“Don’t shoot!” Adam yelled in panic. “That’s my dad!”
For what seemed like forever, Adam watched the two men stare at one another, measuring each other. Adam’s father, completely stunned by the presence of the newcomer, recovered quickly. He finally smiled and nodded. “We weren’t expecting company,” he casually commented. He idly began brushing at his flannel shirt.
The man in blue slowly lowered his machine gun. “I won’t trouble you. I just wanted a refill for my canteen.”
Adam suddenly remembered there was a stream only two hundred yards from the house. This man must have passed it on his way in. Was he lying about the water? Was it a trap, after all?
“We have a pump up near the house,” Adam’s dad mentioned. “You’re welcome to drink your fill, stranger.”
The man in blue gazed at Adam, then his father. “You two are quite a match. The same hair, the same eyes, even the same brown shirt and jeans.”
“Adam is my pride and joy,” Adam’s father said proudly.
“I like to do things the way my dad does them,” Adam chimed in.
“It’s good,” the man commented, “to have a family, people you know will love you no matter what.”
“Don’t you have any children?” Adam asked.
The man in blue shook his head. “Not yet.”
“You do have a family, don’t you?” Adam innocently inquired.
“Adam!” his father interrupted. “Don’t ask so many questions. It’s not polite.”
“I don’t mind,” the man said. “Yes, Adam, I do have a family. A very big Family.”
“I’m forgetting my manners,” Adam’s dad said. He shifted his axe from his right hand to his left, then extended his right as he walked up to the newcomer. “My name is Seth Mason. This is my son, Adam. That songbird you hear is my wife, Gail.”
Adam watched the two men shake hands, and he wondered why his dad glanced down at their grip, apparently surprised by something.
“Follow me and we’ll get you that water,” Seth offered.
The man in blue followed Seth around the barn. As they passed Adam, his mouth dropped open. What in the world! On the back of the stranger’s shirt, stitched into the very fabric, was the black silhouette of a skull.
What did it all mean?
Adam jumped from the railing and darted after the two men, keeping a close watch in case the man in blue might try to harm his parents.
The house was located thirty yards from the front of the barn, which faced due east. The Mason log home was a modest affair, only one story, with four rooms: the kitchen, a spacious main room for eating and family activities, a large bedroom for the parents, and another one about half as big for their son.
The water pump was situated ten yards from the front porch.
Seth Mason stepped to one side as the man in blue walked up to the pump.
Adam ran over to his father and stood beside him.
The stranger removed a canteen from a green case affixed to the back of his belt. He leaned his machine gun against the pump and started working the handle.
Almost immediately, fresh water cascaded from the spout onto the ground. The man placed his open canteen under the spray of water and started to fill it.
Adam saw his mother emerge from the house, wiping her hands on a white towel, her green eyes anxiously fixed on the stranger at the pump.
Her long red hair was tied into a pony tail, and she was wearing her yellow blouse and jeans, as well as her knee-high black boots. She stopped at the edge of the porch, still staring at the man in blue.
“Seth…” Gail Mason said, her tone sounding worried.
“There’s no problem,” Seth promptly assured his wife. “Just a man who’s thirsty, is all.”
The man in blue straightened and nodded at Gail Mason. “Mrs. Mason. You have a fine son and a nice home.” He screwed the cap onto the canteen and replaced it in its green case.
Gail frowned as the man retrieved his machine gun.
“Thank you for the water,” he said, gazing at each of them in turn.
Without another word, he wheeled and walked off.
Adam watched him go, feeling inexplicably upset. He liked this peculiar stranger and wanted to get to know him better, but he knew how his father felt about people they didn’t know, which made it all the more surprising when his dad took a few steps forward and raised his right arm.
“Wait a minute!” he shouted.
“Seth!” Adam’s mom whispered. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Seth glanced at Gail. “Trust me on this, honey.” He looked back at the man in blue, who was calmly standing twenty feet away, watching them.
Adam could plainly see his mother was unhappy about something.
“We’re just about to sit down to our midday meal,” Seth annonced. “We have more than enough. You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”
The man in blue came toward them, his gaze resting the entire time on Adam’s mother. He stopped at the pump. ‘I’ll join you if it’s okay with you,” he stated directly to Gail Mason.
Adam saw his mom get a funny look in her eyes. She swallowed hard and nodded. “It’s fine by me. Just don’t track dirt on my carpet.” She whirled and entered the house.
The man grinned and motioned for Seth and Adam to precede him up the steps.
Seth took Adam’s right hand and led him onto the porch and into their log home, walking to the dinner table, where Gail was waiting with a large dish in her hands.
Adam, perplexed, watched the man in blue cautiously enter the house, acting as if he expected to be attacked. He moved to the left of the door as soon as he was inside, his back to the wall, his machine gun held level with his waist and pointed at one of the bedroom doorways. The man carefully studied every piece of furniture in the room, then crossed to the bedrooms and peered inside both of them, evidently satisfying himself they were empty. He did likewise with the kitchen, then stepped to the head of the dinner table and stood behind the one chair affording a complete view of the main room, the bedroom doorways, and the front door. Adam knew that was the chair his dad usually used, and he wondered why his father didn’t say something about it. Instead, his dad took the chair at far end of the table. Adam opted for the chair to the left of the man in blue, leaving his mother the seat on the other side of the table.
“You can have a seat,” Gail said. “I’ll dish it out for you.”
The man sat down, positioning his machine gun in his lap.
“I don’t think you’ve told us your name,” Seth politely remarked.
“My name is Yama,” the man in blue revealed.
“Yama?” Adam giggled. “That’s a weird name! I’ve never heard that name before.”
Adam’s mother, in the process of scooping mashed potatoes onto their individual plates, visibly tensed.
“How old are you, Adam?” Yama softly inquired.
Adam sat up, tall and straight. “Eight,” he said, trying to deepen his voice as he spoke.
A barely perceptible grin touched Yama’s face.
“Adam,” Seth stated sharply. “What have I told you about lying?”
Adam squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. “Well, I’ll be eight in a month. Isn’t that close enough?”
“Close enough for me,” Yama commented, watching Gail ladle out some peas. “You certainly are mature for your age, but there’s something you haven’t learned yet.”
What’s that?” Adam questioned.
“That just because something is new or different, something you’ve never encountered before, doesn’t make it weird. A man learns to keep an open mind about things, to rely on his common sense and the guidance of the Spirit within him. Do you understand?”
Adam nodded. “I think so,” he replied, as his parents exchanged puzzled expressions. “I’m sorry I made fun of your name, but where did you ever get a name like Yama?”