Karl nodded. "We've chosen this sport for your first day because so many members love the game, and it gives you a chance to try something you never thought possible. Go find 6 stones each and come back here with them. Try to pick ones with lighter colors and less grainy texture."
The boys walked into the field and picked up stones. Adam found 6 that he suspected would be good, all within a 4 foot circle. He was the first one back to Karl, and showed his haul.
"Good, good. Those will fly nicely...very controllable," said Karl, picking each one up and examining them in turn. "You can wait here until I check the others." He turned toward Jimmy who was returning next, with Kevin and Mark close behind.
Adam examined his own stones while listening to Karl examine the others. "Too small," was said many times, as well as "too hard to control." Adam laughed when Karl examined the stones Mark selected and said, "That's not a stone, Mark, its horse poop."
Each of the others was sent back to find replacements for the ones Karl discarded, but soon each boy had their stones.
Karl lined them up facing away from the van, nearly halfway down the field. It was one of the few spots that were clear of rocks, so each of them piled their stones at their feet.
"Pick up any one of your stones." said Karl, and they followed his direction.
"In order to get a connection with your stone, place it in your hands like this," he demonstrated and they copied.
"When you bring the stone to your forehead, the stone needs to be as close as possible to the point between your eyes. Close your eyes and look into the stone using your mind. Concentrate hard and you will get a positive feeling or none at all. If you get a positive feeling, you have established the connection. If you get no feeling - no connection. Keep trying until you do, and let me know when you have it. I will let you throw as soon as I think you are ready."
Adam thought it seemed strange, but decided to go along with the instructions. He held the stone between his hands, brought it to his forehead and closed his eyes. His mind was blank for a moment, and then it began to see. It looked as if he was falling into the stone and the stone was deep. In a heartbeat he stopped at what he assumed was the middle of the stone, and felt an almost happy feeling. That must have been the feeling Karl was talking about.
He opened his eyes and called for Karl.
"That was quick," said Karl as he walked over. "You got a positive feeling?"
Adam nodded, "Is it normal to see yourself falling toward the center of the stone?" he asked.
Karl looked surprised. "Yes and no. Only the strongest connections have visions associated with them. You must have a strong connection with this stone."
Karl raised his voice to the group, "once you've established a connection, do not lose contact with the stone. If the stone hits the ground, it starts to lose the connection with you, and you have to re-establish. Also, once you throw it and it hits the ground, you have a few moments where there is still enough of a connection that you can manipulate the stone slightly."
He turned to Adam. "Throw it high in the air and keep your hand wherever it is when you release. Concentrate, and once the stone starts to arc downward, wave your hand side to side."
Adam was skeptical, but he threw the stone as hard as he could, leaving his hand in the air where it released. He concentrated on the stone and felt positive energy coming back. As the stone started descending, Adam waved his hand side to side. The stone followed his motion exactly. Adam was stunned.
"Try another one," said Karl, "but this time, pull your hand back halfway and when it reaches the apex, give it a push." He walked away to help Mark, who thought he had a connection too.
Adam brought the stone up to his forehead and again fell to the heart of the stone. He opened his eyes and threw the stone on the same arc as the first one, pulling his hand back with a quick motion as Karl had told him to do. The stone instantly changed direction, racing back at Adam faster than he had thrown it. Without thinking, he waved his hand down. The stone slammed into the ground with a loud thud. The noise drew everyone’s attention.
"What happened?" asked Gurpreet from his spot leaning on the van.
Adam shrugged as Karl walked over to talk to him. Adam explained what happened and Karl stood in thought for a moment.
"I never expected you to have that strong of a connection on your first day. When you’ve practiced a lot and played for years, you can get really strong connections with some of the stones. Just after releasing the stone there is usually a slight delay and the thrower can adjust themselves to a better control position. Obviously that didn't happen with you, and the stone responded to your movement immediately. Try it again, but this time when you release the stone, concentrate on the stone continuing its flight. Re-adjust and then focus on your hand giving it a push."
Everyone had stopped and stared at Adam as Karl was delivering instruction. Adam felt awkward, but picked up another stone and began the process of connection. That stone was a little more difficult to start a connection, or so it seemed, but once he saw himself falling to the heart of the stone, he knew it was done. Eyes opened again, he took his time and prepared to throw, trying to remember everything Karl said. He threw the stone hard and concentrated on it continuing on its path. Meanwhile, he brought his hand back halfway, re-focused and pushed hard. The stone straightened out and shot like a bullet in the same direction that Adam had pushed. It hit a large boulder in the distance and shot off to the side with a big bounce.
"Wow," said Gurpreet.
"I think you owe me ten bucks, Karl," said Marius.
Karl smiled and shook his head. "Gladly," he replied.
"Why does he owe you ten bucks?" asked Kevin.
Marius smiled, "I bet him that Adam would be a powerful thrower like his dad. I didn't think he would prove it on the first day though."
"My dad played this game?" asked Adam.
The three men looked at each other, unsure how to answer.
"He was a great player. Very strong connections with the stones," said Karl.
