Chapter 15: Thanksgiving

It was over a week before the good Reverend was able to visit the Flynns. A flock that covered the kind of area that Pastor Pat Willis' covered took a lot of time during the week so it was the day before Thanksgiving that he arrived at the Gordian Ranch, unexpectedly.

Occasionally his parishioners knew that he was coming ahead of time but he only set appointments to meet when a member of his congregation needed his presence. While attending that appointment, he would normally stop at other members homes while in the area.

Reverend Willis had thought long and hard about what kind of gift to bring for the baby. He finally concluded that the baby wouldn't care and the gift should be for the baby with the goal of making the parents happy. He thought about the makeup of the Flynn's party at church and settled on a nice pair of handmade moccasins for the baby. Many mothers kept their baby's first pair of shoes and some even had them bronzed as keepsakes. Moccasins were an unusual enough gift for a baby that he figured they would be remembered and appreciated for a long time. He truly did value the Flynn's friendship.

The Preacher's 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser clattered across the cattle guard about midmorning. He knew that most people dismissed Japanese products as cheap and unreliable and the Toyota had been cheap. His church didn't provide the income that he could have received at one of the rich valley churches so he needed something cheap. At the same time, he needed to reach some very remote areas, often under less than favorable weather conditions.

He had inspected the more popular Ford, Chevy, and Jeep four wheel drive vehicles and he liked what he saw. But, he would need to buy something at least ten years older if he stuck with the budget that he had. Pat had looked at the Japanese vehicles out of desperation and he noticed a major difference when he looked at the under carriage of the Toyota. The Land Cruiser had an under carriage that looked like it would be more appropriate on a train than a motor vehicle. He needed something tough to stand up to his mountains. The rest of his inspection confirmed his impression that the Toyota was one tough vehicle so he bought it.

The first thing he noticed after crossing the cattle guard was an eagle perched on the huge crossbeam of the gate. The eagle screamed a challenge but didn't take flight like he expected. Instead, it walked along the beam in that awkward gate that birds have when not flying and peered at him intently. Reverend Willis stopped to see what the eagle would do. This was the closest he had been to one of the reclusive birds.

The bird suddenly took flight, circled the car once, and disappeared over the barn. Reverend Willis shook his head with a smile before starting forward again. Every day he found another reason to be glad he lived and worked in the mountains.

The sight that greeted him when he drove around the barn and stopped in the ranch yard was even more startling. The Preacher slowly got out of his Toyota and softly closed the door. He was afraid to take a breath or do anything to startle the animals in the corral.

Prince and two mares were watching him intently. Between Prince and one of the mares, Sean was propped into an upright position, alone. Reverend Willis knew how dangerous Prince was. The big stallion had tried to take a bite out of his arm on a couple of occasions. He had seen the careful way BB handled the beast and some near misses when Prince had nearly connected with a kick.

Udit walked out of the barn with a bridle in one hand and a saddle blanket in the other. He stopped when he saw the Preacher and glanced towards the corral.

"Good morning Reverend," Udit said cautiously. "Martha, Seth, we have company," he called towards the house.

Martha stepped through the kitchen door and frowned when she took in the scene. Seth stepped out behind her and muttered, "Oh shit."

Reverend Willis didn't think that he was supposed to hear that but he ignored it for the time being. He was more concerned with the baby that was in danger.

"Martha, Seth, Sean's in the corral alone with Prince and a couple of mares," Reverend Willis said quietly. The fear for the baby was obvious in his voice. He would get to the bottom of this if it was the last thing he did. Why would they put a child they had wanted so much in danger? But, first, the baby had to be rescued. He took a careful step towards the corral and Prince snorted tossing his head.

Martha sighed and stepped off the porch before saying, "Just a minute Reverend Willis. Prince doesn't know you and we don't need an incident with you getting hurt. Udit, would you bring Sean in please."

"Me getting hurt?" Reverend Willis exclaimed angrily. "I know how dangerous that horse can be. He almost got me and I was lucky to only get a ripped shirt. I've seen him go after BB. Your baby is in the corral with that beast. How can you be so calm about it."

Seth answered for Martha as he gently grasped the Preacher's arm and turned him towards the house. "Because Sean is safer with Prince than he would be in a car going down the road. He's safe with all the animals. Come on in and we'll explain." Over his shoulder Seth said, "Would you bring Sean in please Udit. Maybe you can help explain too."

Reverend Willis stopped on the porch to watch Udit enter the corral and pick up Sean. The horses turned to watch the old Indian pick the baby up but didn't move to interfere. He saw the baby move his hands and heard Udit answer, "Yes, it's a problem. He's a good man though so it shouldn't be much of a problem." He let Seth guide him into the kitchen and took the chair offered him.

"Do you think that baby really understands what you tell him?" Reverend Willis asked. "I mean, I know that you're teaching him sign which is pretty impressive. A baby can probably understand concepts like hunger and dirty diapers and hurting when they feel sick. Sean's only five months old though and you seem to expect him to understand very complex concepts."

Martha set four cups on the table before filling them with coffee. Reverend Willis noticed the look that passed between Martha and Seth when he asked the question, and he noticed the hesitation before Martha answered.

