Chapter 43: A Last Dance

Author's Note: If you have a few questions: so does Paul.

Stepping past the gate, I heard the applause, and the band's music grew louder as I approached the square. It was pretty cold out now, and that wind made me raise the collar of my jacket as I passed my brothers and sisters in the street. Some were going towards the music, some were walking away from it, all who passed me greeted me, and I felt a smile as I greeted them back. The illumination of the warming flames between the tables glowed brighter, and the kids running through the streets made the scene all the more lovely.

I thought a lot about everything I spoke to the stranger about, that Ulysses. I thought of his tragic story, about the Divide, about his old tribe, and then about everything I told him about myself. The image of those glowing eyes seemed to take on normalcy as I spoke, but I could not read his thoughts for the life of me. I did not know if what I said affected him at all, or very deeply. We parted ways not long after I had told him my own story, we stood up, shook hands, and gave simple farewells before we both went our separate ways. I remember seeing him walking back towards the NCR trade compound or refugee village when I heard the gate crash to the ground, and from there, all I could see was the people in the streets and the gentle glow from the town square.

That music grew louder, I passed a few people I knew who greeted me with smiles in the light of the streetlamps and continued forward. It was very hard to talk about everything I did with the stranger, but I remember still thinking about him and about what he would do going forward in life if it had affected him in even the smallest way. I stepped through the crowd of my brothers and sisters lining the square, and when I saw that the dancing was already well underway, I took in the scene of so much joy and said lowly;

"Lord, I'm very thankful for the opportunity you gave me this night. I only ask that if there was anything I said that was not You, that it fell by the wayside, that it fell on deaf ears. I again can't thank You enough for this opportunity, and this night. Amen."

Standing at the edge of the square, all the tables had been moved aside, and I watched the band playing in front of the head table as so many people danced. I clearly missed the chance to give my speech to Carl and Jessica. Based on the applause I heard on the way in and the number of couples presently dancing together in the glow of the flames, I had missed the newlyweds' first dance as well. As much as I wanted to give my speech, I wouldn't have traded it for what I got to do for that man with such an awful past. Feeling myself smile even more amongst the crowd of New Canaanites lost in conversation, I located my wife standing amongst a group of ladies beside the perimeter of chairs, completely engaged in a conversation. Just as I took a step towards her, I heard a voice just to my left that was more than familiar.

Sitting at the end of the chair perimeter closest to me was Nathan, the best man, wearing his cleanest white shirt and black slacks like the rest of the guardsmen off duty including myself. His jacket acted as a cushion resting on the back of his chair while the man was surrounded by a group of 7 young kids. Nathan was showing them his hook hand and answering questions about the black cross-shaped tattoos along his forearms. He looked glad, but like he preferred to be alone, so I stepped up to his side. With a slap on his shoulder, I said aloud;

"You aren't giving these kids bad ideas, right Nathan?"

He turned, looked up at me, saw my grin, and said cooly, "I'm trying not to, but they won't listen."

I told the kids how they needed to leave Nathan alone or the hook was going to get them. Nathan gestured at them as I said this, the kids screamed and ran off laughing, and the man leaned back in his chair with a grin as he said to me;

"So, look who decided to show up? Who said we even want you here anymore?"

I only shook my head, "What are you doing over here? Why aren't you dancing?..." I watched all the couples across the town square dancing, my eyes focusing on Nathan's friend of the guard he always tries to one-up, named Salgado. The strong mid-20s man spun one of the girls into his embrace and flipped her before setting her down and continuing to take her all over the dance floor. "… Everyone at the ceremony saw you winking at Jessica's bridesmaids."

I could see the smile on his face widening in my peripherals as he only leaned back further in his chair.

"I don't dance LT."

Yes he did. I'd seen Nathan dancing with the girls at plenty of other weddings and town celebrations. He was actually one of the best dancers in the guard… and that's saying something… It might be worth mentioning that most men in the community, especially men of the guard, do everything they can to become great dancers when they aren't on duty. Since dancing is pretty much the only time men of the community are allowed to touch members of the opposite sex before the wedding night, most men of the guard go above and beyond to become incredible on the dance floor just for weddings or town-wide celebrations. Dancing is not only allowed but really encouraged… This of course is only so long as the couples aren't dancing too provocatively or too close. In fact, it was at that moment that I saw Rhynes dancing with his wife Melanie before pausing their two-stepping to break up two young adults getting a little too close. Seeing him step between the couple and gesture for them to take a break on the sidelines before getting right back to dancing with his wife was pretty funny.

