When Brother Timoteo stepped into the conference room adjacent to the Office of International Services the following morning where all of the remaining twenty-two prospective members were assembled, some of them were bothered and others were delighted.
“Good morning. I am Brother Timoteo, and I’m substituting for Sister Ruth who is sick today.”
Shawn had been taught by his parents and his church to dislike men with long hair, even to suspect them of evil, just as he had been taught to automatically respect and trust a clean-cut man wearing a suit and tie. He was also aware that most of the men who had chased him around his home town had been wearing suits and ties.
But Brother Timoteo was standing in front of him with dignity and confidence, in all ways clean and neat, his golden brown hair flowing unpretentiously across his shoulders. And he was a respected member of Lyceum, and an experienced diplomat.
If there is something so terrible about long hair, Father, than why didn’t our Lord Jesus cut his?
“As soon as I got this assignment last evening, I spent some time reading your files. This is a very interesting group indeed, with a diverse collection of skills and experience, and much promise in the diplomatic area.”
Ashley could have sworn that he glanced at her purposefully for a moment.
She couldn’t imagine why.
“So let’s get started. About two decades ago, when Lyceum was young, it applied to the United Nations for Non-Governmental Organization status. It had some extra resources, and a few people willing to go to trouble spots in the world and distribute those resources. No big deal, at least so far. Lots of charity organizations do that.
“But it so happened that we trained our people so well, and wherever we went took with us such high ethical standards, that we soon had General Assembly delegates coming down to our little office for advice, or to commission an arbitrator or a researcher for some little issue.
“After a few years of experience at those kinds of tasks, during which we continued to upgrade and broaden our skills and standards, the Secretary General began calling us up for mediators or diplomatic assistants for very major situations. By that time we needed a bigger office!”
Everyone
chuckled.
“Then, six years ago, the Security Council created its Advisory Seats.
They’re not widely publicized in order to minimize the political pressures upon those who fill them. Lyceum was the second organization asked to sit in one of those seats for a one year term, and that request has been renewed every year since. So today, the Security Council of the United Nations, the most powerful decision-making body on the planet, consists of the seven permanent member nations, the rotating members, and effectively one permanent advisor... Lyceum. Is everyone here starting to get a sense of why we are putting you poor people through the meat grinder this week?”
Most everyone nodded solemnly. Liberty remembered telling her father that Lyceum had a world-class feel about it. Now she was sure of it.
“Are all members involved in diplomatic work?” a man asked.
“Yes, either directly or in supporting roles. Remember I said that our people were highly trained? The United Nations has eight levels of diplomatic clearance. Lyceum uses those levels, but adds extra qualifications to the list.
Level One is the courier or mission technical assistant who does not expect to have to deal extensively with the local people. Even for that level, you must have moderate fluency in the language, basic historical and cultural knowledge, at least one month of residency in the area, and demonstrated leadership skills. As you can see, it can take some time to acquire even that
basic clearance. Most members have it after a year or two. All members are engaged in some form of preparation for international service.”
“Do members ever go into combat areas?” a lady asked.
“No. But I would be lying if I denied the fact that wherever there are problems in the world, there are at least a few guns and knives lurking around somewhere. To date one member has been killed and three have been wounded during international missions. It’s one of those things that’s statistically safer than driving to work in the morning, but some danger always does exist.”
The frank and interesting discussion continued for the remainder of the morning, with Brother Timoteo delving into all the different types of international missions, and describing the skills that were needed for each.
To the delight of the group, he also spent some time detailing the experiential, and sometimes material, rewards of diplomatic service. During the last fifteen minutes he gave them a tour of the Office of International Services itself, describing some of the special communications equipment they used and enumerating Lyceum’s world-wide network of planning and mission support offices.
By the end of the session, most of those present who had earlier held biases against the long-haired man had come to respect him greatly. Shawn was not sure he had ever met anyone with so much intelligence... and so much calmness of spirit.
All three young people were particularly interested in the afternoon’s topic. Brother Randy Robert and Sister Joan were back to talk about everything that had to do with language classes, foreign residencies, and education at Lyceum in general. It was obviously planned to complement the morning’s theme.
