April 23, 2013

Nesim, picked up a book and shoved it at Vinca. “Boo!” he said, as though that was enough to explain. She took it, looking at it curiously. He tried to climb up on the bench beside her, but wasn't strong enough, or tall enough, and fell back onto his rump on the floor. His face crumpled and he let out a wail.

Pastor Jeremiah started to come to his son's aid, but Vinca waved him off, sliding off the bench to sit beside the crying toddler. “Book?” she waved it in front of his face.

Nesim looked up and was distracted, grabbing at the book and crawling onto her lap. “Boo!”

“Yes. It's a book.” once the child was settled on her lap, she gave it to him. He opened it and slapped palms on facing pages.

“'Tory!”

The qerib looked at Pastor Jeremiah. “What?”

“He wants you to read him a story before bedtime.” Pastor Jeremiah explained. “I have been reading a tale every night.”

She muttered something under her breath. “Just pick one at random?”

He took the book from Nesim and went to the list. “He will pick the story he wants tonight if you read him the titles of the tales.” He gave her back the book.

She looked up at him with hooded eyes, then down at the book. “Well, kid, let's pick a story.” She bent over the book. “'Dinc for children, a history'.” She stumbled over the words, her finger tracing them. She huffed her breath stirring Nesim's hair.

“'How We Came to Be', 'How We Left Bindleshift', 'The First Archbishop'” She stumbled over the words, as though she wasn't quite familiar with the script, which was odd. Pastor Jeremiah had learned to read from that book, it wasn't that difficult, wasn't it?

“Me 'tory!” Nesim slapped his hands on the book.

Vinca looked at Pastor Jeremiah. “He means the tale 'How We Came to Be'. It's a story of the founding of the Pachem faith.”