And then, then, other instruments join in that I don’t recognize; the group of women and men create all sorts of incredible sounds––strumming, plucking, and tapping. Paradise must sound like this.
“Are you crying?” asks Phoebe, amazed.
I wipe my eyes. “It’s breathtaking.”
People in the audience wave their arms to the music. I’m too self-conscious to join, but I’d like to.
When the song ends, a hush comes over the crowd. Excitement fills the air. After the movie and the music, I can’t imagine how the spectacle could get any better.
A hole opens up in the middle of the stage and up rises Ram, holding a microphone like the Heralds sometimes use.
I want to giggle. He’s so small on the big stage and the red lights are making his curly hair glow pink. After welcoming everyone to the Worship Hub, he says, “Give yourselves a hand for being such good citizens this week!” The crowd applauds. “And give yourself another hand for always being prepared.” Everyone claps more.
“Take this moment to remind yourself that this is YOUR house of God. You built it with your contributions and your love. The more you give to God, the more he gives to you. It’s that simple. And the Unbound are the most giving people of them all, am I right?” People stomp their feet. “What you give to God today, you will see tenfold in Heaven!”
A man to my left whoops loudly.
“Earthly suffering is worthwhile. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it is. You must suffer, so that you might understand the beauty of Heaven when the day comes to sit beside the Lord. And that day is coming my beauties. It is coming! So make every moment count. Love thy neighbors. Be fruitful. Be generous. And show God that you love him EVERY day.”
The audience cheers more while many people stand up to holler their approval. I’ve never seen anything like this. When we pray at home it’s a serious occasion, and yelling would be considered insolent.
“I’ve been telling you for years now that a special time is coming, and I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve had a VISION that the time is nigh. The holy destiny of the Unbound WILL be fulfilled soon!”
The band plays music again while people jump up and down, some dancing in the aisle. Ram motions for people to sit down. “We have a special event today! Everyone’s favorite! That’s right. It’s someone’s DAY OF VALIDATION!”
The people go crazy.
“And this isn’t just anyone. This is a very special girl. She’s risked her life to reach us. She’s endured years of oppression and abuse, and yet she still manages to find God in her heart. Isn’t that amazing?”
“He’s talking about you!” Phoebe says, eyes as big as hubcaps.
I feel sick. What is Ram doing? Why didn’t he warn me he was going to talk about me?
“Let’s get her down here and show her the love of the Unbound!” he says. “Brothers and sisters, I give you MINA CLARK!”
“I have to leave,” I say, rising.
“No way!” says Phoebe, grabbing my arm. “This is your moment!” She turns to the people around her. “THIS IS HER! This is MINA CLARK!”
Before I know what’s happening, I’m surrounded by Apostates. They’re grabbing and pulling at me. All I can think about is the stoning I saw, and I feel faint. I want to kick and spit at them.
Despite my protest, a big man seizes me and lifts me in the air like he’s going to launch me across the room. He flips me until I lie horizontally, facing the ceiling. The others get underneath me and support my weight with their hands. They carry me a few feet, and then they pass me off to another small crowd. Dozens and dozens of strange hands pass across my back and legs to keep me from falling.
“Stop wiggling,” says a woman, “or we’ll drop you.”
“Keep stiff,” says the man next to her.
Flexing my muscles, I feel my carriers’ relief.
I’m passed from group to group to group. I close my eyes, thinking it might be better for me not to see the faces of the strangers who are groping me. I feel humiliation at being touched and dread at being dropped.
Finally, we reach the front. Someone below me says, “We’re putting you on the stage. Don’t try to get up until we’re finished.”
They slide me onto the stage, and I just lie there. After a few seconds, I hear laughter.
Ram says, “Is she dead?”
More laughter.
I open my eyes. Ram stands right above me, offering his hand.
Taking it, I stand, feeling mortified after being passed around like a bread basket.
“Let’s give her a hand, brothers and sisters.”
The people clap. From here, the crowd looks even bigger. I don’t like these people ogling me.
“Mina, everyone is carried to the stage on their Day of Validation. It tells you that our community has got you, you can trust us, and no matter what happens, we won’t let you fall.”
Through the applause, a girl yells, “WE LOVE YOU, MINA!” I think it’s Phoebe.
Ram says, “I’m full of surprises this morning, because we have not one, but TWO Days of Validation happening today!”
The crowd goes crazy. Some people stand and pump their fists in the air.
I scan the audience. Who’s he talking about? Is it another one of us, the Manhattan Five?
“This boy also risked his life to reach us. He did everything he could to protect his little sister and make sure she left an unjust society. He is the ideal big brother. He’s DEKKER CLARK!”
What?
Standing from a seat near the back, Dekker’s got a huge grin on his face. He waves at the crowd. People swarm him just like they did me. Dekker doesn’t panic. He puts his arms by his side, closing his eyes in submission.
Three men lift him with great effort. Many more people get their hands on him so they can lift him above their heads. When he’s finally high enough, they walk several feet and the next group surges forward to take him.
Dekker’s arms are crossed peacefully on top of his chest, like a corpse. The third group gathers, ready to take him, but the woman in front is not strong enough for his weight. She falters, dropping his calves.
