The Prophet of Yonwood (5 page)

Pleased to meet you, said Mrs. Beeson. Im your neighbor. I live three houses down, across the street. She took off her cap and stuffed it in her pocket, and Nickie saw that she had caramel-colored hair pulled back in a jaunty ponytail, and she wore little bobbly earrings. Mrs. Beeson turned her gaze on Amanda. I didnt expect to seeyou here, dear, she said.

Amanda had backed up against the sink. She had a piece of bread in one hand and a jar of peanut butter in the other, and she looked scared.

Why havent you left, said Mrs. Beeson, now that Professor Green has passed?

Im about to go, said Amanda. Soon as I find a place.

Find a place? You have no family to go to?

Amanda just shook her head.

No parents?

My mom died, Amanda said. My dad took off.

No one else?

Just my cousin LouAnn, Amanda said miserably. I dont like her.

Well, dear, this wont do at all, said Mrs. Beeson. She unzipped her jacket with one quick pull and sat down at the kitchen table, ready to handle Amandas future. Nickie noticed a round blue button pinned to her sweater. The picture on it looked like a little building. Im sure I can help, Mrs. Beeson said. I have several friends in social work. Ill contact them right away. Theyll be able to place you in a home. She pulled a little phone out of her pocketa cell phone, Nickie guessed, though it had a different shape from the ones she was used to.

Amanda took a step forward. Terror was written on her face. She dropped the piece of bread and clunked down the peanut butter jar and raised her hands like stop signs in the direction of Mrs. Beeson. I dont want to go to any home, she said. Im seventeen, I can get a job, I can find

Nonsense, said Mrs. Beeson kindly. Everyone needs a home. She paused, her mouth half open. An idea seemed to be forming behind her eyes. Her eyebrows rose. In fact, she said, I know someone who needs a helper right now. A dear friend of mine.

What kind of helper? asked Amanda suspiciously.

A household helper, Mrs. Beeson said. A live-in helper.

I dont know, said Amanda. She hunched up her shoulders and scowled at the floor.

The friend I am speaking of, said Mrs. Beeson with a little smile, is Miss Althea Tower.

Amandas eyes went wide. She stood up straight. She said, in a voice that cracked in the middle, The Prophet?

Thats right. You know shes very unwell, and the girl we hired to take care of her is leaving. You could stay with her, couldnt you? You were so good with the professor.

In just five seconds, Amanda had become a whole new person. Her face shone with eagerness. She straightened her shoulders, hooked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. I could do it, she said. Id reallylike to!

Wonderful, said Mrs. Beeson. If you can get ready, Ill take you over there right now and see if we can make an arrangement.

Nickie could see that Mrs. Brenda Beeson was the kind of person who moved fast and made firm decisions. She seemed nice, too. So after Amanda went upstairs, Nickie decided to ask some questions. But before she could say anything, there was a sudden pealing of tiny bells. Mrs. Beeson put her phone to her ear.

Hello? Yes, Doralee, what is it? She listened. No, dear, Im afraid not. A pause. I know youre anxious, but, honey, Althea cannot see peoples futures on demand. No. She is a prophet, not a fortune-teller. Another pause. Im sorry, Doralee dear, but its out of the question. Please dont ask me again. She put down the phone and sighed. I get these requests all the time, she said. People are so nervous.

Nickie plunged ahead with her question. Mrs. Beeson, she said, do you think something terrible is going to happen? Like in the Prophets vision?

Well, I dont want to scare you, honey, said Mrs. Beeson, but Im afraid it might. Theres a lot of people in the world right now who want to hurt us. The forces of evil are strong. But our country is standing up against them, and here in Yonwood we are, too. She picked up the peanut butter jar and the loaf of bread and put them back in the cupboard. She brushed some crumbs off the table. Our Prophet, she said, is helping us.

I know, said Nickie. Amanda told me.

Did she tell you about the hotline? Mrs. Beeson asked. Its a recorded phone message. Every day, people can call seven-seven-seven to hear her latest words and learn what to do about them. If theres something urgent, I can buzz their phones so they all get the message immediately. I arranged it all with my DATT phone. She showed Nickie the little phone, which had more tiny screens and buttons and sliding bits than any phone Nickie had seen. I love high-tech gadgets, dont you? DATT stands for Do A Thousand Things. It doesnt really do quite a thousand, but just about. She pressed a button. Wait a sec, thats the temperature. She pressed another button. There we go. Nearly eleven. Where is that girl? I need to get going.

