Jason King, Forever Hold Your Peace

[flashhorgo]

JASON
KING

FOREVER HOLD
YOUR PEACE

Gordon Horton
 
 

INTRODUCTION



It's been a year since the world ended. Things had been odd in the weeks leading up to it. All the birds had been flying south, and it was springtime. All the other animals were sticking to the low country. The dogs had been whining for weeks and the cats were hissing at anything that moved.
Predators were seen at the edge of town. Wolves, coyotes, even mountain lions. moose, elk, buffalo, antelope, and deer were seeing walking the streets downtown in bunches.
It was pretty weird.
We had a woman in the White House. The previous president had gone into hiding after being soundly defeated in the election. There were a lot of rumors floating around about what had been going on in Washington.
Some said the Orange Blossom Special had been hiding out in Russia where he'd been given asylum. He was wanted, and no one could find him.
There had been a lot of saber rattling. Then things got strangely quiet. We started seeing military patrols. The president declared a national emergency. Unusual orders were issued that not everyone took seriously.
Then the power went out. Doomsday preppers took to their holes. Things got ugly when the food started running low. Looting and gunfights were common. Three or four weeks after the power went out the patrols we had been seeing disappeared.
One day soon after, Hell came to breakfast.
The world lit up, the ground shook, and the ugliest sound I have ever heard came down from the north. There was a wave of heat and steam that rolled across the land and the church steeple caught fire. People who were outside got third degree burns.
My barn was in the deepest part of the valley and backed up against a cave. I had gotten a bad feeling the night before and put everybody and everything I could in there.
I was in the barn when it happened. When the steam rolled across the land everything spun around in my head and it was awhile before I remembered anything else.
When I came to it was raining. This was like no rain I had ever seen. Water fell from the sky in buckets and the thunder and lightning lit up the land. The rain put out all the fires that had started and the new danger was flash flooding.
Water was pouring into the barn from the cave and I tried to get up. I couldn't think straight or get my balance. It took a few tries, but I made it. I needed help standing. I was wobbly, so I grabbed a pitchfork and staggered to the door leading into the cave.
My wife and my two daughters were back there with their husbands and the grandkids. My oldest granddaughter was Becky, short for Rebecca. Seems like she was the first one on her feet. She was bent over trying to wake her grandmother up.
Everyone else was stirring around trying to get out of the water so I made a beeline for my wife. She had a trickle of blood coming from her nose and her ears, but so did everyone else.
My Karen never regained consciousness. I lost the best friend I ever had.











ONE



“Poppa? You all right?” The question came from the barn door.
“You sneakin up on me girl?” Becky was checking up on me.
“You were just standing there, staring into the cave.” She said. “When you didn't hear me open the door I worried.”
“I was just thinking about your grandma.”
She walked over to where I was standing, and I turned and put my arm around her shoulders. “I miss her every day.”
“Me too Poppa.”
“Why are you here young lady?” I asked? “Shouldn't you be at the diner?”
“It's Greg Poppa.” She said with a tremor in her voice. “He's come back.”
Greg Johnson was her fiancé. He was in the military when things went to hell, stationed overseas. All troops and citizens had been recalled, but we never got any news. Becky had just started to smile again.
“Why don't you sound happy about that?” I looked past her at the door. If Greg was back it figured he would be with her.
She turned and called back over her shoulder, “Greg? Come on in!” When I saw Greg walking towards me, I nearly hit the floor. His boots weren't raising any dust. The colors on his uniform weren't quite right. His color wasn't any better. He was one of them.
A couple of weeks after the world blew up people started seeing shadows. You would catch movement out of the corner of your eyes but when you turned to look there was no one there. I can't tell you how many times I thought Karen was right there behind me. I could hear her whisper my name. I knew she was dead, but I swear I heard her!
This went on for three or four months. Then one day it just stopped, at least for me. It was quiet for about 3 or 4 weeks.
Just as I thought my sanity had returned, I woke up one morning and Karen was standing beside the bed. I figured it had to be a dream. I reached out to hold her and my arms passed right through!
I'm embarrassed to say I must have fainted. When I woke up, she was sitting beside me on the bed.
I looked at her as she was looking at me and I asked her, “Am I dead?”
“No Jason King, you are not! But I am. There are some things we should talk about.”
“Like what?”
“No rush. We’ve got time now. Lots of time.”
 
