The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (11 page)

'Wh
y
d
on't yo
ur
pa
rents b
elieve
in God
,
th
en?'
T
aliesin as
ks hi
s
fri
end
.

'
My
Da s
ays b
elieving i
n G
od c
auses m
ore
t
rouble
th
an goo
d.
L
ike th
at wa
r in wh
erever
it is. Do y
our
p
arents
b
elieve
in
Go
d th
en
?'
Lu
c as
ks.

T
aliesin wo
uld lik
e
to
th
ink
th
ey
do.

'Of
course they do
,
' he lies
,
feeling that someone is watching him. 'Why do you
believe in him? 'Luc asks.

'I
don 't know,' Taliesin says, angry that he can't
explain it aga
in.
Fee
ling
s
uddenly c
old
h
e
look
s
up at th
e s
ky
a
nd
sees
m
ore
clo
uds
a
rriving
to
e
nd th
e s
ummer.
H
ow
fi
ckle
th
e
wea
ther i
s
.
And h
ow f
ragile
his
m
orning
cert
ainty.

CHAPTER
FOUR

IN
T
HE AFTERNOON Welsh Ra
in
return
s as
if
fr
om a
lon
g
h
oliday w
here
i
t
has r
eplenished
it
self.
Bulb
ous
thu
nderheads
roll in on
a
ll
s
ides and position them
selves
for
a
d
ownpour
dir
ectly a
bove the school. B
y
three-thirt
y
th
e
fir
st
dropl
ets s
platter o
nto
the
hot road as he run
s
f
or
hi
s
bu
s
.
Th
ey
mak
e a
n
ac
rid l
imey
smell
on the t
armac,
a
s
mell
th
at
h
e
c
an
ta
ste. C
hildren
run out of the main g
ate
s
creaming a
nd
c
heering
as
th
e
fir
st
rumble breaks
.
Som
e
par
ents s
it
in
s
teaming
ca
rs
with li
ghts
on and engines runnin
g,
th
eir w
ipers
takin
g
futil
e s
wipes
a
t th
e
rain
which i
s
n
ow sma
cking
o
nto
a
ll
thin
gs
with
out
pr
ejudice.
A group of huddled m
others
l
ook v
ulner
a
ble b
eneath
th
eir
flim
sy
umbr
ellas
.
T
aliesin sees' Caesa
r', th
e
h
eadmaster, s
kipping across th
e
front
e
ntrance
wi
th
a
n
ews
p
aper over
hi
s
h
ead.
The
thunder
storm is a g
reat l
eveller.
N
o
r
especter o
f rank or importan
ce,
it
s
plashes
on t
eachers,
p
aren
ts
a
nd
c
hildren
in equal me
asure.
Th
e
thund
erstorm
m
akes
li
ght
of
eve
rything else that i
s
goi
ng on
,
for
cing
p
eople
to n
otice
thin
gs
out
side
themselves
a
nd bow t
o so
mething th
at
th
ey
h
ave
n
o c
ontrol over.

Th
e c
ream and burgund
y
l
iveried
bus
c
hugs
a
nd
g
rowls
a
t th
e s
top.
B
y
the time Tal
iesin
r
eaches
it h
e
ca
n f
eel
th
e
r
ain
tr
ickling
d
own i
nside his coll
ar.
Oth
er we
t
c
hildren
s
hake
o
ut th
eir
h
air a
nd laugh at what the r
ain
h
as
d
one
t
o
th
eir
cl
othes
.
'
Coach',
th
e
driver, seems unc
oncerned
b
y
th
e
wea
ther,
si
ttin
g
in h
is se
at
s
moking whil
e
the
bu
s
fill
s
with
h
ysterical c
hildren
.
He le
ans
on the b
ig
ste
ering
wh
eel
and
s
mirks
a
t th
e
p
anic.
C
oach
like
s
to hurl th
e ve
hicle
a
round
co
rners
with
impr
essive
f
orce.
Many young boys who ride w
ith
him want t
o
b
e c
oach driv
ers,
beli
eving
that they
'll
become lik
e
C
oach:
un
afraid of
thund
er storms
and able to
s
mok
e
and driv
e a
t the
sa
me time. Fr
om
b
ehind,
he is like a thi
ck si
lver milk urn l
eaning
o
n th
e
b
ack o
f
a
trailer, lookin
g
as if h
e'll
toppl
e
off hi
s sea
t wh
en
th
e c
orners
c
ome, which the
y
do with
g
reat fr
equency o
n th
is
j
ourney.
His eye
s
flash in th
e
hu
ge i
nterior r
ear
mirror lo
oking
for trouble.

Th
e
j
ourney
fr
om
Pr
escelli
to Cwmglum i
s a
m
ere s
ix mil
es a
nd
ye
t it tak
es s
ome twenty-fiv
e
minut
es
.
En
ough
tim
e
to br
eak
th
e
b
ack o
f
a g
ood bo
ok.
In twent
y-five
minut
es
Talie
sin c
an u
sually g
et through a
ch
apter a
nd
h
e
h
as
th
e a
bility t
o
r
ead i
n th
e
v
ehicle
without f
eeling
s
ick
.
A
s
h
e ma
kes h
is
w
ay
to h
is seat
he reaches for h
is
b
ook.

Juli
e
D
yer
i
s a
lready at the back
.
Sh
e
h
as
r
emoved
h
er
jump
er a
nd l
et o
ut h
er
h
air
in order to
c
omb th
e
rain out with h
er
h
and
.
Wh
ole
r
ain
dr
ops
sit on h
er
thick lu
xuriant
l
ocks.
In th
e yea
r th
at
T
aliesin
has travell
ed
by bu
s
Juli
e
Dy
er
h
as g
rown
a
lmost-breasts which
now pre
ss
a
gainst
h
er we
t
w
hite bl
ouse.
H
e
h
as
follow
ed
their progr
ess
with
i
nterest
a
nd
s
peculated
wi
th Lu
c
Daniel as to their
ev
entual
s
ize. H
er co
nfidence h
as g
rown in proportion
to th
eir
growth.
Sh
e
h
as
b
ecome a
n
in
timidating
v
oluptuary,
wi
th a
g
ood h
eart
.
S
he li
ghts
up
a c
igarette, bl
ows
th
e s
moke int
o
h
er sa
tchel
a
nd
s
hoo ts him
a s
alacious l
ook.
Th
is
is the
g
irl who
sai
d
s
he b
elieved
in
Go
d.

H
e t
ries t
o
r
ead
hi
s
book
.
The an
imals,
l
ed
by th
e
p
igs,
h
ave
d
ecided
t
o ge
t rid of the farmer
a
nd Tali
esin
i
s
ju
st
th
inking
th
at i
t's
a
reli
ef
hi
s
father f
arms
she
ep
wh
en
Juli
e
nud
ges
h
im
.