The Kingdom Land by Bart Tuma

Author:Bart Tuma [Tuma, Bart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: life, death, christian, christ, farm, fulfilment, religion, montana, plague, western, rape, doubts, baby, drought, farming, dreams, purpose
Publisher: Double Edge Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

It wasn’t long before Erik was behind the wheel of the giant diesel watching the plow’s shovel digging deep and breaking the soil. He twisted sideways in the seat that did not turn and found his familiar spot. In this spot, he could watch the plow and at the same time see what lay ahead. In the midst of his hatred of the land, it gave him purpose. His task was to keep the plow tracking flush to the previous row. It was routine. It was easy, and he glanced to the rest of the farm. The only sign of life was the shadow of the tractor that churned round after round making no obvious difference except to raise more dust to choke the air. The sun was Erik’s only companion and that was the way he wanted it that day.

In normal years Erik plowed the land in hope for a bumper crop for that year and the next. This year the crops didn’t need plowing, but only rain. The crops had long ago dried brown to match the land. Erik churned the soil anyway because that was what he was sent to do. Almost in defiance to the sun he methodically traced smaller and smaller circles around the field. Erik moved the tractor like a soldier on guard pacing before a destroyed village, not knowing why he was there but doggedly continuing his assigned task.

He had followed the same path and the same routine for the past eleven years. Little had changed for those years, until last weekend. It seemed like more had changed in the past week than in the past eleven years combined. That day he was satisfied to merely plow and let the sound of the tractor drown out his thoughts.

God, I wish I could get a crash course in how you work and what this all means. It seemed so simple when I was talking to John that first day at the Glacier.

When I was talking to John, I had a mom. I know she wasn’t much of a parent, and I can’t remember ever talking with her, but she was a parent. In my mind I still had someone I could call Mom. I felt like I belonged to someone. Now I’m an orphan. An orphan that doesn’t belong to anyone.

And Laura meant there was a chance to be with someone. Now, I don’t have a clue what to think of Laura. I dreamt of her so often in the bunkhouse that it’s strange that she is someone real now. If my meeting her at the Point was part of Your plan it would be nice to know that for sure. Maybe it was just an accident, but I’ll need a lot of time in the bunkhouse to sort this out. I hope You don’t mind listening.

Instinctively, or by God’s nudge, Erik didn’t want to tell anyone about Laura. It was too complicated for him to even know what to say. He had never been around women, other than Aunt Mary, let alone try to figure them out.

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