I spy the old family bible in the corner. Unlike our ancestors, the Tribe has a conflicted relationship with the gospel. I, however, like reading the bible and immerse myself in the life and the work of Jesus. His wisdom and selflessness touch me and gives me guidance and hope for our life. I could start reading to the children from it. With this plan in mind, the bible is stowed away with the other books we love.
Elise will be surprised the bible found its way to our new home but I’m not worried. It’ll be nothing new for Elise to find stuff in her cupboards she doesn’t remember buying. Lilly, Lizette, and Tobias are our shopaholics. I could tell stories, like when Tobias came home from shopping with fire-engine-red board shorts for a six-year-old boy. Elise got into real trouble when Helen demanded to know what she’d bought them for. Poor thing didn’t have the faintest clue. To my surprise, she recovered quickly and told Helen they were a present for one of the women in her weaving group.
I had to take my hat off, even though I don’t wear hats. I wear a white cotton cap. That was the first time I noticed how quick-witted Elise can be.
“Don’t forget the chargers for the phone and the computer,” Luke said, lifting his head from the big scale road map of New Zealand. I join him and, after a quick glance, feel daunted by our plan. We live at the upper end of the North Island and have to travel across Cook Strait by boat. Keeping lock-down for that long will take a lot of effort. Should we take calming stuff? I’m in two minds about the pills.
“Sky, what about meds? Do we need to take them along?”
“Absolutely. We need them as a backup should we run into problems,” Sky called out and turned back to Lilly. I hear them talking in the background trying to figure out why Helen is so keen to send Elise away.
“I thought the house belongs to Horace and should go to Elise as his widow. Maybe Helen wants to make sure she doesn’t end up empty-handed. I wouldn’t put it past her.” Sometimes Lilly’s suspiciousness can be a bit much, but today I agree with her. Helen’s sudden decision to send us away is odd, to say the least. I sense her mind running a search program for possible explanations. She paces the room and then stops.
“Something the doctor said didn’t make sense. What do you think he meant by saying, “…the instructions were always to keep an eye on her? Whose instructions? What is going on?”
“I don’t know, Lilly. All I know is we need to get away before the morning breaks. Once we are safe, we’ll find out what is going on. My energy is slipping. I need to rest before we leave. Can I trust you guys to get everything ready?”
“Of course, you can.” Lilly and I answer at the same time. I hope I put enough optimism into my voice. If Sky is asking for time out, she is in worse shape than I thought. After she leaves the room, Lilly and Luke bend over their to-do list.
“I’m worried.” I immediately regret having said anything as I see Lilly dropping her shoulders.
“We all are, Ama. So much depends on us getting away. I wish I knew where Horace keeps important papers. I have so many questions. What happened to the house we lived in before Elise’s parents died? Didn’t they have any money and other stuff? Where did it all go? I thought they had tons of money. I wouldn’t be surprised if Horace Reid, the slimeball, had his dirty little fingers in that particular pie as well.”
“I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
“You are already a big help by keeping the little ones comfortable. Luke and I will take care of our getaway. It shouldn’t be a problem as long as things are quiet in here.” Lilly smiles at me and then her attention returns to Luke. For a brief moment, I feel lost until my eye catches a small wooden box on Elise’s nightstand. Her jewelry. She hasn’t got much, but she’ll appreciate it if I pack them too.
I can’t take my mind off Lilly and how calm she is. Yes, she is the one charged with difficult situations, but this new maturity is puzzling. Is Lilly changing?
I ponder over that possibility while I finish packing.
Chapter Four
Sky: 18 November 2015, Early Morning, North Island
I wonder what it would be like to have a body. Would I still be me if I experienced joy or pain, hunger or thirst like the others?
I often watch them jostling to take control of the body to fulfill a desire or activity. Sometimes I want to be like them and taste the flavor of life on my tongue. Not so much when an invisible force pulls them from our inner sanctum and throws them into a difficult situation.
At times like that, I want to help them, intervene, stop them being highjacked. But I can’t. If I had hands, I’d say my hands are tied. For reasons I don’t understand yet, I’m not meant to slip into the body. All I can be is a beacon of light to guide them home to the tree house when they return from the body. Home is where our life is the fullest and richest.
In my mind, people are like icebergs. What you see, their outside life, is only an insignificant portion of their being, almost a distraction. Yes, that’s what getting up, eating, going to work, coming home, going to sleep signifies. A distraction. Every robot can fulfill these
