― Spanish Proverb
Survival Garden
September was warmer than usual because of solar storms that delayed autumn colours but extended our growing season. We were out in our vegetable garden with the Cliffords the next morning with everything seemingly back to normal.
I say, 'seemingly', because who knows what normalcy is when you've spent the night sleeping between two women after being attacked by demons?
After the events of last night, it's a wonder we got any rest at all. We all ended up huddled together around the fire for warmth with the storm raging outside and within, all of us feeling violated and vulnerable.
Yeah, not exactly a normal morning after, but a damn sight more mundane than battling the Beast and his grotesque goblins.
We paused for a break as we usually did midway through the morning when out of the blue Frank turned to me and asked casually, "everything okay today?"
I feigned nonchalance. "Yeah, the storm didn't do much damage—just a few downed branches."
"I meant the storm inside the house, Zach. I haven't been totally up front with you. Helen and I pastor a small church and run a mission for homeless people in Bobcaygeon. We know in our spirits when something is off and I can tell something's off here. I can almost smell demons, so if you need help, we're here."
I was taken back by Frank's directness. He literally gagged me with his straight-forward manner. I was silent a few moments but felt I owed him an answer.
"I'll take your offer into consideration, Frank, but tell me, did you just happen to notice our garden going to seed, or did you use that as an excuse to make a connection with us?"
Frank chuckled, "It was exactly the way we told you. We didn't view you as our pet project, or some kind of mission field. We honestly wanted to repay you for the produce we took and thought we might benefit each other. But truth is, believers are regarded with suspicion by the government and are almost treated as disloyal. It's not like that. I think the government itself is being duped and that's why we're reluctant to take the vaccine—it’s not a loyalty test but somehow there's something evil going on behind the scenes and we're just being careful."
"Good to know," I smiled, "I'll talk it over with the girls tonight and get their input, but whether or not we're all on the same page about our beliefs, at least we can help each other."
It was hard keeping Frank and Helen at arm's length, but it was also difficult to know who to trust. I owed it to the girls to involve them in this decision.
If the Clifford's were who they claimed, they'd be more than just friends—they’d be real allies. It was one thing to have Breton as our cover but he was limited to operating remotely.
On the other hand, having allies here with us on the ground would strengthen our position. Besides, the Clifford's seemed to know a whole lot more about spiritual warfare than we did and could be a real asset in that area.
Regardless, I knew what the subject of our discussion would be when the three of us planned strategy later in the evening.