Dark Crossings

by Marta Perry

  Lena addressed the classes. “Since our field trip was cut short, let’s do some singing.”

  Songs were a normal part of each school day. The children filed to the front of the room and lined up in their assigned places. Ruby stood to one side, not knowing where to go. Lena beckoned to her. Slowly, she came forward, walking as if her feet were sticking to the floor. Lena’s heart went out to her. If the child couldn’t talk, she certainly couldn’t join in the singing.

  Slipping her arm over Ruby’s shoulders, Lena leaned close and offered her the Unpartheyisches Gesang-Buch, their German songbook. “It’s Monday and we sing German songs on Monday. How would you like to pick our songs today? Do you have a favorite?”

  Ruby took the book and turned the pages carefully. She stopped and pointed to a song. Lena smiled. “‘Kinder, woltt ihr Jesus lieben.’ I like that one, too. We will sing ‘Children Want to Love You, Jesus.’”

  Singing without accompaniment, the children blended their voices in a sweet rendition of the chosen work. When the hymn was done, Ruby selected two more songs. After they finished singing, the students went back to their seats and began working on their mathematics without urging from Lena.

  She was pleased to see Ruby had a good grasp of her basics and needed no special help. With the upper grades quietly engaged, Lena gathered the first graders in a small group beside her desk where they could practice their oral reading skills.

  Like all Amish children, they came to school speaking only Pennsylvania Deitsh, a German dialect outsiders often called Pennsylvania Dutch. English was the language of business and life outside the Amish home. It was essential that children learn to speak and write it. To that end, only English was spoken at school. Lena reverted to speaking German only when a pupil didn’t understand what she was saying.

  She tried to listen to each child intently, but it was impossible to ignore Isaac Bowman at the back of her classroom. His size alone made him conspicuous, and her gaze was constantly drawn in his direction.

  Lena raised one eyebrow in query now, and he shook his head. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on outside.

  As the morning progressed, she began to relax. Isaac was right. The poaching was bad Englische business, but it had nothing to do with them. The poacher had his prize. It was sad, but there was nothing to be done about it.

  Still, Lena couldn’t quell the part of her that hoped the wrongdoer would be punished for his crime. It would be unwise on her part to get involved. She certainly couldn’t go in person, but a letter to the authorities detailing what she’d seen might spur them to investigate. Should she write such a letter?

  What if the poacher wasn’t Englische, but Amish? If that was the case, and her letter brought trouble for someone of her faith, the church elders would surely chastise her, perhaps even shun her if she didn’t admit that she’d done wrong.

  Was it a risk she was willing to take? Snagglehead didn’t deserve to have his life ended in such a meaningless fashion. More of the animals she loved might die for the same reason if she didn’t speak out. She nibbled at her lower lip as she considered what she would do.

  When noon arrived, she dismissed the children for lunch and recess. She sat down to grade some papers, assuming Isaac would follow his daughter outside. When she looked up from stacking the first-grade reading books in a neat pile on her desk, he was standing in front of her. How did he move so quietly, a man his size?

  “You did well with Ruby this morning. Danki.” The deep quality of his voice sent tingles over her skin. He smelled of fresh cut wood and linseed oil, with a subtle underlying masculine scent all his own.

  She looked down and carefully aligned the edges of the books. “All students have special needs and special gifts given to them by our Father in heaven. I simply try to uncover those gifts and fulfill those needs.”

  “I can see your gift is teaching children.”

  She felt a blush rising at his compliment. “I’d like to think so.”

  “How long have you been a teacher?”

  “This is my fourth year.” She met his gaze and lifted her chin. She wasn’t new or untried at the task, if that was what he was thinking.

  “Ah.” A small grin twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Reckon that means you’ll be giving it up soon to raise children of your own.”

  “If God wills it.”

  Lena saw a shadow of sadness fill his eyes. “Yes, we must all accept what God wills. Spoken like a devout Amish maidel.”

  A maiden, yes, but not so devout as she should be. While it was true that Amish teachers were normally young unmarried women who left the job when they wed, she didn’t have to worry about that. There were no young men wanting to court her. At least, none she would consider marrying. The men she knew were all so boring. One thing she didn’t want out of life was a humdrum husband.

  She dreamed of romance and adventure, like the heroines in the books she kept hidden in the school attic. Like the stories her cousins Abby Baughman and Sarah Weaver shared in the circle letters the three of them exchanged.

  The women, Lena’s second cousins, lived in distant parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. When the three of them met at a wedding in Union County, Pennsylvania, they became fast friends. Since that time, they’d kept circle letters going between them.

  Lena’s letter went to Abby, who added her news and sent both letters on to Sarah. Sarah, in turn, added her letter and mailed all three to Lena. After catching up on what was happening with her cousins, each reader would discard her old letter and add a new one before sending it on, so that all read the exact same news. Her cousins’ letters were full of excitement.

