Chapter Four: The Power of Choice
There were three large dormitory buildings, one for the single men, one for the single women, one for married couples. The three dormitories were laid out in a triangular pattern, with a large plaza as a common area between them. Orchards and community gardens were around the outside of each triangle; providing food and breathing space. The design had a feeling of being a campus, and not a city. Everything a person needed for the short term, but comfortable enough that nobody would balk at staying there long term.Open air markets were between the gardens, easily walking distance from the dormitories. A walk through the park, or the urban farms would bring you to stalls. The stalls had everything from salvage of things that even Hugh recognized to handmade goods, to a trading post. Hugh was starting to get a feel for how the industry worked. Anything that took more than one person had been spread out between whole communities. If someone was working on a project and needed a specific skill or a specific part, they could put a notice up and wait for someone who could supply it. Trades were for everything from money to goods and services. Barter and money and useful skills were all the same thing.
The idea held a certain appeal to Hugh when he saw the Market Caravan come in. They were hauling in specific goods arranged over long range communications. He had no idea how many communities they must have passed through, but the Trade Caravan brought everything listed on the trading post's bulletin boards and passed them out like a mail drop.
Windmills and solar towers were positioned evenly, and wrapped with communication dishes. But these small triangular sub-divisions were all organized in a circle around what looked like a stadium.
Hugh didn’t understand why the community here would have such a large meeting and greeting space. There was no chance that a place this size would be able to support such a large public stadium. But Hugh noticed people streaming into it, and he went to look.
It was easily the size of a baseball stadium, but there were half a dozen smaller auditoriums within. There were no gates on the doors, no sign of locks or security.
The main auditorium was large enough to hold an Olympic sporting event, and each of the smaller rooms was large enough for a few hundred people.
Like any stadium, the hallways around the outside were wide and spacious. Hugh walked for a while, noticing people in the smaller rooms. They each had about fifty people, with one or two in charge, leading the rest in a lesson.
The Lessons were the first place where he felt like he understood the people around him. One look at him, and he realized instantly. They were new, just like him. They were all looking at everything carefully. One or two were listening intently. They believed already, and were learning now. Most of them had someone with them. Someone who was quick looking up the scriptures, smiling at the new people, like parents with kids on their first day of school.
The rules were becoming clearer with each passing day. These people all had someone holding their hand as they got started learning.
Like Alec was meant to be with me. He thought. Except I stormed off because I didn’t get what I was looking at.
Hugh could see them making preparations. The Dormitory where he was staying was opening up extra rooms, getting shipments of food in on the caravans… There were signs at the Marketplace reminding everyone about session times and where in public would have a terminal where people could watch the program.
Alec contacted him again a few days later. He was arriving with the next ship and they agreed to meet.
He wasn’t the only one there to meet the ship as it arrived. Hugh had been expecting another Airship, or a passenger liner, but the ship that came was something he’d never seen before. There were no smokestacks that he could see, just a smooth polished hull that gleamed like black glass. It was large enough to carry hundreds of people, who were lined up on deck, waving at the crowd.
Hugh scanned the deck for Alec, didn’t see him. He made his way closer to the gangplank. “Who are you here to meet?” He asked someone randomly. “Friend or relative?”
“Oh, I don’t know anyone on board.” The man shook his head easily. “But they’re here for the International, so of course we're going to roll out the welcome mat, y'know?”
Hugh still felt like the whole world was speaking another language. “Yeah.”
~~/*\~~
Alec had come off the ship to a near Hero’s Welcome. A hundred people, singing them songs and giving them gifts and embracing them like family. It was almost painful for Hugh to watch. None of these people had met? It was like watching the Welcome Home Parades with the troops when he was a boy, after The Great War ended. There had been the parades, but Hugh had only been looking for his own father.
Alec beamed and waved grandly. “Hugh! Good to see you again!”
~~/*\~~
“So, how are your studies going?”
“I’ve gotten used to the subject. Back at the Academy, we switched between on-the-job and class briefings. Learning scripture is like learning any other textbook.”
“Learning the words is only half the job. You have to get the meaning of it.” Hugh reminded him.
“The meaning of it is is fairly self-evident, Alec. I’m living it right now.”
“Are you? Or are you just observing it?” Alec shot back.
The two of them had made their way to the Community Dorms. Hugh had been staying there until someone told him where he’d wind up. Alec and most of the delegates had been found lodging, either there, or with friends. They had caught each other up on what they had been doing since Brussels.
“So, what next?”
“Convention in two days.” Alec told him. “Your timing is good. They only have Internationals once every fifty years or so. Usually, it’s done by District, twenty or so congregations meeting at a time. But for this? Two days from now is the Two Hundredth Anniversary of A-Day, and they plan to celebrate the occasion with a Global event. The entire planet, in two conventions. One for the dayside, and the other when the world turns to the other side.”
“I heard about… I mean, a friend of mine, his wife told me what it was like just after It Happened, and apparently a global event was the first thing they did.”
“Yeah, but since then, it’s been smaller gatherings. A congregation every week, a dozen congregations every three months, a whole region once a year, an International every twenty five. The global event? Once a century.”
“Sounds like the day after tomorrow will be a big day.”
“A good day.” Alec agreed. “But there aren’t a lot of bad ones left.”
~~/*\~~
It was Hugh’s first time in the Main Auditorium. It was easily the size of a stadium, with plenty of seats… and yet, they were all full more than an hour before the program started.
Alec had seats reserved, as one of the Delegates, and since another of the Delegates was sitting with family, there was a spare seat. The others had all smiled and welcomed Hugh, once they realized how young he was.
There were screens visible from every angle, even on the stage. Then the screens lit up. A simple sign, showing the number: 200.
The audience burst into applause.
“What is this?” Hugh asked.
“I told you it was a global event. The program is starting.” Alec told him. “We’re receiving a transmission. It plays twice a day, once for this side of the world, once for the other side.”
“What? Like a radio broadcast?”
“Little more upscale than that.”
The screen switched off again, but everyone got the message, hurrying to their seats. “Ten minute warning.” Alec explained.
“How do you know when it’s starting?” Hugh asked nobody in particular.
“The musical interlude.” Alec grinned. “Ohh, you’re in for a treat.” He looked like he was about to laugh. “Back in the Old Days, when we had Musical Interludes to start a session? Most people used the time to finish conversations and look for seats, use the bathroom. Since A-Day, nobody’s ever missed a moment of the Musical Interlude.”
“Why?” Hugh asked.
A moment later, he had his answer.
At first, it was just a low tone. A soft, gentle note that didn’t come from any particular source. The air itself was making the sound… After a long moment, Hugh recognized it. It sounded like a trumpet. The note held, and seemed to echo, as though a hundred trumpets took up the note, one by one.
Hugh felt a shiver start at the soles of his feet, from the sound, or the way it affected him, he couldn’t tell. It was a shiver that rolled up his legs, and he could feel every bone in his body, every hair on his head suddenly come alive.
It was strange, and powerful, and… Hugh couldn’t find the words for a single trumpet note. It was too… pure. Too Holy. There was glory in the resonance that sent a thrill through him.
And then he saw them. Like a curtain was parting in midair, he saw them. Hundreds of Angelic figures, wearing radiant white. Some of them with trumpets, some with enormous wings. Their faces glowed a bright golden light, and Hugh felt his legs give out as he dropped into his chair. And then the trumpets were joined with voices. Incredible voices. Supernatural voices, singing in joyful chorus.
Praise Jah!
Praise Jehovah from the heavens;
Praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his army.
Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all shining stars.
Praise him, O highest heavens
And waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of Jehovah,
For he commanded, and they were created.
He keeps them established forever and ever;
He has issued a decree that will not pass away.
Praise Jehovah from the earth!
Hugh was unaware of anything else, gazing out at them. The chorus was arranged in rows, some along the stage, some lined up before the front row of chairs, and hundreds more floating in rank above. Hugh knew he was crying, but his vision didn’t blur. He was aware of everything with incredible clarity.
Let them praise the name of Jehovah,
For his name alone is unreachably high.
