[THE LONESOME STRANGERS BIRTH] PART TWO
THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THIS EPISODE...
The day dawns hot and the father who it turns out is named Smokey wakes before the sun rises above the horizon.
He turns and looks at his wife and smiles as he thinks back.
She saved his life and the life of his son.
It has been 10 years since he arrived here and the men who perpetuated the crime have never been caught.
He rolls out of bed and goes into the other bedroom and looks in on his son who sleeps in the bed that he built with his own hands.
He is a carpenter and a damn good one and it has served him well.
The family is doing well.
He wakes his son and together they leave the house.
The boy goes off to tend to his chores and as Smokey walks he thinks of his son.
The boy is mindful but quiet and he seems to learn things in a different way... he asks questions for which there seems to be no answer and then he answers them himself.
The answers always make perfect sense.
The father goes into the barn and starts to work. He knows he will not see his son till much later. The boy will do his chores and disappear as always.
He will not return until it is time to do his last chores.
Smokey has come to realize that this is what the boy needs... space.
The woman whose name it turns out is Melinda wakes and the house is silent, her men are gone.
She sits on the edge of the bed and thinks about them both. The husband and the son.
Funny how God can take away and give back.
She thinks of her son who came to her hungry dirty and crying and tears well in her eyes.
He is so different and she wonders if he can remember what happened that day and that makes her sad.
Yet the boy even though quiet is well adjusted. He speak to people at the right time and knows how to hold a conversation, its just to her he seems to be holding something back.
She loves him and his father with all her heart and that much is truth.
she stands and begins her day.
The boy whose name is Sampson finishes the last of his chores and reaches down and pats the half wolf who walks by his side.
No one knows where the dog came from and the boy has had him for over a year.
The dog and the boy showed up after one of his excursions one day and he has never left the boys side since.
His father asked him what the dogs name was once and the boy said "He has no name."
He whistles as he starts to leave the enclosure with the cows and the dogs ears perk up. This is how he communicates with the animal.
He walks to the edge of the woods and he and the dog seem to disappear into the trees.
They walk and walk until they are deep into the woods and the boy pulls his slingshot from his back pocket. He carries lead balls and has killed birds and rabbits with it. He always takes what he kills home and he cleans it himself.
He has a profound respect for nature and he is at home with it.
He sniffs and his dog smells what he smells at the exact same time... His senses in some respects are sharper than any animals and they start to walk towards the smell.
They come to a hill of dirt with trees on top of it and walk up it together when they reach the top and look down they are surprised to see a black man sitting there with nothing but a loincloth and sandals on. His body is painted and is cooking a rabbit over a spit.
The man is silent and has his back turned to them. The boy is surprised when the man says come down here son.
He does not even turn around and the boy looks at the dog but the dog immediately goes down and sits by the man who reaches out and pats him.
The boy is astounded by this. his dog has never done this before and it piques his interest.
He walks down to where the man is and sits on the ground in front of him.
The man looks at him and for an instant the boy feels as if he has fallen into the stars as he looks straight into the man eyes.
The man speaks and his voice fills every bit of empty space in the boy.
"I have many things to show you."
The man begins to talk of ancient spirits and how the boy is connected to them and the boy feels something inside of him give.
He has waited 10 years to hear these things.
THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE END OF OUR TALE... STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT EXCITING EPISODE AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
jerald hamzahfaruq murphy
