The corn cult started off as an idea in Isaac's mind of a world cleansed of the corrupt adults and restart the world with clean and innocent minds; he was infatuated with the Camelot and the legends of King Arthur-he likened himself to Arthur, but needed his Gwenyvier. A month after the cleansing of Gatlin, he chose his bride, Anna. She was chosen on the basis of her docile demure and her willingness to comply to he wishes, except for one. She would not allow for her prized piano to be destroyed with all the other modes of music. Isaac granted her piano to survive but he had a few to move it to an isolated location were no one could get to it.
She watched the few move the antique piano into Malachai's house; she was neither afraid of him or what he could do to her, so she thought to herself to play the piano as soon as Malachai had left the house.
The wedding between Isaac and Anna was a very ceremonious event where the two exchanged blood, through drink, to make them into one being. Isaac was afraid of offending He Who Walks Behind the Rows, so the marriage was never formally consummated; Isaac put her into a room far from his and the shrine. Her room faced the direction of Malachai's, and she spent days watching Malachai's movements and took note of what times he usually left his house, with the exception for meetings at the clearing in the corn field.
At the opportune time she left her room-had already given Isaac the excuse that she would be out walking around for a while-and ran as quickly as she could to Malachai's; the piano sat against a wall in his room. She softly lifted the keyboard lid and tapped on a few keys to test for the tuning-it was more in tune than she last heard it. She sat on the bench and softly played a song that had always given her peace; her spirit was so depraved of the music that she loved and which sustained her that time had no meaning and the softness of the music was no more.
A cold hand upon her neck startled her and made her jump form the bench. Malachai stood before her, but he seemed pleased; Anna kept repeating, "I'm sorry" and backed away from the piano. Malachai reached out his calloused hand to grab hers.
"Please, please don't tell Isaac! I couldn't help myself," she pleaded with him.
"Shhh…" he softly replied as he gently pulled her towards him. "There is nothing he would do to you as punishment. Just keep playing." He motioned for her to sit back down on the bench; she reluctantly complied and began a new song, and as she played, he walked to his bed and laid down. She was more conscious, this time, to use the damper pedal and play lightly.
His bed was large enough to fit the two of them plus room for them to move around; he rested his head against an old pillow and folded his hands beneath his head. Just as she stood up from the finish he sat up and spoke, "You can come whenever you like." She just nodded her head and left.
Isaac stood by the front door with his arms folded across his chest and gave her a scowl, "Why were you at Malachai's?"
"I heard a loud noise and I wanted to see if I could do anything to help."
"Malachai can help himself. Now, come inside."
She went to her designated room and quickly locked her door so that she would be able to look through her music folder that she had hidden from all the others and looked through her old music that she had collected over the years. Isaac lightly rapped on her door just as Anna was sorting through the music, "I need to speak with you as soon as you are ready."
Anna quickly placed all her music in her folder and unlocked her door. Isaac stared at her inquisitively before he inquired, again, why she was at Malachai's, but she told him no more than what she had already; she feared that he knew the truth.
Two days had past and her hands were already quivering to dance again upon the ivory tiles. She was anxious to calm herself, so she made the trek to Malachai's house and knocked on the door. He immediately opened the door, as if he had expected her, and grumbled, "What do you want?"
"The piano-that I can play the piano whenever I like. Now let me through."
As she squeezed herself between the doorframe and him, Malachai grabbed her arm. Anna went back to being her timid self again and looked at him with eyes pleading "mercy."
Malachai smiled and said, "I'll let you play only if you let me study you."
It did not phase her what he meant by "study" but she blindly agreed and he let go of her arm. She walked to his room and lifted the lid over the keys; she began playing one of the songs from the file of music. Malachai leaned against the wall opposite the piano and stared at her back; he watched her hands dust the keys and fingers tap the keys as if testing the temperature. Her foot remained anchored to the damper pedal.