Liberty found herself torn between several languages, but when she asked if she could take more than one at a time, Randy Robert made such a face that she burst out laughing. As the discussion continued, she found that her pilot training would cover her vocational requirements and then some, but she had a hard time deciding what she wanted to take academically.
“All of the classes I’m describing,” the facilitator said at one point in
response to a question about their difficulty, “are college level and earn you transferable credit.”
“But what about me and Ashley who haven’t graduated high school yet?”
Liberty asked, feeling a little puzzled.
“Oh, you’d both be in a G.E.D. class, in addition to whatever else you wanted to take. You already have some college credit through Lyceum, don’t you Ashley?”
Ashley remembered that she got a little for her first evaluation week, and then quite a bit for the French class. “Yeah, some. So we can keep earning college credit, even before we finish our G.E.D.’s?”
“Yes. Now to finish with this train of thought, we use the same level system that most universities use. One through four are undergraduate, five and six are postgraduate...”
Ashley discovered there were not one, but two dance classes she wanted to take, in addition to an exercise class that she wanted to use as part of her gymnastics conditioning routine. Sister Joan was saying that any languages people knew should first be brought to a high level of fluency, so Ashley figured she should stay in French. The rest she wasn’t too concerned about, except that she knew she wanted to take history so she would better understand the murals in the Research Center.
“...first comes fluency in a language, then comes foreign residency in one of our offices or some other situation, and those two, combined with appropriate other skills like leadership and teamwork, qualify a member for the diplomatic clearances necessary for international service missions...”
There were so many classes that sounded interesting to Shawn, especially in the sciences, that he knew he wouldn’t be able to fit them all into his schedule. He was glad he could learn to be a Laboratory Reference Technician for his vocational requirement, but had no idea what he should use for his physical education class. He found himself drawn to the languages that would help him understand the scriptures, like Hebrew and Greek. But then he remembered that Latin would help him with both religion and science. It would not be an easy decision, he realized.
As Ashley, Shawn, and Liberty walked together toward the lobby of
Conference Center Two, where the evaluation group was scheduled to engage in role plays, Ashley noticed that Liberty kept lagging behind. Since Ashley was usually having to almost trot to keep up with the tall, long-legged girl, she knew something was wrong. When Liberty finally stopped, pretended to look at a painting on the wall, and rubbed at her stomach, Ashley told Shawn they would catch up and went to stand beside her new friend.
“What is it?” Ashley said, thinking maybe Liberty had eaten something that didn’t agree with her.
When Liberty didn’t speak for several moments, Ashley looked at her. It was then that the gymnast realized her friend didn’t have an upset stomach...
she was scared to death of something.
“What
is it, Liberty? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
In a thin voice, Liberty gasped out, “I’m gonna be history when I get in there, I just know it! I’m gonna slip and say something mean, something from the streets. I can see it coming!”
Ashley put her arm around the shaking girl. “Does your stomach hurt?”
“Yeah. It’s tied in knots, just like when I first arrived and my dad was deciding if I could stay.”
“I know! Me or Shawn can volunteer to be your partner every time you’re up for a role play!”
“Would you really? Oh, never mind. It probably wouldn’t help...”
“Well I’m certainly not going to leave you out here feeling ashamed of something that’s made you strong! Every time you tell me about the streets, I feel like I’ve been a protected little marshmallow who wouldn’t survive alone in a big city for ten minutes. If you don’t go in, I won’t either!”
“Me neither,” Shawn said from behind them.
Liberty turned around and stared at the gentle, religious boy. “You guys are stupid!” she said, and immediately starting crying.
Shawn put his arms around the shaking, sobbing girl. They were about the same height, and Shawn held her close because he knew she desperately needed it. He was also aware that this was the very first time in his life he had embraced a girl anywhere near his age. He wished the circumstances had been different, but he knew moments like this could not be anticipated or planned.
After a minute she relaxed and Shawn released her.
