Isaiah's Story

Deep in the rolling hills of the mid-west, there are communities that have been forgotten. Their quaint, pre-industrial way of life seems odd and backward to most of us. To those who live this life,

Isaiah’s Story

 

               Isaiah is the oldest son born to a family of farmers.  The family owns a larger tract of land covered by vineyards and fields.  Their land is in an area called Greenford. This is a farming community with large vineyards, meadows with raspberry brambles, and fields where they grow a large variety of fruits and vegetables for the local farmers market.

Greenford sits below the hills along the Spurling River valley which runs through and separates the community almost perfectly in half.  A single cobble bridge connects North Greenford with South Greenford.  Years ago the men of Greenford bought the hill land on both sides of the river.  They built a reservoir and on the dam, they put on a large watermill.  The mill has been in operation now for two generations.  The mill and the land it sits on is community-owned, but the Beckett family has always run the mill.

The mill has been upgraded over the years and repurposed over the years.  It was originally built to grind grain into flour.  During the war, the building was expanded and a canvas loom was also added, and it was fitted with generators for electrical lighting.   Old Mr. Beckett was a woodworker.  He built a second building on to the back of the mill to run a small lumber mill.

            Isaiah is a skinny man, tall, and lanky.  He has sandy brown hair and freckles that covered his face.  He is always dressed in overalls and a plaid shirt.  His hard sole shoes are always scuffed and soiled and the shoelaces are tied in a knot. 

In early September in Greenford, most of the fruit trees have been harvested. On the weekend Isaiah and his mother can be found gleaning fields or in the vineyards picking the leftover fruit. Isaiah’s mother calls it the ugly fruit because it isn’t the quality that can be sold at the market.

            Years before the farmers had built the market near the highway. The market was held under a large open building, it was built like a pole barn, with walls on three sides.  The walls were only built halfway up to the roof to let light and fresh air into the market area.  The front of the building was completely opened to the parking lot. It was built along a busy highway so that they had plenty of customers during the market season.  

 Each family had its area within the market, it had become a local tradition, and everyone knew where their place was in the market.  The most prominent families in the county had their goods right up front for everyone to see.  Isaiah’s family had always been in the back corner.  Isaiah’s great grandfather had helped build the market, and he had also built a large display table for the goods that he grew on his farm.  The display table was made of hardwood and it was held together with heavy wood pins. 

Every year at the end of the season when the last of the fruit is sold; Isaiah and his family cleans and oils the old table and then they clean and oil the display boxes that hold the fruit and vegetables that his family has grown. 

But this time of the year is Isaiah’s favorite.  His family will glean all kinds of fruit and vegetables throughout the next few weeks and bring it home for preserving.  Isaiah’s grandmother will spend her days making preserves out of the baskets of fruit; canning vegetables and sundry some of them.  Some will be stored in the root cellar.  The house always smells so good with the fruit cooking on the stove, and the smell will last a week or two. 

After the vegetable patch is and harvested it will be plowed.  Isaiah's family will have to work hard during this time of year keeping up with the crops as they ripen.

He has never worked in the market.  Selling their goods is always left to his sisters.  But once a day his mother will go over the ledger. She used to take him with her.  He had to learn his numbers as a young child, and she would rely on him to verify that the ledger is accurate.  She always told him, “One day you will be running this farm. You need to know the business end of it.

For the next few weeks, Isaiah's family will fill the shelves of the pantry and the root cellar with all of the food they would need to make it through the winter.  The pantry is where the family keeps the dry goods and some of the canned goods and the root cellar is where the smoked meat and the foods like potatoes and turnips and are stored.  The root cellar is a big underground building that had been dug into the side of a hill.  It has a rock wall with a wooden door.  Once inside the door, you have to walk down steep wooden steps to the dirt floor.  The walls are sandstone blocks with wood shelving on three sides.  The shelves hold bins that are filled with fruits and vegetables as well as jugs of plumb wine.  The plum wine is only for holidays.

Every year after harvest Isaiah, his brother, and sisters worked on the farm equipment and repaired fences, and prepared for winter. Nowadays that work is left to his siblings.  Once the weather turns cold Isaiah and his family will butcher a steer and two of the sheep.  The steer will be ground into a hamburger.  All of the meat from the sheep will be made into sausage.

