Chapter 6

Preacher Mills

He got out of the car, closed the door and smoothed his hair back and tucked the Bible brochure into the pocket of his coat, walked up the steps, rang the bell and waited patiently for someone to open the door.

He started singing, "Shall We Gather At The River," in a low voice, and tapping his shoe, along with the music inside his head.

"Yes, can I help you?" Winona asked him, as she peered out through the screen door at the man standing on her front porch.

"Well yes ma’am you can, my name is Preacher Carl Mills and I’m here today to offer you a chance to be with the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the opportunity to walk with him each and every day, and…" Mills was saying, as Winona cut him off in mid-sentence.

"Just what is it that you want, if you don’t mind me asking, and I’m sorry if I’m being a little rude, but I have supper cooking on the stove and my husband Jack will be home from work any minute now, and it’s time for the kid’s to be home from school as well, so if you’ll forgive me for getting right to what it is that you are here for, are you trying to sell me something, ‘cause if you are, I have one of each." Winona told him as she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing.

"Tell me ma’am, do you have a Bible here in this fine home of yours?" Mills asked her.

"Well of course I do, right there on the coffee table is one, a big one, the one my mama had and I got it when she passed away, and the kids have their own New Testaments, the little pocket ones." She told him.

"That’s good ma’am, you are doing the Lord’s work having those for your young ones and yourself," Mills said to her and smiled, then continued on, "but I am here today to offer the finest Bible that has ever been printed, on the best paper available and has the Old Testament and the New Testament in there and in the front, a family tree, so you can pass it on down to you’re kids so they will know their kinfolk, Lord knows, kid’s nowadays need to know about those type of things, and they are young, your kid’s, I suppose?" Mills asked.

"Well, yes they are young, but I need to tell you now that the Bible I told you that is on my coffee table yonder," Winona said, pointing to the table, "that bible there, has all that in there that you’re talking about, has the old and New Testament, and the family tree, and me and the kid’s spent a whole afternoon one day entering the names of kinfolk, just like you mentioned, so I guess we won’t be needing anymore new Bibles now, but I do appreciate you stopping by, won’t you have a nice cold glass of lemonade or some sun tea while you’re here?"

"Yes ma’am, that is right neighborly of you, I think I will have a drop of some nice cold lemonade, if it isn’t too much trouble, Thank You." Mills said to her and smiled as he gazed intently at the photographs of Winona’s children sitting on the mantel.

"Well if you will have a seat on the porch swing, or one the rocking chairs yonder, I will fix you a glass." She said to him.

"Thank you, ma’am, I believe I will have a seat, it is hot out today and I’ve been running my legs off today, and I sure could use this breeze to help cool me off some." Mills said to her and sat down in the rocking chair and begin to rock ever so slowly at first, then picking up speed, then begin to whisper, "This is the place, they are the ones Father, I saw her picture and I will bring her to you soon, yes I will, if you’ll take me too."

"Here you go, one cold glass of lemonade, Mr., uh what did you say your name was again?" Winona asked as she handed him the lemonade.

"Please, call me Preacher Mills, Preacher Carl Mills, I minister at the New Canaan Church of Jesus Christ, you’ve heard of it haven’t you?" Mills asked then continued before she could answer, " It’s just down the road a piece, almost in the next town over.

"Yes I’ve heard of it, me and Jack and the kids went there for a while, but stopped going cause the preacher they had then, Jack, well, he and the preacher didn’t see eye to eye about his drinkin’, so we stopped going, you must be the new preacher?" Winona asked.

"Yes ma’am I am, as well as a Bible salesman for the New Trinity Publishing Company, I had hoped to make a sale of this beautiful Bible to you today, but like you said you don’t need one, but could I ask you Sister Williams, would you honor me and the Lord with your family’s presence this Sunday, would you join me and the Lord in worship, could you do that for me, for HIM?" Mills asked as he sipped on his lemonade and watched her intently.

"Well, I will have to talk it over with my husband and see what he thinks, and also, since you are here, can I take a look at that Bible brochure you were trying to show me, I’m not promising anything now, I just want to be courteous to you, seeing as how you came all the way out here to try to sell me one and invite us to church, I like that in a preacher, it makes me feel like you are interested in us and not be critical, ‘cause I hate going to church where the preacher is too judgmental and talks about folks in the church behind their backs, you don’t do that do you, gossip?" Winona asked him, as she begins to thumb through the brochure, and glancing up at him as she did so to gauge his reaction to her question.

