Pastor Gabriel

Pastor Gabriel is a fictional character in the Ananse Series. He is a secondary character in Ananse, His Seed Goes Astray and Illusion of the Madu.

History
Pastor is the father of Tayron and the general overseer of New Faith Church, next door to his home. When Pastor found out that Tayron wanted to be a State Trooper, he thought Tayron was making a bad choice. Pastor wanted his son to be a member of a secret society called “Madu”, but Tayron refused.

Pastor has history with the Retibeck family and considers them to be his arch rivals, dating back to the days when he and Esquire were in the Madu. He is mainly antagonistic toward his son, but his anger stems from betrayal by a man he called his brother years ago. Pastor is embarrassed of Tayron, stating that he’s sorry to call Tayron his own son.

He has gotten into scuffles and shoving matches with his son over who signs Tayron’s financial aid forms. Before Pastor told Tayron to leave the house, Tayron once tried to set fire to New Faith Church after Pastor used Tayron’s stipend money for college to fund a tent revival program one summer.

Pastor also has in his possession a ceremonial headdress; he was charged with guarding the centuries-old artifact made from a special kind of wood that doesn’t warp or splint in the Western Hemisphere.

Ananse
Pastor knows about the monster attacks on his son and his daughter-in-law, but he’s not breathing a word to his Prodigal Son or the FBI agents investigating the strange “spider-creature” sightings. He wants Tayron to see that Alex is not trying to help him, but trying to destroy him, like a bomb.

Tayron often tells Pastor that Alex has changed, and that she’s not the same. Pastor says that Alex is still the same explosive device, only outfitted with a new detonator. But Pastor has his own secrets, making it difficult for him to bond with his son and maintain his pious image. Although he never preaches a single sermon in the entire story, Pastor knows that the only way he will be free and at peace is to tell Tayron the truth about the family curse and the rivalry with the Retibecks.