Isaiah's younger brother Caleb is a little shorter than Isaiah but he is somewhat heavier.  He has his brother's work ethic and his common sense.  The biggest difference between the two boys is that Calib can make hard work look easy.

Isaiah’s sisters are nearly identical, so much so that people believe them to be twins.  They are both about five feet seven. They have auburn hair that they wear in a bun or ponytail.  They wear similar clothes.  When they work in the market they each wear a long dress and their nice shoes.  When they’re working on the farm they wear overalls, not the blue or brown like Isaiah.  Mom makes theirs out of the white and blue checkered, or the white and pink checked cloth that she buys from town.

The trip to town is always a big deal.  Everyone dresses in their best clothing.  Dad pulls the car out of the garage and everyone climbs in.  The trip to town takes about an hour and a half so the whole day is planned.  The first dad drops Mom and the girls off at the General store.  Then Dad and Isaiah will go to the hardware store and buy supplies that are needed for the farm.  

The family will meet up at the restaurant for lunch.  Lunch usually takes at least an hour because we can sit and visit without worrying about the next job that needs doing.  After lunch, the family heads to the grocery store where we buy things we can’t make ourselves.  After all the shopping is done we always watch a movie. By the time the movie is over it's time for dinner and then the trip home. 

Going to town only happens a couple of times a year, unless a part is needed for a piece of equipment.  And in that case, it’s always Dad and Grandma who goes.  They are very much alike, both are no-nonsense people.  They never say much, but when they do it is always straight to the point. 

One day when the family was visiting a shop Isaiah was offered a job.  He had never considered working anywhere but on the farm.  The man offered to pay him to work as a laborer.  He had never heard of such a job but it sounded interesting. When he was home he spoke to his father about it.  His father wasn't pleased he seemed angry though he never said why. 

Once Isaiah had become a man he chose to work in the city.  He moved away from home as soon as he was of age.  He returns and helps out where he can on weekends. He isn't the first in the community to move away, but he is the first ever to return and visit.

The Beckett family is rich and powerful from years of running the mill.  The mill had quit being a community-owned years before Isaiah or any of his siblings were born. 

Because Greenford is the only community in the county it is also the County Seat.  When the Mill was built Mr. Beckett was the County Clerk.  From that time till now the Beckett family has held that title.  The county taxes all go to Beckett’s address.  As far as anyone knows the account has never been audited.  Sometime in the past, Mrs. Beckett appointed herself County Treasurer and Mr.  Beckett appointed himself County Commissioner. And so they pass those titles on to their children and now their grandchildren. Even the most prestigious position in the county has always been held by the Beckett family, through the vote of course. That position being Chief Elder and giver of the Word.

There has never been a law enforcement agency in the county.  All disagreements in the county are handled by the Elders in the church. Of course, the final word in all things is handled by the Chief Elder and the giver of the Word.    

The church building is the center of all things.  It is the schoolhouse, the dance hall, and the general meeting place for county business.  If there was ever a town square in Greenford I guess it would be the church building.  It sits a short walk away from the market.  And you can see it from the highway.  It was built back before anyone can remember, well before the market building was built.  It is a long building with two large doors near the front on either side.  The roof is large with eaves reach out nearly six feet past the walls.  The sandstone walls are nearly twenty feet tall and two feet thick.  Each corner has a four-foot round log standing from the ground to the roof. Each is hand-carved to represent the four seasons. The building is twenty-five feet wide and fifty feet long.

Once inside, the building is open to the back of the Church where the pulpit stands. On both ends of the main hall are rooms. In front of the great hall is the dining hall. Above the dining hall is a balcony.  Only the elders are allowed to sit on the balcony.  It is about fifteen feet wide with the door opening in the middle.  Above the dining hall is a balcony.  Only the elders are allowed to sit in the balcony.  Behind the pulpit running the width of the hall is a wall that separates the storage room. This wall runs up to the peaked ceiling. The storage room has a second floor with a narrow staircase.  The second floor of the storage room has bookshelves filled collected over generations. It serves as the community library.      

The church lighting has always been the chandeliers that hold oil lamps, they were hand made when the church was built.  They are lowered each Sunday and lit, then raised back into position on hand-forged chains.  The large windows are as old as the church.  Over the years they have been taken down and the frames have been replaced.  But the glass is all the original hand-poured glass. 