“I guess... we’d better get going or we’ll be late...” Liberty said, trying to dry her eyes with her sleeve.
As they all three strode together toward the meeting place, Ashley shared her idea with Shawn, and he agreed to do his best. When they arrived, they were all glad to discover they were only one minute late and the session hadn’t started. One of the adults even arrived after them.
Brother Randy Robert and Sister Joan were again facilitating, but Ashley wondered who else would wander into the lobby to test their responses. Just as the first role plays were getting started, Ashley whispered into Liberty’s ear,
“Remember, whatever happens, be kind!”
The first two times Liberty had to engage in a role play, Ashley and Shawn were able to volunteer as the other party. The third time, Sister Joan was pretending to have a complaint about the food, and unexpectedly got right into Liberty’s face, ranting and raving. Ashley held her breath... and said a prayer. She could tell Liberty was nervous, but hoped the practice with her and Shawn had helped.
“Um, I’ll tell the cook. Can I get you anything else?”
“No, I don’t want anything else! I just want to get out of this terrible place as fast as I can!”
Shawn closed his eyes. The memory that was being triggered by the scene he was witnessing was almost too painful to bear.
“Well, in that case, I think you’re a... entitled to a refund!”
Ashley breathed, and as soon as Liberty sat back down, squeezed her friend’s hand tightly.
Eight different people wandered into the lobby to create impromptu situations. Shawn helped an old man get to the restroom, and Liberty surprised everyone by knowing sign language when a deaf lady asked her for directions. Ashley was completely avoided, and she figured it was because she already knew their secret.
It was nearly nine o’clock when the role plays ended, and Liberty had kept her cool. All three friends gave each other smiles of appreciation as they got ready to go their separate ways for the remainder of the evening.
“Walk with me to the Clinic?” Ashley said to Liberty after Shawn and
Brother Jacob left together.
“Okay. Did you know there were going to be all those people wandering through, needing this and that kind of help?”
“Uh huh. At least they did it that way last time. But those are always easy.
It’s the facilitators you have to watch out for.”
“You’re not kidding! I had actually thought up a really good name to call Joan when she was giving me shit about the food. Sure glad I didn’t say it!”
“Me
too!”
At that moment they were entering the Healing Arts Clinic. It was very quiet, and no one seemed to be in the waiting room of comfortable chairs and couches in the center of the building.
“What do you need here?” Liberty asked.
“I don’t. You do,” Ashley said.
Having heard them talking, Sister Brenda stepped out of a room. “Hi, Liberty! Hi, Ashley! How are you guys?”
Ashley looked at Liberty for a response.
Liberty was too amazed at the courage of her younger friend to be angry.
If it had been anyone else, in any other situation, she would have been mad as hell. There, at that moment, with Ashley looking at her and the last two days of evaluation week still ahead, a little voice inside her told Liberty that this was the best thing. “Well... um... my stomach’s getting tied up again.”
“Yeah, I can imagine, the closer you get to the end of the week,” Brenda said. “Staying away from coffee?”
“Yeah. It’s just lots of nerves.”
“You know, I bet Sister Marscha might be able to help. She’s our most experienced herbalist and she’s in her office right now.”
“Um... I don’t know. Whatever you say...”
The girls followed Brenda into one of the offices. It was decorated with all sorts of old fashioned jars, instruments, and drawings of strange plants.
Some of the stuff reminded them of the Old West, others appeared to be straight out of medieval China, and still others harkened back to the Greeks and Romans. A couch and two chairs all faced a work table where a short round lady of about forty years sat working. There was a pleasant scent in the air that seemed to be coming from a little pot simmering on a hot plate.
“Sister Marscha, Liberty and Ashley are in the evaluation group. I think Liberty would like a little help with a problem she’s having.”
“Welcome, young ladies. What can I help you with, Liberty?” the herbalist said, rolling her chair around to face them where they had sat down on the couch.
“Well, every time things get tense, my stomach ties itself in knots. I stopped drinking coffee, but it’s still happening.”
“Vomiting?”
“Sometimes.”
