NaNoWriMo 2022

Forerunners

American Kingdom: Day 23

Previous chapter:

At breakfast, and every other chance they got, Annie and Oscar sat together. I guess that answered the question that Hazel had been unable to answer.

May all be happy, I thought, and that made me happy.

Where had that thought come from, I wondered. My chattering monkey mind? Some half-remembered fortune cookie? Jesus, is that you?

I’d have to talk to Hazel some more. Maybe I should ask her to move into my room. We could give the new lovers a bit of privacy, or at least a little more than a single thin wall between rooms provided.

They left breakfast early, walking hand in hand back to the barracks.

Just time for a quickie, I thought.

Hmmm, now that had definitely come from my chattering commentary. It was none of my business what they did together. Maybe they were just going to sit down and read scripture together; that was something I enjoyed.

I thought back to Kenzie and Leonie and the others in our Scripture Circle. Someone would select a chapter, we’d pray together, read the chapter verse by verse around the circle, discuss what it meant, pray again, and enjoy coffee and cookies before dispersing into the warm Charleston evening air.

For now, it was Hazel, Nathan, and myself enjoying a second cup of coffee. We had half an hour before our classroom lessons began, we each had a notebook and pen, our rooms were tidy, we were good to go.

“Fuck it,” I said, draining my coffee. “I’m going for a walk. God made this glorious day for us, why waste it by sitting inside all day long?”

Hazel and Nathan glanced at their watches, came to the same conclusion I had, and rose. Sergeant Hart looked at us sharply, tapped his watch. I nodded. Right. We’d be sitting in his classroom on time.

Outside Missouri was being its usual green and pleasant self. I spread my arms and pirouetted like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music surveying Austria from her high mountain meadow.

I held out my arms when I stopped. Nathan took one and Hazel the other. We all laughed as I led them, skipping along the path. It wasn’t a yellow brick road but I burst out with the song anyway. “Weeeeee’re off to see the Wizard…”

Mad, I know. They joined me, kicking up heels and sashaying as we followed the path past flower beds and under the trees. We ran out of words and moves soon enough. Nathan turned to me.

“Molly, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

“I’ve been to Kansas,” Hazel said. “This is so much nicer.”

“Kansas has a princess who dances among the clouds,” I said, “Her name is Dee and she reads minds.”

“For real?” Hazel asked.

“For real life. She was doing it with a fighter pilot in a jet escorting us.”

“Wow. You had a Princess fly you here? They gave me a train ticket and I shared a seat with a fat man who farted every time the conductor walked past and made racist comments.”

I looked at Nathan. “Oscar and I drove down together in his Jag. He collected me in St Louis and we had a road trip, stopping off at Ted Drewes for frozen custards and checking out some of the roadside attractions. We got here just on dark and they stripped us off and threw us in a pool full of shit. Welcome to the Kingdom of God, boys!”

“Princess Dee called this place a holiday camp. Apart from being baptized in the River Cesspool this has got to be the easiest posting I’ve ever had. Look around us!”

It was like a park now. The trees were carefully spaced in groves, close-cropped green grass between. I looked around. Sure enough, a family of deer were regarding us from their position beside a brook.

“I could take a fair bit of this,” Hazel sighed. “It’s like walking with God. Don’t you feel lifted up to be here in the woods?”

“They’ve probably got some swamps and brambles for the sinners and Special Ops troops,” Nathan said.

His heart wasn’t primed for lofty outlooks, I suspected. Then again, it was a rare Ranger with an eye for the divine.

“Time to go back,” I said. “Hey, Hazel, Nathan and I made a pact last night.”

She looked at me, startled.

“We’ll share information on any secrets the staff try to keep from us,” Nathan said. “There have to be rules for selecting a course winner, and if we all know the rules of the game, it will be a fair competition.”

“Maybe they’ll explain how it works today,” Hazel said. “I’m sure we’ll get all the information we need.”

“Maybe. But maybe isn’t good enough for victory. Let’s be certain.”

Next scene:

The whole story:

Notes

I thought it was more interesting to see more of Camp Whiffie and the other students than to have everyone swilling coffee while Oscar and Annie did their thing.

A walk in the woods is always good. I love getting out into nature and breathing in the fresh air. Great for working out what’s coming next, too!

Molly