***
“Father Andrew,” Finne blurted out after church that Sunday, “We have to move!”
“Really?” He looked from one Gonker to the next.
“Only to the country,” Lily quickly added.
“But we can only come in for Sunday Mass.” Lucien placed the emphasis on 'only' and his eyes said the rest.
“I see.” Father Andrew stroked his beard.
“What about the Bible?”
“You can still read the Bible in the country,” Father said.
“Not this one.” Logan looked like he might start to cry, his voice coming out in a tiny squeak.
“Logan.” Father looked him straight in the eyes. “Jesus didn't give us a book, not even this one.” He nodded in the direction of the pulpit where The Bible was kept. “Do you know what He gave us?” When none of the kids ventured a guess he answered his own question. “He gave us a church.” Father gestured around the beautiful building, his eyes resting on the windows, mosaics and statues. “Keep that in mind.”
Moving day
“I think,” Magdalene tried for her mother’s own no-nonsense tone, “I'm gonna need just …four dolls.”
“You can have one doll,” her mother said.
“Brody Bootzer has fifty cars.” She stared her mother levelly in the eye. Brody was the Gonkers' cousin.
Her mom sighed. “Brody is bringing one small case with cars in it.”
“I think… I'm gonna need a case for my four dolls.”
Mom shook her head. “That case would be too big.”
“Then…” Mags clicked her tongue, “maybe I'm gonna need fifty small dolls and a new case.”
Her Mom was fighting a smile, but resolved nonetheless. “We're supposed to be getting rid of stuff, not buying new stuff.” She scooped Mags up and held her. “Maybe we can compromise a little.” In the end Grandma Tari agreed that three of Mag's dolls and about fifty family night games could stay in her attic for when the Gonkers came over on the weekend after Mass.
George's land was ten minutes outside of town, about 20 minutes driving. As they approached all the children could see was a formidable block of tall hedges. No trespassing was the ominous greeting to the dirt road entrance which parted the hedges only barely. Their mom plunged in and the children couldn't be more surprised by the scene which greeted them.
The entire perimeter of the area, which was mostly cleared, was an impenetrable hedge of arbor vitus trees. They were stream-fed by a creek which had been diverted to circle around George's acre. It must have been a lot of work to dig that trench, was Richard Gonker's thought. Maybe even a life's work.
There were five brightly colored yurts in the sun splashed clearing. Their parents had put a wooden raised platform under each yurt with a kind of deck which extended out a bit, then stairs. It looked like a carnival with the pavillion-like structures all surrounding a fire pit.”Which one is ours?” Lily asked. Her apprehension was beginning to turn to excitement. Her mom gestured to the purple one.
“Can we go in?” This was Lucien. When their mother nodded they made a run for it. It was one big room with a staircase that led to a loft. There were radiating beams off of a central skylight in the dome of the ceiling. The walls were wooden lattice. The floors were polished wood. There was a kitchenette and a central shelving unit with storage for their few possessions. To one side was the girls' sleep area, a beautiful wooden trundle bed. Secured to the wall was a sweeping white canopy with colored ribbons streaking through. It surrounded the bed on three sides to make a three-walled fort of sorts. The girls immediately vaulted onto the bed to celebrate the bounciness of the mattress. To the other side was the boys’ sleeping area, a tall bunk bed with stairs and another trundle. Each stair was also a drawer, into which would fit their new minimized wardrobe. The boys immediately began an argument over who would get the top bunk on which days. Logan began searching to find something to write it down on. The loft was where their parents planned to sleep, overlooking the kids. It contained just a bed and a side table, with very tall and secure half-walls surrounding. Downstairs, there was a flat screen TV/ computer screen. The circular glass window in the ceiling had a fan. There was a small dining table with just a few chairs. “We don't plan to eat here,” their mother explained.
Eating would be done in the kitchen/dining room yurt, which was aqua. Laundry, showers and bathroom stalls were in the bathroom yurt, which was orange. Then there was another recreation/play area yurt, which was gold and the Bootzers' yurt, which was green. The effect of so much bright color in one place definitely resembled a carnival.
“Can we play in the moat?” Finne was jumping up and down.
“If you wear your swim suits.” Their mother smiled at his description of the creek. “Be careful and stay close to the yurts.”
