But some families remained to worship. New people, who longed for their beloveds, trickled into these different churches. In Michigan, a new religion formed: the Church of Fortitude and Blessings was one of its many names. Ayanna’s father was one of the first children raised in it. His parents, because they were more lenient than others and because theirs was a spirited kid who was good at math, still let him go to public school. He learned quickly not to tell other people about his faith. Services were on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings. When he went and prayed before the door, he started wearing hats and hoods, hoping not to be easily recognized from a distance. Enough Black families had moved into the area that it was possible. And besides, Antony was pretty popular at school.

Don’t worry, this is a story about Ayanna. Be patient. Soon, she’ll be born.

Antony was popular at church too, because his mother was considered a seer. In those beginning days, it was more of a catchall term than just about prophecy. Think of it as akin to nun. She prayed, she kept everyone fed, and she knit sweaters and blankets while watching television and made them available to others in a small basket at every service. She encouraged a community to blossom. For a week before it actually happened, she had a recurring dream in which the door in Michigan finally swung open.

Each dream was the same: Walking in their old shopping market, picking up the Cheerios Antony loved, then heading to the milk aisle. There, next to a display for eggnog and eggnog-flavored nondairy creamer, was the blue door. A sound like a car crash from a distance where people ask what was that and then speculate about what it was. Peeking out behind floral curtains, they saw the people arguing in the street, the smashed glass, the red and blue lights approaching. The door swung open, and her own voice said, Don’t let Antony come in here. Sometimes, it said, Don’t let your kin walk these paths.

She didn’t tell people that the door spoke to her in these dreams.