It happened in Church - October 19, 1962
Chapter Forty Eight - Desperate Housekeeping
Sunday 04 Nov (continues)
Body Bagging
After the viewing, Brother Kevin got to work. Naturally Roy was with him. John, the big fat dope, was leading. And, surprisingly Marie was helping him. Good woman that girl. He had visions that if John was shoveling “Barbara Streisand”, she’d be next to him matching him shovel for shovel. They’d make a good couple.
Brother Kevin explained the fine art of bagging bodies to them. The body was a now empty temple of God’s handiwork. It was to be treated with respect. But it was empty. Burying the dead was one of the corporal works of mercy. So they were doing the Lord’s work. It was important to get all the big pieces in the right bag. In each bag was a tag and a pencil stub. Barely a half inch, more like lipstick than a pencil. The tag was to have the person’s name. It had a form. But that was for a battle field. Brother Kevin wasn’t sure what you’d call this. If possible, you should put the name on the tag. Then he wanted to place the bodies in a stack for another day.
That’s when he got a shock. John said: “If we stack them, I want to stack them near ‘our’ door. This way we won’t have to move them to far when we load them.” Brother Kevin exclaimed: “Load them?” “Yes,” said John, “all Classmates are going to Vermont. I’ll bury them there. In my aunt’s lower pasture, where they will be at peace.” “That’s crazy. Take 50 some odd bodies 750 miles for no good reason.” “Yup, and the reason is that they are our Classmates. I wouldn’t leave a single one. If there were a thousand and I have to make several trips. One goes; we all go.” “Marie talk to him. He’s gone over the edge.” “Brother Kevin, Love you. But he’s right. They are our spiritual sisters and brothers.” “We won’t have room.” “We’ll make room. If we have to tie them on the bumpers like deer, they’re going.”
Brother Kevin hoped that common sense would prevail. So they got to bagging and tagging. Fifty plus bodies. It took the better part of three hours. They were beat when they returned to the shelter.
The mob was waiting. And, stood and applauded.
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Desecration
Brother Kevin was concerned about the desecration. He was concerned about the future. And the possible future desecrations when they left it for good. He felt he had some obligation as a religious to preserve the sanctity of the Church. He asked for Marie and John to help him figure out his responsibility and response.
They sat around the Dining Room table and kicked the ball around. Brother Kevin stated the problem: “When we leave, we’ll leave the consecrated hosts, the chalices, and platens. I’m not so concerned with the unused ones. Those we should take and sell for the children’s survival.” Marie asked the obvious question: “How can we tell the difference?” “An unused one will be sewn into a linen bag like an alb. When it’s used for the first time the alb is destroyed. There is about six in the sacristy for a visiting priest to use should he not have his own. I would suggest that we load one of the traveling cases with everything that’s used when they go to an away location, like a retreat. Anything that’s been blessed and used should be returned to the first prelate we find. The hosts should be consumed by the youngest children. The Firsts are too young to have sinned so they’d be in keeping with the Cannons. I’m on thin ice here.” John added: “It would seem that this is an exceptional circumstance. The military has an axiom ‘better to beg forgiveness than ask permission’. I’d say we do what seems appropriate to preserve the dignity of the sacraments.” Acting as the laity, in consort, and in the absence of magisterium, they decided that the hosts would be consumed, sacred objects preserved to be returned, and the unused valuables would be taken for the benefit of the children.
Little did they know that the Canons had several provisions like Canon 911 for cases of necessity, where the permission of the hierarchy may be assumed, to prevent desecration, and for all actions taken in good conscience after reflection and with appropriate decorum. June explained to the Firsts what was needed to happen. They were blissfully innocent as to what was the concern. But being told this was serious, they took it so. Together with John, the Staff, and the Eighths they held a little religious service. Prayers and then Brother Kevin used the tabernacle key to open it. The key was kept under the linen right in front of the little door. To Brother Kevin, it was very emotional. To the children, it wasn’t anything. To the unchurched, it would be unintelligible. So, he carefully, without touching the hosts, used a communion cloth to distribute the hosts to the children. There was some wine of unknown status; that too was consumed by the children. A priest’s fingers are consecrated during the bishop’s administration of Holy Orders. It would be disrespectful for him to do otherwise. It really was necessity. But it troubled him greatly. After their service, when all the consecrated items were consumed, he extinguished the ‘Presence Candle’ that notifies Catholics that the tabernacle is occupied by consecrated items.
