Hybrid Trilogy

Chapter 7 New Directions

At the church in Alfold, after much soul searching and some sleepless long nights spent deep in thought and meditation farther Berisford, in the small vicarage cottage set in the grounds of the church, in the study, a small dusty book filled room, sat at his desk, set in front of a led casement window that looked out at the church where he wrote all his sermons, and began to write the most difficult letter he had ever had to write, to the bishop of Guildford. he felt the only way forward was to renounce his holy orders. As in order to take on the challenge laid down by the white Angel, he needed to be free as it were from the constraints of the church, to take up missionary work as James Berisford. Again, in the last sermon he gave at Sunday Mass, he spoke passionately about not standing in judgment of those who felt the need to change their path in order to help their fellow man and extolled the virtues of missionary work.

When James was summoned to the Abbey to speak with the bishop, he was able to secure some work in Guildford, in a home that was run by the church, helping the poor the destitute and abandoned. One of his charges, was a 2-year-old by the name of Henry, he befriended the boy and took great care of him, helping him through life, teaching him in the ways of the church, the boy who had been left by his birth mother on the door step of the mission, as a new born was unwittingly grateful for James's help and support.

Barbara the cook at the mission, was a buxom young-looking lady of 35, with auburn hair, found James's compassion for Henry and his situation a huge attraction, she was equally taken with his commitment to his religion and in fact commended him for realising that he could better serve God as a missionary in the wider community. Over time James fell in love and married Barbara, and she bore him a son and he too was named James, he and Henry became firm friends, and as James junior grew older, James senior imparted to his son the charge laid down by the white Angel Darius, saying that he too needed to take up the charge and in turn tell his children, and told how Henry was in fact Georges son, and so James junior told his son who told his son and so on.