His majesty is above earth and heaven.
He will exalt the strength of his people,
For the praise of all his loyal ones,
Of the sons of Israel, the people close to him.
Praise Jah!
Hugh was hearing the voice of singers that were better than anything human voices could offer. Voices that had sung the universe into existence. The same voices that had sung Hosanna for the courts of heaven. Voices that had sung Hallelujah for the creation of the world were now singing for him.
And then they faded at last, and the singers too, and yet the echoes rang off each other slowly, somewhere deep inside him.
“I know that one.” Hugh whispered. “It was from the bible.”
“The Psalms were originally songs of praise.” Alec said quietly, looking just as shattered as Hugh felt, though with a glow of pure elation, like he’d just seen the glory of heaven… which, Hugh supposed, was exactly what they’d just seen.
“You don’t really think…” Hugh stammered. “I mean, why would Angels sing the same words that humans did thousands of years ago?”
“Same author for both choirs.” Alec offered. “They just happen to sing it better.”
“And then some.” Hugh agreed, shakily. “I wonder if they practice like human singers do?”
~~/*\~~
A lot of the morning session was taken up with interviews.
The early sessions were devoted to interviews with people who had been returned from Modern Eras, closer to A-Day. Most of them had been brothers in those times. Ones that had faced persecution.
“My home had been seized, and I knew that I would not see my family again.” The brother said kindly. “The hardest part was when my interrogators were twisting my words to make my faith seem so... Laughable. The things that I had held sacred my whole life were suddenly punchlines, used to ridicule me. I prayed day and night that those words wouldn't have an impact, but they did. I lost heart more than once, but I always fought to get it back again. To hold on, just one time longer than they could tell me to give up.” He sniffed, tearing up. “I waited for it to be over, and suddenly I was here. To be honest, I thought it was a dream, because I apparently died in my sleep.” His face broke into a huge smile. “My family were the first ones waiting to meet me.”
Hugh shivered when he heard that. He was the first of his immediate family to be returned, though he checked the database for their names every day.
The next one was a woman. “In my case, it was my neighbors. They told me that if I ever went to another meeting, my house would be burned down while I was away. I called the police to keep watch, and it later turned out that my neighbor was a police officer, so when I got back, my house was in ruins. No charges were pressed. I moved into an elderly sister's guest room with nothing but the clothes on my back and my meeting bag.”
Hugh shook his head. He'd heard of those tactics being used in Europe the entire time he'd been making bombing runs on the people doing it. The idea of the guilty parties getting away with it in his own country...
The next one was a man with dark skin. “I was not raised a Christian, and my religion taught that the afterlife was a paradise garden. It took me months to believe that I was in an entirely other place.”
A polite chuckle rang out, and Hugh frowned. He still hadn't gotten his head around the fact that everyone got the Second Chance. The earlier interviews were all about people who had fought the good fight, and now received their reward. The third man worked against the Christian faith his whole life and got exactly the same thing, even believing it to be his own version of the afterlife at the time.
And how am I any different? A cold voice whispered in the back of his mind. Didn't I speak against them? Call them cowards for not fighting? What am I doing in this world?
Eventually, the Chairman took over the session again, making the point. “Beloved Brothers, is there any reason left to doubt the truth? For centuries we joyfully told the world that this was ahead. For centuries we were warned to be as cautious as serpents, as foreigners in a strange land. But now this is our land, and the odd ones out are those who have not accepted the Truth. How are we to approach these lost lambs? I want to challenge you now, to remember how our Lord views these ones, as beloved sons and daughters!”
A round of applause rang out. This time Hugh joined in automatically.
“The world is filling with people. Some of which have never heard of the bible, many of which have never heard it called by that name, and still more who have no idea how long it is. Millions of people who now return to us were only present for the first few chapters! The Proclaiming and Advertisement is done! The Teaching and Welcoming work now begins!”
A round of applause again. Stronger this time.
“But remember, we’ve only scratched the surface ourselves!” The Speaker declared. “Thousands of years of history was prologue. Less than prologue, it was page one! The Real History of the Real Life of the Real Earth is only just getting started. Six thousand years of suffering was nothing but the birthing pains of a Utopian eternity! The first page in a book still being written! A story where each and every chapter will be better than the last!”
He was definitely building to something. Everyone in the audience seemed to know it. Hugh didn’t know what, but he could see the looks on their faces, gathering expectation...
“Which is why, we’re pleased to announce the release of the completed Third Testament!” The Chairman held up the bound volume, and the whole stadium erupted into applause. Hugh nearly clapped his hands over his ears. The audience had been sitting so peacefully, listening so intently, that the sudden rush of approval nearly knocked him flat. He’d been there when the Giants beat the Yankees in 1922, but this roar was far more… grand. A roar that dwarfed everything that came before it rose in jubilation. And as the volume of it faded, he could hear people in the other auditoriums, in the city squares, in the plaza’s outside… All of them were celebrating the release of a book.
He’d never experienced anything like it before. He didn’t understand the sheer… power that the message had over so many people. He looked around, seeing the audience with fresh eyes for the first time, and he suddenly realized what Alec had been trying to tell him the week before. There were no divisions here. Nobody was sticking with their own family, or their own race. There were no obvious classes between rich and poor. There were no elderly people, and no special seating for VIPs.
Is it possible I’ve landed in a world where there is no ‘us and them’?
He pushed the thought away instantly. He’d never experienced a world without some kind of division. Even if only because of a favorite sports team, there was always an ‘us and them’ in every part of his life. Even in the army, where practicality ruled everything, Officers had their own Mess, and even in the field, the pilots sat with the pilots, the mechanics sat with the mechanics… He could see people in nearby seats that had been on stage an hour before.
I gotta get out of here. The thought came to him swiftly. I don’t belong here.
~~/*\~~
As he walked out, he saw people still celebrating, shaking each others hands, some with tears in their eyes, but all of them with big smiles.
Someone put the new book in his hands before he made it to the door. He took it without even seeing who gave it to him and kept moving.
Getting away from the convention wasn’t an easy task. It seemed like the whole city had stopped for it. There were identical projections in every public place, and he was willing to bet that it was being projected into private homes, too. He walked through empty streets and caught sight of people gathered around the common areas between each division of homes. Everyone was dressed neatly, sitting comfortably, and watching with close attention.
Trucks rolled down each street as he walked, each with a heavy load of boxes. The new book was being handed out, even here.
“Something, isn’t it?” A voice spoke.
Hugh jumped, looking back. A mature looking man was walking with him, matching stride with Hugh precisely. He was the first person Hugh had met who looked older than twenty five. Hugh looked him up and down quickly. “You’re a soldier.” He decided instantly, just from the man’s posture.
The stranger smiled. “I was.” He didn’t offer a hand, but gave a respectful nod. “My name is Titanus Aelius. I was a Centurion.”
“An actual Roman Centurion?” Hugh blurted.
Titanus nodded. “I saw you leaving the conference. You must be new here.”
“I don’t know if that means anything really.” Hugh snorted. “I’ve been meeting people who say they’re hundreds of years old, and now you from two thousand years ago… I’ve been seeing horse-drawn carts and hand-picked orchards and holographic speeches. Satellite dishes and wooden sailing ships side by side… Does it really matter what’s ‘new’ anymore?”
Titanus grinned. “You think you’re having a hard time adjusting to the world. When I woke up I didn’t even know what ‘Christ’ meant. By your calendar, I was in Gaul smashing my way through barbarian hordes, a good four hundred years Before Christ. I didn’t know what ‘Jehovah’ was. My gods were Jupiter and Mars, and I fought people who prayed to gods I couldn’t even begin to guess at.” A look of awkward pain crossed his face. “It’s… jarring. To be told that every banner you’ve ever followed has long since crumbled to dust, and every god you ever worshiped was just a name that someone made up.”
Hugh snorted. “Well, I was a soldier too long to believe in Gods watching over us at all, before this.”
“So did I.” Titanus agreed. “You should know… not everyone has given up the old ways. Some of us have held on.”