"No Ma’am, that’s the one thing I don’t tolerate at my church, because I know all too well how it is when folks in the church do that," Mills said, "and I do mean I know what you are talking about when you mentioned people in the congregation, and the preacher himself, all talk about others in the church, it’s not a thing I take part in, but, I do know how it feels to be talked about, or at least I know how it feels to have a family member talked about, and when you talk about the one who is doing wrong, usually it casts a shadow on the rest of the members in the family, my Daddy wasn’t a very fine fellow and the church that we all went to talked about him endlessly, and that made my poor momma just quit going to church altogether, so, yes I do know how it feels."

"Well, I’m happy you feel that way and I’m sorry about your Daddy and all, and I’m sorry your Momma quit going to church on account of that, I hope she will decide to start back one day, soon." Winona said.

"Thank you Mrs. Williams, but she is gone now and HE came and took her and put her out of her misery, one cold rainy night in, uh, let me see now, that was in December of 1983." Mills told her.

"I’m so sorry about your loss, she is in a better place then, if he came and took her. He does know best, and there is no finer place than his." Winona told him.

"Thank you, yes she is and you are so right, there is no finer place than his, well, I must be going now, I hope to see you and your family in church real soon now and if you need that Bible and change your mind, here is my card and I hope you decide to buy one, you won’t regret it, Goodbye and good afternoon." Mills said as he smiled at her, and then shook her hand and then turned as he heard the sound of the sound of a vehicle approaching, and he could feel her presence, "The Chosen One, the one He wants, that must be her," he thought.

"The kids are home, there is the school bus, would you like to meet them?" Winona asked him, as the school bus stopped at the driveway and let her children get off.

"Yes I would, I really would." Mills said to her, with a smile and a look on his face that Winona didn’t see, one that was like rapture, he was filled with joy because he knew that soon his journey here would be over, and that he would soon get his reward, He had told him so if he would help him find her, he would take him as one of his very own chosen few.

"Hi Mama, who is that?" Laurie Beth asked as she gave her a hug, and peered over at him out of curiosity and then smiled at him.

"That’s the new preacher over at the church we used to go to, this is Preacher Mills, and these are my children, with this being Laurie Beth, and that one there is Lauren, and this is Albert." Winona proudly told him, as Al quickly said, "Al, I like for people to call me Al, Mama always calls me Albert." As he shook his hand that Mills offered to him.

"Well that is your name, isn’t it?" Winona asked.

"My name is Laurie Beth Williams, have you ever talked to a burning bush, or seen or talked to God and was baby Jesus really wrapped up in swaddling clothes and throwed in the river?" she asked him as she interrupted her mother and before Al had a chance to answer her, and then elbowed him over and out of the way and stuck out her hand to him for him to take.

"I’m Lauren," Lauren told him, "and the word is thrown, not throwed, you little idgit." As she shot her a spiteful look and then pulled her hair and stuck out her tongue at her little sister, then ran into the house and let the screen door slam behind her.

"I’m sorry about that, she usually has better manners than that," Winona said to Preacher Mills.

"That’s ok, I’m sure she does, she seems like a fine young lady, no harm done at all." Mills said to her, then looked down at Laurie Beth and smiled at her and said, "I hope you come to church with your Mama, I sure would like to see you in there and to answer your question, no, I’ve never talked to a burning bush, and yes, baby Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, but he was hidden in the river so that he could live, there was a very evil person who didn’t want him to live because he was afraid that Jesus would grow up one day and take his place as the ruler of all, and so that’s why he was placed in a basket and hidden on the river in amongst some reeds so that the evil people couldn’t find him." Mills told her, as Jack Williams pulled into the driveway.

"Why did they hide him on the river in a basket behind some weeds for?" Laurie Beth asked him, but she didn’t stay to hear the answer as she ran out to greet her father, and to give him a hug.

"Hello Daddy, how are you, how was your day, guess who’s here?" Laurie Beth asked as she bombarded him questions and then didn’t give him time to ask, then quickly said, "Preacher Mills is here, that’s who, and Lauren pulled my hair and stuck out her tongue at me and called me an idgit."

