The farms of Candlelight extend just beyond the town’s neighborhood boundaries.  There are farms beyond them, but they were outside of Candlelight jurisdiction.  The people living and running those farms tended to drift away from Candlelight toward the next town to the south. Once, they were part of Farm Town but through the decades, particularly after the renaming and boundary line change approvals for registering Candlelight, they became part of somewhere else.

  The four farms of Candlelight are of equal acreage, rectangular, owned by four separate families: the Compiseno’s, the McTavishs’, the Mollerus’, and the Dells’. Similarly, the farms grew the same crops; corn, vegetables, winter wheat, and soybeans.  They had a few chickens and their homes looked identical.  They shared equipment and helped each other plant and harvest.  They were family farms that were passed down from generation to generation.  The main market was in Jefferson City and they combined their crops and split the profits four ways true to their collaborative efforts.  All four families were financially, well, comfortable.

  Richard Dell inherited his farm from his mother, Tabitha, when she died.  He married Angela, who was from Republic, Missouri and they had one child, a daughter named Anna.  Anna chose a different path.  She loved to paint and participated in the Drama Club doing everything from painting backdrops, setting stage lights and she even acted in a few plays.  Richard and Tabitha attended all of them, of course, but he did not encourage his daughter at all.  He constantly prodded her to take interest in the farm.  In his mind, the path he had chosen for her was a down to earth, more realistic one than the pie in the sky ideas Anna envisioned for herself.  Angela got sick, diagnosed with cancer, and eventually succumbed to it.  Roy was suddenly alone with the promise to his wife to take care of their daughter and to support and respect her life choices.

  It was early the day after Thanksgiving Day morning, still a few hours from sunrise. Roy had already showered, dressed, and was seated at his kitchen table sipping a steaming cup of coffee.  His laptop stood open before him, lid up and his Facebook account staring back at him.  He was looking at his daughter, Anna’s smiling face, her blue eyes shining brightly, her long dark hair so much like her mother’s fell past her shoulders.  He placed the coffee cup beside the screen, placed his hands on the keyboard and typed, “Honey come home.  I am sorry.  I miss you.  I love you”.  That was it.  That was all there was to the message.  The same message he typed every morning since the day she left their home.  He looked at her one more time, kissed his fingertips and placed them on her nose, the very same gesture he did everyday of her life.  “I hope I see you soon,” he said aloud to no one, everyone, and anyone.

  He leaned back in his chair, placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.  His mind searched his memory of that last day.  It was her birthday, May 30, her 17^th.  A senior in high school, and she is becoming a bright, beautiful young lady.  Roy smiled to himself.  Her mother would have been so proud of her.  Man, she looks so much like her.  What bugs him from that day is that he started it – he started that last argument.

  “Happy Saturday, honey,” he had said as he entered the kitchen after his morning chores around the farm.  “Got any plans for your birthday?”

  She had her robe on over her right pinkflannel pajamas and it was open.  Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was standing at the kitchen table as she spread butter on a slice of toast.  She looked up at him as she took a bite from the corner of the bread.

  “No,” she put a hand on her hip and continued.  “You forgot, didn’t you?”

  “Forgot what, Anna?” he had asked her as he pulled the coffeepot from its stand and poured himself a cup.

  “Today is when I have to go to Columbia to take the ACT.”  Now she had placed both of her hands on her hips.

  “I thought we decided that you weren’t going to go to college right way because you needed to learn how to run the farm.”

  “No, you said that. We did not decide that. You did.”  She did not raise her voice in dissent just like her Mother had done when she argued.  “Dad, I don’t want to run the farm.  I do not want anything to do with the farm.  I want to live my own life and the farm is not in it.  Now, are you going to drive me up to Columbia?”

  Roy just stared at her and she stared back.  Anna walked out of the room and that was the last time he had seen her.

  He leaned forward, placed his elbows on the table, lowered his head into his hands and stared straight ahead.  He heard rumors of her possibly staying with his wife’s sister.  His wife, his late wife.  What would she have done?  Lupus is no fun.  She would be so disappointed in him.  She always accused him of not understanding their only child, and he knew it.  He just did not always get his daughter.  He certainly didn’t understand her resistance to learning to how to work the farm.  The farm was generations old, generations.  It was only natural it would fall to her and she would be the one to pass it on to her children and in turn to their children.  That was why he wanted to include her in plans to expand.  He wanted to bond, and he wanted her to be the farm like he is and how his father was and his grandfather.  The farm is the lifeblood of the family.

  He took another sip of his coffee and decided to get the moving along, the day was not going to wait on him.  He turned to the counter and the coffee pot.  He grabbed and filled the thermos that stood next to the pot waiting to be used.  He paused in the mudroom to put on his boots and pick up his work gloves.  He pushed open the door and into the crisp morning air.

  It was dark and the sky was clear of clouds.  He paused to look up and his eyes caught thousands of tiny points of light.  A puff of smoke drifted from his slightly opened mouth and evaporated.  He turned in a slow circle, changing his perspective of his viewpoint, and the specks of light spiraled with him.  He spun faster, the twinkles of light blending together until he suddenly stopped.  He stumbled briefly, still looking upward as the stars slowed to meet his stop. 

  “Oh, God, where are you Anna?  Please keep her safe.”

  The chickens clucking returned his attention to the task at hand.  He walked to the chain link fence that surrounded the coop where they were housed and pulled open the gate that allowed entry into their space.  Roy smiled to himself as he walked through the yard separating of few hens that had wandered into it from their building.  Anna always wanted her space.  He stepped through the doorway, turned to the cabinet that stood just inside and opened it.  On the few shelves stood a few buckets with the first one used for feed.  He pulled it from the stack and leaned down to the sack of layer feed to scoop it into the bucket.  The noise stirred the chickens as they began to gather at his feet.  He placed the scoop back into the bag and closed the cabinet door.   The birds gave way to him as he stepped back outside and walked to the center of the yard.  He slowly reached down into the bucket and there was a split second of silence as the mostly small brown bodies waited for the first toss.

  A small noise interrupted the toss and Roy paused in mid-air.  He turned to look behind him toward the gate and his gaze settled on a young woman with curly, shoulder length hair in a bright yellow jacket, smiling at him.

To be continued…

Thanksgiving Day started late for Robert Fuller as he simply lay in his king size bed in his customary position on the right side from the time his alarm sounded at 6:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.  After he had reached out and clicked off the alarm, he rolled over and stared at the ceiling and daydreamed of the last, happy, Thanksgiving Day he remembered with Anne and the girls, Samantha, and Renee.  A single tear started at the corner of his left eye and slowly made a trail that dripped into his ear.  He smiled at what he was remembering.

  “Wake up Daddy!” two giggly voices shrilled as they pounced on him.  He grunted with the surprise attack and feigned a grumble of pain.

  “Oh, Daddy, did we hurt you?” the older, ten-year-old Samantha asked.

 “Yeah, Daddy, did we?” the concerned voice of younger daughter, Renee added.

  And he pounced, tackling, and tickling his daughters unmercifully as they giggled and squirmed trying to break free of his attack.

  “All right, all right everybody, break it up,”  Anne said as she entered the room and smiled at the carnage on the bed.  “We have lots to do today.  We have to go to the Factory and set up the main hall for the Feast of the Main Hall.  Father Dooley has everything arranged for the volunteers; we just have to make sure everything else is ready.  Girls, go get dressed and, you, Mr. Fuller, get moving.”

  The girls ran out of the room chattering leaving Mom and Dad alone.  Robert looked at his wife and looked at the back of her as she looked into the mirror on top of the dresser they share.  She was a tall woman, already dressed in a plaid skirt, light green blouse, and black flats on her feet.  Sensible shoes, she would tell him if he asked.  She was brushing her jet-black hair that just touched her shoulders.  She placed the brush down and was pushing barrettes into her hair to hold her hair back just behind her ears when she noticed him looking at her in the reflection in the mirror.

  “What?” she asked him as she placed her hands on her hips and looked back at him over her shoulder.

  “Nothing,” he explained as he scooted his legs over the front of the mattress and sat up to face her. “It is just that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

  “Oh, stop,” she turned to face him. “You are making me blush.”

  “Am I?” he said as he reached out and pulled her closer to him.  He pulled her into him with his head resting on her legs and her hands began to go through his hair until she finally patted his head and said, “Come on, we got to move.”

  He looked up at her and smiled.  Anne returned the smile and then said aloud, “Girls, I am coming to check on you now.”

  When they arrived at the Factory, the staff had already set up the Main Hall with tables and chairs for the Thanksgiving Dinner for those who needed a good meal.  His father had started this tradition with the priest of the Sacred Heart many years ago and he was honored to continue doing so.  Anne was in her element directing the caterers as they arrived from Columbia and the local volunteers finishing setting the tables with plasticware of forks and knives for the guests.  The volunteer ushers, including his daughters, were giving instructions on how to greet and seat people when they came.  He himself was part of the team who cleared tables after the guests had eaten making the table ready for a dessert of pumpkin or apple pie.

  As the time zeroed in to open the doors of the Factory Main Hall, the family, volunteers, and Father Dooley gathered just inside.  Outside a line was forming of people, some were didn’t have much, others were families of the town, and all of them were there to share a meal together.  As host of the event, Robert raised a hand, and everyone quieted. Father Dooley opened the doors and remained as a sentry.