Hugh twitched. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t mean to old religions. You talk to enough people that think your gods are just random words that mean planets, and it’s kind of hard to justify praying to them. We’ve gained a lot of things under… current management. But these people… they never talk about what we had to give up.”
Hugh was about ask more questions, but Titanus was already heading off in another direction. “We’ll be in touch.” The Roman called over his shoulder.
Oddly enough, Hugh felt better. It seemed more like reality than at any point since waking up on the beach. It meant that people were still making choices for themselves. It meant that people still had a choice to make. It meant that this was real, and not some mass delusion. There was a real world in front of him.
He looked at the book in his hand. The speaker said that it was a letter from God to each and every human, as the last two testaments had been before.
Hugh looked around the empty street. It was beautiful and clean and alive. But he didn’t feel like he belonged here. The Roman had been hinting that his kind of life still existed, in some form or another. And now he had to make a choice.
~~/*\~~
“See, I understand the power of choice.” He said a few hours later. Finding Alec again had been surprisingly easy, and now they were discussing the events of the day. “Back in my old life, we made a lot of choices, My dad thought that was important, that we get given the chance to decide things.”
“And then I come along and tell you that there’s only one right choice.” Alec said ruefully. “God knows all about you, but I’m still learning.”
Hugh chuckled. “Not that, exactly… See, I was a soldier, even before the war broke out. I was trained in it. I wasn’t drafted. When I didn’t know what to do, I followed my orders. But when you’re on a mission, no plan survives breakfast. You get out there, and you see people on the battlefield, or your radio goes dead. You have to know as much as you can to make a decision. And if you make a bad call…” He spread his hands wide. “Well, you write letters to parents. I didn’t like writing letters to parents.”
“I can understand that.” Alec nodded.
“So when I get here, and you tell me that all those letters I wrote are now meaningless, and when you tell me that there’s no choice left to make, and that I’m here, in the honest to whatever Promised Land of all time.” He shivered. “It felt so unfair. Like everything I worked for was meaningless, and that I was demoted from Commanding Officer to sheep. And for all that, I had the ultimate prize without putting any effort into it.”
“Without effort? I don’t follow.”
“That convention? I listened to people who had met Noah, and seen him standing up to the whole world. Thousands against him and seven relatives. I heard contemporaries of Moses tell the story of how he stood before the King of the World and basically threatened his empire. I heard totally random people talking about facing arrests, lynchings… I never even had so much as a tough conversation.” He laughed sickly. “I was cussin’ you people for not joining the war, and I was dropping bombs. But I get here, just like you do; and you had to fight for it.”
“Matthew 20:8.” Alec already had his bible out. “When evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his man in charge, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last and ending with the first.’When the 11th-hour men came, they each received a de·narʹi·us. So when the first came, they assumed that they would receive more, but they too were paid at the rate of a de·narʹi·us. On receiving it, they began to complain against the master of the house and said, ‘These last men put in one hour’s work; still you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ But he said in reply to one of them, ‘Fellow, I do you no wrong. You agreed with me for a de·narʹi·us, did you not? Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last one the same as to you. Do I not have the right to do what I want with my own things? Or is your eye envious because I am good?’ In this way, the last ones will be first, and the first ones last.”
“Well it’s easy to read that, but… I don’t know, I don’t get the rules of this world.” Hugh complained. “I don’t understand… God. What is He thinking? I know it's all real, I can't deny that, but I don't understand.”
“Isn’t it nice to have centuries to try and figure it out?” Alec commented. “We all come to God as infant children who don’t have a clue what’s happening, or why. The most experienced men in the faith have still been here only a few hundred years. What is that compared to the vast stretches of cosmic time? Those men in that Convention? They were the wise men of their day, but their day was long ago. They’re in the same boat you are right now.”
Hugh nodded. “Well… It’s strange, but I feel like I can breathe better. I’m not sure if it’s my lungs being healthier, or if it’s the air quality improving, but it’s like there’s a fog lifting, and the things I had to struggle for, at least in matters of spirit, are suddenly easier to see.”
Alec smiled. “We wondered what it would be like, living in a world without Demons. None of us quite knew how to describe it, but that’s pretty close. Like this huge noise has gone quiet, and now we can hear things clearly.”
“I had no trouble believing that the world belonged to evil powers. A big chunk of it anyway.” Hugh grinned. “And… yeah, it’s… easier to believe that maybe there’s something better running the show now.” He looked out the window. “It’s funny, how you never really notice the absence of things.”
“What do you mean?”
“No billboards, no rally posters, no political ads. I haven’t seen one reminder of any social cause, or pride rally. I hadn’t noticed it before, but… It’s like the whole world knows instinctively how to just be with each other in a way they never have before.” He sighed. “Just doesn't seem real.”
Alec gave him a moment to think about that, before he changed the subject. “You hungry?”
Hugh nodded, grateful for the chance to leave the topic alone. “I’m hungry.”
Alec rose. “Dinner’s on me.”
~~/*\~~
There was a communal dinner outside as usual, but this time Alec and Hugh went inside and made their own simple meal. Alec produced a bottle of wine and poured for them both. “When A-Day was over, one of the first things I did? Grab a case of wine. I’ve had the bottles gathering dust for over a century.”
“You sure you want to waste one on me?”
Alec slid the glass over, leading the way to a pair of comfortable wing-chairs in the Common Room. The chair gave them a view of the plaza outside, with the large bonfire and the long tables full of people.
Hugh sipped and nodded approvingly, before he settled into his seat and spoke again. “When I was about… seven, I think; my dad took me on a camping trip.” Hugh said softly. “We drove for hours to get to some actual woods. I was a city kid, born and raised. I’d never seen stars, and I’d never breathed air I couldn’t see. First time in my life I’d gone somewhere that didn’t have a nice paved road to take me.”
Alec nodded, to show he was listening.
“I was a lousy fisherman, but… We got to the river, and sat out under the trees. First time in my life I hadn’t had the sound of traffic in the background.” He took a sip. “I nearly fell asleep in about five minutes. Not because it was boring, you understand. Quite the opposite. But it felt like something that had been wound tight had just… loosened, and suddenly I could breathe easy. The place just made me so calm. Less than ten minutes to unwind everything that the city had wound tightly without me noticing. Seven years old, and I had that reaction.” He toasted the room in general. “I have that feeling everywhere I go now.”
“This is how it was meant to be.” Alec said with a smile. “We spent so long living under a cloud we forgot what real daylight looked like.”
Hugh suddenly felt like he wanted to cry. “This is really happening. I'm really here.”
“It’s amazing how fast we adjusted to terrible things making life worse. Finding paradise is hard to accept. Like we can’t wrap our brains around good news.”Alec returned the toast. “But we will. We’re transitioning now. Thousands come back every day. You think you’re having trouble accepting a good thing? Imagine when guys who died from the Black Plague come back. There’s a whole lot of bad that has to be fixed, but that’s not a problem. You know why?”
Hugh let out a shuddering breath. “Because everything that evil took away over six thousand years, good can restore in one.”
“Bravo.” Alec leaned forward. “And now, once again, you have a choice to make. That man who approached you today? He’s not the only one.”
“Then the game isn’t over.” Hugh considered. “The war between good and evil is still on.”
“You could look at it that way, but rules have changed completely. Back there and back then, the world was apart from God. Truth was in a minority. Now the reverse is true.”
“And how are these people treated? The… malcontents?”
“For the most part, they are treated the same way we did before A-Day. We leave them to their own choices. We always try and lead them back, but… they can’t hurt anyone. God’s sight isn’t like the kind of surveillance we’ve had in the past. Everyone makes a choice for themselves now. God can read hearts, we can’t. If He wants to put a stop to something, He can. We don’t have a police force, because we don’t need one.”
“I remember.” Hugh said grimly, remembering the angelic intervention that he had seen.
“God doesn’t force feed us these things, Hugh. Proverbs 2:10, 20 says: When wisdom enters your heart And knowledge becomes pleasant to your soul, Thinking ability will keep watch over you, And discernment will safeguard you... So follow the way of good people And stay on the paths of the righteous, For only the upright will reside in the earth, And the blameless will remain in it.”