It was mid-summer and the Gonkers and the three Bootzers, Brody, Rhett and Hugo (who was a baby even smaller than Fred Therese) lived in their swimsuits for the next week. Then it started to rain.
Noah
If you've ever been camping and then got stuck in your tent for days on end because of rain you will have some idea of what the Gonkers went through at this time. The addition of Brody Bootzer only added to the chaos, as the children fought for his attention. Fights erupted frequently and they were all becoming frustrated. Of course they had a couple decks of cards and some dice and although their mother could invent nearly endless games with these two things there still comes a point where a kid gets tired of being cooped up. Then nearly everything someone says gets on someone else's nerves. At around 3:00, the children had mostly just planted themselves on beds or near windows to pout, too exhausted with boredom to even try to entertain themselves. Brody parked himself dead center in the room, meticulously setting up his cars and racetrack. He was not inclined to share, but tolerated Mags observing as long as she didn’t interfere. But when Fred Therese crawled over and began to crash the cars around, Brody curled up into a ball, readying himself for a tantrum. Lily and Molly each rushed to remove her, reaching her at the same time. “It’s my job!” Lily yelled, while Molly shouted, “You always get a toyn. It’s my toyn now!” It was at this point that their mother intervened, scooping the baby up and backing away from Brody without making contact. He soon righted himself and began playing again. “You kids need to be kinder to each other.” She said. “You know we're all in the same boat.”
Molly looked at her quizzically. “Weew in a yuwt.”
She smiled. “It's an expression. Anyway, Father Andrew said to give you this when you needed something to do.” She plopped the heavy volume on the table in the rec yurt.
The children crowded around as Logan hesitantly opened the cover of what appeared to be a hand-bound book. Lives of the Saints of Cathedral Church, read the first page. He scanned the preface which had been written by the Associate pastor, Fr. Lee. “It says here he put in a page for each of the Saints who have a window, relic or statue in our church.”
Lily pursed her lips and her eyes grew big. “You don't suppose…”
“Listen,” their mother brushed off her skirt and stood up. “Auntie Gen needs me to help with dinner. Can I trust you to be careful with this book if I leave it?”
The children assured her that she could. And then they were alone. Lily read the Table of Contents aloud:
There were three sections: Statues, Windows, and Relics. Under each section there were dozens of names.
“So where do we go?” Lily asked the others.
“Noah's ark,” shouted Lucien, “in honor of the rain.”
No one objected so they opened to the correct page. Finne grabbed Brody by the hand and pulled him over. “You have to come with!” “Wait,” Logan put his hand on the book. “Let's not do the whole forty days. How about we hop into the story right before they find land.” He pointed to the spot and Lily did the honors. Suddenly they found themselves in a very damp, very dark, and very unsteady room. Not only was it wet, it didn't smell ve
ry good, even to their ghostly selves. The children all tumbled to the floor against the wall of cages. A bluish kitten/duck squawked in their ears. Brody hid behind a barrel.
“What's that, sqwap…?” A very grey bearded man looked up at the sound. When he saw the children he almost fell down himself. “Oh, no,” he moaned. “They were right.”
Lucien crawled over to him. “Right about what… Sir,” he had no idea how to address a Patriarch. The rest of the children looked on nervously.
“Great,” He grimaced. “And they talk, too.” He sighed. “They all said I'd lost my mind when I built this thing but I was convinced I was right. Then, when the rain came and all…I knew I was right, at least I thought so… until now.” He put his head in his hands. “Now I'm talking to them,” he moaned.
“Don't worry,” Lucien patted his shoulder. “We're normal.”
“You don't look normal,” Noah observed. Lucien was wearing an oversize t-shirt decorated with a skateboarding frog sticking out its tongue. Each of the children had been allowed eight shirts, two of which needed to be suitable for church. The rest of the children's clothes were similar to the frog shirt.
Lucien shrugged. “We're normal, just not entirely solid. I wish we were solid enough to give some carrots to the animals. They look hungry.” (They sounded hungry, too. There was an undertone of growling/yowling/snarling which reminded the children of their own feelings about being cooped up.) The rest of the children began to inch in closer. Brody peeked his eyes from behind the barrel.