Martha sighed before sitting down and saying, "I know he understands what we're saying. He is only five months old and there are a lot of things he doesn't know but he understands what we're saying. If we say something he doesn't understand, he asks and we explain them to him."

"Are you sure that you're not reading more into his responses than are there? Parents, especially new parents often believe their children are very smart, or even gifted."

Seth snorted and said, "Gifted. Now there's an appropriate word for Sean."

Udit walked through the door with the cradle board hanging from one hand and Sean strapped to it. He carried a small wicker basket in the other hand with some eggs in it. Queen and the two barn cats followed him in.

"Sorry Martha. I forgot to bring the eggs in. Sean got me side tracked with the horses," Udit apologized.

"Oh, that's okay," Martha said. "Just put them in the fridge."

Udit propped Sean's cradle board on a chair and hooked a loop over the back to hold it upright before putting the eggs away. Reverend Willis noticed that Queen and the two cats sat between him and the baby.

Martha sighed, again, in frustration this time before saying, "Sean, would you tell the animals they don't need to protect you from Reverend Willis?"

Sean waved his arms and said, "shulasb."

Reverend Willis watched in amazement when the Queen walked to her bed and lay down. The cats went to the door and meowed. Udit opened to door to let them out before sitting down himself. The cats didn't seem to understand how to use the dog door, or refused to lower themselves to using something meant for dogs.

"Uh, what just happened?" Reverend Willis asked.

"Well Reverend," Seth said before taking a sip of coffee. He was trying to figure out how to explain this to a friend and a man he respected. He didn't want to lie. He wasn't sure he could lie to the Preacher. He took a deep breath and shook his head before saying, "Sean can talk to the animals and they do what he asks them to do."

Martha grimaced and said, "I think it's more than just talking to the animals. I've felt how he communicates with them. He loves them and they love him. They would do anything for him." She paused and looked at the Preacher speculatively. "You were worried about Sean being in the corral with Prince earlier. Prince would kill anything or anyone that tried to hurt that baby."

"Any of the animals would," Udit volunteered. "Look at how the cats attacked that snake and then how the eagle killed it."

"He talks to animals and they protect him?" the Preacher asked faintly.

"Oh yeah," Seth said ruefully. "Snakes are the only animals that he doesn't seem to influence and I don't understand why. He even effects bugs. We had swarms of no-see-ems last week after it rained. They were irritating the horses and cows. Sean noticed and they all left. I don't mean they drifted away either. They joined in a huge swarm and left."

Martha nodded before saying, "I was complaining about fire ants in the yard. The next thing I knew there was a column of ants heading towards the woods."

"Coyotes, skunks, foxes, birds. It doesn't matter if the animal is tame or wild. They all listen to him," Udit said.

"So, last Sunday was..." Reverend Willis said before his voice faded away.

"Was Sean," Seth said finishing the sentence for him.

There was silence around the table as they all thought about what was being revealed. The silence was broken when the Preacher asked, "Was that Sean causing everyone to feel so good at the end of the sermon?"

Martha nodded and sighed before saying, "We think that's how he communicates with the animals. We've asked him about it but the best he can explain with sign is we are sort of right."

"All that love," Reverend Willis said softly as he met the baby's gaze. "Love so intense it was ecstasy. And, everyone felt it." He slowly nodded his head before turning to Seth and Martha and saying urgently, "We must protect him. If the government finds out they will take him and study him. If any of the organized religions find out they'll take him and use him for their own ends. We've got to protect him."

Udit chuckled and said, "Yep. Another convert."

"Convert? I'm not a convert," the Preacher protested. "I'm just worried about a baby that would be at the mercy of some very unscrupulous people if they found out about him."

Martha and Seth were chuckling too. Seth said, "We understand that Reverend Willis. That's why we've been so secretive about this and we're glad that you feel the same way."

Martha looked at Sean and asked, "Well Sean, another one joining our little clan. Now what?"

Sean looked at her intently for a moment before looking back at Reverend Willis. His little hands started moving and Udit laughed.

"I'll be damned glad when you learn to talk Sean," Seth grumbled. He turned to Martha and asked, "What did he say."

"He said to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow," Martha said.

"And that he wishes that you'd learn sign," Udit added.

"Udit," Martha admonished. "You know that he didn't say that."

"I must be spending too much time around these white men," Udit grumbled to himself, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Seth, Martha and the Preacher were sitting in chairs on the porch when Pete's Chevy truck stopped in the yard. Seth pointedly stood and slowly walked down the steps, craning his neck to look behind the truck.

Pete got out of his truck and looked where Seth was looking. He didn't see anything and curiously asked, "What's wrong Seth?"

"Oh, nothing I guess," Seth answered casually. "I was just looking for parts that may have fallen off. Chevy's have a habit of falling apart like that you know."

Pete barked a laugh and shook his head. "Seth, this truck will be on the road and running long after your Ford's are sent to the junk yard."

"Not now you two," Martha warned them. "Wait until after dinner to argue about who has the bigger, ah, truck. Pete, I'd like you to meet Reverend Willis. Reverend Willis, this is Pete Sandoval. He's one of our family."