Going Home 2: A Saint's Tale

Chapter 12

The morning had continued with washing, chopping, loading dehydrators and canning jars until Saint was relieved when Tul announced lunch was ready. With a sigh and a smile, he glanced at Perth only to see anxiety evident. Saint paused.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently but Perth still jerked slightly startled.

"Umm, yeah. Fine. I'm fine." Perth peeked at Saint. He was clearly not fine.

"Can I help?" Again Saint's voice was soft and gentle. He had no idea what was setting Perth off but something clearly was. Perth just shook his head and headed toward Tul who had lunch set out in the shade.

"Miri, go get Daddy Max, please." Perth stiffened a bit further at Tul's request. Which didn't go unnoticed.

'Was Perth nervous about Max?' Saint wondered. Max could be intimidating for some people but Perth had been okay with him at the Little Cabin previously. It would be something to watch for.

Tul was happily serving up salad and BBQ sandwiches made with canned venison. It looked weird but tasted good.

As Perth and Saint finished getting their plates,Max walked back through the tree line with Miri and Unicorn perched happily on his shoulders. As he swung Miri down, he growled on her belly, "I am staaarrrvvving!" Miri shrieked and started laughing.

Saint and Tul laughed along but Perth was lost in thought. Eye brows furrowed. Lip chewed. Saint glanced at him and his smile slipped. Perth was seriously thinking and he didn't seem to be happy about his thoughts.

Saint reached over and squeezed his hand, softly whispering, "Perth? It's okay. You're safe."

The look Saint recieved was a strange mixture of accepted comfort, fear and anxiety. He'd never seen anything like it in anyone's eyes before.

Max and Tul, missing the moment between Saint and Perth, were discussing garden yields and numbers of jars canned and dehydrated.

Perth took a firm grip on Saint's hand then cleared his throat. Loudly. Awkwardly. Max and Tul turned toward him.

"Yes, Perth?" Tul asked as he idly stroked Miri's hair affectionately.

Perth opened his mouth but the words seemed lodged in his throat. He looked down and tried again.

"I-I ..." His voice failed again and he began shake. Saint moved closer to him on the bench.

"It's okay, Perth. No one will hurt you here. I promise." Saint smiled kindly as Perth looked at him with almost panicky eyes. "It's okay." His tone was low, soft, smooth.

Perth drew in a shaky breath. "O-okay." He looked at Max. "They said you didn't want me to see the cabin. Why? Did I do something wrong?" His voice was unsure and almost a whisper but he got it out.

Max's mouth almost fell open. "No, you didn't, Perth. I worry about anyone knowing where we are. I've already run into... problems with people."

Perth relaxed a tiny bit. "I want to stay. Is that okay?"

Max nodded. "Yes. I don't have a problem with you staying."

Perth's breathing eased a bit. "I want to tell you about me. But I want to give you something first." Perth raised his head and looked at Saint who smiled, encouraging him to continue. "I think... I think I can get the electricity going again for you."

Max and Tul froze. Dumbfounded. "How?" was Tul's question.

"Solar or hydro possibly." Perth nodded to himself. "Both of the cabins are good candidates for solar. Clear space nearby for the panels. I haven't see the river so I don't know how far it is or how fast the river flows but it's a possibility providing I can find the panels and other equipment." The more he talked about the specifics of getting electricity to the cabins, the stronger his voice became. "But there is a problem." His voice crashed into uncertainty again. He had everyone's undivided attention.

"Some people will do anything to get the power back on." His hand was shaking as he held Saint's even tighter. His breathing began to accelerate.

"It's okay, Perth. Take your time. Can you breathe for me? Slow and steady." Perth looked up at Saint's calm, deep breaths and tried to mimic them.

Max and Tul shared a look as Saint helped Perth push back the anxiety that was threatening to become a panic attack.

For a moment, all Perth could see was the bar of light coming from under the door in the closet. Saint's voice gently lead him back to the now. To the sunshine. To the open air.

"I'm sorry. I-" Perth was so embarrassed. It was okay to be vulnerable in front of Saint. In front of Max and Tul, it just made him feel weak. Like he was a liability.

"It's okay. We understand. There's nothing to be sorry about, Perth." Max's voice was matter-of-fact but, oddly, it helped.

Perth's voice was shaky and not much more than a whisper but he could be heard. "I was a third year apprentice at the electric company when the pandemic hit. My whole life I've been interested in energy and machines. There was a solar house I found. I got it working again but I never thought about people seeing the lights. I never thought about people hearing the music. I never thought about people being bad."

Saint slowly reached out and held Perth without interrupting him. Just giving him support. Perth relaxed against Saint a little.

"They - " Perth looked Miri and paused. "They were not nice to me. They wanted several blocks lit up like Las Vegas. I can't do that. I don't know how. They decided if they locked me in the dark and didn't feed me, I'd give in. A house at a time I could do but they didn't want that. I managed to escape but I don't want that to happen to any of you. Having electricity can be dangerous if someone else wants it." Perth was shaking. He couldn't help it. He couldn't stop it. Saint whispered words of praise and encouragement in his ear. It helped.

Max and Tul were shocked. No wonder Perth was in such bad shape.

Miri had watched the entire conversation. She wasn't really sure what they were talking about but she knew Perth was upset and unhappy. She walked over, crawled up into his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. He snuggled her in, resting his cheek on her head and leaned into Saint. Slowly, his shaking subsided.

Nobody said anything. Each was afraid to disturb the moment. Max quietly held Tul's hand as his thoughts raced. A quick squeeze and he let go. A kiss on Tul's cheek and he went back into the cabin. Reaching on top of the kitchen cabinets, he groped around a bit until he found what he was looking for. He looked at it, nodded to himself and went back outside.

He knelt in front of the trio cuddled together. "Perth?"

Perth opened his eyes. Max could see the pain and fear. "This is yours, I believe?" Max was smiling. In his hand was a hammer.

~♡~♡~♡~

Happy New Year, Everyone! May 2022 be kinder and healthier for us all.
With Love,
❤🍫🫖❤