"Laurie Beth, why don’t you and you’re brother run along inside the house there, ok?" Jack told her, as he looked at Winona with a questioning look that was tinged with anger, and Winona could see the anger in that look, she had seen it before, she then began to quickly introduce him to Preacher Mills and explain what he was doing there, in hopes that he wouldn’t get angry at her and think she had anything to do with him, Mills, being there.

"Jack, honey, this is Preacher Mills, he just dropped by today to try to sell us a bible, and I told him that I had all that we needed, and he invited us to church, he is the new preacher now, where we used to go."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Williams," Mills said as he offered Jack his hand, "I hope you and you’re family can join me soon in worship this Sunday."

"Well, I don’t know so much about that, I had a run in with the last preacher who was there and I’m not too keen on going back, me and Winona have talked about this before, when after me and that preacher had words and frankly, I ain’t too eager to go back and let someone downgrade me and make me feel bad about myself, like he did." Jack told him as he wiped his hand on his pants leg, the cold, clammy hand of Mills made him feel a little uneasy and he thought it odd that Mills’ hand was so cold, even though it was warm outside.

"Well, Mr. Williams let me tell you, I hope you and your family will come and worship with me and the Lord and whatever problems you had then with him, I will assure you that I will not treat you in any manner, like he did, and I hope you believe me, because I sure need to see your family in church, He, I work for Him, and he and the church need you and your family there, and I hope you will consider this request and join us there, I’m sorry, but I need to be going now and so I bid you both a good day, Good Afternoon Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams, and I hope you think it over and decide to come, Goodbye now." Mills said to them and shook hands with the both of them and waved goodbye as he got in his car and left.

Jack and Winona and the kid’s, did go to church after some hotly contested arguments between Jack and Winona, with Winona winning the final argument, which was that their kids needed to be in church on Sundays because there was so much for kids to get into nowadays, and so they were present for the mornings and evening services, every Sunday for the next 3 months, up to the time of Laurie Beth accepting Preacher Mills invitation to be baptized. Chapter 7

The Invitation

"WELCOME TO HELL, Yes that’s right brethren; I’m speaking to you from the den of HELL!"

"The devils own workshop, right here from the NEW CANAAN CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, himself!" Mills said, with fervor and jumping up and down and clapping his hands and smiling out at the congregation, and Mills continued in this manner trying to stir everyone up with his shouting and mindless meanderings, "Whoooeee, YES LORD!"

"Praise him and his holy name!"

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, NOW!" as he cast a spiteful, glance towards the snoring, passed out, drunk again in church Jack Williams, who was sprawled out in the back pew.

"Where shall we take a stand, where should we draw the line, to let the devil know that WE WILL NOT SUCCUMB TO HIM, HIS LIES, HIS VERY OWN EVIL WAYS," Preacher Mills boomed, placing emphasis on the last words he was speaking, and punctuating the air, towards heaven, then, downwards, towards hell with his stubby forefinger.

"If any among you, in the congregation don’t know, I shall now tell you just where you can get redemption from your sins, and drive that Beast the devil, right out of your sinful hearts and minds."

"You can let the Lord wash all of your sins away, take all of your cares and troubles, and just let them flow down the river of forgiveness," he said with a smile, and opening his arms wide, said "Come unto me, now, let the Lord Jesus Christ open the doorway to a better life, the pathway to heaven, so come join me today, and I will be offering my services to you, in the name of our Lord, for you to wash away all of your sins and take him into your lives, now, and forever."

"So, come join with me today, at the river, where I will baptize you, release you from the life you now lead, so that you can accept him, into your life."

"Lift up your hands, in a show of faith, if you would like to join in, and be baptized today, at 1:30, and join the ranks of his swelling mighty army, that is the Lords; and Sister Burwell, will take down your name, Thank You," he said as he noticed little Laurie Beth Williams, raising her hand, along with the other ones, who did. He smiled and nodded his head towards her, as the choir began to sing, "WHEN THE ROLL, IS CALLED UP YONDER," and then said, "Brother Hill, would you lead us in a prayer, after we finish this song?" And then, walked to the rear to the rear of the church, to greet his flock, on the way out, after Brother Hill had nodded his head, yes.