  “Well,” Robert began to address everyone. “Another Thanksgiving has arrived, and we gather together to celebrate.  I am so happy that you have volunteered to help us feed all of you who have come to enjoy this Thanksgiving meal.  I thank this town of Candlelight for all that has done for each other this past year.  Our future looks bright and may you have a great next year, too. Father Dooley, will you kindly bless this meal with a prayer.”

  It was less than two months later when their happy home was changed forever.  His beautiful, loving, caring, best friend, partner, mother of his sweet girls was diagnosed with lupus.  What is lupus?  A horrible, annoying disease.  Some people are affected with minor symptoms, others are not.  Anne was complaining of joint stiffness in the morning and after trying topical lotions and creams, she finally saw her doctor who was located in Columbia.  She was prescribed some medications which helped for a while.  She lost weight, unintentionally, and then unexplained weight gain.  She became tired all the time. Her doctor had some blood tests performed and it was diagnosed that she had lupus.  Together, they began to look into just what lupus is and found that it is a result of an overactive immune system and the body is basically attacking itself.  It is a unique disease because it expresses itself in people in different ways.  It attacked his sweet Anne completely and a mere two years later, she was gone.  At that moment, he changed as he became a single parent, he became strict and overbearing.  This behavior spread slowly, like an ember of coal first glowing in the fire pit and began to ignite and spread fire of silent anger on his family, his friends and his business.  The girls grew into young women that eventually moved away, not to some place, but away from him.  Robert had become that grumpy old, man that all the children of Candlelight talked about and adults avoided.

  Robert rolled over on his side to face the empty space where Anne once slept beside him.  He reached out and patted the pillow where she had, at one time, rested her head.  He rolled all the way over and sat up, pulling his legs around and over the edge of the bed.  He finally stood and walked around the bottom of the bed, trudging to the bathroom.  He first took care of his morning business then reached through the shower curtain and pulled the faucet on and water shot out of the shower head hanging from above.  He returned to the sink and stared at himself in the mirror.  The dark eyes, gray, thinning hair looking back at him, looked sad.  He opened the cabinet, swinging the mirror past his face and reached in, grabbed the shaving cream aerosol can and razor from within, and closed it.  He habitually shaved the overnight stubble of hair growth from his face and stepped into the shower.

  Afterward, he slowly dressed in blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He was haphazardly brushing his hair when the doorbell rang.  As he descended the stairs to the main floor, he wondered who it might be.  Maybe the girls had decided to surprise him on Thanksgiving Day.  He certainly would be thankful for that.  Hoping that to be the case, he hastened his pace and went down the remaining steps two at a time.  Through the tinted window within the fancy wood door, he saw a shadow that he thought looked like his youngest daughter, Renee.  His heart fluttered in excitement as he reached for the doorknob, paused as he gripped it, took a deep breath and opened the door.

  On the other side of the fancy storm door, a young woman stood looking at him, and his heart stopped.  It wasn’t Renee or Sam but a stranger.  She appeared to be about the same age as Renee.  Her bright green eyes continued to look at him as he continued to observe her.  She was wearing a bright yellow jacket and the hood covered her head filled with blond curly hair.  She was smiling at him, inviting him to smile back but he refused.  The storm door remained closed.  She seemed to stand taller to face him, squaring her small frame to face him directly and her smile never wavered.  In fact, it seemed to become more intense, more…friendly.

  “Hi, Robert,” a pleasant voice greeted him.  “Aren’t you going to let me in for a visit?”

  He opened the storm door just enough to place his head and shoulder through it.

  “How do you know my name?”  he asked.

  “Oh,” she bent toward him and smiled again. “I know a lot more about you.  You need to invite me in. I am here to help you.”

  He looked at her again, appraising her, his curiosity raised and finally pushed the door wider and stepped aside.

  “Come on in,” he said, and Kristy stepped inside the house.

To be continued…

Paul Brown stood looking at his bathroom mirror, shaving cream on his face with his hands leaning on the sink.  He shrugged remembering his younger self staring back at him.  He had hair, darker hair, his eyes seemed a brighter blue instead of what looked more gray than blue now.  His cheeks were thinner and his chin tighter.  He looked down and noticed his small round belly that was once leaner.  He looked back into the mirror and he sighed.  He turned the water on, rinsed is razor and started itdown the left side of his face across the jawbone and down the front of his neck.  He rinsed the razor beneath the still running water and returned the razor beside the first track and repeated the second one.  He repeated the process until he was staring at himself in his present state.  He placed the razor back in the cup that rested on the side of the sink.  He bent down, placed his cupped hands beneath the spout then splashed water across his brow, down his cheeks and across his neck.  He stood, pulled a towel from the rack on the side wall and used it to dry his face.  From the same cup that held the razor he pulled a comb and ran it through his sparse hair that was above his ears and around the back.  He smiled as he said to himself, ‘Oh well, at least it doesn’t take me long to comb it anymore.”

  Paul left the bathroom behind and returned to his bedroom where he had carefully laid out his outfit for the day, black socks, black pants, and black cleric tunic.  He sat on the bed and dressed deliberately, starting with the socks, followed by the shirt, the pants, his shoes and finally he reached for his white cleric collar.  He stared at it and paused.  He wondered what he was all about or what was his place in the world, his purpose.  He remembered starting his religious path and being assigned to the Methodist Church in Candlelight,  He was excited and determined to do great things, to bring people closer to God, to tell people about Jesus and the happiness he had found knowing that he was saved.  He knew what his place was in the world. What he learned as he was reassigned by Missouri Annual Conference of the Methodist Church to the same church year after year after year, was that people do not change much no matter what they are told.  It was like the professor of a communication course he attended in college had said; “People have their values set by the time they are ten years old and it takes a major motivational event, a “M. M. E.” the professor called it, and pronounced it as “me”, to change a value.”  Paul found that he could not  provide people with a “M. M. E.” to change a single value much less their lives.  People are what people are, he had become to believe.  He shrugged, placed the collar around his neck, buttoned it and carefully tucked it inside the collar of his tunic.

  Paul left his bedroom and walked down the hall to the kitchen glancing nonchalantly at the photographs he had hung in the hallway.  They were pictures of his brother and sister, his nieces, and his nephew.  The nephew and one niece were his brother’s and the other niece was his sister’s.  At the very end of the hallway, just before it opened up to allow entry to his kitchen, Paul paused at three photographs that hung below a cross forming a diamond.  The cross was at the top, his mother on its left, his father on the right, and the family portrait below the rest.  He brought his hand up to touch his Mom’s face, Martha, and smiled.  She always encouraged him to follow his heart and his father, Ethan, had encouraged his soul.  He focused his eyes on the family portrait where they sat around the living room couch.  Martha and Ethan in the middle, Paul sat beside them, his older brother, Ian, and his wife, Beth, stood behind him.  His niece, eight-year-old, Samantha, was standing beside him smiling radiantly at the photographer.  Paul’s baby sister, Sharon, stood next to Ian and on the other side of her was her husband, Mark.  Finally standing stoically, was his six-year-old niece, Amanda.  All of them, except Samantha, had those fake smiles we all perform when having a portrait captured in a photograph.  Paul loved them all and prayed a small prayer for them.  He hoped to see them at Christmas.  Since they all lived in St. Louis, sometimes snow prevented the family reunion from happening.  They loved him, too.  He knew that and he really could use the encouragement they brought with them when they visited him.  He felt he needed it right now.

  Paul entered the kitchen and sat at the table where he had placed his Bible and notes the night before with the thought of reviewing his lesson before he ate his breakfast.  Instead he stared at it, doing nothing.  Every Friday, he prepared a Bible Study that he provided to a group of patients at Mary’s Memory Care and Retirement Center.  It stood by itself about half mile up a lonely road on the outskirts of town near the county farms.  It is a quiet place with rooms for sixteen people most of which had dementia or other  memory issues.  Every Friday, Paul plans and provides a study to eight, ten or twelve individuals who forgot words almost as quickly as he spoke them.  He sat back in his chair and wondered if this is his purpose in life.  It couldn’t be, he thought, it just couldn’t be.

  The first light of morning began to shine through the kitchen window, so he closed the Bible and rose from his chair.  Going to the refrigerator, he opened the door and pulled out the half gallon of milk from the top shelf and shut the door.  From the lapboard above it, he pulled the box of chocolate Rice Krispies and placed it on the counter beside the fridge.  He reached for the bowl resting in the dish rack that was beside the sink and used it to hold the cereal.  Lifting the half gallon of milk he carefully poured some of it on to the cereal in the bowl.  Before returning the carton to the refrigerator, he chugged a few deep swallows directly from it.  He returned to the table, sat down, and finished his breakfast.  He rose from his chair, cereal bowl in hand and returned to the sink.  He turned on the hot water handle of the faucet and rinsed the bowl. He grabbed the dish soap that is placed beside the sink at arm’s length and squeezed some of it into the bowl.  Bubbles of soap suddenly appeared in the bowl as he used his hands to wipe the inside of it and dumped the water down the drain.  Taking the spoon, he cleaned it off and placed it and the bowl on the rack to dry.  He turned off the faucet and using a dish rag from the bottom of the sink, wiped it, and then placed it across the faucet to dry.  Paul paused as soon as he did that and thought to himself, routine, my life is nothing but routine.  He sighed.

