jonathon had initially been terrified , as the pastor 's face was a marred mess of wounds ( a gash up his face , an eyeball rotting out of his skull ) , and the terror was followed by two surprises : jonathon 's breathing had grown shallow , as it always had when he was scared , but it had n't done it again since ; and the pastor had been very calm , sweet , even fatherly , repeatedly telling the child that he was safe and that there was no intention of harm .