Chapter 6
Part 2- The Dawning
When a person lives
In poverty and destitution
Grime can cover goodness
And dirt can cover deeds
But when the deeds are selfish
And goodness is pretentious
The soap will come
And the suds
And make known to the world
The double faced snake
Whom some call a human
Or the soap won't come
And the bad deeds will remain hidden
And the false goodness will die
When the snake does
The effect of the deeds and goodness will forever remain
But when the deeds are good
And goodness is true
The soap will come
And the suds
Will make known to the world
The angel
Who has been hidden thus far
Or the soap won't come
And the good deeds will remain hidden
And the true goodness will die
When the angel does The effect of the deeds and goodness will forever remain
But the difference between this snake and angel
Is that those the snake affected
Will remember him for the bad
And rejoice at the thought of him in a grave
But those that the angel affected
Will remember him for the good
And bow their heads respectfully
When they think of their kind friend
Who did so much
And yet lies in a grave
Flowers will be brought to one grave
And eyes will be averted
At the sight of the other
Goodness prevails
And evil prevails
But goodness prevails
More
Often
And when it prevails
The effect is
Stronger
Promises of money, greatness, and ever-lasting life could not have kept Maia, nor Tim seated. As soon as Darling concluded, both tore out of their seats, and ran through the door.
“You don't know where you're going!” cried Darling. There was only one staircase, so they did have an idea...but which door it was they did not know. Coherent thought is impossible in times of great emotion. “It’s the door with the painting of two girls to the left of it,” she called up the handsome staircase. When they reached the door, both halted. Their father lay behind these doors. What he would look like, they did know. War causes injury, and injury causes deformation. Could they be certain he would be the same loving, caring, father, or could war have taken that too?
Well, there’s only one way to know.
Tim opened the door.
The room was a medium size. In the corner, a big bed stood. It was dark inside, but an oil lamp stood on the night table and illuminated the back of a head. The head turned, and prior to this action, Maia conjectured that they entered the wrong room. When her father left, his hair had been coal black. But this head was more grey than raven.
But when the head turned, there was no doubt it was Benjamin Stevens. Love dawned on his face as he realized whom he gazed at. Previously, his face had had only joy lines, but now sadness and suffering were also etched upon his face.
Tim and Maia came forward, and each took one of his hands. Tears coursed down all three’s cheeks.Words were meaningless. Unnecessary. The feelings in the room where tangible. Maia’s head was fit to burst. Her father! She couldn’t talk. She did not want to talk. She knew her father knew exactly how her and Tim were feeling, as the emotions were undoubtedly reciprocated, so why speak and break the moment?
Benjamin sat up, and began to slowly make his way to the rocking chair in the center of the room, atop a rug. He leaned heavily upon his son, who had readily offered his strong arm.
Once he was settled comfortably, Maia and Tim took seats opposite him. Big, plushy, chairs. The fire had been lit by Maia, and the atmosphere was one of tranquility, peace, and happiness.
After a couple of moments of silence, questions started flowing.
“Father! It's so good to see you!” emotionally. “Darling gave a hokey-pokey answer for you and Ma keeping your existence hidden, but I can’t come to terms with it…” from Tim. Maia was glad he asked. The same query raced in her head, but she did not trust herself to speak without crying again. A lump sat in her throat, and her mother’s death seemed to hit her with full force again. From four to three. From whole to half. Heartbreaking, heartbroken.
“What Darling said was correct. You were both too young to bear the burden of the Elements. It is physically and mentally draining.” came Ben’s deep voice. “ It hurt us both to know the pain we were giving both of you, but we knew the pain of bearing responsibility would be greater.”
Maia didn’t think so.
But she didn’t argue.
She didn't even feel angry.
How her temperament had changed in the past few days! With her father here, her mother's death, and the knowledge of the Elements, the grimy and infectious part of her seemed to have fallen away, and left a clear personality behind. We will soon learn that the personality the dirt helped to create was one purer, better, and kinder than the one there was before the grime entered her life.
Her mother's death, her father's absence, and her poverty were the dirt. But her fathers return, and Aunt Darling, whom, beneath all the prickles Maia believed to be a caring, straight woman, and the potential of a friendship with the energetic, happy Phoebe, were the peeling of the dirt. The cleaning.
A cat slunk into the room, and Maia was struck by how much like that her life was. The light just slunk in, and made a difference, just like the cat was doing, as everyone reached out to pet it. It settled in Benjamin's lap. And once again, the cat was Maia. Settled in the love and affections of her father, the love of her brother, the love of her aunt, and the love of her cousin.
This writer can assure the reader that a more tight knit group than Maia, Tim, Phoebe, and another fellow that will soon arrive on the scene, is not something that happens every day, or every century.
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