Either way, I answered Nathan's overt lie;

"Oh, I get it, none of the girls would have you after that speech you gave."

He laughed that time, "Nah, it isn't like that, I'm just not really feeling up to it right now."

Putting a hand on his shoulder I asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just sorta miss Alyana is all…" I thought about that tribal girl he "accidentally" got too acquainted with on his first mission at 18. It was always pretty strange to hear that he was still in touch with her. He'd even requested leave to visit her a couple of times in the past 6 or 7 years.

"What tribe is she with again?" an idle thought I said out loud, and one he answered,

"… Panguitchu… Not that far from 89 City. A few extra days east…" he returned to what he was saying, "… I've been wanting to write a letter to her, but I can't write lefty for the life of me. I haven't been able to tell her what happened since I got back from the Sevieri scout."

Hearing this made me swat him on the shoulder as I caught his eye and said, "Well dammit, Nathan. Why don't you ask one of your friends to write it for you? Or Heck, I'll write the letter out for you! The fact you're still talking to that girl after so long really means a lot, son."

"Believe me when I say I couldn't have you write out what I usually send her…" I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling before I heard that dumb laugh and he had to add, "… It gets pretty gross."

"Why do I even bother talking to you?"

He heard my automatic remark, saying, "Ha! I was wondering that too, Paul."

Part of me really wished he didn't have this defense mechanism of his despite how silly it was at times;

"Seriously though, we'd be happy to help you out. Perhaps you can censor yourself for just a little while until you get yourself a pencil holder for that hook contraption."

"Thanks, Paul, I'd really appreciate that… But 'Seriously though' why are you talking to me?..." He gestured towards that group of ladies nearby and my eyes landed on my wife as the young man added, "… Go dance with your wife or else I'll dance with her… and believe me, you won't want that."

Feeling my eyes rolling so much that they were about to unscrew themselves out of my head, I left the laughing fool a final slap on the arm as I took his advice and approached my wife.

With her back to me, the romantic violin-heavy tune ended, there was a loud applause as the dancers caught their breaths or changed partners, and I slipped my arms around Dani's waist. She laughed, the ladies laughed, and I asked Dani's company if I could steal my wife away for a while. The ladies nodded, some looking around and hoping for their own husbands to do what I did, and my wife and I glided toward the floor.

Taking her hand in mine, and with my other hand on her lower back, I felt the other dancers around us fade from existence for the moment as I looked at those incredible green eyes. I watched those lips curl into a smile and felt her long silk-like wavy hair graze my hand as it shimmered almost red in the warm light.

The next song had just picked up and we started slow. The little band now playing the tune of what I believed might have been one of Dean Martin's a little more upbeat songs, she and I danced a simple East Coast swing, and the younger dancers who loved a good swing song faded away even more as I met my wife's gaze. At last, after a simple turn and then pivot to get around Lt. Roth and his wife, I managed to whisper to Dani's loving face;

"It's certainly been a while since we've done anything like this."

She only nodded, her smile grew brighter, and I could not look away for the life of me when she finally said, "It certainly has… The last time was probably the guard's Christmas Day gathering 3 years ago when we danced at all…"

I thought about that, gave her another turn, brought her close, and immediately dipped her. She was not surprised at all, she went right along with it, and that gentle smile remained on her face as she saw me think. The music slowed, we slowed down with it, and her eyes looked into mine with love and concern;

"Are you okay, honey?..." before I could realize the question, she added, "… You were gone for a while tonight. Some of us were getting a little worried."

I shook myself back into the moment and answered her loving face sincerely, "Of course, I'm actually really… I'm feeling better than I had in a while…"

Her eyes stayed filled with concern but lightened a bit, and her smile grew wider as her soft delicate features compelled me to explain further, "… I actually just had the chance to tell a stranger about Christ… That doesn't really happen that often on or off shift lately… I told him my testimony."

Despite my assurance from earlier, her eyes filled with even more concern as she said, "Oh, Paul… are you okay?"

A question my calm words from earlier could not answer, I realized the only answer that would assure her came when I brought her even closer into me as we danced slowly. Now it was me who smiled wider, a sight she probably didn't see that often lately now that I think of it, "I'm great, sweetie. I'll admit it's still very hard to talk about it…" I thought, still generally satisfied overall, "… still not that sure what to think about the man though… He was definitely troubled. I don't frankly know how he took literally anything I said or anything He said."

