No one said a word or moved, still shocked at hearing Nathan’s voice.
“Do you know what it’s like to be mute and unable to utter a single word? You spoke constant lies and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Scylla glared at Nathan, speechless.
Nathan turned to Daniel. “You’ve been my friend for the last three and a half years, and a good friend. I love you Daniel.”
Daniel lowered his eyes, embarrassed by the straightforwardness of Nathan’s expression of gratitude.
“But how can you deny what the king did for me?”
Daniel stared at the ground, appearing emotional and conflicted. “I’m not denying it,” corrected Daniel. “I’m just slow to believe.”
Nathan turned to Judd. “You’re wicked.”
“Who made you the man of the house here?” crooned Scylla.
Nathan ignored her question. “I want my father to come home.”
“No,” hissed Scylla.
“Why not?” I asked. “So you can continue to torture and control the rest of us.”
“I think I should leave,” Daniel said. “This is a family matter.”
“No, come back,” I pleaded. “If you care anything about me.”
Daniel stopped. His eyes appeared torn between pity for my situation but angry for dragging him into it.
Dark clouds formed over us, casting shadows around the portico. The wind picked up as if a storm were approaching.
“Shale is right,” Daniel said. “I shouldn’t leave until everything is resolved. Maybe that’s why I’m here.”
“We don’t need you anymore, Daniel,” Scylla retorted.
“Even though I can talk, I don’t want Daniel to leave,” Nathan insisted. “He’s done nothing wrong.”
“He’s no longer needed unless you want to waste your inheritance.”
“Mine or yours?” Nathan questioned.
Scylla didn’t respond.
Nathan said, “You’ve made my father weak, a shell of a man. He didn’t used to be that way. You ruined him. He works all the time. Lies, lies, and more lies. You want his money—your god.”
Scylla stood frozen as ice, probably too stunned to speak.
“Not only that,” Nathan continued, “but you’ve lied repeatedly. What Judd said to you isn’t what you told Shale.”
“So the truth comes out,” I scoffed.
Scylla recovered quickly, now simmering near the boiling point. She turned from Nathan and leaned in towards Judd, pointing her finger. “I told you to take Shale to her room. Lock her up. She’s still alive because of me. I’ll speak to you later.”
She then turned back to Nathan. “You might not be mute anymore, but you’re still dumb. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Judd pushed me ahead.
“Stop,” I fired back.
“Then move.” He prodded me again.
I looked pleadingly towards Daniel. He could stand up to Scylla, but would he? How could she exert so much control over men? Daniel followed me with his eyes as I walked past but remained quiet. I was disappointed he didn’t put a halt to Scylla’s reckless accusations.
We climbed the stairs to my room and a veil of darkness shrouded me—Fifi’s dead body appeared to me in a vision, once more at the bottom of the stairs. I had hoped the memory wouldn’t torture me anymore, that the king would heal me. Why hadn’t he? I grabbed the post to catch my balance. Rain started to fall.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“I want my money.”
“Give me a second, will you?”
Judd opened the door. I went over to my bed feeling in the blankets for the rocks.
I handed him a golden nugget. “Here.”
Judd grimaced, dropping the rock. The nugget rolled on the floor.
“What’s wrong?” I reached down and picked it up. The nugget sizzled in my hand but felt cool to the touch. Judd clutched his burnt fingers.
“Let me see,” I demanded.
When he opened up his clasped fingers, fiery welts scoured his palm. The rock glowed as I held it, but it didn’t burn me.
“I don’t want your rock.” Judd cradled his hand. “Could your king heal even this?” His voice was bitter.
I briefly felt sorry for Judd, but it was easier to hate him. I didn’t want to admit it, but the more I hated him, the worse I felt. A fit of depression closed in on me.
“So that king of yours did heal Nathan.” Judd said it as a statement rather than a question. “Maybe there’s something to him after all.”
“That’s for you to find out.” Would the king do anything for Judd? In my smugness, a voice pricked my soul—“what about the man in the cemetery, who was healed? Why wouldn’t the king heal Judd?”
Judd stormed out, clutching his hand, locking the door from the outside. I felt like a wounded bird in a cage. Could I still hear the king’s voice in my pain? The voice wasn’t as loud in my heart, but it was still there. “Don’t let others steal your joy.”
What joy could I have stuck here behind a locked door? I stared at the ceiling while holding the golden nugget. If I didn’t write in my diary, I would explode.
I got up from my bed and grabbed the reed-pen and paper.
“Dear Dog, if ever you were real, can you show yourself to me now, before I wilt from sadness? I’ve done a good thing and yet I’m being punished for it. Where is justice here? Why can’t the king’s love reach me? I’m like a wounded bird, stuck in a cage where I don’t belong.”
I paused and thought for a moment before writing more.
“Dear Dog, I must ask, for I don’t know, are you and the king the same? He seems like a father to me. Can you heal me? You seem so far away.”
