Society of the L.A.M.B.

by DuCharme, Judy;

  Grandfather opened the screen door to the porch, and they proceeded into the kitchen.

  “Oh, I miss Grandma.” Amber turned slowly in a full circle. “So many memories.”

  Brad put his arm around her shoulder. “Grandfather, doesn’t she look like Grandma did when she was young?”

  “She does. Amber, forgive me if I stare at you a bit. I’ve thought it since you arrived. It does my heart good, young lady. Grandma would be so happy to see you.”

  “She doesn’t cook like her, though, Grandfather,” Brad jibed. “It’s a real disappointment.”

  Amber slapped his arm. “You really are being a brat.”

  Grandfather laughed as he went to the refrigerator. “She has your grandma’s temper, though. Looks like you’d better straighten up, Brad.”

  Soon they were gathered around the table making sandwiches, eating veggies, and drinking water and juice.

  * * *

  Lily and Timmy headed to breakfast as though they had finally succumbed to the training. The halls glimmered cold and harsh. They found an empty table in the large eating area and sat down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

  “Hey,” said a young man brightly.

  They looked up, scowling, sure it was a trap that would end in another beating. Lily and Timmy had determined to be stern, or at least flat in their expressions, giving no reason for suspicion.

  What met their eyes was a gangly boy with a big, toothy smile. One shoulder slumped, giving him an odd appearance, while his opposing foot never quite quit moving. His clothes were OGs but more rumpled than most and seemed either too big or too small. Nothing seemed to fit. Not a bit of it appeared to bother the young man, though.

  “Hey, I’m EEEliiijah.” Every syllable was overemphasized. “I’m glad to see you. You are Lily and Timmy, down the drain, huh?” He chuckled.

  “Be careful,” Timmy said. “You’ll get beaten for eye contact and smiling.”

  Just then, a watcher came by. Lily and Timmy looked at the floor, then at their food, and started to eat quietly. Lily loved scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, but this food held no flavor. She wondered how long it sat in storage.

  The watcher whispered to Lily and Timmy, “Ignore him. He ain’t all there, if you know what I mean.”

  Elijah laughed. “At least part of me’s here.”

  “We’ll get rid of him sooner or later,” the watcher said too loudly and then walked away.

  Lily and Timmy lifted their heads. Elijah was seated at their table and eating happily. “Are you okay?” whispered Lily.

  “Oh, don’t worry ’bout me.” He rolled his eyes, and when he did, his whole head went with his eyes. “They think I’m dumb and call me ‘half-wit,’ but that’s their problem. Anyway—” His voice got lower and huskier. “—you don’t need to draw the circles on the ground for me, ’cause I’m just a big smiley face for all to see.” He chuckled again. “But they don’t know it, so they don’t pay me no mind.”

  Lily swallowed hard, and Timmy gulped. Both swiftly looked back down at their food and ate some more. Lily wanted to spit the food out. Instead, she chewed slowly and thanked Jajireh she was alive.

  “But how do you survive? How do you know us?” Lily asked without meeting Elijah’s eyes.

  “Oh, the Voice tells me, and the shimmery watery person told me too. They said I is to help you find the others.”

  “Ssshh!” gasped Lily, now starting to panic that her retraining guise was revealed.

  The watcher returned. “Hey, Lily, we can take him away if you want. He babbles all the time.”

  “He’s fine,” said Lily, trying to sound totally deadpan and uncaring.

  “Yup. Retrain or down the drain,” laughed Elijah.

  After the watcher continued on, Elijah became serious. “I am kinda dumb on the outside. My mama used to cry about it. They took her away. But she always said I was wise inside. I always saw the watery shiny people, and Mama told me where they came from.” Elijah tried to wink but closed both eyes instead. “Jajireh. So don’t you worry. I’m a good helper. I’ll see you after morning classes.” At that, Elijah left.

  Lily and Timmy hated the retraining class but repeated the commands and did as they were told, keeping eyes covered and down, acting apathetic. “We are free from stupid commands,” they chanted. “The outer man is strong and important. We don’t care about anything or anyone else. Anyone that talks about the inner life is weak and should be eliminated. The inner life is dead. The outer man is glorious.”

