Society of the L.A.M.B.

by DuCharme, Judy;

  Grandfather clapped each shoulder and held on with a grip that made Josiah wince while he prayed. Jajireh, I love this man. Take care of him while You guide Teleos and me in the colony meeting.

  Teleos and Josiah placed their shades over their eyes. Already clothed in appropriate Over Garments, they strode toward the colony entrance.

  “Hey, Josiah, where’d you disappear to the other night?” One of Josiah’s earlier companions, Bart, sauntered toward them. His face was set and hard, and his eyes were flat.

  What pretense these guys live with every day.

  “I nabbed him. Took him for an outer man excursion,” Teleos interjected.

  “Ho, ho,” laughed the other. “Next time, I’d like to go.”

  “Perhaps we can arrange it.” Josiah slapped Bart on the back, then turned and continued with Teleos.

  “A candidate?” asked Josiah as they walked away.

  “Not yet,” answered Teleos.

  They stopped just inside the door. Teleos spoke low and stood behind Josiah so his voice could be heard despite the clamor. “Josiah, learn to detect as you look at them. Jajireh will help you peer through the shades to see if there is a glimmer of light in their inner man. Only then reach out to them. It is not yet time to confront the darkness, only to grasp light.”

  “What are you talking about?” growled a voice behind both of them.

  Josiah resisted the urge to whirl around, which would reveal his guilt.

  Teleos stopped and quietly turned. “Why, Nathan, I’m training a new recruit. How’s your detection going?”

  A strong, somewhat stocky young man stood glaring at them. But he averted his eyes when Teleos spoke. “Sorry, Teleos, thought I’d nabbed a Lamer. Watch how you talk.” He edged into the crowd that formed as more and more arrived. The music became louder.

  Teleos gave Josiah a look. “Okay, mouths shut, eyes open. Let’s keep going.”

  Josiah let out his breath and only then realized he’d been holding it. The metal walls echoed the harsh music, giving the sensation of feedback. It pounded the ears and assaulted the minds of every person present.

  Soon the loud music and flashing lights subsided, and people shouted from the stage, degrading LAMBers, the inner man, and eyes without shades. “We are free!” yelled one young man, looking like so many in the building. Bright, gaudy, mismatched Over Garments almost made Josiah dizzy as he merely looked at them. Shades covered every eye. Looks like an insect zoo—scary, colorful bodies, great big black eyes.

  “We have the outer man, free from old-fashioned rules and regulations.” The man on the stage stomped his feet and pumped his fists in the air. “We don’t need inner life! We don’t want people around who have an inner life! We are free! We are free!” The whole place erupted in the chant. People shouted and jumped while the music was raised to an ear-splitting decibel.

  As most eyes were on the stage and the shouters, Teleos and Josiah were able to observe without being noticed. “This is the best time, Josiah. As they promote having the guard of the outer man up, most of them actually let their guard down a bit. It’s the best detection time for us as well as the watchers.”

  Suddenly, Josiah saw a glimmer of light. Thinking first it was just a reflection of the roving lights with the music, he was about to dismiss it, but he sensed a greater awareness within. “Notice,” he heard inside himself.

  He looked where the light was. A young couple, arm in arm, looked frightened as their gaze met Josiah’s. The young woman visibly shook while the man attempted bravado as they moved in the direction of the door. Josiah wondered if perhaps he knew them but couldn’t pull up a clear remembrance of their identity.

  Josiah moved their way. They were definitely trying to leave. Josiah had felt the same way the night Teleos spotted him. Jajireh, help me not lose them. He kept his eyes on the woman’s long brown hair. The OGs didn’t seem to fit them. But OGs are so garish, how can they fit anyone? The man appeared about Josiah’s age. Josiah saw him tense and relax his shoulders and knew the man was trying to remain calm. If they panicked, they were as good as dead.

  Suddenly, the couple stopped, staring straight ahead. Probably don’t want to be obvious in case I’m coming after them. Josiah silently rejoiced that the colony did not clean much. He caught up to them and stopped next to the man. The couple stood rigid as if listening to the speakers and shouters. Josiah sensed the tension they tried to hide and then drew the famous three concentric circles in the dirt of the floor with his foot. The couple glanced down and hesitated a long time. Josiah realized they perceived it as a trap. Finally, the young woman bent, quickly drew a smiley face, and the young man almost instantly scuffed it out.