Hugh nodded. “What I don't get is this: If all the bad influences are gone, then why does anyone still have the wrong idea about anything at all?”
Alec sighed. “It’s tragic to think about, and… It’s hard to figure out how anyone could doubt any more. But the fact is before A-Day, there were only three perfect people in history. The Enemy got two out of three on the first try; and they were living in paradise too. That Enemy is gone, but we still have the memory of what he was offering. Some people still want to chase the mirage, even when they find water.”
“So… We still have choice.” Hugh nodded seriously. “It’s still up to us then? What we do with eternity?”
“Or, indeed, if you have eternity to spare.” Alec nodded.
“Something the Sky Pilot said when one of our team was shot down…” Hugh explained. “He said that whoever it was had finished walking the path God had laid out for him. I hated that. He told us that people who disobeyed God went to hell, but everything that happened was up to Him? So he chose which of my guys would get shot down and burn? I hated that idea. That God would make us think we had Free Will, but never let us make a choice. It’s the most Unholy Joke I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s why I became a Witness. They were the ones that seemed to talk sense.” Alec nodded. “They didn’t offer me an easy answer. And I liked that. I figured that Eternal Life was a big prize so if the road was hard, then it was worth it. It’s right that it be hard. Not impossible, not burdensome, but like you said… I had to live by my choices.”
“And now you live by them forever and ever?”
Alec nodded. “You know what? You sound like a man who's made up his mind.”
Hugh nodded. “I guess I do.” He let out a breath between his teeth. “I was at the Ministry Center. I used the database, looked up names. Some of my squadron are… here already. Part of me wanted to look them up. Part of me doesn’t dare. What would I say to them? To grandparents I never met? Distant cousins I couldn’t stand?”
Alec chuckled. “We all went through it. Still do, after a fashion. It’s human nature: Some people you get along with, some people you tolerate, some people put you off. Not because there’s anything wrong with them; it’s just that you have things in common with some, think in a similar way to another…” He gestured at the window and the plaza outside. “I know that those are good people outside. And everyone in the world now has something really big in common. The biggest thing that any of us could have. But outside that, we all have different tastes, different interests, different passions. God built this world into a family. And like any family, you love them all, but how much you like them is debatable.”
Hugh threw back his head and laughed.
For a few minutes, there was a comfortable silence.
“Choice.” Hugh sighed to himself. “Y'know, during the war, there were no good options, because win lose or draw, you were going to lose people. But not a one of us thought of giving up. Not one of us wanted the war to stop. Because there was honest-to-god Evil going on, and we all vowed to fight it.”
“Against the Nazis?” Alec nodded. “I can understand that.”
Hugh nodded, having decided something. “I don't really understand any of what I'm looking at. I don't have a clue about anything. I don't know much about the bible, let alone the author... But I know what it's like when there's only one right choice to make, and everything else is just lying to yourself.”
Alec smiled to himself. “Hugh, my brother... Welcome to the Real Life.”
~~/*\~~
A few years passed. Hugh had been assigned a permanent address, though he hadn't bothered to do much with it yet. He'd done a lot of learning, and a lot of thinking. He'd studied with Kasumi, and then Alec; and had been baptized a few months later. One among thousands. Kasumi had stayed for his baptism, and then gone traveling again, though all three of them stayed close friends. His grandmother had attended, as had Aimes and his family, but they had their own lives, and there was always another time to see them again.
Over the years, he had also led two studies. One of them a young person who had died just before A-Day, and was now without his mom and dad. The kid had moved in with other relatives when they returned. Kasumi's friend had taken well to the truth. The young man was having a hard time adjusting to a world where everyone was alive and well, except his parents. The other was at the request of Kasumi: A woman named Isobel Baptiste.
Isobel Baptiste was resurrected a few years after Hugh’s baptism. Kasumi had been assigned to meet her, but Isobel had not taken well to the New World. Kasumi had asked Hugh for help getting through to her.
“She was Romany.” Kasumi explained to Hugh, the first time they had seen each other for almost a year. “Died during the days of your war.”
“Not surprised. Ethnic groups in Europe back then? A lot of them were in trouble.” Hugh agreed.
“That’s why I’d like you to talk to her.” Kasumi explained. “You have a lot of common ground, at least Pre-A-Day.”
“You think she might respond better if it came from me?”
“I think she’s not listening when I talk.”
“Kas, of course I’m going to help. Remember, you took over a lot of my early study from Hugh; because I was getting my brain in a twist. I’m happy to help if someone needs me to return the favor.”
~~/*\~~
Hugh wasn’t sure what he expected. Isobel was beautiful, as pretty much everyone alive was now, and wore a head scarf around her dark hair. She had the same basic clothing that everyone wore when first returned, but was barefoot. “You the heavy artillery?” She asked.
“Close.” Hugh commented. “Air Force. I’m a few years removed from being a soldier, but Kasumi figured you might be willing to listen to me more than her.”
“She say why?” Isobel tested.
“Because of your time in the Camps?” Hugh nodded. “That’s why she called me. I was part of that war too, on the Allied Side. She thought we might have some things to talk about. At least, more than you do with her, given that she wasn’t born yet.”
“She’s probably right.” Isobel commented. “Your military was considered something like the white knights for people in the Camps. If what Kas says is true, then I died waiting for you cowboys to come and get me out of there.”
“I died trying to reach the Camps. My brother, executed for trying to find them.” Hugh offered.
Kasumi blinked. “Really?”
“Really. I took a while to come around too. The story was too fantastic. But I think that you and I have had enough Bad News that we get the right to hear some Good News for a change, don’t you think?”
“There’s Good News, and then there’s just unbelievable.” Isobel shook her head. “I would have settled for a hot meal.”
Hugh considered. “Why not? You like olives?”
~~/*\~~
There was a kitchen at the Dorm, of course, but it was always occupied. Isobel seemed a little defensive in a crowd, so they went back to Hugh’s Place. Kasumi met them there.
“Five years, and you still live in the Pre-Fab?” Kasumi observed as she walked up to them. Hugh and Isobel were actually a little away from the house, looking over several large pots, each on a trolley, each with a sapling tree in them. “I thought Alec was working on Home Design now.”
“He is, but I have other things to work on.” Hugh waved it off. “The workshop is almost done, and these trees are going to need to be planted in the ground soon. What's the rush on the house?”
Kasumi grinned at the saplings. “I remember when you first planted these things. The only tree you bought that was ready to fruit was the Olive tree. That was what? Five years ago now?”
“Something you can never have when you’re a Nomad is an Orchard.” Isobel admitted, admiring Hugh's saplings. “Another few years, they'll be as tall as the ones on the Boulevard.” She looked over at them. “Actually, now that I think of it: How can there still be fruits on those trees? Isn’t it the wrong time of year?”
“Weather’s a lot more mellow than it used to be.” Hugh told her. “You wouldn’t believe the yields that a crop can grow now. Plant a seed, and then jump back before the tree hits your eye.”
Isobel had a bowl in her hands, and she was collecting olives from the one tree that wasn't in a pot. “What do we do with these?”
“I usually preserve them in jars, use some surplus to make a nice Tapenade...” Hugh offered. “Hot bread, olive spread, and a spiced stew?”
“Sounds perfect.” Isobel agreed. “You need Anchovies for Tapenade. I haven't seen anyone with any kind of meat since I got here. Meat, Poultry or Fish.”
“You cure capers in salt. They do the same job as Anchovies.” Hugh explained. “Trust me, it's not the recipe, it's the ingredients. You'll love it.”
Isobel glanced at Kasumi. “My gran always told me to hold onto a guy who can cook.”
Kasumi chuckled.
~~/*\~~
“I like cooking.” Hugh told them as he prepared dinner. They didn't eat inside, instead settling in the front yard with a cooker and one of Hugh's wheeled benches. “It was one of those things I never got a chance to do in the barracks, but it was one of those life skills you just want to know. When I got here, I worked in the Dorm kitchens for a while. Three squares a day for a hundred people? I basically did nothing else for a while. You'd think it would turn me off cooking, but the only thing it turned me off was any desire to work in a kitchen as a job. Some people consider it a calling; but that year made me nearly savant-like with chopping and recipes.”