Dani drew closer into my embrace, looked deep into my eyes, and asked with the utmost innocence in her soft breath, "Let's pray for him… right now."

No words, I looked into the love in my wife's eyes, remembering in a glimpse what I had told the stranger, what I knew; I had seen that love before, and the sight of her love and sincerity in the request made me nod. She smiled, placed her head on my chest as we continued our slow dance, and I held her tightly with all I had as she asked with the tenderness of the girl I met when I was just a kid in her voice;

"Dear Lord, thank you for this night…" I could hear the tears of love in her voice as her slender arms tightened around me, "… For Jessica, for Carl, for this amazing husband, and our beautiful children…" The song slowed, I held her tighter, and shut my eyes even tighter, "… Thank you for the work my husband gets to do, he has so much love to give, and we're both thankful for any chance he gets to share it with others…"

She was right. I thought of the love and joy I'd seen in her eyes as we danced, the eyes that were shut so tight as she held me with all her strength. I could hear the passion in her sniffles as she held me and the truth in her words.

I thought of the blank hollow, glowing red eyes of the stranger, and the deep words devoid of all emotion as she continued to pray.

I held her closer, burying my cheek into her head, thinking of everything and everyone I'd seen since stepping back through those gates. I thought of the joy, the happiness, the laughter, the love, and everything I'd seen consciously or subconsciously between the ceremony and what I've been seeing since this dance. I thought of the world happening around us as I envisioned the image of the stunning mother of our wonderful children now in my arms. I thought of those guards from every detachment of the day shift all dancing with their sweethearts or the other girls. I thought of Salgado spinning that pretty young brunette in the striped dress and about the children gathering around Nathan as he enjoyed the sidelines for a change. I thought of the men and women of town laughing and smiling around the edge of the square, about the congregated Elders and even Bishop Mordecai smiling on the sidelines, about the men like John Langdon and Rhynes joyfully prying apart young couples, and about Carl and his new wife dancing closer towards the center of the square. I felt the delicate arms of my wife grip me even tighter as I heard her still speaking to God;

"… Saw the walls of New Canaan the scavengers circled... hadn't the strength or fire to take. Too high, too strong…"

Hearing Dani speak, and seeing the image of so much love surrounding us, I wiped my eye and caught a glimpse of the girl I noticed Ramos dancing with earlier. Cathy Elisandro looked absolutely beautiful in the long blue dress of the other bridesmaids. They were so lovely together, and the beauty of that sight gave me thoughts of that young man I saw during our revenge for my daughter and Ramos' love that would never be, Sarah Parsons. The thoughts of the late Mr. Padilla and Sarah Parsons and the incredible love of this night were almost too much, I held my wife tighter, and she held me even more. So much death, so much tragedy, since the time of my first mission to now. So much war and horror between what happened to the Sevieris to the time my ancestor spoke with two other strangers before we were even established… and yet right now, I stand with my wife, forgetting what the warmth of her embrace feels like during all the day to day worries and duties until I can finally slow down enough just to feel those arms in a moment like this. I feel the tears continue to well in my eyes but they cannot fall as I hear her passionate thanks;

"… they couldn't live on their own, like most scavengers. So gave them purpose - turned their hunger into a weapon. The wall of New Canaan... too high for Caesar. Too proud, maybe -or maybe something there, from his past, that needed killing…."

I felt her hands on the center of my upper back, leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. I could feel her smile, the side of her head still pressed to my chest as I feel the wetness of a tear pierce my shirt. I heard the laughing of children playing, and the giggling of the girls being spun around the dance floor by my brothers and sons. I heard the happy tears of the women old and young, still talking about the beautiful ceremony and the loving speeches. I felt her grip adjust, still not feeling her grip lessen in even the slightest. Even through my jacket and shirt, I felt her place the softest kiss on my chest, her voice even more lovely than the skill of the band;

"… You must be willing to kill anyone, children, mothers, the weak, elders... if these New Canaanites value the generations, that is what you must kill…"

I don't think I'd ever been happier than at this moment. Hearing her speak, hearing her love me so much, I felt the welling tears in my eyes, I gripped the woman I married even tighter, and felt her head pull away as she whispered into my neck with a tearful breath;

"… Thank you so, so, so much, Lord. I love you. It is in Jesus' name we pray… Amen."

