(START READING FROM THE BEGINNING)

After the sermon was completed at Indian-Kentuck Baptist Church, the preacher would lead the congregation in a final chorus of “To God be the Glory” and then dismiss them. Seth had left halfway through the sermon to use the restroom and was too embarrassed to go back in while the preacher was talking. Instead of disturbing the service he decided to wait in his Sunday school classroom until it was over. The moment he sat down among the beanbags he dozed off until he heard everyone singing. Charging out into the foyer he searched the crowd for his sister. She wasn’t waiting by the door as he expected, so he went to look for her in the sanctuary.

“Hey mom. Do you know where Emily is?”

“Oh, I think she went home already.” His mother sounded exasperated.

“Why didn’t she wait for me?”

“She got upset about something. I told her she shouldn’t be surprised. She brought it on herself.”

“What happened?”

“Now, that is none of your business young man! Do you want to ride home with your father and I?”

“No.”

Seth hurried out the door and down to the corner. He could see the bouncing figure of his sister as she ran down the road. Although she was already a half-mile in front of him, Seth could tell that she was crying. For a moment he just stood in the middle of the road and watched her. He thought about what his mother had said and began to feel guilty for Emily. When he noticed her figure disappear into their driveway he left these thoughts behind and ran after her.

By the time Seth reached the house, Emily had already barricaded herself in her room. After changing out of his dress clothes he went to go and check on her. Just as his hand was ready to knock, Seth decided that it would be better to leave her alone and went outside to play instead.

In Madison, going outside to play meant that he could visit his older neighbors who would talk with him and provide snacks. In Canaan, the only company he could find were the trees and his imagination. He was too distracted to enjoy either of these so after twenty minutes he went to find his parents for some direction.

“Mom, I’m bored.”

“Why don’t you go outside and play?”

“I just did. There’s nothing to do.”

“Seth, there’s plenty to do. You just need to be creative.”

“Will you play with me?”

“I’m fixing lunch. Why don’t you take your bike and see if Mr. Shane needs any help. He mentioned to me that he hoped you would come by again soon.”

“Okay.”

Seth’s bike had once belonged to his sister. It was still painted pink and had a plastic flower basket hinging between the handlebars. He didn’t like the way it looked, but he was proud that his sister had given it to him. The chain was old and creaked everytime he peddled, the seat was too short for his legs so he had to ride with his knees bowed out to the sides, and he crashed frequently.

Mr. Shane’s house was only five minutes away by bike. It was small and yellow with white trim and a sign on the door that read “No Smoking.” He had two dogs tied up in the backyard that would bark at everything that happened to pass by and made the house seem foreboding. The dogs had scared Seth at first, but now that he was a frequent visitor they didn’t even bark. Seth pulled in to the driveway and leaned his bike up against a tree trunk and went to the front door.

“Mr. Shane, are you home?” Seth asked loudly as he knocked on the door. He didn’t receive a reply so he decided to go ahead in because Mr. Shane sometimes napped in the afternoons and wouldn’t be able to hear him. The handle turned easily under Seth’s hand and the door creaked open. Once inside, Seth went to the kitchen to find his teacher and say that the table was set for one and there was water boiling on the stove. The sizzling sound of the escaping air bubbles reminded him of the wasps in his room and made him cringe. He left the kitchen to check for Mr. Shane in the den where the two of them spent much of their time together.

The hallway behind the den was lined with five shelves of books that Seth ogled every time he visited. He knew that his teacher had read every single one of them, and someday Seth hoped to do the same. Although it was dark he could still read all the titles. At the end of the hallway Seth could see that the light was on in the den and the door was slightly ajar. Hopeful that his search was over he opened the door. As his eyes adjusted to the light he noticed that the clothes Mr. Shane had worn to church were now crumpled on the floor next to the brown corduroy couch. For a moment, Mr. Shane was so engrossed that he didn’t notice Seth come in.

Spread out supine along the length of the couch, Mr. Shane’s naked body looked pale in contrast with the dark brown covering. Seth remained hypnotized in the doorway. He could not tear his eyes away from the curly brown and gray hairs that covered the man’s legs, arms, and chest. Watching Mr. Shane’s hands move abruptly over his genitals, Seth thought about his own exploratory self-play. It was then that he realized Mr. Shane was watching him.

“So I see that young Ham has finally returned.”

Seth did not know what to do. He heard the words echo and suddenly felt faint. He couldn’t speak because his mouth and tongue had suddenly dried up. He tried to move. He wanted to leave, to run away, to scream, but all the blood had left his head. As his eyes began to fill up with tears he noticed that the figure was moving towards him. And despite the bright light emanating from the lamp by the couch, Seth was suddenly lost in darkness.

(GO ON TO PART FIVE)