down her face.
After several more minutes, the rain began to slacken and the wind died down. The thunder rolled away and the sun pushed through the clouds.
Archie spoke in a whisper: "We have been purified." He turned to Clare and took her hands in his. "We are like Adam and Eve in Paradise." Clare squeezed his hands, and together they turned and jumped off the boulder. They walked hand in hand back to the trees and knelt on the ground. Again they said their prayer the same line over and over again. Each time Archie said the words "
I AM,
" he felt the power of the words in his body, and most forcefully in that spot just above his belly button.
Archie and Clare prayed and prayed until they felt emptied of all but the prayer, Then they grew quiet and still and remained that way until the sun burned the backs of their heads and Clare said it was time to leave.
Without speaking they took each other's hand and descended the mountain. When they reached the bottom and came out from behind the house, Archie spotted a familiar car in the driveway: Callie Butcher's hearse-mobile, as Armory liked to call it, an antique black Cadillac. Then they heard a woman's voice from inside the house exclaim, "There he is! Thank the good Lord!"
Miss Nattie Lynn and Miss Callie Butcher pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the porch.
"Lord have mercy, child, you gave us a scare," Callie said, waving her cane at the two of them. "We saw that soggy bowl of raisin bran with the sour milk in the kitchen and thought ... I don't know what. Where have you been? Your grandmama has charged us to look after you, and you were nowhere to be found. And look at you; you're soaking wet—both of you. Now, y'all come on in here and get out of those clothes before you catch your death, and let us fix you something to eat."
The two women turned back into the house, and Archie and Clare followed them.
Once inside, Callie, short and humpbacked, took over ordering Archie to find some dry clothes for Clare and ordering Clare to take the clothes into the bathroom and to clean up and change. Then she told them both to hand over their wet things so she could wash them. They did what she asked. When they came into the kitchen, both of them clean and in dry clothes, Nattie Lynn set a plate of grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches down on the table and ordered them to sit. Then she poured them each a glass of milk and told them to eat.
Archie and Clare did as they were told. The two old women sat down between them, with their mugs of coffee, and Nattie Lynn said, "Now then, why don't you tell us who this young lady is, Archibald. I don't believe we've had the pleasure."
Archie swallowed a bite of sandwich and said, "This is Clare Simpson, a
very
good friend of mine."
Clare grinned at Archie.
"
Simpson,
" said Nattie Lynn, looking up toward the ceiling.
Callie said, "Mildred and Scott Simpson's little girl?"
"Yes, ma'am," Clare said, looking at her.
Callie shook her head. "Why, that just can't be. You were just a baby not too long ago."
Clare swallowed a big gulp of milk, then said, "I'm almost sixteen years old now, and I'm tall like my mama."
"Well, I declare. You're all grown up." Callie turned to Nattie Lynn. "Isn't she?"
"Oh my, yes indeed. Baby Doris—sixteen years old already."
Clare choked on a bite of her sandwich, and Archie patted her on the back. "Are you all right? Can you speak?" he asked.
Clare nodded, and Callie, seeing that she was fine, turned back to her friend and said, "Her name is Clare, honey, not Doris."
Nattie Lynn shook her head. "Oh no. I remember Mildred telling me her name was Doris. It's Doris. Isn't it?" She looked to Clare for confirmation.
Clare glanced at Archie, then said, "I am Clare, Miss Nattie Lynn."
"Well, I'm sure you're not," Nattie Lynn said.
Callie patted her friend's hand. "Honey, if she says her name is Clare, then her name is Clare. She ought to know. Anyway, there's no use going on about
After several more minutes, the rain began to slacken and the wind died down. The thunder rolled away and the sun pushed through the clouds.
Archie spoke in a whisper: "We have been purified." He turned to Clare and took her hands in his. "We are like Adam and Eve in Paradise." Clare squeezed his hands, and together they turned and jumped off the boulder. They walked hand in hand back to the trees and knelt on the ground. Again they said their prayer the same line over and over again. Each time Archie said the words "
I AM,
" he felt the power of the words in his body, and most forcefully in that spot just above his belly button.
Archie and Clare prayed and prayed until they felt emptied of all but the prayer, Then they grew quiet and still and remained that way until the sun burned the backs of their heads and Clare said it was time to leave.
Without speaking they took each other's hand and descended the mountain. When they reached the bottom and came out from behind the house, Archie spotted a familiar car in the driveway: Callie Butcher's hearse-mobile, as Armory liked to call it, an antique black Cadillac. Then they heard a woman's voice from inside the house exclaim, "There he is! Thank the good Lord!"
Miss Nattie Lynn and Miss Callie Butcher pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the porch.
"Lord have mercy, child, you gave us a scare," Callie said, waving her cane at the two of them. "We saw that soggy bowl of raisin bran with the sour milk in the kitchen and thought ... I don't know what. Where have you been? Your grandmama has charged us to look after you, and you were nowhere to be found. And look at you; you're soaking wet—both of you. Now, y'all come on in here and get out of those clothes before you catch your death, and let us fix you something to eat."
The two women turned back into the house, and Archie and Clare followed them.
Once inside, Callie, short and humpbacked, took over ordering Archie to find some dry clothes for Clare and ordering Clare to take the clothes into the bathroom and to clean up and change. Then she told them both to hand over their wet things so she could wash them. They did what she asked. When they came into the kitchen, both of them clean and in dry clothes, Nattie Lynn set a plate of grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches down on the table and ordered them to sit. Then she poured them each a glass of milk and told them to eat.
Archie and Clare did as they were told. The two old women sat down between them, with their mugs of coffee, and Nattie Lynn said, "Now then, why don't you tell us who this young lady is, Archibald. I don't believe we've had the pleasure."
Archie swallowed a bite of sandwich and said, "This is Clare Simpson, a
very
good friend of mine."
Clare grinned at Archie.
"
Simpson,
" said Nattie Lynn, looking up toward the ceiling.
Callie said, "Mildred and Scott Simpson's little girl?"
"Yes, ma'am," Clare said, looking at her.
Callie shook her head. "Why, that just can't be. You were just a baby not too long ago."
Clare swallowed a big gulp of milk, then said, "I'm almost sixteen years old now, and I'm tall like my mama."
"Well, I declare. You're all grown up." Callie turned to Nattie Lynn. "Isn't she?"
"Oh my, yes indeed. Baby Doris—sixteen years old already."
Clare choked on a bite of her sandwich, and Archie patted her on the back. "Are you all right? Can you speak?" he asked.
Clare nodded, and Callie, seeing that she was fine, turned back to her friend and said, "Her name is Clare, honey, not Doris."
Nattie Lynn shook her head. "Oh no. I remember Mildred telling me her name was Doris. It's Doris. Isn't it?" She looked to Clare for confirmation.
Clare glanced at Archie, then said, "I am Clare, Miss Nattie Lynn."
"Well, I'm sure you're not," Nattie Lynn said.
Callie patted her friend's hand. "Honey, if she says her name is Clare, then her name is Clare. She ought to know. Anyway, there's no use going on about
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