TWO



“I'm sorry you didn't make it young man. Have you been to see your folks yet?” I asked? I had been talking to Karen off and on since she first came back, so it didn't seem quite so surreal as it should have.
“No sir, I have not.” He replied, “Don't know why not except I felt like I had to find Becky.”
“Well, you found her! Don't you think you should see your folks now?”
“Not just yet Mr. King.” He looked a little puzzled. “Once you get crossed over you kind of know what you need to do. How to go about doing it.” He said, “Ain't nobody to tell you, you just kind of know.”
“He came back for me Poppa.” Becky cried, “He still wants to marry me!”
I had to sit down. Then I swore a blue streak. I looked over at the Spirit of that young man and I swear if he hadn't been dead, I'd have killed him!
“Greg, how can you possibly expect my granddaughter to marry a dead man!” I figure steam must have been coming out of my ears “Have you lost your damn mind?” I asked? Then I thought about it a minute while the two of them stood there looking at the ground. “What am I saying?” Shaking my head I added, “Of course you lost your mind! You're dead!”
“Mister King.” He said calmly, “I can't tell you how, or why I know this, but this is something we need to do. This is what I came back for.”
Before I could say anything else, I looked over and saw a little tear rolling down Becky's cheek. “Please Poppa.” She pleaded. “I really want to do this! We still love each other!” She shook her head and looked over at Greg. “I feel like it's something I have to do.”
“Damn!” I started pacing back and forth. “Who do your think's going to marry you?” I asked, “Preachers dead!”
“You’re a priest.”
“Now just how do you know that Greg?” This was rapidly getting out of hand. “Karen is the only one who knows about that! Besides, I'm only the priest of some fruit cake religion that was started by a bunch of folks who had an unhealthy obsession with a stupid movie!”
That's when Becky added, “Maybe so Poppa, but you can still legally marry people!”
That's when it hit me. “You've been talking to your grandma!” Then I yelled out her name, “KAREN! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?” I was looking around at the ceiling because I never really knew which way to look or talk when I was trying to call her. She usually showed up when I hollered out her name.
“I found out just before you did Jason.”
She was behind me. “You expect me to go along with this?” I asked turning “What are the kids going to say?”
When I saw her, she was standing there wearing the dress she wore the night we snuck out of town to get married. She was so pretty I nearly choked.
“Love will find a way Jason, it always does.” She said. “I can see by your eyes that you haven't forgotten.”
“Please help Poppa.”
With Becky and Karen tag-teaming me, I was starting to weaken. Then Greg added “It isn't what you think up here,” and I felt the tingle of his palm touch my forehead. Then he laid his hand over my heart and said, “It's what you feel in here that matters.”
Karen had explained to me about how spirits could concentrate their essence into a small part of their visible selves so that the living could feel them make contact. She did that the first time I felt her kiss my forehead to wake me up. Scared the crap out of me!
“STOP!” I held out my hands, palm forward, and said, “I have to think about this!” I looked over at Karen “You stay here a minute.” Then I looked at Greg and Becky. “Greg, you go see your folks! Becky, you go home! Not a word about this to anybody. You understand me?”
They both nodded and Becky said, “Okay Poppa.” They stopped at the door and I saw Greg lean over and kiss Becky on the cheek. Then he just, disappeared! Becky looked over at me and smiled. The happiest I’d seen her in a long time.
 

