The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (76 page)

He b
egins
by t
elling
the class th
at
he has alwa
ys
h
ad a se
nse
o
f th
ere
b
eing a
God but th
at
he'
s
not b
een a
ble t
o ex
plain thi
s.
It h
as
ju
st
b
een
th
ere.
H
e
t
ells
th
em
how h
e
u
sed to
pr
ay
with
out
r
eally
thinkin
g a
bout what h
e
wa
s
d
oing o
r t
o w
hom h
e
w
as a
ddressing hi
s
word
s.
He t
ells
th
em
of hi
s c
hildhood ima
ge of
G
od, as
d
epicted
in hi
s
illustrat
ed
Bibl
e.
H
e
t
ells
th
em
ab
out
th
e
voic
e
in hi
s
h
ead, se
parate from hi
s o
wn,
a
nd th
e ex
quisite pr
essure
h
e
f
eels a
t the b
ack
of his h
ead w
hen h
e
think
s a
bout
Go
d.

So
me l
aughs
but n
o c
atcalls
ye
t. The cl
ass a
re n
ot
th
e
m
erciless
mob
o
f hi
s
dream and it
s
eems th
ey
ar
e
pr
epared
to l
isten.
E
ncouraged
by the qu
iet,
h
e
t
ells
th
em a
bout
Bi
lly
Eva
ns
a
nd th
e
mir
acles
he p
erformed.
He d
emonstrates
th
e
t
echnique
of p
raying
for th
e s
ick
as
pra
ctised
b
y
Bill
y a
nd t
aught
b
y
J
esus
two thou
sand
y
ears
a
go.
H
e s
hows th
em
hi
s
hand
s
and th
e fac
t th
at
t
wo
d
ays a
fter pra
yer
hi
s wa
rts
co
mpl
etely
d
isappeared.

'H
ow
do
we
kn
ow
you had
a
ll th
ose
wart
s?' o
ne
of
H
ooper's c
ronies
as
ks
.
'
I n
ever sa
w th
em,
s
o
how
ca
n I kn
ow
f
or s
ure?
'

'
He h
ad
th
em.
I
saw
them
a
ll,' Juli
e
D
yer says an
d
wi
th th
at
th
e class m
urmur
awe
a
s
th
ough
Mo
ses hi
mself h
ad j
ust wr
itten
it
as
f
act
on
a
t
ablet.

'
Let him
c
ontinue, pl
ease, '
th
e
t
eacher
s
ays
.

T
aliesin goes
on t
o
t
ell
th
em
ab
out
Mr
s
W
illis.
H
e
l
ooks i
nto th
e fa
r
c
orners
o
f th
e
cl
ass a
nd
s
peaks to th
e s
hadow,
a
nd
as
h
e
t
alks
h
e
i
s co
nvinced b
y
wh
at
h
e's
sa
ying. Givi
ng
w
itness t
o
th
ese
th
ings gi
ves th
em
a
s
parkle
.
Th
e
lu
stre of
hi
s
p
earls
i
s a
ppreciated b
y ex
posing th
em.
H
e e
nds b
y say
ing th
at, wi
th
e
nough f
aith,
an
yone
in th
e
cla
ss c
ould d
o
th
ese
th
ings.
An
yone.

T
he cl
ass
cl
ap a
nd T
aliesin as
ks if th
ere a
re
a
ny qu
estions.

So
meone
as
ks
him
w
hy it d
idn't
w
ork
with Will
iam
J
ones?

'I'm n
ot s
ure,' i
s
all h
e
can
say.

Th
en f
rom th
e
d
ark
corn
er
Ho
oper 's v
oice
co
mes
o
ver l
oud a
nd cl
ear. '
Why not show us a h
ealing
now!
'
H
e
em
erges
into th
e
li
ght w
ith his four fin
gered
h
and
in th
e a
ir.

