The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (26 page)

H
e
tri
es
t
o
pr
ay.
H
e ex
periments b
y
puttin
g
hi
s
h
ands ou
t
as
i
f
r
eceiving rai
n dr
ops
but h
e
f
eels s
elf-conscious and r
etracts
th
em,
dr
awing
th
em
t
ogether
in a
s
imple p
yramid,
w
ith
th
e
tip
s o
f hi
s
w
arty
fin
gers
ju
st
below hi
s
lip and hi
s
thumb
s
pr
essing agai
nst hi
s c
hest. Thi
s
wa
s
th
e
w
ay
h
e
u
sed to
d
o i
t in prim
ary sc
hool. Th
is
f
amiliar sy
mmetry
see
med th
e
r
ight a
nd
o
nly
way
t
o
t
alk
t
o
God
.
He pr
ayed t
hen with h
is eyes s
hut t
ight,
but h
e
h
as
n
ow
pr
ayed
with hi
s eyes o
pen
a
nd
see
n
a
r
esponse.
F
rom
n
ow
on h
e
int
ends
t
o
k
eep
th
em o
pen
.
So
meone
is
l
istening
t
o
hi
s
pr
ayers,
li
stening
with i
nterest -so
meone
w
ho
ca
n
ma
ke s
eventy-year-old
back
s s
traighten.

H
e
tri
es
to f
ocus o
n wh
at
h
e
th
inks
i
s
God and w
aits
f
or
the w
ords.
But th
e
w
ords
d
on't co
me. An indisciplin
ed
jumble
of
un
godly
th
ings a
ppear, sh
opping
li
sts
of thin
gs
h
e
w
ants.
G
od
h
as a
lways b
een a
n un
seen ce
rtainty that h
e
h
as
tru
sted i
n, lik
e
th
e fac
t th
at
Indi
a
i
s
hot
e
ven thou
gh
h
e
h
as
n
ever ex
perienced
i
ts h
eat.
N
ow
th
at
h
e
tr
ies
to p
icture Go
d h
e sees a
nything but G
od
.
H
e
f
orces
h
imself
to imagin
e.
H
e
think
s a
bout
s
pace
goi
ng
o
n
a
nd
o
n. H
e's g
oing on and
o
n
a
nd
o
ut
a
nd
o
ut past
s
tars
a
nd to
wards s
tars. H
e
travel
s
lik
e
thi
s
for fiv
e
minute
s
until h
e c
omes t
o
a wall-the end of
s
pace. But th
ere
mu
st
b
e so
mething
o
n th
e
other side of the
wa
ll; ev
en
nothin
g
i
s so
mething,
so
h
e
p
asses
on to anoth
er
infinit
y
.
H
e g
ives up tryin
g
t
o
im
agine
God
.
H
e
reverts to the pi
cture
in h
is
Illu
strated
Bibl
e:
th
at
h
and c
oming through th
e
cloud
.
And th
ese
h
ands
b
ecome
B
illy's
h
ands,
and then th
ey a
re Juli
e
D
yer 's
h
ands
h
olding
H
ooper's
four finger
s.

Uncomfortable
images dance through his mind. Julie Dyer and his mother, almost
indistinguishable and disconcertingly naked
:
H
ooper
Joinin
g
th
em a
nd p
ointing a
nd
l
aughing a
t
T
aliesin's fa
ther wh
o s
its b
owed, as
hamed
of
h
imself
Appl
e-g
rabbers, l
aw breaker’s,
tro
ubl
emakers
.

Lyin
g o
n hi
s s
ide with
h
is ea
r
p
ressed
int
o
th
e pil
low
h
e ca
n h
ear
h
is
h
eart
b
eating a
nd f
eel
it
too
. H
e co
ncentrates
on
th
at
b
e
at, th
e s
urest
s
ign th
at
h
e
i
s a
live
a
nd h
e
find
s
it di
sconcerting.
It
s
hould b
e
r
eassuring
lik
e
th
e sea
in
a s
hell
o
r
a
moth
er's
b
osom,
but it m
akes
him un
easy
.
H
e
tri
es
t
o s
leep but
i
t's t
oo ea
rly
a
nd hi
s
h
ead
i
s
qu
estion-throbbed.

H
e
turn
s
ov
er o
nto hi
s
ri
ght si
de
w
here th
e
b
eat
i
s
qui
eter a
nd h
e s
tarts t
o
c
ount
sh
eep
.
F
or va
riety h
e
im
agines
th
e s
heep in diff
erent
c
olours:
r
ed-blue;
r
ed a
nd blu
e;
r
ed w
ith
g
reen
s
tripes; blu
e w
ith
o
range p
olka
d
ots.
But th
e co
lours
a
re
too e
lusive t
o
im
agine a
nd th
e s
heep
e
nd u
p w
hite. P
erhaps
i
f
hi
s fa
ther f
armed
el
ephants o
r
camels
th
ings
w
ould
b
e
diff
erent.
H
e t
ries
co
unting
ca
mels,
a
nd th
en
el
ephants.

H
e
fe
els
hi
s
br
eathing c
hanging,
si
nking. H
e si
nks, dr
ifting a
t th
e e
dge
a
nd th
en
th
e
curr
ent s
ucks h
im
und
er
...

He i
s a
t W
est
H
aven in a
r
ed
b
oat
.
H
e ca
n
see
th
e
h
arbour
but th
ere
d
on't
see
m t
o
b
e
a
ny p
eople
in th
e
t
own.
P
erhaps
h
e's
t
oo
far
away
t
o see
th
em
.
Th
e
b
oat
i
s ca
lled
C
hristmas
a
nd th
ere
i
s a
m
an
a
t th
e
bo
w
l
ooking o
ut t
o
sea.
H
e
h
as
l
ong
thi
ck
m
atted
h
air
w
hich n
eeds c
utting.
H
e ca
n't
see t
he
ma
n's f
ace
b
ecause
h
is
b
ack
i
s
t
o hi
m. Th
e s
ea
is c
hoppy, li
cking
a
t th
e s
ides
o
f th
e
littl
e
b
oat; a
fr
agile
littl
e
b
oat.
Eve
ntually th
e
b
oat
b
egins
t
o
r
ock s
o mu
ch
th
at wa
ter
s
pills in
a
nd
s
lowly fill
s i
t. A
s
it fill
s i
t
ge
ts h
eavier a
nd
as
it
ge
t h
eavier
i
t sinks a
littl
e
furth
er a
nd
as
it
s
inks m
ore
wa
ter
ge
ts in.
T
he
sky is
b
anded
wi
th l
ong sa
usage-shaped
cl
ouds a
nd
f
urther
o
ut th
e sea
i
s
d
arker a
nd
ag
itated. L
ooking
b
ack
t
o
l
and
th
e wea
ther i
s
bri
ghter a
nd
ca
lmer. H
e'd
lik
e
t
o
turn th
e
b
oat
b
ack
t
o
th
e port
o
nly th
e
m
an
is s
teering
w
ith
a
l
ocked s
teely
a
rm,
o
blivious
to
th
e
ri
sing
wa
ter l
evel
in
th
e
b
oat
.
H
e co
uld
d
ive
In but
i
t's
t
oo fa
r t
o sw
im
a
nd th
ere a
re
s
hapes lur
king i
n th
e
deep. The water
rises and suddenly the boat lurches and flounders, tilting backwards as the
water pours in ...