“Have you sold your soul to that frog God whose image you wear?” Noah backed away from them. “In the name of the one God Who Is, I command you to depart, evil beings.”
“We're not evil.” Mags was affronted.
“We're children from the future.” Logan spoke to him patiently.
“You have been brought here by sorcery?”
“No. By a book about Cathedral, our church. You have a statue in our choych in the fuchoy.” At his puzzled look Molly continued. “It's a life-sized sculpture of you, only it doesn't look like you that much.” She considered him dubiously.
“Well, I'm sure I don't know what a church is. But if there is a future and I'm part of it, that's very encouraging. I was pretty sure we were going to die here at sea.”
“No, you make it,” Lily assured him. “And you save all the animals. And everybody everywhere knows who you were.”
Brody Bootzer tugged at Lily's skirt making small noises and pointing at the cage nearest them. “Mr. Noah, Brody wants to know if you mind if we hold one of your sqwaps? They look so cute.” Brody squatted low to the ground when Noah looked at him, scuttling behind his cousin. Noah frowned in confusion.
Stepping forward, he opened the cage and gently set the little kitten/duck in Lily’s cupped hands. Lucien offered the creature one of his carrots and it took a tentative nibble. “Hey, he can eat!” Then there was passing of the sqwap thing from one to the next of the children while they practiced their patience somewhat poorly until each of the six Gonkers and Brody had had a turn.
Suddenly there was a jolt.
“What was that?” Noah ran for the hatch and by the time he had pushed it open his three sons were by his side.
“Ararat, I think,” Logan muttered under his breath. “We've run aground.”
“Still water everywhere, though,” Noah said after looking the terrain over in each direction. “I guess we're all stuck here together for awhile.”
At this his sons started to grumble and push at each other. “No use fighting,” Noah said sternly, “we're all in the same boat.”
“That's what Mom said,” Finne said to the others, which caused Noah to remember the children.
“Oh sons, I'd like you to meet some children from the future. Children, these are my sons, Shem,” he pointed to the tallest (he had green eyes), “Ham,” he pointed to the darkest (his eyes were black-brown), “and Japhath,” he pointed to the one with the lightest color of skin and a bald head (blue eyes).
Except for Shem the men were looking at Noah as though he were out of his mind. But Shem squinted hard and said something to his brothers, which made them come closer. Then Ham tried to swipe at the children and, when Noah reached his arms out protectively, his touch sent them whirling back into the playroom yurt.
“Oh no!” Molly said when the room had stopped spinning. She pointed at Brody. Cupped in his hands was the little sqwap thing.
“We brought one back. That means…” Lily cupped her hands over her mouth.
Logan's face was horrified. “We caused a species to be extinct.”
Melchizedech
The rain stopped after three days but by now the moat had swollen into a raging stream instead of the trickly creek it had been. Their parents were too afraid to allow the kids outside unsupervised, so much of the next couple of days was spent in the rec yurt.
At other times this might have been aggravating but they had a new pet. They had agreed that, at all costs, the sqwap should be hidden from their parents. Parents never understand the necessity of pets. So they took turns holding it and feeding it tidbits which they saved from their meals. They also took turns picking up poop. “As soon as this rain stops we're gonna have to work on potty training,” said Lucien when it was his turn.
Mags looked horrified. “Sqwap… can't use the potty!”
“No, Mags,” Logan laughed. “Not our potty. They need to be put outside after they eat. Don't you little guy?” He rubbed his nose on the little animal's duck-beak.
“Sqwap,” it agreed solemnly.
It was also kind of fun to watch the sun circle from the skylight crawl across the floor as the hours passed. Finne and Brody could spend endless hours with their little cars and bits of track, sometimes having Sqwap chase the motorized ones. And sometimes the kids would pretend the sun circle was a spotlight and they'd take turns giving each other showstopping performances of music or dance or comedy (mostly knock-knock jokes). But eventually this grew tiresome and they asked their mother if they might read from the saints book.
Permission granted, they perused the little images, representations of the larger windows at Cathedral. “Who was this old guy, anyway?” Lucien paused on the story of Melchizedech, silently reading. “He reminds me of George. How about we go visit him?”