THREE




I turned back to Karen but before I could say a word, she said, “You need to have some tea and go to the sweat lodge.”
Years ago I had started reading up on shamanism. I built a sweat lodge up in the hills and took to making mushroom tea. Psilocybin mushrooms. I saw some strange things, but when Karen and I ran off to get married I left all that behind. I had responsibilities.
After she died, lI started remembering that one part of shamanism, a big part, was healing.
Now, before they cross over spirits can't really manifest in a form that you would recognize. The best they can do is like a wisp of smoke. A whisper you can almost hear. Karen had been buzzing around me driving me nuts before she was able to get crossed over. Thought I was losing my mind. I decided a little healing was probably what I needed.
I started hunting mushrooms again. I would brew up a batch of tea, then go up and start a fire in my sweat lodge. It needed to be fixed up a bit the first time I went up there and checked it out, but I built it well to begin with, so it didn't need much. I would have some tea and then lay back and close my eyes. It was always Karen that I was thinking about while I waited for the world to go away so I could enter the dream. Knowing what I know now, I could have found her there. Everything in its time.
I looked her in the eye for a long moment. Don't ask me why I would trust a ghost, but ghost or not it was Karen. I had lived my life trusting Karen. “Okay.” I said. Then she was gone.




FOUR





I threw some sage on the fire. It had been about 30 minutes since I drank the tea and I was starting to feel the effects. It felt like a strong batch this time. Tasted like it too. I laid back on my blankets and closed my eyes. Getting as comfortable as I could I pictured Karen as she looked on our wedding day. I thought about that day and then I thought about that night. I was so happy it felt like my heart would bust right out of my chest. Can't say I didn't want that for Becky.
That was the last thing I remember thinking.

“JASON!” Somebody called my name. “JASON, TIME TO WAKE UP!”
I opened my eyes to discover I was no longer in the sweat lodge. There were a million stars in the sky, and the moon was big and orange. An old Indian sat across from me. There was a fire with coffee on. Cast iron skillet sitting on a rock by the fire. I looked over at that old Indian and asked him, “Who are you?”
“I'm nobody.” He said. “Just the guy who had to sit here and wait for you.” He tossed his coffee into the bushes behind him. Then he set the cup down on a rock by the coffee pot.
“You need to talk to ‘the One Who Yawns’ he's a busy man though. He asked me to wait for you and call him when you got here.”
“The One Who Yawns?” I had no idea what that meant.
He said, “That's what the people called him. I believe you white folks called him Geronimo.”
With that he looked over his shoulder and called into the darkness, “Goyahkla! He is here!”
Expecting someone to come from that direction I was startled when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Jason.” I heard him say. “I have been wanting to talk to you.”
I looked up and saw an even older Indian with his hand on my shoulder. Remembering my history I knew that Geronimo was an Apache medicine man. Was this really Geronimo? I have no idea. I don't know an Apache from a Navajo.
As he walked around the fire to take a seat across from me, I noticed that the other Indian was gone. I never heard him move. He reached over and picked up the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.
“I would offer you a cup, but you couldn't drink it here anyway.”
“Where exactly are we?” I asked?
“You don't remember?” He said. “You've been here before, but it has been many summers.”
He threw a few sticks on the fire and reached over to take a piece of meat out of the skillet. As he started to chew it looked like he was really enjoying it.
“I like it here.” He said. “Everything tastes better.”
“This isn't what I was expecting.” I commented. “What am I doing here?”
“I told you I had been meaning to speak to you Jason.” He took a sip of his coffee. “The world is in trouble. This one and the next.” He sat there for a minute and looked up at the sky.
I turned and looked in the direction he was staring. What I saw had my jaw dropped down onto my chest.
The Aurora Borealis. It looked like a gigantic sheer curtain with a rotted gash sliced across it. One big horizontal slice with a lot of vertical sections slapping back and forth in an unseen breeze. There were what look like a river of small clouds flowing into it. There were some coming back out as well. The ones coming back out looked as though they were swimming against the current. The ones going in were like the white caps in rapids. The colors, normally pretty, had taken on a sickening hue.
“Yes.” He said. “Ugly isn't it.” He shook his head and set his cup down. “A white man is responsible for this. The people did not do it.”
I looked back at Geronimo and saw a tear rolling down his cheek. “White men have been causing trouble for as long as I have known them.”
“WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?” I cried.
“This is the curtain between the living and dead. This is where you cross over into the next life when you die. The curtain has been torn. This is not a good thing Jason. We need somebody to fix it. We can't ask the white man who caused it, he has been cast out. He causes nothing but trouble every time he comes back here. He blew his last chance.”
“Who can fix this? That hole is gigantic!”
“We were kind of hoping that you would volunteer.” Geronimo shook his head “There's nothing we can say to make you do this. You have a strong heart Jason, and your love is deep. Not many white men care as you do. In order to fix this the living and the dead must bond. Love will heal the breach Jason, nothing else will do. Love and sacrifice.” He tossed his coffee into the bushes behind him and got up.
“How am I supposed to know how to fix this?” I'm afraid I let exasperation slip into my voice. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked?
He smiled at that, the One Who Yawns, and he said, “Perform the wedding ceremony for your granddaughter. If you are worried about the legality of marrying the Living to the Dead just remember, the nuns have been marrying a dead man for centuries.” Then he laughed. “Think about whether or not you would like to save the world. If you decide to help, you will know what to do when the time comes.” The flames went out in the fire and he started to walk away. “We will talk again, Jason if you decide to help. A white man caused this, but that white man is gone. Someone has to pay the price to fix it.”
Then he was gone. I suddenly felt very sleepy, so I laid down, and woke up.

