Meridian. Part 18

The nodding and quiet "Amen's" in the audience unnerved me.

Reverend Perimo stomped his feet. "And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death ..." These are strong words, brother and sisters, but the Almighty does not mince his meaning. There is a tug-of-war going on for your soul. You must make sure your family, your friends, and your neighbors are all helping to tug our way. Better one perish to h.e.l.l than all of us. Amen?"

"Amen!" the congregation shouted. A few people stood and clapped. Auntie shifted her position and muttered to herself.

'If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you 105ani rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase. ...' Where is Branson McAfee?"

*A man stood. "Here."

"Branson, how were your corn yields this season?"

"Up two hundred percent from last year."

"What was different?"

"I was saved last Christmastime."

"And the Almighty provided for you in abundance."

"Yes, sir, He did. And my back doesn't hurt none either."

"And a healing! Praises, Amen!"

"Amen!"

"'And if you walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle. ...' The Lord knows." Perimo motioned to another man in his posse.

The man stood. "This week little Celia was ripped from us and there were two miscarriages.

Before we were saved, who saw the town dying each day? The highway was empty, no one stopped, no one moved here. But now, four families moved in last week -will the Stones, Rogers, Greggs, and Pattersons please stand?"

Four young families stood and were applauded.

Reverend Perimo then said, " 'And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and His anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them. ...' I don't know if you've heard or not, but the Lombardos' house caught on fire last night. They escaped, but we must pray for their souls, that they hear this warning from the Lord."

Auntie gasped.

"There are people who will tell you G.o.d doesn't start fires. That He doesn't increase the crops of believers. That He doesn't care who our friends are or how we treat non-believers."

Perimo shook his head. "The Bible tells us differently: And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy G.o.d. ..."'

He never took his eyes off us. Not once. I wasn't sure he even blinked.

A woman in the audience stood and yelled, "I repent, I repent. Save me, O Lord, save me."

Tens muttered, "Mrs. Devlin. Wonder how often she had to rehea.r.s.e that line."

Reverend Perimo held up a hand for silence and the people quieted. "But ye that did cleave 106 unto the Lord your G.o.d are alive every one of you this day.' - ani *"Now, those who would like a special blessing may stand before me. Who needs the touch of the Lord? Who else repents? Who believes in the Lord our Almighty?" The band started playing a contemporary Christian hymn and Perimo said, "Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me.'" Rows of people stood and were ushered single file past the front of the church. Perimo made the sign of the cross and nodded. The organ belched and the choir sang down the rafters.

"Stand up." Auntie instructed Tens, but when the ushers came to our row, they skipped us.

The crowd didn't pause to allow us to join the procession.

Auntie waved to Perimo. "Excuse me, but we were accidentally skipped."

I had no idea her voice could carry so clearly or loudly. I prayed I wouldn't faint from embarra.s.sment.

The ushers glanced toward the pulpit for instruction. Reverend Perimo walked toward us through the parting stragglers.

"We want a blessing." Auntie said as Perimo approached, towering over us.

"Blessings are for believers. Do you believe in the Almighty? In His purpose for your life?

In His judgments and commandments?" He leaned down until he was eye to eye with Auntie, not blinking once.

Her chin tipped up, and if her spine could have straightened completely she'd have stood to his full height and then some. "I believe in the Creator," she said in a rich, confident voice that brooked no argument.

He gave her a half-smile, half-smirk and c.o.c.ked his head to the side as if pondering a bratty reb.u.t.tal from a child. "Do you repent of your evil ways and exorcise the devil that has inhabited your soul?" He leaned into her, his tone lulling and kind.

"I am a child of the Creator. I am not evil. I have never been evil. I am a child of the light."

His voice softened even further, as if he were talking to a young and stupid child. "The devil has a strong grip on your heart, doesn't he?"

"The devil isn't in my heart, Mr. Perimo. I have lived here most of my life and know most of these people. They will tell you I have done nothing evil."

I knew even as Auntie said it that we wouldn't find anyone here to stand beside us.

"Unless you repent, the Almighty cannot work on you. I can do nothing for you. You can have the sign of the cross made over you, but it will not be of the Al mighty until you push the devil from your soul." He spoke clearly into the mike again."'For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.'"

"I am clean. And you are the devil himself, aren't you?" Auntie whispered to him, but the mike caught it.

107ani The congregation gasped in unison, and Tens moved as if to protect Auntie.

*"I'll escort them out?"' Jack appeared at Perimo's elbow.

"No. they stay. Perhaps we can work on their souls and save them yet. Before they leave us for good." Perimo walked back to the pulpit and continued the service as if nothing had happened. "And ye said, behold, the Lord our G.o.d hath shewed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire. ... Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our G.o.d shall say ...and do it.'"

His twelve henchmen rose as one and said, "Amen unto the Lord." The congregation repeated the words while trumpets blared in the background.

Leers were aimed at us from every direction.

"Let's get the h.e.l.l out of here." Tens gripped my hand and all but carried Auntie and me up the aisle. I don't think we stopped to breathe until we were in the Land Rover and the church was nowhere in sight.

