who asked the question. He paused in silence, thinking, though the girl believed herself on the verge of castigation for interrupting a leader.
“I'm s-sorry,” she said, before he could respond. “Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, it won't happen again.” She looked away hiding her face.
“My child, this is a place of worship. You belong here as well as anyone else. As for the man, I know you all are thinking of him. I know some of you fear what he might bring to this community, possibly danger.” He stopped, taking a breath. “After some thought, the governor and I have decided to allow him to stay,” he said, grabbing the edges of the podium. The entire congregation erupted into confusion and boisterous chatter. Several lone voices peaked out from the vocal rumble and gossip.
“And what should we do with our children? Who's to keep them safe?” one asked.
“Yeah, we have wives and families we cannot protect from someone, should he want to harm us.”
The preacher made an effort to quiet down his people. “We do not believe this man wishes to harm us. He's very ill and has almost no energy. Leaving one of God's creations out to die, when we can help him, is not our way. All of you know this.”
“He will bring others, more dangerous!”
“We have no reason to think he intends to harm us. After all he brought us our sweet Lili and Ennis home. What motive would someone have to harm us, if they would do that?” The congregation quieted down. “We are following of Jesus, who preached love and forgiveness. This man will not bring harm to this village, I can assure you. We are people of peace and kindness. This was most surely the reason he has returned our Lili and Ennis,” the preacher continued.
“Where have you stored him?” another asked.
“We have not stored him anywhere. He resides, resting in the sable cabin on the outskirts of town. Our dear Father O'Grady, along with the resident healer, watches over him. When there is news that changes the course of this story, I will make an official announcement to all of you. Now, if you please, will you follow along with me on Exodus 3:14…” The preacher continued his sermon, ignoring crowd's unrelenting restlessness, as if nothing had interrupted him to begin with.
CHAPTER 3
“Darling,” Elsa said, holding her friend by the shoulders, her face too close for comfort, “please kiss me.” Elsa then kissed Priscilla on the cheek, as she turned away in revulsion. Two other girls, Sarah and Chloe, squealed with delight at Elsa's jocularity. The four girls stood in a circle in Priscilla's bedroom, several candles softly burning in the corner by the door. The room was tight, somewhat crowded, but this was where the girls held their semi-weekly vigils on gossip among the other young people of the town.
“I can't believe you did that to me, Elsie. God will smite me for kissing a girl,” Priscilla said, rubbing her cheek with the palm of her hand.
“Oh you'll be all right,” Elsa said, her smile stretching across her face, in the way a big sister might after she's put a younger sibling in an embarrassing choke hold. Priscilla fell back on the bed, between twin sisters Chloe and Sarah. The twins were red-headed, with powder blue eyes, and their smiles belied a mysterious secret only they knew, bonding them together, a two-person tribe against the outside world.
“Elsie,” one of them said, looking up at her from the ridges of their crafty brows, “we have something to show you.” The sisters were known for pulling pranks and concocting mischief in their tween years, but the community caught wind of their shenanigans and put Elsa in charge of making sure the girls didn't stray too far from God's way. Elsa, still laughing at Priscilla's reaction to her joke, looked over at the twin girls, immediately recognizing their familiar glare when they were up to no good. Elsa caught
“I'm s-sorry,” she said, before he could respond. “Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, it won't happen again.” She looked away hiding her face.
“My child, this is a place of worship. You belong here as well as anyone else. As for the man, I know you all are thinking of him. I know some of you fear what he might bring to this community, possibly danger.” He stopped, taking a breath. “After some thought, the governor and I have decided to allow him to stay,” he said, grabbing the edges of the podium. The entire congregation erupted into confusion and boisterous chatter. Several lone voices peaked out from the vocal rumble and gossip.
“And what should we do with our children? Who's to keep them safe?” one asked.
“Yeah, we have wives and families we cannot protect from someone, should he want to harm us.”
The preacher made an effort to quiet down his people. “We do not believe this man wishes to harm us. He's very ill and has almost no energy. Leaving one of God's creations out to die, when we can help him, is not our way. All of you know this.”
“He will bring others, more dangerous!”
“We have no reason to think he intends to harm us. After all he brought us our sweet Lili and Ennis home. What motive would someone have to harm us, if they would do that?” The congregation quieted down. “We are following of Jesus, who preached love and forgiveness. This man will not bring harm to this village, I can assure you. We are people of peace and kindness. This was most surely the reason he has returned our Lili and Ennis,” the preacher continued.
“Where have you stored him?” another asked.
“We have not stored him anywhere. He resides, resting in the sable cabin on the outskirts of town. Our dear Father O'Grady, along with the resident healer, watches over him. When there is news that changes the course of this story, I will make an official announcement to all of you. Now, if you please, will you follow along with me on Exodus 3:14…” The preacher continued his sermon, ignoring crowd's unrelenting restlessness, as if nothing had interrupted him to begin with.
CHAPTER 3
“Darling,” Elsa said, holding her friend by the shoulders, her face too close for comfort, “please kiss me.” Elsa then kissed Priscilla on the cheek, as she turned away in revulsion. Two other girls, Sarah and Chloe, squealed with delight at Elsa's jocularity. The four girls stood in a circle in Priscilla's bedroom, several candles softly burning in the corner by the door. The room was tight, somewhat crowded, but this was where the girls held their semi-weekly vigils on gossip among the other young people of the town.
“I can't believe you did that to me, Elsie. God will smite me for kissing a girl,” Priscilla said, rubbing her cheek with the palm of her hand.
“Oh you'll be all right,” Elsa said, her smile stretching across her face, in the way a big sister might after she's put a younger sibling in an embarrassing choke hold. Priscilla fell back on the bed, between twin sisters Chloe and Sarah. The twins were red-headed, with powder blue eyes, and their smiles belied a mysterious secret only they knew, bonding them together, a two-person tribe against the outside world.
“Elsie,” one of them said, looking up at her from the ridges of their crafty brows, “we have something to show you.” The sisters were known for pulling pranks and concocting mischief in their tween years, but the community caught wind of their shenanigans and put Elsa in charge of making sure the girls didn't stray too far from God's way. Elsa, still laughing at Priscilla's reaction to her joke, looked over at the twin girls, immediately recognizing their familiar glare when they were up to no good. Elsa caught
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