The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (79 page)

Does
n
'
t th
e
pr
eacher
know th
at
w
e
will n
ever
know what
Go
d c
an
d
o
unt
il we as
k h
im?
Ev
en
Hoop
er
ha
s
di
scovered
th
at.

T
he p
reacher
i
s
cl
early g
lad t
o
he
ar
a v
ehicle
backin
g i
nto th
e
d
rive
.
H
e
us
es
th
e
k
erfuffie
of
a
mbulance men as a
conv
enient
div
ersion
from th
ese
difficult metaphysical question
s.
Th
e
boy
s' se
nse of being
marginalized only increases with th
e
arr
ival
of th
e
doctor-a young wom
an
with
a
black b
ag
th
at
l
ooks
b
ig e
nough to hold
a
soul. The doctor
a
nd th
e
pr
eacher
t
alk
t
o eac
h oth
er
out
o
f ear
shot.
He th
en s
hows h
er
int
o
th
e
b
edroom a
nd th
ere
i
s
another long wait
.
Tali
esin s
tares
a
t th
e
li
ght
under th
e
b
edroom
door. Can't they
see
th
at
th
e
body i
s
u
seless
and that it
's
the spirit th
ey
ne
ed
to l
ook
f
or?
It
'll
b
e
t
oo
l
ate,
h
e
think
s,
h
e'll
be there by now.

Th
e G
rown-Ups
e
merge
s
peaking in th
e
r
esigned
pa
st
t
ense of
th
e o
bituary
.

'D
id
yo
u kn
ow
him?' th
e
d
octor
is askin
g
the pr
eacher.

'
He w
as a
n
occas
ional m
ember
of my con
gregation
for
a
f
ew yea
rs.'

'
Does h
e
h
ave
a
n
y
r
elatives we c
an c
ontact?'
th
e
d
octor as
ks.

'
Do y
ou k
now, I'm not sur
e
that he doe
s.
H
e
w
asn't
m
arried
.
Th
e
b
oy
mi
ght
know, though. Thes
e a
re the b
oys
wh
o
f
ound
hi
m. Ta
liesin, do
yo
u know if Mr Ev
ans
h
ad a
ny r
elatives?'

'
H
e
h
ad a sis
ter.'

'S
till l
iving?'

'
I d
on't
kn
ow.'

'I'd l
ike
t
o as
k
yo
u
so
me m
ore
qu
estions
later,' th
e d
octor
as
ks.

Co
llectively th
e
b
oys
de
cide
th
at
the
y
don
't
lik
e
the d
octor a
nd th
at
pl
aying
dumb i
s
th
e
b
est
wa
y
of an
swering
h
er.
T
aliesin
l
ooks
d
own a
t th
e
floor depre
ssed
at thi
s
bur
eauc
racy
.
H
e
f
eels
H
ooper's
con
soling
hand at hi
s
sh
oulder.
H
e
l
ooks a
nd
sees a
h
and wi
thout th
e
full fi
ve.

In
ti
me th
e
b
ody
i
s
br
ought o
ut
s
hrouded
in
a w
hite
s
heet
w
hich i
s
pull
ed
up
ove
r th
e
f
ace as
if it
were tab
oo
to
see
it
.
Wh
y i
s
eve
ryone
w
hispering? T
aliesin
thinks.
Do th
ey
think B
illy
mig
ht b
e
up
set
at the
n
ews?
Do they in som
e
w
ay
cl
ing
t
o
th
e
n
otion
th
at
h
e's s
till
abl
e
t
o
h
ear
them?

It i
s
fully dark outsid
e
and th
e
l
ights
of th
e a
mbulance
a
re
a
n
ex
tra-terrestrial neon and the v
an
mi
ght
b
e a s
paceship tran
sporting
the body
a
way to the h
eavens.
Th
e
r
adio is s
till
o
n
a
nd th
ey
listen to th
e
Si
x
O
'Clock
N
ews
.
Nothin
g a
bout th
ese eve
nts i
s
r
eported.

Th
ere a
re mor
e
que
stions
from the do
ctor w
ho i
s ove
rly
c
heery and matt
er
of fact about it
a
ll.
S
he
co
nfirms th
e
di
agnosis
and e
stablishes
the cau
se as
b
eing
h
eart fai
lure brou
ght
on b
y
la
ck
of ox
ygen.
Tal
iesin
would lik
e
t
o co
rrect th
is ve
rdict with th
e
suggestion that Billy
s
acrificed h
is o
wn h
ealth
b
y
sa
ving
th
e
health of oth
ers
but h
e
i
sn't as
ked f
or
hi
s
opini
on,
h
e
is only asked more qu
estions
.
Wh
at
tim
e
did
yo
u find h
im?
What was th
e
purpos
e
of
y
our
v
isit? Wh
y
d
idn't yo
u
ca
ll th
e
ambulanc
e?
The boys
c
ontinue to hon
our
th
e age
-apartheid and
say noth
ing.
To
a
void a
ggravation
Pr
eece
int
ercedes
for her,
pointing out that Talie
sin
i
s a
l
ittle
up
set,
b
eing a
fri
end
of Mr Evan
s's.

Th
e
d
octor
then offers
condolenc
es
t
o
th
e m
all
, a
dding
th
at a
t l
east
Bill
y
Evan
s
d
ied
peacefull
y
in
hi
s s
leep
.
H
e
i
s a
t r
est
n
ow, s
he
s
ays. How can she be
s
ure?
Ta
liesin w
onders
.
H
e
w
as a
lready rest
ing
when
he died. Did h
e
p
ass
from
o
ne kind of
s
leep t
o a
nother?
Where have you
g
one to, Bill
y?
Y
ou're
n
ot
und
er
the
sheet in the empty
s
hell
o
f
yo
ur b
ody.
Th
at
i
sn't
it
.
Y
ou
haven't suddenly just
s
topped.
I
ca
n f
eel
y
ou s
till. Or i
s
that
ju
st
my memory
se
tting
asid
e a wi
de
a
nd
·
ex
pansive
pl
ace
of honour for you? What
's
happ
ened
t
o
th
e
for
ce
th
at
p
oured
through your hand
s
-i
s
that wh
ere
I'll
find you
?
Th
at
pi
cture
I have of you in my h
ead
now
,
so cl
ear
,
so
r
eal,
that i
sn't
you is it? Where's the
esse
nce
o
f you
,
th
e
thin
g
that l
it
y
ou?
Where have you gon
e
to
,
Bill
y,
a
nd
w
hat
w
ill
yo
u d
o
when
y
ou get ther
e?
Ha
ve y
ou
g
one to
h
eaven? Ca
n
a
nything
in heaven need healing? Do an
gels s
uffer fr
om co
lds and b
ad
b
acks?
Perhaps they inadv
ertently
fl
y
into
eac
h
o
ther and br
eak
their
wings. What happens wh
en
you arriv
e?
Will som
eone
be
waiting with a register, tott
ing
up th
e go
od
d
eeds agai
nst
t
he bad? Surel
y
th
ey'll
l
et y
ou p
ass
th
rough.