“Hey!” he yells, trying to sit up.
But sitting up is the worst possible thing he could do. The people who have his rear end can’t possibly carry all of his body weight. Dekker croaks out one more, “Hey!” before he hits the ground.
A collective gasp fills the room, and then, there is silence.
Ram speaks into his microphone with a whisper. “Brothers and sisters, please reach down and help young Dekker. He needs your assistance.”
But the people around Dekker just stare at him, as if he were a wounded animal who might bite.
“Somebody help him!” I yell, thinking of Silas’ broken wrist.
A man rises from the back of the room, where Dekker was sitting. As he walks closer, I recognize him from the house where Dekker is staying. It’s Mr. Delford.
Reaching Dekker, he bends down and helps Dekker to his feet. Dekker puts his arm over Mr. Delford’s shoulder and they head out of the auditorium. Dekker doesn’t appear to have broken anything, but he hunches as if his back hurts.
“Let’s give a hand to Dekker Clark for his fortitude,” says Ram.
Applause fills the room.
As Dekker disappears from view, I wish I could talk to him. How is he being treated? Has he seen the others?
“Brothers and sisters, we have witnessed something here today,” Ram says. “God has a plan for each and every one of us, and he knows what’s in our hearts. God saw that Dekker Clark’s heart was not authentic. God saw that Dekker Clark needed more time before his Day of Validation. What a wonder to behold. I love seeing God at work, don’t you?”
The crowd claps and yells, “Yes!”
“But God told us Mina Clark is righteous; she is ready.” He places his small hand on top of my head. “Lord, lead this new servant into righteousness, for she has lived a life of ignorance and mis
ery, like a worm who knew not that there was sunlight above the dirt.”
Did he just call me a worm?
“May the Unbound be that sunlight. May we be her friends, neighbors, and counselors as she embarks on a new journey toward edification.”
A woman’s voice screams, “So be it!”
Ram says with gentleness, “So be it.”
Everyone in the Worship Hub repeats the words. Do they mean it? Will they be my friends and counselors here? They seem so joyful and ready to help me in this moment. I hope they’re sincere.
He turns to me. “Mina, are you ready?”
I wish I knew what I was supposed to be ready for.
“Do you swear to honor the rules of the Unbound? To confess your sins, commit yourself to our Savior, and move forward in reaching the Ascension?”
The enormous crowd grows quiet.
Commit myself to their Savior? This is different than what he said in his office. I don’t know anything about this Savior. And what’s the Ascension? My throat goes dry as I look at the thousands of people waiting for my answer.
I thought I could follow Ram’s rules and remain loyal to the Prophet, but I see now that he was never going to let me have both. If I want an education, I have to choose.
“Are you with us, Mina?” he asks.
Feeling my heart break, I say, “Yes, sir.”
“Wonderful!” he says, taking my hand and moving me to the side of the stage.
The floor slides open where we were standing, and two men in purple rise up, just as Ram did earlier. They stand on either side of an enormous water-filled tank twice the size of the Dixon’s living room.
I’m disturbed to see ladders perched on either side.
Ram still has my hand. He walks me to the tank, stopping at a ladder.
“Mina Clark, if this is to be your Day of Validation, if you have an honest heart and truly mean to follow our rules and worship our Savior, then you will climb this ladder and walk across this water!”
What?
The crowd screams in excitement.
He can’t possibly be serious.
Holding the mic away from his mouth, he whispers, “I have faith in you.”
“I can’t swim,” I say.
“God will guide you,” he says.
He said if I have an “honest heart,” I’ll be able to cross. What does that mean? If I still believe in the Prophet, will I fall in? What if I have undisclosed sins? My legs wobble.
I sense that if I leave the stage without trying that the reaction will be much worse than if I fail. But if I fail, will someone jump in the tank after me? Or will the congregation watch me drown through the glass?
“Let’s give her some encouragement,” Ram tells the people.
They begin stomping their feet.
“It’s time,” he tells me.
Looking at his boyish face and steely eyes, listening to the bellowing crowd, I don’t know what choice I have. I turn to the ladder, putting my shaking foot on the first rung. Turning back to Ram, I say, “You’d better jump in after me.”
He smiles his mischievous grin, and I worry it’s the last thing I’m ever going to see.
I climb up the ladder, the noise of the crowd growing fuzzy. I feel woozy and wonder if I’ll even reach the water. If I fall off the ladder, will they forget about the rest?
I find a tiny platform at the top. Standing on it, I stare across the tank, which now seems twice as long as it did from below. Ram is out of his mind.
“God has given me many signs that you will be able to complete this test, Mina.” Ram speaks more to the audience than to me. “You just need FAITH!”
After everything Ram has told them, he’ll look foolish if I fail. Perhaps he actually thinks I can do this?
I do need faith––faith that Ram will save me when I fall into the tank.
I close my eyes and take my first step.
Eight
My foot splashes into the water.
I surge forward, but then, I stop. My foot has found grounding. I look down. I see nothing but water. I bring my other foot forward, and it, too, sinks several inches below the surface and then stops.
