Children of Paradise A Novel by Fred D'Aguiar

Author:Fred D'Aguiar
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2014-02-18T00:00:00+00:00

On another trip to the commune, he gives the wheel to his first mate and devotes his time to composing another letter, this time not to Joyce but to the preacher, and in his best handwriting.

Dear Reverend:

I write to request your kind permission to visit the commune to see the miracle of the settlement you and your followers have created. As you know I have served as boatman to your commune from its early days of construction to its habitation and to the present day. As you are aware I ferried the first expeditionary group to the interior and traveled back and forth with raw materials and saw the commune grow from a clearing to a community of buildings. The first planeload of community members sailed on my boat, and though every boat in the vicinity was commissioned to convey the group to the location, it was my sturdy craft that worked around the clock to help establish the community.

If there is any doubt about my reliability, then I should be dismissed forthwith from the privilege of doing any more business with your community, but if this letter contains a shred of truth about the beginnings of the commune and my relationship to it, then I know you will agree with me in saying that I deserve an audience with you, the spiritual leader of the community.

Sincerely,

Captain Aubrey Bryant

The captain licks the envelope, seals it, and writes across the front Attention: The Reverend and hands it to Eric as he disembarks at the commune’s dock.

The captain’s letter is delivered to the preacher, duly read, and consigned to the bundle of letters from the captain to Joyce in a larger pile of mail withheld from commune members placed on probation because of the unwelcome interest shown them by relatives in the U.S. or because the followers appeared less than enthusiastic about life at the commune. All incoming mail, no matter the addressee, undergoes careful scrutiny. If anything appears in a letter that obliquely criticizes the commune or seeks to entice a member away from the community or contains news deemed too upsetting to impart to the follower or offers information about the outside world that might capture the attention of the person and subtract from the total attention that must be paid to matters pertaining to the commune, that piece of mail never makes it to the name on the envelope but sits in the dead pile, waiting to grow to a size worthy of a trip to the incinerator, which covers just about every piece of mail addressed to every member of the commune.

The preacher refuses to see the captain. He relays a verbal message to the captain delivered by Eric.

—The preacher told me to tell you that you can keep up your work for the commune as a boatman, or you can quit and the commune will procure (that’s the preacher’s word, not mine) the services of another captain and boat.

The captain cannot believe what he hears. He struggles to remain calm.

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