  He returned to the table to pick up his Bible and notes for the study.  With the items in hand, he walked out of the kitchen, through the front room, and paused at the front door.  In the foyer, he placed the Bible with the notes being used as a bookmark on the table next to the coat closet.  He opened its door and removed his black suit jacket.  He closed the door and put on the jacket and looked at the mirror that hung on the back of his front door.  He smiled, a small smile, tugged at the coat to straighten it and made sure his white collar was centered as it should be and smiled again.  He was ready as he could be to start the day.  He turned and picked up his Bible from the table, turned back and opened the front door.  After shutting and locking the door, he walked down the sidewalk that linked his home to the driveway where his light blue American Rambler stood waiting.

  “Good morning Paul!”

  Paul nearly jumped out of his skin. He placed his hand on his car and turned toward the voice that called to him from across the street.  It was his neighbor, Father Dooley, James, was still in his maroon robe and held his morning newspaper in his hand.

  “You startled me James,” he said to his friend.  “I wasn’t expecting you, or anyone for that matter, to be up and about yet.”

  “I am sorry about that but that was pretty funny,” the priest remarked as he walked into the street.  “Off to Mary’s even the day after Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes, yes I am.  You know some of them don’t know what day it is,” Paul walked to the driver side door and opened it.

  “It is a good thing that you do, Paul.  You know it is.”

  “Do I, James?” Paul asked as he sat down in the car.

  “Paul, are you okay?” James asked still standing in the street behind the car.

  Paul looked at him before shutting the door and said, “I don’t know.”

  He shut the door and placed the key into the ignition, his right foot on the brake, his left foot  pushed down the clutch and he started the car.  He put it into reverse, grinding gears a bit and releasing the clutch slowly backed out of the driveway.  James stepped back and waved as the blue car lurched forward away from him and he wondered to himself what is going on with Paul.

  Paul watched his friend in the rear-view mirror as James turned, and begin to walk toward his home.  He continued to watch him as he came to the end if the street.  He stopped there and looked at the Catholic church on his right and then to his left to the Methodist Church he served.  It was so exciting to look at when he first came to Candlelight and now it is just a building.  Just a building.  He could not believe he just thought that way about a place where God was supposed to be at, a wonderful place to be.  He turned his car left in front of it and headed away from it. 

  The sun was rising slowly in the sky to his left and up ahead Paul saw a woman standing in front of the gas station.  He wondered what she was up to and as he began to draw closer, he began to hear her singing.  She was singing a Christmas carol or was it a hymn, he wondered.

  “God rest ye merry gentlemen, may nothing you dismay…”

  Her voice was as beautiful as she was pretty, blond, and brave to be singing on the corner early in the morning.  He slowed down as he passed her, looking through the passenger window at her.  She gazed back at him, smiled, and waved to him.  Yes, she waved to him and he knew he had to meet her as he drove past.

To be continued…

Thanksgiving arrived and Mike was standing behind the counter at the gas station early in the evening.  He let Abe, his one and only employee, time off for the holiday weekend.  Mike himself had no plans.  He had a microwave turkey dinner waiting for him at home.  He took a drink from the open diet Dr. Pepper and rose from the stool he was perched on.  He went into the storage room where the broom and mop were housed. A bucket balanced in a sink and on the shelf above it were cleaning supplies. He picked up the large push broom and started sweeping. 

  The day had been quiet.  In fact, since his mom left to visit his uncle, the whole town had been pretty silent.  The street running before his store is lined with lampposts without the candles that were meant to  be in them.  The mini mart was busy as was the gas station but people that came in were quiet and not very talkative.  Even the businesspeople that managed the establishments around his were not very chatty.  Yes, they waved to him but that was about it.  Even Louise across the street in her bakery just waved.  The very same mindset embedded itself into his own brain.  He kept to himself.  He walked home, walked to work and waved only if someone waved to him.  He turned the corner to sweep across the back aisle of the store when the bell that hung over the entry door jingled.  He immediately turned up the middle aisle as he swept toward the front of the store.  Standing, waiting by the counter stood a woman, a young woman, and she turned to look at him as Mike leaned the broom against the stack of bread that filled the endcap at the beginning of the aisle.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “Maybe, but I know I can help you,” she smiled at Mike.

  “Really?” Mike stated as he walked around the counter, folded his arms upon it and looked at her more closely.  Her eyes sparkled green and her smile drew up toward them.  She wore a yellow jacket that she had pulled the hood over her head causing her curly blond hair to frame her face.  Her skin was olive colored and he wondered if she had some Indian in her.  The jacket was zipped, and her hands were in the pockets.  She turned, leaned against the counter still smiling at him.  Mike smiled back.

  “Finally,” she said. “Mike, I was beginning to think you weren’t going to smile.”

  Mike’s smile ended and he looked back at her.

  “Oops, I shouldn’t have said your name.  I am sorry,” the young woman squared herself and removed the hood revealing the blond curls that fell past her shoulders.  She offered her hand toward him. “My name is Kristy and I really am here to help you.  Well, not just you really, but the entire town.  This place needs a good kick.  Are you going to shake my hand?”

  Mike squinted at her a moment and slowly reached up and touched her hand to shake it. As he did so, a warm wave tingled his fingertips, ran up his arm quickly to his shoulder and slowly faded away.  Kristy shook his hand firmly, still smiling, and allowed him to take his time to let go. 

  She leaned a little closer and whispered to him, “There is hope for you yet.”

  “I don’t understand” he responded and let go of her hand. “What can I do for you?”

  “Kristy.  I am called Kristy.”

  “Kristy,” he started over. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well, Mike, right now all I need is your permission.”

  “For what?”

  “To let me put a kettle in front of your store and, well, change your town.”

  “Change Candlelight?  What’s wrong with it?  It is just a small, quiet farm town.”

  “But Mike, it started out with so much hope,” Kristy placed her hands back in her jacket pockets.  “Do  I have your permission?”

  “What do you mean?” Mike asked in confusion.

  She smiled at him, “Do I have your permission?”

  “Yes,” he shrugged. “I mean, I guess so.”

  “Good,” She replaced the hood on her head and started toward the door. “I will see you tomorrow.”

  “But wait,” Mike started around the counter.  “What do you mean Candlelight needs to change?”

  Kristy paused at the door causing Mike to stop in his footsteps.

  “Don’t worry, Michael,” she pushed open the door and stepped outside. “All will be well, time will tell.”

  For a second Mike stared at the door as the bell slowly stopped jingling and then he rushed forward to push it open.  On the sidewalk outside the door, he looked left, then right, and all he could see was the quiet street lined with lampposts that were mysteriously filled with candlelight.

  Mike woke up early the next morning because he had given Abe the day off, well, the whole Thanksgiving weekend to spend with his family.  He laid in bed thinking about what he fell asleep thinking, just who is this Kristy person.  His memory kept rewinding around her smile, her eyes, her face, her hair but mostly on her strange question – do I have your permission? He knows it is more than what her explanation made it seem to be because she simply could have done it.  What was she really asking permission for and where had she disappeared to so quickly?  Who was this person?

  He rubbed his eyes and pulled the blanket off of himself and stepped onto the floor.  He left the room and strode into the bathroom at the end of the hall.  He had left the light on as he was used to doing from days past and after doing his business, he turned on the shower.  While the water warmed, he stared at himself in the mirror.  His hair, a little long in the back as he liked it and he watched his mouth smile back at him.  He reminded himself of his dad, a strong chin, squarish face, and light blue eyes,  He shrugged, deciding not to shave, he turned his attention to the shower.  He put his hand beneath the water and decided it was warm enough.

  After he had dressed in blue jeans and a flannel shirt, he lowered himself down the stairs and into the kitchen.  He reached around the corner, feeling for the light switch, and turned it on.  The overhead light snapped on and what was dark was enlightened.  He walked to the refrigerator to pull out the container of milk and the jug of V8 juice.  He had placed a cereal bowl, spoon, and of course, his favorite cereal on the table before he turned in for bed the previous night.  He sat and poured the cereal into the bowl.  He poured some milk over it and took a drink from the V8 bottle.  He used the spoon and took his first bite and listened to the crunch he made as he chewed.  He glanced at the clock centered on the wall above the sink.  It was 6:30.  He had to get going in order to open up the store at 7:00.  He finished his cereal, gulping down the milk left in the bowl.  He took a swig from the milk jug and then another from the V8 container before he returned them to the refrigerator.  He rinsed the bowl and the spoon and put them in the dishwasher.  He left the kitchen dragging his hand along the wall and snapped off the light.

   A dim light illuminated the living room from the windows in it.  He paused at the coat closet stationed at the right-hand wall to the entrance door.  He pulled on a jacket, opened the front door, and entered the early morning light.  It was chilly, just enough for him to see his breath.  To his right, where the sun would rise, the sky was beginning to merge from the gray of the night to the pink of morning.  He began his walk to the store.  He turned left at the corner and crossed the street to be on the same side as the building he worked in as the sky began to turn from a pink to a pale yellow.  Mike walked on as the sky brightened, head down with purpose in his steps when he heard the tinkling of a bell.  It sounded with a tempo and then he heard a clear voice singing.  He looked up and spied, in front of the gas station on the sidewalk before it, as the sunlight completely brightened the street, the girl waving her bell.  He picked up his pace and the song became clearer, a Christmas carol, a hymn, “Joy to the World”.  Mike stopped when he came upon her.  She smiled at him as she sang the song.  Her voice was perfect, strong, and clear, a soprano’s voice he thought but maybe not.

  “…The earth receive her King.  Let every heart, prepare Him room,” she stopped.  “Do you want to sing along?”

  “No,” Mike answered as her bell kept the tempo. “ What are you doing?

  “Singing.”

  “It is seven in the morning.  You will wake everyone.”

  “The sun is shining.  It is a beautiful morning, why not sing?” she asked as she stopped ringing her bell.  “You did give  me permission, didn’t you?”

  Mike paused before answering.  He looked away from her and looked up and down the street.  The lamppost candles were still lit, and they seemed to be full size.  He turned to look at her.  Her eyes waited for his response.

   “Yes, yes.  I did.”  He turned toward the front door of the store.  “But can the bell wait until 9:00?”

  “OK, Michael, the bell can wait,” she called after him.  “But I will have to start singing the song from the beginning.”

  He simply waved back and heard in the clear, strong voice, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king!”

Across the street, from a window above the bakery, Louise had been watching the scene below wondering what was going on.  As she watched Mike walk toward the door to the mini mart, the singing woman turned and looked up directly at her and smiled.  Lou dropped the curtain and it recovered the window.

It had been awhile since Mike Kerls had been home to Candlelight.  He had gone to college at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri studying and receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  He had been traveling around the country as a break from it all when he received the call that led him to this familiar two-lane road that was lined with trees providing shade to the pavement.  His father had died, and he now was one of the owners of Kerls’ Gas Station and Mini-mart.  His mother was going to meet him there.  His thoughts were mixed as he drove.  He was excited about running his own business but uneasy about returning to Candlelight.  A memorial service for his father was planned for the next day and the thought of losing his father weighed on his mind.

  His father was a kind man, so is his Mom.  They raised him to be nice to everyone and as he grew up, he found that it was not always easy to do.  He was smart and clever and that did not always mix well with his peers.  Except for one person.  He found that he was comfortable around Louise, Lou Barber.  He knew her most, if not all, of his life.  Their parents hung out together and because of that, he saw her a lot.  Mike knew of her parents’ accident and had sent flowers but could not bring himself to attend their memorial service.  He did not know why he couldn’t or wouldn’t return for it.  For some reason he thought it might be uncomfortable for Lou.  He wondered if she was still in Candlelight and might be at the service for his father.

  He entered town and he immediately looked at the store looking for his mother.  On the door a sign was posted stating “Closed – For A While”.  He smiled to himself and thought, typical Mom.  At the next intersection, he turned right and at the first house on the right, he turned into the driveway of the home he was raised in.  The house was two stories and as he exited his car, he habitually looked up to the window at the top.  It was his bedroom.  He returned his attention to the front and found his mother looking at him through the glass of the storm door.  He smiled at her and half waved, and she did the same in return.  He started up the walkway and stepped up the three steps to the porch and she stepped out to meet him.  For a moment, they just looked at each other then she started to cry, and he embraced her in a tight hug.  They stood that way for a few minutes then she released him and stepped back.

  “You look good honey.  I am sorry to cut your trip short,” she whispered as the tears started to come.

  “Shhh, Mom, it is okay,” Mike tried to assure her.  “Let’s go inside and talk.”

  He opened the door and guided her inside.  They passed the living room which is in the very front of the house and walked to warmest room in the house, the kitchen.  It was here they really lived in; where they talked, where he did homework, where they laughed.  He led her to the small kitchen table that was just big enough for the three of them.  Now there is only two and together they sat and looked at each other.  Samantha looked at her son and the tears were starting to well in her eyes.

  “I wish you were with me when I found him.”

  “Found him, Mom?” Mike reached out for her hand.

  “He went to the store first, as usual, to open it like always.  I went in a little later because I was going to go to the bank with the deposit, you know.  The lights were on and I found him behind the counter on the floor.  I called 911 and they came and said he was gone.  The hospital confirmed that it was a heart attack.  A heart attack!  Michael ate right and he didn’t smoke, and he had a heart attack.”

  Mike was silent.  He let his Mom cry as he never let go of her hand.  He could not  believe it either.  His dad was happy and loved, well, life.  He stood and hugged his Mom.  She smiled up at him.  He smiled back and left her in her chair.

  He headed outside to his car to retrieve his belongings.  He grabbed his suitcase and returned to the house.  When he came in, he first looked in at his Mom and found her still sitting in her chair, staring straight ahead as silent tears traveled down her cheeks, dripping quietly on her shoulders.  Mike sighed.  He went up the stairs and headed to the bedroom he had known as home.

  As Mike entered the room it seemed he was going back to high school.  His full-size bed was centered beneath the window and it was still covered with the green striped quilt his grandmother had made with her quilting group.  A tall, brown dresser stood to his left beneath a mirror.  A comb was embedded into a long, short-haired brush rested on top, just as it was when he went off to college.  He threw the suitcase on the bed, opened it, and grabbed some items from it and filled the dresser with his clothes.  He turned behind him, went to the small closet, and opened the closed door.  Inside he found some old clothes still there including his letter jacket. He pushed them to the side and hung a few shirts.  Returning to the suitcase, he grabbed his travel kit, leaving the room, and turned left to head to the room at the end of the hall. 

  He pushed open the bathroom door that was always his as his parents lived downstairs.  Instantly, he was staring at himself.  His blues eyes were wide in surprise and he did not know why.  Settling down, he looked at those eyes a bit closer.  Dark circles had formed below them, and he realized he was tired.  He ran his hand through his dirty blond hair.  An unintentional stubble had appeared on his face.  He smiled and his reflection smiled back.

  He opened the mirror to reveal any contents that were hidden in the medicine cabinet on the other side of it.  His eyes are drawn to a ceramic shaving cup, covered, with a wooden handled brush lying beside it.  It was his dad’s.  He paused on a memory.  His dad was using that brush, lathering up the soap bar within in that ceramic cup, and then rubbing the brush over his chin and up the side of his face.  He remembered his dad noticing him at that moment in the mirror, turned around and smiled at him.  He asked, “Want a shave?”  Mike smiled at the memory and left the shaving cup and brush exactly where they sat.  He filled the otherwise empty shelves with items from his travel kit.

  After Mike had emptied his car, filled his room, shaved, and took a shower, he returned to the first floor of the home to check on his Mom.  He heard people talking in the living room.  As he entered the room, a man who had been sitting next to his Mom stood to face him.  He smiled at Mike and offered his right hand toward him.  Mike hesitated when the man introduced himself, “I am Pastor Brown, the minister of the Methodist Church.  I will be leading the memorial service tonight.”

  “Oh,” Mike began as he shook the man’s hand.  “I’m sorry.  Please sit.  I’m Mike, Michael Jr.”

  “We were just talking about the service, Mike,” his Mother started to explain.

  “Of course, Mom.  I get it.  What can I do?”

  “That is exactly what I was asking Suzanne,” Pastor Brown interjected.  “What would you like to do?”

  “Her name is Samantha,” Mike said.

  “Pardon?” the Pastor questioned.

  “My mom’s name is Samantha,” Mike repeated.

  “Of course it is,” the Pastor stated. “What did I say?”

  “Suzanne.”

  “I did? I am terribly sorry,” Pastor Brown stammered as turned toward Samantha,  “I am so terribly sorry.  I know your name, I truly do.”

  “I know, Pastor.  It is all right.  Please go on.”  Samantha implored him to sit down with her eyes.  He followed her gaze and sat down.

 “We want a simple service,” she reminded everyone.  Mike was amazed at the way his Mother always remained calm even in awkward situations.

  The Memorial service was simple and seemed to go by quickly, at least Mike thought so.  Pastor Brown spoke well of his father and that was good, but it was missing something.  It was just an ok service.  There were a lot of people he knew and Louise was in attendance.  A line of people snaked around the room where rows of chairs stood in the center.  Side by side, his uncles Billy and Matthew stood by their sister-in-law, his Mother greeted each mourner and thanked them for attending the service.  Mike had left his mother’s side and stood at the back of the room staring at the casket where his silent father was lying.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” a quiet voice interrupted his reverie.  It is Lou.

  “Hi,” he smiled, and she smiles back at him.  He looked at her closely and it seems like high school all over again.  The light blue eyes looked up at him.  Her dark hair, still shoulder length in long, soft curls but it was now parted on the side and fell above her right eye and behind her shoulder.  The smile was simple with a small dimple creased below the same eye.  He hugged her.  “Thanks for coming.  I didn’t know if you would or not.”

  She paused before responding, examining his face.  “I love your Mom and your dad.”

  Mike nodded in understanding.  Their families had a special bond. 

  “I’m sorry I didn’t do the same,” Mike acknowledged his bad decision.

  “Lucky for you, I am the forgiving type,” she informed him as she reached for his hand.  “Let’s take a walk.”

  Mike went with her and they went out the front door.  They stepped down the steps and turned left, still holding hands.  As they followed the sidewalk, a cold gust of wind reminded them it was November.  She let go of his hand and instead inserted her arm within his so that they were closer together.  The pace they were walking slowed as they came to the Candle Factory and Mike decided to break the silence.

  “So, Lou, how have you been?”

  “Sad,” she sighed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You will understand soon or maybe not.  You still have your Mom. I am all alone and I miss my parents.  You know the other thing is, I’ve had to change me, too.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Mike hated that he was being redundant.

  “Well,” Lou began to explain. “My dream was to leave this place and go to St. Louis.  I like that city.  It is quiet and has the arch.”