They carefully packed anything used in the travel chest. Anything that was unused was placed separately. The bodies were stacked neatly ready for transport. They were not going to need a big truck for this. John was concerned about carrying bodies disrespectfully. Marie was concerned what the Church authorities would have to say about all of this. Brother Kevin was concerned about how the world had changed. It would trouble them all for a while. Men and Women of conscience always are concerned that they not only do the right thing for the right reasons, but do it in the right way.
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Marie Groks The Shelter
Marie did what she always does when she’s upset - power walks the length of the shelter. Now she added a new wrinkle up and down the stairways and around the Church. The more she walked, the more enraged she became at the Bravo Golfs, at the desecration of ‘her’ Church, and at John. He was the ‘white knight’; wasn’t he supposed to ride in and save her. He did once. She laughed to herself … ‘but what has he done for me lately’. Crossing the center aisle, reflexively she genuflected, out of habit, the Presence was not there, but it once was. It calmed her.
She prayed silently, ‘dear saint taq, come around, i’ve lost my way and i can’t be found. not here in the church, but in life. what will become of me? of us? of the children? will we survive to vermont like that big loveable fat lug believes? he was right about worst case. help me, dear saint taq, understand the plan for my life.’ (So summoned, Saint Taq reviewed the events and found them excellent. They’d done well to preserve the dignity of the Church. They’d acted as the laity; the Lord would never let His flock stray for the Way. Now she merely needed to realize her true potential and destiny. She needed no white knight; she had power. Like the baby elephant trained to the chain, when big can be held by a thread. She too needed to just realize what threads were binding her. Taq prayed the Lord to give her wisdom. Wisdom maybe called the power to see the boundaries of our knowledge and to extend those limits.)
Marie felt a strange peace come to her heart. The partial verse ‘in whom I am well pleased’ came to mind and was suddenly written on every page in her mind. Covering everything else that was ever written. She was in awe. She was afraid. She’d lost all she knew. Suddenly, in her minds eye, a trumpet sounded, and verses began flooding over her pages. Verses she’d never committed to memory on any of her pages. “Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Luke 11:9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. John 15:16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” Over and over again, on every metal page. In colors and sizes unimaginable. So big and so vibrant it physically hurt. Finally, the onslaught ended. A warm feeling embraced her whole body. She felt … … safe, loved, and enclosed. One last page was writ before her inner eye in a font and style she had never seen. “James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” She swooned.
When she awoke, Lisa and Linda were shaking her. She was sitting on her butt in the main aisle out side the alter rail. Lisa said “Are you OK? We were following you on your gallop thru the shelter. You seemed upset. We saw you genuflect for a double quick heartbeat. And the next thing we knew you’d fallen backward. Like you were pushed. We grabbed you otherwise you’d have hit your head.” Linda said “Lisa, shut it. Marie say something.” “I’m OK.” She squeaked. She was still foggy. She thought: ‘What had just happened? Had she just received a gift like Saul on the road to somewhere. How did her beloved John describe it - not UPS - you can’t mistake it. But what did I just get? I don’t understand it’. She got up and looked around. The Church was empty except for her, the L’s, and the OP team. She felt different. Like she was seeing the Church through bigger eyes. She was focused.
Were all the hidden things in the shelter just tests of our faith in Him? Where did that thought come from? The last passage was still on the board in front of her mind’s eye. She could see around it. She couldn’t move it out of the way to see the other behind it. We really never asked for His help. Sure here and there. Like a poorly prepared student praying over a test; the time for prayer was weeks prior when inspiration would be granted. Then that student could do their own work. She knelt again on one knee and prayed: “Lord, please give me the wisdom I need to fulfill Your Plan.” The blocking board snapped closed. All her other boards were now viewable. They were bigger and more colorful. Certain ones had red ribbons on them. Others blue. Some had none. What did it all mean?
She looked around the Church. The L’s were afraid. “I’m OK. I’m really OK. I’m so OK; it’s scary.” She embraced Lisa and gave her a big hug. Not sexual but sisterly. “Thank you, Lisa, for being my friend.” She embraced Linda similarly. “Thank you, Linda, for being my friend.” She smiled and said “I’m truly sorry for thinking of you as the L’s; you’re each unique and beautiful women. It’s no wonder the boys are crazy for you. Those pony tails draw attention to your butts.” The L’s were speechless. Marie had to have hit her head.
Marie looked around the Church. She was aligning the shelter below with the church above. The Plant Room was directly below the crossing; she now knew the intersection where the nave and transept meet is called the crossing. Had she read that somewhere long ago? Instantly a page she never saw before flashed to the fore, it was a like a book report reference. “Design Features of Notre Dame”. That was scary. She went to rub her forehead and it was gone. As if she whisked it away.