  But inside, Lily and Timmy screamed and shouted, “Not so! Not so!” Watchers watched them closely and appeared convinced they were indeed retrained.

  As Lily and Timmy walked away from the class with watchers all around, Elijah jogged in a lopsided manner toward them. “Lily, Timmy,” he called as he approached, “retrain or down the drain.” However, as they passed, he bent over coughing. “By the pond. Meet me. I’ll signal when.”

  While at lunch, they spotted Elijah across the eating hall just as he noticed them. A big smile burst onto his face as he crossed the room toward them.

  “He really does have a big smile,” commented Timmy.

  At that instant, Nathan stepped in from nowhere and tripped Elijah. “Hey, Lijah, you sure are clumsy.” Nathan laughed as Elijah fell hard on his knees, spilling his lunch all over the floor.

  When Elijah arose, one knee was bleeding. His unusual stance was now even gimpier.

  Lily held Timmy’s arm, sensing he was ready to go fight. “Hold on,” she whispered. “Remember, we have friends in high places.” They both turned back to their lunch and tried to calm their impulse to help Elijah. Lily bit her upper lip, while Timmy sucked air into his cheeks and blew it out his mouth.

  Nathan turned and sauntered toward Lily and Timmy. “So, Lily. I hear you’re following the colony line. I wonder if it’s a sham.” He took another step and ran into an invisible wall of water, slipping on a slight spillover. Catching himself from sliding into Elijah, his face went red and his hands made fists at his side. He stood stock still a moment then pivoted and stalked away, muttering to himself.

  “Thanks!” cried Elijah, looking right where the puddle was as if he knew it was Halal, the angel. He cleaned up the mess from his lunch and then headed toward Lily and Timmy as they finished eating.

  “I kept you a little food, Elijah. Nathan is such a beast.” Timmy slid his tray over to the young man.

  Lily wet her napkin. “Let me wipe up your knee.”

  The three were very quiet for a few minutes. When Elijah’s knee quit bleeding and the food was gone, Elijah whispered, “Let’s go outside to the pond now. They’ll be watching, but they think I’m stupid, so they don’t pay much attention. I was going to signal you, but Halal took care of that.”

  “You know Halal?” asked Lily. She looked straight at Elijah and then, remembering their training, looked down.

  “Oh, sure, he’s visited me before. He wants you to find the others, don’t he?”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “I’ll help you to some of them. There may be more. I don’t know. There are some watchers who might be LAMBers or want to be. Most of the watchers make fun of me, but Alex and Jeremy don’t, and they sometimes help me. Wait for me at the pond.”

  Lily and Timmy walked out to the little pond, just off the patio next to the eating hall. It gave the illusion of being isolated because of the bushes around it. “It probably has hidden microphones,” Lily whispered to Timmy. They weren’t sure if they would be allowed to stay, as punishment always confined them to their room or at least indoors. Lily wanted to spread her arms and look up at the sky, breathing deeply of fresh air rather than the medicinal smell that always reeked inside the facility. Instead, she sat on a bench near a bush, where she felt inconspicuous. Timmy knelt and ran his hand in the water of the pond. “Do you think they have fish, Lily?”

  “I doubt it, but I don’t know. The water looks pretty murky. They prob
ably don’t take care of it.”

  Elijah jumped out from behind one of the bushes. Lily’s hand flew to her mouth. She was amazed she didn’t scream. Timmy almost fell in, just barely catching himself. Elijah laughed and laughed. “I already fell in once, Timmy. At least it was a hot day.”

  “Did Nathan push you in?” Lily hardened her eyes, already protective of this very free, very untypical young man.

  Elijah didn’t answer. His quietness concerned Lily. Timmy walked over to him. Elijah looked up at them. “It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago. But now I have new friends. You.”

  “And Halal,” said Lily.

  “Yes, he’s a good friend.”

  “Tell us how you met him.” Timmy sat on the ground, leaving room for Elijah on the bench next to Lily.

  Elijah plopped down on the ground next to Timmy instead. He basically sat cross-legged, but Elijah continually tapped one foot, so Lily kept thinking he was getting up. “I think I’d be dead already if Halal hadn’t helped me.” Elijah picked at the scab on his knee. When it began bleeding, Lily handed him a napkin she still had from lunch.