The roof of the Church and the market are both made of slate that their ancestors had quarried from the canyon in the hill country years ago.  Some of the men still work the quarry in the winter months for roofing materials. They’ll come and repair a roof for you, or sell you some slate so you can fix it yourself. All of the houses in Greenford have the same gray slate roofing.  It isn’t like those of the city where they have different colors and different martial.  Besides Mom always said pretty can't make you money.

In case you were wondering, the highway runs north to south right along the county line.  The market sits nearly at the halfway mark across the county.  Only two roads are leading into the county off of the highway.  The main road runs you right past the church and then winds past the farms until it branches off to different directions to give access to residences along the way.  The second road runs you right up to the loading dock at the mill.  It is the only paved road in the county.

Farther up in the hills are the old mine shafts.  Mining is what first brought people to this country.  When the miners left the country some of the farmers stayed and kept the market open.

Ezrah Aaron, Isaiah's great grandfather was a laborer for the minors.  They brought him to this country as a young boy just ten years of age.  Isaiah was never told why he was sold as a laborer at such a young age.  It certainly wasn't common practice. Isaiah had asked his family about the old man but no one knew where he came from.

Ezrah earned enough money to buy his farm when he was only eighteen.  He purchased a plot of wasteland that no one wanted.  Using borrowed equipment he turned the soil and planted fields and a great orchard.  He built a large house made of sandstone on his land.  At twenty he had earned his place in the market.  He married his sweetheart at twenty-five.  As his children were growing he taught them the two most important things in life are to work hard and to love the Lord.   Isaiah inherited his great grandfather's work ethic. He was working the fields while other kids his age were still running and playing with one another.

Isaiah never met his great grandfather but he heard so much about him that he felt he knew him.  He worked hard so he could one day earn the respect that  Ezrah had earned from the others during his time, but that would never come to pass. 

It was Thursday night, the night that the Elders met for Church and community business.  Their agenda always covered a wide range of topics.  It would cover things like civil disagreements or land boundary disputes. Sometimes it covered wedding licenses or even the occasional vehicle license and registration.

This particular night the topic was the inheritance of the Aaron family farm.  The community was worried that the family had allowed Isiah too many indulgences. After all, he was allowed to work in the city.  It was Mr. Beckett who had brought the topic up for discussion.

So the discussion went something like this.  Mr. Beckett said, “It has been brought to my attention that Mr. Aaron's oldest boy has been working in the city.  And if that isn't bad enough, he has purchased a dwelling in the city as well.  Let it be entered into the official records that this outrage has happened.”

The discussion lasted late into the evening.  Some of the elders wanted to call Isiah in and ask his intentions, while others wanted to carry out a vote.  Isaiah's mother and father sat quietly and listened to the complaints against their son.  Finally, Mr. Beckett demanded to know why Mr. Aaron didn't control his offspring.

Mr. Aaron stood and formally addressed the Elders.  He stated.  “Chief Elder and Giver of the Word, I would like to make the following statement.  In the past, I had appropriately discouraged my oldest son, the inheritor from living a worldly life.  Even when he had passed from childhood to his appropriate role as a young man in our community I guided him appropriately in matters of his life.  He and he alone chose to live a worldly life away from our great community.

Mrs. Aaron stood with a trembling voice said, “I have made this argument in the past.  If we could but warn our children of the consequences of failing to follow our greatest tenant then they wouldn't have to suffer that which cannot be spoken.” Mr. Aaron put his hand on his wife's shoulder and whispered in her ear.  She sat in her chair quietly sobbing.

Mr. Beckett leaned forward in his chair and said, “I don't believe we have invoked that which shall not be spoken as of yet.  But since Mrs. Aaron brought the matter to the floor, I believe it is our only clear option.”

Mrs. Greenhand who had recently become an elder stood and said, “We could bring the young man in and allow him to defend himself.  What you are proposing is a very serious matter, and we have allowed people in the past to address our counsel before carrying out our judgment.      

  The Chief Elder and Giver of the Word stood and said, “I have had this matter on my heart.  There is no harder working family than the Aaron family.  Isaiah is no exception.  He has proven himself over and over.  I believe we would remiss to cast a single vote before hearing this young man in our humble forum.

