and from the low, hanging trees, insects chirped.
Julian stepped into the center of the gathering.
“I am Julian,” he said, tears coming to his eyes. “After ten years, I have finally come home.”
At first, there was silence. Then from the crowd there was a wail. A woman, maybe in her late forties, had fallen on her knees, hands outstretched.
A collective gasp went throughout the crowd. The people stared in disbelief, turning their attention from the spaceship and to Julian, who now ran into the embrace of his mother. She held him tightly. The tiny woman gripped him with such ferocity that it seemed like she would never let him go. Julian was crying like a baby, doing nothing to restrain his emotion. The mother stroked his back, her eyes closed in contentment, tears streaming down her face.
“All these years,
Another, younger woman came from the crowd, with tears on her face. It was the little sister Julian had spoken of, now grown up. She threw herself on her mother and her brother.
As the crowd marveled and we watched, the women led him toward the town. A tall, lean man with bright blue eyes approached Julian. He was beaming, and he gave Julian a strong embrace. The man wore blue jean overalls and a large, straw hat. All his clothing looked like it had seen better times.
As Julian walked away with his family, the man approached us, extending a hand to Samuel.
“I am Herbert Shaw, mayor of New America,” he said. He looked up at the
Samuel shook his head. “It’s a long story, Mr. Shaw. A very long story.”
“Well, it’s a Sabbath day, and we have all the time in the world. Why don’t you come inside the Gathering Hall and sit a spell? We have food and water.”
Julian stopped, turning our way. “These people saved my life,” he called out. “I was a slave for ten years in lands far to the south. It was unspeakable hell and misery. But, they kindly took me here and gave me my freedom.”
“Thank you,” Julian’s mother said. “You have no idea what this means to us. My heart was broken that day, but now it is healed. My son is home!”
All around her, the people of New America cheered and clapped. Judging from their faces, it was the first good thing that had happened to them in a long time.
“We will join you for dinner,” Samuel said, “though we cannot stay long. There is so much that you and your town must know, and it will take hours just to tell you everything. Julian will have to tell you later.”
“I can see you are being very serious,” Mayor Shaw said. “I won’t press you. I’m glad you want to stay and get to know us, humble as we are.” He looked at all of us. “Now, what are your names?”
We told him, and then Mayor Shaw led us inside the town, where everyone was still gathered, crying and celebrating at the reunion. The town was nothing more than a series of cabins, built in several circles. It had probably existed before Ragnarok, but for what purpose, I couldn’t guess. Some other buildings had been constructed — one of which was the Gathering Hall the mayor had spoken of. It was little more than a thatched roof that was supported by thick, wooden poles driven into the ground. Though humble, it was wide, and beneath its awning were a couple dozen tables, at the center of which was a large fire pit.
That night, we dined with Julian, his family, and the rest of New America. His mother, Gloria, was a small, yet pretty Mexican woman, who could not stop smiling. His younger sister, Yasmin, was also very pretty, and was probably in her twenties. She had two children who scampered about, and her husband, a man named Craig, sat with us. The new faces and environment was a bit overwhelming, but there was sense of warm community among everyone here. It was clear that everyone loved each other, even if they didn’t always get along.
Over the course of the day, goat meat had been roasting over the fire. I had never eaten goat before, or much meat in fact, but the smell was tantalizing. When it was finally served, we also had fresh vegetables and bread with our meat, along with coffee and cool water. The water, Mayor Shaw had said, was filtered. He seemed very proud of that fact.
These people didn’t have much, but the extent to which they were willing to share it was humbling. It was clear why Julian wanted to return to this place. And, it was another reason to fight. We couldn’t let this community, and any others like it, fall to the xenovirus. I was glad to see the Great Blight hadn’t extended this far. But how long until it set its sights on this community?
I turned from these dark thoughts when Anna grabbed my hand, offering me a smile. I pulled her close, resting my cheek against the top of her head. She was another reason I was fighting.
After everyone had finished eating, Mayor Shaw stood. He whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“I just wanted to say that one of our own has returned here today,” Mayor Shaw said. “It’s God’s grace that is has happened, and we would do all well to remember that.”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
“I know times are hard. They’re always hard. But we have each other. We thought the Lord had taken Julian from us, but he has been returned. He left us a boy, and has come home a man. God works miracles, every single day. With Julian sitting here, with us, how can anyone deny it now?”
Several people cheered. Gloria touched her son’s arm, and her sister gave him a radiant smile.
“Life will keep on being hard. I can guarantee that. But God will see us through, to the end. We are lights for each other in the darkness. Today, a miracle occurred, and we would do well to remember that.”
Next, the mayor led everyone in a prayer, thanking God for Julian’s safe return. I had never seen anyone pray like he did, never seen religion practiced the way it was being practiced here. It was startling, yet not unwelcome. There was so much love in the gathering, it almost overcame me and shattered my beliefs. Almost.
Anna reached for my hand, and held it.
“You don’t have to believe,” she said. “I don’t.”
I looked at her. I placed my head against hers.
“I know,” I whispered. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“That they can believe, after everything. I don’t understand how.”
Mayor Shaw continued his prayer. Beside me, I could hear whispers, people ushering their own wishes to the heavens. Whether the heavens were silent, or whether they answered, I couldn’t tell you at that moment. But in the light of that fire, in the collective light of those people, it felt like they did.
“I don’t understand, either,” Anna said. “Maybe someday, we’ll figure it out.”
Shaw concluded his prayer, and a collective amen passed over the crowd.
Soon after that, the people went their separate ways, turning in for the night in their cabins. The dream was over, and tomorrow there was work — working for survival and bringing forth fruit from the land, so that they could work again, and dream again.
Shaw approached us, along with Julian, with whom he had been speaking.
“Thank you for bringing him back,” Mayor Shaw said. “You have given these people hope beyond what you can even imagine. I have no idea what happened down there, but Julian will tell me everything in the days to come.”
“You have decided to stay, then?” Samuel asked.
Julian nodded. “I must spend time with my family. This is my home, and I won’t be parted from it. But when you need me again, I want to be there for the final battle. I will speak to everyone here, and let them know what is going on with the world. If you return, I will be willing to fight for you again, and hopefully, others will as well.”
Samuel nodded. “We will come back, then. We will need the help, when the time comes.”
“So, you’re just going to leave us like that?” Makara asked.
Instead of getting angry, Julian looked at Makara tenderly.
“We will see each other again, Makara,” he said. “This isn’t over yet. There is much I have to do, to help my community.”
She nodded, accepting his answer. “You better remember those words.”
Julian nodded gravely, as Makara turned toward Samuel. “We should go.”