 
FIVE




Karen was sitting with me in the lodge when I woke up. The fire was long dead and there was light in the sky. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and sat up. Then I grabbed my canteen and took a long drink of water, my mouth and throat was dry as a chip. She just sat there smiling at me, hands clasped around her left knee.
“Be right back.” I said. Had a little outhouse back in the trees a bit and I needed it in the worst way. Just about the time I was starting to feel better I heard Karen say, “The girls are at the house waiting for you.”
I nearly jumped out of my socks. I'm one of those guys that feels like there are things a man should do by his self. She knew it too!
Seeing that she had gotten the reaction she expected, same one she had always gotten when she busted in on me, she had a pretty good laugh.
“I will never understand why you think that's so funny!” I said. “Damn near gave myself a shower!”
She hid her smile behind her hand and rubbed the end of her nose with her index finger. It was a gesture I knew all too well. The memory of it made me ache and I wished again that she was still with me in the flesh.
“Tom and Jake are with them.” She said, still smiling. “Leanne and Tim are on their way up, the kids couldn't keep quiet. Naturally everyone has an opinion.”
“It's going to be all right Dear.” I walked outside and headed for the trail. “I think I've got this figured out.”
 
SIX




Tom and Jake were on the porch when I got to the house. Tom turned and went inside when he saw me coming. I didn't even have time to say hello to Jake before Anita came busting through the front door, Tom and Carol on her heels.
“Dad! Becky tells us you're going along with this insane plan of hers to marry a ghost! What the hell Daddy? How can you encourage this? What were you thinking?”
By the time she got around to asking me what I was thinking she was up in my face poking her finger into the middle of my chest. So I reached up and grabbed her hand keep from getting bruised.
“In the first place, you need to remember that you're not too big to turn over my knee. I'm still your father.”
Then Tom piped in with, “Now hold on a minute Mister King.”
Anita turned around and laid into him “You hush up Tom, I got this!”
Then she turned back to me and set herself up to poke me in the chest some more and everybody started talking at once.
Karen showed up about that time, sitting on the porch swing. Had a little smile on her face. I let them rant for just a minute to take the edge off their anger. Then I had to get loud to be heard over all their squawking.
“EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!” I hollered.
That took them all by surprise because I don't get loud very often.
I looked at Anita, and then at Carol. “Your mama says the Johnsons are on their way.” I said, “So let's all go inside and have some coffee. Might as well wait till they get here so we don't have to repeat this conversation.”
They hadn't noticed their mama sitting on the swing. Now that they did, they got a little quiet. None of them were as comfortable with her as I was, she being dead and all. Most of the folks in town were uncomfortable with the spirits that had been showing up.
To be fair, most of the spirits didn't really have a whole lot to say to the living. They weren't really interested. Karen said most of them were just coming back to check out the places they lived. See what's changed. A lot of them were wearing clothing that no one had seen for decades. With all the time I spent with my wife I probably knew more about them than anyone.
“You say hello to your mom and let's go inside.”
They all mumbled something in her direction, but nobody really looked at her. I started to say something about that, but Karen looked at me and held up her hand.
“It's alright Jason.” She said. “This is kind of a lot to take in. Not everyone is as open-minded as you are. Apparently, not even our own children.”
She had a sad little smile on her face when she got up from the swing. “Let's all go inside and sit. The Johnsons will be here in a couple minutes.”
