Altairs' Church

His favorite place in Burrowgatory? The church, his church. Tucked away from the bustling city and in a more rural part of the burrow, sat upon a hill surrounded by a black iron fence that was starting to rust. The black colored grass swayed with the soft wind, a dead tree sat close to the side of the building. It's branches twisting and curling out like clawed hands of the damned. The church wasn't nearly as large as the Church of Sulfur, it didn't have as much funding as that one, but it was still where he wanted to be more than anything. The white paint along the outside of the wooden walls were chipped, and he had yet to fix that yet. The front steps were missing the middle step. Yet here he was, walking up them, skipping the step and onto the small church porch.

He stepped up to the large double doors and pushed them both open. Swinging open they hit the back wall with a slam, making dust float around. Altair hadn't held a sermon in a month and in that time he had really let the status of the church go. Dust coated each pew, and as he walked past them he ran his finger against the arm of it. Then wiped the dust off on his pants. He walked in front of the altar, starring up at it. Behind it, in the back wall was a large circular stained glass window. The crystal light was beaming through and shining colorful light over the altar. He walked up around it, looking at the book sitting there on it. Reaching out for it he took in a deep breath and then blew the dust off from the book. He saw the symbol on the cover and ran his thumb across it. Then opened the book to a random page. He then looked up and out at the pews. Imagining a room full of buns listening to his word just like they would do for Oleander.

Buns would never come here with a place of sinful worship looking like this. He sighed as he closed the book, sitting it back down and then turning around to look up at his favorite part of the whole church. That beautiful stained glass window. It was one of the reasons that he bought this church in the first place. The glass had reds, oranges, and yellows. Depicting the fires of hell, the warmth that it would bring. It gave hope, it would draw buns in from far away just to see it, just to hear his words. To be at this church.

Altair slowly turned, walking back down and then to the a door close by which lead into the back rooms. He walked down the short hallway, finally finding himself at his office in the very back. The door was slightly open, and he reached out and pushed it open more as he walked in. Just like everything else his desk and chair were covered in a thin layer of dust. There was a nice red rug underneath the desk, and the chair was pulled out for him to sit, and he did. Walking over and then plopping down into the chair with a groan. He looked at the walls, seeing the bookshelves and the dusty books lining them. The paintings on the wall which were all sinful in nature, and the satanic cross hanging from the wall. It was a large black steel cross, but light enough for him to carry. He thought about that for a bit. He felt like it would look much better out front in the room of worship. Maybe he could hang it up on the altar for everyone to see, or somewhere under the stained glass window. Somewhere in the middle where everyone would see it.

He suddenly got up from his desk, walking over to lift the cross off the wall. He carried it back out to the main room. Looking around at the altar, then at the wooden pews. He then walked to the front door. Stepping back out on the porch and turning to look at the outside wall. Maybe the cross should be the first thing they see when they walk in. That was it. He laid the cross down against the outside wall, the bolted back into the church and into the back. Finding a full closet full of brooms, mops, and other tools he had used before to get this place in shape, now he'd need to do it all over again. He ran back out now, hanging the cross up on the wall where he wanted it. Then he set the hammer and nails down, stepping off the porch and out into the church yard to look the building over.

This was his favorite place in Burrowgatory. His church. Even with the chipped paint and missing step. Even with the dust and dirt, even with the lack of followers. This was home. Right here on this hill.