Father Clarke

**Father Clarke** is a minor character mentioned in FAITH: Chapter II and its prologue.

## Biography

Due to only being mentioned in notes, it's unknown how Father Clarke is supposed to look. However, we can at least piece his personality. He was very brave and courageous, willingly going below a church's basement alone to catch up to Sister Bell despite his old age. Since he runs the church and orphanage, he's very willing to help others in need and is compassionate to all. He's the main person in charge of running the church and is a priest.

### The Cornfield Incident - Early 1950s

It's unknown how long Snake Meadow Hill Church has been running before this incident occurred. However, Father Clarke is implied to be in charge of the church around this time. Over the span of three days, noises were coming from the cornfield nearby the church. Although an unnamed staff member tried to console the orphans saying that it was just coyotes, the children and dogs owned by the church were getting scared. One day, an old dog named Greta rushed directly towards the cornfield, with her barks slowly getting distant. Two days pass and the noises stop, however on the third day Greta's corpse is found near the front entrance of the church.

An unknown amount of days pass. One day, six orphans couldn't resist getting close to the cornfield and disappeared within. Their scattered remains were found on the next day. The unnamed staff member buried what little they could find, and the church was closed down for years. Although not stated, it's likely that Father Clarke wanted to let this incident contain within the church and not spread rumors that could ruin the church's reputation.

### The Miriam Bell Incident - Early or Mid 1950s

An unknown number of years have passed after the incident of a thing in the cornstalk killing orphans. The church starts being restaffed with new Brothers and Sisters again, to the point where only the unnamed staff member knows about the thing in the cornstalk. A new Sister named Sister Bell gets employed to take after the place, being highly recommended from the "main office in Hartford". It seemed like she instantly knew her way around the church and was a very good cleaner. The church also gets authorized to receive a new wave of orphans, three new one week and another three next month.

Sister Bell is perfect with the orphans but started exhibiting strange behavior when the other three orphans came into the orphanage. The unnamed staff member notes about the children singing strange songs and games that they weren't taught before. However, they disregard this due to how well Sister Bell is with engaging the children.

One day, four of the six orphans and Sister Bell suddenly disappeared. An unnamed old nun was found dead inside the church as well. The Church tried to conceal this disappearance, but rumors spread, and the authorities became involved. An unnamed detective was tasked to solve this case before they're able to retire. Father Clarke accompanies them to look for the missing people while driving around the farm roads looking for them.

One morning the detective and Father Clarke find four large, life-sized dolls made out of sticks and branches. The place is starting to mentally affect the detective from all the farm road rides they're doing and the two remaining twins exhibiting strange behavior (claiming that Miriam is still there for example), having recurring nightmares of people with red bodies staring at him from the cornfield.

On a fateful day, at two in the morning, Father Clarke and the detective awaken to the sound of something like an old woman's cackle coming from a hallway outside the twins' room. They discover the noise was coming from a painting of the Virgin Mary. They then hear a large noise coming from the chapel, seeing Miriam dragging the twins down into the basement. The detective draws their service weapon but is stopped by Father Clarke, claiming that he has to do God's work and face Sister Bell alone. He puts a seal on the basement to ensure that he and whatever it is down there doesn't escape and goes down into the darkness, leaving the detective outside wondering what's happening to him.

Father Clarke creates a final memoir by writing it on a torn piece of paper from The Bible. He accepts that he will likely meet his end in engaging Sister Bell who's anticipating him in the next room. He notes that his watch has stopped from ticking past 2am, meaning that time doesn't flow correctly underneath there. He says that God's work be done, that where he is only the faintest lights' shine can protect him from "things unspeakable". Father Clarke asks for God's help and calls himself a foolish old man. His ears bleed and his faith dwindles from the screeches of a demon.

Father Clarke's fate is unknown but it's highly likely that he was killed from Sister Bell or whatever demon there was lurking in that basement. Either way, the church will be closed for a second and final time.

### September 22nd to 27th, 1987

After John's second-failed exorcism of Amy, he returns back to his house and sleeps. Although John has been having multiple nightmares before Chapter I, this one is shown in Chapter II Prologue on some day between September 22nd and September 27th. He dreams about walking through a cornfield and fighting the creature that killed six orphans. He then explores Snake Meadow Hill Church and encounters a demon lurking within the basement. He then wakes up from his nightmare by either finding two purple children holding hands or Miriam after turning into a Wretch. Throughout all of this, he can find notes from the past detailing the incidents involving with the creature lurking within the cornfield and Sister Bell taking orphans.

### September 28th, 1987

It's been a week after John's second-failed exorcism of Amy, and just like any other day he sleeps. Around 2am, he has another nightmare of exploring Gallup Cemetery, Snake Meadow Hill Church, the Candy Tunnels, and fighting against Miriam in Malphas' House. Inside the church, John finds Father Clarke's last memoir when he trapped himself between him and Sister Bell. Otherwise, this is the last time Father Clarke is mentioned.

## Theories

* The Chalice Demon might be the spirit of Father Clarke.
	+ It would be fitting, people who die within a location that has demonic background tend to linger as ghosts. Although not directly stated, it's heavily implied that the unnamed old nun died inside the church and became the Spindly Lady. The same can go for Father Clarke as well, it's very likely he died in the church and turned into that demon. This demon is unique in having a very dark and low voice box, similar to how an old person would speak. It also has a bulky build, like what a male would look like. Lastly, the demon's missing head with blood around it can imply how Father Clarke died. It could mean that Miriam or the Basement Demon decapitated Father Clarke when he tried to investigate the basement. This demon is open-ended and can be any other spirit of a person (or just a plain ol' demon).
* All of the dates listed here are speculation, this timeline of events was created from context clues of notes found throughout Chapter II and it's prologue.