Soul Dancing with the Brass Band (The Brass Band Series) (35 page)

Turning to give a sarcastic wave to my pursuer for having the audacity to interrupt my daydream, sure that he has the intelligence to stop his mount before they enter the deeper water, but no, his horse flounders and is not able to win the fight; the armor drags it down. I look into his face as he now struggles to disarm himself, fighting with his boots and clothing before the current also devours him. I see a pleading in his eyes that is from one human being to another. He’s so young, barely into puberty.

I damn my decision as we reenter the water for the current is swift and my mare is tired. We reach him as he goes down for
the last time. I stretch my arm into the water and drag him up by his black Roman hair and to my shock the eyes are not those of a helpless boy, but of an enemy. He fights to pull me into the water and my mare goes under from our combined weight. I dismount to save my horse and am pulled into the darkness by hands wrapped through my tangled hair. Twisting my body, my feet find the belt that holds his remaining armor. With all the strength my exhausted limbs can muster, I thrust my heels into his gut and jerk myself free. I watch him sink as his burden takes him deeper, an expression of horror frozen on his face. Unencumbered my body floats to the surface. Too exhausted to pull myself from the river, I lay half in, half out of the water, letting my mind drift back to a time when I wasn’t so totally alone
.

June 21, 2011

Will and George were at the campground by dawn to put up the volleyball nets and reserve our picnic tables and camping spots. Ruth and I arrived at 7:30 a.m. to begin setting up the tent, but found Will and George already had the area looking like a little city.

Jumping out of the car and running toward the volleyball area, I kicked off my flip-flops and buried my feet in the sand. It was damp from the morning dew and felt great. Will and George had organized the kitchen under one central tent with a dozen smaller ones set up along the perimeter for the boys. The whole area seemed to belong to us.

“Where will we be sleeping?’ Ruth asked while throwing her arms around George’s neck and nearly dragging him to the ground.

“We’re going to set up the tents for our soon to be named meditation group over there,” and pointed to a grassy area on the other side of the volleyball court, “far, far away from impressionable children,” George said with mischief in his eyes.

The boys arrived in four vans and when the doors opened, they all ran full speed toward Will. By now, I knew all of them by name and loved each individual personality, but no one held a place in their hearts quite like Will did. They had all missed him enormously since he moved out and wanted to be the first in line to receive a hug.

I was amazed when they enthusiastically hugged me, too. My heart sprang into my throat as the smallest boy, Jimmy, jumped up into my arms and clung to my neck affectionately. I had wanted to become a part of their family, but until that moment had never known if it was a possibility.

Ruth and I helped unpack the camping supplies from the vans, while George and Will assigned the boys to their tents. Lee and Gilbert had set up our
campsite and without asking, had pitched the tents in a circle rather than a line and when we walked over to see if we could help, I saw the brass bowl in the center. Lord, this was going to be a great weekend!

Dad’s truck pulled into the parking lot around 10 a.m. making our group complete. I ran
toward the truck with uncontrolled anticipation. Dad slid out of the driver’s seat to give me a big hug and walked to the tailgate to start unloading. They brought everything but the kitchen sink and when I saw that he had a few rocking chairs, I thought, of course!

Leaving the farm this time of year was a big thing for them, so I wasn’t surprised to see Mom’s face beaming through the window. What caught me off guard was the tall man, grey hair shorn close and wearing a diamond stud, sliding out of the truck first and offering mom his hand.

I slowed down as I approached, still looking at the guy on Mom’s arm. “Don’t worry, Kiddo, McCollum called and asked us to bring John.”

Picking up Mom’s pack, I turned to get a better look as they both rounded the back of the truck. He already had his hand extended toward me.

“Hello Hillary, I’m Father John,” he said. He had lived some very hard years by the looks of his face, but his blue eyes were crystal clear. “I think I have the advantage since your mom and dad never stop talking about you and your group of mystics. I think I’ll be able to put a name to each one of your faces.”

By the time I shook his hand, everyone else was on their way over and as Father John introduced himself, he called each by name without making a mistake.

Once the boys had settled in, McCollum came over to join us. “Greetings, welcome to our celebration.” He took time to have a few private words with each of us and as he worked his way toward me, I wondered what I should say. I had not seen him in person since the great New Year’s Eve debacle. I watched him as he talked to our newest member, Father John, and saw McCollum actually lean in to give him a hug.

I stood back, waiting for my time with him. I was still in awe of him and a little afraid. When I was the only one left, he took four long strides and arrived directly in front of me. I bowed my head, brought my hands together in front of me and said “Namaste.” He placed his hands on the outside of mine and when I looked up, I was looking directly into those infinite pools of blue.

“I also see the God in you, Hillary,” he replied to my greeting, “and I am becoming more aware of it every day. Your light is becoming brighter.”

I found myself speechless and I stumbled over my words as I said, “Thank you.”

“I know how far you still have to go, but I want you to be aware of how very far you have come,” he said still holding my hands. “I’m proud of you, dear one.” He inclined his head to me, giving my hands one last squeeze and turned toward the kitchen tent. “Come on boys,” he said in a playful voice, clapping his hands. “Who wants to play volleyball?”

The volleyball games raged on until we broke for lunch and all of us were ready for some water and sandwiches. Of course, Mom had put herself in charge of the food tent and everyone was secretly pleased.

Will and I found a place to sit in the shade of a huge elm tree bordering our campsite. It must have been a couple hundred years old judging by the way its roots bulged out of the ground. With a feeling of déjà vu, I spotted Gilbert tucked amongst a tangle of roots where his body fit perfectly. He was in his element.

Dad ate his lunch in one of his rocking chairs with McCollum in the rocker next to him. They both looked incredibly peaceful and happy, and with iced tea in hand they exuded contentment.

The boys seldom had this kind of free time, so they made the most of every minute. They were calling for everyone to line up again to pick new volleyball teams as Will and George finished up in the lunch tent, eager to get back in the game. I, on the other hand, looked around the park at the green open space and decided that taking a walk might just be the ticket.

I told Ruth where I was going and asked her to please let Will know, so he wouldn’t worry. I found my tennis shoes in my backpack and sat down to put them on as I eyed the road, which turned into a path that wound around the little lake. I paused as a large shadow fell over me, but as I looked up I found it belonged to my smallest of friends, Jimmy.

“What are you doing, Hillary?”

“Going for a walk around the lake,” I said. “I figure it can’t be more than a couple of miles.”

“I can walk that far. May I go with you?” Jimmy asked.

“Sure, you can come, but you have to get permission first,” and before I finished tying my shoelaces, he was running toward McCollum. I watched, amused as Jimmy waved his hands excitedly, trying to convince the master that he should accompany me.

McCollum looked up from where he sat in his rocker to meet my eyes. As I nodded yes, he patted young Jimmy on the shoulder and sent him back in my direction.

I WALKED with the warm sun on my shoulders and Jimmy by my side, relishing the wonderful day. I had to slow down my regular pace, so Jimmy could keep up without breaking into a trot.

“How long have you lived with McCollum?” I asked trying to begin a conversation.

“Always, I guess…. McCollum’s my great uncle. I was just a baby when my parents had their accident.”

A lump formed in my throat. “McCollum must love you very much,” I said, watching a smile light Jimmy’s face, his cherub features only made more adorable by his missing front tooth. “Does the tooth fairy come to your house?”

“Of course he does,” he stated emphatically and the image of George sliding his big hand under Jimmy’s pillow popped into my mind.

We found ourselves walking along the tree-lined road chatting like a couple of old friends. I told him about growing up on a farm and he talked about his life.

“Yeah, McCollum tries to treat me like the other boys, but sometimes when I’m lonely I sneak into his room. He makes me a bed in front of his fireplace and rocks me to sleep. No one knows,” he added quickly.

“Don’t worry, Jimmy. I can keep a secret. Besides, I think you deserve a little extra attention because you’re so darn cute.” I reached down to tickle him and his giggle was delightful. “Have you started to meditate yet?”

“Yes, ma’am! I’m learning how to swim!”

He beamed and I told him how very proud I was of him. Somehow, all things felt possible on that beautiful day, even the idea that someday I would become as brilliant as my small companion.

We paused to look back across the lake as we made our next turn. I saw the volleyball game in the distance and heard the boys raising a ruckus when I felt Jimmy slip his little hand into mine.

Laughing as we turned another corner, I had to squint against the sun and felt myself pause to see what was ahead of us. It seemed to be an old abandoned concrete structure that may have been used for boat rentals in the past and we had to walk straight through it to stay on the path. It was covered with a layer of neglect and I could smell the odor of mold that had formed from the dampness. We were definitely on the path less taken.

I heard Will’s voice in my head, “Pay attention to how things
feel
, Hillary.” … “But what could happen,” my voice argued back. It only appeared to be about twenty feet to the sunshine on the other side. The scenario only took about 3 seconds to run though my mind, but I should have thought longer. As my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light in the structure, it became quite apparent that we were not alone.

I heard a low growl and the only thing left to my imagination was just how large this animal could be? My instinct was to run, but I only had time to shift Jimmy behind me. My ears picked up a low command…
kill
…and I felt, more than saw, the animal spring from the shadows. In desperation I instinctively spread my hands in front of me and braced for the impact. Heat rushed through my body, as a stirring in my heart erupted into the full-blown instinct of a mother bear protecting her cub. I took my stance and felt a current of energy rush down my arms and into my hands. The heat burst from my fingertips, my chi visible as a stream of light. I watched as it slammed into the animal in midair causing it to fly backwards, hitting the block wall with a solid thud.