“This vision, friends, is not without an interpretation. No, the Spirit does not leave his children mere wanderers in the dark. We are to understand, brothers and sisters. We are to know. And thus the meaning of the vision was revealed to me.

“The garden, friends, is this community. It is the beauty of all of us, all creeds and colors and backgrounds, flourishing in the perfect darkness of this world. The sweet smell it gave off is the fragrance of our love, and its beauty is that of a people working together in freedom and power for the good of the entire world. Our spirits are bound together, sown of different seeds but gathered into one garden, pure and holy, the most beautiful thing in all of creation. That is us, friends. We are goodness, and we are light. For all the world to see.”

“Who’s there?” muttered Murphy.

I clicked the tape off.

“Huh?” I said.

“Thought I heard a radio or something,” said Murphy.

“You must have been dreaming,” I said. “Go back to sleep.”

Chapter 20

I had a vision.

I was back at the campfire, the three Gentleman seated before me. The world was dark and empty except for the stars. On the wind I heard voices, muttering sounds, whispers that I couldn’t quite make out.

Something moaned in the darkness as if in pain. I wanted to run, but I didn’t know where to run to, if there was only desert all around me, nothing but emptiness for miles and miles.

I heard a shuffling sound from the black, something moving.

A figure stepped into the light. It had no face, no eyes or mouth or hair, just two slits where its nose should be, like a snake. I watched it sniff the air. It was naked, its skin a dull gray. It cried out, the sound stuck in its throat like a mouth had once belonged there, a fierce muffled scream.

Both arms outstretched before it, the monster staggered toward me.

I turned and I ran, whispers whirring on the wind, the stars an eternity off, the monster moaning not far behind. It could follow me by smell, I realized, it could sniff my scent like a bloodhound.

I knew that I would have to run and never stop, that the monster would always chase me, that my only hope was to keep going.

And I fled onward into the darkness.

Chapter 21

We were up at dawn, like Murphy and I were finally getting this whole “obey the light” thing right. I could tell Grandma was pleased. When she brought our plates to the table, bacon and biscuits and a side of fresh fruit, her eyes were bright and happy. She had her hair down, and she wore makeup and a dress with sunflowers on it. She looked beautiful and so much like Mom—who Mom would have become—that I couldn’t help but stare at her.