A while later, each of the others was able to establish connections with their stones too. Jimmy seemed to have the hardest time as it required quiet and concentration, but eventually it worked for him.
Karl and Marius showed them different throws, sometimes privately so the other wouldn't see. Both men were highly skilled and could hit small targets at long distances from multiple angles. The next hour was spent throwing and throwing until their arms were sore.
"That's enough for today," said Gurpreet, seeming quite happy. "Karl would keep you here all day if we let him."
"He's the only guy I've ever met who doesn't get insulted if you tell him he has rocks in his head," said Marius, teasing Karl. The two obviously had a friendly rivalry.
Karl grinned. "With how well you throw, I worry that I really will get a rock in the head," Karl teased back.
They all had a good laugh.
"Do you know what the best part of the game is?" asked Karl.
They all said no.
"There's nothing to clean up at the end! Drop and walk!" With that, Karl dropped the two stones he was holding and turned to the van.
Gurpreet ruffled Mark's hair in a proud fatherly gesture as Mark walked past him toward the van.
They all got in and breathed a sigh of relief to be sitting.
"When do we get to learn how to play the full game?" asked Jimmy.
"Do you still think it's boring, like ice curling?" Karl replied.
Jimmy didn't want to admit that he was excited by the game, even though he showed a lot of promise with his throws. "It's alright," he replied back, trying to play it cool.
Karl grinned wide. "How does next Sunday sound? We can practice a little, then try and learn the game by playing a few ends."
"Ends?" asked Jimmy.
Kevin groaned. "How can you say you don't like ice curling if you don't even know what an End is? It's like an inning in baseball, or a quarter in footbal
l."
Jimmy shrugged. "It just looks boring."
Kevin shook his head, but said no more.
They drove back to town listening to Karl talk about his favorite throws and Marius teasing Karl about every one.
Altogether, Adam had a great day. He was feeling closer to his dad than he ever had before.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The van pulled up at Town Hall during Karl’s story of how he once bounced a stone off two others, knocking the shot stone off the button and sticking it for the win. Marius laughed and teased Karl that his shot was mostly luck and not skill. Karl commented that Marius didn’t know the difference between the two.
They all piled out of the van, laughing at the comments from both men. As they stepped out, the door to Town Hall opened and out stepped Don Chen.
“Hi guys, did you have a good time?” he asked.
They nodded and he smiled back at them. He looked to Gurpreet, “Can I talk to you?”
Gurpreet’s smile faded somewhat. “Nothing bad,” said Don.
The two men stepped off to the side and spoke in barely audible voices. Soon, they turned back to the group and Gurpreet spoke.
“Well, I’m glad the first thing you will remember about the League is learning Kurling, and I think you all had fun,” he began.
They all nodded their heads in agreement.
“Sadly, it seems that today won’t be all fun and games. We have some work that needs to be done, and you four are perfect for the job.” He gave them a smile. “Let’s just step inside to talk,” he continued.
Adam looked at the others and followed Gurpreet into the building.
“Do you still need us?” asked Karl, referring to himself and Marius.
Don turned. “You can go home now, Karl, and thanks for your help. Marius, can you come in for a minute?”
Karl nodded, turned to Marius and shook his hand. “Thanks for the ride. I leave tomorrow for some holidays, but we’ll have to play another game when I return. I still have much more to teach you,” he said with a big smile.
Marius chuckled and shook his head. “No problem, Karl. I’m always ready.”
Marius followed the group into Town Hall.
Once inside, they formed a semicircle facing Don and Gurpreet.
“So, like I said, we have some work for you today… sorry! We usually want the first day of initiation to be filled with fun, but that’s how it goes. Anyway, the League likes to help out wherever possible, volunteering in the community for people who are in need, like the elderly or people who get hurt.”
“Then why didn’t someone else cut Ben’s lawn last summer? I wasn’t part of the League,” said Mark.
“No, you weren’t, but I was,” said Gurpreet, scolding Mark with a look, “and you needed to do something other than play video games.”
Mark was a little upset at being scolded in front of his friends.
“Anyway, we have a request for some help, and we’ve decided to send you four. An elder in the community needs some weeds pulled from their garden, and we’ve heard that you are experienced at that job,” said Gurpreet. “Hopefully Mark has figured out which ones are weeds.”
Adam looked to the others again and they tried not to laugh. Obviously, Gurpreet had heard about the job they did for Jimmy’s mom.
“It’s almost 3:30 right now. Why don’t you all go home and have a snack. Come back here around 4:30 in your work clothes,” he continued.
“Marius, would we be able to book your van for that time? We just need to drop them off for an hour or so and pick them up again.”
Marius nodded. “No problem. I’ll be here at 4:30.”
“Thanks,” said Gurpreet. “Now, go home. See you all in an hour.” He waved them all toward the door.
Marius held the door for everyone and Gurpreet locked it once all were out. Adam, Kevin and Jimmy walked toward Jimmy’s house, and Marius drove past with a wave.
“Well, so much for the fun,” said Jimmy.
“You have to admit, that was pretty addicting,” Kevin said to Jimmy.