  “The arch, huh?   I have been there.  I rode up the small, five seat elevator to the top and looked out those windows.”

  “Me, too.  The great Mississippi river on one side and the city on the other.  I liked to see Busch Stadium and that Courthouse.”

  “You were always a Cardinal fan and not a Royals fan,” Mike smirked.

  “True, true,” she laughed. “But what I really am is a zoo fan.  St. Louis has a great zoo, you know.  I just earned a degree in Husbandry to work in a zoo.  But that is just a dream now.  Poof,  now I inherit a bakery I really do not like.  Mom and dad did but not me.  But here I am.” 

  Louise stopped walking and Mike was not sure what to say but he tried anyway.  “I am sorry.  I am sure it will get better.”

  Lou looked at him for a moment and stepped up to him, kissed his cheek, turned, and walked away.

  Mike watched her turn the corner and returned to the mortuary.  He found his Mom in the break room. He approached her and gave her a hug.

  “I am glad he is going to be cremated,” she said. “I couldn’t stand a graveside thing.”

  Mike held her tighter.

  “Listen, Mike,” she said as sat in a nearby chair and he continued to stand. “I decided to go with Billy and his family to visit for a while.  I am sorry but I need a break.  The house, the station, I see him everywhere.”

  She started to cry.  Mike knelt beside her to hold her.

  “Sure, Mom,” he whispered. “I will take care of everything and I am happy to do it.”

To be continued…

  Someone once told me that stories are told one of two ways; one is to begin with the end and tell the story of how it came to that end.  The other way is to start at the beginning to tell the story as it happened.  This story starts at the beginning.  It has to be told as it unfolded to understand its ending.  It begins with the town called Candlelight.

  Candlelight is an old town that lies in the middle of the state of Missouri in Boone County between Columbia and Jefferson City, the state capital. It was founded in the late 1800s and was originally called Farm Town because that is what it was, a farm town.  As one entered Farm Town from Columbia, south, off state highway 63, the road is a two-lane road, originally dirt then to gravel and finally, to asphalt.  It is tree lined that provides plenty of shade in the spring and summer, beautiful colorful leaves in the fall and some road protection from falling snow in the winter.  When one arrived in Farm Town in the early days, the only buildings on this road were a stable and a small building that offered everything else. It was a small town.

In the year 1940, Robert Fuller, Sr., built a candle factory.  It was successful, and many people benefited from its existence.  People were employed and a few new businesses began to line its once meager main street.  The stable became a gas station and expanded to include the everything else store – a gas station and mini-mart, with a parking lot beside it.  On the other side of the street, the City Hall, a bakery, and a barber shop with parking spots in front of them. These establishments, too, were successful. The candle factory, called The Candlelight Candle Factory, stood at the far end of town where the road passes on its way to Jefferson City.  A neighborhood soon grew around these fine establishments, including Catholic and Methodist churches, a fire house near the factory, an elementary school, a high school, a grocery store and a hardware store.  Farm Town was bordered by several small farms that extended from the town.

  The owners of some of these businesses were great friends; the aforementioned Candlelight Candle Factory owner Robert Fuller, Sr. and his beautiful but plump wife, Bethany, John Kerls and his wispy wife, Marie, owned Kerls’ Gas Station and Mini-Mart, and Louis and Lucy Barber were the bakers at Barber’s Bakery. These couples, of course, had children. The Fuller’s had three, Robert, Jr., Bobbie, and Bertha.  The Kerls’ also had three children, all boys, William (called Billy), Michael and Matthew.  The Barber’s had only one child, Andrew.  These three families were the best of the best of friends. Together they held a fund raiser to line the streets with lampposts that held candles made at the factory to brighten their little town. There is actually a salaried city job to light the lamps nightly. In the year 1952, by unanimous vote of the city council, the town legally registered and changed the name of their town from Farm Town to Candlelight.  The same year the town name was changed,  a tradition began.  It was a Thanksgiving Day Celebration that was held in the Candlelight Factory’s Main Hall where breakfast was provided to everyone in town to celebrate and be thankful together.  The people of Candlelight were elated with its small-town look and feel and were incredibly happy.

  However, as with all things, time moves forward, and so did the town.  Homes and streets were added, as well as the City Park that included the two high school baseball fields and a soccer field.  Across the street from the high school, a track surrounding a football field was built on land behind the bakery.  Robert Fuller, Sr. retired and his oldest child, Robert, Jr., took over the reins of the factory.  Junior was married by then to Anne and together they had two girls, Samantha, and Renee. Robert, Sr. died in 1962 from a heart attack, the day after the country’s loss of President Kennedy.  Bethany, they say, died of a broken heart one year later.

  The Kerls managed the Gas Station and Mini-Mart into a lucrative business and they finally retired and moved to Florida leaving the business to their children.  Billy and Matthew wanted nothing to do with it and sold their interests to Michael.  Michael married Samantha Fuller and they had one child, a son, Michael, Jr., whom they called Mike.

  Louis and Lucy Barber loved their bakery so much they were running it until they died, and it was left it to their only child, Andrew.  Andrew had married his college sweetheart, Mary, and took over managing the bakery as his parents had done for many, many years.  They had one child, Louise.  They called her Lou and she was the apple of Andrew’s eye and named for his favorite St. Louis Cardinal of all time, Lou Brock.  Lou was born in an ambulance in front the Boone County hospital in Columbia as they did not quite make it there in time.

  November 21, 1990, Michael Sr. died in his Gas Station and Mini-Mart.  That same year, two months earlier, Andrew and Mary Barber were killed in an automobile accident on that two-lane road as they headed to Columbia to see his daughter who was attending the University of Missouri.

  Anne Fuller had a stroke in 1987 and was disabled.  Robert, Jr. devoted himself totally to her care and neglected the business.  She died May 1, 1990 and he took out his pain and suffering on his family.  His daughters Bobbie and Renee left town, simply leaving him alone.  He, in turn, clamped down on the factory becoming unapproachable and sour to all around him.  Many of his employees only stayed on because they needed a job, not because they loved it, and constantly talked about the good old days.  The Candlelight Factory had changed.  The town of Candlelight had changed. It had lost its light.  No one lit the lampposts anymore.

Here the history lesson ends and the story begins…

Dear Friends,

  Welcome back to My First Stories!  I hope you enjoyed The Flock.  I will be posting it as a complete entry as soon as my editing procedure is complete.  One of you suggested that I write a sequel to it and I think that is a great idea!  We will be revisiting The Flock in the future.

  When I started the My First Stories Blog site, it was to provide you, Dear Friends, with a variety of “feel good” stories.  Every year I write a Christmas story. This next story, Candlelight, is a modernized version of the very first Christmas story I wrote in 1978.  The story was first introduced at a Christmas Concert at the elementary school where I was teaching as a Building Assistant (yes, schools were allowed to have Christmas concerts back then).  As a Building Assistant, I was not assigned to teach in a classroom but to help all teachers of all grade levels with all of their children, so I had an entire building of students.  When the holiday season approached, there was not any way financially to provide small gifts for an entire school, especially one short month after I was married.  As a result, I wrote Candlelight and requested to read it at the Christmas Concert.  I was granted permission and, from a rocking chair set on a stage, I read them Candlelight.

  One of the comments, I received from you concerning my use of the serial format, posting by chapters, was you had a trouble keeping track of the characters.  Therefore, here are the main characters and a map of the town, Candlelight.    I wanted to give you fair warning, Dear Friends, I may introduce other characters throughout the story but the ones listed are the main characters of the story.

Main Characters

Michael (Mike) Kerls, Jr. – Owner/Manager of Kerls’ Gas Station and Mini Mart

Samantha Kerls –                Mike’s Mother

Louise (Lou) Barber –         Manages Barber’s Bakery

Paul Brown –                        Pastor at Candlelight Methodist Church

James Dooley –                   Priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Richard Dell –                       Owner of Dell’s Chicken and Vegetable Farm

Anna Dell –                           Richard’s Daughter

Martha Moon –                      Administrator of Mary’s Memory Care Retirement Center

Kristy –                                   The Newcomer

  When Ki arrived, he circled far above the larger pond that had been chosen as Home.  The contour was large and circular on one end that edged against the hill side with the large plateau of scattered trees and bushes filled with the bright crimson berries that The Flock enjoyed.  The smaller end was long and wide, surrounded by long, sweet stalks of tall green grasses that not only served as food but also offered cover for geese who choose to sleep there.  The woods that outlined the pond, while still a place of danger, was also another source of food and protection.  The cave was unseen from the air, but he knows it is there.  As he scanned the tree lines, it became obvious that there were other birds there, too.  He definitely noticed more sparrows than he had ever noticed before.  There were also cardinals, blue jays and tiny bluebirds darting in and out of the trees, too.  He began to appreciate this sky view was of seeing things that Protector must see all of the time.

As Ki circled above, Ack coasted to a landing on the water and glided toward the opening of The Meeting Place.  Marcus and Gabriel are at their stations on either side of the entrance.

  “Welcome back,” Marcus spoke first.

  “Thanks,”  Ack floated toward them.  “Am I the first one back?”

  “No,” Gabriel replied.  “Liza is back and so is Mattias and High.”

  A quiet splash sounded behind them and Ack turned to look behind his to see Ki drift toward them.

  “Welcome back,” Marcus repeated.  “We were just catching up on who is back.”