“I'll get the bread.” Kasumi volunteered and went inside.
“I couldn't do that.” Isobel commented, watching his hands nearly blur with the knife.
Hugh swept the whole cutting board of vegetables into the pot and adjusted the heat, letting the spiced vegetable stew start its simmer. He set down the knife and gave Isobel an earnest look. “You can do anything you want, Isobel.” He said seriously. “It took me a year. If it takes you a year, or five, or a thousand, or a million years, you can do it.”
“You really believe that?” Isobel asked quietly. “Because 'back from the dead' is easy after the Camps. Everything else...”
Hugh glanced back at the door. Kasumi was far enough out of earshot when he lowered his voice. “I’ll tell you something I never told anyone before. I don’t like olives. At least, I didn’t when I planted that tree. But it was my first priority when I got this bit of land.”
“Then why plant it?” Isobel asked with a smile.
“Because my brother really LOVES olives. To an admittedly unnatural, some would say psychotic degree. He bought a jar and brought it with him every time we went out for pizza. He’d put them on everything, and snack on them between meals. I check for his name every day in the Database, and when he’s back, he’ll have jars of olives waiting for him. Family grown.” He gave her an earnest look. “I wouldn’t do that if I wasn’t sure he was coming back.”
Isobel sighed. “That’s tough to argue with.” She glanced back at Kasumi, who was coming out of the house with a long loaf of fresh bread. “You really haven’t told anyone that before?”
“Would I lie to you?” Hugh said with a smirk.
With some common ground established, Isobel started to open up to Hugh and Kasumi, as planned. He sat in with her and Kasumi for a few studies, and the three of them became friends. Enough that Isobel had agreed to go with them to the Annual Convention.
Conventions continued, every year. The growing population meant that the Convention Venues were used far more frequently. To avoid congestion, the program was transmitted across to various Halls all across each Region, but the larger Stadiums and Auditoriums were still in use.
The scale of it wasn’t anything like Hugh’s first Convention, with the International, but there was far less preparation needed. Like everything else, practice made perfect. As the Congregations grew more numerous, the number of needed conventions grew to make sure everyone heard the Good News.
And it was Good News. Every year, the number of those who had dedicated themselves exploded, hundreds of thousands every month making their choice. But there were still those that did not, despite the best efforts of the Brothers around them. Apparently, it was a source of some anxiety.
“Allow no room in your heart for despair to take hold!” The Speaker declared. “In a world where Joy has replaced Sadness, we beseech you now to hold on to the Love you had at first. Do not Weep for things left behind, but keep your gaze fixed on the glory to come. Ours is a Happy God, and we must be his Happy people, or how could we call ourselves His children?
“The opposite of Love is not hate, it is Indifference, and we know that none are indifferent to those that have chosen to throw in their lot with a world that’s already gone. Certainly, God is not indifferent. When we Advertised the coming truth, we knew we did all we could. We can say the same now. Do not leave room for despair. The Light grows brighter every day, our family gets bigger by millions. The Joy! The Joy!”
“The Joy!” The audience called back, applauding powerfully.
“You’re getting some attention.” Alec told his friend quietly over lunch.
Hugh blinked, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“Kasumi and Isobel.”
“What about them?”
“You’re sitting between both of them, and that’s like putting an engagement announcement in the paper. Or on a billboard.” Alec smiled broadly, more amused than needling. “Both of them, Brother Alman? Really.”
“I’m also sitting with you and you and your whole family, plus half a dozen others from the congregation.” Hugh countered. “Kasumi was the one that studied with me when I came back. Isobel is a bible study. I can say the same thing about Aimes and you.”
“I know, but nevertheless, there are people smiling in your general direction, and I didn’t want you to think it was because you were in any way attractive or likable.”
“Thank you.” Hugh snarked.
“Always there for you, Hugh.” Alec chuckled.
Hugh was smiling, despite himself. Alec was a lot like his brother. His brother who had still not returned.
It was understood that there was a certain decorum now, on how people acted with each other. Isobel was relaxed about such rules, walking arm in arm with Hugh whenever they went somewhere. It raised a few eyebrows, but nobody commented when Hugh shared the conversation with both of them.
“They know who’s in charge of enforcing such rules, and nobody overrules a guy with wings.” Isobel commented with a grin when Kasumi remarked on it.
“You don’t agree?”
“More than you think.” Isobel promised Hugh. “But you gotta understand where I’m coming from. When our Caravan makes it to a new town, some of the people figured it was okay to... pursue our women because, after all, we’d be leaving the next week; and nobody would know. The local law enforcement usually had us under watchful eyes at all times because they were convinced we’d steal, and in some of the smaller towns they were afraid of black ‘gypsy magic’.” She rolled her eyes. “The Romany adopted whatever religion was in the country we parked in, and the padres and the priests told everyone that we were all thieves and whores.”
Hugh snorted, but didn't say anything. Isobel was finally sharing part of her story.
“And for all that, we have to be relaxed around each other, because it’s not like we lived far apart.” She winked at Hugh and sent Kasumi an apologetic look. “I know how to be with people like me, and how to visit for a few days with everyone else. Back there and back then, being relaxed was good, and being flirty was fine, because it put people at ease… Made it more likely you could buy food instead of having to… liberate a loaf of bread here and there.” She gave Hugh a sideways look. “Do I make you uncomfortable, flyboy?”
Hugh shook his head. “No. I saw enough in one year that I’ll never judge anyone doing what they had to do to survive; and I could care less how a grown woman decides to dress.”
“You noticed.” She teased.
Kasumi nodded. “I suppose I must seem a bit prudish to you, but remember where I’m coming from. Japan is crowded, so we have to be very discreet with each other personally, and very frank about how we are with each other physically. But for most of my life before A-Day, the only people who ever made physical contact with me at all were the nurses and doctors. I don’t think they should count, do you?”
“Not even a little bit.” Isobel agreed, and let out a little sigh as she detached her arm from Hugh. “Look, I get it. I won’t make things awkward for you two, either with each other, or with the people you answer to. I get the importance of reputation. It was why I could never go to school as a child.” She moved a little up the couch, sitting as a friend. “I won’t make trouble.”
“We aren’t worried about that, Isobel. Jus-” Kasumi started to say, when she interrupted herself. “Wait. What do you mean ‘with each other’?”
Isobel smiled, just a little. Hugh was notably silent.
Isobel looked over at Hugh. “I miss my family. When do they come back?”
“We never know the order of the Returnees.” Hugh explained. “But if you’re the first one of your little tribe to arrive, then the day will come when they have all the same questions you do. Wouldn't you like to be waiting for them with the answers?”
Isobel nodded. “I suppose I would.” She looked awkwardly at Kasumi. “In the meantime… I just don’t like the Dorms. I grew up in the Caravan. A building full of strangers who barely know each other, wearing similar clothes and getting their meals delivered? Too much like the Camps. I know it’s not anything like that, but I’d be happier in a hammock or a sleeping bag.”
Kasumi chuckled. “Ah, see? Now that I understand.”
The Conventions also allowed for education. Whatever the order was to the Resurrection, it was now in full swing. People from all eras were coming back, and the Welcoming Committees needed a lot of help figuring out how they were going to even converse with people. In between huge Symposiums for the entire audience, there were much smaller seminars where people were broken up into groups of about a hundred or so, and the Elders and Judges started describing the changes in culture.
“Languages evolve, and towards the end, they evolved faster than ever before.” Judge Simpson told his audience of eighty nine bothers and sisters. Hugh and Kasumi were listening attentively. They weren’t exactly on the welcoming committee any more, but they knew that newly returned ones would be walking through the world, and they wanted to be ready.
“It’s not just the languages that evolve, it’s the way of speaking.” Judge Simpson continued. “For example, there are almost ninety people in this room. Everyone who gets this reference? You know what to do:” He cleared his throat with a grin, and spoke with elaborate ceremony. “Who You Gonna Call?”
