Chapter 10

You may be wondering what Step and Sad were doing while Tear was staying by the seaside.

After Tear was taken away, the two boys waited for their Foster Parents.  One by one the other children disappeared until they were the only two left.  It was five o’clock in the afternoon and Matron and Nurse Smiley were getting worried because they had to lock the Scout Hall and go to the Nurses’ Home once all the orphans had gone.

Of course, Step and Sad were worried too. They both jumped up with relief when they saw a car pull up in front of the Scout Hall. Two men dressed in black walked up the driveway.  They both bowed to Matron and then turned to the boys.

“We had planned on taking one boy but seeing you have two we will take them both,” said the taller of the two men.  He had long black hair and an even longer black beard streaked with grey.

“We are members of ‘Jehovah’s Children’ who live on a farm in a peaceful community where we work side by side in order to create a ‘Heaven on Earth’, continued the older man. “It is our duty to be ‘Fishers of Men’ and so we welcome these two boys to our community.”

“It will only be for a month,” interrupted Matron sharply. “Just until we find new premises.”

“So be it,” said the younger man. “Praise the Lord that we are able to help in our small way, when fire and brimstone hath destroyed the home of these poor little children.”

The boys followed the two men to a Land Rover which smelt of sheep, hay and petrol. Sitting in the back seat they watched the countryside flash past as they travelled out along the highway.  The two men sang “Praise the Lord” and “Let the people rejoice” in loud, deep voices until the boys fell asleep.

Late that night they pulled up outside a farmhouse.  They could smell something good from the kitchen but were taken straight to a room with two beds. The older man stood at the doorway and spoke in a calm, measured voice.

“Sleep now for tomorrow we have an early start.  There will be prayers at 5 o’clock.  You will hear a gong at a quarter to 5 and must get up, make your bed and get dressed.  Breakfast will be at 6 o’clock.  At 7 o’clock we will all go to work on the farm.  We stop for prayers and a drink of water at 11 o’clock and then work until 2 o’clock when we have Songs of Praise and lunch. Then it will be work in the fields until 5 o’clock when we have an hour of Prayer and Contemplation. Dinner is at 6 after which you will wash and report for Bible Study.  Then at 8 o’clock you will say your prayers and go to bed. Here is a glass of water each.  We always fast on Sunday so there will be no food for you today. Don’t forget to say your prayers.”  With that he turned on his heel and disappeared, along with a candle that was their only light.

“I’ll bet he’s getting something to eat,” groaned Sad.  “There was something cooking in that kitchen and it smelt delicious.”

“At least we had lunch at the Scout Hall so I suppose we will survive.  It sounds like a busy day tomorrow.  I wonder what sort of work we will have to do on the farm?” replied Step.

“What about school?  Looks like the only bookwork will be Bible Study which might be useful because I don’t know much about the Bible.” Sad frowned, trying to remember.  “I think someone told me a story about a big flood where a man built a boat and put lots of animals in it so they wouldn’t drown.”

“That was Noah,” said Step.  “He built an Ark and put two of every animal in it.  I’ll bet it was noisy.”

“And smelly,” laughed Sad. “Step, I am so glad you are with me.  I feel I can put up with anything, even lots of prayers, as long as you are here too.  It makes such a difference to have a friend.”

The two boys fell asleep despite the lack of sheets on their bed.  There were only rough blankets and lumpy pillows but that did not keep them awake. It seemed like only a moment went by when a loud bell woke them from their slumber.  It was still dark but a sputtering candle was placed on a table in their room.  They were still wearing the same clothes they had arrived in so dressing was easy.

“I’m busting to go to the toilet,” said Step. “Let’s go look for it.”

As they felt their way along the dark corridor they could see other shapes darting around but not a sound could be heard. Obviously there was a rule about silence but Step couldn’t wait.  He saw someone about his size sprinting along the corridor and whispered. “Toilet?”

“Outside,” the figure whispered. Step and Sad looked out the window at the lines of boys waiting outside three outback toilets in the moonlight.

“Bushes,” the figure said before continuing his sprint down the hall.

Step and Sad saw an open door and stepped outside into the chilly air.  They dashed around the corner of the house and were pleased to find a large bush to relieve themselves.  As they moved back inside, whispering quietly, a tall black figure swooped on them, shaking his head violently.

The prayers were held in a large square room which had no furniture whatsoever except for a chair and table at the front.  All the children sat cross legged on cold splintery floorboards.  Some adults stood at the back making sure everyone behaved and followed the rules. Step was surprised to see that some girls were present, wearing long blue dresses almost to the ground and with their heads covered by a scarf.  A man walked to the front of the room and sat in the chair.  On the table he placed a large black book and began to read from it.  Every time he stopped the children would say, “Amen.”