Mrs. Aaron looked up and quietly said, “I'll bring him to our next meeting.  The elders all agreed to hear Isaiah.  After all of the evening, the business had been discussed, the meeting was adjourned.

When everyone stood and said their goodbyes they began walking out of the Dining hall, each, in turn, greeted the Chief Elder and giver of the Word.  As Mrs. Aaron walked past he took her hand and held it gently.  “You spoke out of turn Mrs. Aaron.  Under the circumstances, I am obliged to overlook your outburst.  She said, “My apologies sir.” and pulled her hand away from his.

The week seemed to drag along for Mrs. Aaron.  She worked hard to keep from worrying about her son.  The rest of the family had begun the process of promoting Caleb to the position of the inheritor.  They had even moved him into Isiah's bedroom.  It was Wednesday night when Caleb was helping his mother with the ledger.  He looked at his mother and asked.  “Mom, are we going to be part of the hunt?”  She felt as though she had been punched in the gut.  Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him.  “We don't speak of such things.”

That evening Mrs. Aaron began making hard bread.  She usually made it during times of drought so that she could preserve nutritious foods that would otherwise spoil.  She sat a large pot on the stove and places the beef tallow in to melt.  After she had the fat boiling she poured in dried fruit and vestibules.  Then she chopped up some smoked beef and stirred it all in.  finally, she thickened it with millet flour and formed it into small patties.  She wrapped each one in oil paper and stacked them in a bag.

Saturday morning finally came and Mrs. Aaron anxiously waited for her son's arrival.  He arrived at his usual time, just before sunrise.  She hurried out to meet him and told him all that had happened.

Isaiah listened as his mother told him the entire story.  He smiled and hugged her gently then said, “I knew this day was coming Mother.  I didn't make my choice uninformed.”  They walked to the orchard his mother listened as he made his argument for leaving the community. 

Mother, as you know I have spent many hours reading the old texts.  I have read the “Elders Notes and Opinions” as well as Thaddeus' instructions for the Chief Elder and giver of the Word.  His mother stopped in her tracks and with her hand over her mouth looked at her son with shock and disbelief.  “Only the Elders are allowed to read that book.  You could have been obviated for doing so...or worse than that you could have been taken to the hill for that which shall not be mentioned.”

My point is Mother, we are supposed to be a Christian community.  Yet we aren't allowed to own any of the sacred texts.  We must go to the Church and read them there.  I met a girl at my place of employment.  She invited me to her Church.  I have been going there for bible study for some time now.  She has her own Bible. Everyone who goes to that Church owns a Bible.  They gave me one of my own.  That is the only sacred text they use in their Church.  I know, I know it is strange to think that they would not use Thaddeus' books in their Church.

His mother started walking again and then asked, “Son, what about the words that say we are to remain separate from the world?  Are you yoked together with unbelievers?”  He said, No Mother. They are Christians as we are.  I tested them and questioned them rightly; they quoted the Bible in truth.  They are in the world but not of the world.  They are preaching to everyone.  Are we doing that here?  How can we if we chose to hide out miles from anyone else in the world?”

His mother thought for a moment and then said.  “You better leave and never return.  Even if I understood your arguments I could not convince the entire community that you are right and our traditions are wrong.  So go and never come back you are no longer welcome here.  On Thursday I will speak on your behalf to the Elders.”

He reached to hug his mother but she pushed him away and said, “Go now.”  He walked back to his pickup and drove back to his home in the city.  This would be the first time in his life that he had no connection to his old life; and no connection to his family.

When he arrived at his home in the city he walked up the sidewalk.  It felt as though it was his first time being there.  Everything felt different even though it was the same.  He opened his front door and stepped inside and looked around.  He wondered what he was supposed to do now.  He sat on his couch and thought about what his mother had said. He remembered a verse he had just read It said The Lord of peace give you peace. He wasn't sure but he thought it was in Second Thessalonians. 

That Sunday he decided to go to the church where he attended Bible study.  He arrived a little early, and he was surprised to find that people greeted him as he came in.  People were acting so informal that he felt uncomfortable.  He found a seat near the back of the church and quietly sat.  He was thinking of home and how he felt out of place when his friend from work walked up to him.  “Can I sit with you?” She asked. 

