Avery Bishop: The Journey Home

By David Walls

A verse from the Old Testament came to Avery from the book of Lamentations. Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness, surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.
He looked out the door of the railcar. The sun was breaking through the morning clouds. The light of a new day was before him. He couldnt live in the past, but it was the past that made him what he was today; no longer the nave child, but a man hardened and bitter, very bitter he thought.
He had left on his own, no one forced him to. He had chosen to do what he had done, and no one had blamed him. They deserved what they got, was the thinking. They were evil, God wanted him to do what he did. Avery could hear all the voices in his head.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold watch Ella had given him. He opened it and read the words on the inside. All My Love Forever. He sat there for a moment just looking at it and then he closed it and put it back in his pocket. Its all I have left, he thought.
The wormwood and the bitterness

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465379719

Book preview

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

ONE

CHAPTER

TWO

CHAPTER

THREE

CHAPTER

FOUR

CHAPTER

FIVE

CHAPTER

SIX

CHAPTER

SEVEN

CHAPTER

EIGHT

CHAPTER

NINE

CHAPTER

TEN

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

To my wife for all her faith in me.

With special thanks to:

Wayde and Jason.

For putting up with me.

CHAPTER

ONE

When Avery was ten; he got into trouble at school. The teacher made him sit on a stool with his nose in the corner and a large pointed hat on his head. Dunce, it read in large letters.

Avery closed his eyes, and he dreamed.

A troublemaker, some would say.

He has such potential others would say.

He was not a bad boy, he was not a good boy; he was just a boy.

God has a plan for you, son… a very special plan. His mother would tell him.

So Avery was special.

When he was thirteen, he had his first date with a girl, the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Well, it wasn’t really a date. Well, kind of. They were going to go to a school function together. Three days before his date, when Avery looked in the mirror that morning before school, he saw a huge zit on his chin.

Oh no, he said to himself. Then that morning in class when they all knelt to pray, Avery prayed, Dear God, I’ll do anything if you take this zit from me. He knelt there quietly. Oh, and one other thing, since we’re talking about forever, you gotta promise me she’ll kiss me, Avery asked God in the most serious way.

Well…

The zit went away.

And Avery kissed a girl for the first time.

That next Sunday, Avery was the first one in church.

He would never be the same.

When Avery was fourteen, he went hunting for the first time. A few weeks before hunting season opened, his father took him and his old 8 mm Mauser and loaded them up in his pickup truck. They drove out way into the hills, and Avery shot a gun for the first time. He closed his eyes real tight and squeezed the trigger. Boom! That old Mauser went. His father said, Boy, you ain’t gonna hit nothin’ shootin’ with your eyes closed.

Avery pulled the bolt open and shoved another round in the chamber. He laid that old Mauser down across his knee. He looked down the rear sight and straight to the front one. There was the target, an old coffee can. He put the front sight on top of the target and squeezed real easy. Boom! That old Mauser went. Up in the air that old can flew.

Whowee, boy, you got her that time, his father yelled.

On the way home, Avery asked his father, Daddy? Have you ever shot anyone?

Avery’s father had fought in the war, long before Avery was born. His father looked at him for a moment without saying a word, and then in a humble low voice, he said, Yes, son, I have. That’s all he said the rest of the way home.

A few days later, Avery and his father got up real early in the morning. It was the first day of hunting season. When Avery finally made it to the kitchen, there on the kitchen table were his and his Father’s tin lunch boxes with cookies and sandwiches his mother had made for them for lunch. His father was just topping off his big thermos with coffee, and leaned up against the back door was that old Mauser.

Well, son, you think we should be going? his father asked.

Avery slipped his coat on and looked over at the Mauser, and then he looked at his father.

Daddy? Avery paused for a moment.

What is it, son? his father asked as he slipped his coat on.

Now there’s something you need to understand. Avery’s father wasn’t much of a praying man, really not even much of a churchgoer, but Avery, ever since the zit and the kiss…

Daddy, could we pray before we leave? He looked up at his father standing there in the kitchen. His father paused for a moment, then without saying a word; he put his cup of coffee down on the table, took off his hat, and bowed his head.

Dear Lord, Avery began.

Avery would never forget this morning.

