Chapter Eleven
On Top of the World
Caleb watched in wonder as Erin wrapped a strip of cloth around a man’s wounded leg.
“If you rest for a week, you’ll be better. Your leg will only worsen if you try to walk on it.” She sounded so sure of herself.
Very much unlike Caleb.
Soon the injured man was asleep.
Caleb was deciding what he should say. Say something before it’s too late. Hurry!
“My name’s Caleb. Caleb Peters.”
Erin looked up from her sorting through her bag. “Oh, you’re Caleb?”
“Um…yes.” Caleb saw her cleaning up. How do I offer my help? Here, Miss. Let me help you. Nah. That’s not really offering, that’s telling her to let me help. That wouldn’t be right.
Caleb thought of many things to say, but he was running out of time. She was almost done!
“Hi Erin, do you want my help?” Caleb silently gasped.
Erin lifted on eyebrow suspiciously.
Erin? Why did I call her Erin?
“I mean—Miss. Or Mrs. That is, if you’re married, I’ll call you mrs. But you’re not…are you?” Caleb sighed.
Erin laughed. “It’s alright. You can call me Erin.” She picked up her bag and started for the house.
Andrew suddenly appeared next to Caleb. “I still think she’s rather odd. What do you think of her?”
Caleb smiled dreamily. “I think she’s amazing.”
Avery had everyone gather around that night. He was thanking them all for their hard work.
“You coming here is surely a blessing. I think I shall like to take a picture of us all together. Matthias! Come out here!”
No answer.
Avery shouted louder. “Matthias!”
Avery sighed. “He is always disappearing. I needed to borrow his camera.”
Erin shrugged. “That’s alright.”
But some form of worry seemed to emerge in Caleb. He had this weird feeling deep down in his heart that Matthew was involved in something terrible. Maybe even something dangerous.
It was morning. And still no one could find Matthew.
Caleb woke up one sunny day and found Avery pacing about in the meeting room. Caleb took a seat on the ground. “Still no word from Matthew?”
Avery stared at him. “Matthew?” But then he sighed. “Oh, yes. Matthias’ legal name. You know, his real name is Matthias Ezra Ford. But when he left all those years ago, to attend the collage—he had his name changed! I mean, out of all the irresponsible things to do!”
Caleb still couldn’t get over the fact that Matthew was Avery’s son. He suddenly felt a slight branch of jealously rising within him. It was like a tree. It would grow and grow and grow until it was too big and Caleb was choking on it. Why was Matthew Avery’s son? Why couldn’t I have been Avery’s son? Matthew doesn’t even like it here. I love it here.
Avery finally came to a decision. “I am going to send two of you out to look for him. Also…that man I mentioned before. Akin.”
“Yes?”
“He’s…he’s also missing.”
“What?” Caleb tried to keep his worst thoughts from being true. “You don’t suppose…”
“Maybe.” Avery called everyone to the center of the village.
“I have an announcement. A very important announcement. My son, the village’s chief, and possibly others have suddenly disappeared.”
The crowd wasn’t very surprised. They spoke in a foreign language and Avery interpreted it. “They say that their chief often wander alone in the night. And my son does too. But I think something else is dreadfully wrong. God may be warning me.”
He turned to the missionaries. “The jungle is a very dangerous place. I am going to send out two at a time, and when they return two more will go out.”
“Who are the first two?” Erin shouted above the whispers of the crowd.
Avery smiled. “Mr. Andrew Kaminski and Mr. Theodore Peters.”
The crowd was quiet.
Andrew looked behind him. “Theodore isn’t here. Marion isn’t either.”
Avery sighed. “When they return, I’ll tell them the news.”
“You can’t be serious.” Andrew commented.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“I think me and Caleb should go. I hate to say this, but Theodore would literally be no help at all.”
Avery nodded. “Maybe so. But I have my reasons.”
Marion gazed at the stars. It was beautiful. “The stars are all so amazing. There’s so many. Millions. But each one is different.”
Theodore shrugged. “I guess.” He laughed.
“What is it?”
“Caleb will flip when he finds out I climbed a waterfall.”
Marion laughed also. “He’s just a bit overprotective, that’s all.”
“Maybe so. Still. He’s the one who told me to do something with my life. But then—but then every time I do, he just worries over me, afraid I’ll hurt myself.”
“He just wants what’s best for you.”
“I know.” Theodore felt the ground. “It feels so high.”
“Well, we are so high.”
“Yeah. It just feels interesting.”
Marion relaxed herself. “So…what were you like when you were little?”
“Um…well, I was kind of a smart-aleck. It was annoying. And…I had a friend. A girl named Lilly. She taught me how to ice-skate, and she helped bring me back into the world, at my deepest moments of despair.”
“Whatever happened to her?”
Theodore looked down. “She died. She drowned.”
Marion swallowed hard. “That must have been so hard for you.”
“It was.” Theodore felt a slight tear but wiped it away. “I just felt a need to repay the debt. She—she helped me in so many ways. I wanted to somehow repay her. But it was too late. She snuck out outside to the lake to skate.”
It grew quiet. “I’m really sorry, Theo. But you can get through all things. It says the in the Bible God will never give you something you can’t handle.”
Theodore nodded. “I know. It’s just hard. Her birthday’s soon.”
“Why did you never mention her?”
“I guess I just never found a need to.”
Marion sat there silently. She gasped.
“What is it?”
“The sun.” She laughed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, silly. It’s just—we’ve been out here for hours. The sun is coming up.”
The wind began blowing softly.
Theodore stood up. He was at the edge of the vast waterfall.
“Don’t take another step.”
“I know.” Theodore sighed contently. He extended his arms out. “I’ve never felt more free!”
Marion stood up. “Me neither.”
Theodore breathed in the morning air. “I’m on top of the world!” He shouted out to the magnificent view of the vast amazon. No one could hear him, but him and Marion. He turned to Marion. “Marion. There’s been something I’ve wanted to tell you for quite some time.”
“Don’t, Theodore. When we go back home—my home is very far away. I live with my grandparents…and they’re moving and—I’ll miss you dearly. I—I don’t know when I’d see you. I’d be so far away…” She sighed.
Theodore smiled gently. “I’d travel the world any day, for you.”
Marion smiled and looked down. She stood up and went by him and looked over the massive view. “It amazing!” Marion yelled. She looked over the cliff. “Hi Andrew! Hi Caleb! Hi Avery!” She saw the small orange dots of campfires. “No one can hear me!”
“Not a chance! Not as high up as we are!” Theodore and Marion sat back down laughing. “I wonder if someone did hear us.” Marion gasped.
Theodore chuckled. “Maybe. We should be heading down soon.” He stood up and reached into his pocket. “Marion…I have something for you.”
“What is it?” Marion stood as well.
“Here.” Theodore pulled out a beaded necklass. “I hope I got the colors right…I um…I made this, the day my father died. For you.” He dropped it in her hands.
Marion smiled. “It’s beautiful.” She put it on herself.
“I know you’ll look nice wearing it. I…” Theodore pulled out another one that was hiding in his shirt collar and had never been seen before.
“I have one too. My mother made it for me, when I was born.”
Marion wondered, “You’ve never mentioned your mother before. Why?”
“I…I guess it just never came up. My father used to hate it when I spoke of her. And he said I reminded him of her. So when we had the accident…he was just really upset.”
“I’m sorry, Theodore. But I bet your mother would have been so proud to see where you are now. Standing on top of a waterfall, in Peru.”
Theodore chuckled. “I guess she would.”
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