I look at Ram, amazed.
“Walk,” he says. “WALK!”
I slowly pull my foot out, taking another step. And then another. I start to thank the Prophet and then realize that this is now blasphemous and could cause me to fall. I focus on walking.
I continue to find a toehold. I move slowly, afraid that any second I’ll be pulled under. The further toward the middle I get, the further I am from the edge of the tank, where I have something to grab onto.
I’m not moving quickly, but I’m so tense, I’m short of breath. What’s happening? There must be something helping me, something in the tank . . . but I can’t feel anything. I can only describe it as stepping on thick water.
I keep walking, as the crowd screams my name in ecstasy: Mina! Mina Clark, we love you!
I grin, but Damon’s face suddenly appears in my mind—the sin I’ve never confessed. I tilt to the left. Sure I’m about to fall, I throw my arms out to the side to catch my balance. The congregation gasps as they watch me right myself.
Concentrating on nothing but my legs, I resume a steady pace, and they yell support. I’m going to make it. I’m going to reach the other side!
One of the men in purple who waits at the top of the ladder takes my hand. He helps me onto the platform, then descends, leaving me alone. The audience claps louder, stomps their feet more. I wave at them. For the first time, I notice that the movie screen has lowered above me and there I am, walking across water, and I’m as big as a poster of Uncle Ruho!
Watching myself is disorienting, and I start to lose my balance. The man darts back up the ladder, grabbing my hand. “Careful there, honey!”
It’s time to get down. I carefully descend the ladder, aware of my wet feet. I don’t want to land on my rear end now. How embarrassing. I think of Dekker and want to giggle. Poor Dekker. He tries so hard.
When I reach the bottom, Ram gives me a huge hug. “Nice job,” he whispers.
“Isn’t she special?” he says into the microphone. “And aren’t we lucky to be witnesses to this marvelous day?
Two girls in yellow come out from the sides of the stage with big, fluffy towels. They each wrap me in one, although only my feet and ankles are wet.
“Smile at the camera,” whispers the one on my right.
When a contraption that looks like a huge beetle flies in front of us, the girl gives it a toothy smile. I try to imitate her.
“Now wave,” she says
I wave my hand. People stand and clap.
I can’t believe how good I feel! Elation, joy, and relief flow through me. I want to run up the ladder and walk across the water again! Was I successful because I swore to follow the Savior? If I’d refused, would I have fallen in?
“Time to go,” says the girl who told me to wave. Pulling on my hand, she and the other girl lead me off stage as Ram and the audience wave good-bye.
As soon as we are out of view, the girl says, “I’m Susanna, and you were wonderful. Major benny.” Susanna is small and delicate with cropped blonde hair. She walks with the confidence of someone a foot taller.
“Totally razzamatazz,” says the other. “I’m Frannie. We’re your Hub escorts.” Skinny and awkward, Frannie has weird metal bands across her teeth.
We enter a hallway, passing tall men standing by large equipment, many of them wearing headsets.
“Were you scared?” asks Frannie. “I would have been terrified.”
“Can you not swim?” I ask, happy that she understands.
“Of course I can,” she says. “It’s all those people. Ew.”
Susanna says, “Frannie’s mother makes her volunteer on stage every week to get over her shyness, but I love it. I plan to be in the band one day.”
Frannie’s fear seems completely sensible. My whole body pulses with adrenaline from be
ing in front of so many people.
“Susanna has a beautiful voice,” says Frannie with admiration.
We walk through several large hallways, and the girls continue to chat at me, but all I can think about is the miracle that just occurred. I want this feeling to last forever.
I will study the ways of the Unbound. I will learn everything I can about the Savior and the Ascension. I will read the book that Ram gave me, front to back, as many times as it takes. I will keep coming back to the Worship Hub. I want to watch more movies, hear more singing, and be part of this crowd of passionate, happy people.
Looking at the girls to my left and my right, I wonder if they will be my friends. I can have friends here and a real life, that is what Ram was trying to tell me.
And school. I can go to SCHOOL.
I walked on water! Maybe I’m as special as Ram said I was.
Why was I risking everything by breaking their rules? It has to stop. I have to be a model member of the Unbound from now on. I’m getting my whites today, and I will get my greens as soon as possible and then my yellows. I want to be one of the distinguished women walking around in black or gray. I bet they go to the library all the time.
Once everyone respects me, they’ll let me see Juda and the others as often as I want. I just need to prove myself. Walking on water has to be a huge step toward that, right?
“Here we are!” says Susanna, stopping at a green door. She opens it, revealing a small room with a dressing table and several clothing racks. Once we’ve entered, I see the dress Ram gave me hanging in the corner.
“It’s so pretty,” says Frannie, touching the material. “I love eyelet.”
“You should change out of those green clothes,” says Susanna.
“I have to?” I ask. The dress is lovely but is much less modest than I would like––short sleeves and only knee length.
“It’s a gift from Ram,” says Frannie, bewildered by my question.
“It’s a real honor,” says Susanna with gravity.
I take the dress with reluctance. “Where should I change?”
“Right here,” says Susanna, like it’s obvious, but there’s no privacy in the room.
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