Chapter 10
The totems were burning. Smoke billowed into the sky, changing it to the color of a devastating storm. The green-tinged mass curled under itself, hinting at the coming destruction. Then the shrieks began. The carved faces contorted, their mouths open and screaming.
Gideon bolted upright in bed, his T-shirt sticking to his back.
He scrubbed at his face, trying to dislodge the images from the dream, but they were tattooed on the back of his eyelids and sharpened in the dark gloom of the room.
Throwing off his blanket, he went to the window, pushing back the curtain to look out at the dim early-morning light. The grass was white with a heavy dew. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the window, the dream still swirling close to the surface—so close that the heady scent of smoke was still infused in the back of his mind. To dislodge it, he tugged his shirt collar to his nose and inhaled the soapy lilac, or whatever the powder was in the laundry.
With his night over, he went for a quick shower, then laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to conjure up an image of the totems as he’d seen them in real life. But even with the crisp memory of his day at the markets, the totems remained encased by fire no matter how many times he blinked.
He pushed up onto his elbows and grabbed the bird whistle off the bedside table, blowing lightly into the tail to fill the room with birdsong and let his mind drift back to the conversation he’d had with Eric. He had so many questions, the biggest of which was, if what Eric said was true, where did he start?
He blew too hard, and the bird sputtered, spitting water out its head.
“Where do I start, God?” The burning totems pushed into his mind again, and he rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t think straight with those images pushing for attention. Maybe if he went and looked at the real thing—got his mind reset with what they really looked like—he could make some room to hear God more clearly.
The road was empty on his drive into town, so he put the window down and cruised slowly along the highway. His truck bumped along at a snail’s pace while he watched the sun swell over the horizon, leaking its golden tendrils across the damp earth.
The perfume of grasses that flooded the cabin of his truck overpowered the smokey remains of his dream, although it still poked at him, trying to drag him back into the darkness.
He held his breath as he turned the corner into the square for reasons he didn’t care to entertain and let it out in a grunt when he saw the totems still standing, cold and dark. No writhing faces. No fire.
Pulling to the side of the road, he let their inert shape take root until the morning light descended on the square, touching the tip of the tallest pole and dragging the illumination in a silent progression that obscured the faces, devouring the shadows until the contrast was dissolved.
You know what you need to do.
It wasn’t the surprise at hearing God’s voice that made Gideon flinch. It was the certainty of the words. For the past hour, he’d been striving to remove the images from his dream. But the whole time, the dream had been the instruction. If there was going to be any change in this town, they would have to go first. All doubt had been removed. He knew these poles represented everything that was wrong. They were the embodiment of the abandonment of God and His ways.
But Gideon wasn’t big on destroying public property. Not since he was a kid. No matter how confident he was about God’s instruction, before he was ready to do something crazy, he’d need a second opinion.
Nikki reached for her foot from behind and pulled it into a stretch. Her quads were tight this morning. She did her calves next, then finished her stretch routine with her arms, shaking them out longer than necessary. She’d been unsettled more than usual over the last few days and couldn’t discern if it was God stirring her or if her own weaknesses were taking their toll.
She opened the front door, stepping light on her toes as she let out a quick breath and jogged down the steps and onto the sidewalk, where she stopped. Gideon’s truck was parked across the road. He was sitting in the front seat with his arms crossed, and it looked like he was asleep.
She approached cautiously. His window was open, but his eyes were closed, and she didn’t want to startle him.
“Gideon?” she said softly.
He blinked and looked at her. “Hey.”
She looked up and down the road. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, sorry to turn up like this.” He got out of the car. “You going for a run?”
“I was, yeah. Unless you need something?”
“Well…” He squeezed the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly. “I did. Now that some time has passed, I’m changing my mind.”
“How long have you been out here?”
“About an hour.”
A million ideas about Gideon’s purpose for being here wrestled for attention, but she pushed them all away. She’d made enough assumptions about him already. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. A lot of really weird stuff has happened. I was hoping to get your perspective on it, but I’m pretty sure you’ll think I’m nuts.”
“Okay.”
“I—no. It’s not important. You go for your run. I’ll find you later if I need to.”
He turned, but she hurried to block the door. “No way.” She laughed. “You can’t say something like that and not tell me.” Her first impression of Gideon had been that he was a slightly brooding, cynical guy who’d seen too much bad in the world but meant well. The last thing she ever expected was to think he was crazy.
“You had better be sure.”
“I’m sure. You want to come in for a coffee?”
“I’d rather walk.”
“Your leg can take it?”
“Yeah.” He made a strange face. “My leg’s fine.”
“Good. Shall we then?”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed her back to the sidewalk.
After walking several minutes in silence, she wondered if he was waiting for her to speak first. “How’s business?” Maybe he needed a primer question.