The girls at least had the grace to be ashamed as they turned to walk inside. Everyone else trailing behind them. I held the door for Karen, and she walked through. She didn't really go popping in and out very often. Tried not to walk through things. She said it made things feel more normal. Just because I had grown accustomed to her presence doesn't mean anyone else had.
We all settled into the living room and the girls went to make coffee. Karen sat on the arm of my chair and made small talk with Tom and Jake. Doing her best to make things seem normal. I'm not sure why she spent so much time with me. Other spirits had come and gone. People had loved ones come to visit, letting the living know that they were okay. Mostly they just moved on.
“Some of us have a part to play.” Karen explained once. “We don't always know what it is until it happens. Don't really know what to say sometimes until someone asks the right question.”
About that time Tim and Leanne Johnson rode up.
 
SEVEN



Automobiles and gasoline were in short supply. Everybody was pretty much saving them for emergencies. A lot of bicycles have been rebuilt. A man who had horses and cattle was a wealthy man these days.
The power hadn't come back on yet, nobody really knew if it would. Cell phones were all dead. Not many personal computers were still working and anything you didn't have on that computer the day the world ended, you didn't have access to anyway. A lot of folks out here had generators, but the fuel supply was very limited. Cash didn't mean much anymore. Barter was the order of the day.
We kept hearing rumors that the government was starting back up. There were a few shortwave radios that we were doing our best to keep operational. Nothing official had reached us yet. It was all just rumor.
Leanne was not as active as my girls. Tim and I had fashioned a kind of a cart out of the bed of an old pickup. We were working on something better, but it wasn't finished yet. He tied the cart up in the shade and helped Leanne get down. Then they came inside.
“Hello Jason.” He said, “Folks.” By way of greeting to the rest as he made eye contact and nodded his way around the circle. “Greg told us everybody would be here.”
“I'm not sure how he knows these things.” Leanne sighed. “He asked us to trust him, and to trust you Jason!” They both looked at me, long and hard. Tim asked, “What's this all about Jason?”
The girls had been bringing in some coffee and snacks. I guess they realized this was going to take a minute. Karen was right about one thing, it was going to be harder to convince them than it was to convince me.
It was quite a shitstorm. I'm not going to record the conversations here. Some of what was said was ugly. Nobody had any corner on the market, although it fell to me to try and be the voice of reason. I had Karen to sustain me in that. When I started to get riled, I would feel her hand on my shoulder. Since she had explained it to me, I knew how much of an effort that cost her. Calmed me right down.
Karen had me fix a big pot of rattlesnake stew yesterday evening. I had gathered the makings of a wild salad on my way back to the house from the sweat lodge. ‘Round about noon we took a break. Everybody had some food and water and separated to think about what had been said that morning. When we got back together, I figured it was time to start maneuvering things towards the solution and stop casting blame and pointing fingers.
In the end it was common sense that prevailed. Everybody here knew that you couldn't really stop somebody from doing what they wanted to do. Not grown people anyway. When I pointed out that nuns had been marrying a Dead man for centuries that kind of settled it.
Thanks Geronimo.
Not that anybody was willing to give up just yet. It wasn't until just before dark that everyone was in agreement that this was going to happen.
There was going to be some resistance from the folks in town. Especially the ones who couldn't see the spirits or talk to them. Those folks were not entirely convinced that we weren't all just crazy.
It was going to take a couple of weeks to set things up, get everybody on board. All the who, what, when, where, and how.
It was settled though. We were going to bond the living and the dead. 
EIGHT