“Lie down on the couch, please,” Sister Marscha said. Ashley moved to a chair, and Brenda stepped out to continue her work.
The herbalist placed a gentle hand on Liberty’s stomach, and had her breathe in different ways and describe any pain or other sensations. Then she spent a minute looking at Liberty’s eyes and other parts of her face.
“You’re a very high-energy, high-metabolism person, aren’t you Liberty?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Sixteen?”
“Fifteen.”
“April!” the herbalist called over her shoulder.
A girl of about thirteen emerged from a back room. Ashley had seen her before, but had never had a chance to talk to her. She smiled at the two prospective members.
“I need Ulmas fulva, Rubus idaeus, Mentha piperita, and Myristica fragrans. All for infusing. And the anti-emetic inhaler.”
The girl nodded and disappeared into a back room.
“I don’t think you have an ulcer,” Sister Marscha said to Liberty, “but if you let this kind of thing go on, you’d probably develop one. I can help you with your stomach, but you may have to do some serious thinking about the levels of stress in your life.”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t plan to go through Lyceum evaluation weeks very often!”
Sister Marscha chuckled heartily. “As I remember, my stomach was a wreck during my evaluation week too!”
Sister April brought a tray containing several brown jars and set it on the
work table.
“Thank you. Would you see how Liberty responds to the inhaler while I start an infusion?”
“Okay,” the assistant herbalist said, taking a strange jar with both a large and a small lid from the tray and approaching the couch. “You’ll have to sit up for this,” she said to Liberty.
“What is it?”
“Peppermint, nutmeg, and lavender. If it works for you, we can make you sachets to keep with you. Sometimes we leave the lavender out — it gives some people headaches. Let out all the air in your lungs, and then breathe in through this opening.”
Liberty did, and was amazed at the strength of the aromas in the jar. She could tell all three herbs April had listed were present, but she thought the peppermint and the lavender clashed somewhat.
“How do you feel?”
“I can feel my insides relaxing!”
“Good. Lavender ever give you headaches?”
“Nope.”
“Put the lavender in a separate sachet just in case,” Sister Marscha said, bringing a cup of tea from her work table. “This is peppermint, slippery elm bark, raspberry leaf, and nutmeg. It will give you some protective mucilage and a muscle relaxant, neither of which you’ll get through inhaling.”
Liberty sipped the slightly sweet tea. “It’s slimy!”
“That’s the mucilage. Sip on that while I finish this other work I was doing.”
Liberty sipped on her tea while she and Ashley talked about what was ahead in evaluation week. Liberty decided that the only thing that would give her trouble would be the self-evaluation and final interview. Ashley shared her trepidation over the tests that would be on Saturday morning. They both decided it would be good to get to bed early that night so they would be wide awake for the construction project in the morning.
“So, what’s happening in tummy land?” Sister Marscha asked, rolling her chair over to the couch.
“Completely relaxed, as if it had never happened!” Liberty said.
“Okay. Here’s a jar of your tea mixture, and a steeping spoon. Just fill, close, and pop it into a cup of hot water. Best to take it BEFORE a stressful session.”
April handed her mentor a plastic bag with several little sachets inside stuffed with herbs.
“These are on necklace strings so you can wear them under a blouse during the day,” Sister Marscha continued.
“Thank you!” Liberty said, not knowing what else to say. “Thank you very much!”
“You’re welcome. Evaluation week isn’t the only thing at Lyceum that can be stressful. If you join, keep in touch, and we’ll try to keep this thing under control. Also, we have a doctor who’s very good at spotting more serious stomach and intestine problems.”
The two girls were yawning even as they paused in the Main Lobby to take leave of each other.
“Forgive me for conning you into the Clinic?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah. I have to get used to being told what to do once in awhile. The hardest part is that some of the people who know more than me are years younger!”
Ashley smiled, they slapped hands, and both headed for bed.
On Friday morning, the day before the last day of evaluation week, the group of twenty-one prospective members joined the worship and reflection time in the residence hall named Timbuktu. Liberty noticed that it was the farthest away from the Residential Lobby of all the halls, and thought its name fitting. The short and completely non-verbal service was led by a young man who lit three candles while a disk of pipe organ music played softly in the background. It left Ashley feeling very peaceful and relaxed.