  Josiah tapped his arm and turned toward the exit. He glanced toward the stage. Teleos was there, viewing it all, and began to exit as well.

  “Josiah, leaving so soon?” Bart stepped in front of him. He seemed to snarl no matter what he said, attempting always to cover both the kindness and the emptiness that Josiah knew was deep within.

  “Yeah, man, got things to do.”

  “I hear ya. You and Teleos enjoy the outer man life.” He smiled and moved back. “Maybe I’ll join you next time. On duty tonight.”

  “That would be great to have you join us, Bart. See ya ’round.”

  Josiah exited. The young couple stepped outside, looking very unsure. “Quickly, over here,” whispered Josiah. He saw Teleos returning to the pine grove where Grandfather waited. As Josiah entered with the young couple, they gasped upon seeing Grandfather and fell into his arms.

  “Oh, my, how I’ve prayed you would return,” whispered Grandfather. “Josiah, these are your cousins, Amber and Brad.”

  Josiah and the young couple stared at each other. Memories of summers with these cousins years before revisited Josiah’s mind.

  “That’s why I stopped when you detected us,” Brad said. “We were trying to get away, but I heard what seemed like Grandfather’s voice saying, ‘Don’t run,’ just like he did when I was little.”

  Josiah and Grandfather laughed and said together, “But you never listened when you were little.”

  “So we have found you,” interjected Teleos, “but we must go before we lose you.”

  Without a word, Teleos led them a different direction through the woods toward a boat, by which they would return to Grandfather’s house. They came out onto the road for a little while, but, hearing voices, they entered the woods again.

  “I think we should lay low for a bit,” said Teleos. “People are sensing a stirring and don’t quite know what to do with it. Those with no light are fearful, so they are easily recruited to the dark side. Those who know King Glory are starting to shout within, and some are taking more precaution to stay hidden. We must be ever alert. Let’s rest a while before proceeding.”

  They found a spot that had been warmed by the sun all morning but was now hidden in shade. Brush from fallen trees kept it hidden from anyone who might be walking nearby. Grandfather had never finished the last bagel and offered to split it with anyone who was hungry. Amber and Brad had packed turkey sandwiches and chips. So they all had a small amount to eat.

  Amber sat with her legs curled up under her. “It’s so pleasant here. It’s been so long, Grandfather, since we’ve been in these woods. I’ve missed it. Missed you more.”

  “Ah, yes, it’s been too long. It’s good to sit for a while. I actually feel sleepy.” Grandfather stretched out, crossing his ankles and folding his arms behind his head. “I feel like a boy playing hooky from school.”

  “I did that a few times,” admitted Brad.

  Josiah chuckled then, together with Grandfather, eyed Brad and said, “Is that how your mom and dad raised you?”

  Amber and Brad laughed. “It’s been a long time since I heard that.” Brad pushed his back up against a tree and stretched his legs.

  “Aw, come on.” Josiah tipped his head, looking out over his shades. “I hear those words in my head all the time
.”

  Amber winked. “You always got in more trouble than we did, Josiah.”

  Teleos smiled. “Right now, the Twisted One wants to provide trouble for each of us. King Glory has brought you here to strengthen you. He wants you, Brad and Amber, to know what His Logos tells us: ‘Everywhere your foot shall travel shall be yours.’ You are to fear no longer but proclaim Jajireh’s reign in every place that you are.”

  “Let’s start now,” Grandfather said. “We will shout quietly now, for others may hear and arrest us. The shout is within and without, and Jajireh promises that it always accomplishes what He intended.”

  Josiah faced his cousins. The ground was warm and the leaves soft. Feels like when we were kids playing in these woods. “Thank You, Jajireh, that our feet travel this way, so we proclaim that it belongs to us, to You. Your ways will be known here again. We will be safe on these trails, and You will reign wherever we are.”

