The Sinner
Page 9
My criteria was impossible to conquer.
I met many people who had the skills for the task,
But my personal preferences were never satisfied.
I turned away highly proclaimed farmers
For the sole reasons of selfishness.
My ego would not allow me to seek those
Who I believed were less than me.
And unfortunately, that was everyone I encountered.
The task seemed hopeless
Until I met Belphegor, an irrigation specialist in the region.
Belphegor was recognized for his moral ethics
And quality of his product.
I had never met him before,
But his customers spoke highly of him.
Unlike all of the other candidates who came to me,
I actually had to seek out Belphegor.
During the winter season when the crops were at the lowest,
I traveled into town in hopes to meet up with him.
In a strange coincidence, Belphegor happened to be in town.
I approached him and introduced myself.
Apparently my reputation proceeded me
As he stated that he knew who I was.
He even appeared gracious to meet me,
That made the conversation easier than I had imagined.
It also reduced my appearance of being in a needy situation
Even though I was very desperate for help.
We walked for awhile around the town and
Discussed architecture and agriculture.
The conversation was so splendid that I felt at ease with him.
We shared the same ideas and beliefs towards nature.
We had the same understanding regarding
The concept of benefiting and replenishing the land.
He had passed my personality test with ease,
But I was more interested in this work ethic than anything else.
I shifted the conversation
In hopes to gain a sense of his lifestyle.
He offered everything that I required
By informing me that he lives for his work,
That he rarely gets to step away and venture into town.
He continued by saying that being away from his work,
He actually missed it.
His thoughts matched mine as I too missed my farm.
I wasted no time in offering him a position on my farm.
He was very accepting of my proposal and continued
That he could start as soon as he could gather his belongings.
We parted ways and I went back to my fields
With an increase in determination,
Which was not what I was anticipating.
My hatred for assistance,
Viewing it as a weakness had dramatically decreased.
I even amazed myself by showing signs of relief.
The following morning, I arose at my regular time
And was met by Belphegor on the farm.
His punctuality was a blessing
As I still had a few lingering doubts about the whole situation.
His anxiousness to get to work
Quickly erased those doubts and replaced them with enthusiasm.
Any awkwardness that I had predicted
During the first day of working alongside another person
Was non-existent as the day moved along smoothly.
Regardless of whom I had chosen to assist me,
I was going to analyze their work ethic ability the first day.
I spared no time in testing Belphegor
By bombarding him with tasks and chores,
Some more desirable than others.
He absorbed everything that I required for him to do.
He managed his time swiftly;
Adjusted his pace in order to meet my demands.
He reminded me of myself and my own work ethic.
Over the next few days,
It was evident that Belphegor was a perfect match.
He would work late and rise early the morning after.
His responsibilities were completed with such accuracy and quality
That he even enhanced certain aspects of the farm.
He was such a blessing that I could not imagine the farm without him.
Together we formed a productive process
That destroyed any current competitors and
Those that would be forthcoming.
Our first structural addition that we designed together
Was a storage unit to house the oversupply of product.
His knowledge of architecture surpassed mine and
Was apparent within the beautiful facility he had constructed.
I will say, that it was quite nice to converse with another
While working on the farm.
For so many years, I had been alone with my thoughts.
It was refreshing to hear different ideas
Involving the fields regardless of how beneficial they were.
We had many discussions regarding the land.
How to increase production.
Reap more benefits from nature.
Some of the smaller ideas
Such as enhancing the sturdiness of the tool shed
Or cleansing the paths between the fields
Were quickly implemented without haste.
Most were handled by Belphegor during off hours or
While I was tending to the daily chores.
I do not know how he was able to take on as much as he did,
To wake up the next day and
Have an idea completed was quite gratifying.
Larger notions would gradually consume our conversations.
Often times the ideas would remain just in our thoughts,
Occasionally one would be so beneficial
That it pleaded for more attention.
Such an idea was to increase the irrigation flow
To the wheat by constructing a large canal system.
With the constant threat of dry seasons,
The idea proved to be a potentially noteworthy one.
