The Green Rising

Chapter Ten

I slammed the car door and took a step toward the church. I could still change my mind in regards to my Rebirth and leave Professor Weaver hanging, the thought having crossed my mind several times in the past twenty-four hours. A well-deserved A had appeared on my grade card a few weeks ago and there was nothing attaching me to the professor. Well, nothing except for a major crush on a man who wouldn’t reciprocate my feelings.

I stopped in my tracks, pausing one more time to reconsider what I was about to do – but I would proceed with my plan, so I took another step forward onto the unplowed parking lot of the church. My feet sank into the snow, cold spilling over the sides of my tennis shoes and dampening my socks.

Mad Max, Father Xavier, Ericka, and her sponsor were congregated in the lobby, deep in a discussion that was silenced by my entrance. Mad Max was the first to greet me as I stamped the snow off my shoes. He also asked me if I was ready for the challenge of this weekend.

I lied.

Father Xavier led Ericka and me to the hall, while Mad Max and Rachel followed closely behind as we approached the altar. Two white satin robes were draped over the sides of the podium and two pitchers along with two loaves of bread sat on the table beside it.

“Max, please come forward to offer your first gift so your pledge may begin her ceremony for Rebirth,” said Father Xavier as he stepped up to the altar. I hadn’t realized that it would begin so quickly.

Max shuffled forward to the podium, grabbed the robe on the left, and said, “Lily, this is the first of my gifts. May it give you warmth in the days ahead and purify your soul.” He handed me the robe, and then the process was repeated with Rachel and Ericka.

Father Xavier began to chant. “Winter’s coldness seeks to dethrone. An ocean dried, a land deposed. A spirit wandering, and alone. Lily and Ericka, do you accept your gift to protect you from winter’s coldness?” Father Xavier asked as he looked from me to Ericka.

After we accepted the robes, the priest asked our sponsors to retrieve our second gift, the pitchers of water. “An ocean dried. Do you accept this gift of water to quench you in times of thirst and to wash away your troubles?”

The loaf of bread was offered to us upon our acceptance of the water. “A land deposed. Do you accept this offering of bread to sustain you through hardship and to nourish your heart and soul?”

Finally, the priest reached into his podium and removed two books. “A spirit wandering and alone. Do you accept my gift of Songs of the Earth to serve as your compass and your friend so you are never left wandering or alone?”

Upon receiving the final offering, we were instructed to go into the locker room to change into our robes. At their insistence, we removed all of our clothing with the exception of our underwear. Socks and jewelry were forbidden during rebirth as were cell phones, watches, or anything that may be used to keep time or communicate with the outside world. I pulled the robe over my head then stuffed my clothing, jewelry, and purse into a locker, securing it with a padlock that I had brought from home.

“Are you as nervous about this as I am?” Ericka asked as we were returning to the altar.

“I am a little bit, but I’m trying to think of it as me hibernating and being with God for a couple of days.”

“I guess that’s a good way to look at it, but I don’t care much for the dark, and three days of it are going to be tough on me.”

“Three more days to be Reborn into the church. We spent nine months in the womb. Three days. That’s it.”