Interesting that there was an empty space above it.
She walked over to the ‘Stock Room’. It was close to the other vestibule door. And, she never really focused on the pews. They were different some how. “Linda, Lisa, look at the pews. Are they different?” The L’s gave them the once over. “Nah, just pews.” Marie felt something calling her to the ground. She looked down the long aisle across the Church. These pews had a strip in the middle on the floor; the others don’t? This was sacred ground where her Classmates died. It felt weird to be crawling around in a crime scene. The strip had a joint in the middle and were not affixed to the floor. Strange? She pulled up on it and it ’scissored’ easily. These were retractable pews. “Quick, ladies, pull all these up.” The L’s may not be observant, but they were the fastest at following instructions. As more joins were pulled, the pews became ‘loose’. When all were up, Marie ran around to the front and pushed. They wanted to move but she needed more umph. The three of them pushed and the pews slid back exposing bare floor. (In the arms locker, unseen by anyone, a green light came on.) She giggled: “It’s an elevator. Don’t you see? That’s how they brought the CD supplies DOWN to the shelter. That’s how we will bring them up. Come the next part of the secret is in the Stock Room. Adjutant, adjutant, where are you?” Someone comes a running. “Miss Abigail, would you please have the Duty Officer to extend my compliments to the Staff and Master John. Ask them to join me in the Stock Room Two Green!” “Yes, Miss Marie.” Abigail ran to the phone. She hoped the Staff never realizes that they could call themselves.
With the bouncing pony tails that inspired lust in almost all the boys, Marie bounded down the up stairs to the stock room. The shelves had a similar strip. How could they have been so blind? They unsnapped the strips and shoved the shelves out of the way. (In the arms locker, unseen by anyone another green light came on. And a red button lit up.)
The Staff was wandering in. John came in and saw Marie was flushed. Marie thought: ‘Where would you put an elevator button? Out of the way.’ “Sam, please open the Arms locker?” Sam exclaimed: “This is different.” Marie said: “May I?” Sam said: “Sure, you found it.” Marie pushed the button, a bell rung, and the floor rose up about a foot. “Not much of an elevator’ she thought and pushed again. Another bell and the shelter room’s roof developed a hole. Splitting apart. The floor rose on a giant tube all the way up. A hydraulic elevator.
Everyone applauded. John gave her a passionate full frontal kiss. “John, this is scandalous. What will the Classmates think?” “That I’m going to marry the smartest woman on Earth!” “I don’t think that … …” was cut short by a more passionate kiss. Those buttons began to tingle and she was weak at the knees. Loss of oxygen maybe?
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Lunch-less Lunch
John faced the Classmates. It wasn’t really lunch-less. Some were eating. The trick was keeping it down. One could be sitting there and have the sickening images flash back!
John, taking a leaf for June’s book, just stood there waiting expectantly. It didn’t take long.
Three classmates stood up. Roy, Andrew, and June. John had a feeling these were going to be hot grounders.
“Master Roy, you stood up first.” “It’s more of a statement, than a question. Speaking for the Men of the Eighth, unless some one objects, <pausing> we will not tolerate any boy intimidating our sisters. Yeah, that’s right. Sisters. Maybe not biological; emotionally. You mess with my sister; you mess with me. Care to comment?” “Agreed. No one ever has the right to initiate force on another human being. Any boy, who thinks differently, I’d like to talk to. Any one, who acts out that way, will get some painful remedial instruction. I don’t think that the women are so weak as to need our help. I’m more ashamed that such thinking could go on during my watch. One for all; all for one! Harm my sisters or my brothers at your peril. Not on my watch. And, if you, who ever you are, have so much time and energy, how about applying it to our opportunities? Enough said.”
“Master Andrew” “Well Mister Prophet, what’s your next prediction?” “Overlooking the scorn, we prophets know what happens in our own lands. I predict we haven’t seen the last of trouble. Jeopardy tomorrow. We’ll run thru again.”
Miss June?” “Master Speaker John: In light of all the death we’ve seen today. May we turn off the TV tonight and pray the rosary for all the people who are lost - we hope temporarily?” “Sounds like a good idea. Frankly, Brian’s jokes stink.”
“Let’s have Jeopardy drill after this.”
Everyone left laughing. The threat of rape made him mad. He wasn’t laughing. Lord of the Flies. Was civilization breaking down?
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Afternoon Drill
Sam set out the chairs:
First Lurp. Brother Kevin and Isabella inside; Lisa and Linda outside.
