The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (57 page)

'
Christ
i
s
b
orn
toda
y.
Oh h
ear ye, o
h h
ear y
e.
A l
ittle
b
aby,
ju
st a
littl
e
littl
e
thing
.
I
s
aw thr
ee s
hips
co
me
sai
ling b
y.'
H
e
tak
es a swig
from a bottl
e t
hat
i
s wrapp
ed i
n
a
br
own
b
ag
.

'
Merry V
ery
Christma
s.
Ju
st a s
mall
i
tsy l
ittle
b
aby
thin
g
th
at
J
esus, s
maller th
an a
butt
on.
Oh I
s
aw thr
ee s
hips
.
. .
' T
he drunk
en
m
an sways as
h
e exa
mines on
e o
f hi
s
butt
ons
on
o
ne
o
f hi
s
thr
ee coa
ts.

'Ju
st a
n it
sy-bitsy
bu
tton,'
h
e sa
ys,
s
waying. H
e
h
olds
out hi
s
h
and a
nd
i
llustrates it
sy-bitsy
with his thumb
a
nd f
ore
fin
ger.
Th
en
h
e
turn
s a
nd p
oints
theatrically
.
'But
yo
u don't beli
eve. T
here
a
re n
o
b
elievers!
Where
a
re
y
ou
all
?'

'
He's ju
st
th
e
l
ocal
nutt
er,' T
oni
say
s. H
e
put
s a
pr
otective a
rm
a
bout T
aliesin
.
Ta
liesin h
as
n
ever s
een
a
m
an
thi
s
drunk b
efore a
nd h
e
w
ants
t
o
l
ook an
d h
ear w
hat h
e
i
s say
ing
.
Th
e
m
an s
uddenly p
oints i
n hi
s
dir
ection
.
'You! Wh
at
d
o
y
ou
b
elieve
th
en?'
h
e screa
ms. T
oni
i
s
pullin
g
him
away
now,
s
hielding him f
rom
p
otential a
buse. The m
an
w
aits
for his
a
nswer, 'W
e11?'
Th
en
h
eswi
ngs round v
iolently a
nd turn
s
his
a
nger
o
n
a
nother
gro
up l
eaving
the chur
ch. '
Baby J
esus!'
he
sc
reams
a
nd th
ey
jump
a
nd l
augh
n
ervously a
t him
.
'
He'sin h
ere,
n
ot
in th
ere!'
h
e says,
pointin
g
t
o
hi
s
bottl
e
bef
ore
l
aughing a
ludic
rous
p
irate
l
augh.
Tali
esin ca
n't quit
e se
e wh
ether
h
e
is p
ointing a
t h
is
own ch
est
or th
e
b
ottle
the
ges
tures
a
re
so
imp
recise.
Th
e
p
eople wa
lk
a
wid
e a
rc pa
st
him
a
nd
t
he
man
r
ants a
l
ittle a
t th
e
pa
vement a
pparently
ge
tting m
ore se
nse
f
rom
it.

In th
e n
ight T
aliesin
h
ears voi
ces. H
e
is l
ying i
n b
ed,
wai
ting
fo
r h
is
bl
adder a
nd
his
s
tocking to fill up
.
H
e ca
n he
ar
hi
s
m
other's
l
oud w
hispers
a
nd th
e
de
eper
r
esponses
from Ton
i.
Wh
en
h
e g
oes t
o
th
e
t
oilet
he h
ears
hi
s
m
other
l
aughing a
nd
a
b
ed s
queaking.
Th
ere
is something con
spiratorial
in th
at
l
augh
of
hi
s mot
her's;
so
mething pri
vate.
H
e a
ims hi
s
pi
ss a
t th
e si
de
of t
he
bo
wl
a
nd d
oesn't
flush
so as
n
ot
to be h
eard
;
h
e
t
iptoes
b
ack to
h
is
b
ed
and pull
s
th
e
bl
ankets
up
ove
r h
is
no
se.
F
or w
hat
seems
h
ours
h
e
li
stens
t
o
the wind
g
roaning thr
ough
th
e
ope
n-plan hou
se
or
i
s
th
at
hi
s
moth
er
moanin
g?
H
e
li
es
wide awake
and th
inks o
f the man in th
e s
treet,
d
eclaiming a
buse
a
nd prai
se
in equal m
easure
and qu
estioning
th
e
p
eople's
belief.
That man had look
ed
at him
and as
ked h
im a
qu
estion.
Drunk
o
r n
ot,
th
e q
uestion h
ad a so
ber
i
ntent
.

H
e
h
ears
f
oot steps a
long th
e
l
anding an
d
a
l
ight is sw
itched
o
n
.
Hi
s doo
r
is
pu
shed o
pen,
s
low
a
nd
eve
n. H
e closes
hi
s eyes a
nd pl
ays
th
e ga
me, f
eigning s
leep
w
hile
C
hristmas
un
loads it
self on
h
is
b
ed
.
A
s
the l
ast of
th
e
p
arcels is
pl
a
c
ed
h
e ca
n f
eel
th
e
h
eat a
nd
sme
ll, th
e
un
adulterated s
mell
o
f hi
s
m
other.
H
er
u
sually
pri
stine
h
air
i
s
tu
mbled
.
S
he turn
s
t
owa
rds him
a
nd h
e cl
oses hi
s eyes
, b
efore s
he
sees
him.
S
he
kisses
h
im sof
tly
o
n th
e
f
orehead an
d h
e rece
ives it
,
pr
etend
in
g
n
ot
t
o
n
otice
.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

SN
OW F
AL
LS o
n th
e g
round
a
nd th
en
upon it
self, s
now on
s
now
o
n
s
now
.
It
fa
lls
s
teadily, r
esolved
to th
e
ta
sk
of m
aking eve
rything whit
e.
It
so
ftens
s
ounds and dead
ens
fin
gers a
nd for
a
t
ime
it
s
tops th
e
r
eturning
train in
i
ts tra
cks.