The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (45 page)

'
Taliesin J
ones
.
'

'
Are
yo
u
a
ll al
one; y
our p
arents
n
ot
h
ere?'

'
My
f
ather i
s
busy on Sund
ays, S
ir. H
e's a
f
armer. '
T
aliesin
i
s co
nfident th
at
th
is
is a go
od e
nough
e
xcuse f
or
h
is
fath
er
not t
o
b
e a
ttending
c
hapel. B
eing a
f
armer
h
as a
lways b
een a g
ood
exc
use f
or
n
ot
attendin
g
thing
s
.

'And
y
our moth
er?'

D
oes
th
e
pr
eacher
suspe
ct so
mething? C
an
h
e
t
ell
if
a
child
's
p
arents a
re
s
eparated? T
aliesin
l
eaves
th
e a
nswer ambi
guous.

'Sh
e's
in We
st
H
aven,
Sir.' Sh
e
i
s
in W
est
H
aven a
nd
s
he d
oesn't
b
elieve
in
G
od anym
ore.

‘I see
. W
ell,
it
's
lovel
y
to h
ave yo
u h
ere .
.
. T
aliesin.
G
o o
n in
a
nd find
a
pew
.'

T
aliesin
feel
s
th
e
weight
o
f
eyes
on him
,
lookin
g
him up
a
nd
down
as i
f h
e's a
n
ex
otic traveler from Arabia
.
In th
e
por
ch a
n oliv
e g
reen
pl
acard
greets th
e
worsh
ippers
with 'R
epent a
nd beli
eve
th
e
G
ospel'
.
From th
e
har
sh
sound of it
s e
nding
h
e g
uesses th
at
rep
ent
is not someth
ing
that
i
s e
asy t
o
do
.

In
side
th
e
t
emperature
drops and th
e
air i
s
d
amp.
Th
e
int
erior is
bri
ght a
nd
o
pen, r
eminiscent
of
a sc
hool
asse
mbly h
all w
ith it
s
t
wo-tone
blu
e
p
aint.
Th
ere
i
s s
pace f
or
tw
o
hundr
ed a
nd fift
y w
hich i
s o
ptimistic b
ecause
th
e co
ngregat
ion
i
s
th
in li
ke th
e
h
airs o
n th
e
h
ead of a
n a
geing
m
an, w
ith l
arge sec
tions
o
f b
ald s
pace b
etween o
ne per
son
and
a
nother. Di
e-hards si
t in th
e fron
t
sea
ts
as i
f th
eir
li
ves
d
epend o
n it. T
aliesin si
ts
nea
r th
e
b
ack a
way from the l
ooks.
H
e
i
s
th
e o
nly
c
hild in th
e
pl
ace a
nd h
e
st
icks o
ut. M
aybe
hi
s fa
ther i
s rig
ht
.
M
aybe
h
e
i
s
t
oo yo
ung
to c
ome h
ere;
t
oo yo
ung t
o
think
a
bout
Go
d
.
H
e wa
tches p
eople as
the
y e
nter. Wh
ere a
re
yo
u B
illy Eva
ns?
T
hey
a
re m
ostly wo
men
w
ith blu
e
rin
se
ha
irdos
th
at go
up
.
Th
eir
blu
e
r
inses
don't m
ake
th
em
l
ook yo
unger, th
ey
m
erely
m
ake
th
em a
ll l
ook
th
e sa
me. Th
e o
ld
wa
nt t
o
b
e yo
unger
a
nd th
e yo
ung
wa
nt t
o
b
e o
lder. No
o
ne
wa
nts
to
b
e the age
th
ey are. Exce
pt him.

O
ne d
ay
h
e w
ill b
e as o
ld
as
th
ese
p
eople a
nd hi
s s
kin will r
emain
up f
or seco
nds
whe
n h
e pi
nches
i
t. Th
e c
ollective a
ge o
f th
e co
ngregation mu
st
b
e
thre
e
thou
sand: o
lder th
an
M
oses
.
O
lder th
an
J
esus
.
O
ld p
eople
l
ook as
th
ough
th
ey
h
ave a
lways b
een o
ld -ju
st as yo
ung p
eople a
ct
as
th
ough
th
ey a
lways will b
e y
oung. Th
ey're
l
ooking a
t him
s
till. Th
ey're t
hinking,
a
h,
we we
re th
at yo
ung
o
nce. Will h
e
n
otice
th
e s
ubtle d
rift fro
m
o
ne
s
tage t
o
the n
ext?
Will h
e,
if h
e ge
ts
t
here, r
emember
h
ow i
t
was
t
o
b
e yo
ung
w
hen h
e
i
s o
ld? Will h
e
r
emember
th
en w
hat he i
s
thinkin
g
n
ow a
bout th
en?
Will h
e
r
emember
th
e
th
ought
th
at
h
e's
h
aving
now
, a
nd
w
ill it b
e t
he
sa
me th
ought
in
a
n
o
lder b
ody?
H
e
f
eels
a tin
gle a
t th
e
b
ack o
f h
is
h
ead a
nd
a
n
exq
uisite pr
essure
th
at co
mes
w
ith th
ose
qu
estions.

H
e's co
unted thirt
y
p
eople
in the ch
apel
a
nd th
e
d
oor
i
s
n
ow
cl
osed.
Bill
y
Eva
ns
is no
t
a
mongst th
em a
nd th
e
pla
ce
i
s
co
ld
wi
thout him
.
Mo
st o
f th
e c
ongregation
a
re w
earing coa
ts
a
nd
so
me
of
th
e
Blu
e-Rinses
h
ave
hat
s.
Th
e coa
ts are m
ostly
d
our
bl
acks,
g
reys
a
nd musty
dark
co
lours that
a
re
ca
mouflage in
c
hapel. I
s
th
is
r
eally
the place wh
ere
G
od
liv
es?