  Last fall, Abby had helped a man newly returned to the faith clear his name following a jewelry theft. Her last letter had been full of comments about Ben Kline.

  Then last spring, her cousin Sarah had discovered the dead body of her Englische employer at the foot of his staircase. While everyone believed it was an accidental death, Sarah hadn’t been convinced. With the help of her longtime friend Jacob Mast she’d proved it was murder and uncovered the killer’s identity. To Lena’s surprise, Sarah’s last letter spoke of wedding plans with Jacob. It seemed that their friendship had matured into love. Everything her cousins wrote about was thrilling.

  Lena knew her own life was dull in comparison. At least she would have this morning’s events to include in her next letter. Discovering there was a poacher in the area wasn’t as thrilling as solving a murder, but it was more excitement than she had known in her whole life.

  Lena glanced up at Isaac. He believed she was a proper Amish maiden, the kind of woman he wanted teaching his daughter. But she could feel the weight of the Amish romance novels she had stashed in the school attic pressing down on her conscience. She made up her mind to return them to her English friend Clara as soon as possible.

  It was time she made a real commitment to her faith and paid more attention to the teachings of Bishop Abram and to the Ordnung, the rules of her church.

  Isaac Bowman appeared to be a devoted Amish father. Judging from his daughter’s clothing and shoes, he was a man of some means. Was he a craftsman, a prosperous farmer or a poacher?

  How had his wife died? Why were his eyes full of sadness when they rested on his daughter? Was it because she didn’t speak or was it something else? Why had he chosen this community?

  There were a great many things Lena wanted to know about the stranger who stood on the other side of her desk. Such a
s why her insides fluttered wildly when he came close, and why she suddenly felt compelled to live up to the expectations of what an Amish maiden should be.

  But what if he was a poacher? She couldn’t possibly be attracted to a man like that.

  Not that I am attracted to him. Nay, I am not.

  Lena rejected the idea and called upon her common sense. How could such a thing be possible? She’d only just met the man. Yet for some reason he set her pulse racing when he drew near. Like now.

  Lena realized with a start that she had spent far too much time alone with Isaac. She shot to her feet. “I must go and check on the children.”

  She rushed toward the front door, wondering how she was going to get through the rest of the day knowing he was watching her every move.

  Outside, the younger children were at play on the swings, while the older ones had divided themselves up into teams for a softball game. Ruby was sitting by herself, leaning against the side of the small barn across the schoolyard. Lena’s heart went out to the little girl, who seemed so alone and withdrawn.

  Lena’s students were siblings and cousins from a close-knit community, but she expected them to include Ruby in their play. It was the right thing to do, and the children knew it. She beckoned to Katie Gingerich, another of her eighth-grade students.

  “Katie, I’m surprised at you. Why is Ruby sitting by herself?”

  “We all asked her to join us. Sarah even sat with her for a while, but Ruby wrote ‘go away’ on her board.”

  Lena frowned. Getting the girl to feel comfortable in her new school was going to be more difficult than she’d thought. “I’m sorry for doubting you, Katie. I should’ve known you had more Christian charity in your heart. I will speak with Ruby and see if I can find out what’s wrong.”

  * * *

  ISAAC WATCHED LENA SIT beside his daughter as he came down the front steps of the school. The new teacher seemed to have Ruby’s best interests at heart, unlike her last one.

  Instead of encouraging Ruby, her former teacher had often punished her for refusing to read aloud or sing with the other children. She didn’t stop them from teasing Ruby or making fun of her, and had defended her actions by saying Ruby needed to be shamed out of her silence. Her attitude was the last straw that finally convinced him he needed to take his daughter somewhere new.

  Someplace where people didn’t know the story of her mother’s death.

  He was fortunate that his cousin had found them a house to rent outside the village. John had even offered to let Isaac continue his craft as a wood-carver in John’s furniture business. Isaac wasn’t overly fond of his stoic older cousin, but the man had a shrewd head for business and a firm belief that family was second only to God in his life. His help was a blessing Isaac couldn’t afford to turn down.

  Since Lena was occupied with Ruby, Isaac crossed the schoolyard and entered the barn to feed his horse. Sophie was standing patiently in her stall with her head down and her eyes half-closed. Her ears perked up when Isaac held out the feedbag, and she quickly buried her nose in the oats. As Sophie munched, Isaac realized he could hear Lena’s voice through the open window.

  “Ruby, can you tell me why you won’t play with the other children? I know that they asked you to join their ball game.”

  There was silence as Ruby wrote out her answer. After a minute, Lena spoke again, “‘They don’t like me.’ Is that what you think? You think none of these children like you. Nay, I think it is the other way around. I think you don’t like them.”

  Isaac frowned. It wasn’t what he’d expected Lena to say.

  CHAPTER THREE

  LENA REMAINED QUIET, and Isaac assumed his daughter was writing a reply to her comment. A few seconds later, the teacher said, “So, you agree that you don’t like any of the children here. Not any?”