They parked the truck quite a ways from the old homestead up the road. Not many people knew about the place, at least not anymore. It’s been a long time since anyone actually lived there, but there was still the old orchard—apples, and lots of them. Avery and his father made their way up the washed-out dirt road. His father stopped and looked at Avery. He held his finger to his lips. Be quiet, he whispered so light that Avery could only make out the words by reading his lips. His father knelt down and picked up a handful of dirt. He held it out into the air and gently let it fall. Avery watched the dirt swirl with the early-morning breeze. They were downwind, just like they wanted to be. They made their way down the dirt road. Closer… closer… They came to where it opened out into the orchard. Avery’s father stopped before stepping out into the open. He motioned for Avery to move up next to him.

He leaned over to Avery and whispered in his ear, Be slow and easy. Keep your eyes up. He stepped back behind Avery.

Avery looked at his father for a moment, and then he looked to the open road ahead. Once he stepped out, he would be seen—that’s if they were looking. He whispered a prayer. Lord, make me invisible. He slowly stepped out on his own with that old Mauser in hand locked and ready to go. One step, he stopped. Is that? No. He took another step. The shadows seemed to be moving, and then, out of nowhere, there he stood. Avery pulled that old Mauser up against his shoulder looked right down that rear sight and straight to the front. He gently put his finger on the trigger. He began to squeeze the trigger. Boom! That old Mauser went. Avery opened his eyes and looked where the deer had been standing.

Oh, yeah! His father slapped him on the back. You got him!

As they loaded the deer into the back of the truck, Avery looked over at his father.

Daddy, I… He stopped for a moment.

What is it, son? His father looked at Avery. This was his first time. He waited for Avery to tell him what he already knew.

I don’t like killin’, Avery finally told him.

His father put his hand on Avery’s shoulder.

Let’s go home, son.

CHAPTER

TWO

Avery got up out of bed just like on any other Sunday, but this one would be different. Today after church, there would be a big gathering, an October harvest party. He had tried to talk his father into going, but he had too many things to do. When Avery and his mother got to church, Avery looked around for a young girl by the name of Ella Chapman. She was kind of a neighbor; her family lived over the hill from Avery’s, where her father had a small farm. They lived about two miles away, but that was nothing for Avery to walk to see her, and they had been seeing each other since Easter of that year. Everyone just knew that Avery and Ella would someday get married. Every Sunday since Easter, he would sit by her in church and sing the old hymns with her. He loved the sound of her voice—angelic.

After church, all the boys and some of the girls played a game of baseball. When it was time for Avery to bat, all the bases were loaded, and they were down by three. If Avery could hit a homer, they would win the game. Avery stood at the plate. He was pretty good at hitting the ball, but this guy’s pitching was something else. Avery whispered a small prayer. Lord, give me strength. Here came the pitch. Avery swung at the ball as hard as he could. Right past him it went.

Strike one! the preacher of the church yelled. He had been voted to play the umpire since everyone knew he would never cheat. The pitcher wound up, and here came another pitch. whack! The ball went against the bat. It flew to the heavens. The crowd went wild. Avery passed first. He glanced out to where the ball was heading; the outfielder hadn’t got it yet. Avery ran to second. He glanced again at the outfielder; he had the ball. Avery ran to third. Avery whispered another quick prayer. Lord, give me strength. He headed toward home as fast as he could. The outfielder threw the ball to third. The third baseman threw the ball as hard as he could to home plate. whack! It hit Avery right square in the back of the head. Head over heels he flew, landing right on home plate. Safe! the preacher yelled, but Avery didn’t move. He was out cold.

Avery lay there as calm as could be—at least to the outside world. In his head, he was in the woods, under a full moon. The light of the moon made the shadows come to life as he stood there. He noticed someone standing next to a large tree to the left of the trail, or was it just a shadow? Avery took half a step forward; the shadow moved with him. He stopped; the shadow stopped. He looked right into the shadow. Its eyes glowed red. Avery knew who this was. He turned and tried to run, but he could not move. After all, he was still lying there on home plate. The shadow moved toward him. Avery tried to call out for help, but he couldn’t. The shadow moved closer. Avery could see him clearly now, his long face and glowing eyes. Boy, he growled to Avery, do you know who I am? He stepped closer to Avery.

Avery would not answer. Boy, do you know who I am! he growled louder to Avery.

Avery would not answer. He stepped closer to Avery. Avery could smell him now; he smelled like death warmed over. Avery tried to run, but he couldn’t move. Boy, he growled to Avery, you know who I am! You better run, boy, ’cause I’m comin’ to get ya! He reached out and grabbed Avery by the shoulder. His