EDENVILLE

And It Came To Pass

By @lyttlejoe

'Bess you've been out of the business a while. Folks aren't lookin' for redemption at this time and their faith isn't shaky. This is revival time and Brother Redemption becomes Brother Revival. By the way, let's not use first names - Buck was my unfortunate brother taken by a policeman's bullet while fleeing with the savings of a Mothers of the Bulrush ritual meeting.'
On to the stage they burst in a blaze of lights and music. The overwhelmed crowd applauded instinctively as Brother Revival implored them to join the choir singing, He walks on water!
'And ain't it just like him, Brothers and Sisters! To show us the path - that path we all want to follow! A path of sharing and what better time than this time now - this week - to share with your Brothers and Sisters? To give generously to those among us who need - those unfortunate sinners that couldn't follow that path but sank - yes, my friends, sank because they couldn't believe!
Angels danced in the aisles, waving their silver bowls and blessing all who filled them with bills.
'Yes bless you all, Brothers and Sisters, He has reached that other bank and stands firmly on the solid ground of promise. Join Him! Share that strength share generously with your unfortunate Brothers and Sisters. Shout Hall-ay-loo-yah!'
Seized by an uncontrollable passion, Dobbs deftly avoided the collection bowls and bearing Dipsy in a fireman's lift, bolted for the door. A voice cried, 'What are you doing? Where are you going?'
With a mile wide grin Porter replied, "I'm off to Doodle Dipsy! Hall-ay-loo-yah!'
********
Mayor Maynot stayed crouched behind his office desk while Reverend Smidge paced back and forth complaining about the Evangelistic huckster stealing his congregation this week of all times.
'You have to do something! Arrest him! Run him out of town!'
"Not too charitable, Cuffy.'
'Charity begins at home - Pinky.'
"Indeed. Could we do this another time perhaps, I have a very busy uhm- schedule.'
'You are a joke as mayor, might as well have- have . . . Billie the waitress.'
The door slammed and Billie came out of the Mayor's cupboard.
'Do you think he knows, Pinky?'
Mayor Maynot stood up, struggling with the garment she had brought for their little celebration.
'I doubt it. Damn it, Billie this poncho needed to be a lot bigger, I nearly didn't get my head out of the hole.'
'It's a tree skirt, Pinky . . . it was for the office tree - to protect it.'
Pinky stared . . . silently.
******
Samuel Kemp poured two foamy pints for the pub's only customers. Tobias Dobbs and Tom, the mystery lodger above Fudge's store.
'Last call gents. I need to go home and reconsider my future. The Tiki Bar has pretty much tapped all my customers.'
'Well here's to a happier New Year, Samuel. One where I don't have to contend with my nephew.'
Mugs clinked.
'Young Porter? What's he done now?'
'Apparently carted off that Doodle girl for an assignation and fell over some contraption that Boffinski fella invented for scraping gum off the cobblestones. Girl's okay but Porter has a nose that looks like a ripe Oca.'
'At least it's a Christmas colour.' Tom nodded sympathetically and swigged his beer.
********
A weary moon shrugged its way across the star littered sky, offering its own prayer for dawn to hurry on - Edenville was too much even for these celestial occupants.