Half a dozen people answered automatically, like a reflex reaction. “Ghostbusters.”
A quarter of the room chuckled. Hugh and Kasumi looked at each other blankly, confused.
Judge Simpson started pointing to each and every person who wasn’t laughing. “Now, those of you who look confused right now? Your death predates A-Day by at least thirty years. If you were alive any closer, you’d get the joke; even centuries later. Now try this:” He put on the same tone. “Knock Knock.”
“Who’s there?” Another dozen people answered.
Simpson grinned. “There, see? More of you got that reference. Knock Knock jokes predate the movies, but plenty of people predate Knock Knock jokes. Imagine what someone born four thousand years ago will think of the world. I’ll give you a hint: They’re going to spend a lot of time with that exact Blank Look on their faces. And so will you. Because they’re going to make reference to things that will be commonplace to them and forgotten lore to you.”
Hugh let out a breath explosively. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” He whispered to Kasumi.
Kasumi looked a little worried herself. “I wear clothes that leave my arms bare. It’s perfectly modest today, but my Ancestors…”
“You should hear some of the things said about me back in the day.” Isobel winked at them both.
Judge Simpson was still going. “Cultural references aren’t the real problem, however. Words take on totally different meanings as time passes. For example, terms that were used to describe ethnic minorities? What was a perfectly acceptable, even a proper term one year, is considered deeply offensive twenty years later. There will be offense taken at some point. What you must remember is that very little of it will be malicious, and when it is, the insults are the last gasps from a world that is long gone.”
There was a rumble of agreement.
Isobel leaned in to whisper. “That one I can vouch for. Romany have been called all manner of names over the years. I heard them all growing up. The thing is, most of the people who called us by such names didn’t realize it was actually an insulting term. It had been around so long that nobody even knew.”
“I didn’t.” Hugh admitted. “Did I offend you, Izzy?”
“Now would I lie to you?” She teased.
“We know we won’t seek to offend anyone, but after living in harmony for over a century, it’ll be jarring to suddenly be reminded of how it used to be. Remember, that nobody can offend you without your consent.”
There was a rumble of agreement and Judge Simpson nodded, glad he’d gotten that much across to them. “So, shall we have a few demonstrations?”
A week later, Hugh woke up with a shout when Isobel kicked his bedroom door in and ran over to jump up and down on his bed, barely missing him while she did so. “They’re back! They’re Back! THEY’RE BACK!”
Hugh sat up as Isobel bounced lightly to the floor and went running outside. By the time she had returned from the Dormitory with Kasumi, Hugh had the coffee on and breakfast cooking.
“I’ve been checking the database every other day. Today I got a match. My parents came back together.” Isobel chirped happily. “I already got to speak with them by phone.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Oh, they were having the same problem I was. Not recognizing anything, and wondering why people were being so generous with Romani. You were right. They need someone they recognize telling them things.” She smiled at them both. “Which is why I’m leaving to meet them right away.”
“You sure you want to do this?” Kasumi asked awkwardly when Isobel’s ship docked. “I mean, you’re still new at this, and-”
“The family is getting back together, and returning to our lives. And that’s not just me and my parents. They knew names that I didn’t. People that they lost before I was even born. People who have been back for a while. The Caravans are reuniting.” Isobel had explained, hefting her carry bag. “My people are scattered around the world, but we won’t be for long.”
“When you say ‘your people’...” Hugh had tried to interrupt gently.
But Isobel had shushed him, bracelets clinking a bit. “I know. We’re all a family now. But everyone I ever knew? They’re all coming back. Hugh, your home is wherever you build it, and you may travel the world, but you’ll always come back. My home is wherever my family is. Seven generations have lived in the caravans, and though the suspicion and hatreds may be gone, we’ve spent seven generations being all the home and company we’ve ever needed. I see no reason to reject that, just because God hasn’t rejected us.”
Kasumi had accepted that. “You’ll keep in touch, I hope?”
“I will.” Isobel had promised, but her eyes had stayed on Hugh when she said it, and she had given him a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth when she said goodbye and boarded the ship.
“I think she had a little crush on you.” Kasumi remarked to Hugh once Isobel’s ship was safely out of sight.
“Possibly, but wasn’t that why you asked me to talk to her?” Hugh had teased. “Because you thought she’d respond better to me?”
“You going to go after her?” Kasumi had asked, a little awkward. She was asking if the feeling was mutual.
Hugh chuckled. “No.” He had told her lightly. “She doesn’t need me around confusing things right now. She’s still trying to find her footing, and she needs her family more than a crush for that.”
Kasumi pounced. “Ha! So you admit it! She’s smitten!”
“I admit nothing.” Hugh turned on his heel and headed back toward the road home. It took him a few moments to notice that Kasumi wasn’t with him. She had gone over to the Timetable, looking over arrival and departure times and dates. He went over to join her. “You’re leaving too?”
“In a few days.” Kasumi nodded. “It’s what I do. Lots of people on the move now, some of them will need a guide, some of them will need help recognizing what they’re looking at. Just like Isobel, just like you.”
Hugh nodded, a little sad.
Kasumi noticed and gave him a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back so often you’ll be sick of me.”
“The one thing I never get used to is how great the produce is.” Hugh admitted.
“Give it a few more decades.” Hugh grinned. “You know how wine and cheeses and oils and such are best when they’re allowed to mature? Imagine having such things aged for a decade or six before you eat. Now imagine that for every meal.”
Hugh toasted that one with his freshly squeezed juice. It had been over a decade since he had been resurrected, nine years since his baptism. He worked as a flight instructor, when he wasn't helping with construction, furniture making, or restoration projects. Transport was one of the few industries with constantly increasing demand, and someone had to train those pilots.
“One thing I have trouble with still?” Hugh commented lightly. “Everyone looks about the same age. You have any idea how jarring it is to have a grandmother looking like your sister?”
“Tell me about it.” Alec mused. “Remind me to introduce you to my gran one day. She's downright... playful is the tactful way of saying it.”
Hugh was about to respond to that when a young girl came running up. “Brother Alman? This is for you!”
Hugh took it and the girl ran off. It was a blue envelope. Hugh looked after her and noticed that she had another half dozen blue envelopes. He looked at his own. Just his name, written neatly.
“Ooh, your first blue letter.” Alec said with a grin.
Hugh blinked. “You got one of these to point you to me?”
“Yup. Time, place, name. You were right on schedule.”
Hugh looked at the envelope in his hand like it was a baby rattlesnake. “And this one came to me?!”
“Looks like you’re ready.”
“I’m not ready.” Hugh blurted.
“You know who sent it?” Alec smirked. “You saying He’s wrong?”
A thrill went through Hugh in an exciting and vaguely terrifying way. “Alec, I have no idea what I’m doing. This is your department!”
“Hugh, if you weren’t ready, you would not get the assignment. I know there’s still plenty for you to learn. There’s still plenty more for me to learn too. We’ll have all the time in the world.” He tapped the blue envelope in Alec’s hand. “And whoever this is, they’ll have all the time they need to make their choice too.”
“What if I…” Hugh struggled for the words. “What if I do it wrong?”
“Remember when we first met?”
Hugh nodded.
“I dare say that I was not all that successful at first.” Alec smiled. “What your student does is between him and God. All you have to do is tell him the story. The same story I told you.” He smiled softly. “It’s the greatest story ever told; and you’re a character in it.”
Hugh took a deep breath, and opened the envelope. “Six hours from now. At the creek. It’s…” His eyes bulged.
“Hugh?” Alec was alarmed at the reaction. “What? Who is it?”
Hugh jumped to his feet and started running. “It’s my brother!”
The return spot was the Brooklyn Gardens. Hugh checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. After a century of living, he'd thought he'd mastered patience, but he was counting the seconds now.
There was a sound, like the air itself was taking a deep breath. Hugh turned, and found his brother several yards away. He was looking around, obviously confused.
Hugh felt his heart leap into his throat. He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! The thought ran through his head like a mantra as he ran.
The young man turned when he sensed someone coming. “Hugh?!” He blurted.