On the way to the Dining Hall, Liberty showed her two friends the sachet necklaces she was wearing under her shirt, and the steeping spoon pre-filled with ‘stomach untying tea’ stuck in her pocket. They both smiled.
After breakfast, the group followed a short little man named Brother Henry to a very formal and well-kept garden on the wide path that led to the Amphitheater.
“This is Sister Rhiannon’s Victorian garden. She would be here herself to introduce you to this project, but she got a chance for a residency in Japan a couple of weeks ago and jumped at it.”
“What happens to someone’s responsibilities when they leave for a residency?” a man asked.
“The Scheduler, who is Brother Don right now, using his plethora of mysterious computer programs that I don’t begin to understand, just reassigns their work and the classes they teach to others. Most people ask friends to take care of their garden, but the Scheduler could do that too in an emergency. We absorb the slack, knowing others will do the same for us when we’re off-campus. My wife and I are looking after Sister Rhiannon’s garden for her.”
He entered the beautiful garden full of neatly trimmed shrubs and flowers of many kinds, with roses predominating. The others followed. “As you can see, a lot of love and care goes into this garden.” In the garden’s center were several pieces of white wrought iron furniture. “Notice the walk-through trellis in the far corner?”
Everyone looked. It appeared to be fairly new, with vines just starting to climb into it, and a brick path going right underneath.
“Sister Rhiannon wants another one over here,” he said, leading the group toward the corner that as yet contained no trellis. “It should be of about the same size, for aesthetic balance, but it should be different in design.”
The group wandered about the proposed construction site, some looking at the layout of the paths, a few just looking bored. After a few minutes, Brother Henry led them out of the garden and to a pile of boards and other materials.
“Here is what you have to work with. I think everything you’ll need is here, including a couple of books on Victorian gardens. Eleven thirty would be a good finishing time so you can clean up for lunch.”
Ashley gulped. This wasn’t a kit to assemble. The lumber was all long lengths of different sizes of boards, and there were saws and hammers and nails. Then she noticed that the quiet man named Aaron was already sitting on the ground with the books open and a pad of paper in front of him, and Shawn was sitting beside him. Liberty and one other person sat down with them. Ashley joined.
“You all may have noticed that we have not one, but two paths close together in that part of the garden. Maybe we could do a double walk-through...” Aaron was saying.
“Here’s a neat one,” Shawn said, looking in one of the books.
“Way too big, isn’t it?” Liberty said. “What if we left off this part on the side, and simplified this decoration on top?”
“Good idea,” Aaron said. “But look here: the structure is very weak because this part has no diagonals at all.”
“How does that make it weak?” Ashley asked. Several more people were sitting down near them.
Aaron began to draw on the pad of paper, explaining how a rectangle could collapse if a force, like the wind, were applied to one side. Shawn was paying close attention.
“I see we have a design team,” the large man named Bob said. “Me and a few others will sort out the materials so we know exactly what we have to work with.”
“Thank you,” Aaron said. Several more were finding places to perch around the books and sketch pad, and a couple of others joined the large man at the lumber pile.
“Take a look at this!” a lady kneeling near Liberty said. “This looks like it would accommodate the double path well.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Liberty said. “And it looks structurally stronger than the other one.”
The last few people motivated themselves, taking some paper and a measuring tape and going back into the garden to draw the site to scale.
Aaron, the three youth, and about five others worked on the design for the next fifteen minutes, making some simplifications and adding some structural improvements. Shawn asked many questions about the way the boards fit together to carry the loads and stresses, and Aaron explained with numerous sketches. One man who had been a draftsman re-drew the trellis from several points of view, incorporating the necessary changes. By the time they were through, the material sorting team and the site drawing team had both returned.
Aaron proposed to the group that the draftsman, aided by Shawn, be in
charge of the details of the design, and that Bob oversee efficient use of their materials. Then he asked one of the ladies whom everyone had come to respect to do the task assignments.
