Five
Gasping, Rudy sat up on the bunk bed and hit his head on the underside of the roof. Smarting from the sudden, self-inflicted blow, he laid down again.
Rudy’s head spun. As he thought through what he’d just seen, he came to a realization. The tugs and the visions are connected, he concluded. It’s obvious You want me to go. You have taught me how to hunt this past year with Davis. Mayor Corben says to do what is right in front of me, and I have been doing that. I have been helping here and hunting. But what if You want me to do something new? Could You have been preparing me all this time to do what You are now asking? Was I trained as a hunter so I could survive out there on my own? Did you make me to feel comfortable alone and away from lots of people so I wouldn’t die of loneliness out there on my own?
I want to do what I think You are telling me, but what if I am wrong?
At that moment, Rudy was hoping to hear something. He’d never heard anything from his Creator like Corben described—words softly spoken inside his own mind. Until the last vision, he realized.
I heard You, he thought with excitement. Then some of his enthusiasm dimmed. I just wish Randy and the mayor could support me too. I’d really rather have their permission—their blessing—to go. But Lord, even if I don’t, I will go. I will do what you say to do.
It was settled. He had decided.
As he laid there looking at the stars, he counted up the things he would need to set out on his journey of discovery. Some things were simple to get. Others would be a little harder, but he was committed to working to buy the supplies he needed. I can chop more wood and help Randy make more of the Cranberry stuff.
His head blazed through the preparation that was needed. He didn’t know if he could leave before the spring, but he knew—he had set it in his heart—that he would leave and follow the summons—the call—of his Creator.
While he longed for the support of the men he looked up to, he felt peace wash over him. For the first time in his life, he felt sure what he had to do and felt certain that he could succeed at the task. It brought something deep and resonating to his heart—joy.
With a smile, he looked out the windows at the stars. The moons were rising. For a moment, he was confused. He’d just crawled in bed moments before and the moons weren’t up. Was I out that long? He wondered.
Too restless to sleep, Rudy slipped down and tiptoed through the curtain. He heard the Parker family snoring away in their beds, and he eased through the door to stand outside.
He heard whispers and was surprised to see Randy and the mayor about twenty meters away discussing something with animation. Rudy sprinted toward them without worrying that their conversation might be private.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Randy asked, slipping into the parental role he sometimes adopted with his brother.
“I couldn’t sleep. I had another vision. Two, really,” Rudy gasped. He was out of breath from his run towards the men, but still thrilled.
“What did you see this time?” Corben asked, his face slack with the fatigue that came from staying awake too long into the night. Despite his exhaustion, he still pulled the corners of his mouth into a slight smile as he placed his heavy hand on Rudy’s shoulder.
Rudy thought about his answer for just a few seconds, then let it fly. “I saw the Creator taking care of me. I felt him direct me to safety and take me to see things I could never have imagined. And, I saw that someday, I will return. Someday, I will be married and contribute to our town like everyone else does.” Even as he said the words, they didn’t feel like they were his own. A new confidence had imbued his spirit, and he wasn’t afraid of their rejection. “I’m going. But I would really like to have your support,” he said, looking first at his brother then the mayor.
After a long moment and a sigh, Randy replied, "Rudy. We all came here...those of us who weren't born here, I mean. We all came here to live a new, rich, full life. We came to enjoy this new world, to explore it. We came to live here and discover all the new things our amazing, incredible Creator has placed here on this world for us to find. If you really think what you saw today was from Him, then just do what He is asking you to do. I just caution you that it is not going to be easy. You have learned how to hunt. You have learned how to take care of yourself out there, but don’t think it’s going to be easy." Randy had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.
Rudy nodded. "I know. Like you always say, nothing worth doing ever is easy. My mind is made up. I am leaving. I'm going to miss you, Randy, but I'm going to be so happy out there, because it is what I was meant to do. This is what I was born to do," Rudy said to his brother.
"Then, go," Randy told him. "Follow your dream."