Second, Marie and John.
Third, Driving Team #1 Master David (6), Master Brandon (6), and Master Jude (6) under the direction of Miss Taylor (7).
Fourth, Driving Team #2 - Miss Sarah (6), Miss Julia (6), and Miss Olivia (5) under the direction of Miss Destiny (7).
Fifth, Recovery #1 - Master Alexander, Miss Brianna, Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Madison under the direction of Master TomT.
Sixth, Roy and Jody with Boy Scout James always in the middle.
Sam said: “Silence is golden. First choice is the atlatl; it’s quiet. If you engage an enemy, then you must escape as best you can. Don’t lead them back to the Church. Go to the school. Hide in a classroom. Call the Shelter office. We’ll figure out how to get you. Remember you’re noise discipline. Because we all code, there should be never a reason to yell. Cover your mouth when you talk. Humans are hard coded to hear voices over distance. Think small and quiet; act big and bold. If confronted, pretend the cavalry is just over the rise. Confidence in a weak enemy creates doubt. Use it to escape.”
Sam continued: “Stick to the plan. To the garage for transport. DT#1, Marie, Roy, and James go to the depot; you’re alone the longest — use it wisely — don’t be seen — choose wisely — we may need your picks to survive in Vermont — leave your choices ready to run — we may be under fire when we come to do the pickup. Lurp goes to Pawn. TomT & team recover the garage - trade off big for distance. John, Jody, TomT & Team, and DT#2 go to pawn. Get guns and anything useful; gold will pay for a comfortable life in Vermont? Lurp moves to Radio Shack. TomT & team recover the Pawn Shop; need CBs for kabuki. Move to depot. Pick’em up and run for home.”
Sam was on a roll: “This is the most dangerous of our excursions. We have no idea what we will face. Go slow, but fast. Choose wisely; we don’t want to have to go back. You’ll be prepped to stay out over night. When you lose the light, hunker down. Try not to do that; we’ll worry.”
“OK, let go around the room a few times.”
Six times to be exact. Everyone was serious. Deadly serious.
It was almost time for dinner when they wrapped.
Sam wagged John and they gathered with the depot team. Marie, Roy, and James. John led off: “You guys have the most dangerous task, because you’re hanging out alone. You have to identify two food trucks and one fuel truck. A bus from next door. Tee them all up. You have to find us an empty truck to take with us. Now the fun part. You have two, perhaps three if we are lucky, choices. Pick wisely. I can’t tell you what to pick. Unless we hear from our friends in Vermont, you’ll have to use your gut. I have no idea what’s there. All things being equal; they never are; pick something with full tanks.” Sam had some specific advice. “Careful picking refers that are not running. They’ve probably spoiled.”
Sam, Marie, and John were just sitting. John said: “The Pawn Shop is a hidden key. I’m doing that because it’s going to be a tradeoff between time and value. I’m toying with the idea of bringing the explosives.” Marie was horrified: “What do you know about explosives?” “Nothing other than they go boom.” Marie appealed: “We need Brother Kevin.” “The guns will be in a locked rack, but unless we are incredibly lucky, the gold coins will be in the vault.” Brother Kevin, hearing his name, joined them. “Brother Kevin. This fool wants to blow up the Pawn Shop. Tell him he can’t. Please.” “Well, he probably can. If he wants Bravo Golf to know where we are. But why bother? There’s Phosphoric acid in the basement of the school.” Three people said “SO?!” “Well, assuming is a cheap safe that’s not too tight, you spill water all over the door seams, cover it with a wool blanket, put the solid block of acid in a tin cup, light the chafing candle under it, shove it under the blanket, and go have a smoke. Fifteen minutes, thirty tops, it will weaken any steel bolts in the door. Put the fire out. Let the area air out a little! Stuff’s corrosive. Go tug on the door and if your lucky, the door comes open in your hands. No noise. If it doesn’t work, then you notify the neighborhood. Better living thru chemistry. Oh, and it you breathe the stuff it’ll kill you like you drowned.” John said: “Works for me!” Marie shook her head: “You all are certified idiots. And, I’m stupid to go along.”
Brother Kevin said: “I’ll make a quick run into the basement for the acid. I know exactly where it is and I have Brother Prefect’s key. Fifteen minutes tops.” Sam said: “I don’t like it. We haven’t practiced it. John said: “Risk reward? If I can open the safe silently, that’s a big reward!” Sam added: “But it may not work.” John said: “We gotta go for it. What will make you happy?” Sam though a minute and said: “You with a shotgun and me with a rifle, we cover him.” John said: “Let’s go. Marie can you cover the Church entrance?” “No! We’ve been very lucky so far. You cowboys running off half cocked isn’t right. Let take a few minutes and do it right. Bring two full fire teams. One to cover the Church side; one for the basement side. Then you cowboys can get the acid. I insist!” With a little stomp of her foot. That settled that. You might debate with her ticked off fingers, but the foot, never! She was probably even right.