“It’s good. Busy. I wasn’t expecting to work so much, but I’ve been bringing my dad along most of the time, and I created a sling that will help him do a few more things. Not as much as I can do, obviously, but it means he can help more people.”
“That’s great. ”
“This is a nice neighborhood.” He looked around at the houses. “They’re in better shape than some of the other streets I’ve seen.”
“Fairfax doesn’t do maintenance on the houses he owns.”
“Most people along here have kept their houses?”
“Yeah. So…how long are you going to make me wait?”
He pushed his tongue into his cheek. “I’m trying to figure out how to start.”
“What if I guess?”
“You’ll never guess.”
“I’m a pretty good guesser.”
“Okay, give it your best shot.”
She rubbed her hands together. “First guess. Is it to do with your dad?”
“No.”
“Hmm. Work?”
“So, it’s twenty questions we’re playing? I thought you said you’re a good guesser.”
“I am.”
“This is throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.”
“It’s a winning strategy. I’ll get it right eventually.”
“This is going to be a long walk.”
“Is it something to do with the army?”
“Not really.”
“That’s not a no. What about your leg?”
“That’s part of it.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. ”
“Trust me when I say that whatever is going through your head, it’s not right.”
“Fine then, give me a hint.”
“You’re giving up already?”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “You’re the one who said I’ll never get it.”
“Okay. A hint. It’s connected to a stranger in town.”
“Oh.” She grimaced. “You’re talking about Eric?”
“I am.”
“I heard about his stunt in the park. Is that what this is all about? You’re worried I might still be in contact with him? I think he’s left town.”
“Yeah, probably. I was at the park. I saw it.”
She nodded. “So that’s it. You’re here to tell me ‘I told you so’? I don’t know why you couldn’t come out with it in the first place.”
“That’s not it.”
“The poor guy. Probably forgot to take his medication. Which is really sad because we had such a wonderful time at the diner. The worst part is my mom heard about it. She acts like it’s no big deal, but I can see it hurts. I hope he didn’t get treated too badly by anyone.”
“Not in the park. No.”
“There was a moment when I thought maybe he could help this town.”
“That’s probably your best guess yet.”
“His rant in the park?”
“No. That he could help the town.”
“You think street preaching is the answer?”
“I need you to be honest with me. Straightforward. Feel free to tell me I’m crazy because maybe I am. Probably I am.”
“You want to be an evangelist?”
“This has nothing to do with Eric’s sermon in the park.”
“Then you’d better tell me what it is because I obviously can’t guess.”
“It’s hard to know which thing to say first.”
“Why don’t you give me a brief outline, then we can work it out from there.”
“I think Eric…he…I don’t know how to say it.”
She pulled him to a stop. “What are you afraid to tell me?”
Gideon held his breath, then blurted, “He was sent by God.”
“Eric?”
“Yeah. At least, I think he was.”
She grinned. “So, this is the part where I say ‘I told you so’.”
“You already knew?”
“That’s what I was saying at the diner. He was a breath of fresh air. He came through town to encourage us, not to spy for Fairfax. That’s not crazy, it’s obvious.”
“Okay then, how about the fact that he healed my leg?”
“He what?” She glanced down, then back up again.
“He also healed himself—or God did—after Cole and his friends beat him up bad.”
“What? When was this?”
“I found them in the alley. They must have dragged him there or ambushed him after his chat in the park. ”
She pressed her hands to her face. “Oh my goodness, is he okay?”
“That’s what I just said. He healed himself. I found them and fought off Cole and his guys, but he was badly hurt, and?—”
“Back up a second. You took on how many guys? How’d you stop them? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with your special forces training.”
He closed his eyes for a second. “No. I’m just good at fighting. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it helped Eric. Or I thought it did.”
“You should be proud. You saved a man’s life.”
“But I didn’t. I told you this was crazy. He was beat up, and then he wasn’t.”
“Because you stepped in. He’s lucky you learned what you did in the special forces.”
“I was never in the special forces. I lied to my dad. I was an army mechanic for a little while, then I moved on. I’ve been working as a mechanic since then. That’s it.”
She studied a crack in the sidewalk. She’d made so many assumptions about him. “That explains a lot.”
“What, that I’m a liar?”
“Why’d you do it?”
“I knew my dad would be ashamed if all I could be was a mechanic in the army.”
“Does he know the truth now?”
“No. I was only supposed to be in and out of town within the week, so it wasn’t going to matter. Now it’s made things complicated.”
“Not really. ”
“You’re not shocked and appalled?”
“I listened to rumors, so that’s my fault.”
“Rumors I started.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but what difference does it make?”
“Just like that, you’re going to forget about it?”
“Why not?”
“It’s a problem if you were holding out hope that my elite skills would somehow help this town.”
“All I’ve ever wanted was someone who cared. That’s all.” They stared at each other for a moment. When it got too intense, she said, “So Eric was okay when you rescued him?”
“No. He was a mess, and so was my leg after the fight. But then, all of the sudden, Eric was fine, and so was my leg.”
“Okay. Wow. So, when you said ‘healed’, you meant it in the supernatural sense.”
“Yes.”
“That’s a lot.”
“I told you.”
“But I don’t think you’re crazy.”
“I haven’t gotten to the craziest part yet.”
“There’s more?”
“I’m gonna come out and say this next part real fast.”
“Please do.”
“Eric told me God sent me here to rescue the town. Also, I’m pretty sure He—as in God—wants me to tear down the totem poles.”
Nikki licked her lips, trying not to let her face show that her heart was exploding. After all her back-and-forth expectations about Gideon, he was saying exactly what she’d longed to hear for so long. “So,” she swallowed to steady her voice, “God told you to tear down the totem poles in order to save the town?”
“I told you I would sound crazy. It’s okay if you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe—in miracles.” To have the thing she’d prayed for for so long now standing in front of her, she was afraid to believe it was true. Or that taking down the totem poles would have any lasting change in the town. She hated them, but they were only things. “Can you give me some time to process?”
“Actually, I was hoping you’d tell me it’s all in my head and to get over myself.”
“If I’m going to do that, I still need to process. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Hasn’t your leg been improving over the last few weeks? I’ve noticed the difference. You said yourself you thought he might be a con man. Forgive me for asking, but he’s not playing you, is he?”
“The fight I had with Cole definitely re-injured it bad. One minute, it was blown up and I could barely walk, the next, it was as good as before the accident.” He bounced on his toes to make his point. She nodded slowly.
“I believe you, and that’s great. But I have another question.”
“Shoot.”
“It’s about the totem poles. Are you one hundred percent positive it’s what God wants? I’m concerned that’s not the best place to start. If we change the heart of the people, they’ll want to take them down themselves.”
“You don’t want to get rid of them?”
“I do. They’re horrible. But I want to make certain you’re sure. There are too many people here who rely on them, whether they know it or not. This town has gotten superstitious. If you take them down, they’ll probably freak out, thinking it’s the end of the world. And that’s if you even have the chance to get them down before they stop you.”
“I know. That’s why I thought maybe I’d do it at night.” He looked at her, hopeful, then shook his head.
“What? I’m sorry I’m not being more supportive.”
“It’s not that. I came here wanting you to talk me out of it, but now that you are, I find myself more certain than ever. I’m gonna do it. I have to. I don’t expect you to understand. But would you do one thing for me? Would you pray?”
“You want me to pray?”
“Yeah. If you believe I’m doing the wrong thing, then you can pray God stops me before it’s too late. But please pray.”
She believed in the power of prayer, but it was such a benign offering under the circumstances. Gideon was giving her exactly what she wanted, but because God didn’t deliver the way she’d expected, she was about to miss it.
“What if I helped you instead?” she said.
“Praying would be helpful. ”
“I know. But I want to come with you.”
“No. No way. I don’t want you getting into trouble with these people. If I go too far, I can leave. You can’t. You’ll have to live with the ramifications.”
“I won’t sit around doing nothing. I’ve been begging God to do something for years. Now you come along with your nuts ideas. And I mean, you’re right, it’s crazy. Part of me thinks you’re out of your mind. And that’s exactly why I’m not gonna stay out of it.”
“Nikki.”
“I’m a grown woman. This is my decision.”
“I just want to make sure you’re considering the consequences.”
“You mean like when I refused to pay Cole at the markets, and you said I could go to jail?”
“I remember.”
“Good. And come to think of it, I may know a few others who’d like to help.”
“I don’t want to bring anyone else into it.”
“There are others like me who are desperate for change but have been too afraid to do anything. Those totems must weigh a ton, and you’ll need to get in and out quickly. Chainsaws would be the fastest, but they’ll make too much noise. You need help.”
“We’d be breaking the law. Destroying public property.”
“I know.”
“All right. I can’t believe this is happening. I hope I’m getting this right.”
“Two seconds ago, you were convinced. ”
“I know. We’re fickle creatures, aren’t we? Do you think God gets frustrated by that?”
“I’m sure He does. But the Bible says over and over again how long-suffering he is. Besides, are we really that bad when compared with the Israelites? They gave God and Moses so much trouble, but He persevered with them.”
“I’ll need some time to work out a plan. And if things go wrong, I’m the one who will carry the consequences and no one else.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the way it has to be. It was my idea.”
She wouldn’t bother arguing with him, but if things went south, she knew she’d be prepared to take whatever came at them. “I’ll gather the troops. Where do you want to meet and at what time?”
“We can meet at the motel I’m staying at after dark.”
“This is really exciting.”
“I’d choose other words for it.”
“You’re worried?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Sure, but God doesn’t expect us to only do things that are comfortable.”
“I’d say this is beyond that.”
“And I’d say I’m okay with that.”