He slid over and made room for her to sit next to him. He whispered to her, “We're allowed to speak in church?”  She smiled and said, “Of course.  Weren't you allowed to talk in your church?”  He didn't answer but sat nervously looking around.  Suddenly piano music began playing which startled Isiah. Everyone took their seats and pulled the hymnals out of the back of the pew. 

Suddenly someone from the front of the church began speaking.  He greeted everyone warmly and welcomed them to Sunday Service.  He asked everyone to stand and turn to page 148 in their hymnals.  They sang 'O Love, How Deep, How Broad’ He tried to join in though he didn't know the song.  They sang song after song, and none were familiar to him.  He began to relax a little. He looked for the heavy dark-robed man who should be in charge.

Finally, after the singing was finished, John from Wednesday night Bible study walked up to the pulpit.  Again he welcomed everyone and then looked around the room and asked if there were any visitors. Isiah sunk lower in his seat but just then John saw him and asked him to stand.  Isiah stood and had the urge to run, but John told everyone who he was. Then he graciously welcomed him to Sunday warship.

This was all very strange.  They sent people around with plates so that people could put money in them.  Isiah lend over and asked his friend. “Melissa, doesn't community our taxes pay for the Church? She looked at him and frowned, “What are you talking about?  Our Sunday offering supports the Church. The preacher read some bible verses and then gave his sermon.  Afterward, the piano player and the congregation sang one last song.

Suddenly everyone stood and began gathering their things and once again began to visit.  Isaiah and Melissa stood.  She asked him, Would you like to get something to eat?  He looked confused, as though he didn't know what to say so she took his hand and led him through the crowd, greeting people as she went.  Everyone seemed to want to welcome him to the Church but they finally reached the sidewalk. 

She said, “Come with me, I'll drive.”   The town of Veld only has one Inn but it is the center of the town's activity. So when someone new to the establishment walks in people take notice.  Melissa pulled her car up to an open parking space and they climbed out. He followed her through the door and into the establishment.  Everyone stopped and looked.  She whispered to him, “I have that effect on people.”  She led him to a booth and they took their seat.

She leaned on her elbows and asked.  “Are you alright? You seem troubled.”  He looked at her for a moment and then smiled a sad smile.  “I have been potsherd.”  She looked at him and asked, “What”  He said, “I no longer exist.  I have been erased.  If I go back they will hold that which cannot be mentioned.”  She said, “What do you mean, Ok, start from the beginning.”

As he was explaining a waitress came and took their order.  Then Pastor John and several other Church members came in and said hi before taking their seat.  Melissa reached out and took Pastor Johns hand and asked,  “Can you join us for a little bit, I think Isaiah might need both of us.”  He turned to the group he was with and asked them to save him a seat.  He slid in next to Isaiah and asked, “How can I help you.

Melissa began by explaining what she had learned so far, then Isaiah began telling everything that had happened.  They sat listing as he explained the process that his family had to adhere to because he had chosen to move out into the world.  Finally, he explained that he would be put to death if he was to return.

Pastor John looked troubled and said, “You are welcome to be a part of our community.”  Then Melissa asked, “Are you in any danger from them in the meantime?”  He answered, “No, I shouldn't be in any danger.  Though no one that I am aware of has ever been allowed to just leave.” Pastor John asked, “What is the thing that cannot be spoken?”  Isaiah simply said, “The hunt.”  Melissa said, “You mean they would hunt you?”  Everyone sat silent for a little while.

         Finally, John said. “We will help you get settled here.”  But he said, “I have a house that I am renting.  I should be fine.”    Pastor John said, “Well at least join us for dinner tonight.  Be there around six.” He looked serious at Melissa and said, “Let's keep an eye on him in case they aren't as forgiving as he seems to think.
         That night after dinner he sat with the pastor and his family and visited.  He explained to them how his community worked. They couldn't understand how an entire county could be so different than the rest of the country.

         For the rest of the week, Isaiah tried to get used to his new life away from his town.  He went to work and enjoyed the company of his fellow workers.  The community church had taught him a lot about life here in general.  No one was ever in a hurry.  At first, he thought everyone was lackadaisical but he was mistaken.  They worked hard, but they didn't work fast.  If a job needed to be done right away then it was given priority, otherwise, they took one job at a time and took their time to do it right.

         That week his mother continued with her preparations for the hunt.  She knew that if she didn't help him he wouldn't survive.  She also knew that if she did help him she would have to join him in his fate.

         Finally, Thursday evening found her sitting at her place with the Elders.  After a few moments, the Chief Elder and Giver of the Word asked Mr. Aaron if his son would be addressing the Elders.  Mr. Aaron bowed his head and said.  “No, but Mrs. Aaron would like to address the Elders.  He looked at her and said, “Stand and address the Elders.”  She stood and said. “I have sent him whose name has been stricken away never to return.”  I have learned that in his disobedience he has turned his back on that which is right and just.”

         She sat down and waited for the discussion to start.  Some of the Elders wanted to know if there was a prescience for a simple a shunning of sorts without That which shall not be mentioned. One of the elders demanded that he be brought back to face the Elders. 

         Finally, the Chief Elder and Giver of the Word stood and addressed the Elders, It has become abundantly clear to me that we have no choice.  We will bring him back to face the hunt.  If he is to survive or not so be it.  I will send my deputies to bring him to the hill this Saturday.  I want each of you to prepare our community.

          The mood around Greenford became festive as the community prepared for the hunt.  Adults and children could be found practicing with their longbows.  A straw statue of Aaron had been placed in the community square outside of the church. 

         The mood at the Aaron home was less festive.  Mrs. Aaron was quietly grieving as her two daughters attempted to console her. Mr. Aaron and his son Caleb practiced with the longbows as the rest of the community, though with much less enthusiasm.

Chapter 2

         Late Friday night four men walked up the sidewalk of Isaiah's home.  Mr. Dibble knocked on the door.  Just as Isaiah opened the door the four men forced their way in and through Isaiah to the ground.  After tying his hands and then gagging him stuffed Isaiah into a large bag.  They carried him out and threw him in the back of a pickup.  Two men climbed in the back and held him down as they drove off.

         Melissa was driving by Isaiah's house and noticed the front door was opened.  She walked up to the front door and called for him. She could tell there had been a struggle.

         She tried to remember where he said that they would take him if they came for him.  She searched through the house looking for a clue.  She saw his bible on the kitchen table.  She noticed a sheet of paper was folded in between the pages.  She pulled the paper out and opened it.  She started reading, “If you are reading this I have been taken to the hunt.  Below this was a hand-drawn map.

         She hurried out the front door.  She pulled it closed and then rushed to her car. She was dialing her pastor as she drove toward the highway.  The phone continued to ring until it went to his voice mail.

         She drove down the interstate as fast as her car would go.  She made it to the turnoff in just under one hour.  She followed the dirt road and referenced the map that he had made.  She drove up winding roads into the hill country.  She was afraid that she was lost.  Finally ahead of her was a tall hill with a path cleared to the top.  At the bottom to the right of the road was a parking lot filled with old pickup trucks.  

         She pulled into the lot and parked in an area near the treeline so that her car would be hidden from view.  She climbed out of her car and looked around.  No one was in the parking lot.  Though she knew it was there she checked her waistband for her concealed weapon.

         She headed up the hill staying close to the trees.  She knew if she could see them  they could see her.  She hurried the quarter-mile up the hill and when she was near the clearing at the top she slid into the trees and stayed just close enough to hear what was being said.  The light from the bonfire gave her enough light to see Isiah standing against a tall pole.  She assumed his hands were tied to it somehow.

         A man in heavy black robes was reading from a book that described this strange ceremony that was taking place.  Because it was after dark the only light she had was from the large bonfire that was burning. The man in the black robes continued reading and commenting on what he had read for over an hour.

         Finally, he pointed toward Isiah. He said in a loud voice, Does the accused have anything to say?  Isaiah said loud and with an authority, she had never heard from her shy friend.  “It says in second Thessalonians chapter three verse fourteen, 'If any man obeys not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.' and in verse fifteen and sixteen it says, 'Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

         Everyone was quietly talking to one another but then the man in the black robe raised his hand and shouted, “Listen to me.  Even Satin himself knows the scriptures.  What I have read to you is from our sacred scriptures.  And he would put doubt in your mind.  Remember when Jesus was tempted.  Remember that and don't be poisoned by his words.