  Brad and Amber looked at one another. “Yes,” said Amber, “we shout Your reign here and at our home and wherever we are.”

  “We do not fear anymore, because You, King Glory, are in charge of us.” Brad took a deep breath. “That felt really good.”

  “His Logos brings life. We must speak it and shout it.” Josiah high-fived Brad.

  With the warmth of the afternoon sun still in the air, each of them except Teleos fell asleep in the dense underbrush.

  * * *

  In the early evening, as the air cooled, Teleos roused the group. “We should go. There aren’t as many people out and about now. They will have another colony meeting later, but not for a few hours.”

  The LAMBers arrived a short time later where the sixteen-foot open bow boat was pulled beneath an overhang along the rocky shore. The waters were choppy, stirred by a breeze that brought a bit of warmth to the now slightly chilled bodies. Feeling the slight wind in his face was a joy to Josiah. He always loved being on the water. This trip was doubly blessed by the approaching sunset. The skies transformed from blue into a subtle purple with hints of pink and orange.

  “Look.” Grandfather pointed. “I love it when there are just a few clouds on the horizon like that. It makes the sunset so beautiful. The clouds pick up the color and hold it.” Their boat clipped along with only the slightest bounce due to the chop of the water’s surface. The slap, slap, slap of the boat against the bay sang the song of the sunset as the colors grew bolder, streaking across the sky. All the while, the sun danced on the horizon. The vibration of its light entranced the viewers so that only sighs of contentment were heard.

  As the sun dipped from view, the colors smudged the sky, growing more and more faint after their dazzling display. Grandfather gazed at his grandchildren, his love evident. “Brad and Amber, tell us how you came to be at this colony meeting. You live quite a distance from here, don’t you? I knew in my spirit that this was a special rescue but had no idea it would be you.”

  Brad resembled Josiah in height and had that same dark sandy blond hair, but his was cropped close to his head, and he wore a slight beard with a hint of red in it. His eyes were blue like Grandfather’s but not as bright. “Really, Grandfather, this is majorly amazing.”

  Amber nodded. Josiah noticed how much her countenance resembled Grandma’s. She had that unassuming, gentle look, but Josiah knew that Grandma had been a strong woman, and no doubt Amber was too. Her long hair was dark and wavy, more like Grandfather’s had once been. She glanced from Grandfather to Josiah to Teleos. “We each had visitors sent by Jajireh, telling us we needed to come here.” She pulled her sweater closer to her thin body as the air cooled even more following the sunset.

  Teleos smiled while Grandfather’s and Josiah’s eyes got big. “Angels?” they asked simultaneously.

  Brad’s head jerked up. “What? Angels? I don’t think so.” He eyed Amber, and she tipped her head and lifted her shoulders. “Well, I suppose they could have been.”

  Amber dipped her hand over the side of the boat and ran her fingers along in the water. Just what Grandma used to do. Josiah looked over to see if Grandfather noticed. The little twinkle in his eye told Josiah that he did.

  “I was at the store buying groceries,” Amber began, “trying to avoid looking anyone straight in the eye. It’s so dangerous these days. A woman came up and dropped a napkin in my basket that had the three circles and the smiley face. She didn’t draw it and then wait for me to finish it—she just plopped it in my basket. I was suspicious, so I refused to look at her, thinking it was a trap. But then she reached in, picked it back up, and said quietly, ‘The trumpet is sounding. You need to be taught. Go to the colony meeting nearest your grandfather’s home tomorrow, and there you will receive instruction.’ Then she proceeded down the aisle and disappeared around the corner. I discreetly scanned all around as I finished, but she was gone.

  “When I got home, I couldn’t wait until Brad came home. We’ve lived together since Mom and Dad were arrested three years ago. We thought it might be safer to keep an eye on each other and to encourage each other, even though we knew we might be targets because of Mom and Dad. But it seems most outer men think that having your parents arrested makes people that much ‘freer.’”

  Josiah noticed they’d neared the hidden little cove where they could beach the boat and head up the bluff to Grandfather’s home. It had been a long time since he’d been able to enjoy being on the water, and he was slightly disappointed that the boat ride was almost done. He was impressed at how difficult it was to even tell the cove was there at all.

