Fallen (25 page)

“
Oh…so you’ve heard
.”

“
Achan was
given a lot of
razzing
for it
in first period
,
”
Gershom said
as he chuckled softly.

Good, I thought
…let
him squirm.

“He’
s in my class along with a couple of the guys on the team and they made it pretty clear they don’t believe he’s at the skill level he
boasted
.”

I intentionally
continued chewing
my sandwich so Gershom would keep talking.
This was the first I was learning
of
Achan
’s
reaction
to the incident and the curiosity
of
it
had been
crowding
my
thoughts
lately
.
As if on cue, Gershom
was answering my unspoken questions.

“He sat there without saying a word. Apparently he’s not too happy about the situation.”

I laughed through my nose
at the
irony, knowing
that
was an understatement.

“Did he make any effort to apologize?” Gershom asked, taking a bite of his sandwich while watching me out of the corner of his eyes.

“No, but I don’t expect one.”

“Really?” His eyebrows lifted
, and
when I didn’t explain further, he asked, “Why?”

I honestly did not want to go
into
my reasons, knowing that Gershom might think
I was being
paranoid
to believe
he was
actually
aiming for me all along. Instead
,
I offered a more politically-
correct answer. “He doesn’t strike me as
to the type
.”

We both glanced over our shoulders at Achan
,
surrounded by his group of friends. He was sitting on
the table with his feet on the seat
,
and despite his friends conversing around him, he didn’t bother to engage. His attention was on me, directing a hateful glare
at
the back of my head. If he had a bow and arrow right then, I’m
pretty sure he would
have
taken aim and
used it.

“I think you’re right,” Gershom speculated, turning back around.

“I really don’t care.”

Gershom snickered. “No, you don’t strike me as the kind of person that would.”

He fell silent for a moment, looking out over the field
at
the distinct line marking the
woodland
s
beyond.
This time when
he spoke
,
he was more serious.
“Maggie…that arrow…did it come cl
ose like everyone says it did?
I
…I
heard it came pretty close.”

I shrugged. “That’s what they said. I never saw it
…
never felt it.” I summed up my escape
for him the same
as I’d done for everyon
e else. “I think it fell short
…
”
suddenly an
afterthought
escaped my lips. Although my intention was never to
vocalize
it,
I
thoughtlessly
added
,
“
…much
to Achan’s disappointment.”

Gershom’s head
abruptly
swung
around to face me.
“You think he was aiming for you?”

I laughed
uncomfortably
because I really didn’t know
for sure, and
I didn’t
mean
to
allude
to it. “
I was just saying that he’s gotten a lot of harassment for his aim since then.”

“Hmmm,” he
replied
,
turning his focus back to the lawn
. “
Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

He was
focusing
on the field again but in a pensive state. “
You don’t seem to ever talk about your…ability,” he ventured.

“No.
Unless people
inquire and want me
to use it, I think it makes them uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, I can see that happening.”

I had a feeling Gershom wanted to ask me more questions
,
but he
fell
silent for a few minutes.
In fact, h
e waited until his sandwich
was gone
entirely
before speaking again.

Glancing
at me hesitantly
, he asked,
“So…
can I ask how
you…
finally knew?”

“You
mean
that I could
talk to the dead
?”

“Right
.
But
it’s
more than that,
isn’t it
? I thought…I thought you visit the afterlife…or
at least
the place people consider
is
the afterlife
.
”

I let my sandwich fall to my lap
because I knew
my explanation would take some time.

“
I do
…
but
I didn’t know for a long time actually.
Since it happens in my sleep,
I thought I was dreaming like everyone else does. You can’t really jump
into
other people’s dreams and compare them to your own
,
so I didn’t know that people talking t
o you
in your dreams regularly
was…uncommon.” I paused to laugh at myself
,
but Gershom didn’t join in. He waited patiently for me to continue,
his
grave expression
never
waver
ing
. “
But then one day my next door
neighbor passed on and that night he came to me, asking if I’d deliver a message to his wife. He wanted to tell her that there was cash stored in a coffee container in the back of the pantry. So that next morning, I went over and told her.
I was young enough then, or stupid enough, to do it without understanding the consequences.”

“Not stupid,” Gershom corrected. “Brave.”

I snickered
.
His perception was not quite accurate
. “Bravery implies
knowing
the cost
of
opening
the
door…letting others know what I could do
…
and then
doing
it anyways. No, I’d have to say I was not prepared for the penalty.”

Gershom emphatically disagreed.
“Even at a young age
we know
if
we are different. We
understand common
behavior and
know
when we
are deviating from
it. I’m sure you did too. I think you’re being modest.”

I
watched him closely for a moment
. “You have a lot of wisdom for a
n
eighteen
-year-old.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, he dropped his stare.
“Being on the road
…
and alone…you learn a lot.”

I knew the truth to that statement.

“So, I’m assuming you went ahead and told your neighbor
’
s wife about the money,” he persisted.

“
Oh, yeah, I did. S
he slammed the door in my face, probably thinking I was playing
some kind of mean joke on her. But
later
…while I was sitting on
my
doorstep
questioning my sanity…deciding if I should
get help
…she walked across the lawn
toward
me, shaking, with a coffee can in one hand and a wad of cash in the other.
”

“Wow,” Gershom said under his breath.

“And so…that’s when I knew.”

He nodded again, understanding.
“
Have you learned
why you have the ability
and
others don’t?”

“You know, that’s something that I’ve always wanted to underst
and but have never been able to.
I mean, look at me.
I don’t have any
special markings or
distinguishing characteristics. I don’t surround myself with religious leaders or attend church regularly. I can’t even recite a single scripture. As far as I know, I don’t come from any
holy
gurus or spiritual leaders. I have no
exceptional
skill set that would
explain
me
having this ability.
There’s really only one
distinctive quality
that I
can
think of that sets me apart.”