“Yeah, it actually was. I can’t wait to do it again,” said Jimmy.
Adam was silent as they talked. He was lost in wonder, picturing his dad Kurling, throwing fantastic shots.
“See ya later,” Jimmy called as he turned at his house.
“How come you’re so quiet? Didn’t you have fun?” asked Kevin as they continued walking.
“Sorry, just thinking. I had fun, for sure…I was just thinking about my dad. You heard Marius say that I shoot like him.”
Kevin smiled. “Yeah…I guess it’s nice to hear stories about him.”
Adam nodded. “It’s the only way I’ll ever get to know him.”
They walked in silence until they were at the corner where they would have to split up once more.
“Meet you back here in half an hour?” asked Kevin.
Adam nodded and turned toward his house.
His thoughts drifted to his mother. She knew about the League, but how would she react when she found out that Adam was now a member? It wasn’t like he could sit down with her and have a reasonable conversation about being an initiate - or anything else for that matter.
He was mulling these thoughts over as he arrived home, worried about going in the house for fear of her anger. He had to eat something and get back soon, although he was still full from the meal at Kevin’s. After standing and thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath and stepped in the side door.
There she was, sitting at the table waiting for him. The look on her face told Adam that she already knew.
“Sit,” she commanded. He did as she said.
“So…where were you today?” she asked.
Adam could feel the anger in her voice. “Learning how to Kurl,” he said.
She paused for a long moment. “So, it’s true. You’re part of the League.”
“Just a Junior Initiate,” he replied, trying to minimize the meaning of his membership.
“There hasn’t been a Junior Initiate in nearly a century,” she replied with a snap.
Adam realized then that she knew a lot more about the League than he thought.
“Are you a member of the League?” asked Adam, already knowing the answer.
“This isn’t about me,” she snapped back. “I can’t stop you from being a member because this whole town is filled with them. I stopped acting as a member when your dad died. The one thing I can tell you is that the League is the reason your dad is dead.”
She had never spoken so directly to Adam about his father’s death, and Adam found it disturbing.
“They are the ones that caused him to drink, always talking about the ‘danger’ coming. ‘Be prepared, always on guard’. The only way he could cope with the stress was by getting drunk for the last year of his life.” She sobbed into her hands. “And for what? Nothing! Nothing has happened in the last 11 years. They drove him to his grave for nothing!”
Adam was stunned into silence while Mary paused, holding back her tears.
“Don Chen told me everything while you were gone, if you’re wondering,” she said, gaining control over her emotions. “I told him that if anything happened to you I would never forgive him, and he promised to look out for you.”
She almost seemed to care, which seemed foreign to Adam.
“You are to do nothing dangerous for them, and I don’t want you ever to be more than a general member. Once you’re done initiation, you won’t have to do anything other than go to the odd meeting. That is what I want, understand?”
So many questions ran through his mind. When did she become a member? Were her parents members and that’s why she didn’t talk about them? Did she meet his dad because of the League? He knew he couldn’t ask though, because in her current state of mind she would just break down again. Instead he answered, “Ok, Mom. I’ll do what you want.”
She smiled at him, which didn’t happen often. Adam didn’t know how to respond, so he tu
rned to the kitchen. “I’m going out with the guys again, so I came to eat something quick.”
She returned to her normal self in a hurry. “There’s a new canned soup in the cupboard, if you want to try it,” she said in her normal tone, but there was a slight change. Normally she would have told him to make two cans so there was enough for her as well. This time she let him do it only for himself.
Adam opened the can and heated the contents as fast as he could. He used a saucepan on the stove to warm it up, stirring constantly so it wouldn’t burn. The soup was Beef, Barley, and Broccoli – probably given to his mom by Mr. Garagan because no one was buying any. It smelled perfectly fine to Adam, even though he wasn’t terribly hungry. Being in a hurry, as soon as it was slightly warm he removed the soup from the stove, took it to the table and ate it directly out of the saucepan. Mary had resumed her usual position in the armchair watching TV.
He rinsed the saucepan and spoon in the sink, washed his hands, inspected his clothes and walked out the door. He didn’t need to change as his work clothes were his everyday clothes.
He checked his pocket and made sure the pin was still there. He didn’t know why, but he felt he needed to keep it close.
At the street corner he waited. It didn’t take long before Kevin jogged out his long driveway and turned up the gravel road leading to the intersection. It was 4:15 pm, so they had more than enough time to get back to Town Hall before 4:30.
“Did you eat half a cow?” Adam teased as Kevin approached.
“I’m not late,” replied Kevin. “We’ve still got plenty of time to get there.”
With that, they walked back to Jimmy’s house and returned to Town Hall. They were the first ones to arrive.
“We’re only 5 minutes early. Where is everyone?” asked Jimmy.
“Well, Gurpreet is probably waiting because Mark is stuffing food in his pockets in case he gets hungry later,” said Kevin, “and Marius has 5 kids.” Jimmy chuckled and nodded.
“There’s Marius,” said Adam, pointing up Main Street where a van had just turned the corner.
Town Secrets (The Book of Adam 1) Page 15