Chapter Thirty
The Visitor
Several hours passed and footsteps pounded the stony stairs outside. I ran over and peered through the small crack in the door. It was Mari. Thank goodness for her or I’d die stuck in this room. I went and sat on the bed while she unlocked the door.
“So what’s happening downstairs?” I asked.
Mari set the tray of food beside me. “Good things.”
“What good things?” I picked up a piece of bread, broke it in two and took a bite. I wasn’t hungry but figured I better eat something while I could.
“Daniel took Nathan to Jerusalem so your father could see that his son is healed.”
“That’s great for Nathan. I’m glad Daniel did that for him. How long will it take for them to come back?”
Mari smiled. “It’s hard to say. I suppose they could be gone for several months.”
“Several months? That’s ridiculous.”
“Why are you always in such a hurry, my love?”
“What am I going to do here while I wait?” Not to see Daniel for that long would be torture. To be stuck here with Judd and Scylla was unimaginable.
Mari looked at me perceptibly. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I suppose. Just depressed.”
“I understand.”
“When can I get out of here? I mean, she can’t keep me locked up forever.”
“Oh, she won’t,” Mari assured me. “She wants to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
“She doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
I snorted. “Did you hear how she talked to me?”
“Oh, she didn’t mean it, my love. She was just angry.”
“Sure she didn’t mean it. Are you blind or something?”
Mari shook her head. “But you traipse off. There are robbers and murderers out there.”
“Daniel was with me. Anyway, I’m done eating.”
Mari looked at the tray of uneaten food. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll come back in the morning and check on you.”
“Can you do me another favor?”
“What’s that, my love?”
“Check on the animals for me. Make sure Judd is tak
ing care of Lowly, Much-Afraid, and Cherios. How I wish I could visit them.”
Mari stared at the floor.
“It’s okay. I know you would get in trouble if you let me out of here. That’s why I want you to check on them for me.”
“Sure. I will,” Mari promised.
***
Late that night as I sat on my bed, the sound of feet alarmed me once again. I never had anyone visit after dark. The door unlatched. I held my breath. Scylla strutted in. I never thought I’d be happy to see her in my room.
Her words were slurred. “You’ve no idea the trouble you’ve caused me.”
I stared at her.
“Your father and I were doing your mother a favor taking you in.”
“It’s not like she asked me.”
“There’s nothing you can do to pull us apart, try as you might.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“Why did you say those things about me this afternoon? The world isn’t all about you, Shale Snyder.”
How could one person have so many different moods? She was like a cat with nine lives—nice one minute and spiteful the next, except I had ended up with the jealous cat life.
“Why don’t you answer my question, why did you say what you did about Daniel and me?”
“I assumed because you were spending so much time alone with him.”
“It wasn’t that much,” I muttered.
“You aren’t as smart as you think you are. Even if you were brilliant, you should credit it to your father, which you seem reluctant to do. Your mother is unfit to be your mother.”
I balled my hand under the blanket into a fist. Too bad I couldn’t throw a book at her, but they weren’t yet invented.
“I’ve heard all about her,” Scylla continued. “And you’re just like her.”
“What gall you have to make such accusations.”
“I’ll stand by your father and defend him in every way I can.”
“Fine,” I said. “Kudos to him.”
“Your mother and father have deceived you,” she continued. “Your stepfather, that is. Brutus sent you wonderful gifts. Don’t you know they broke them?”
“That’s not true,” I argued. “I opened all of them. Some of them Remi tried to fix, after they got married.”
“You couldn’t remember that. You were too young.”
“They just got married. I gave him the one from last year.” What was the use? I studied the blanket on my bed. I used all the self-control I could muster to hold back saying something I might regret later. We existed in different worlds. Who was in the real world, her or me? Did my father even love me? Scylla had no way of knowing about the broken gifts unless he told her. I rubbed the egg in my dress pocket underneath the blanket.
“What are you thinking?” Scylla asked. “Speak to me.”
“Why? You don’t like me, you don’t believe anything I say, and you make up stories about me that aren’t true.” I turned my back to her.
“You’re right.” Scylla said. “And you will pay for it. I control everything having to do with your father. I speak for him, write letters for him. He’s very busy.” She tossed her head defiantly and strutted to the door. “I can even make it so you don’t see him again.” She yanked the door behind her.
Did I want to know the truth? Maybe it was all too painful. What was Scylla’s motive for coming to see me—to hurt me, to make me hate my mother and stepfather? Maybe my father left because of something she said about me. Maybe that’s why he didn’t come back. I didn’t trust her. I reached for my reed-pen and started writing.
“Help me, king of the garden, to know the answers.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Sojourn of the Ages
Several days went by that were much the same as the day before. I was stuck with nothing to do but dream—and write. Dream of better times, of being home again—which at times I sorely missed— and at other moments, I felt sorry for myself. I wanted to see Daniel. When would Nathan and my father return—if ever?
“Ruff.”
Much-Afraid was making her daily rounds.
I climbed up to the tiny window and looked out. “Hi, Much-Afraid.”
