who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,

will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;

my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence;

he will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noon-day.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand;

but it will not come near you.

You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your refuge,

the Most High your habitation,

no evil shall befall you,

no scourge come near your tent.

For he will give his angels charge of you

to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder,

the young lion and the serpent you

will trample under foot.

“Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will rescue him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

and show him my salvation.”

By the time Walter finished, his robe was soaked, and the sweat was popping off his face, plopping down on the pages of the Bible. His hands were shaking. He continued to work his tongue over his cracked lips. He closed the book and pressed it to his breast.

“I’m still a little bit messed up,” Walter said. “But I think I’m going to be okay. The lithium is starting to work. That’s why I’m sweating so bad. I’m dehydrated, too. Honey, can I have some Diet Shasta—black cherry, two cans?”

Zona put her arm around his shoulder. “You’re going to be just fine, babe. Just fine. I’ll get you the pop and then fix all you boys up with some grub.”

Freddy got up and hugged his cousin. “It’s cool, Wally. I love you, man. But I gotta hit the water closet. Was it a good trip?”

“It was righteous, cuz. I saw the alpha and the omega, but I’m back now. Go forth and pee,” Walter said. “And then everybody get back out here so we can do a big circle hug and sing joyous praise for a multitude of blessings.”

“Fuck you,” Freddy said.

“That’s right, Walter, just fuck it, huh?” Zona called from the kitchen. Her tone was light.