Anthony Winkler Collection: Crocodile

Crocodile tells the story of Josephine Hemp, a simple but devout Catholic housemaid who feels abused and abandoned by God. To get revenge, she captures a consecrated host which, under the ancient Church doctrine of transubstantiation, is not merely a symbol of the Godhead, but the actual living God miraculously contained in what seems to the unbelieving naked eye a mere wafer. God, impregnated in the host, refuses to discuss his actions with his captor, provoking her to imprisoning the almighty. What follows is an ironic yet entirely logical series of madcap events as the parish priest, alerted to this sacrilege by a philandering Pentecostal minister, tries to liberate God from unlawful imprisonment.

This sprightly fable exploring the incalculable extent to which believers are often driven by their faith, is played out with impeccable logic against the Jamaican countryside over which broods the menacing presence of a river dwelling crocodile. Its resolution will both surprise and delight.