Chameleon

Daniel, now going by Louis, got on the bus in Seattle, found his seat and hunkered down with his ball cap pulled low over his eyes. He was pretty sure he was safe, still ahead of cops and whoever else could be chasing him. His radar was still on high alert and he would trust his instincts to keep him free. He had been lulled into a false sense of security in the little community of Torn Cove and almost paid the price. It was a close call.

By the time the bus got over the Cascades, Daniel (Louis!) had relaxed. He had bought a ticket to Boise, would buy another ticket from there headed east and south, and somewhere along the way, when he felt safe again, he would find some work. Money was tight, but he would land on his feet somewhere, as he always did. He would be okay. Daniel fell asleep, calmed.

Still four hours out of Boise, Daniel awoke sweaty, scared, and disoriented. A bad dream. He’d still been in Alaska, but instead of getting away in the Silva’s skiff with Sherry, he was caught by Tom, Van, and Tharensovich. They were trying to nail him to a cross… maybe it was a mast boom… it was mixed up. He flexed his hands. They had driven nails through his hands in the dream and the pain had been horrendous. Just a dream. He was safe.

The dream was haunting enough to make him think about Torn Cove and all that happened there. Daniel was not one to reflect on the past, but there were some lessons to be learned. He had been so comfortable and felt completely in control. Sure, a couple people died and he should have been more discreet with the womenfolk, but he didn’t kill anybody and the women wanted him. None of it was really his fault.

Mostly it was the religion that caused those things. Those little communities go crazy with their religion. Alone, Daniel didn’t think much about religion or gods. He’d been raised on it, though. He knew his Bible inside and out, that much his parents beat into him. When he left home, Daniel swore to never look at that book again. The problem was when he got around religious people, that religion came rushing back to him and scripture fell off his tongue. People always thought he was a preacher and he didn’t dissuade them from that belief. Because… it was useful.

People respected him for his preaching. People gave him power over them for his preaching. People gave him a lot of things for his preaching. Also, when he was preaching, he believed. He felt God lifting him up, leading him to his purpose until he and God were one. His purpose was God’s purpose, they were one and the same.

The main thing was that religion was a quick way for him to achieve his purpose and that was to lead, to control, to run things as he saw fit. Since he was a child, Daniel knew he should lead and be in control. But, he left home at 15 with no education or skills. Hard to run things when no one would give you that opportunity. He had relied heavily on religion to get those opportunities. Things always seemed to go sideways, though. Maybe that was the nature of religion.

The dreams kept coming as Daniel continued across America. The worst ones always involved Tom Silva burning old man Pinch alive in his cabin. Sometimes Pinch came out of the cabin ablaze, screaming at Daniel. Sometimes he stayed in his cabin screaming. Tom was an adult, responsible for his own actions, so Daniel wasn’t responsible for Pinch’s death. Uncomfortable, yes. Pinch was a terrible sinner and brought about his own demise. As much Pinch’s fault as Tom’s. Not Daniel’s fault at all.

He only dreamed once of Sherry. The last time he’d seen her, Sherry was asleep in the hotel room in Ketchikan. He quietly left the room to catch the early morning flight to Seattle. In the dream, she had caught him at the airport and was making a scene. Security became interested and started to approach. Daniel ran out of the airport, but since it was on an island, there was nowhere to run. Not as disturbing as the Pinch dream, but still stressful. She was a silly woman who convinced herself that Daniel was the love of her life. All women were silly. Daniel had yet to meet one that measured up to his standards. Men, too. Everyone was a part player in his life. Daniel was the lead. Of this he was sure.

Perhaps he would stop with the preaching and womanizing. Those two things had led to him fleeing places he’d lived. Maybe it would be best if he found a place to live and work in peace. Get established and take opportunities as they came to him. It would take him longer to fulfill his purpose, but he would eventually have the power he sought.

By the time Daniel got off the bus in Atlanta he had a plan. Go to a small town, find work, get established quietly, and find opportunities. Stay away from religion and women. He got on a south-bound bus headed to Columbus. When the bus made a stop in Woodbury, Daniel got off. He walked over to Ingles Market to get some food. On the bulletin board by the store’s door Daniel saw someone needed a ranch hand. He pulled the notice off the board and walked to the town’s motel.

Daniel preferred talking to people in person so he could read them, but he talked to the rancher, Clive, on the motel phone and they agreed to meet at the market the next morning. Daniel hadn’t slept on a bed since he left Ketchikan. He fell asleep when his head hit the pillow. No dreams.

A skill that Daniel possessed (and didn’t realize he had) was to be a human chameleon. He picked up mannerisms, gestures, and speech of those he was around. It was one of the main reasons people automatically liked him. People are comfortable with someone who reflects themselves. Clive liked Louis immediately. Ten minutes after meeting, Clive and Louis were in Clive’s pickup on the way to his ranch.

“So you were a deckhand on a fishing boat in Alaska, eh? What brings you down to Georgia?”

“Ah, you know, Clive, it was nice and I liked the work, but cold and dark. I’ma ready for some Georgia warmth.” Louis had some twang in his voice, Clive thought maybe Arkansas?

“This town here is Molena. Our ranch is just a couple more miles. That there is the church my family goes to. We don’t have a pastor right now, but we do what we can. You’re more than welcome to come with us on Sundays, if’n you’re a believer.”

Louis was quiet for a moment. “I am that, Clive. ‘If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer’.”

“That’s a fact. I know that scripture. Matthew, isn’t it? You sound like you might have some preaching in your background.”

“Matthew 21:22. I’ve done some speaking for the Lord, Clive.”

“Woo! You might be the answer to our prayers. My wife is gonna love you!”