I pretty much let the others handle all the details in town. My part was simple. As expected, there was initially quite a bit of resistance. Some of the young men who had hoped to put the smile back on Becky's face were a little put out.
Greg and Becky took to spending quite a bit of time out at the ranch. Not that they were spending all that time with me. Becky had her own favorite spots. Places she and Greg had been to before he joined the military.
Karen was spending her time going back and forth and keeping an eye on things. The girls were getting a little easier in her company. Karen had gotten pretty good at making you forget that she wasn't really there.
The ranch had been in my family for generations. What I had there made me a wealthy man by the current standards. Having a little gold mine I could get to didn’t hurt. Well, not really a mine. More like a cache. The reality was that there was still a lot of work to be done.
Before the world blew up, I had become fond of a show on television that had people making swords and hatchets and spears and such. These guys would make these medieval weapons and then people would test them out and see how well they performed. It was wicked cool.
Because of that, I had built myself a small forge. Teaching myself to make medieval weapons became a kind of a hobby. I had some friends in the native American community that had come by to watch me work from time to time. They even helped me out. Teaching me how to chip arrowheads and make bows. I had quite a collection.
Couple months back I had seen what appeared to be a meteor come down in one of my pastures. The next day I went out looking for it. Unfortunately, it had killed a cow when it landed. The coyotes had been at the carcass, but I was able to salvage some of the meat and it made finding that meteor kind of easy. It wasn't very big, wasn't even all that heavy. It was tough as an old Jarhead though. Never did figure out what kind of metal made up most of it.
I had been thinking about a battle axe I wanted to make, and I figured to use this meteor. Finding some metal on the scrap heap that was beside the barn, I had combined that with the metal in this meteor. Melting down and combining those elements took all the heat I could generate. I cut a basic shape out of some plywood and used it to create a clay mold to cast the axe and handle. Once that cooled, I started beating a better shape to it with my hammer and the bellows. Forged the handle to fit my grip. Long rounded blade with a wicked spike on the back. Wasn't quite finished yet, but it was sure looking pretty good.
That was what I did when I got to feeling stressed. I would get out in the forge and start swinging a hammer and pumping a bellows.
There was something about creating something that took your mind off your troubles. I had a lot to think about. Finishing up that axe left my mind free to wander. Both Greg and Karen had taken to spending some time with me when I was at the forge. They never really said much. Just sat quietly and watched me work.
It took a lot longer to get it sharp than I expected it to. The metal turned out to be dark in color, so it never really got shiny, no matter how much I polished it. I made the shaft and the head all one piece. Once it was polished up and sharpened, I wrapped leather around the handle. Made a nice cushion on the grip.
Split some wood with it to test it out. Even as light as it was the axe cut through that wood like it was butter. Saw a spark when I split one piece and it turned out there was a nail inside the wood. Not totally unheard of in farm country. When I got to looking at it, that axe had cut clean through that nail. I thought I had ruined the blade. Turned it over and over and checked it out real close. Never could find where on the blade that nail had hit. Sharp enough to shave hair. Got a little nick on my arm finding that out. Or so I thought. I know I drew blood but couldn’t find any on the blade. When I went to slap a band-aid on the cut, I couldn’t find it either.
I had some nails pounded into the wall to hang stuff from. So I walked over and swept that axe along the edge of the wood. It didn't even slow down. Went right through those nails clean as a whistle and never made a mark on the blade. It was still sharp enough to shave with. I was going to have to be careful handling this thing so I wouldn't lose a finger. Must have been something in that meteor.
I played with it a bit longer just because I was tickled it turned out so well. Then I hung it up with the rest of the stuff. It was getting close to the wedding day and I still had things to do. 