  “Liza,” Ack spoke as Ki swam to be beside him. “And Mattias and High, too.”

  “Really?  That is good news.  Is Mattias feeling better?” Ki asked the two sentries.

  “Better, yes, but not completely.  He will be his old self soon,” Gabriel informed them.           “Simeone says Drifter is flying now but not for the long flight back here yet.  He and Jake seem to be getting along fine.”

  “Jake grows on you,” Ki smiled to himself.

  “So what’s next?” Ack asked the obvious question.

  “Well,” Marcus began. “You are to join Liza on the flat ground above The Meeting Place and wait to be called.”

  “Of course,”  Ki said and looked at Ack who returned a glance.  Together, they turned from the two white guards and swam toward the beach nearest them.  The two geese waddled up the hill following a familiar path that meandered to the top.  As the ground flattened making it easier for them to walk, they spied a black tipped goose sitting beneath the shade of a tree with her head tucked in under her wing.  Liza is fast asleep.

  Ack and Ki approached her as quietly as possible and quietly seated themselves beside her.  They looked at each other, shrugged and Ack lowered his head beneath one of his wings.  Ki simply lowered his head to his chest, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  “Excuse me.”  It was Marcus who woke them as the three geese shifted to look at him. “Deke and the Wist will see you now.”

  Gabriel stood nearby waiting for them to stand, stretch their wings and waddle toward him, Liza first, then Ack and Ki.   Marcus fell in behind the three as Gabriel led them down the hill toward the water.  A few curious geese waited nearby as they entered the water and started toward the Meeting Place entrance.  Gabriel stopped there, turned and took up a position to the left of the doorway.  He nodded to them to continue inside as Marcus took his position on the right.  Liza slowly led them into the depths of darkness.

  Once inside, as their eyes adjusted to the gray light, they began to see the Wist on their left, lined up, slowly rising and falling with each ripple of water beneath them.  Behind them they also noticed a twisted mass of what looked like tree branched on which a small shadow jumped and flitted among a low one while a larger mass of a darkness rose above it, wide at its top tapered toward the branch it rested on.  They knew the shadows are Simeone and Protector.

  “They are holding onto the roots of the trees that are above us,”  Ack informed his partners.

  “That’s right, Ack,”  Daniel startled them as he slowly approached them from their right.  “The roots are reaching for the water that we are swimming in.”

  The three candidates stopped in a line, shoulder to shoulder, Liza was nearest the Wist, then Ack and Ki.  Out of the darkness directly in front of them, Deke slowly treaded toward them.

  “So…”  he began. “You want to be the Leader of The Flock, huh?”

  The three looked at each other, first, confused, then knowingly and they refocused on Deke.  “You are kidding,” Ack asked for them.

  “No,” Deke treaded water in front of them.  “I am not.  You want to be the Leader.”

  Movement behind Daniel on their right, redirected their attention and they saw Mattias, High, Jake and Drifter line up to watch the proceeding.

  “Jake!” Ki cried out.  “You are okay!”

  “Yes, we are, “Jake calmly responded to his best friend. “We are all okay.”  The others nodded their head in agreement.

  “Yes, everyone is okay, and everyone is here,”  Deke continued. “Simeone, Protector, the Wist, and finally, you three are here with us.”  He slowly began to swim first to Liza.  “We have talked to everyone for their input.  Everyone except each of you.  Liza, we will start with you.  Why should you be the next Leader of the Flock?”

  Liza raised her head high and swam slightly forward and turned toward her companions.  “I am the most decisive.  I know what I want, and I know what is best for everyone.  These guys are too hesitant, too fearful to make quick decisions.”

  “I see,” Deke responded.  “Sometimes quick isn’t right.  Some decisions take time especially those that affect so many geese.”

  “No,” Liza turned toward him.  “I know that an immediate decision is best because it keeps me out of danger.”

  “Keeps you?”  Daniel quietly interrupted.  “Keeps you?  Didn’t you mean us?”

  “Daniel,” Deke gently addressed him and redirected his attention toward Liza.  “But he is right, didn’t you mean us?”

  “Because I know what is best for everybody!”

  The dark shadow in the corner spread his wings to its fullest distance and refolded them back into its sides. Liza jumped at the movement.  Deke remained calm and continued to assess her with his fading eyesight.  He then nodded at her and slowly turned away in a small circle to return to where he started, directly in front of them.

  “Liza,”  he raised his head toward her.  “You are not ready to be the Leader.  You have a few more things to learn and maybe someday you will be the Leader I think you can be.”

  “You are wrong!”  Liza screamed at him swimming toward him.  “You are so wrong!  You will see what happens when you pick one of these weaklings!”

  Deke remained unmoved by this and his expression seemed to sadden as he looked at her.   Liza paused in her angry lecture and looked back at him. 

  “You will see,” she quietly repeated glaring at him, turned and stormed out of The Meeting Place.

  Deke waited as the waters settled from Liza’s sudden exit from the cave.  All the geese bobbed up and down slowing as each wave became longer and quiet.  Deke moved toward Ack and paused in front of him.  “Well, that was interesting,” he said.  “I hope you aren’t quite so dramatic.  So, Ack, why should you be the Leader?”

  Ack responded with a nod before he spoke,  “I don’t know that I should be the Leader.”

  “Why not?”  Deke asked him, swimming just a bit closer to him.  “The Wist chose you because they felt that you would be the best Leader.”

  Ack chuckled and turned toward the Wist.  “I am honored, and I appreciate your confidence in me.”  He bowed low to the water to them, slowly rose his head and turned to Daniel.  “Thank you, Daniel.” Daniel nodded back to him.

  Ack continued to explain, “I know a lot about a variety of important tasks that are required to direct the Flock.  Maybe that is all it takes but I have a feeling that it is not.  I am more, shall I say, hesitant, than Liza for sure, in making personal decisions.  I cannot imagine what it takes to make decisions for the Flock.  And I know the Leader relies on help but ultimately makes that decision.  I just do not know if I can make that final decision.  It must be hard to do.”

  “Sometimes it is,” Deke spoke directly.  “I see that you realize that, and you seem to know to get help from others.  Maybe you are the one.”

  Deke finally left Ack to swim toward Ki and stopped before him.  “And why should you be the Leader?”

  “Actually, Deke,” Ki began.  “I was thinking about that on the way back home.  I have decided that I understood the reason for the three tests; food and lodging for all and knowing the way home because they are important for our basic needs as a Flock but those were only the means to see us in the “real” test. Do we know what it means to be a Leader?  Each of us, Deke, have those traits and some of us are better at some of them than others. Those traits are knowing our history, being creative and fearless, knowledge of flight patterns and airstreams, being loyal, independent, strong-willed, patient, kind, and knowing yourself.”  Ki swam closer to Deke.  “I am not the best at any of those things, but I know me, and I can learn from those that are better at them.”

  Deke nodded and swam toward Daniel.  He stopped in front of him and said,  “An interesting duo that will lead us to an interesting decision, old friend.”

  Deke swam toward his old friend, paused in front of him.  He turned toward the two finalists and spoke, “Marcus!  Gabriel!” 

  The two sentries came into The Meeting Place and the Leader continued. “Hello guys.  Will you please let The Flock know that I have an announcement to make tomorrow morning at First Light?  Thank you.”  He paused and waited for the two geese to leave them alone.  He then directed his next comment to Ack and Ki, “Guess what?”

  Ack and Ki looked at each other and returned their gaze back to Deke and waited on him to say, “You will find out tomorrow at First Light, too.  Meet us on the hill above The Meeting Place and we will let everybody know at the same time. You honor me with your participation and honesty.  I look forward to following where either of you may lead us.  Thanks!” 

  Deke looked at Daniel, swam past Ack and Ki back into the dark corner of the cave and the two of them left.  Once outside, they swam a short distance together and paused, turned to face each other, and treaded in the water.  Shortly thereafter, Jake, High, Mattias, and Drifter joined them.  The six geese slowly formed a circle and silently floated in the water.  A small, white goose with black wingtips, a rounded head with a short neck approached the group and edged her way into the circle.  She looked at each of them and nodded.  Seven geese gently rose and fell with each ripple of water beneath them.

  Still dark but the quiet sounds of the small birds awakening, indicated the rising of the Bright Light was eminent.  Jake walked with Ki on the path that leads to the top of the hill.  They walked silently, side by side, as was their natural habit.  This path was well worn as it was used a lot and it had become the easiest way to get to the plateau where berries grew and a splattering of shade trees grow to doze beneath.  As they arrived at the peak of the path, they noticed that Deke and Daniel were already there.  Their sentries, Marcus and Gabriel stood to their left watching the two of them as they, too, sat side by side.  They were facing the direction that overlooked the water they called home and where the Bright Light would appear.  Ki led Jake to a place just behind them and together they sat down to wait. 

  All around them, it became obvious to them that sounds became clearer.  Crickets rubbed their legs together, the small birds chattering, the silent splashes rising from below them, and the trees swishing in the small breaths of air that passed through them. They turned in surprise as the Wist flew overhead and landed on the left of Deke and Daniel.  In the graying light of the sky. A darker shadow lowered in ever closing circles until Protector came into view and swooped before them to a nearby tree.  Deke shook his head and his soft chuckle joined the pleasant sounds of the early morning.

  Another column of geese arose from the path and the remaining candidates waddled to join Jake and Ki.  Another fluttering of small birds sound from behind them and while the majority flew to the trees, one landed on the ground before Deke.

