So that’s what I would write about. Nobody in the Tribe cares about me and I have a new secret that’s just between God and me. I have to keep my eyes open and find out what the others are up to. It’s a new thing for me. I never used to pay much attention to what everyone else is up to. It doesn’t mean I can’t learn. Sure I can.
It turned out that keeping the eyes open isn’t as easy as I thought. I had the whole morning to look for the treasure God talked about, but something happened. It was suddenly dark and Ama called us for supper. That was a big setback. Someone else had pushed me aside and used the body. It was like stepping into a booby trap and bang you can’t go any further.
I didn’t realize that whenever I’m in the tree house, someone else is gallivanting about in the body. I have to figure out how to get more body time, as Lilly calls it. I asked Luke, and he said it has to do with paying attention when someone else is out. I never used to because it’s unbelievable how boring people behave when they are using the body.
Yawn! Nothing happens. Nothing.
For example, they say Scott is improving and everyone has a little happy dance about it. For once I paid attention. If you ask me, I saw nothing. The man is still hooked up on ten thousand machines that keep him alive. How they can call it an improvement, I will never understand. Lilly said he had a rosy glow in his face. She always exaggerates, but this is even super exaggerated for her. Rosy glow? Not in a million years. My white t-shirt has a rosier glow than Scott’s face.
Still, I had one tiny success today. I hope it’s something God likes. Elise buried the gun Tom gave us so we can defend ourselves. What a silly idea. Tom’s not all that clever as he makes out. Nobody in the Tribe knows how to use a handgun. I’m sure they can’t even figure out where the back or the front is and where the bullets come out. I know what to do with a handgun and how to use it, but nobody asks me. As always.
Tomorrow I’ll sneak out and dig up the gun. It’ll be easy to find. Elise didn’t show great creativity when she looked for a place. She put it smack in the middle of the roses. What kind of hiding place is that? I don’t understand people who don’t put some thoughts into finding a good hiding place. Why hide something if you put it right where everyone will stumble over? I’ll give it to God and let him decide what to do with it.
There’s something else I have to talk to him about. I’m not sure if I want to do more spying for God. Paying attention is much harder than I expected. Someone always pushes me aside. But most of all, spying isn’t honorable. I’ve worried about it a lot since this morning. I even asked Luke if he knows of an honorable spy. He said, James Bond. That’s not helping, because James Bond is not real. I guess, when you are a Russian spy, you are a good guy in Russia and a bad guy everywhere else.
The problem is, I don’t want to spy on the Tribe. They are my friends. Miss Marple even told me they are me, which is ludicrous. How can that be? Luke is Luke and I am me. I guess the Marple lady wasn’t as clever as everyone took her for. But then, you often get that with old people. They lose their grip on what’s going on. Perhaps she just needed a pair of new glasses? I’ve seen it with old people back when we lived with Horace. Old folks had to get new glasses all the time.
If I have to spy, I’d rather spy for my family and not on them. Life can be really hard for them. Like when Scott’s cabin burned down and he ended up in the hospital. They would be so disappointed if they found out I’d spied on them. Even if it’s for their own good, as God says. But if he wants to help them not to get hurt, he can do the spying himself. He doesn’t even have to do it himself, busy as he is with all the looking after the world. He could send one of his angels to do it for him.
So, that’s my decision. I’ll give him the gun and tell him I’m not doing any more spying. I just hope I won’t get punished for it. Ama read us horrendous stories from the bible where people got punished for displeasing God. But I’ve tried so hard all these years to be a good boy; I hope he still likes me.
I did my duty and followed Sky’s order to write in the black book. But just like the other time, I’m tearing out this page and putting it in my secret space between the roots of the old tree in the backyard.
Chapter Eleven
Ama: 9 March 2017, Very Early Morning, Wright’s Homestead
I can’t sleep. I’m surprised the Tribe can. After we’ve found Scott and brought him to the hospital, the Tribe came back. One by one, reclaiming their place.
Yesterday was a big day. Tom left in the afternoon. That created an unexpected stir among the Tribe. Not as much, though, as it did when Lilly found out at the hospital that the doctors had removed Scott’s breathing tube. Just picture Santa Claus teaming up with the Easter