I felt her head slowly pull away a little more as we slowly opened our eyes. If at any brief tiny little point in the last 22 years, I wasn't sure I made the right choice in marrying Dani, it was eradicated by the tears of love and overwhelming joy and thankfulness in her green eyes after the word, "Amen."

The song ended with a long and final drawn-out note, and Dani wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before I brought her in close once more.

"I don't tell you this nearly as often as I ought to, but, I love you so much, Dani."

She smiled even wider, wiped her eyes again, threw her arms around my neck once more, and buried her face into my shoulder, whispering, "I love you too, Paul," as the applause around us erupted for the band.

Together, we shuffled towards the outer edge of the couples on the dance floor as we awaited the next slow song to start, and we took in our surroundings. It was hard at first to take my focus off Dani's lovely face even as she collected herself, but there was so much to see. Dani gestured off towards the people on the perimeter, I looked to the source of what caused that smile. Together we watched Joseph running around with some of his friends. I couldn't help my own smile at the thought of our son when Dani and I caught sight of Constable Hanshaw with Leslie under his arm. She chuckled at the man towering over everyone else in the crowd with his arm around such a petite woman.

Drawing Dani closer, the next sight to catch my eye was one that made me laugh out loud for a moment before catching it. Without anything else, I turned us so we could both take in the sight of Duncan standing beside Joshua on the edge of the crowd. But what caused my outburst, and then Dani's was the image of Hannah trying and failing to pull Duncan towards the dance floor, the young man anchored completely in place. The look on Dani's face was a confused one at that, and one I could only answer with a shrug at thought of the unique infatuation our second girl had with that stoic young survivalist. My eyes lingered on Graham for a moment, mostly wondering if he was having a nice time when Dani pressed into me tighter and motioned toward the other end of the square.

Dani let out an audible "aww," but I simply wasn't sure what to feel at the sight of Michelle still in the arms of that Isaiah Albright. It was only for a moment though since we watched her part from him, leaving the young man a quick peck on the cheek before rushing over towards a group of elderly women. Seeing the bundle in the arms of one of the women, our daughter was handed the infant under the care of the adoring older women when Michelle's attention was immediately turned to another young man who looked like Lt. Canady's man "Ethan" extending a hand to her asking for the next dance. We watched our girl kiss her baby, our grandchild on the forehead, and I felt my wife hold me tighter as Michelle asked the older women to hold the baby for one more song. The old ladies eagerly accepted, apparently thrilled to spend more time with the baby, as Michelle took the hand of Canady's man before immediately twirling her in.

I found myself chuckling, and shaking my head, still completely unsure what to think about Michelle, the baby, or the young men who just wanted to dance with her. The tighter embrace of my wife and the feeling of her cheek pressed into my chest told me without anything else how I was supposed to feel, and I certainly felt that way when I held her, and the next slow song started.

That violin, that laughter, that love that surrounded us in all forms, the embrace of my wife, the lives of our children, the peace, and serenity made this the best night of my life. As we slowly danced together, I could feel her eyes on me once again, and just as I went to turn to her again, I caught something in my peripherals. Bringing my wife's head close to my own, we looked to see our son sitting at the edge of the crowd, again seemingly locked in passionate prayer.

I thought of when I saw our son doing that immediately before I left for my chat with the stranger, and Dani and I stepped slowly to the beat as I said idly;

"Joseph sure is praying a lot lately from the looks of things…" hoping my wife might have noticed that earlier as well. After a moment, she cooed almost sleepily, "Yeah, he has."

Just as I was about to ask why she thought that might be, I saw that look in her eye again. I saw that complete love, adoration, and that smile. I drew my love close, completely forgot what I was even talking about when I saw Joseph leap up and begin chasing his friends again in my peripherals, and leaned in closer towards Dani's face. Those innocent eyes, those quivering lips, and those soft and perfect cheeks turning that wonderful shade of pink made me lean in even closer until I could only just feel her warm breath touch my nose in the cool breeze… Luckily, the love my wife and I had for each other couldn't go further because…

Just like a true second of a lieutenant's guard detachment, and just like a true well-mannered Christian man, John Langdon and his wife stepped between us;

"Break it up you two!"

I grinned, shook my head, and didn't like the fact my wife's delicate hands were replaced by John's rough hands in the blink of an eye before he threw an arm around my shoulder. My second and I stood with arms on each other's shoulders as we grinned at the sight of Mrs. Langdon taking my wife away as the lead, watching Dani getting whisked away while Ingrid was saying; "Here, Dani, step like this, follow my lead. Me or John will show Paul these new steps later…" before disappearing into the crowded dance floor.