NINE



I don't remember giving the things that Geronimo told me any serious thought. I guess I figured that anyone would have been willing to do just about anything to save the planet. This was home to the human race.
I still didn't have a clue what I was supposed to do about it. He did say that I would know what to do when the time comes. A little cryptic if you ask me. I just didn't see how anybody could patch that huge hole. Didn't have any choice but to let it be what it was and see what happens.
Somehow or other the girls and their husbands had smoothed things over in town. They even managed to get permission to use the church. Steeple had been patched up, so the roof didn’t leak. Preacher had been killed in the disaster and nobody felt inclined to step up and take his place. Faith was in short supply.
Things had been smoothed over and everything had been planned. Little Sara was to be the ring bearer. I had given them Karen's wedding rings. Sara was the daughter of Carol and Jake, Becky's cousin. Cindy, Becky's sister, was to be the maid of honor. Greg's brother Doug was to be the best man and Jimmy, his youngest brother ways to be an usher along with Sam, Tom and Anita's boy.
Joe and Patrick saw to the horses. Those two boys were Carol and Jake's. They were the kind of boys who would turn a squirrel loose in the congregation. Best to keep them outside.
Since I was going to officiate, we made arrangements for Greg's grandfather, also named Greg, to walk Becky down the aisle. Becky’s father flat refused. Tom still wasn’t happy about any of this. Greg Sr. and his wife Samantha were among those who couldn't really see the spirits. There were enough of us there who could however, to convince him this was real. 


I was proud enough to bust, standing there at the pulpit. Half the town turned out. Becky wore her mother's wedding dress. It fit like it was made for her. She had flowers in her hair and a smile as big as a Wyoming sunrise on her face. Everyone knew their part, everyone was in their place. Carol played the piano as her niece walked down the aisle.
When Becky and Greg were both standing in front of me, I started in to play my part.
“We are here today to bear witness to an unusual bonding.”
I had given a great deal of thought about what to say. The conventional ceremony would never do.
“This bonding is not without precedent. Nuns in the Catholic Church have considered themselves married to Jesus for as long as there has been a Catholic Church.”
We had a couple of Catholics who didn't seem to appreciate that reminder.
“We've all been through the wringer over this. All the objections have already been raised. Everyone has had their say. Everyone has spoken. In the end, there are only two opinions that really matter. That of the bride and the groom. As my wife reminded me so eloquently, Love will find a way. We may as well embrace the inevitable. So, as it says in the traditional ceremony, we must now, ‘Forever Hold Our Peace.’”
I got a little dizzy when I said that part. Everything in the room became crystal clear. Even though I was speaking the words at a normal pace everything seemed to be in slow motion. I felt as though a bell had been rung, but no one heard it.
I wasn't sure what was happening, but I had to carry on. Too late to stop now.
“The traditional vows don't have any place here. This is nothing like the traditional ceremony. Nothing like the traditional wedding. The only thing I can ask here is if the two of you are absolutely certain that this is the life you wish to pursue. Is it your intention, to pledge your Love and devotion to each other? Is your Love strong enough to last until time stops and worlds end?”
At this point I stopped and gave them each a chance to answer.
“Oh yes, Poppa.” Becky cried, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
I was beginning to feel tears of my own at this point.
“Yes sir, I do.” Greg replied.
“Sara,” I said, “I don't believe Greg can hold a ring, so could you put it on Becky's finger for him?”
“Yes sir.” She said, such a sweet child, turning her agreement into action. Then I motioned for her to go and sit down.
“Then by whatever authority I may have as the only ordained priest in the region, I now pronounce you husband and wife, and may that which we choose to call God have mercy on my soul.”
When I said that last part everyone started looking at me. I found my hand reaching behind the curtain on the pulpit and I knew I had to distract their attention.
“What are you looking at me for? Isn't it time for you to kiss your bride?”
That did the trick. Since I had startled his concentration, it took Greg a couple seconds to concentrate his essence into his lips so that Becky would feel his kiss. Everybody was watching them. Tears were starting to flow. Not just among the women, but mine as well. The time had come, and as Geronimo said, I knew what I had to do. If I had been given time to think about it, I don’t believe I could have done it.
Never had I seen anyone look so happy as Becky and Greg did in that moment. Greg moved carefully towards her, maintaining his concentration so she could feel the tingle of his lips.
She gave a little gasp as they made contact, and in that moment, I swept my axe from beneath the pulpit and struck her head from her shoulders.
I fell to my knees, my tears flowing freely with what I had done, and caught her body before it could hit the floor. The blood from her still pumping heart staining my soul. As I held her to my chest, I heard her mother begin to scream. I heard feet pounding down the aisle and I was knocked to the floor, senseless.  