'
Not n
ow,
H
ooper,'
Mr Davi
es says,
tr
ying
t
o
wrap up th
e
pro
ceedings
.
'
Thank
y
ou for
a
most int
eresting a
nd inf
ormative
talk
,
Jone
s.'

But th
e
clas
s
like Hooper
's
ide
a;
th
ey
all
s
tart to
ca
ll f
or a
d
emonstration
r
ight
her
e
in th
e
clas
sroom.

'
See
i
f yo
u
ca
n heal my spr
ained
ankl
e.'

'
F
i
x
m
y
s
pots!'

'
No
.
H
eal
thi
s!'
Hooper
s
ays,
a
nd he hold
s
up hi
s
on
ce fi
ng
e
r th
at
i
s
n
ow
no mor
e
than a two
-inch s
tump.

'
That
i
s
h
ardly
fair
, '
Mr D
avies
int
ercedes
.

'Wh
y
n
ot,
Sir
?'
Hooper implor
es
.
'
He told u
s
he saw
a s
pine
b
eing s
traightened
a
nd
thi
s
h
ealer
mad
e s
omeone's
too
th
gro
w b
ack
from nothing. Why
ca
n't h
e
try my fin
ger?'

'
Yeah
,
S
ir, why not
?
Let him try
.'

T
a
liesin h
ears
Luc call out.
'
Go
o
n T
al,
try it. You can
d
o
it.
'

Mr
Davies shakes his head. 'All right, all right! But just on
e
, we haven
't
got
time for everybody's complaint. Just
o
ne
.’

H
o
op
er
stan
ds bef
ore
T
aliesin a
nd
h
olds
hi
s
ph
antom
fin
ger
u
p
f
or a
ll t
o s
ee. Th
e
cl
ass
pr
essi
n.
Som
e
of th
em s
tand
o
n
c
hairs t
o ge
t
a
bett
er
v
iew
.

'Go o
n
,
Jon
es
.
Fix it!'
s
omeone
ca
lls.

T
a
liesin
s
till
s
hakes hi
s
h
ead.

'
Yo
u
've go
t to tr
y,'
Lu
c
pr
ompts agai
n.
'
Show th
em! '

H
ooper s
till h
as
a h
and
out
.
Hi
s co
mplete h
and
is o
n h
is
h
ip
a
nd
h
is
eyes s
wim
a
ll
ove
r T
aliesin.

'
I bet
yo
u can
't
do it,
'
h
e says
.

H
ooper
w
as a
lways
go
ing t
o
tr
y so
mething
o
n t
o
t
est
him
.

I
f
h
e ref
uses
him now th
e
cl
ass
will
ca
ll him
c
oward
.
If he tri
es a
nd it f
ails
they'll
ca
ll him
a
fak
e.

'I will tr
y,'
h
e sa
ys.

Taliesin
has to remind himself that it is his faith that matters not the faith of the
subject. It is odd taking H
ooper's
h
and
in hi
s
o
wn.
Hoop
er
is a
little f
earful,
r
ecoili
ng h
is
h
and
.

'
What ar
e yo
u
a
fraid
o
f?' T
aliesin as
ks him
.

'
Nothing,' H
ooper says
. H
e
l
ets
hi
s
hand b
e
held
.

Ta
liesin
says t
he pr
ayer
qui
etly s
o that
they won
't
h
ear w
hat h
e's say
ing. H
e
is
un
comfortable
using
th
e
nam
e o
f
J
esus i
n
fro
nt
of so
m
any
p
eople.

'
What's h
e say
ing?'
so
me
a
sk.

'S
peak up
. '

Everyo
ne
watc
hes th
e t
ip
of
H
ooper's s
tump
.

'Wi
ll h
e get a
n
ew na
il?' Juli
e
D
yer as
ks.

'Sss
hhh!'

'
You
s
hould
pay
h
im
H
oop, i
f
i
t
g
rows ba
ck
.
A
f
inger's w
orth
a
b
omb!' so
meone
says.