By the time we got home. Auntie had dozed off. She was pale and her skin looked paper-thin, as if she'd sunken into herself. The phone was ringing when we walked in the door. I wasn't sure we should answer it. Before I could voice my concern, though. Auntie picked up the phone. She grew more and more agitated, until finally she replaced the receiver.

"What's wrong?" I asked, not sure I could handle one more thing.

"How are you feeling?" She cupped my face in her hands and peered into my eyes.

"Okay?"

"I think it's time you went with me."

"Who was that?"

"An old friend. There's no time to change. He hasn't got long."

"Where are we going?" I shrugged my coat back on.

"To get you your next lesson."

"What's that?"

"How to let a willing but strong soul through your window."

"Who?"

"My Charlie's best friend. Jasper Lodge. His granddaughter's asking for me. He won't mind if you're there too."

108a "For what?"

ni *"For his death, little one. For his death."

109ani *

Chapter 21.

December 21, 1974 There is no gender. No male or female. There is DO singular. No plural. The few humans who use more than three percent of their brain know this. Think of Einstein, He knew things few people can comprehend even with visual aids. So while most people can't wrap their heads around the idea of no gender and no quant.i.ty when it comes to Creators, as Fenestras we have to try. So I try. I don't always succeed, but that's my path.

-Linea M. Wynn, b. 1900-d. 1975 (Killed by Aternocti, never proven, death declared accidental drowning)-her cousin Meridian Fulbright, March 3, 1975 We braked in front of an ancient clapboard rambler. A couple of cats slinked over to us and a dog barked in the distance. Hay was scattered over the thick mud and slush, but I still picked my way carefully up the walkway to the expansive porch. The cats meowed and escorted us inside when Auntie entered.

She headed straight for the bedroom, making introductions on the move. She'd been in this house many times, "h.e.l.lo! Jasper, this is my niece, Meridian. She's one of us."

I hesitated in the bedroom doorway, letting my heart adjust to the fear. Why did an old man frighten me?

I jumped as a voice spoke from behind me. "My granddaddy Jasper is one of the last living World War Two veterans. A B-17 gunner, there on D-Day storming the beaches with his friends. Couldn't get through introductions without mentioning that." A woman with long braids and a peasant skirt moved into the room and took a place opposite Auntie. "h.e.l.lo, Auntie, it's nice to see you again." She smiled. The scent of patchouli and pine floated like a cloud behind her.

"Sarah, it's been too long." Auntie touched her arm across the quilt-draped form. The idea of an Army man reduced to this small frame was incongruent.

"He's barely hanging on. Auntie. There's not much left of him here. It said in his papers to call you when it was time."

"Your granddaddy and I go way back. He was always so proud of you moving to New York and making something of yourself."

Sarah laughed and then sipped from her mug. "He did love to brag, now, didn't he?"

Auntie motioned to me. I slowly stepped to the side of the bed. "This is my niece, Meridian.

I made this quilt when your grandmother died, Sarah."

Jasper's eyelids didn't flutter, and his breathing had a rhythmic, automated cadence, though he wasn't hooked up to anything.

110ani *Auntie grasped my hand. Hers felt as if I were clutching the full blazing sun in my palm. So hot, and mine so cold. "You have anything else to say Sarah?"

Sarah stood and put her mug down. "He knows. It's been said."

"Well then. Meridian, I want you to close your eyes and picture that window. You're going to do this by yourself." Auntie gripped my hand "I'm losing my strength to shield you."

I shot a glance at Sarah, not sure how she'd react. "I'm a clairvoyant," she said with a shrug.

"You're not going to shock me."

I nodded, not trusting my voice, and closed my eyes. I squeezed them too tight and got those rainbow-colored blobs and sparks behind my eyelids.

"Relax," Auntie cautioned me. "Breathe."

I tried to relax my shoulders and force oxygen into my uncooperative lungs.

"Now, picture that window. You got it?" she asked.

I nodded. I visualized a big window, white lace curtains framing the gla.s.s like snow.

"Now open it. Let the wind roar through. What's outside that window?"

I kept my eyes closed and leaned toward it.

"Not too far. You stay on this side of it, you hear me?" Auntie's voice brought me back from the urge to step through, the compulsion to keep going. "Tell me what you see, Meridian."

"R-r-r -" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Red, lots of red flowers."

"Are they poppies?" Sarah asked.

In that moment I knew they were the red poppies of Flanders Fields, though how I knew that, I couldn't say. "Yes." I felt someone standing at my back.

"That's good. Now you have to step aside." Auntie said. "Move out of Jasper's way -stand clear of the window and of him."

I turned around, trying to move out of the way. I felt tangled up, like I was playing Twister with a bunch of invisible beings. "I can't." I started to move toward the window again. My arms started to ache and a headache lanced my temples. In the background, I heard Auntie's voice. I was back in the bathtub, holding my breath and then gasping for air.

"Yes, you can. Step aside like you're in line for a movie and you haven't bought your ticket yet. There are people going around you, but you're still in line. Right? Can you see that?

You hold your ground. You are strong."