Child of Darkness, Child of Light

Father Rosetti was ambushed by mysterious bikers while traveling to investigate the virgin birth reports. The attackers wrecked his vehicle and left him in a catatonic state, which derailed the Vatican's initial investigation. This forced the Vatican to send Father Justin O'Carroll as a replacement, carrying the critical prophecy warning about the impending births.

The prophecy dates back seventy years to a Marian appearance in an Italian village. The Virgin Mary left a message predicting the birth of a divine child at the end of the century. The Vatican believed this referred to one of two virgin pregnancies they had learned about, one in Briscayne Falls and one in Boston, requiring them to determine which would birth the holy child and which the demonic offspring.

When a classmate harasses Margaret, he experiences inexplicable, painful wounds as a direct result of his aggression toward her. This incident confirms that Margaret's visions have real supernatural consequences and suggests she possesses some form of dangerous spiritual power that manifests when she is threatened or distressed.

Margaret experiences vivid visions of people dying, which hauntingly predict actual deaths. These visions are connected to her supernatural pregnancy and serve as a plot mechanism showing she carries the antichrist, her visions reflect the dark spiritual nature of the child she carries rather than being a gift of prophecy.

Both girls claim virgin pregnancies and appear to fulfill different parts of the same prophecy. Margaret, a poor 15-year-old in Briscayne Falls, and Kathleen, a wealthy Boston girl, represent opposite fates, one destined to birth the antichrist, the other the Second Coming. Father O'Carroll investigates both cases to determine which girl bears which child before Satan's followers can intervene.

The prophecy warning sent with O'Carroll explicitly connects both pregnancies to the end-of-century prediction.

The polio epidemic serves as a grim backdrop that amplifies the nation's sense of crisis and fear during the investigation. It adds urgency to the story and mirrors the spiritual battle between good and evil, while the country wrestles with a terrifying physical disease, the church investigates an even greater spiritual threat represented by the mysterious pregnancies.

Margaret's circumstances, her poverty, youth, social isolation, and the dark nature of her visions, align with the prophecy's prediction of a demonic birth. While the story does not explain why she specifically was chosen, her pregnancy ultimately manifests as the antichrist, representing the darker outcome predicted by the decades-old prophecy about the end of the century.

Her disturbing visions of death and the supernatural punishment of her bully hint at the dark nature of her child.

Kathleen's pregnancy represents the counterpoint to Margaret's, she comes from wealth and privilege in Boston, and her circumstances align with the prophecy's prediction of a divine birth. Her daughter is envisioned as the Second Coming, presenting a stark split destiny where the antichrist and the holy child are born simultaneously, creating a duality of light versus darkness.

With both children born, the antichrist and the Second Coming, Father O'Carroll must contend with the gravity of what has occurred. The story ends with him preparing to receive Vatican guidance on how to respond to these two new forces in the world, leaving the church to confront an altered future.

The prophecy specifically predicts births at the end of the century, making the timing crucial to the narrative. This timeframe adds dramatic urgency as the due dates approach and represents the apocalyptic theme of good versus evil converging at a traditionally significant moment in Christian eschatology.

The prophecy foretold the birth of both a divine child and a demonic child at the century's end. The story presents this as a cosmic duality, Margaret's son becomes the antichrist while Kathleen's daughter is seen as the Second Coming. This dual birth creates a moral conflict between salvation and doom, leaving the future uncertain.