  “We are ready to spread the word,” Simeone reported.

  “Thank you, my friend,”  Deke responded.

  The sparrow stopped flitting around and paused in front of the goose and bowed before him.  “It has been an honor, Deke.”

  “To you, too,” Deke bowed to him.  “As soon as the Bright Light appears, we will all know.”

  The small brown bird flew to the trees to join his flock and Deke returned his gaze before him.  The splashing of water below them became slightly louder as the sky lightened to a brighter gray.  A dark, charcoal gray cloud hugged the horizon revealing a light pink beneath it.  It was becoming clearer the water beneath the hill was filled with its on colors of white, brown and gray dipping with the waves beneath them.

  “Will the Seven, please join us here,” Daniel turned toward them.  They slowly made their way to join the two geese.  As they began to line up, Deke instructed, “Ki and Ack, you join me.  Ack, you step to my left and Ki, you on the other side.  I love this time of day.  The air is cool and the sky…take a look.”

  At that moment, the Bright Light had edged on the horizon spreading a trim of yellow and silently began to expand causing the slight pink to turn to a rose.  Deke then smiled and looked at Daniel who rose and announced, “Attention, members of The Flock, our Leader has an announcement!”

  The sound that projected from this overlook of the crowd below was clear and all geese drew their attention upward.  Deke stepped forward to the edge and the sky brightened at that moment as the Bright Light emerged above the horizon.

  “Good morning!  I have never held anything back and I won’t now.  I will be direct.  My eyesight is failing, and I feel, no, I know, I will be blind soon.  Knowing this, the members of the Wist and I made the decision to develop a process to replace me.”  He paused to allow for the gasps and the rumbling that rose from the water to settle before he continued.  “We chose these seven geese to a complete a series of three tests we called the Journey of Three.  These tests were to see which of them would be the best Leader for you.  I asked several of my friends to help, particularly an eagle to protect them and a sparrow to watch and tell us what was occurring during these tests.  I thank them again for their service.”  He glanced slightly toward the nearby trees. “We interviewed the candidates yesterday and we have decided who the next Leader will be but let me assure you, that I will train the New one in all that I know until I can no longer see.  Now, it came down to these two geese beside me, Ack,”  he turned toward him and then to turned to back to his other side, “and Ki.” 

  Deke stepped back to allow the two candidates to be front and center and as he stood behind them, he begins his pronouncement, “Members of The Flock, your new Leader is…”

The End

Epilogue

  The Flock continued in their normal ways under their New Leader.  Mattias and High became closer friends and Drifter began to teach the younger geese how to be “more free” according to him.  In other words, he and his students were having fun.  Jake became a sentry because the Wist decided that was he was best suited in that role.  Deke spent a great deal of time coaching and instructing the New Leader in what he knew and what he had learned leading The Flock during his time as The Leader.  He swam, he flew, he talked, he guided his replacement and when the north wind began to blow colder air over their home, it was time for The Flock to fly to warmer waters.  Deke decided to stay behind, very much against the protests of the Wist, and particularly from Daniel.  However, when they left, he was not alone. Marcus and Gabriel were with him and, surprisingly, Liza.  She wanted to learn from Deke on how to become a better goose.

  When it was time for The Flock to return, the first V-form landed on the Home waters.  The Leader was immediately greeted at The Meeting Place, by Liza with Marcus and Gabriel posted at the entrance.  She informed him that one morning when they woke up, they had discovered that Deke was not with them.  After a thorough search of the half frozen pond and the snow covered plateau above it, that it had become clear that Deke was gone.  He had left The Flock on his own.

• Gregory Jenkins – May 5 – June 11. 2020
• Dear Friends, please send me an email to tell me what you thought of The Flock at gjenkins40@sbcglobal.net

Blog Reminder: Dear Friends, the way this My First Stories Blog operates is that when a chapter is posted, that chapter will be first displayed to read.  If you need to refresh yourself in previous chapters, you must scroll down to read previous chapters and back up to return to the current one.  I know, not easy to use but unfortunately, that is the way it is.  But, the most convenient method is to go to my Contact page, enter an Email address to become a Follower, and you will automatically receive only the posted chapter.  Whatever you choose to do, Dear Friends, I am glad you are reading The Flock and I truly hope you are enjoying it.

  A chattering of birds awakened Ki and he unfurled his head from beneath his wing.  He scanned the clearing.  Dew had settled across the grass and glistened in the early morning light.  The white trunks of nearby trees seemed to stretch up to the Bright Light as Ki’s eyes slowly followed them upward.  Jake stirred beside him.  Ki turned to look at his best friend and shook his head.  He was fairly sure Jake was not afraid of anyone or anything.  On the other side of Jake, Liza was still asleep.  Ki shook his head as he thought of her stubbornness and wondered how she came to be that way.  Ki looked back to his left and looked at Drifter, thought about his situation and, more importantly, what does he think of it.  At that moment, Ack arose from the far end and headed to a nearby branch and plucked a berry.  Ki rose and waddled toward him causing Jake to raise his head.  Liza also looked up, watched the two geese then stretched her wings.

  “Good morning,” Jake said to her.

  “Hi,” she simply replied.

  “Listen,” Jake stammered. “I have been thinking about last night…”

  “Me, too,” she cut him off in mid-sentence. “I am sorry, too.  I think I am going for a swim and a stalk or two of grass.”

  “I should come with you because we shouldn’t go anywhere alone,” Jake said as he stood up.

  “You’re right.  Let’s go.”

  Ki had turned in their direction, ready to mediate and then noticed that two geese had walked off together in peace.  He then continued to join Ack.  Ack turned and nodded at him.

  “Good morning,” Ki said as he stretched to pluck a berry from a bush.  “These are kind of tart, don’t you think?”

  “At least they don’t make us sick,” Ack stated.  “So what do you think?”

  “About what?” Ki plucked another of the tart morsels from the bush before him.

  “About these tests and the things that are happening to us?” Ack turned to look straight on at Ki. “Why us?”

  Ki faced the goose next to him and studied the large, brown body, black head, white cheeked bird staring back at him.  “Why were you chosen, do you think?”

  “Simple.  The Wist wanted a Wist member represented and I am the youngest member of that group.”

  “You don’t think you should be The Leader?”

  “What about you?” Ack avoided answering the question.

  “Honestly,” Ki smiled at him.  “I never even thought about it until now.”

  “And?”

  “Why not?” Ki laughed aloud which caused Ack to join him and as the two geese were laughing, Drifter snuck up on them.  The two laughing birds jumped which caused Drifter to erupt into laughter, too.  Unnoticed, Jake and Liza rejoined them, looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “So,” Jake interrupted. “What’s so funny?”

  “I don’t know,” Drifter answered, his laughter slowing to a giggle. “Ask them?”

  “Oh,” Ki looked at Ack before adding, “Nothing much.”

  “Ok,” Liza sat down.  “What do we do next?  Anyone have a guess?”

  “Not me,” Drifter sat down, too.

  “Maybe Protector knows something,” Jake offered.

  “Nope,” a voice came down from above them.  “Not a clue.”

  A slight breeze shuffled through the trees.  The Bright Light was lightening the clearing as the day became longer.  The five geese are sitting in a semi-circle facing the clearing with the large white-headed eagle clutching a branch above them.  Drifter drifted in and out of naps, Ki and Jake chatted quietly among themselves and the two on the ends were quietly sitting as they waited and waited.  Around them, other birds chirped and tweeted and fluttered overhead and through the clearing.  Protector watched a butterfly flicker up and down and around him and then leave him as it rose toward the top of the trees.  From the water side of the clearing, Simeone flew toward them leading another similar in size but bright blue and red chest.  They flew to a smaller branch next to Protector.

  “A thousand pardons,”  the bluebird blathered.  “I didn’t know where you were and fortunately, I flew into the King of Sparrows.”

  “Literally,” the sparrow added.  “He ran into me.  Get on with it.  The day is getting done and they have to be getting on.”

  “Quite right,” the bluebird continued.  “This is the Third Test of the Journey of Three.  You are to fly home.”

  “That’s it?” Liza exclaimed.  “We waited for that?”

  “Wait for it,” Ki cautioned as he stared at the small bird. “And?”

  “On your own.” The bird flitted back and forth on the branch.

  “Really?” Ack asked.  “Do we even know where we are?”

  “That seems to be the test; to find your own way home,” the bluebird paused.

  “Fine,”  Liza rose to her feet, stretched her wings, and flew into the sky.  The remaining birds watched her disappear and looked at each other astonished at what they just saw happen.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Protector asked of the sparrow.

  “That I do know,” the answer began. “Deke wants to see you, too.”

  “Who watches over them?” the eagle asked.

  The bluebird answered this question, “They are on their own.”

  The eagle shook his head and looked at the geese on the ground below him observing each of them closely before he spoke to them.  “Good luck and I will see you later.” 

  He turned and followed Liza from the clearing.  The bluebird choose at the same time to leave them, too.  Four sparrows joined Simeone and waited on the geese.

    Drifter sighed and turned to face the other three geese, “I can’t fly yet.  I have got to rest a little longer and I now know that I really don’t want to be Leader.  Way too much responsibility for me.  I am like High; I like being on my own.  You three, go on.”

  “We can wait for you.  Whatever it takes,” Ki said.  “There is safety in numbers.”

  “No,” Drifter argued back.  “I will be fine.”