The conversation was enhanced
To include particular specifications.
One main barricade was the vast amount of wood
Required to build such a large structure.
I was a little hesitant
As an irrigation system that massive had never been constructed
And I worried about the sturdiness of it.
He always had a response to counteract my anxiety.
And was very persuasive in his choice of words.
For the first time,
I had entrusted my farm in the hands of another.
That was not an easy task for me to unleash.
My land was the treasure of my life,
But I saw something in Belphegor that day
That would convince me to rely on him.
I saw creativeness and excitement within his eyes.
It reminded me of how I felt
When I came across an idea that I thoroughly believed in.
He had gained my approval, but
We still struggled with the issue of lumber.
Belphegor stated that he knew of a large area of oak trees.
He thought they would be the perfect shape for the task.
He was not sure that they were still there
As he had not ventured there in quite some time.
Apparently, he had stumbled upon the area while traveling.
Since then he stated that he had been in several nearby towns
And had not observed oak being used in any of the architecture.
He was convinced that they remained there.
The idea of using oak for the structure was an excellent idea.
I had no previous encounters with such wood, as
I constructed the farm mainly from pine.
I had never even touched oak before so
My excitement grew since
I was expanding my knowledge.
I imagined what my competitors would think
Knowing that my farm was the first in the region to utilize oak.
I predicted their frustration of not knowing
Where to find the oak trees.
It provided me with some pleasure.
That was the enhancement my farm needed
To keep my product ahead of the others.
It would only be a matter of time
Before they found the tree source and copied my methods.
I followed the guidance of Belphegor
Merely that he was a master at constructing irrigation systems.
I could tell the sheer size of the structure
Would be a challenge for him,
I was anxious to see his design implemented.
It was established that we would travel the next day
To the valley of oak and collect the needed supplies.
I slept easy that night
Knowing that the irrigation enrichment was greatly needed.
The ability to spread water across the fields
In equal portions was an improvement
That would counteract the sporadic rainy seasons
We had been experiencing.
Belphegor stayed up all night developing plans.
He finished the details of the project while I slept.
Next day we set out to lay claim to the oak trees.
I had not traveled that far in quite some time, however
Conversations and sharing of ideas lessened the duration.
Belphegor showed me sketches of his design and
I was amazed by the detail that he used.
The vision was wonderful and I had no concerns,
Which was unusual of me especially
When the topic involved altering my fields.
Toting two large wagons,
We journeyed through thick pine forests and gaping ravines.
On occasion our wagons got wedged within the terrain
Particularly when we crossed the drained riverbed of mud.
I could not help but think about the journey back.
How we would be able to handle the same path
With our wagons filled with the heavy oak?
I did not let it discourage me,
I had faith that my partner had exhausted all potential threats.
We traveled through vast grass fields
That proved not too difficult for our wagons.
The long blades of grass lied down beneath the wooden wheels
And provided us with a path to return on.
The more difficult passage proved to be
Pulling of the wagons uphill.
We struggled for quite some time
Before we were able to rest on the crest.
I was about to ask Belphegor how much further,
He interrupted my question by gesturing to the valley below.
Our long journey had ended
As I overlooked a valley filled with oak trees.
The sight was very inspiring with
Rows of beautifully aligned oak trees packing the valley.
The trunks were perfectly rounded
Which exploded at the top with powerful branches
And clusters of splendid green leaves.
The scene was further enhanced
With streams of sunlight highlighting the tops of the trees.
It was an awe inspiring natural sight.
As if the heavens leaked perfection on to the ground underneath.
The outlook filled my mind with creativity that
Soon was replaced with visions of my jealous competitors.
I imagined their reactions
When they first would learn of my oak structure.
Then depicted their facial expressions when they gazed upon it.
I looked to Belphegor with high approval.
He offered a smile in return.
The structure that was only an idea was turning into a reality.
We remained on the crest of hill for a brief moment as
I was in no rush to end the satisfaction that I felt.
However, the longer I stared, the more hesitant I was becoming.