But Nickie wasnt through asking questions. She spoke quickly. You know what, Mrs. Beeson? she said. I really want to do something to help the world.

Then youve come to the right place, said Mrs. Beeson, putting her phone back in her pocket. She smiled. Everyone here is trying to help the world. Were all quite passionate about it. Weve had so many town meetings and church discussions and special voteswell, dangerous times bring people together. There are still a few who cling to their selfish ways, though, and thats very troubling. Even one can ruin everything, just the way one moldy strawberry in a basket can mess up all the rest.

Amandas steps sounded on the stairs, and Mrs. Beeson stood up. But Nickie had to ask one more question. What should I do?

Mrs. Beeson was pulling on her jacket. She stuck her red cap on her head and pulled her ponytail out through the gap in the back. Do? she said. Well, lets see. You might let me know if you happen to notice any trouble spots.

You mean, Nickie said, a trouble spot might be likelike what?

Amanda came into the kitchen. Here I am, she said. She had on nice clothes, and her hair was carefully combed.

You look lovely, honey, said Mrs. Beeson. Ill go and get my car. Meet me in front of the house.

But Mrs. Beeson, said Nickie urgently. What would a trouble spot be?

Mrs. Beeson paused in the doorway. Her eyes grew serious. You look for sinners, Nickie, she said. Its one of the things the Prophet says most often: No sinners, she says. No sinners.

Sinners? said Nickie. You mean like lawbreakers?

Yes, but notonly them, said Mrs. Beeson. Sometimes theyre not actually breaking a law, and still you have a sense of wrongness about them. You can justfeel it. Mrs. Beeson paused for a moment to zip up her jacket. Do you know of the man named Hoyt McCoy? Who lives down on Raven Road?

No, said Nickie. I dont know anyone.

No, of course you wouldnt. But hes an example. Theres something about hima whiff of wrongness. Its very strong. She started down the hall but stopped and looked back. Do you love God?

Nickie was surprised. Sure, she said. I guess so. The truth was, she had never thought about it. Her parents hadnt taken her to church, so she didnt know much about God.

Excellent, said Mrs. Beeson. We have to love God more than anything else. If you do, then youll do fine. You can help us build a shield of goodness. With another beaming smile, she turned and headed out the door.

Isnt this just amazing? Amanda said when Mrs. Beeson had left. I was so scared when she came to the door. I mean, shes a real nice person, but I thought sure she was going to send me to a home. I never thought something likethis could happen. Me taking care of the Prophet! Whoo! Do I look all right?

You look fine, said Nickie. But what about Otis?

Oh, Lord, Otis, Amanda said. Can you take care of him? He might hurt my chances to get hired. Can you feed him? And take him outside a couple times a day? Just for a little while? Please, please,please ?

And of course Nickie said she would.

As soon as Amanda had gone off with Mrs. Beeson, Nickie found a pencil and a scrap of paper and wrote down these words:Sinners. Wrongness. Forces of evil. Shield of goodness. Those were the things to remember. It was so perfectshe could accomplish her Goal #3 by helping to battle the forces of evil and build the shield of goodness. Just the very words made her feel like a warrior. Maybe she should give something up, the way everyone else was. If she did, would she have more love to give to God? She thought probably her love for God was a little weak, since she didnt know much about him and hadnt really thought about whether she loved him or not. It was hard to love someone invisible that youd never met. Giving up something might strengthen her devotion. What could she give up? Shed think about it.

Then she ran up to the nursery to see Otis. She knelt down and held him up by his front paws so that they could look at each other eye to eye. Otis, she said, Amanda had to go away. Im taking care of you now. Okay? Otis gazed back at her. His eyes were like shiny deep-brown marbles. He cocked his head, as if trying to make sense of her words.

It was going to be a little tricky, taking care of Otis. Shed have to keep Crystal from coming up to the third floor. And shed have to feed Otis and take him outside without letting Crystal see him. She hated leaving him all alone in the nursery room with nothing to do but chew things up. Did dogs get depressed from being alone too much? She didnt want Otis to be depressed. Luckily, it looked as if Crystal had so many errands to do and people to talk to that Nickie could probably be alone at Greenhaven for hours every day.