She played for two hours and left Malachai to care for the piano. The sun was setting behind the field, so she faded into the blur of the corn. She quietly crept into the house; Isaac was sitting on the couch in the den and writing something on a small parchment. She crept to him and pecked him on the forehead, which surprised him-who was entrenched into what he was writing to have noticed her coming in. He looked up at her and silently spoke, "Hello." She wasted no more time with him and went back to her room and sifted through her sheet music again. The next day she ventured back to Malachai's but he was off harvesting the corn with a few others.
A loud crash of the door startled Anna and abruptly ended her playing; heavy, yet hurried, footsteps emanated from the hallway and continued to grow closer. Anna jumped from the bench and quickly closed the lid-but not without sound-and backed up to the opposite wall. She had previously opened a window to let in air to filter out the staleness of the room and rushed to climb through and down from the porch roof. Malachai stormed in and searched his room, wild-eyed, for Anna, but she had already escaped.
Anna ran back to Isaac's and into her room, hoping that whoever stormed into the house never saw her, but Malachai watched her run into Isaac's house; he stood by the window a minute after she entered Isaac's. Isaac looked at her in wonderment and asked, "Why do you rush in?"
The question eased her beating heart and she took a breath, "I am bleeding heavily and need," she breathed again, "need to change my garments."
"Wash quickly. We are celebrating the harvest that He hath brought to us."
"I shall," she breathed heavily and steadily walked to her room and locked the door. She poured water from a pitcher into a basin and splashed her face to wash off the perspiration and laid on the bed to rest her tumultuous mind.
Isaac rapped on the door to signal for them to head to the clearing. Two people were to be sacrificed to give thanks for a successful harvest. During the ceremony Malachai approached Anna, from behind, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see Isaac.
"I'm sorry if I startled you today," Malachai spoke to her and leaned into her ear and continued, "you can play for me some time."
She nodded her head in reply and walked to Isaac once he found him in the front. She joined for the remaining ceremony.
After the children disbanded from the ceremony to go home, Anna followed Isaac home but Malachai pulled her by the arm and whispered, "Now is the time." Anna only responded by pulling herself free, but he grabbed her again and said, "Play for me or I'll destroy it." She set herself free again and looked down at her feet in thought. She lifted her head and called out to Isaac, "I'll be a little late coming in. I need to walk off some pain." She stood in place for a minute and waited for Malachai to start off.
As she walked with him, a question formulated into her head but she could not keep herself from asking, "Are you a man of music?" He seemed to not take notice of her question, but she continued with her thought, "I can teach you to play…"
"I don't want to learn-just listen, " he interjected into her statement, "you play very well."
Anna sat upon the bench and played the first song that compelled her hands to move. She closed her eyes and allowed for the soft tones to fully register; her head flowed with the direction of the music, and her foot began to relax on the damper pedal, almost losing herself to the forbidden music. She was out of tune with the world around her.
Malachai gently caressed her naked arm as it jumped from octave to octave. The music was getting louder-he stopped her by grabbing her head and forced his mouth upon hers. She did not resist for it was the first passionate kiss that she had ever felt. She grabbed his head and kissed him with more fervor. New feelings of pleasure aroused in her sex as she tasted of his sweet kiss and the encounter quickly grew into an adulterous affair of a common union-a union she greatly enjoyed.
Two hours passed since the ceremony and Anna's senses of reality were coming back to her; she knew that she now may have become pregnant, so she bid farewell to Malachai, (though she wished to stay longer with her paramour) and try to convince Isaac that he needed to produce an heir to continue the lineage of the corn. She exited Malachai's house through the side door and meandered through the corn to look as though she had never been by his house.
Isaac was asleep in his room and there was no point in waking him over the proposal to reproduce, so she went to her bed and attempted to fall asleep but her mind lingered on Malachai and how strong we was. The image of his hair reflecting the sun's rays would not remove itself from her mind; this was both good and bad-bad because she could not find herself to sleep. She was deeply infatuated with him.
Morning finally came and Isaac was up early to great the new morn; Anna arose as well and discussed with him the proposal to produce an heir but he refused to spread his seed. She was only slightly relieved to know that she would not have to lay with him, but she still worried that she might beholding Malachai's seed. Adultery was punishable by death and any child that was rendered from the affair would be killed as well.