Everyone agreed, and soon boards were being sawn as the draftsman called out the needed lengths, and Bob made sure that each cut was made from the shortest piece available. Liberty was assigned to stack the cut lumber in neat piles by length, and Ashley went around spraying oil from a can whenever someone’s saw was sticking.
They paused at 9:30 to inventory their cut lumber, and to their delight Brother Henry arrived with a snack tray. There was so little structural wood left over that everyone gained a new appreciation for the task that Bob had performed.
Next, Ashley, Shawn, and several adults formed a team to sand the rough ends of the boards while Aaron, Bob, and several helpers prepared to nail the structural frame together. Liberty was assigned the task of making sure everyone was supplied with the right sizes of nails, and she laughed when she learned that nails were still graded with a unit of weight right out of the Middle Ages.
At about ten o’clock, everyone helped to hold up the front and back frame assemblies while cross pieces were nailed into place. As the adults held the structure, Liberty checked measurements with the tape measure, and Shawn checked the angles with a carpenter’s square. Only one nail had to be withdrawn and re-pounded.
Finally the thinner latticework was nailed on by as many people as there were hammers, while others used the saws to trim the protruding ends. Two men placed the foundation blocks in the garden itself, and Aaron took the three youth aside and together they thinned the white paint so the first coat would penetrate the wood well, dividing it up into four little buckets.
At eleven o’clock the entire group took hold of the structure, lifting it off the ground and carrying it into the Victorian garden and onto its foundation blocks. During the last half hour, four painters brushed on the first coat while everyone else started to clean up.
When Brother Henry returned, he complimented their work and promised to arrange for more coats of paint on future days. The double walk-through
trellis looked sturdy and well made, and most everyone was planning to return with their cameras during free time. Only one lady had clearly not enjoyed the process. Ashley had been wondering for several days why she stuck with it. Maybe just for the college credit.
On his way back to the Lodge for a shower, Shawn came to a realization. It was not right, he decided, to remain completely ignorant, even contemptuous, of the crafts and sciences that dealt with the physical world, and then expect the craftsmen and scientists to create all manner of buildings and gadgets to make life easier. Perhaps others could live with that kind of hypocrisy — he could not.
The group spent a leisurely afternoon in the waiting room of the Healing Arts Clinic. As requested, they all brought with them their workbooks, personal resumes, and reading materials, as each would have considerable free time.
Liberty was called fairly early, and spent almost half an hour being interviewed about her entire health history, including everything from known allergies, to her usual exercise routine, to moods and tempers, to previous international travel and vaccinations. At the conclusion of the interview, they gave her some forms and questionnaires to fill out. She felt they would soon know more about her health than she did.
As soon as she had completed the paperwork, a lady doctor gave her the most thorough physical examination Liberty had ever had, including a complete gynecological exam. Then, with Liberty still lying on the examining table, another doctor was called in.
“Hello, Liberty,” he said. “I’m Brother Kenneth. I understand your stomach gives you trouble at times.”
Liberty described her affliction, and then Brother Kenneth began to examine her stomach and abdomen with skillful hands.
“Ever had any abdominal operations?”
“No.”
“Pregnancies?”
“No.”
“And you’ve been taking the herbs Sister Marscha suggested?”
“Yeah. I had a cup of her tea at lunch.”
“Good. I don’t find anything that worries me. At this point I think we can just assume you’re one of those people who stores your stress in your belly. In other words, you’re ulcer-prone. Knowing that now can allow you to avoid actually getting one. They’re no fun. Here’s the title of a book you should read that’ll tell you all about them,” he said, writing on a prescription pad.
“Thanks,”
Liberty
said.
Next she was guided to a lab tech who took samples of just about everything Liberty had to offer, including, to her surprise, her hair.
“Not only will this give us information about your current health status, but also about your past. It’ll even give us your D.N.A. sequence for I.D.
purposes.”
