a dark old cathedral in Portugal. The entire family, from the youngest great-grandchildren to the oldest widowed wife, wore black from shoulders to toe. The deceased widow wore a black shawl around her head as she wept during the service while others held back tears. The husband and widow whose marriage lasted 75 years were devout Catholics; They never missed Mass.
The priest said the funeral in Latin, which no one understood. After the service, the widow walked slowly to the back of the old church and approached the old box where indulgences were deposited. She was taught the medieval quote that “as soon as the money in the chest rings, the soul springs forth from the fire of purgatory.” She knew that her husband had to be in purgatory because he committed many sins for which he confessed some. When the widow reached the chest, she knelt down, gently reached into her pocket and pulled out an old “royal” silver coin that she had saved for this occasion. She slowly tilted the real one over the slot, then dropped it.
When she heard the coin hit the bottom with a thick, metallic sound, she felt sure that she would soon be in heaven. She then bowed and said a silent prayer. After several minutes, the coffin began to shake violently in front of the cathedral. Everyone, including the priest, turned to see the lid of the coffin open. Their eyes widened as they saw the late head of the family rise from the coffin with smoke curling around the corpse. She turned her head and looked around slowly until she saw the family at the back of the church.
He groaned loudly as he tried to get out of the coffin. His widow stared at the coffin and shouted, “Arthur! You’re back!” She didn’t walk towards him because she got scared as the smoke continued to envelop his body. She growled loudly, saying, “I’m…in…hell!” The body was now in front of the coffin and he trudged, like a zombie, down the aisle towards the widow. She opened her arms, ready to run to him, but the priest stopped her.
As the corpse advanced, it growled like Frankenstein’s monster. His face and hands open to the widow began to decompose as well. After a minute, her head turned brown and morphed into a skull as her white hair shrank into nothingness. The smoke cleared as her body became a skeleton with the black suit stopped, she said, “I love you… all of you.” in a slight eerie gurgle. Then her body turned to dust as her suit fell to the ground.
The horrified faces of all family members looked at the black suit lying in the hallway. Everyone ran out of the cathedral, including the priest who crossed himself. Later, he entered the church carrying a cross to defend himself spiritually and physically as he looked at the black suit covered in ash. He then he stared at the devilish chest that he decided to burn.