TEN


“Jason, time to wake up.”
I was back at the fire where I had met Geronimo in the shamanic state of consciousness. This time there was a much younger Indian sitting across from me. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. Greif was my reality, and it was choking me.
“Who are you?” I cried? “What more can you want from me?”
“You don't recognize me?” Asked a young Geronimo? “Oh well, I suppose it's to be expected. We have a long road to walk together, you and me. I needed a much younger body.”
“Do you know what I've done?” I cried, tears flowing from my eyes. “Did you know what I would have to do?”
“I'm ashamed to say that I did.” He stirred the fire and looked into the sky behind me.
“You've made a good beginning Jason. Love and sacrifice are what is needed to heal the breach. What you have done today stopped the tear from spreading and sealed off the ends.” He stood up and pointed behind me.
“Look and see.”
I looked where he was pointing, and I could see the places where the wound had started to heal.
“I am sending someone to get you out from where they put you. Some people want to put you on trial. Some want to hang you. Some want to kill you with your own axe.” He shook his head and smiled. “You did a mighty thing. Nobody thought you would go through with it. The sacrifice made by your granddaughter will be rewarded. The young couple will have their time together. Look behind you again.”
I did, Becky and Greg were standing there, as happy as they looked when I had taken Becky's life. Karen was standing there with them. I could see the love in their eyes as they waved at me, and then turned to go.
“It's time for you to go Jason. You must leave the place where they have you. This task you have taken on is going to take a long time. I will be here for you. You will always have a choice, you will not always make the right one. Love and sacrifice are what it is going to take to heal the breach, and it must be healed. Or the world will drop away, and the chain will be broken.”
I was having a hard time following what he was saying. It must have showed.
“We will be many lifetimes on this journey.” He said, “When each life is done you will come home to rest. We are asking a lot from you. Love and sacrifice will heal the breach, but the price will be paid in pain. That pain will be yours to bear. I have given you a new name among the people. We will call you White Eagle.”
Things were starting to fade.
“Each time you go back to the living will be a new beginning. You won't remember the things you have had to do. Each life will have more than one task and you have more work to do in this one. When you hear someone call you White Eagle you will know that I sent them.”
Geronimo shook his head and I could see pity in his eyes.
“It is time for you to go White Eagle.” 


ELEVEN



“White Eagle?” Someone called softly. “Wake up White Eagle. We must go!”
I rolled over feeling like a house had dropped on me. My cheeks wet with tears. It felt like I may have had some ribs broken. It was dark. I could hear loud voices from the other room.
“Hurry, we have your horses, supplies, weapons. We will treat your wounds when we are away from here. Your wife and granddaughter are stalling to give you time to get away.”
I didn't really want to get away. I wanted to let them kill me. Then I heard Geronimo's voice inside my head “The world will fall away, and the chain will be broken.” I didn't really know what that meant, but it didn't sound good. As much as my heart ached, I knew I had things to do.



Duty was calling