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       5. From Rendall’s Parables: The Tale of the Hungry Child

       Once in a distant land there was a child, who, despite his mother’s warning, wandered out of the garden and into the field. Entranced by the blue skies and distant hills, he strayed. Soon he was hungry. In the distance, he saw a farm and made his way there. He entered the dairy and found a jug of milk, from which he drank greedily. But was it his to take?

      When Mike rang from the Red King to say I wasn’t needed on Wednesday, I took it as a sign. I’d go up to Lower Fold Farm instead, and see Bea. That is, if I could have the car. Dad grumbled a bit when I asked him and made me cough up for the petrol, but finally agreed. Then he asked me what on earth I was doing visiting friends on a farm? It was November, for Christ’s sake. And who were these people, anyway?

      I smiled, fairly nonchalantly. I explained about my meeting with Nick and Kate on the train, editing it neatly. I mentioned Nick had done voluntary work in India and that Kate was an artist. The farm, I told him, was just a house where they lived with some friends. I told Dad about Bea too, confessing I liked her. That went down well. His mouth curled in a half-smile. He thought he’d uncovered the motivation for my sudden interest in farms. The questioning stopped and I was half-relieved.

      And so Wednesday night saw me on the way to Lumbutts again. I’d made a bit of an effort with my appearance with Bea in mind. I couldn’t decide between my navy or fawn sweater, but went for the fawn in the end – dressed in dark colours, I’d be very conspicuous. It felt good to be going back to the farm. I had no fixed idea of what I wanted to happen, past the fact that Bea would be there – I knew that, as we’d been texting each other. She asked me to arrive before seven. At this rate, I was going to be early. Nearly all the traffic lights seemed to turn to green as they saw me coming.

      This time I knew exactly where I was going and found the farm with no difficulty at all. Having spent a night there made it familiar to me. I guided the car carefully over the bumpy track to the farmhouse and parked it by a wall. There was the sense of rain in the air. I rapped loudly on the door. Fletcher answered.

      “Joe,” he said, seeming pleased.

      It’s nice to be wanted.

      Bea came out from the kitchen and her face brightened when she saw me.

      “You’re in time for our Evening Service!” she announced.

      “Come and join us,” Fletcher added. “As an observer.”

      An evening service? It sounded suspiciously like church. I had a sinking feeling and wondered what I’d got myself into. But, hey, I was free to go afterwards. I might as well sit it out. So I put on a brave smile and followed Bea to the Gathering Place, where quite a few people had already assembled. There was Kate, who rose to her feet to greet me, smiling fit to burst. There were others I recognised, and who recognised me. They all said, “Peace!”

      I muttered back, “Peace,” since it seemed the right thing to do. I sat down on a bench where there was room for Bea to sit next to me. She did. I found that I was swallowing nervously.

      I always feel edgy in religious services. Not that I’ve had experience of many. As a kid I’d been to church on some occasions, then we sort of stopped going. I’d been to weddings, and a couple of funerals. And countless school assemblies. It had always struck me that the point about religious services wasn’t worshipping God as much as getting it right. Finding the right hymn number, singing neither too softly nor loudly, sitting and standing at the right times. Oh, and being quiet. And letting someone, like a vicar, or the Head, talk nonsense at you, feel-good stuff that you knew neither they nor anybody else would practise. And you just stood there waiting for it all to finish and thinking of something totally different.

      This time, I was just very embarrassed. I didn’t know what to do with myself. It suddenly occurred to me that my legs were too long, as the bench was low and I had to try to position them out of people’s way. I didn’t know what to do with my hands and found I was clenching my fists. And my scalp was itchy, so I tried to scratch it without anyone noticing. Then Fletcher came in and started handing round some pamphlets. They’d obviously done the rounds, and looked the worse for wear. I took one from the pile that was handed to me and passed the rest along.

      The door opened once more and two of the blokes came in, carefully carrying one of those plastic baby bath things, half-full of water. They placed it in the middle of the circle. I watched the water level move back and forth, then settle. As it settled, conversation stopped. Bea squeezed my hand and I hoped she hadn’t noticed how hot and sweaty my palm was. Kate went round lighting candles, and when she had finished, someone switched off the light. The room was lit by flickering flames and dancing shadows played on the floor. Some people began to hum a tune. It sounded vaguely Eastern. The refrain was simple and I could have easily joined in had I wanted to. I heard Bea take up the melody, then the person on my other side. I found myself swaying slightly in time to the tune. I was the only person not humming. I tried to look as if I was humming, then found I was emitting a sort of noise. Oh, what the hell. I joined in. It was just some communal singing. We weren’t sacrificing goats or anything.

      We all hummed for some time. Then slowly people dropped out until there was silence. Fletcher’s voice broke it.

      “O, source of Light,” he intoned. “We are grateful for having reached the end of one more day. We offer thanks for those moments of illumination we have experienced and confess shame at the incursions of Darkness we have allowed. As the diurnal shadow envelops us, we affirm our commitment to the One Light, to Truth, to Goodness, to Peace, to Perfection. We approach the night confident that the day will follow, as the Kingdom of Light always surpasses in strength the Kingdom of Dark. We are glad that we are one day nearer you and yearn for the last night, when we can enter fully into the World of everlasting Day. We pray that we will be worthy of it. We work that we will be worthy of it. Our purity reflects our desire.”

      Everyone murmured, “Our purity reflects our desire.”

      Fletcher read some more prayers. I was trying to follow the gist of it, which seemed to be about light and darkness. I didn’t hear him mention God, which was a relief. I also noticed there was none of that ‘thee’ or ‘thou’ stuff. It was all in modern English. But the strangest thing was that absolutely everyone was paying attention. People were either following in the pamphlet or watching Fletcher and listening. There was depth and seriousness in their eyes. It made me feel kind of inferior.

      Then Fletcher stopped and there was more silence. I was getting used to this silence now. It had a quality all of its own, like a white noise, like a silken veil held close to your skin. It exerted a gentle pressure on me, on everyone. Then a bloke I couldn’t put a name to got up from the bench, went over to the bath of water and knelt by it. He immersed his hands in the water and began to wash them, and spoke as he did so.

      “I, Chris Taylor, swore aloud when I was cut up on the roundabout this afternoon.”

      “We trust you will be forgiven,” came a few voices.

      The guy continued to wash his hands for a few moments longer, then shook them over the bath. Without drying them, he went back to his seat. His place was taken by Nick, who also began to wash his hands.

      “I, Nick Lewis, failed my ASD today. I deplore my weakness.”

      “We trust you will be forgiven,” came the response.

      Nick

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