Corben squeezed his shoulder. “Rudy, your brother and I have been discussing this all night. We’ve prayed together, and I think we were both surprised to get the impression that we had been hasty in our judgment. We will gather what you need for this journey so you can leave in a few days or as soon as you are ready. Let me pray for you, Rudy,” he said.
Mayor Corben unleashed a string of words so uplifting and supportive that Rudy just let the blessing wash over him. The gentle tug he'd been feeling all day was replaced with a rush of peace that flooded his heart.
Rudy Nes opened his eyes and looked up as the two moons smiled down at him. He laughed and hugged his brother, then the mayor for good measure. His destiny was there right in front of him, and he couldn’t wait to take the first bold step.
* * * *
About the Author
S. Rodger Bock was raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. High in the mountains, surrounded by lush aspen groves and an abundance of ponderosa pine, he fell in love with the outdoors. Teaching himself at an early age to type on a Commodore 64, he began writing silly, frivolous stories packed with imagination but severely deficient in execution and devoid of grammar. All these years later, he still has the long, winding, and incoherent stories he wrote in junior high and high school.
Now, he is embarking on a new set of trilogies in The Edenix Cycle, which tells the story of the mysteriously populated world on the edge of human expansion where so many oddities exist.
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Read more from S. Rodger Bock:
The Pennell Predicament: An Edenix Cycle Story
Amelia Pennell must make a horrifying choice in the aftermath of the destruction of a colonization ship, which crashes on Eden IX.
The Edenix Cycle
Trilogy I: Morgan’s Curse
The Edenix Cycle: Acrimony Arising - Trilogy I - Act I
Crash! In an instant, life changed for the dreamers who traveled to this virgin world. Death and devastation followed. However, when three of the town's young women are abducted, the people rally behind Dirk Bayo, a broken-hearted self-exiled hunter. Dirk must utilize his tracking skills to bring the women home before the kidnappers spirit the girls too far from reach...or vanquish them forever!
The Edenix Cycle: Edenix Asunder - Trilogy I Act II
Morgan’s plan to escape mundane mediocrity has succeeded—so far. But when she arrives in the new town full of hope and promises, her scheme immediately encounters obstacles. Against overwhelming odds, she must persevere in her plan and win the heart of the only one who can give her what she most desires. Will Morgan’s scheme unravel despite all she has done and be doomed to a life of a slave in a land where she is neither loved nor respected? What exactly is her dangerous design?
The Edenix Cycle: Queen’s Reign - Trilogy I Act III
Seven years after the dramatic events in Par's Complex, the peaceful citizens of Bayo Town find themselves under attack. Dirk Bayo and the new young mayor, Washington Gray, must rally those willing to fight back against the superior invader. Behind it all is a treacherous plan conceived by a warped and twisted leader. Will
the fledgling colony on Eden IX come to a bloody end?
Trilogy II: Selim’s Stratagem
The Edenix Cycle: Revolution’s Requiem - Trilogy II Act I
Gerald Gardena hoped to start a new life in Eastern Kazan, where he discovers a ruthless land about to explode into open war. Meganne Mills’s father has been arrested on suspicion of aiding the rebellion against the generous government she supports. Meganne must choose between the love of her papa and the law. Their journey takes them through the heat of battle and the worst injustices, challenging how she sees the world around her and those closest to her. Will Meganne stand for her papa or the execution of justice?
…and Coming Soon
The Edenix Cycle: Dominion’s Dirge - Trilogy II Act II
Novels
UNFOLDING
Edeanna McKinley is married to a man who doesn’t love her. She has miscarried their baby only months before. She barely avoids a grisly auto accident. Minutes later, her husband threatens divorce and leaves. As if that’s not bad enough, people start shooting at her. Edeanna must run for her life while trying to rebuild what's come crashing down around her. Can she find hope despite her turmoil?
The Providence of Rudy Nes: An Edenix Cycle Story Page 7