  Brad noticed, too. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to find your place from the water, Grandfather. It’s been so long. But it’s coming back to me. How many days we spent out here, coming back in the nick of time for one of Grandma’s great meals.” He laughed and ran his hands through what little hair he had, just like Josiah often ran his hand through his hair. “We missed the entrance to the cove so many times and got in so much trouble being late that I finally memorized that triangular rock wedged in that bank between the two trees. The roots hanging down always made me think of Amber’s hair.”

  Brad ducked quickly as Amber slapped at him. “You are still a brat!” she spouted as everyone guffawed.

  Josiah shook his head. “Man, Brad, I had forgotten, but you often said that.”

  Amber started to stand in the boat. “I can still push you both in. I’ve done it before.”

  Brad and Josiah both covered their heads. Amber sat down, but as soon as they relaxed their arms, she quickly splashed them. They were ready to start a water fight when Grandfather inserted, “Behave now, boys and girl. Besides, we’re here.”

  Teleos aimed the boat head-on to the beach, letting up on the motor right before the bow touched the sand. The momentum ran it further onto the beach as Grandfather blithely, belying his age, jumped out of the boat and gave it an extra pull. The others quickly climbed out and, as if they had done it yesterday, placed the two anchors on the sand about ten feet from the bow and about ten feet from each other, stepping on them at just the right angle to secure both the anchor and the anchor lines safely to the sand. Each double-checked the anchor knots and made sure each line was attached correctly to the boat cleats.

  “Wow, this feels so good. It’s been too long. This was the best place to grow up.” Brad gave Grandfather a big hug. “We didn’t even know if you were still alive. We figured that if you were, you were probably in jail.”

  “King Glory has kept me safe and alive. I couldn’t be happier to see you two again.”

  Teleos spoke up. “King Glory has a great purpose for your grandfather. He is the main mentor for this area. He has the experience and the understanding of the Logos and the Voice to teach those who are being restored. I thank Jajireh daily that he is here, healthy and strong. But please, Brad, continue your story of how you ended up at the colony meeting.”

  They started up the steep path to the house. Josiah noticed that Grandfather rarely seemed winded while walking up the
path.

  “I was at work and went outside to eat my lunch. I was sitting on a bench in the park when a man I’d never seen before came and sat beside me. I immediately thought he was a watcher, so was very careful not to look at him. I think I said “Hi” and kept eating. He sat there for about three minutes, never saying a word. I decided he was just weird. Then he bent over and drew three circles in the dirt, but I wasn’t watching. He tapped me on the arm and pointed. I pretended I knew nothing, so he drew the smiley face himself.

  “As he scuffed it out, he looked straight ahead and said, ‘Go to the colony meeting closest to your grandfather’s house tomorrow. The restoration is beginning, and the trumpet call is being sounded.’ At that, he got up and left. I did not try to find or follow him. I finished my lunch, went back to work, and acted like nothing had happened. I was concerned someone was watching me.”

  Brad paused to catch his breath. Everyone stopped with him and gazed out at the water and the sky as the stars were starting to dot the black velvet before them.

  “This is the greatest surprise,” Brad said with awe. “We had no idea we’d end up here, with you, Grandfather, and you, Josiah. We’d heard you were an outer man now. We had no idea.”

  “I basically was. I reawakened to King Glory only a short time ago.”

  They started to climb again the last stretch to the house.

  Brad continued with his story. “When I got home, Amber told me about her visitor. I recounted my story, and we figured Jajireh was leading us. But we were still nervous it might be a trap. We decided we would act like outer men, but that place is so loud and so nasty that we didn’t think we could stay.”

  Amber interrupted. “And this morning before we got up, we both heard a trumpet inside ourselves. It so stirred each of us that when we walked into the kitchen to make coffee, we looked at each other and asked, ‘Did you hear it, too?’ We felt King Glory was definitely leading us.” She glanced at her brother. “But when we saw you look at us, Josiah, we were sure it was a trap. Thought we had blown it for sure. We didn’t recognize you. It’s so hard with OGs and shades.”