Molly chewed her lip. “I miss George.”
“We really should visit old people,” Lily said. “I have to do a corporal work.”
“What's a corporal work?” (Finne)
“I learned about them in catechism. Hang on.” She ran to find the sheet Mrs. Collins had given their class listing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. “See.” She pointed to the list: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those sick or in prison…
Logan was absently kicking a ball against a wall, catching it with his foot and kicking it again. “So let's go see old Mel, then.”
“This story's short,” Lily said, after reading it to herself.
“Just because he's a saint doesn't mean he isn't lonely.” (Logan)
“Okay.” So with the whole group gathered around as she read and they landed in a valley which was full of armed men. “This isn't lonely,” said Lily. “It's dangerous.”
Blessing
“No, it's not.” Finne marched out into the middle of the milling men. “I want to be a soldier.”
“There's Mel!” Lucien pointed to a man so shriveled and shrunken with age that he barely appeared to be human. But he was wearing the flowing robes of a priest. He was off to the side of the group, talking to a much younger man. Then he motioned for all the soldiers to sit and he had servants bring great bowls of flat bread and jugs of wine.
The Gonkers and Bootzers sat down, too, and listened as Melchizedech pronounced a blessing on the younger man, who was named Abram.
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High
The Creator of Heaven and earth
And blessed be God Most High
Who delivered
your foes into your hand.”
They all settled down to eating the bread and drinking the wine, the children excluded, of course, because they were in their ghostlike form. The children couldn't understand anything that was being said by anyone other than Mel and Abram. Not surprising. Before it had only been the words of Jesus that they could hear clearly. As they were discussing this they were startled by a voice from behind them. “Perhaps my friend here should bless you, too. Otherwise you'll be stuck here forever.” It was Mel and he had Abram with him.
“How's that?” asked Lucien. “Oh, say, you look like that other guy-- the one with Moses-- see, Lily…? Through the eyes.”
“They're green like Shem's,” Lily agreed, “but so are yours.” She turned to Abram.
“That's because he's my grandfather… or perhaps I should say he's my ancestor.”
There was a pause while the children considered this. Lucien broke the silence. “Just how old are you, Sir?”
“I have seen 12 generations since my firstborn. Before that I was one hundred of your years. Now it is time for me to sleep until the Messiah wakes me.”
“Won't you miss being alive?” Molly said with big eyes.
Mel's eyes softened. I'll miss the beautiful things like sunsets and pretty little girls. I won't miss anger, war and pain.” He gestured to Abram. “I'd do it but I already gave away the Blessing.”
So Abram had the children hold hands as he placed both of his on the heads of the two oldest. Then he spoke and the children began to whirl.
Abraham
“I don't know if we made Melchizedech feel better,” Lily said as they were eating their lunch of fruit and cheese.
“I don't know if anything in this world could have,” Logan looked intently at the red grape in his hand before continuing. “He was so crushed down with age he looked like some kind of cave man.”
“I know,” Lily said somberly, “and Shem was the tallest of Noah's sons. Hope I don't live to be 600. None of my dresses will fit.”
“Maybe we should have let him hold Sqwap,” Lucien said, cuddling the critter. “He always makes me feel happy.”
“How do you know it's a he?” Molly said, her hands on her hips.
“He's too lovable to be a girl,” Lucien flashed his dimples.
“My toyn,” said Molly, holding out her hand.
“Two more minutes,” Lucien breathed the sqwap's feathery fur.
“It's my toyn!” When he didn't hand the creature over she rose her voice. “I'm telling Mom!”
“Telling me what?” Their mother asked as she came by with a basket of wet laundry. Then, when she had fully taken in the scene, “What is THAT?”
“It's not a that, Mom. It's our pet. See…?” He held the creature out so she could see how cute it was. Their mother screamed.
That brought their dad and Aunt Gen. “What's wrong?” Their dad looked at the horrified face of their mother, then at the Blue furry thing Lucien was holding. “Lucien,” he spoke in his stern voice, “put down that mutant.”
Lucien tucked the sqwap in protectively, saying nothing.
“RIGHT NOW!”
Reluctantly Lucien set the sqwap on the floor by his feet. The little animal cowered against his legs. “Sqwap,” it said pathetically.