"Thank you, Laurie Beth," Preacher Mills said, as he took her hand and shook it and patted her on the head and then smiled down at her with the strangest of looks on his face, "I will be looking forward to taking you to Him, most of all," he said as she and the rest of her family made their way out the door, with him watching them, as Jack and Winona were arguing amongst themselves, from him being passed out and embarrassing her; watching with a knowing look, and with that strange smile still on his face, as they, and the kids got into their car to leave to go home to prepare for Laurie Beth’s baptism.

 

Chapter 8

Yellow Dog River

Yellow Dog River was a source of many things, some good, some, not so good, evil, perhaps.

It was the source that held the hydroelectric power plant, and dam, for the city of Deer Run, Texas, located north east of Dallas.

The power plant was owned and operated by Northern Central Texas Power Company.

Every year, for the past five years in a row, the plant had to release water from the dam, due to the vicious drought that just wouldn’t seem to go away; one that killed livestock and farmers’ crops.

The river was also the place where many a baptisms, had taken place.

One, that wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon by the good folks of Deer Run.

 

Chapter 9

1:00 PM SUNDAY

Deer Run Hydroelectric Power Plant

Jeff Waddell, read the note that was left by his boss telling him that today was the day he needed to release the water from the dam because the lakes and rivers, were getting low of water.

He went about carrying out the order that his boss gave him.

Jeff set his coffee cup down on the instructions his boss left him, heard the phone ring which made him knock over his coffee onto the instructions, smearing the ink, which contained the amount of water, he was to release that day.

He hadn’t read the part that told the amount but it was usually two million gallons.

Swearing to himself said, "Aw, damn it to hell," as he picked up the paper and tried to dry it off, but with no luck and it made the ink harder to read as he did that, smearing it even more.

He tried to remember what amount the boss wanted him to let go down the river when he had talked to him just yesterday.

He punched in the gallons, 2 million it read on the display, which was the indicator that controlled the amount of water flow.

He looked out the window and was watching to see the water gushing out of the valve into the river, then turned to answer the telephone that was still ringing off the hook he had been ignoring, in order to get this little chore of the day, out of his way, so he could watch the Sunday afternoon football games, on TV.

Cursing under his breath, as he picked up the phone and said "Hello."

It was his boss, Steve Jenkins.

"Hello Jeff, just wanted to call and ask you if you saw the note I left for you with instructions of how much water to release today?"

"Yes, and to pester the shit out of him, God didn’t he have a life and didn’t he trust him at all, he had been working here and doing his job just as long as he had without any mishaps at all on his spotless record," he thought and gritted his teeth, then said, "Yeah, I got it, just punched it in, 2 million gallons, right?"

"No, God no," his boss said, with his voice rising, "I said in the message for you to release only 500,000 gallons of water today because we have some rain coming, and there is no need to release that much water."

"Fix it, change the amount now, we might have a flood on our hands if you don’t stop the water flow," his boss practically screaming in his ear, now.

"Damn it to hell," he muttered, as he punched in the code to change the water flow from the gushing valve with it now reading 500,000 gallons on the screen, the gauge controlling the flow still read 2,000,000 gallons, as he looked up and out the window at the blackest, most ominous looking clouds he had ever seen as the first of the raindrops, big as half dollars, started to pound on the window and the wind started to blow, "Like wind from hell," he thought, as he could see it whipping the rain and bending the trees over, that were standing on the bank of the river.

Chapter 10

Laurie Beth

Laurie Beth Williams wanted to be the first to arrive at the river today.

She kept telling her mother, Winona, "Please tell Daddy to hurry, I want to be the first one to be babatized today, and does it hurt?" she asked, looking up at her mother, as she was impatiently tapping her shoe on the floor.

"Does what hurt baby?" Winona absent mindedly replied.

"Being babatized," she said, saying the word baptized in the way that children, sometimes do, "Does it hurt to go under the water, and wash all my sins away, like the preacher said I should do?"

Smiling, Winona said, "No, baby, it doesn’t hurt in the least little bit, it is the most wonderful thing you could ever do, it won’t hurt at all, it will make you feel better than you’ve ever felt in your life."

