Three Converts

Part 7

"Okay," I agreed. If Franklin saw me talking with Griffin, he would know I was at least making an effort, and not report anything to the contrary to his Father. I held up my lunch. "I'll share."

Griffin smiled hugely and I could have sworn a cedar scent emitted as he did so. "Deal."

"Let's go this way," I gestured the opposite direction of Franklin, and set off post haste, assuming Griffin could keep up. We agreed to stop on a bench in a little park. "Who's watching your booth?" I asked. Griffin was making himself at home with my lunch. With a mouthful, he explained, "Nobody. I put out a 'Be back soon' sign."

"Aren't you worried things will get stolen?"

"Nah. People around here are pretty honest. And if they take something, they take something. I'd be sort of flattered."

I smiled as his blasé attitude. I really should begin talking with him about why he should give his life to Diety, but it was so nice to have a normal conversation for a change, I couldn't resist a bit of small talk first. "Do you make all your products by yourself?" Griffin's smile widened even more. "I do, " he answered proudly. What would it be like to have work I'm proud of? I wondered.

Sighing, I began, "Let me tell you how giving my life to Diety has enriched my life..." It was a rarity to have a person's undivided attention. I didn't want to blow this. I tried to be animated and engaging, to convey excitement and passion. To his credit, Griffin seemed very attentive. So attentive, he forgot to save me any food, in fact. Fine with me. It was worth an afternoon of hunger if I could land my final convert. When my little speech was over, I smiled widely. "Do you have any questions, Griffin?" ("Always use their name, if you know it!" I could hear Sophie telling me.)

"How many conversions have you made so far?" I flinched in surprise. How did he know there was a conversion count? I would expect the townspeople to know that, but...

"Do you live in town?" I may have sounded a little accusatory, so I softened my tone, "I've never seen you before."

His smile sagged for a split second. "Hey, who's asking the questions here?" he chided.

I put my hands up, "Fair enough! Um." I supposed I had to give him an honest answer. "Two. I've made two."

"Ah. So, you're pretty desperate for me, huh?"

"What?" I sputtered. "Don't flatter yourself!" Who did this guy think he was? Even if he did smell amazing and was kind and cute, and easy to talk to... I yanked my lunch bag from his hands and peered in pointedly. "And you ate all my food!" This was no way to woo a potential convert, but this was not a traditional pitch.

Griffin laughed. "I really am sorry about that. I was so enthralled in your sales pitch I just..." he trailed off and shrugged sheepishly.

"Enthralled?" Ohmygosh. Was I going to make my third conversion today after all? I gave Sophie's glass a tap. The day had started out awful, but maybe it would end with celebration!

"Well, interested might be a better word. I've always been sort of interested in your commune up there." He stuck his thumb at the mountain. "The logic behind the conversions, and stuff. Is it true you get shunned if you don't make three conversions before you turn twenty?" It sounded so harsh on the lips of an outsider.

I twisted my mouth, trying to decide how to answer. Griffin looked genuinely curious, which I appreciated so much I sort of wanted to cry. I nodded at him. "Our purpose on this earth is to convert people to Diety. The council has to put a hard number on that or else we'll get lazy about it. Three converts over twenty years is actually quite reasonable."

"But why by the age of twenty? Why not forty or eighty?"

"The sooner the better. Again, it keeps us from being lazy. If we have eighty years to make conversions, we might wait until we're seventy-five, living off the commune without having earned our keep. Or, we might die without having achieved any conversions. Plus, there would be a lot more of us down here, fighting over souls."

"Some souls aren't worth fighting over."

"Yours is."

Griffin inspected me with his maple eyes. He gave me a big sigh. "I have to get back to work, Lucy. Who knows what hardened criminal has pocketed my jewelry boxes already?" I cursed myself. Leave it to me to screw this up when he'd been so interested. I stood.

"Maybe come back tomorrow and we can talk more?" I couldn't believe my ears. Nobody ever wanted to talk more!

"Of course!" I practically jumped in the air. "Yes! I'll meet you at your booth! I can't wait!" Reign it in, Lucy! I scolded myself. Griffin chuckled. He tossed my empty lunch bag into a nearby trash can, making the shot easily.

"Okay. Lunch will be on me."