Something was too flawless about the circumstances;
Something was too flawless about the trees.
It was not until I witnessed a runaway lightning bolt
Exit from a picturesque white cloud above the valley
That I realized what the place was.
The valley and the trees were on holy ground.
I shared my thought with Belphegor.
He immediately took offense to my words.
It was unlike him to get upset with me about anything
As we had always shared ideas without any negative tones.
He accused me of insulting his judgment;
He questioned our friendship.
The quick outburst startled me and
Caused my thoughts to become entangled with confusion.
I assured him that it was only a feeling that I had,
That my words meant no harm.
He withdrew his anger and apologized for his comments.
I accepted his apology,
But his previous mannerisms still troubled me.
I had never seen that side of him before.
I could tell that he was still physically upset
By the way he forcefully pulled his wagon
As he began his decent down to the valley.
Setting aside my beliefs,
I pulled my wagon and followed him.
The surrounding area was so serene
That it made the journey pleasurable.
The cool breeze combined with the warmth of the sun was relaxing.
I envisioned myself lying upon the grass and sleeping.
The crisp air felt good as it filled my lungs.
For now, I kept the thoughts to myself.
I was not about to mention the topic of sacred ground again.
We neared the outer perimeter of the trees.
They made us feel small in comparison to their mighty heights.
They were spectacular in all aspects of their characteristics.
I could only imagine the massive root support systems
That built such relics.
As I stood at the base of one of them and looked up,
They were extensions from the ground straight up to heaven.
The way the green leaves contrasted
Against the blue sky was breathtaking.
These were the visions
That dreams were comprised of.
I slid my hand along the bark of the mighty tree and
Instantly felt its strength and power under my fingertips.
Belphegor walked towards me carrying two axes.
He pointed to the tree I was touching,
Announced that we would start with it.
My first response was that these axes
Would never penetrate the armor of bark.
I hesitantly grabbed the axe and
Watched him circle to the opposite side.
As I choked up on the wooden handle,
I noticed a carved symbol of a lion in the bark.
The symbol was so detailed.
The lion was alive on the brown canvas.
I looked to the other trees and
Saw that they each had similar carvings of different animals.
My assumption of holy ground was becoming clearer,
I struggled as to how to bring up the topic again.
I would not have to battle long as
My physical actions would speak for me.
While Belphegor raised his axe, I was lowering mine.
He halted his swing and gave me a disapproving gesture.
I took a few steps back and
Announced that we could not proceed
As we we
re on holy ground.
I saw his frustration with me growing within his eyes,
However, I was certain that we should not be here.
He spoke about the trees,
Saying these are the only ones capable
Of withstanding the pressures of the irrigation canals.
I replied that I could not destroy God’s land.
His muscles flinched as he gripped his axe.
For a brief moment, we stood there with axe in hand
Staring at one another.
I was unsure what his next move was going to be.
I could see that he was contemplating
Through his facial gestures.
I was neither a fighter nor an angry person,
However, I held tight to my axe
In the unfortunate event that I needed to defend myself.
Part of me hoped that it was all a misunderstanding
That he did not know the trees were marked.
My anxiety grew with each passing moment without sound.
He showed signs that he was thinking
About how to respond to me.
The scene made me nervous
As I translated it as he was about to lie to me.
My hands suctioned to the axe handle
From the sweat pouring from my palms.
I was praying that he would not strike at me,
Then I realized that no man would hurt another on holy ground.
That would be considered an act of cruelty.
It calmed my nerves slightly,
It still did not change the fact that he remained silent.
He broke the tension by speaking and
Told me that he had made a mistake.
That maybe we should not harm the trees.
The comments were a relief to hear
As I did not know how to properly defend myself,
Especially against an axe.
I stood there still confused
As he pulled his cart away from the trees.
Part of me was hesitant to follow him off of the sacred ground.
I imagined him luring me to an unholy area and attacking me.
I did not give that thought much backing as
I believed that he truly had made a mistake.
Traveling home dwelled on forever.