Ta
liesin
and
H
ooper are
un
aware o
f the cl
ass
now. Th
ey a
re l
ocked into a
littl
e wo
rld of th
eir
own. T
aliesin
pr
ays aga
in.
Come o
n G
od,
h
e says
to h
imself, h
elp m
e
th
is
t
ime.

'
I h
ope yo
u
ca
n d
o i
t," Hoop
er sa
ys, in a
s
oft, mumbl
ed voice
th
at on
ly T
aliesin ca
n h
ear.
A
c
hange h
as c
ome
ove
r h
im.
H
ooper
'
s
d
esire
t
o
b
e
h
ealed
is outweighin
g
hi
s
d
esire
to m
ake
T
aliesin a
ppear
a
f
ool.
But ju
st
th
en
the b
ell so
unds
a
nd Mr
Davies as
ks th
e
cl
ass
t
o go
back t
o
their
sea
ts.

'
Come o
n n
ow,
th
at's e
nough, I'm afraid
,'
th
e
t
eacher says.

'
We
ca
n tr
y
t
omorrow,' Ta
liesin
says
to Ho
oper.

'
Is it l
onger now,
H
oop?
'
so
meone c
alls
out
.

H
ooper
l
ooks
cl
osely a
t th
e
stump
a
nd reveal
s
that it i
s s
till
a s
tump.

'
What
a
bout
t
hat m
an?
Wh
y
d
on't yo
u tak
e
me to him
,'
H
ooper as
ks
Ta
liesin,
in th
e sa
me di
screet
sott
o v
oce
.
Th
e
pr
ayer
h
asn't ma
de H
ooper's
fin
ger g
row back
,
but
a
t l
east
it h
as
m
ade
him
y
ield
t
o
so
mething. B
eneath
th
e
brittle
, s
howy
a
rmour Hooper i
s
pliant
.
In
expo
sing
ju
st so
me
o
f hi
s so
ftn
ess
to Tali
esin,
Hoop
er
i
s
openin
g
him
self
up t
o
p
ossibility.
Unb
elievably,
Hooper
wants to bel
ieve
it
is
p
ossible.

CHAPTER TWENTY

TALIES1N JONES, Luc The Shirt and Hoop The Mental leave
school together. They share the entire back seat of the bus and Hooper teaches
Luc and Taliesin how to blow smoke rings. Taliesin can't inhale without
spluttering every time and he marvels at Luc and Hoop's ability to inhale all
the way down and blow the smoke out of their noses
,
one nostril at a time.
Hoop does smoke rings that he can direct with the precision of a deck quo it
onto an outstretched foot several feet away
.
Taliesin attempts a ring but it splutters
out as a blob with no recognizable hole in the middle. The smoke is going to
his head, making him giddy
.
I am here not there
.
I am here not there.

This unlikely trio are bonded by the purpose of their
mission
.
Taliesin
is conversing with Hooper and Hooper is calling him Tal. Away from the theatre
of school, Hoop drops his act and admits weaknesses. He dares to say that he is
frightened at the prospect of meeting a healer and having his finger grow back.
Taliesin feels heady and in his headiness he experiences the miracle of feeling
affection for Hooper
:
the way his hair sticks up, his fantastic smoke
sculptures, his sartorial rebellion, even his sneer. Incredible to think that
he could love his enemy
.

Taliesin
finds himself doing what he always does when he feels happiness. He projects
into the future the here and now and imagines himself looking back then and
remembering this here and now. He would like the memory then to be as clear as
the feeling now, clear enough to recall the exact blur
of
blue and green Embassy filter tip smoke and the shape of Hoop's fabulous,
floating, foot-coronating vapour crowns, and the fact that for a few fleeting
seconds he loved his
e
nemy
.
But as usual the moment passes, shedding itself, leaving
only a scaly skin of memory
.
Taliesin fancies that this de
sire
to hold time is
happening because he is growing up and doesn
't
want to
.
He feels that he is losing the peculiar gift
of
c
hildhood
-that ability to live completely in the present.