  “Wait,” Lily whispered, “there might be microphones or watchers in the bushes.”

  Elijah laughed.

  “You are so happy,” Timmy said. “I’m glad we met you, Elijah.”

  “Everyone calls me Lijah, Timmy. And I’m really glad I met you. Halal told me you two would be good friends. And—” He gave Lily a thumbs-up. “—I already checked the bushes. Every day I look it over for mics. They figure if we try anything, they’ll see us from those monitors over there.” Lijah pointed to cameras mounted on the eating hall doors. “That’s why I sits on the ground. If you do, Lily, they can’t zoom in on you and read your lips.”

  Lily immediately dropped on the ground with Timmy and Lijah. The grass was soft. She ran her fingers through it, wondering how long it had been since she sat in the grass. “So tell us about Halal.”

  “Well, Mama was a good lady. She’d make sure everybody was nice to me. I knew I was different.” Lijah shot Lily and Timmy his lopsided grin. “It’s pretty obvious. But Mama always made me feel special. Kids were mean, but she told me Jajireh loved me and King Glory would never leave me.”

  Lily gulped. Her mother would have done the same. “Mothers are like that, Lijah.”

  “Yeah, they are.” Lijah gazed at the sky, as if remembering his mother, and sighed. “I miss her.”

  “We miss ours too, Lijah.” Timmy patted his shoulder. “But we have to be strong.”

  A group of seagulls flew overhead. All three peered upward. Lily loved seeing the blue sky, the gulls, the sun. Oh, Mama, we miss you. Jajireh, please let us help Lijah. “Go on, Lijah.”

  “They took her away. She wouldn’t wear the OGs and the shades. I heard them say they were going to…” A tear sneaked down his cheek. He brushed at it and then placed his face in his hands. “I heard them say they would kill her. And…I heard her scream. She had told me to hide in the closet, be quiet, and not come out. I was so scared. So I asked King Glory to help me. I forgot to be quiet, and they heard me.” Lijah grinned. “But King Glory heard me too.”

  Lily shifted her position. She scanned around them, wondering why they were allowed to stay outside this long. Maybe this is the privilege of those retrained. “So what did you do? You must have been so frightened in the closet all by yourself.”

  “I was, but King Glory was with me, and then I felt really peaceful.”

  Timmy interrupted. “But you said they heard you.”

  “Oh, yeah, and that was pretty scary. I heard someone come in the room. I think they knew I was in the closet. But it was so funny.” Lijah giggled. “I saw water on the floor under the door. I didn’t understand, and then I heard the man yell and run out. Someone else came in, or maybe it was the same person. I heard swishing and thumping and then more running. They never came back.” Lijah plucked a few pieces of grass. “But neither did my mama.”

  “Oh, Lijah, I’m so sorry.” Lily wanted to hug Lijah but knew they would all get beaten if anyone was watching.

  “Thanks, Lily. I’m sorry about your mama, too. I stayed for a long time in the house until all the food was gone. Every once in a while, the watchers came back looking for me. I heard them say, ‘We need to get that kid. And we need to get rid of him.’ I knew I was in big trouble, especially when the food ran out. So I prayed again.” Lijah held up one hand and counted his fingers. “I think I’m telling you in order. Sometimes I gets mixed up.”

  Lily patted his arm. “Lijah, it’s okay. You are telling your story very well.”

  Lijah beamed. “Lily, you are like my mama. I like you.” Lijah stroked Lily’s arm this time. “One time, the watchers broke in the door. I had locked it. But when they came in, they bumped into a wall of water and slid right out the door. It was so funny. I laughed and laughed. I asked the water what its name was. He said he was the angel Halal and he would protect me. I remembered Mama had told me about angels. She said that Jajireh gave them to us to help us. I told him ‘thank you’ and asked if he could get me some food. He said he’d send me two watchers who were actually nice and didn’t want to kill me. It was Alex and Jeremy. Oh, look.” Lijah pointed at a red bird that had lighted on the bush beside the pond. “Isn’t he a pretty bird? I see lots of birds here. They make me happy.”

  “It’s a cardinal, Lijah. So beautiful.” Lily sighed and watched the bird sit in the bush. Eventually he flew away.

