Chapter 16: Years Pass

Calling the next few months hectic for the Flynn clan would be a major understatement. Even Wizardly powers couldn't compensate for too much to do in too little time or too many people living in too small a space.

Arrangements to send David's body home was the first order of business. Udit felt that it was his place to handle this particular detail. The old Shaman was very capable in many areas. Some of the family described him as the most skilled of the non-wizards of the group. However, telephone skills were not among Udit's talents. Martha rescued that particular task when she heard Udit describing someone's parental lineage in three different languages over the phone.

Reverend Willis insisted on a memorial service for David. Many members of the congregation had become David's friends over the six months the young Indian had attended the Mountain Church. Reverend Willis explained that the service was needed to offer the other members of his congregation a chance to pay their respects to the memory of David Stalker.

The results of the ceremony was more tears for everyone and an uncomfortable dinner for Reverend Willis after the service. As usual, Sean asked the good Reverend questions that challenged his understanding of the world. In some ways, they also bolstered his belief in his God.

"Reverend Willis, what do you think happens to people after they die?" Sean asked, while Martha and Ava were serving apple cobbler made from preserves.

Patrick Willis wasn't a fool. His time around Sean had taught him that giving one of the rote answers taught in seminary classes was a path to disaster. He had also noticed that two of the new faces at the table had minds just as capable as Sean's. He chose his words carefully.

"My Bible teaches that, after death, the souls of the righteous go to live with our Heavenly Father," Reverend Willis said cautiously. "It also teaches that sinners go to hell and eternal damnation." He glanced at Pappy, the only Catholic in the group before saying, "Catholics teach that sinners go to purgatory and can gain absolution there before going to heaven. Does that answer your question?" he asked with more than a little trepidation.

Sean shook his head and said, "Not really. I know what the books say. I can read pretty fast now. Momma says that I'm over four hundred words a minute. I've been going through a lot of books. I've read the Bible and a few books related to it. I think the Bible is a great guide, but I'm not sure how much of the information is factual. I'm not saying it isn't true. Just that I'm not sure. What I asked, though, was, what do YOU think about life after death?"

Reverend Willis sat back in his chair and meticulously chewed a bite of the cobbler. He thought the calm chewing motions hid the racing mind that searched for a way out of this conversation. Should he answer the original question or take one of the tangents that Sean had offered him? He knew that a discussion of life after death could be a minefield when talking to Sean. A discussion of Sean's reading speed wouldn't be dangerous. He had taken a speed reading class at seminary and knew the average person could read about two hundred fifty words a minute with seventy percent comprehension. Four hundred words a minute wasn't the fastest he heard of, but was still pretty amazing for a child on the downhill slide towards two years old. Patrick didn't think a question about speed reading would distract Sean for long. He decided on the more solid path. He could touch a Bible, after all. The source of the Bible could be debated without consequences. Couldn't it?

"Why do you doubt the information in the Bible?" Reverend Willis asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Reverend saw the bald woman, Lian, lower her face into her hands. She was shaking her head and seemed to be laughing silently. He noticed the red headed Irishman, Cory, ruefully shaking his head with a smile and taking another bite of his cobbler.

"Maybe I didn't choose the best subject," Reverend Willis thought to himself.

Sean was looking at Reverend Willis sternly when he said, "Okay. I'll answer your question but I'm not forgetting mine. I respect your opinion and would like to know what you think."

Reverend Willis nodded in acceptance, and a feeling of trepidation. Maybe he had screwed up more than he thought.

"First of all, the first four books of the Old Testament were written by Moses, a guy that had been educated and trained by the best tutors of the time. He had access to books and more information than we'll ever know because most of the written documentation from that time was destroyed or hidden. He wrote those four books so they could guide and be understood by a tribe of mostly uneducated slaves. The rest of the Old Testament is a history of the Jewish people. There are a lot of claims in that very impressive history but, very few can be proven today with archeological facts. Second, the origins of the New Testament are more than a little suspect. It is a collection of writings and letters and it once included many more writings than what we have today. Several hundred years after Jesus was crucified, a group of men decided which letters and writings would be included in the New Testament. There were many 'books' not included in the New Testament that didn't agree with the goals and motivations of that group of men. The church of the time actually banned the reading and burned many of the writings that were rejected. Would you like to try to convince me that, at least part of that group of men, weren't motivated by greed or a thirst for power over the masses that believed in Christ? By that time in our history, the church was gaining a lot of power. Winners write history, Reverend. In this case, were the losers completely wrong? Were they only partially wrong? They believed in Christ, too, but they didn't toe the party line. Are you sure this a discussion that you want to have?"

"Um, no, Sean," Reverend Willis said quietly. He set his fork down. The apple cobbler was tasting more like sawdust in his mouth now. He was also angry.

"Your question was, 'what do I think happens to us after death'. To answer your question, without referring to biblical references, is difficult. I believe what I have already told you. The righteous go to heaven and sinners go to hell. That belief may not be completely accurate, by your standards, but it the best I can do. No man can know everything. To my knowledge, the only man that has died and was resurrected was Jesus. The New Testament, as flawed as it may be, is an effort to tell his story and the impact of his life on mankind. That impact is continuing to this day, after two thousand years. My references may not be accurate or complete, but it's the best that I have available to me. I am not a Wizard, with a superior mind. I am only a man, with faith. What are you, and what will you become?"