         Isiah said in a loud voice, “Yes, remember my words, they are from the bible, not from a Giver of the word, opinion.” In the book John when they brought the woman accused of adultery.  Jesus said let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

         Just then someone dropped out of a tree near Melissa.  He was a young man dressed in a plaid shirt and blue jeans.  He held a longbow with an arrow drawn pointing at  Melissa's chest and said, “You ain't supposed to be here.”  She smiled and said, “Can I show you something?”  She reached in the waistband and pulled out her pistol and pointed it at his head.  She said, “I'll bet I can drop you before you have time to release that arrow.

         He released the tension on the bow and said, “Still you ain't supposed to be here.”  She said, “I'm not leaving, Isaiah is my friend.”  He said, Oh, well your friend won't be alive for too much longer.  She asked, “Do you know what his job is in town?  He works at a garage fixing truck tires for eight hours a day.  After that, he works as a firefighter.  He is supposed to go through training to be a county sheriff  Would you take all of that from him?

         “Ma'am, are you the only one who came to rescue him?”  She answered, “Yes why?”  “Because you're what, maybe a hundred and twenty?  You are maybe five foot two or three.  You stand out like a muddy hog with those store-bought clothes. And you don't modestly wear your hair.  You're pathetic.” 

         “I can drop you like a dog before you can scream for help.  So what are you people going to do?  Are you going to burn him at the stake? Because that seems cowardly to me.”  He said, “Oh, no ma'am.  We leave him tied up and then we go off and hide away from this hill.  Once he gets loose he has to try to make it out of the county alive.

         She said, “That doesn't seem fair to me, all of you against one person.”  He said, “Well, that's the way it’s done.”  She heard a commotion in the clearing and looked. Everyone was walking toward the path and heading down the hill.  She watched the young man as he nervously looking at everyone leaving. 

         “Because I can't let you go, so how about you help me?”  He turned and looked at her with a shocked look.  “I help you?”  She said, “Yes, but no one will have to know.  I saw how different people walked up and said things to him as they left.  Go up to him and say Melissa is here.  And remember, I didn't kill you so you owe me that much.”  He thought for a moment, then said, “If I tell anyone that I saw you I will be the next one to be hunted.  Go ahead and try to save him, I don't care.  You'll die with him anyway.  I'll give him your message and forget that I ever saw you.

         The young man ran into the clearing and then walked up to Isaiah.  He began looking at the tree line.  She waited and watched the clearing until everyone had left.  She walked around the clearing in the tree line until she was behind him.  She looked to be sure it was safe and then she ran up behind him and untied his hands.  She said, “Follow me.” then turned around and found a young lady in a long dress standing and watching her.

         She smiled at Isaiah and Melissa but didn't say anything.  Isaiah said in a low voice, “What are you doing here?”  He grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her to the cover of the trees.  Melissa hurried behind them and once they were hidden in the trees she asked, “What is going on? “

         Isaiah looked at the girl and asked her again, “Angelica, What are you doing here?” She said, “Mom sent me to untie you.  She hid some supplies under the rock overhang where you used to play with us.” Isaiah said, “You better get going, if anyone sees you with me they will kill you.”  The girl ran to the clearing and then headed toward the path down the hill.  Another girl ran out of the trees and joined her.

         Melissa looked confused at Isaiah and asked, “Are the trees full of your people?”  Isaiah said, No more than usual.  The hunted usually have a family member who helps them in some way.

Isaiah said, “I better get going.” He started to head into the clearing. So she grabbed his arm. “Not that way, follow me.”  She cut through the trees down the hill toward the main road.  He followed close behind her as she led them down weaving between trees. They came to the main road.  She slowly crept out far enough to see down the road in both directions.  

She rushed across the road into the trees on the other side. He followed close behind her matching her pace.  She led him deep into the trees and then made her way toward the parking lot.  When they were close enough to see her car she could see that four large men were grading it. Isaiah leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Do that in your car.  She looked up at his and frowned. He said, you know like you did when I rode with you.

She pulled her key fob out of her pocket and pressed a button.  The doors unlocked and the lights came on.  The four men stood with wide eyes and looked at her car and then at one another.  She pushed the remote start and all four men ran and jumped into their pickup and speed away.  Melissa and Isaiah hurried to her car and jumped in.  She drove them down the dirt road following the pickup.  She dove along watching the pickup's tail lights fade farther ahead of her.