“Nick!” Hugh almost tackled his brother tightly. “Oh, Nick; if you had any idea... I mean, if I wasn't a believer before, I am now!”
Nick hugged him back, still very confused. “Hugh, how did you... How did we get here?!” He looked around. “Where is here?”
Hugh broke the hug and pulled back just to look at him. “Nick... I have so much to tell you.”
“Then why plant it?” Isobel asked with a smile.
“Because my brother really LOVES olives. To an admittedly unnatural, some would say psychotic degree. He bought a jar and brought it with him every time we went out for pizza. He’d put them on everything, and snack on them between meals. I check for his name every day in the Database, and when he’s back, he’ll have jars of olives waiting for him. Family grown.” He gave her an earnest look. “I wouldn’t do that if I wasn’t sure he was coming back.”
Isobel sighed. “That’s tough to argue with.” She glanced back at Kasumi, who was coming out of the house with a long loaf of fresh bread. “You really haven’t told anyone that before?”
“Would I lie to you?” Hugh said with a smirk.
~~/*\~~
With some common ground established, Isobel started to open up to Hugh and Kasumi, as planned. He sat in with her and Kasumi for a few studies, and the three of them became friends. Enough that Isobel had agreed to go with them to the Annual Convention.
Conventions continued, every year. The growing population meant that the Convention Venues were used far more frequently. To avoid congestion, the program was transmitted across to various Halls all across each Region, but the larger Stadiums and Auditoriums were still in use.
The scale of it wasn’t anything like Hugh’s first Convention, with the International, but there was far less preparation needed. Like everything else, practice made perfect. As the Congregations grew more numerous, the number of needed conventions grew to make sure everyone heard the Good News.
And it was Good News. Every year, the number of those who had dedicated themselves exploded, hundreds of thousands every month making their choice. But there were still those that did not, despite the best efforts of the Brothers around them. Apparently, it was a source of some anxiety.
“Allow no room in your heart for despair to take hold!” The Speaker declared. “In a world where Joy has replaced Sadness, we beseech you now to hold on to the Love you had at first. Do not Weep for things left behind, but keep your gaze fixed on the glory to come. Ours is a Happy God, and we must be his Happy people, or how could we call ourselves His children?
“The opposite of Love is not hate, it is Indifference, and we know that none are indifferent to those that have chosen to throw in their lot with a world that’s already gone. Certainly, God is not indifferent. When we Advertised the coming truth, we knew we did all we could. We can say the same now. Do not leave room for despair. The Light grows brighter every day, our family gets bigger by millions. The Joy! The Joy!”
“The Joy!” The audience called back, applauding powerfully.
~~/*\~~
“You’re getting some attention.” Alec told his friend quietly over lunch.
Hugh blinked, surprised. “What do you mean?”
“Kasumi and Isobel.”
“What about them?”
“You’re sitting between both of them, and that’s like putting an engagement announcement in the paper. Or on a billboard.” Alec smiled broadly, more amused than needling. “Both of them, Brother Alman? Really.”
“I’m also sitting with you and you and your whole family, plus half a dozen others from the congregation.” Hugh countered. “Kasumi was the one that studied with me when I came back. Isobel is a bible study. I can say the same thing about Aimes and you.”
“I know, but nevertheless, there are people smiling in your general direction, and I didn’t want you to think it was because you were in any way attractive or likable.”
“Thank you.” Hugh snarked.
“Always there for you, Hugh.” Alec chuckled.
Hugh was smiling, despite himself. Alec was a lot like his brother. His brother who had still not returned.
~~/*\~~
It was understood that there was a certain decorum now, on how people acted with each other. Isobel was relaxed about such rules, walking arm in arm with Hugh whenever they went somewhere. It raised a few eyebrows, but nobody commented when Hugh shared the conversation with both of them.
“They know who’s in charge of enforcing such rules, and nobody overrules a guy with wings.” Isobel commented with a grin when Kasumi remarked on it.
“You don’t agree?”
“More than you think.” Isobel promised Hugh. “But you gotta understand where I’m coming from. When our Caravan makes it to a new town, some of the people figured it was okay to... pursue our women because, after all, we’d be leaving the next week; and nobody would know. The local law enforcement usually had us under watchful eyes at all times because they were convinced we’d steal, and in some of the smaller towns they were afraid of black ‘gypsy magic’.” She rolled her eyes. “The Romany adopted whatever religion was in the country we parked in, and the padres and the priests told everyone that we were all thieves and whores.”
Hugh snorted, but didn't say anything. Isobel was finally sharing part of her story.
“And for all that, we have to be relaxed around each other, because it’s not like we lived far apart.” She winked at Hugh and sent Kasumi an apologetic look. “I know how to be with people like me, and how to visit for a few days with everyone else. Back there and back then, being relaxed was good, and being flirty was fine, because it put people at ease… Made it more likely you could buy food instead of having to… liberate a loaf of bread here and there.” She gave Hugh a sideways look. “Do I make you uncomfortable, flyboy?”
Hugh shook his head. “No. I saw enough in one year that I’ll never judge anyone doing what they had to do to survive; and I could care less how a grown woman decides to dress.”
“You noticed.” She teased.
Kasumi nodded. “I suppose I must seem a bit prudish to you, but remember where I’m coming from. Japan is crowded, so we have to be very discreet with each other personally, and very frank about how we are with each other physically. But for most of my life before A-Day, the only people who ever made physical contact with me at all were the nurses and doctors. I don’t think they should count, do you?”
“Not even a little bit.” Isobel agreed, and let out a little sigh as she detached her arm from Hugh. “Look, I get it. I won’t make things awkward for you two, either with each other, or with the people you answer to. I get the importance of reputation. It was why I could never go to school as a child.” She moved a little up the couch, sitting as a friend. “I won’t make trouble.”
“We aren’t worried about that, Isobel. Jus-” Kasumi started to say, when she interrupted herself. “Wait. What do you mean ‘with each other’?”
Isobel smiled, just a little. Hugh was notably silent.
Isobel looked over at Hugh. “I miss my family. When do they come back?”
“We never know the order of the Returnees.” Hugh explained. “But if you’re the first one of your little tribe to arrive, then the day will come when they have all the same questions you do. Wouldn't you like to be waiting for them with the answers?”
Isobel nodded. “I suppose I would.” She looked awkwardly at Kasumi. “In the meantime… I just don’t like the Dorms. I grew up in the Caravan. A building full of strangers who barely know each other, wearing similar clothes and getting their meals delivered? Too much like the Camps. I know it’s not anything like that, but I’d be happier in a hammock or a sleeping bag.”
Kasumi chuckled. “Ah, see? Now that I understand.”
~~/*\~~
The Conventions also allowed for education. Whatever the order was to the Resurrection, it was now in full swing. People from all eras were coming back, and the Welcoming Committees needed a lot of help figuring out how they were going to even converse with people. In between huge Symposiums for the entire audience, there were much smaller seminars where people were broken up into groups of about a hundred or so, and the Elders and Judges started describing the changes in culture.
“Languages evolve, and towards the end, they evolved faster than ever before.” Judge Simpson told his audience of eighty nine bothers and sisters. Hugh and Kasumi were listening attentively. They weren’t exactly on the welcoming committee any more, but they knew that newly returned ones would be walking through the world, and they wanted to be ready.
“It’s not just the languages that evolve, it’s the way of speaking.” Judge Simpson continued. “For example, there are almost ninety people in this room. Everyone who gets this reference? You know what to do:” He cleared his throat with a grin, and spoke with elaborate ceremony. “Who You Gonna Call?”
Half a dozen people answered automatically, like a reflex reaction. “Ghostbusters.”
A quarter of the room chuckled. Hugh and Kasumi looked at each other blankly, confused.
Judge Simpson started pointing to each and every person who wasn’t laughing. “Now, those of you who look confused right now? Your death predates A-Day by at least thirty years. If you were alive any closer, you’d get the joke; even centuries later. Now try this:” He put on the same tone. “Knock Knock.”
“Who’s there?” Another dozen people answered.