It again was not uncommon at all for partners to get split up and carted in different directions by members of the guard in leadership positions… it was just uncommon for an LT of the guard and his wife to experience that. Still, John and I watched Mrs. Langdon take my laughing wife away in a seamless moment before John gestured off to the side.

"Was I getting too close with my own wife, Mr. Langdon?"

Still with his arm over my shoulder, we approached the chairs on the side, "Just a little, but Ingrid's been wanting to show Dani some new steps for a while… Also, where did you sneak off to? We were eager to hear your speech?"

Standing on the edge of the dancers, we watched our laughing wives appearing and disappearing in the middle of so many moving dancers.

I felt my second's smile aimed right at me as I answered, "You don't mind if I have your wife show me the lead's steps later? Bishop and Elders might frown on it if you showed me here and now."

The man chuckled loudly, "I'll let her know to find you some evening, perhaps we can all do dinner after shift some night soon? Lord knows the kids will enjoy that…" We saw Joseph running around with John's kids, weaving between the dancing couples on the outer edge and looking like they might need another reminder to keep their games away from the dance floor when John added, "… Seriously though, where did you disappear to?"

The two of us took a step back to give Hudson, Ray, and the two girls they were dancing with some room, both of us internally marveling at the fact those two young inseparables even danced with girls together as I said to John;

"I just met a stranger outside the gates. Man wanted to talk to me about our faith…" I paused, the both of us smiling at the sight of our missionary friend Daniel dancing with both the young widow Kinsley Dunn and her little daughter Everly, "… Got to tell the guy my testimony…."

After a moment, John glanced at me with a simple, "Dang. You alright?"

I again had never felt better, his words and another brief glimpse of Mrs. Langdon teaching my wife some new steps in the middle of the crowded dance floor made me tell my brother what was true, "I'm fine…" I tried to find the only white dress and my son of the guard Carl in the crowd, adding, "… So's he. I think. I just couldn't be more thankful for a night like this... You know where Carl and Jessica disappeared to by the way?-..." I paused again as John pushed me back with his arm, narrowly avoiding a collision with Doyle's man, Mitchell, and my neighbor's girl, Mary Hughes, breezed past us.

Hearing Mitchell and the girl I personally helped save on the Sevieris scout last week both say "So sorry, Mister/Lieutenant Young," as they passed by with such smiles made it impossible to be even slightly upset. The look in Mary's eyes when she noticed me said how she wanted to tell me how she and Maya Lukinay were doing since returning home, but the girl was soon laughing and twirling in the arms of Mitchell.

I glanced back at John to finish what I was saying; "You might actually know the stranger I met with."

The two of us took another step back till we could feel the people standing and sitting on the chair perimeter behind us I met the look in John's eyes where I instantly saw one answer to a question I asked. The question in his look said; "Do you really have to ask where Carl and Jessica likely disappeared to?" I shook my head, remembered the obvious, and then he replied aloud;

"The stranger you met?... I assume it was Mr. Creepy Eyes?"

"Don't call him that…" I nudged the grinning man in an instant, "… but yes. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," he answered automatically before adding, "It had to have been either him or Ranger Townsley. Although you would have said so if it was Ranger Townsley…"

Through all the love, laughter, happiness, and the loud conversation of retired men and their wives behind us, I thought briefly about the deep emotionless voice that somehow emitted the worst anger beneath the tone. John added;

"… But I also told you I spoke with that guy in the duster for a bit around about a week ago. Anyway! Where did you tell him to start?... Bible-wise, I mean…"

Thoughts of that voice faded in a flash when I felt John's nudge to my ribs and I saw him chuckle out; "… His eyes are brown by the way. Just wanted to remind you of that since it feels like half the guard is in on a joke the other half isn't."

The idea of that joke made me laugh, but I just saw those eyes, I was just staring into them as I spoke to the man and told him my story scarcely 30 minutes ago. There was no joke. I saw the way the eyes glowed even brighter, even more lifeless, sitting above the breathing mask and beneath the long dark dreadlocks.

Just then, the crowd parted and I saw my Dani again, still laughing away with Ingrid Langdon, and her innocent loving words she prayed to God in my embrace and on that dance floor floated through my mind again as I remembered those green eyes.