  Lijah added to his story. “One morning I was really hungry. I started to cry. Then I heard a whisper say, ‘Lijah, it’s time to go. Alex and Jeremy will get you to a place where you will get food. Not everybody will be nice to you, but you will be safe. You will be able to help other LAMBers because the watchers don’t think you are smart enough to know anything, but you are very wise.’

  “I laughed and laughed, and he laughed with me. That afternoon, I heard a voice inside me say to go outdoors. So I went out, and there were Alex and Jeremy. The watchers had sent them to get me. They were nice and liked me, so I went with them to here. Right here with you, but you weren’t here yet. Alex and Jeremy keep an eye on me, and Nathan always is mean, but I think it’s because he is sad. Every once in a while, I see that water wall and feel happy. That’s why I like Halal, because King Glory sent him to help me. And now he is helping you, Lily and Timmy.”

  “Lijah, that’s amazing. We’re so glad you’re here. We are your friends, but we have to be careful.” Lily looked around again, nervous that her guise of retraining was being dismantled the longer she sat outside with Lijah.

  “Lily, don’t be nervous. I think Halal is keeping us safe out here so I can tell you my story. I like having friends. I think King Glory likes it, too.”

  “We do have to be careful though, Lijah.” Lily squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her neck. “If they think we are not retrained…”

  Lijah jumped up. “It’s down the drain. Yup, yup. We know that.” Lijah spun around and then plopped on the ground again. “Like I said before, I’s good at keeping your secret. Don’t you worry. King Glory is taking care of you. And I is your good friend.”

  “Don’t look now,” whispered Timmy, “but here comes Nathan. Don’t look happy.”

  Nathan came through the door, sneering. He halted before them and stood with his hands on his hips. “So what’s this? A tea party? Stupid Lijah and even stupider Lily and little brother.”

  Lijah stood. “Hey, Nathan, I like tea. I like parties. I even like you.” Lijah walked toward Nathan. Lily and Timmy kept their heads down and didn’t move.

  “Get out of my face, weirdo.” Nathan reached out to shove Lijah.

  Instead, Lijah went around him and walked inside singing, “Retrain or down the drain.”

  “What are you two doing? Get out of here. Get inside,” Nathan ordered.

  Lily and Timmy got up and went inside, returning to their room.

  FIVE

  Glimpses

&nb
sp; Josiah sat on the patio by the pond enjoying the beauty of the day. Then the sound of boats approaching drifted through the woods, and he snapped to attention. “Grandfather, are we having another meeting?”

  “Not today, son.”

  “But I hear boats.”

  Grandfather appeared at the door. “It may be watchers or simply travelers. As you know, this is a waterway to busier places.”

  “Do the watchers suspect?”

  “They suspect everyone, but they cannot see our place, back in the woods as we are. The cottage has no brightness, and I shutter all windows at night. Nothing to fear.”

  “I’m not fearful. But I want to be diligent.”

  “Good. You know it’s almost time to return to your friends.”

  “Grandfather, I wouldn’t call them friends.”

  “But they’ll be expecting you soon. You have to know that some will be watchers, while others will want to join the Society of the L.A.M.B.”

  “How will I know? Who can I trust?”

  “You trust only King Glory and obey the Voice within.”

  Grandfather beckoned Josiah and his cousins into the screened-in veranda that seemed from another century. Wooden support posts held the same decorative mementos they held when Josiah was a boy, probably even when Grandfather was a boy. He never seemed to notice them until someone asked, and then the stories came. Brad walked over and picked up the baseball cap hanging on a nail attached to one of the wooden posts.

  Grandfather smiled. “When my son, Josiah’s father—your uncle—was a wee thing, he wore that hat to the ballgame out in Severson’s field. Hit a home run. Almost didn’t make the score, though, because he slipped and cracked his knee open right after rounding third base. He refused to get up. His mother had to run out and hold his hand as everyone cheered him into home plate, tears a-splattering down his face. I couldn’t stop laughing. Tears were dripping down my face. He got so mad he threw that hat down and left it out on the ball field. I retrieved it and put it on that nail. Been there ever since. Good testimony to perseverance and laughing when we want to cry or get mad.”