Godless by Pete Hautman

Author:Pete Hautman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: 2004-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

AND SO IT CAME TO BE THAT A GROUP OF DISCIPLES SET FORTH TO SPREAD THE WORD OF THE TEN-LEGGED ONE THROUGHOUT THE LAND, AND THEY CALLED THEMSELVES CHUTENGODIANS, AND FOR A TIME THE OCEAN WAS CONTENT.

* * *

17

I watch the worshippers arrive.

First there is Dan, who shows up a predictable ten minutes early. He strolls up the slope, tips his head back to gaze upward at the majesty of the Ten-legged One, then sits down on one of the leg bases to wait. He does not see me.

A few minutes later, Magda and Henry arrive together. Henry is carrying a large backpack. Magda is dressed in black jeans and a halter top. Having recently drawn a picture of her wearing far less than that, I feel as if I can see right through her clothing. Interesting. But why is she with Henry? Maybe they ran into each other—they both live on the same side of town. Dan sees them and walks over. I can’t hear what they say.

At exactly midnight, they are looking around, probably wondering where I am. They move closer and I hear Dan say, “He probably went to get Shin.” Henry says something in a low voice and Magda laughs. I feel myself clench up. I don’t know what Henry said, but I don’t like that Magda thought it was funny.

“I’m hot,” Magda complains. “It must still be in the eighties.”

“I bet it’s in the nineties,” says Dan.

They are right underneath me now.

“We might as well go up,” Henry says. “There’ll be a nice breeze up top.”

“How do we do it?” asks Dan.

“Piece a cake. I’ll show you.”

Magda says, “Let’s wait a couple minutes. I’m sure they’ll be here.”

“They can get up on their own. Jay knows how.”

“It’ll be more fun if we all go up together.”

I see a ghostly, pale figure approaching from the south, moving slowly, dejectedly, like a man walking to his own funeral. Shin.

“You guys can wait,” Henry says. “I’m going up.” He starts for the leg.

“Hold on a sec, Henry,” I say.

Henry jumps like he’s been goosed, looking around wildly for the source of my voice.

“I’m up here,” I say.

They all look up and find me sitting cross-legged on the small landing at the bottom of the spiral staircase. Shin stops a few yards behind them. He is wearing his X-men pajamas.

“How’d you get up there?” Magda asks.

“I flew.”

“Is Shin with you?” Dan asks.

“He’s right behind you.”

They turn and look.

Henry says, “What’s that you got on, Schinner?” He laughs. “Are those pajamas?”

“The First Keeper of the Sacred text,” Shin says, “can wear whatever the hell he wants.”

“Oh yeah? What if the High Priest has a problem with that?”

I don’t want this to go any further, so I yell, “Look out below!” They all jump back and I shove the rope ladder off the landing. It clatters and flops and swings back and forth: a fourteen-foot-long rope ladder with wooden rungs, constructed in my garage only hours ago.

“The Ten-legged One wishes you all to climb in comfort and safety,” I say.

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