The man then announced they would all pray so they had to kneel on the hard floor while they recited lots of words about working hard and being good.  At last it was time to go to breakfast which was welcomed by all, after their lengthy fast.

Thick slices of home baked bread, creamy coloured butter and pots of blackberry jam sat beside bowls of hard-boiled eggs and cups of warm milk.

“We grow all our own food,” one of the men told Step and Sad.  “We don’t believe in killing animals so sometimes it is hard to find enough to eat. The Good Lord always provides us with enough, so we never starve.”

As they finished eating the man who drove the Land Rover bent over to speak to them.

“This morning you will visit Moses, our leader.  He will explain to you how our community works and find you a suitable occupation while you are here.”

Step and Sad followed the man to an office, where they sat in two leather armchairs, facing an old man with white hair, across a large, polished table.

“Welcome boys, to our community, ‘Jehovah’s Children’. As you probably know, we make everything here that we need.  Our sheep provide wool which we spin into cloth and make into clothes.  We grow wheat which we crush and bake into bread.  We have hens to provide eggs and cows to provide milk for butter and cheese.”

Sad interrupted, “But what about these leather chairs and the Land Rover.  You didn’t make those!”

Moses laughed, “I see you are a very inquisitive boy.  Let me answer that very good question.  When people decide to join our community they donate all their worldly goods to ‘Jehovah’s Children’.  That means we will never starve, even if we have a particularly bad season. The Land Rover is for emergencies.  We used to have just a horse and cart until one of our members became very ill.  All our prayers and herbal remedies did not work and we were resigned to the fact that it was the will of God to take this person from us. We all prayed for a sign from God to tell us what to do. Just at that moment a family arrived at the front door wanting to join our community. They all stepped out of the Land Rover and told us it was ours.  That was the sign.  I drove the sick person for two hours to the nearest hospital and she was saved.”

“Who was she?’ asked Sad, who seemed to very brave, standing up to Moses as he did.

“She is my daughter,” said Moses. “The purpose of this commune is to live in a place free of the sins of the world, but it is not our purpose that people should die when they can be saved.”

Moses wiped his eyes and then looked at the boys with a smile on his face. “Now to get down to the nitty gritty.  I have drawn up a timetable to give you a taste of the various jobs available and then you can find what you are good at.”

Step and Sad looked at a large sheet of cardboard.  The work assigned to them for that morning said “Dairy”. From 3 o’clock to 5 o’clock the chart said “Spinning”.  Moses rang a bell on his desk and a woman in a long brown dress and a happy smile came in to take them to the Dairy.

It was a busy day.  In the Dairy they learned how to milk a cow but as milking was over for the day they then had to make butter in a tall wooden container with a long staff which they plunged up and down.  At the bottom of the staff was a circular blade which swirled the cream around. The boys took turns as it was tiring work but were rewarded with a pat of butter and lots of watery milk left over which was called butter milk. A short stop for prayers and a drink of water in the Dairy at 11 o’clock and then they were back at work.

At 2 o’clock a bell rang and everyone moved towards the dining room, singing Songs of Praise.  They all stood behind their chairs, still singing, until the last song ended.  Moses began a long prayer of thanks for the food while Step’s tummy rumbled and Sad almost fell asleep. Lots of thick bread, creamy butter, golden honey and yellow cheese was eaten.  Step was told that because it was early Spring there were not many vegetables available.  He wondered what would be for dinner.  More bread and cheese?

The activity for the afternoon was Spinning. A teenage girl sat by a spindle and instructed them to pass small amounts of wool to her which she deftly twisted and fed into the spinning wheel.  As she worked, she asked them all about their life at the orphanage.  After they told her about the destruction of their home she sighed, and a tear fell into the wool.

“How I wish I could live in an orphanage like you did.  Instead, when I turn 16 I have to marry a man chosen by the elders.  I don’t like him at all and am planning my escape.”

Step told her that at the orphanage they had to leave when they turned 15 and find a job and somewhere to live.  He talked about Jack who found a job at the Printing Works.  He decided not to tell her about his escape in the garbage bin from the farm with the electric fence.

“What will you do if you escape?” asked Sad.  “I would help you if I could but I couldn’t even smuggle you into the orphanage because it has burnt down.”

“I don’t know,” said the girl, whose name was Ruth. “I just know that I have to get away from here before my birthday, which is next month, in October. I am not going to marry that horrible man.  I want to do things other girls do, like go to the pictures, dance all night, swim at the beach, wear pretty clothes and have lots of boyfriends. I am not ready to settle down and be a good wife.”

Step and Sad looked at each other.  Both were thinking they would like to help but they were aware that there would be a huge uproar if Ruth disappeared, especially if it was discovered that they were involved.

END OF CHAPTER 10