Isaac left the house to visit the other children; Anna snuck to Malachai's and knocked on the back door. He answered and let her in.
"I made a mistake, now we can both be at risk for death!" she exclaimed.
"I don't understand, why are we at risk?"
"I may be pregnant." That thought had not passed through his mind but his face alit with delight. He inched closer and rested his hand upon her stomach; he kissed her and she back. His taste was too intoxicating for her to stop. He took her hand and led her up the stairs to his room. They commenced to disrobe each other and continued their passionate affair; Anna had to repress her voice as to not draw attention to others that might be outside, especially those that are loyal to Isaac and will denounce any who break his law.
Her heart had never beaten as hard as it did and blood rushed through her. All her nerves were stimulated as she felt him engorge; she held him, to control herself, until the union was broken. They laid beside each other for a time, not speaking, and he ran his fingers through her silken hair-smiling at one another.
"Malachai!" shrilled the familiar voice of Isaac. Both Anna and Malachai jumped-she eyed him to respond.
"Just a minute, " he called out as he jumped from the bed, exposing his finely carved body to the sunrays that leaked through the shade. Anna helped him into his clothes rushing to clothe him before Isaac came into the room. Malachai dashed out of the room and stopped at the stair landing.
"Have you seen Anna? She has been gone all day, " Isaac inquired as Malachai appeared on the landing.
"I don't know-maybe she went walking."
Isaac turned to leave but turned back to Malachai and ascended the stairs and past Malachai into his room. Malachai tried to distract him but Isaac continued to push towards Malachai's room. He barged into the room and examined it for any signs that Anna was around. As he eyed the room, he spotted one of Anna's socks; he picked it up and looked at Malachai, who had just entered, "This is Anna's sock. Why is it here?"
Malachai looked down at his large feet to think and glanced back up, "I found it in the corn and was going to wait until I met her again to give it back to her." Isaac left, with sock in hand.
Anna emerged from beneath the bed; Malachai walked to her and lent her his hand to help her from the floor. "I ought to leave, " she said as she stood up. They kissed before she departed.
She meandered through the field before entering Isaac's house. Isaac was awaiting her in the den. He presented to her the sock that he picked from Malachai's room and inquired about why it could have been there. She pretended to be surprised by the finding and lied, "I felt the need to walk barefooted in the field, and I lost a sock along the way."
"But why would Malachai have it laying on his bedroom floor?"
"I don't know-ask him," her flustered response aroused suspicion in Isaac's mind. He had noticed the glow on her face that had never manifested itself until then.
"Your piano must be destroyed." She lifted her hand to object but he continued before she could say anything. "You have been playing on it, and there is no way you can deny it. I have received word that you have been playing on it plus I have heard you play; and how do you explain that folder of music. I told you to destroy it. He is not pleased with you."
"You promised that you would not touch it," she yelled, "you promised that I.."
"He wants it destroyed. It matters not if I promised that it would not be destroyed, He wants it gone."
She grunted and stormed off to her room and locked the door-their first proper fight. She knelt by her bed and wept bitterly; she buried her face in the comforter to soften the sound of her mourning. She wept so bitterly that her eyes burned with fire and was pushing their way out to find relief.
She looked up as her eyes had no longer any tears left to cry out and glanced at the Joyous Guard her paramour resides; her heart sang out to him to rescue her from the fire of this marriage-this passionless marriage. "I would rather have died a simple wife of Malachai than a god-wife to a religious fanatic," she cried out in her mind.
"Ah, that whore!" screamed Isaac, the next morning. His screaming awoke Anna from her unrestful slumber. Isaac pummeled her door to which she reluctantly opened; he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the house on the porch-he forced her to kneel. He pulled a knife from his pocket and firmly placed the blade against her throat, "Did you sleep with Malachai?" his voice cracked under his own sorrow. "Did you sleep with Malachai?"
Anna could not give a reply for not matter what her answer would be he would slit her throat. He held the knife so closely and firmly to her throat that it slightly punctured the skin. He dropped the knife and collapsed in his grief and wept. Anna stood up and ran back into her room.