The silence around the table was finally broken when Sean quietly said, "I'm sorry, Reverend Willis. I didn't intend to question the validity of your faith. I would never do that because I like and respect you too much. I shouldn't have questioned the Bible either. I wouldn't question other religious texts like the Quran, The Book of Urantia or Buddhist Texts, and I shouldn't have questioned the Bible. They are all guides that attempt to describe something that mankind really isn't capable of understanding. I don't think our bodies have the correct senses to comprehend what religious texts are trying to explain. I am sorry for offending you. I really didn't mean to."

Reverend Willis sat back in surprise at the apology. Finally he said, "I shouldn't have been so thin skinned either. Please accept my apology, too."

They nodded to each other with a smile.

"I am curious about the source of your questions, and attitudes towards religious texts," Reverend Willis said.

Sean shrugged and said, "Recent experience could explain the questions and attitude. Men are naturally competitive and try to gain power over other men. That is as true in religions, as it is in politics or anything else. Realizing that would give anyone an attitude." There were chuckles around the table.

"Questions about life after death were probably caused by David's death," Reverend Willis said softly.

Sean nodded and, after a quick glance at Lian and Cory, said, "I hear him in my dreams, sometimes. I think I understand why but, like I said, I value your opinion."

"It isn't unusual to dream about someone that has died," Reverend Willis said. "I hope they are good dreams."

Sean didn't answer.

The construction of the new rooms to change BB's and Sheila's home into a duplex progressed much slower than expected. The process started with design plans being drawn up. Then, after county approval which took some rewrites, all the ground work began. Trenching for waste lines and plumbing had to be dug. Foundation forms had to be built and concrete poured.

Sean tried to speed the process by using his trick on the water in the concrete. The result was very brittle concrete that could be crumbled in his hand.

Megan was more successful when she tried to fuse the material in the concrete with her earth sense. Normally cured concrete was still better. All of their efforts didn't have the new rooms ready for their new arrivals.

John Plamondon and his wife Nancy arrived in late February with their daughter, Lilly. John was the new 'Sniffer' but, by his own admission, his skills weren't at David's level. Inquiries were sent about possible training regimes and answers started returning by mid March. The answers came from the Cowlitz tribe and from China. Some of the training suggestions seemed extreme to everyone but they didn't have time to immediately act on them anyway. There were too many other things on the families plates to worry about training issues for anyone. The Plamondon family moved in with Pete and Susan until their new home could be finished.

Sheila's and Susan's new babies were coming. Logically, preparation for the impending births should have been calm and organized. The three registered nurses in the clan should have been able to ensure that. Especially when one had recently gone through a birth of her own. Logic doesn't always apply to mothers, babies, and impending births.

It was anything but calm.

Nancy Plamondon had trained in accounting and, though it was only a two year degree, she was pretty good in her chosen field. The problem was, even applying a Band-Aid was a challenge for her. She became light headed at the sight of blood and had a tendency to faint when someone got more than a paper cut.

Susan went into labor on the eighteenth of March, two days early. Pete and John had gone to Phoenix to pick up Susan's mom, Abigail and Pete's dad, Paul at the airport. Susan was alone with Nancy. Susan called the ranch for help because Nancy had grown so light headed that she couldn't stand up when Susan went into labor. Susan's water broke before help arrived and Nancy passed out.

Martha and Ava arrived a few moments after Susan's water broke. They found Nancy flat on her back and out like a light. Susan was sitting beside her trying to pant through another contraction, and revive Nancy at the same time. The ambulance that arrived ten minutes later took both of them to the hospital.

Bellona Sandoval was born within an hour of her mother arriving at the hospital on March 18th, 1977. The proud father and grandparents arrived an hour and a half later. And, the Flynn family became more crowded.

Two weeks later, Asija Begay was born to BB and Sheila. The baby was named after Sheila's grandfather and meant 'Great Sage' in the Cherokee language. Megan christened him AJ, after the third time she tried to say Asija with the correct tonal inflections.

AJ had been due over a week earlier. Several false alarms with false contractions had everyone inured to the final 'real' contractions. All the emergency drills had been perfected. All the excitement had been wrung from notifications of AJ's impending arrival. Sheila's announcement just after three A.M. on April first was met with groan's and complaints.

"Are you sure honey?" BB asked tiredly. "You aren't just playing an April Fool's joke like we were kidding about, are you?"

"No, BB." Sheila gasped. "Get Momma ... I think he's in a hurry. Get Momma, BB," Sheila cried.

AJ was born at 4:25 A.M. on the first of April, 1977, at the ranch, with Ava, Martha, Liz, Laoshin, and Lian in attendance. Liz got there just as the baby was born. Martha and Ava had helped in the birth of horses and calves before, but this was their first human baby. Lian, however had birthed more than a few babies in her one hundred, seventy-nine years, and she was surprisingly adept. Laoshin was a skilled assistant, too. Ava was a proud grandmother. Udit was a proud great grandfather.