“I knew it!” Finn enthused. Then he turned to Miranda. “Let’s go see if we can start breakfast for these very hungry men,” which was followed by a wicked little laugh. “Look, the cats must be hungry, too. Let’s go. I can use your help.” Bless him, he shut and locked the door behind them.
So later, late morning, work done, boy buried, Talia finally not crying anymore, Miranda said a prayer. “It’s about a rainbow bridge where dogs go when they die, but I think they’ll let that boy in, too, so the dogs will have someone to play with.”
I opened the garage door manually, and everyone else piled into the Hummer. Burk backed it out, and after I had pulled the big door shut again, I also climbed into the huge vehicle. Even with all of us in there, it still felt roomy. Off we went. We had no trouble at all the entire drive over. I think Finn was disappointed.
We were at the church just before noon, and Burk headed off to the bell tower, where a feeble ding had already come from Phil’s efforts. Soon the bells’ joyous tolling kept us company while we dragged all our boxes inside, had a look around, and met the people who were already there. There were Helga and Hans and Tetra.
And then more people came. Mostly alone, one by one, but once in a while, two would come in together. All of them looked scared, or nervous, or just sad. One large room had been set up with tables and chairs, dishes of fruit, cheese, bags of cookies; whatever Phil had been able to find, and at the end of the room was the piano. Finn sat down at it and proceeded to play as many hymns as he knew, plus popular songs. Barney had brought the violin. There was no harp, but Tetra had a very nice baritone voice and sang whatever he knew.
I thought of the many end-of-the-world books I had read and that now would be the time when people would speak of their needs, or their problems, and elect some officials or whatever. This was not happening, and nobody seemed to want it to. I wondered if they all felt like I did, that this coming together and celebrating our existence and the existence of others was enough. I wasn’t scared enough to want to run back to my cave again, but the thought crossed my mind, and I was looking forward to it for later.
For now, it was a good chance to see who was here, what they were like, and if there were any to fear. For instance, what an opportunity for someone to snatch a child, or make a woman believe she’d be better off with him, when the opposite might be true. People wandered in, they talked to each other, and ate. There was even laughter and some tears. Miranda had organized the children in one corner of the room and had the bags of toys spread out for everyone to enjoy. She also made sure they took turns. It made me smile.
After a while, Finn and Burk came over to me, their hands and faces full of food.
“We’ve been talking,” Finn said. “We think people should put up posters around the area. That might work even better than the megaphones because there would be less danger. We talked to Phil about it, and he said he’d talk to you and schedule something. Then he’d pull out the old hand-crank copy machine, and we’d make the flyers for a next meeting or something. What do you think?”
“You’re geniuses.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Burk, trying to pat himself on the back.
“Talia and I and Miranda are going to stay here tonight if that’s okay with you. Phil said we’d be a big help, well, two of us will be, and look how good Miranda is with the little children. You can tell she enjoys them.”
We all walked over to a corner with a couch and several chairs and sat down. Phil came and joined us. Barney and Tetra were still making music, encouraging the children to dance. For a few hours, all the horrors had vanished. Burk kept looking at the door as others came in, and I saw there were two people there welcoming newcomers. There may have been forty or fifty people in total. I thought there would be plenty more eventually, and I knew I did not want to be in charge of governing them or making rules. Phil and Barney would be great at that, and probably Dr. Williams. She had an air of strength and order about her. I had watched Talia and Finn interact earlier, and all three seemed to get along with each other perfectly, as if they had known each other all their lives. New relationships and households were certain to be made.
So much had changed so fast, and there were plenty more changes to come.
Phil was speaking, and I tuned back in. “I want to have more meetings like this,” he said, “But tonight, I want to hold a service. It will be a combination of Evening Prayer and Compline, around five P.M.. I don’t want people to have to find their way home in the dark. I don’t think God will strike any of us dead if we mess up the hours for a while. Compline is generally around nine. But there will be Jews and Muslims and Protestants of all types, I hope. Pagans, witches, Republicans—sorry, my idea of a joke—I don’t care. Everyone is welcome. We’ll have it tonight, if people want to stay for it, or not. I want it; I need it. I’ll make an announcement soon, so that if anyone else wants to add some words or chants that are comforting or important to them, they can. I hope it will be warming and bonding, and perhaps, more spiritual than religious.”
Phil was wound up. You’d think his team had won, and in a way, it had. “The philosophy I keep coming back to is the line, ‘In my Father’s house are many mansions.’ I have absolutely no idea what it’s supposed to mean, but to me, it means all are welcome. From whatever corner of the world, from whatever room in the house, from whatever belief you come, you are welcome.”
“We—are—family,” sang Burk, and it made us all smile more than it probably should have.
The service started at five. The bells were rung for half an hour beforehand, and more people did find their way to the cathedral. Some stood awkwardly near the doors, not comfortable coming in when it wasn’t their home church, or perhaps they had never been in one of any kind before. It didn’t really matter, and those of us who could, talked to the newcomers and told them that. Everyone was welcome. We were all we had now. This was just a mansion, if you will, just a shelter, an abode. A place to be together, to find healing, new families, new love. I know I sure had. As I returned to the pew I had been sitting in, I slid in next to Burk, and he took my hand and pressed it tightly in his; a feeling I would always treasure, forever, I hoped, or for whatever time we had left. Certainly for this service anyway, and for the great silence of the night to come.
THE END
ABOUT EMERY C. WALTERS
Emery C. Walters was born Carol Forde, a name he soon knew didn’t fit the boy he was inside. Transition was unknown back then, so he married and then bore and raised four children. When his youngest child, his gay son, left home, Emery told Carol that she had to step aside, and he fully transitioned from female to male in 2001.
Emery worked in county government and as a college writing tutor before retiring. He and his wife Robyn, herself raised mistakenly as a boy, live in Hawaii where they combine snorkeling, scuba diving, and volunteer work with activities to boost LGBT rights and awareness.
Interested in Ninjutsu, both land and underwater photography, and writing, Emery can usually be found writing, reading, or sailing on his imaginary pirate ship.
Emery’s 2010 first published novel, Last Year's Leaves, is an intense story of recovery from abuse and loss, finding love, and coming out whole. The book is laced with his trademark humor. His recent publications include four other coming of age novels involving coming out and overcoming obstacles as well as two books of short stories. All are humorous and filled with hope. Drystan the Dire, Emery’s Welsh pirate ancestor, shows up at times to help the heroes and annoy the villains. Emery currently has two more novels in the publishing pipeline.
Between them, the Walters have eight adult children, umpteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren, none of whom can do a thing about the genetic material handed down to them—their gift to the future. So there. More information can be found online at ftemery-theemeryboard.blogspot.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty r
ates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
The Great Silence Page 8
