slick, and she had to take hold of the wall to keep her footing. She stepped carefully to the edge of the porch and peered into the sleet, already shivering, looking for what? A lessening of the sleet, a spot where the darkness was darker, or not so dark? A light?
Nothing. After a minute she stepped off the porch, moving as cautiously as Mary and Joseph had going down the stairs, and made a circuit of the parking lot.
Nothing. If the way back had been out here, it wasn’t now, and she was going to freeze if she stayed out here. She went back inside, and then stood there, staring at the door, trying to think what to do. I’ve got to get help, she thought, hugging her arms to herself for warmth. I’ve got to tell somebody. She started down the hall to the sanctuary.
The organ had stopped. “Mary and Joseph, I need to talk to you for a minute,” Rose’s voice said. “Shepherds, leave your crooks on the front pew. The rest of you, there are refreshments in the adult Sunday school room. Choir, don’t leave. I need to go over some things with you.”
There was a clatter of sticks and then a stampede, and Sharon was overwhelmed by shepherds elbowing their way to the refreshments. One of the wise men caught his Air Jordan in his robe and nearly fell down, and two of the angels lost their tinsel halos in their eagerness to reach the cookies.
Sharon fought through them and into the back of the sanctuary. Rose was in the side aisle, showing Mary andJoseph how to walk, and the choir was gathering up their music. Sharon couldn’t see Dee.
Virginia came down the center aisle, stripping off her robe as she walked. Sharon went to meet her. “Do you know where Dee is?” she asked her.
“She went home,” Virginia said, handing Sharon a folder. “You left this on your chair. Dee’s voice was giving out completely, and I said, ‘This is silly. Go home and go to bed.’”
“Virginia …” Sharon said.
“Can you put my robe away for me?” Virginia said, pulling her stole off her head. “I’ve got exactly ten minutes to get to the mall.”
Sharon nodded absently, and Virginia draped it over her arm and hurried out. Sharon scanned the choir, wondering who else she could confide in.
Rose dismissed Mary and Joseph, who went off at a run, and crossed to the center aisle. “Rehearsal tomorrow night at 6:15,” she said. “I need you in your robes and up here right on time, because I’ve got to practice with the brass quartet at 6:40. Any questions?”
Yes, Sharon thought, looking around the sanctuary. Who can I get to help me?
“What are we singing for the processional?” one of the tenors asked.
“
‘Adeste Fideles,’
” Rose said. “Before you leave, let’s line up so you can see who your partner is.”
Reverend Wall was sitting in one of the back pews, looking at the notes to his sermon. Sharon sidled along the pew and sat down next to him.
“Reverend Wall,” she said, and then had no idea how to start. “Do you know what
erkas
means? I think it’s Hebrew.”
He raised his head from his notes and peered at her. “It’s Aramaic. It means ‘lost.’”
“Lost.” He’d been trying to tell her at the door, in the furnace room, downstairs. “We’re lost.”
“Forgotten,” Reverend Wall said. “Misplaced.”
Misplaced, all right. By two thousand years, an ocean, and how many miles?
“When Mary and Joseph journeyed up to Bethlehem from Nazareth, how did they go?” she asked, hoping he would say, “Why are you asking all these questions?” so she could tell him, but he said, “Ah. You weren’t listening to my sermon. We know nothing of that journey, only that they arrived in Bethlehem.”
Not at this rate, she thought.
“Pass in the anthem,” Rose said from the chancel. “I’ve only got thirty copies, and I don’t want to come up short tomorrow night.”
Sharon looked up. The choir was leaving. “On this journey, was there anyplace where they might have gotten lost?” she
Nothing. After a minute she stepped off the porch, moving as cautiously as Mary and Joseph had going down the stairs, and made a circuit of the parking lot.
Nothing. If the way back had been out here, it wasn’t now, and she was going to freeze if she stayed out here. She went back inside, and then stood there, staring at the door, trying to think what to do. I’ve got to get help, she thought, hugging her arms to herself for warmth. I’ve got to tell somebody. She started down the hall to the sanctuary.
The organ had stopped. “Mary and Joseph, I need to talk to you for a minute,” Rose’s voice said. “Shepherds, leave your crooks on the front pew. The rest of you, there are refreshments in the adult Sunday school room. Choir, don’t leave. I need to go over some things with you.”
There was a clatter of sticks and then a stampede, and Sharon was overwhelmed by shepherds elbowing their way to the refreshments. One of the wise men caught his Air Jordan in his robe and nearly fell down, and two of the angels lost their tinsel halos in their eagerness to reach the cookies.
Sharon fought through them and into the back of the sanctuary. Rose was in the side aisle, showing Mary andJoseph how to walk, and the choir was gathering up their music. Sharon couldn’t see Dee.
Virginia came down the center aisle, stripping off her robe as she walked. Sharon went to meet her. “Do you know where Dee is?” she asked her.
“She went home,” Virginia said, handing Sharon a folder. “You left this on your chair. Dee’s voice was giving out completely, and I said, ‘This is silly. Go home and go to bed.’”
“Virginia …” Sharon said.
“Can you put my robe away for me?” Virginia said, pulling her stole off her head. “I’ve got exactly ten minutes to get to the mall.”
Sharon nodded absently, and Virginia draped it over her arm and hurried out. Sharon scanned the choir, wondering who else she could confide in.
Rose dismissed Mary and Joseph, who went off at a run, and crossed to the center aisle. “Rehearsal tomorrow night at 6:15,” she said. “I need you in your robes and up here right on time, because I’ve got to practice with the brass quartet at 6:40. Any questions?”
Yes, Sharon thought, looking around the sanctuary. Who can I get to help me?
“What are we singing for the processional?” one of the tenors asked.
“
‘Adeste Fideles,’
” Rose said. “Before you leave, let’s line up so you can see who your partner is.”
Reverend Wall was sitting in one of the back pews, looking at the notes to his sermon. Sharon sidled along the pew and sat down next to him.
“Reverend Wall,” she said, and then had no idea how to start. “Do you know what
erkas
means? I think it’s Hebrew.”
He raised his head from his notes and peered at her. “It’s Aramaic. It means ‘lost.’”
“Lost.” He’d been trying to tell her at the door, in the furnace room, downstairs. “We’re lost.”
“Forgotten,” Reverend Wall said. “Misplaced.”
Misplaced, all right. By two thousand years, an ocean, and how many miles?
“When Mary and Joseph journeyed up to Bethlehem from Nazareth, how did they go?” she asked, hoping he would say, “Why are you asking all these questions?” so she could tell him, but he said, “Ah. You weren’t listening to my sermon. We know nothing of that journey, only that they arrived in Bethlehem.”
Not at this rate, she thought.
“Pass in the anthem,” Rose said from the chancel. “I’ve only got thirty copies, and I don’t want to come up short tomorrow night.”
Sharon looked up. The choir was leaving. “On this journey, was there anyplace where they might have gotten lost?” she
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