Two hours later Isaac ordered men to board up her window and locked her door from the outside, leaving for only a small space for food to be passed through. She stayed there for eight months until Isaac had forgiven her, but once Isaac saw that her stomach had grown, he locked her back into her room.
Anna awoke one night to the sound of boards cracking at her window. Malachai freed the space on the window for her to crawl through; his face alit with delight once he saw her stomach and kissed her. He took her hand and led her to a barn for both of them to hid out.
"Why didn't you come earlier?" she huffed once they entered the barn.
"I had to get the right tools plus your room has been guarded for the past few months." They embraced, or as best as they could with her stomach protruding so far out. Just as they released a sudden insurgence of pain engulfed her abdomen causing her to collapse under the pain-a medal belt clenched around her hips; she bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming. The contraction finally released and gave her relief to breathe again.
Malachai extended his hand to help her but she batted it away; he picked her up and placed her down against the straw-the blades were like knives against her skin. The contraction started again and she heard something snap inside her and watery fluid poured through her sex and drenched her dress. The contractions became more frequent; she was frightened, scared, sweet drenched her face. A sudden urge to push overwhelmed her-she inhaled a deep breath and push down on her diaphragm, holding it for thirty seconds. She repeated this for the next five minutes.
Upon her last push, her sex tore apart and the child slid out. She took a breath and Malachai cut the umbilical cord and gave him to her; she tied the remaining portion of the cord and cleaned him off with her dress. He was small, if not rail-thin, but healthy. His lungs were full of life and echoed throughout the barn. Malachai slumped down by her and held her close to him. They were a family and there was no doubt that the baby was Malachai's for their eyes were the same blue and what little hair he had was the same ginger. Anna's infatuation had produced a beautiful child that had already left his mark on her heart.
Death. She remembered what would happen if Isaac got his hands on her child. "Get someone! Bring someone here-someone to take this child to a safe place." He nodded and quickly ran to find Rachel. (Rachel was the caregiver of newborns.) Anna instructed Rachel to go to the next town and put the child into an orphanage; Rachel waited until nightfall to sneak into the next town. Malachai and Anna hid out in an upper room of the barn; there they spoke of the things that she missed during her eight-month exile.
Isaac and h is men stormed the barn and searched for Malachai and Anna. One pointed out a bloody spot in the straw as the others threw over equipment and tore down doors in the search for the two lovers while Isaac stood in the midst barking orders. Malachai stepped out from the room, "It's just me here," he called out but Isaac ordered for the others to storm the room. Anna coward in a dark corner but they found her and dragged her to Isaac. Isaac raised his hand and brought it down upon her. "Where is the child?" he demanded, "Where is the child?"
"It was a still-born," she breathed, "I buried it."
"Take her to the old church," Isaac told the others. "Malachai!" he called up to Malachai. He slowly walked to Isaac but quickened his pace when he saw Isaac's expression. Isaac had Malachai's punishment in mind, "Malachai, to regain favor with Him you must castrate yourself in the clearing." Malachai's face quickly grew pale. "But not until you have watched Anna be sacrificed," he continued.
Malachai was unusually compliant and followed them to the cornfield where Anna was tied to a wooden stake; a pentagram was engraved on her womb. She was severely beaten but her spirit aroused when she saw Malachai. Isaac pushed him to the front where he was to witness Anna die, but Malachai reached out to her but he was pulled back by Isaac's loyals.
Isaac stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything you would like to confess before you die?"
Her eyes locked on his and she snidely replied, "Yes, I do. I would rather have died Malachai's wife than yours. You just wanted someone to parade around with than actually loved." Malachai forced himself forward and kissed her with more passion than he ever had before, and for the first time they were level with one another; it took several men to pull him from her. Her eyes fastened to Malachai as the men lit the fire. Her eyes remained on Malachai until she closed them and let her mind lingered on their intement moments; she lingered on her son and of the life she would have with him if she and Malachai were really married. These thoughts obliterated the siring pain of the flames on her skin, but it was ultimately the fumes that killed her; she died with Malachai being the last person she thought of and physically saw.