A dentist picked at her teeth and took x-rays, Brother Howard checked her bones and joints, and a psychologist asked her a bunch of questions, many of which were silly and made Liberty laugh. The psychologist smiled, saying that laughter was the healthiest response she could think of to some of the questions.
When Liberty was finally able to return to the waiting room and collapse into her chair with a sigh, Ashley looked up from her workbook and flashed her friend a knowing, understanding smile.
That evening after dinner, as the group surveyed the store room full of camping equipment, there was a clear division in thinking present. About two-thirds, including all three youth, wanted to sleep under the stars, with a large tarp along just in case of unexpected rain. Six people said they would be much more comfortable in a tent.
The only problem was that those six people were also the ones who couldn’t carry much weight on their backs. Two of the adults who wanted to sleep under the stars began to grumble about the weight of a six-person tent.
Ashley thought the whole thing was pretty silly and was about to grab a tent and strap it onto her pack frame, when she noticed that Aaron was already doing so. She picked out two large tarps, and tossed one to Liberty.
Shawn knew that only a month before he would have been completely lost, not having any idea what to pack. A few days in the Greenville, South
Carolina railroad yard had brought him much wisdom about camping. He soon had his own gear packed, and several shanks of rope to help with the tarps in case of rain. Then he turned his attention to helping the inexperienced adults to select and pack their equipment. Following his example, Ashley and Liberty did the same.
When they emerged from the store room and announced to Sister Joan that they were all packed and ready to go, she said nothing, but only held out a large, sealed envelope. One of the ladies of the group took and opened it. As she examined the papers within, a smile grew on her face.
“What is it?” several others asked at once, all gathering around to see.
“Maps. It’s a treasure hunt! I haven’t done one of these in ages. The treasure is our campsite complete with our evening snack and a pile of firewood.”
All three youth sparkled with interest. The entire group spread out the maps on a table for examination.
“Okay, here’s the zoo, but what’s this?”
“Looks like a spider!”
“How many legs does it have?” Liberty asked, not being able to get close at the moment.
Someone looked. “Nine!”
“Then I bet it’s the residence halls. There are nine of them, with the Residential Lobby being the body in the middle.”
“Excellent deduction, Liberty,” Aaron said.
“I think this foot print is a unit of measure,” one man said. “And we can determine its value if we can find two known points.”
“Isn’t this a fountain?” said the draftsman.
“Yeah, the one in the European Garden, I bet.”
“That’s seven foot prints from the zoo. I’ll go pace off that distance,” he said and dashed out the door.
“I think I know where this stream is,” Shawn said. “I’ve seen it in the woods.”
“That’s definitely one of our vectors. Could you find it again?”
“I think so. Me and a friend crossed it on the trail to the northeast retreat center.”
“I know where that trail is!” someone said. “I didn’t see a stream, but I was jogging and could have missed it.”
“But we’re gonna need this distance, and this distance,” Bob said.
“But what here is this?” Ludmilla asked, pointing to an oval with an X at one end.
“A helicopter?” Liberty suggested.
“So if that’s the heliport, we can triangulate using this distance here.”
“I don’t think so,” Shawn said. “That part of the woods is almost impossible to walk through.”
The draftsman dashed back in. “A foot print is a hundred yards!”
Ten minutes later they all felt ready to begin the hunt. After shouldering packs and helping each other to adjust straps, Shawn and the jogger were in charge of the first leg of the journey, attempting to find a certain path they had both been on before.
They walked behind the residence halls, beyond the Demonstration Farm and Zoo, and past the Pantry and Laundry Building. The first trail they tried, which appeared familiar to both leaders, took them to a huge propane tank inside a fence, but no farther.
Retracing their steps, they tried another.
“Yes!” the jogger said. “I clearly remember jumping over this tree root!”
“There are a lot of tree roots on these trails...” someone warned.
But after a moment of looking at each other, and having no other leads, they headed down the path.
Ten or fifteen minutes later they came to a tiny trickle of a stream passing under a little bridge. The jogger confirmed that the bridge matched the surface of the ground so well he could have easily missed it.
“Does this look like the same trail that goes all the way to that retreat center?” Aaron asked Shawn.