"I told him to check out the Gospels first…" I paused, feeling John's look, "… Actually, I mentioned Jonah, then corrected it."

The man put his hands in his pockets, then looked around as if just now remembering he was supposed to keep track of his kids, saying somewhat idly, "Yeah, Jonah's a good one for wayward souls, but 40 days before the destruction of a whole city might be a gloomy place to start."

"God spared Nineveh, John," I said automatically, joining in the applause of everyone surrounding the dance floor as the song came to an end.

The dancing couples hugged, bowed, and many of the girls walked to their friends on the edge or returned to their kids while almost every single young man whether man of the guard or man of a trade stayed on that floor gesturing for other girls to be their next dance. I watched Michelle part from Doyle's man and receive the baby David before joining the group of older women in a vacant chair, those wonderful ladies helping her rest and keeping her safe from the group of young men asking her for the next dance. The married couples stepped off the floor with linked arms or stayed in place to await the next song as each member of the band took the break to hydrate. I saw Dani maneuver off to the side, still laughing with and talking to Ingrid Langdon before joining a group of women from one of their groups. I caught a glimpse of Nathan walking past us, having finally had his fill of wallflowering, his first dance partner of the night being my Hannah who'd evidently failed at trying to get Duncan Schmitt to dance with her. As the new dancers and couples took the floor, I watched as Nathan spun my little Hannah around and around, hearing that sweet laugh of hers as she held my son's new improvised hook hand. John answered my words;

"True, but it's a real shame that he couldn't learn God's lesson till he was put in his lowest place… and not even then! Since his book ends with him becoming the whiniest Prophet in the Bible by getting all pissy that he didn't get to see any fireworks, haha!"

This casual summarization of Jonah from John made me grin, the band just picked up their instruments again as more dancers took the floor. Without anything else, any other thought, I returned the wave and the smile of Hannah and Nathan before he started stepping with her at the first note of the new song as I said to John;

"I once read something about the tomb of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul Iraq… I don't remember much of that prewar article, but I remember thinking… that tomb was built and worshipped at even by Muslims in the centuries and millennia since its construction…" I met eyes with John, "… You're right, John. Jonah's story in the Bible tells us how he didn't learn his lesson by the end of the text… But the fact the Assyrians made such a splendid tomb for him really tells you something about what happened after the Book of Jonah ends. The rest of the Bible, history, and the existence of that tomb seem to say that there was so much more that happened between him and the people of Nineveh after God made the tree wither."

Feeling John's gaze on the side of my head, I was about to turn and meet it when I noticed Joseph again sitting by himself on the perimeter of chairs. I gave John a nudge, smirked at him, and left him with;

"I'm going to check up on my son. You go dance with your wife…" glancing toward the crowd, I added with a wink, "… Looks like the Lockwood couple is getting closer than Dani and I ever were."

Taking a seat beside Joseph, the kid's elbows were resting on his knees, his hands clenched together, his eyes closed. I briefly wondered what Joseph was praying about, but didn't want to interrupt him as I placed my arm gently over his shoulder. The fact his frame didn't seem to notice my arm on his shoulder in even the slightest took me a bit off guard, but I let the boy concentrate. My eyes went to Dani still laughing with Ingrid and the other ladies, then to Michelle still holding her baby and sitting beside the elderly women while speaking to some of the young men, and then to Hannah still giggling as Nathan spun her around the dance floor.

My eyes drifted towards the flames of one of the nearby torches where I saw the burned and wrapped man just outside the glow, his eyes seeming to shine despite the darkness. The eyes between the wrappings were as bright as the stranger's were, they were as blue as the stranger's were red… but equally as tragic. In the glow of the burning flame, I saw the tears of passion and absolute love in the green of Dani's eyes… and I saw the tears of fear and absolute sorrow in the green of Mr. Wesley's eyes. The heat of the torch touched my skin and I felt the pain of those burns as the Tokewannas village died in the inferno when I heard those words;

"… He's just too good."

The sound of the gunshot made me shake myself back into the present and I felt my son finally twitch. The boy raised his head slowly, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Hi dad."

Pulling the kid closer, together we looked out at the dancers when I asked him;

"You having fun, buddy?"

"… The New Canaanites... they supplied medicine. Food, traded with others. Civilization, a hand from the past, not history... ...but maybe a past deeper, farther than that to a place where this... God really exists. If so, His handiwork and people belong elsewhere, not in this place. Another symbol, like Bear and Bull, with no meaning in the present."