Chapter 11
Mom and Pop argue that night.
“You are not taking them back out there,” Mom says.
“It’s safer than in town,” Pop says.
“You don’t know that! You heard what the Sky said. Those things they’re seeing are dangerous!”
“I don’t know that they’re more dangerous than Burly.”
“I don’t like Burly either and I like Margery Wingard even less, but he’s not Mayor Prentiss and she’s not Mistress Coyle.”
“History always repeats,” Pop says.
“But only sometimes because we make it repeat. If we constantly expect them to act like our history, then sooner or later, they’ll prove us right.”
“Prentiss would have killed all the Land if he could,” Pop says, “but even he knew better than to doubt what they know. Burly won’t do nothing, and if something is coming for this town, I don’t want my kids anywhere near it!”
“It came for our farm, Todd! That’s pretty damn near!”
“And it came upriver for their friend next. Doesn’t that look like it’s getting closer to town?”
“You can’t tell from two examples! And you can’t protect them from burning giants!”
“I’ve done pretty well protecting them so far!”
Do we get a say in this? I sign, as they seem to have forgotten me and Max are still here.
“No!” they both shout.
“Look, Todd,” Mom says, “something is going on. This Noise dream, the Glyph, the sightings of these gods. However much you may hate how Burly and Margery are handling things, I’m handling them as well, and the town has more weapons and more people. It’s just safer.”
“The town is where the piper comes.”
“You said there was no literal piper.”
“Viola!” Pop finally snaps. It’s so unlike him, we all shut up. “I don’t trust towns. I don’t trust people. I trust you and I trust my sons and maybe one more person.”
He stops there, like he may have accidentally hit on something. Mom gets a look on her face, too.
“You think he’d know about this?” she asks.
“He’d definitely know something. It’s not that.” Pop frowns. “It’s whether I can find him.”
“Or if he wants to be found,” Mom says.
“He’ll want to be found,” Pop says, and Mom figures it out.
“You’re afraid of finding him.”
“He’s happy, Viola,” Pop says. “He wasn’t happy for a very, very long time, so why would I want to take that away from him?”
The person they’re talking about is the person I’m named after.
My grandfather.
Pop’s father.
Ben.
“You’re going to find Granddad?” Max asks.
Pop frowns even more. “If I can.”
“I’ll go with you,” Max says.
“No, you won’t,” Mom says. “It’s dangerous out there.”
“You’re both saying it’s dangerous everywhere.”
Mom looks at Pop angrily. “Todd. You’re not taking the boys out of this city.”
“Well, they’re not staying here to be eaten by some burning god, Viola, so where does that leave us?”