AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dare I say…I’m happy?
Yes. I dare it. I am happy. Happier than I’ve ever been. And it’s because I have a home, when I thought I’d never have a home again. I have a family, when I thought I’d never have a family again.
Ilovethese men, and I love this place. Eagle Peak. Going to church tonight feels like the last brick of a Lego masterpiece snapping into place. I’m part of this settlement, now, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect this new happiness I’ve found.
I’m ready to pay attention and trying to decide where to sit, when Rev carries what looks like a chest-high tree onto the stage. It’s a pulpit, I realize, as he places it front and center, but it’s not like any pulpit I’ve ever seen before. Someone has carved it from one huge piece of wood. At its base are gnarled, twisted roots, giving a sense that some giant yanked it from the ground, shook off the dirt, and smoothed and polished what remained into a footing that gives the illusion of growing down through the stage. The midsection has been meticulously carved to look like bark, save for a raised shield with an eagle and cross carved into it. The cross is detailed to look like a larger version of the one Rev wears around his neck. The upper portion of the pulpit looks like a broad, leafy canopy, at least from the front. Curious, I step onto the stage and walk around it to find a ledge for notes hidden behind.
“Rev and Shep worked together on it,” Grim says behind me. He’s keeping his distance, wary of Rev close by.
“You made this?” I ask Rev. I’m on the stage with him, and he’s wearing a vest over a buttoned-up flannel. The cross hangs over the front, glinting in the firelight. His hair is slicked back into a ponytail. He looks dapper.
“Me n’ Shep,” he says.
“It’s beautiful.” I run my fingers over it. The surface is smooth and shiny, and I know it must have taken a lot of sandpaper and polish to get it that way.
“That is our crest,” Grim says, nodding to the shield.
Ah. The eagle. I look closer and see the bird of prey flying over a mountain range. Eagle Peak. “Nice.”
Rev suggests I take my seat, then he takes out his harmonica and starts playing along with Doc’s quiet strumming.
I look around and notice Grim has already seated himself up on the top ledge. He’s as far as he can be from everyone else while still being in the amphitheater. He’s distant enough from the fire that I can’t make out the details of his face, but I don’t need to see him clearly to know his eyes are on me.
I want to sit with him like I did at dinner. He’s my cabinmate for the night, after all, and I’m giddy about spending alone time with him. But I feel torn.
This isn’t dinner. This is an official, weekly event, and there’s a certain formality about it. Music floats on the air, everyone is in attendance, and I’m reminded of the night I met Shep, Brawn, Scrap, and Rev. They returned from a scavenge to news that they had a new resident at Eagle Peak: me. That night, I chose Jud to come to my cabin with me, even though I didn’t have to, even though he’d been a huge jerk to me. I chose him because he’s the leader. I chose him to make a statement. That statement was for the others, yes, but it was for him, too. I was showing him respect, even though he hadn’t exactly earned it.
Today, I asked him for something, and he gave it to me. More importantly, helistenedto me. He earned my respect. Holding tight to our time together in his office, I go to where he sits on one of the lower rocky ledges, and I plop down beside him.
I’m not sitting on hard rock for long. He scoops me onto his lap, which is hard with muscle, but much more inviting than the rock. He surprises me by kissing my cheek. He smells nice, like fresh-cut pine and homebrewed beer.
Settling back into his embrace, I look for Rev. He’s tall and majestic looking with his long hair and goatee. Firelight highlights the beads in his hair and reflects off the huge, antique cross around his neck. His lips move over the metal instrument, and I imagine him playingmelike that. His gaze finds me, and I see his smile lines framing the harmonica. I like making my daddy smile.
I’m ready to listen to whatever Rev has to say, but first, apparently, there is singing. I’ve heard Doc hum and sing plenty, but I’ve never heard the others do it. It’s nice. They all have deep voices that find a manly harmony together. I don’t recognize the song, but it has an old-fashioned hymn flavor. Doc plays guitar and sings, and Rev plays the harmonica. My guys sound pretty good.
Grim’s voice is so quiet I can barely hear him, but it’s there, adding texture to the sound. Shep’s voice is surprisingly deep, and Brawn’s is surprisingly robust. He’s normally so quiet, but his singing voice is filled with confidence. Jud’s singing voice is quiet but authoritative. His chest works like a bellows as he takes in air and releases the notes. I don’t hear Scrap, but a glance shows his mouth moving. Maybe he’s just pretending to sing along.
The next song is one I recognize. The familiar chords ofAmazing Gracebegin, and I actually know the first and last verses. The others sound familiar enough that I can hum-sing along. I’m filled with a sense of togetherness as I sing with my guys. I decide I like church. It’s like a coming together, where everyone remembers that we’re all working toward the same goal.
I become curious about the Working. Will Rev will talk about it? Will he talk about the Pelican? What will he say to the others about what I overheard today: the men who are coming here?
There’s a third song, but only Shep sings this one. The words are in a different language, maybe Norwegian. Doc plays along, and I close my eyes and absorb the low, full-bodied sound. I don’t know what the words mean, but I get a feeling of Earth and sky and wind and sea and all things having a place and a purpose. It’s beautiful.
Finally, Doc leans his guitar against the log, and Rev pockets his harmonica. He stands at the pulpit and looks at each one of us in turn, ending on me and Jud. A grin splits his face.
“It’s been a hell of week, hasn’t it?”
Masculine laughter rumbles through the amphitheater.
Rev waits for it to die down. Then he waits a few more beats. Into the silence, he says, “Our heart has arrived.”
He’s talking about me.
Jud’s hold on me tightens, and I feel like everyone’s looking at me. It should feel strange, but it doesn’t. These are my guys. I am their heart.
Before I showed up, I think Rev talked about me in his sermons. His Gift showed him that I would come, and he let the others know. But I’m not sure how many details he had to work with. I think his Gift can be kind of vague sometimes. No one’s really explained it to me, but everyone seems to accept that Rev predicted my arrival. Maybe he’ll talk about it. Maybe he’ll talk about what will happen next.
I lean forward and give him all my attention as he begins his sermon.