She pulled Otis onto her lap and hugged him. He wiggled out of her armshis small blond body was amazingly strongand then he sort of danced in front of her, his front paws stretched out straight and patting the air. Woof! he said, and Nickie instantly understood thatwoof meantplay .

In the closet she found a little brown shoe that must have belonged to a child years ago. Watchthis, Otis! she cried, and she threw the shoe across the room.

Otis hurled himself after it. He snatched up the shoe and raced back to her. He gave it a shake to make sure it was dead, and then he dropped it and waited, his round brown eyes on hers, shining with expectation.

They played Retrieve the Shoe for a long time, until Otis got distracted by a spider on the floor. Nickie went downstairs for another cup of hot chocolate and got back to find Otis in a squatting position, his back humped and his tail up and a faraway look in his eyes. Just in time, she seized an old magazine, put it under his rear end, and caught what came out before it could stain the rug.

Take him outside twice a day, Amanda had said. Shed forgotten. She found a leash hanging in the closet, hooked it to Otiss collar, and led him downstairs and out the kitchen door.

While he trotted among the bushes, she looked around. There was a clothesline back here and a concrete terrace bordered by a low stone wall. In the back of the house was a door that probably led to the basement. She tried it, but it was locked.

Once Otis was emptied out, they went back upstairs to the nursery. Nickie wondered if Amanda was having her interview with the Prophet at this very moment. She was so curious about the Prophet. She longed to meet her.

It was almost noon, but Crystal wasnt back yet, so Nickie went into the next room, one of the rooms crammed with trunks and boxes. Moving aside a stack of old magazines, she opened the biggest, oldest-looking trunk and saw a great jumble of stuffmostly papersinside. She scooped up an armful and took it back to the nursery room to look through.

No one had bothered to put any of these things in order, or even to store them neatly so they didnt get bent and crumpled. There were a lot of old Christmas cards, some faded snapshots of babies, and bunches of ancient bills and report cards and school papers. Toward the bottom of the pile, she found an envelope so old that its edges had come apart. Inside was a photograph on cardboard backing. She had just time to glance at it, and to notice that something about it was odd but she wasnt sure what, when she saw Crystals car pull up outside. Nickie put the photograph back in its envelope. She scooped her piles off the window seat and put them in the toy cabinet, where Otis couldnt get at them. Now, you sleep, she said to Otis. She left the room, closed the door behind her, and crammed some rags under it. Then she raced downstairs.

Crystal was just coming in the front door. She took her coat off and hung it on the coatrack in the hall. Well, I met the real estate agent, she said. Len Caldwell, his name is. Quite nice and helpful. Hes very tall and has a funny little mustache. She smiled at Nickie. And whats been happening here?

Nickie opened her mouth and then quickly closed it. Oh, Ive just been wandering around, she said. I love how big and spacious this house is, dont you?

Its big, all right, said Crystal. Thereis something nice about having space to spread out. Of course, its just more space that has to be cleaned.

Nickie was about to mention the beautiful curving staircase and the view of mountains from the back windowsbut just then the phone rang.

Crystal picked it up. Hello? she said. Rachel! How are you?

It was Nickies mother.

Uh-huh, said Crystal. Uh-huh, uh-huh. I know, its really hard.

I want to talk to her! Nickie whispered loudly.

You did? said Crystal. What did it say?

What didwhat say? Nickie said.

Huh, said Crystal. Odd. Here, tell Nickie; she wants to know.

Mom! said Nickie into the phone. Are you okay?

Im okay, said her mothers weary voice. I got a postcard from your father.

You did? What did he say?

Not much. I hope hes all right. I just wish I knew where he was.

Read it to me, Nickie said. But wait a secI need to find a pencil. I want to write it down.

So her mother read her the postcard, and Nickie wrote down what she said. Then they talked for a while about her mothers job, about bomb alerts in the city, and about how cold it was. Nickie said how much she loved Greenhaven, and what a terrible mistake it would be to sell it. When they said goodbye, Nickie would have felt sad if she hadnt had the words of the postcard to study: