Chapter 24

Sunday, December 4

Left to her own devices, Jill would have sat on the back pew, but Greg led her down the center aisle of the sanctuary to their customary spot on the fifth row. She did her best to ignore the stares they collected along the way, though her face burned like a Yule log on Christmas morning. Whispers followed in their wake, the collective noise a loud drone in which a few discernable words stood out.

“… television …”

“Did you hear …”

“… insane, poor thing.”

Greg reached their pew and waited for her to step inside, his expression stoic. Miserable, Jill slid onto the cushioned seat and made a show of studying her bulletin. The minutes crept by at a slug’s pace before the organist finally began his prelude, and the congregation’s voices receded to an ignorable hum. Only when the choir filed into the loft did she raise her gaze to see Nana’s encouraging smile.

The morning hymns were familiar, but neither she nor Greg joined in. Jill held her half of the hymnal, her eyes fixed on the page. The absence of Greg’s melodious voice spoke as loudly as the headline in the Metro News this morning. “From Professional Pianist to Doomsday Prophet” had led the local news section. The sweet-looking lady reporter from yesterday used her pen as skillfully as a swordfighter, and didn’t fail to mention the relationship between the injured pianist and the political hopeful. No doubt Greg was as humiliated as she, only he was too much a gentleman to admit it.

When Reverend Hollister took his place behind the lectern, Jill settled into her cushion with relief. Now people would have someone else to look at for a half hour or so.

“My message this morning comes from a book that most of us probably haven’t thought about since we were children.” He paused and looked over the congregation. “It is from the book of Jonah, which tells the story of a prophet who exhibited a great deal of reluctance to obey the Lord.”

Jill’s head went light. No. Surely the minister wasn’t planning to preach about her this morning. Eyes bored into the back of her head from all over the sanctuary, and in front of her several people actually turned in their pews to stare. Beside her, Greg became very still. He did not look at her, but kept his eyes fixed on the pulpit.

Reverend Hollister recounted the story of Jonah, who ignored God’s direction to prophesy the destruction of the city of Nineveh and was swallowed by a whale as a result. Jill edged down in the pew until she couldn’t see him over the head of the person in front of her. Never had she been more humiliated in her life. Swallowed by a whale? What was the man trying to say? He continued to describe how angry Jonah became when he finally obeyed and the disaster didn’t happen. Blood roared in her ears, blocking out the rest of the sermon until nearly the end. The room swam, and she closed her eyes. She would not faint.

“Does the Lord still give prophecies today?”

An expectant silence rested on the congregation like an invisible cloud during the pause that followed Reverend Hollister’s question. Still slouched down, Jill leaned an inch sideways so she could see his face.

After a lengthy pause, he shrugged. “I don’t know. But I submit to you, that is not the question we should ask ourselves. Instead, we should each prayerfully examine our own response, as the people of Nineveh did. Instead of pointing a finger of ridicule outward, let us search inwardly. Let us each ask, ‘What is the Lord saying to me?’ And when you hear from him —” his smile circled the room “— and I know you will, follow his direction. That’s all he asks of any of us. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

He returned to his chair behind the pulpit. Jill’s thoughts whirled as though caught in a twister. Did Reverend Hollister just publicly support her? Or had he simply made the point that everyone must decide for themselves? Greg turned a wide-eyed stare toward her, his lips parted in astonishment.

A movement on the other side of the sanctuary drew her attention. Mr. and Mrs. Herndon stood, their features molded into nearly identical masks of outrage. Mrs. Herndon’s gaze connected with Jill’s, and her tight-lipped glare breached the distance like a dart. Heads high, the couple marched into the aisle and toward the rear exit. Around the sanctuary, more than two dozen people followed their example. A trio of ladies in the choir loft braved Nana’s fierce stare and joined the others.

Horrified, Jill watched them go. This stupid dream had caused a division in her church. If she could have conjured up a crack in the floor, she would have gladly crawled into it.

When there was no more movement, Reverend Hollister spoke from his chair in the front. “Paul, I believe it’s time for our closing hymn.” Jill was amazed at his calm, even tone.

Paul Nester left his place on the front row of the choir and approached the pulpit, nervousness apparent in his quick, shaky movements. He cleared his throat. “Our last hymn this morning is number three hundred, eighty-five. Please stand as you are able.”

While the congregation got to their feet, Greg leaned over and whispered in her ear.

“When they sing ‘Amen,’ head out that way as fast as you can.” He nodded toward the side aisle and the door behind the organ. “We’re going out the back exit.”

Jill nodded. An escape plan sounded like an excellent idea. In fact, if she could think of a way to escape the next two days, she’d do it in a second.

They made it to Greg’s car without encountering anyone. When they pulled out of the parking lot, Jill looked back and saw the first members of the congregation exiting the church.

She slid down in the seat and covered her eyes with a hand. “That was horrible. I can’t believe Reverend Hollister compared me to Jonah.”

“He never said your name,” Greg pointed out.

She lifted her hand to give him a sideways look.

“Okay, yeah,” he conceded, “no doubt who he was talking about. But at least he supported you.”

“Did he? I didn’t hear him say he supported me. He just asked people not to ridicule me.”

He took his eyes off the road to flick a quick smile her way. “Well, that’s something. At least he didn’t denounce you as a false prophet.”

Jill studied his profile. Beneath the smile he looked uncomfortable. His hands clenched the steering wheel like a vise, and he had barely looked at her all morning. With a suddenness that nearly overwhelmed her, she hated her dream. Why her? Why would God destroy her life?

“I’m sorry, Greg. I didn’t ask for this to happen, you know.”

His chest inflated. The breath blew out slowly. “I know. It’s not your fault. You’re just doing what you think is right.”

Jill’s weight pressed against the safety belt as the car slowed. She looked up to see they had joined a line of traffic approaching the Harbor Street intersection.

She straightened and peered at the road ahead, where a line of cars stretched for several blocks. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. There seems to be a traffic jam. Maybe there’s been an accident.”

They crept forward, gaining only a small amount of ground in more than fifteen minutes. Finally, the stoplight loomed in the windshield ahead of them. Jill caught sight of a sign waving above the roof of the car ahead of them. Crooked black words on white poster board proclaimed, “Repent, for the End is Near!” Another sign on the other side of the street proclaimed, “Armageddon Will Happen on December 6.” In the distance she saw several others but couldn’t make out the words.

She covered her mouth with a hand. “No. This can’t be happening.”

Greg remained silent, though his stony expression shouted his feelings louder than words. As they approached the intersection, she got a good look at one of the people carrying a sign. He wore multiple layers of tattered clothing, and his unwashed hair hung in dreadlocks past his shoulders. As she watched, another man ran toward the sign-carrier. This one looked familiar and held an elaborate camera in front of his face. One of the newspaper photographers from the press conference yesterday.

The real loons had arrived in the Cove to join the party, and the press was here to see them. Jill closed her eyes, but couldn’t block out the image of tomorrow’s headlines flashing like neon in her mind. Where would this end?