Simpson grinned. “There, see? More of you got that reference. Knock Knock jokes predate the movies, but plenty of people predate Knock Knock jokes. Imagine what someone born four thousand years ago will think of the world. I’ll give you a hint: They’re going to spend a lot of time with that exact Blank Look on their faces. And so will you. Because they’re going to make reference to things that will be commonplace to them and forgotten lore to you.”
Hugh let out a breath explosively. “I hadn’t even thought about that.” He whispered to Kasumi.
Kasumi looked a little worried herself. “I wear clothes that leave my arms bare. It’s perfectly modest today, but my Ancestors…”
“You should hear some of the things said about me back in the day.” Isobel winked at them both.
Judge Simpson was still going. “Cultural references aren’t the real problem, however. Words take on totally different meanings as time passes. For example, terms that were used to describe ethnic minorities? What was a perfectly acceptable, even a proper term one year, is considered deeply offensive twenty years later. There will be offense taken at some point. What you must remember is that very little of it will be malicious, and when it is, the insults are the last gasps from a world that is long gone.”
There was a rumble of agreement.
Isobel leaned in to whisper. “That one I can vouch for. Romany have been called all manner of names over the years. I heard them all growing up. The thing is, most of the people who called us by such names didn’t realize it was actually an insulting term. It had been around so long that nobody even knew.”
“I didn’t.” Hugh admitted. “Did I offend you, Izzy?”
“Now would I lie to you?” She teased.
“We know we won’t seek to offend anyone, but after living in harmony for over a century, it’ll be jarring to suddenly be reminded of how it used to be. Remember, that nobody can offend you without your consent.”
There was a rumble of agreement and Judge Simpson nodded, glad he’d gotten that much across to them. “So, shall we have a few demonstrations?”
~~/*\~~
A week later, Hugh woke up with a shout when Isobel kicked his bedroom door in and ran over to jump up and down on his bed, barely missing him while she did so. “They’re back! They’re Back! THEY’RE BACK!”
Hugh sat up as Isobel bounced lightly to the floor and went running outside. By the time she had returned from the Dormitory with Kasumi, Hugh had the coffee on and breakfast cooking.
“I’ve been checking the database every other day. Today I got a match. My parents came back together.” Isobel chirped happily. “I already got to speak with them by phone.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Oh, they were having the same problem I was. Not recognizing anything, and wondering why people were being so generous with Romani. You were right. They need someone they recognize telling them things.” She smiled at them both. “Which is why I’m leaving to meet them right away.”
~~/*\~~
“You sure you want to do this?” Kasumi asked awkwardly when Isobel’s ship docked. “I mean, you’re still new at this, and-”
“The family is getting back together, and returning to our lives. And that’s not just me and my parents. They knew names that I didn’t. People that they lost before I was even born. People who have been back for a while. The Caravans are reuniting.” Isobel had explained, hefting her carry bag. “My people are scattered around the world, but we won’t be for long.”
“When you say ‘your people’...” Hugh had tried to interrupt gently.
But Isobel had shushed him, bracelets clinking a bit. “I know. We’re all a family now. But everyone I ever knew? They’re all coming back. Hugh, your home is wherever you build it, and you may travel the world, but you’ll always come back. My home is wherever my family is. Seven generations have lived in the caravans, and though the suspicion and hatreds may be gone, we’ve spent seven generations being all the home and company we’ve ever needed. I see no reason to reject that, just because God hasn’t rejected us.”
Kasumi had accepted that. “You’ll keep in touch, I hope?”
“I will.” Isobel had promised, but her eyes had stayed on Hugh when she said it, and she had given him a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth when she said goodbye and boarded the ship.
~~/*\~~
“I think she had a little crush on you.” Kasumi remarked to Hugh once Isobel’s ship was safely out of sight.
“Possibly, but wasn’t that why you asked me to talk to her?” Hugh had teased. “Because you thought she’d respond better to me?”
“You going to go after her?” Kasumi had asked, a little awkward. She was asking if the feeling was mutual.
Hugh chuckled. “No.” He had told her lightly. “She doesn’t need me around confusing things right now. She’s still trying to find her footing, and she needs her family more than a crush for that.”
Kasumi pounced. “Ha! So you admit it! She’s smitten!”
“I admit nothing.” Hugh turned on his heel and headed back toward the road home. It took him a few moments to notice that Kasumi wasn’t with him. She had gone over to the Timetable, looking over arrival and departure times and dates. He went over to join her. “You’re leaving too?”
“In a few days.” Kasumi nodded. “It’s what I do. Lots of people on the move now, some of them will need a guide, some of them will need help recognizing what they’re looking at. Just like Isobel, just like you.”
Hugh nodded, a little sad.
Kasumi noticed and gave him a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back so often you’ll be sick of me.”
~~/*\~~
“The one thing I never get used to is how great the produce is.” Hugh admitted.
“Give it a few more decades.” Hugh grinned. “You know how wine and cheeses and oils and such are best when they’re allowed to mature? Imagine having such things aged for a decade or six before you eat. Now imagine that for every meal.”
Hugh toasted that one with his freshly squeezed juice. It had been over a decade since he had been resurrected, nine years since his baptism. He worked as a flight instructor, when he wasn't helping with construction, furniture making, or restoration projects. Transport was one of the few industries with constantly increasing demand, and someone had to train those pilots.
“One thing I have trouble with still?” Hugh commented lightly. “Everyone looks about the same age. You have any idea how jarring it is to have a grandmother looking like your sister?”
“Tell me about it.” Alec mused. “Remind me to introduce you to my gran one day. She's downright... playful is the tactful way of saying it.”
Hugh was about to respond to that when a young girl came running up. “Brother Alman? This is for you!”
Hugh took it and the girl ran off. It was a blue envelope. Hugh looked after her and noticed that she had another half dozen blue envelopes. He looked at his own. Just his name, written neatly.
“Ooh, your first blue letter.” Alec said with a grin.
Hugh blinked. “You got one of these to point you to me?”
“Yup. Time, place, name. You were right on schedule.”
Hugh looked at the envelope in his hand like it was a baby rattlesnake. “And this one came to me?!”
“Looks like you’re ready.”
“I’m not ready.” Hugh blurted.
“You know who sent it?” Alec smirked. “You saying He’s wrong?”
A thrill went through Hugh in an exciting and vaguely terrifying way. “Alec, I have no idea what I’m doing. This is your department!”
“Hugh, if you weren’t ready, you would not get the assignment. I know there’s still plenty for you to learn. There’s still plenty more for me to learn too. We’ll have all the time in the world.” He tapped the blue envelope in Alec’s hand. “And whoever this is, they’ll have all the time they need to make their choice too.”
“What if I…” Hugh struggled for the words. “What if I do it wrong?”
“Remember when we first met?”
Hugh nodded.
“I dare say that I was not all that successful at first.” Alec smiled. “What your student does is between him and God. All you have to do is tell him the story. The same story I told you.” He smiled softly. “It’s the greatest story ever told; and you’re a character in it.”
Hugh took a deep breath, and opened the envelope. “Six hours from now. At the creek. It’s…” His eyes bulged.
“Hugh?” Alec was alarmed at the reaction. “What? Who is it?”
Hugh jumped to his feet and started running. “It’s my brother!”
~~/*\~~
The return spot was the Brooklyn Gardens. Hugh checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes. After a century of living, he'd thought he'd mastered patience, but he was counting the seconds now.
There was a sound, like the air itself was taking a deep breath. Hugh turned, and found his brother several yards away. He was looking around, obviously confused.
Hugh felt his heart leap into his throat. He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! The thought ran through his head like a mantra as he ran.
The young man turned when he sensed someone coming. “Hugh?!” He blurted.
“Nick!” Hugh almost tackled his brother tightly. “Oh, Nick; if you had any idea... I mean, if I wasn't a believer before, I am now!”
Nick hugged him back, still very confused. “Hugh, how did you... How did we get here?!” He looked around. “Where is here?”
Hugh broke the hug and pulled back just to look at him. “Nick... I have so much to tell you.”
END OF CHAPTER FOUR
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