  What would the young woman make of that? He leaned closer to hear what she had to say.

  “You must have a reason to dislike someone. Why do you dislike Mary?”

  Lena gave a deep sigh. “Nay, Ruby, a shrug of the shoulders is not an answer. You must explain to me why you don’t like each child here at school. You may think about it and write about it tonight. Tomorrow, I will read your reasons. If they are sound, I will accept that you don’t like anyone here, and no one will ask you to play with them again. If your reasons aren’t sound, we will talk about it.”

  Again there was silence. Had Lena walked away? He frowned. He wasn’t sure he approved of this. He was about to leave the barn when he heard Lena speak again. “You don’t like Mary because she has a baby sister and you don’t.”

  Isaac hadn’t realized Ruby wanted sisters and brothers. He had been content with her as his only child. He hadn’t stopped to think how she might feel about his failure to remarry.

  Lena said, “The fact that Mary has a sister and you don’t is a true statement, but she can’t help that. You are mistaken when you say you don’t like her because of that. You are jealous of her because she has something you don’t.”

  After a few moments of quiet, Lena added, “Jealousy and dislike are two different things. Birds can fly and I can’t. I wish I could. It would make getting home easier. I may be jealous that they have the gift of flight and I don’t, but I don’t dislike birds because I must walk. They’re beautiful creatures. Do you understand? No? All right, why do you dislike David?”

  After a second, Lena laughed. “You’re thinking. I imagine you do a lot of that, Ruby Bowman. Think about it after school, because now it’s time to go back to class.”

  Isaac came out of the barn to see Lena headed toward the bell rope that would sound the end of recess. Ruby was still sitting beside the barn. She looked at him and then at Lena. Leaning over, Ruby wrote on her board and held it up to him. It said, “I like her.”

  A heavy weight lifted from his heart. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. He said, “I like her, too.”

  He held out his hand to help his daughter up. Ruby pointedly ignored his offer and jumped to her feet. She ran to the schoolhouse, where Lena stood watching them.

  So he wasn’t forgiven. He wiped at the sudden moisture in his eyes. Why did his daughter reject him at every turn?

  Isaac took small comfort from the fact that he’d seen the first crack in the wall Ruby had built between them. Perhaps his brother had been right about this move. Perhaps a new start was exactly what she needed.

  When Isaac regained his composure, he followed the children into the school. Lena again glanced in his direction. He pretended to be studying the ceiling so she wouldn’t see the tears that weren’t quite dry. When she came toward him, he gestured upward. “Has anyone been up in the attic recently?”

  Her eyes grew round. She blushed a fierce shade of red and stammered, “Wh-why do you ask?”

  * * *

  LENA KNEW HER FACE was beet-red, but she couldn’t help it. She laced her fingers together and squeezed until they ached. It seemed she must confess her interference with his hunting, after all—and in front of her students.

  Before she gathered enough nerve to speak, he said, “I ask because I see a water stain on your ceiling. Has anyone checked out the leak or repaired it?”

  She folded her arms tightly and stared at her shoes. “To my knowledge, no one has been up there to look for water damage recently.”

  “I’ll go up after school. No point in letting it get worse.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” s
he said quickly. “I intend to bring it to John Miller’s attention at the board meeting next Friday night. He likes to stay informed about the school’s needs. I’m sure he’ll be okay with you making a repair, but I feel he should make that decision. If you’ll excuse me, I have classes to teach.” Lena rushed away, hoping Isaac hadn’t noticed her odd reaction to his question.

  Three-thirty finally arrived, and Lena dismissed her students. She watched from the steps of the building as Isaac and Ruby drove away. The daughter was an endearing if challenging special child, but the father was a different story.

  Isaac Bowman was disturbing yet attractive. Lena didn’t know what to make of him or her reaction to him. She’d never experienced such a jumble of emotions in a man’s company.

  When their buggy entered the covered bridge and was lost from sight, Lena rushed back inside and up the narrow stairwell to the attic. She gathered her favorite romance novels from inside one of the unused school desks. She would return them to her friend Clara Jenkins on the way home. Clara and her husband lived on the farm across the road from her home.

  Lena’s guilty conscience prompted her to make sure no one was about before she went downstairs. She paused to peer out the small dusty window that provided the attic’s only light. All the children were gone and there was no sign of Isaac’s buggy. She’d started to turn away when a movement at the edge of the forest caught her eye.

  Two men in camouflaged clothing rose from their hiding place behind a clump of bushes and disappeared into the woods.

  Gooseflesh broke out on Lena’s arms. She quickly pulled away from the window. Why was someone watching the school? Was it the poachers? Did they mean her harm?

  Cowering in the gloom, she sought strength as her father had taught her to do from the time she was small. She whispered Psalm 27:1 aloud. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”