The No Where Apocalypse (Book 2): Surviving No Where Read Online Free PDF Page B

call it a day.
    Watching a drizzle mixed with a few bursts of tiny snowflakes, we reclined inside. Joe made another batch of coffee and each sip brought back memories of a time I was beginning to realize would never come again.
    He must have sensed my sadness, sitting next to me on the couch. Joe had picked up a piece of wood in the yard; a burl he called it. Pulling a small pocketknife from his pants, he began to mindlessly whittle.
    “God has plans for you,” he announced.  
    I had drifted away for a few moments, the day’s labor catching up with me. “What’s that?” I asked, deciding to play along with Joe and God.
    The old man turned and tapped the bench between us. “God is going to bless you and then take it away.”
    I grinned; I was already living that part. The life I lived prior to being here was a blessing. Though at times I doubted that, in the past, I knew it to be the honest truth now. The God’s honest truth.
    “And in return for your torment,” he continued, striking at the stick he had been whittling, “God will bless you many times over, and never leave you again.”
    The tale sounded vaguely familiar to me. “Sounds like Job,” I replied. “You know, from the Old Testament.”
    He nodded and went back to carving. Now that I studied his hands closer, I could see he was crafting a wooden cross.
    “The Lord works in mysterious ways, son.” He held the crude cross to his face. “I was lost, and He found me.”
    I didn’t want to argue with him, but he was peddling a big string of horseshit.
    “I’m not sure God’s around anymore, Joe,” I answered.  
    He laughed and pushed off the bench. “But He is. And he has big plans for you.”
    “I think I’ve gone through the whole biblical suffering crap already. To be honest, I’m pretty sick of it. Most days I can’t decide if living is any better than the alternative.”  
    ”And yet,” he started, “God will take care of you. You must know that already.”
    I leaned back, my face screwing up. “Here?” I asked. “In No Where?”
    Rubbing his hands together gently, he looked down on me. The dim afternoon sunlight framed his face giving him an angelic glow. “Yes,” he answered sincerely. “Here!”

    Even though Joseph Smith snored like a lumberjack, the presence of another person lifted my spirits to a place they hadn’t been in quite some time. Add in the fact that he made coffee every morning… well didn’t hurt either.
    Watching him leave, a tinge of remorse filled my half-empty soul. Maybe this one deserved an invitation to stay a little longer. Who knew, another two or three more meals and God’s plan would have been revealed to me.
    Who was I kidding? His job was the road. Preaching whatever vision some deity had filled him with. Loneliness does a lot to a man. Even opens his heart to something he formerly didn’t believe in. It also caused people to take stupid chances with potentially mentally ill folks.
    His words rang out as he waved his farewell. “ Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war… ”
    Maybe God had spoken to Joseph Smith, again if the Mormon’s were to be believed. Going back to work, I smiled and began to whistle the same church tune he sang. Those folks at Lettie’s place were going to be amused by this fellow.

Year 3 - late spring - WOP

    God shuts one door and opens another. The slamming door resounded through my soul like a crashing tsunami from the wild sea.

    In the six days since Joe and I parted, my mood had brightened considerably. It wasn’t so much the God part and whatever plan He might have for me. The mere companionship and upbeat disposition of the Reverend had rubbed off on me.
    I found myself whistling or humming a tune throughout my days. Occasionally, I even sang aloud or recited some long forgotten poem or limerick.  
    Amazing what one bright happy soul can do for another , I thought. While I wallowed through my days, he smiled and spread the word of whatever God had