John went to the office and summoned: Kayla, Linda, Lisa, Michael, Taylor, and Tyler. They quickly went over the plan. Brother Kevin would lead the team down. After a quiet time, the cowboys would split off. They’d roll up the same way. John asked: “Marie OK?” “Yes” was the quick curt reply.
They rolled it out just like it was planned. The acid was right in the caretaker’s office. The cowboys were tempted to look around, but Marie’s caution had the desired effect so they ran home with tails between their legs.
Marie was pleased. That’s all John cared about.
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Dinner
The Classmates were sad and glad. Sad that it was ‘worse case’; glad that things were moving forward. Tomorrow was Jeopardy. The pace was picking up. Rumors abounded about the school raid.
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No TV
June led the rosary. It was sad. There were tears. There was peace. There was hope.
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Staff Meeting
Master John opened with a quick summary: “Did the Church; I thought it went well. Did a quick run for the acid; I thought it went well. I pray Jeopardy does as well.” Centurion Sam reported: “We’ll lock up until you get home.” CoS Brother Kevin explained: “We have to keep things moving so the Classmates don’t have time to be afraid. I’m terrified. And, anyone who isn’t is either a fool or stupid!” G1 Personal Marie reported: “This groking stuff works; that’s how I found the elevator.” G2 Intelligence Brian added: “I’ll have the kabuiki file ready tomorrow; my staff came up with the encryption scheme.” G3 Training Roy said: “We bagged 52 Classmates and three faculty; sad to report. I am afraid to guess why so few faculty.” G4 Logistics Jody repeated her refrain: “I have no way yet to move the water.” G5 Morale June said: “The mural is in effect done; we’ll bless it and be gone when the time comes. And, it’s near.”
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Time with Marie
It was John’s favorite time of the day. He said: “You’re beautiful when you stamp your foot. It’s like when you play with your fingers.” She was pensive: “Will there ever come a time when we are on the same page?” “Does it matter as long as we’re together?” “Guess not.” They walked some more.
The Queen’s Corner was the anchor of the women’s dorm. The Eighth’s two lines - gals and guys - were getting closer. Tonight you could still tell the difference; tomorrow it would be one. There was no doubt what it said. There are standards that we believe in. There are standards that we will enforce. There are standards that are worth killing and dying for.
Marie made the ‘bed’. She demurely sat down and gestured him to join her. She held his hand and looked him right in the eye. “John, my dear, if tomorrow something happens to one of us, the other must go on. Just know, that tonight, I feel fully alive. A woman filled with love for you. Waiting for the priest is a my joy. It allows me a glimpse of what may be His Plan for us. If it’s not to be, it just means something better is. I saw the dead today and felt they were at peace. I received a gift today that I still can’t even describe. Let’s get to Vermont; the joy will only carry me so far.” John said “Let’s get some sleep; tomorrow’s going to be a long day. Promise me you won’t take any chances. I can imagine going on without you. Don’t let that happen.” They nestled. Quietly. Faithful to their vows of chastity. Silently. Aware of the possible bad things to come. Secure in their faith; filled with the belief in His Providence.
One doubt did slip into Marie’s mind, perhaps she should be taking a bit of John so that he’d leave a little something behind of himself for her. She didn’t know what was right. She knew if she waved her little classmates at him, he couldn’t control himself any longer. Was this the boundary of her knowledge? She prayed silently: ‘dear saint taq, james 1:5, should i? is it time for me to have john’s baby? what if he dies? a scared little girl’ (So summoned, Saint Taq reviewed the fact of the cases, these children were finding their stride. Those boys, who were tempted to rape, had no idea the ramifications of their sin. They’d find out when called to account. They’d put their ugly idea in Marie’s beautiful mind. She was presuming God’s Plan. He prayed the Lord to give her the Grace of Wisdom. Again.) As Marie prayed, a smaller gentler version of her experience today occurred. Warmth enveloped her. The giant white wall appeared again, blocked her view of all her pages, and there writ again in the strange script was “”But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lusts. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” James 1 : 14 - 15″ She was at peace. But confused, she never memorized Bible verses. She’d never even read the Bible. She slept.
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