  “Will you be fine?” Ack added. “It gets pretty dark at night and scary.”

  “I’ll stay with you,” Jake spoke up.

  “What?” Ki looked directly at this best friend.

  “You know I am not cut out to be a Leader, but I am cut out to protect others, Ki.”

  Ki looked at his friend and nodded, “You are cut out for that.  I will see you soon.”

  “Thanks,” Drifter said to Jake and the two birds sat side by side.

  “I will leave one of my Watchers with you two as well,” Simeone added.  “The Bright Light is high in the sky, so you two better get flying.”

  Ki and Ack looked at each other, nodded, spread their wings, and rose into the sky leaving Drifter and Jake behind.  Two small brown birds followed them, and another disappeared in a different direction.  The two circled above the pond when Ki asked Ack, “Which way do you want to go?”

  Ack glanced about and finally answered, “I will go this way.”

  “Okay, my friend, “ Ki nodded.  “I will see you soon.”

  Ack nodded and the two birds separated in opposite directions.

  Liza was overjoyed to be away from the geese she left behind.  As she hurried away, she remembered what High had instructed them, she rose higher hoping to catch the swift air that would push her faster.  Finally, reaching it, she began to reflect on what it would mean to become the Leader.  She felt that this was her destiny.  It was meant to be as she had always known what was best for others.  She recalled the countless times she wondered why Deke did what he did.  And what about the Wist?  Who are they to make decisions for the entire flock?  She did not need any help to make decisions for herself.  It should be me, she thought.  It should be me but what if it isn’t, she thought.  She spied some familiar landmarks below her.  “Do I really think I can be a better Leader than Deke?”

  Ack circled to his right to place the Bright Light at his back and follow in the direction Ki had taken.  He knew it was the way back home.  He spread his wings out wide and coasted.  His wingtips fluttered through the wind that he flew into at a leisurely pace.  His thoughts returned to his questions he had asked Ki earlier.  Why was he chosen for the Journey of Three?  Was it really just to have a Wist representative or did they really think he could be the next Leader?  He certainly knows how it all works together, the Leader and the Wist together work out what is best for all of The Flock.  He certainly admired Deke for dedicating his life to make it happen and to the partnership he has with Daniel.  He would want that, too.  He did understand the important role of the Wist.  Because of this knowledge, he certainly felt that he could be the next Leader.  He flapped his wings again and coasted toward home.

    Ki wondered why Ack choose to go in the opposite direction of home when he knew it to be the way home.  He chuckled as he stroked higher into the air.  He thought about the three tests: food, lodging, and knowing the way home.  What else does a goose need to know?  Ki froze on that question, what else does a goose need to know?  He stroked again and glided. 

  “A goose needs to know where to find food, know where to sleep, how to get home and..and…” Ki said aloud to no one.  The sky ahead of him was clear but in his mind, it was just beginning to become clearer.  He began to put together what they were really participating in.  Deke is a very clever bird and Ki began to see that even more clearly.  Why did Deke choose the seven of us?

  “Ok, really six because Ack was added by the Wist,” Ki again spoke out loud and continued to do so.  “Let me look at each of us more closely.  I will begin with Jake.  Why Jake?  He is loyal to a fault and Liza is an independent and strong-willed, High knows more air patterns than anyone I have ever known, Drifter is creative and fearless to try new things, Mattias is patient and kind, and Ack knows the history of the Flock because he has helped make decisions for us.  What about me?  Why did he pick me?”

The Final  He looked at the terrain below him.  Tall green pines overshadowed smaller trees below him and disappeared as he flew through a cloud.  As it filtered away, a small pond appeared, and he decided he needed a swim and perhaps something to eat.  He lowered his left wing and glided down toward it.

To be continued…the next post is the Last Chapter!

The four geese stared down at Drifter until Jake carefully stepped down the hill waddling down to see if he could somehow help him.  Still, when he stood over him, no words were spoken by anyone.

  “Are you okay?” Jake softly asked staring down at the bird splayed on his back.

  Drifter looked at him for just a second before he erupted into laughter.

  Liza then pushed through Ki and Ack and scurried down to join Jake saying, “Of course he is hurt!  Can you get up?”

  Drifter looked up at her before he answered, “I haven’t tried.  My wing hurts so I was just laying here listening to everything going on.  The eagle must have been something else.”

  “What?” Liza leaned down to look directly into his eyes. 

  Jake stepped closer to her and nudged her side and whispered to her, “Back off…”

  Liza rose her head until it reached its outstretched maximum height and glared at the dark colored goose beside her.  Jake did not move a feather as he simply turned his head to face her and glared back at her.  The two of them stood this way for what seemed like forever as if everything around them just stopped and nothing but them existed.

  While they stared at each other, Ki hurried down with Ack following closely behind.

  “Jake,” Ki softly spoke to his friend. “It is okay. Do not let it get to you.  Ignore this.  Everyone is just stressed out from the blackbirds. It isn’t worth it.  Come on, Buddy, calm down.”

  Jake slowly turned his head to look at Ki.  The two of them exchanged a knowing glance between them and Jake nodded.  He looked down at Drifter as Liza lowered her head and stepped back from the other geese.  Drifter tried to roll on the side opposite his injured wing.  Ack and Ki edged themselves behind him and placed their foreheads on his back and pushed until he was on his stomach.  Drifter then pulled his good wing from beneath his body, pulled his feet beneath his body while pushing his forehead into the ground.  He slowly rose and balanced himself upright.  He stood, carefully tucking his injured wing into his side, and turned to face them and smiled at them.

  “Thanks,” he looked at all of them including Liza. “I appreciate the help.”

  “How do you feel?”  Ki asked as he intently examined the goose with the bright white chest.”

  “Sore.  The wing hurts but I don’t think it is broken just twisted,” Drifter responded.

  “Can you go up this hill?  It would be better if we get into the clearing for the night.  We can eat and rest better up there,” Ack added to the conversation.

  “Now you’re talking.  All this extra activity has made me hungry!”  Drifter stepped forward and strode up the slope that he had flipped down earlier.  The others looked at each other, shrugged and followed him.  They formed a crooked line up the hill with Liza not quite following but apart.  Jake was the final goose in the parade, and he was studying Liza more closely.  When they reached the top of the short incline, they spread out and headed for the far side of the clearing.  The large eagle was clutching the same branch he had landed on at the end of the incident.  Additionally, a small brown bird had joined him and was sitting on a branch above the large white-headed brown bird.

  Drifter trudged to a bush that was loaded with berries and hastily began to pluck them into his mouth.  The other four settled beneath the eagle.

  “He is a bit sore and he hurt a wing,” Ki spoke not looking up.

  “Hmmm,” Protector acknowledged the report.  “Can he fly?”

  “We don’t know,” Liza answered this time.

  “And if he can’t?” the eagle continued.

  The answer was silence.  Liza rose to her feet and began to pace back and forth around them.  Ack watched her pace while Ki ignored her.

  “I think we rest here tonight and decide what to do in the morning,” Ack offered.

  Ki nodded in agreement.  Jake remained silent but he watched Liza out of the corner of his eye anticipating the possibility of a problem with her.

  “Jake, what do you think?”  Ack asked him.

  Jake raised his head continuing to watch Liza and answered, “Whatever Ki thinks?”

  Liza turned to face Jake and challenged him, “You cannot make up your own mind!  First, you protect a coward and now you cannot even answer a simple question.  You can never be a Leader much less a good Leader!”

  Jake rose to face her immediately stepping in front of Ki.

  The eagle spread his wings and glided down between them and asked, “What is going on?”

  “Stay out of this!”  Liza screamed at the large bird in front of her.  “Drifter tripped down that hill and laid there just waiting out the attack.  He is a coward and this one chooses to defend him.

  “I am defending you!” the eagle stepped closer to her lowering his head and slightly turned it to stare at her with one eye.

  “Okay, okay,” Ki had gotten up and edged between the two birds.  “We all need to rest.  I agree with Ack, we will eat, rest, and make a decision in the morning.”

  Protector turned from Liza and looked at KI closely.  Eventually, he nodded in agreement, flapped his wings, and rose above them disappearing into the night sky.

  The sparrow flitted back and forth on the same branch, not saying a word, and watched at the birds below him. Three geese turned from the one goose and headed toward the one who was eating berries from a bush.  The remaining goose huffed and waddled in the opposite direction. He saw the larger group of birds pick at the berries and begin to settle beneath the bushes.  The lone goose plucked a few berries from the far end of the clearing, occasionally staring at the others.  Finally, the smaller gray goose separated from the larger group and slowly walked toward the larger white goose.  A short distance from the lone white goose, the smaller one simply sat down and started whispering.  He continued watching as the goose rose to its feet and returned to the other three.  The remaining goose slowly stopped pacing back and forth and slowly drudged toward the other geese.  The goose walked in front of the others.  One laughed at her and then groaned as if in pain, another averted his eyes and simply shook his head,  The goose who talked to the loner said something and the last goose sat down, slightly separated from the others and tucked its head beneath a wing.  The goose sitting to the left of the speaker rose and walked to the right and sat down between the loner and the gray goose.  The loner goose raised its head from beneath its wing and looked at the goose that just sat down.  That goose simply raised its head a little higher in response.  The lone goose nodded and re-tucked its head beneath its wing.  The sparrow stopped flitting back and forth and whispered to himself, “What am I going to tell Deke?”

To be continued…