"Good, ‘cause I wouldn’t want it to hurt, I just want to be a good girl and go to heaven and get married and have babies." Laurie Beth, with a smile, replied, while twirling her curly brown hair, over and over.

Winona started to ask her where she ever came up with that, wanting to have babies and get married, she knew that she would, one day, but just shook her head, not wanting to ruin her day, getting angry at her, because of the talk about babies and marriage, wondering where she got all that from, and then, popped her gently, on her bottom and said "Go get in the car, we will be there in a minute."

Laurie Beth stomped her foot and started to cry, when she and her family had arrived at the river, she could see that most of the congregation was there already, along with Preacher Mills, smiling and shaking hands and singing, "Nearer My God, To Thee," along with the rest of his flock, getting ready to start the first of the baptisms.

"It’s ok Honey, just run along on down there and he will baptize you first, I’m sure he will." Winona told her.

"Ok, Mama," as she dried her tears and ran down to the bank of the river.

"I’m here Preacher Mills," Laurie Beth said, as she tugged on his trouser leg, "I’m ready to be babatized, now, and to have my sins washed," she told him, with a smile and said, "Mama said she thought that you would babatize me first, will you?"

"I see that you are child, and yes, I will take you to be the first one."

"I’m almost ready to take you to Him, to take you in the water and you can be one of his blessed ones, forever," Mills said as he looked at her with the strangest of looks on his face, as he then peered towards the hooded figure, behind the Willow tree, saw him nod, with just the slightest of motion, then looked upwards towards the sky, then, northward up the river, like he was expecting something.

It was the way that it was done when folks were baptized in the river, everyone would gather at the edge of the water and start praying and singing hymnals, and the one offering their soul to him, would go into the water, which was now knee deep and muddy from the water being stirred up.

It was a sight to behold.

And one that was watching intently stood behind a weeping willow tree on the hill over looking the river and was watching with great interest, at the proceedings about to take place.

"Alright, Brothers and Sisters, I think we’re ready to begin now, and we will start with Miss Laurie Beth Williams, she wants to be the first one to go, but first let’s sing and then we will pray for these lost souls that are about to take that journey, journey into Glory," he said as he made his way out into the river, as they all begin to sing, "Shall We Gather At The River," and some of the women folk started to cry, as they sang and gave praise.

Laurie Beth bravely waved to her Mama, Daddy, Lauren, and Al, and they all waved and smiled back at her, with Winona mouthing the words, "I love you, I’m so proud of you."

Preacher Mills, was the only one of them that noticed the water rapidly rising up, he could now feel it’s cold wetness, lapping against his loins, which made him smile, he knew now, that it was time.

"Come child," motioning towards Laurie Beth, "I’m ready for you now," as she made her way out into the river and she then had on her face, one of the elders of the church later told the newspaper reporter, a strange smile and a cold blank look of terror, one that sent a chill up and down his spine.

But, she didn’t stop; she couldn’t stop wading out towards the preacher now, even if she wanted to.

Mills took her by the hand and cast a sideways glance up the hill at the hooded figure, and he could see him slowly nod his head and he could see that white, shiny light of a smile of his, and then began to shout and pray in a tongue that none of the congregation had ever heard before.

He then placed his hand over Laurie Beth’s mouth and pinched her nose so the water wouldn’t go up in it, all the while still praying in that unknown language.

He then dipped her head under the water and held her there, and Laurie Beth didn’t even squirm, not even one time, just smiled up at Mills, with a cold, blank, terror of a stare, as he took her down into the water.

Al could see the water coming, he must have been the only one to see it because no one else said a word or made a move to warn his sister and Preacher Mills or the other ones in or near the water.

The wave must have been 4 feet tall, and the water was black, black as road tar, and as Al tried to shout to his sister to get out of the water, but no words would come out of his mouth, and he couldn’t move, just his mouth opening and closing, like a fish.

Winona was watching Laurie Beth go to Mills and didn’t notice the black wave of water, but did so as she saw out of the corner of her eye, Al’s hands twitching and his mouth opening and closing, like a fish about to be eaten.

She turned to see what he was looking at, and then started running to the river screaming, but could do nothing but watch helplessly, as the black wave carried her baby and Preacher Mills underneath that black murky water, as he was still praying and holding her with that look and smile, on his face.