The dog was several feet below me, ready to play if I could come outside. “How much longer are you going to be stuck in there?”
I sighed. “I guess until my father comes back.” I twisted the ends of my hair, which had become quite long. “How are Lowly and Cherios?”
“They are doing fine. And guess what?”
“What?”
“Judd is feeding us the best oats now.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” That was a dramatic change for the better. I leaned out over the window. “Can you do me a favor?”
Much-Afraid wagged her tail. “What’s that?”
“Do you ever see Worldly Crow around?”
“When he’s here. He travels the countryside a lot.”
“Next time you see him, tell him I want him to do something for me.”
Much-Afraid barked a few times. “Okay.”
“How is Baruch?”
“He’s doing great, except he complains about not having any apples.”
I rubbed my tongue over my teeth. Wished that was all I had to worry about. “Don’t forget to tell Worldly Crow, okay?”
“He was here yesterday. I’ll look for him now,” Much-Afraid said.
“What’s Cherios up to?”
Much Afraid chased her tail for a few seconds before answering. “She tells us lots of stories about the king and keeps us entertained. The other animals have become quite fond of her.”
“That’s cool. I’m glad she’s been well received.”
Much-Afraid swatted at a fly that flew by. “Let me go find Worldly Crow for you.”
“Is Lowly getting fed, too?” I asked.
“He’s getting feed what seems good to him, though I wouldn’t eat it. Pigs aren’t so choosy, though.”
I laughed. “Okay. I’ll let you go. See you soon.”
“Hang in there, Shale. I don’t think you’ll be stuck there much longer. You’ll figure out a way to escape.”
“I hope.”
Much-Afraid took off towards the front and I slid down from the window, pressed up against the wall. The warm sunlight filtered in through the window giving me hope that Much-Afraid was right.
A short time later, I received a visitor. “Ca-ca.” Worldly Crow landed on the window sill, cackling at me impatiently.
“What did you want to see me for, Shale?” He shook his feathers and dust particles floated in the filtered light.
I was laying on my bed daydreaming and sat up straight. “Worldly Crow, thanks for coming. I need to ask you for a favor.”
He cocked his head sideways. “What’s that?”
“I want you to get the key to the door and unlock it for me so I can get out of here.”
Worldly Crow cackled loudly. “You want me to sneak into the house and find the key and then come back and unlock the door?”
“Worldly Crow, if you can steal a fish from a crowded marketplace, you can steal a key from Mari.”
“When do you want me to do this?”
“Right now. Today.” I slouched back down on my bed. “I’m going to go insane if I don’t get out of here.” I shuffled my feet back and forth impatiently. “Have you seen the king anywhere?”
“Yes, he has remained close by—in the Decapolis.”
My depressed mood perked up upon hearing this good news. “Please go do it now, quickly.”
“As you wish, but it’s not an easy thing for a crow to sneak into the house undetected. For one thing, I’ve got to get the door open.”
I studied Worldly Crow. “You can do it, I have confidence in you.” I flitted my hand at him. “Go.”
A short time later, wings fluttered outside nearby. I jumped up to the window in time to see the crow strut up to the door. I scrambled over and looked through the peephole. He held the
key in his beak and attempted to put it into the keyhole, but it fell out. Worldly Crow mumbled under his breath and picked it up again.
“You can stick it in there. Try again.”
It took two more times, but he unlocked the door.
“You’re brilliant, my friend.”
“It wasn’t so easy as you made it out to be. What are you going to do now?”
“Go tell Baruch, Much-Afraid, Lowly, and Cherios to rendezvous with me at our old hideout. We’re going on a journey.”
“Where?”
“To see the king.”
“Again?”
“When I’m with him, he fills me with hope. I want to see him again. Who knows—maybe I won’t come back here.”
“Things could be worse. You aren’t starving. You have a roof over your head. You have Mari and me and all the other animals.”
“I don’t need a lecture. Go get the animals and tell them to meet me. Hurry.”
“You’re the most impatient girl I’ve ever met.”
“Go.”
I grabbed the ceramic egg and the two golden rocks and put them in my pocket in case I didn’t return. I stopped and thought about my diary. I had to leave it. I had no place to put it. When I exited the stairs, I almost fainted. Mari saw me and started to say something, but I covered my mouth with my finger. She stopped, smiled faintly, and waved. I took it to mean, see you soon.
I hurried down to our old hideout and waited. It didn’t take long for my animal friends to get wind of our little trip, and I greeted them on the dirt road. Much-Afraid came up to me in a trot and I squatted down to hug her.
“How did you get out without Judd seeing you?”
“He wasn’t around. He left earlier today to go somewhere,” Baruch said.
“Good.”
Baruch asked, “Where are we headed, Miss Shale?”
“To the Decapolis.”
“That’s where we went before.”
“Worldly Crow said the king is in the same general area.”
“Look for the crowds,” Baruch said.
Cherios hopped from rock to rock, singing praises to the king as if she were in the garden. Lowly and Much-Afraid played dog and pig games.
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