“As far as I can remember...”
Suddenly Liberty faintly heard the distinct sound of jet engines starting.
“A helicopter! Getting ready to take off!”
“If we could get a vector to the heliport, we’d really be able to pin this thing down,” the draftsman said.
“But to do that, someone will have to get up in a tall tree so they can see
the chopper leave,” Bob said.
Ashley raised her hand.
“Our gymnast!” Ludmilla said with admiration.
Ashley looked around, and selected a tall spruce with plenty of branches.
“I’ll need a boost to the first branch.”
“You’ve got it,” Bob said.
“How long do I have, Lib?”
“Two or three minutes.”
The large man lifted Ashley up, she took ahold of the first branches, and began a rapid but careful climb upward.
“The most important thing is the direction,” the draftsman called up to her. “Relate it to a nearby tree.”
Ashley absorbed the message as she climbed.
“Rotor just started,” Liberty said. “They’ll be airborne in about a minute.”
Ashley climbed. The main trunk was down to about a foot in diameter.
“Be careful very!” Ludmilla said.
Ashley silently promised. The trunk was down to nine inches and shrinking. She was beginning to feel the tree sway slightly as she climbed.
“There goes the helicopter!” she faintly heard Liberty yell.
Ashley stopped climbing and looked up. She was just barely high enough, but she managed to glimpse, through the many tree branches around her, the helicopter’s ascent. She quickly looked down and lined it up with a tree less than a hundred feet away. Then she closed her eyes and listened to her heart throbbing softly inside her. It was a strong heart, she knew, conditioned by more than six years of gymnastics training. And in just a few days, she would know whether or not she could go on to the elite levels of world-class training and competition... or retire to a little bit of assistant coaching and an occasional minor exhibition somewhere in the rural state of South Dakota.
When Ashley had done all the reflecting she wanted, she began the long climb downward.
Bob caught her and lowered her to the ground. She immediately found her reference tree, not far off in the woods. The group again gathered around the maps.
“So that puts our goal not down the stream, but somewhat east of the
stream.”
“But we still have to follow the stream to get the right distance from the trail.”
“True, but at least we now know which way to go from there.”
The next part of the journey was led by the draftsman, as he had to pace off eleven hundred yards, and do so along a twisting little stream. They soon discovered that there was a faint path along one side of the rivulet, and Aaron even found a very recent shoe print.
Ten minutes later he stopped. “This is the place, plus or minus one percent,” he said.
“That’s eleven yards. That ought to get us close enough,” someone said.
Shawn was at that moment poking around on the far side of the stream from the rest of the group. “A tire track!”
Everyone quickly gathered to see.
“Motorcycle?”
“Lighter. Just a wheelbarrow, I think,” Aaron said.
Ashley laughed. “For the firewood!” she said, remembering her first Lyceum campout.
They only had to follow the wheelbarrow tracks about two hundred yards east, and they found the campsite, complete with ice chest, firewood, campfire pit, plenty of logs to sit on, and clear spaces for tents and tarps.
“We never would have found it without the maps!”
“And lots of thinking!”
Aaron and Shawn worked together to set up the large tent while there was still plenty of evening light, and those who were going to sleep within were appreciative. Two of the ladies set up a kitchen to one side of the fire pit, and were soon passing out lemonade to the thirsty walkers. Bob gestured to Ashley and Liberty, and the three of them wandered away from the camp, only to return a few minutes later with armloads of kindling.
About a half hour later the sun set and Bob started a cheery blaze in the fire pit. Aaron and another man arranged the sitting logs to accommodate the group, and soon everyone was gathering to chat and nibble on snacks.
“So, tomorrow’s the end of it,” a man said. “Seems like we’ve been here for a long time, this little group of ours, going from task to task.”
“Anyone know what kind of test we have tomorrow morning?”
“I asked,” a lady said. “Randy Robert just said it was a mixture of things.”
“I wonder what self-evaluations are like...”
Ashley held her tongue.
Soon everyone was talking about what they would be doing if they didn’t join Lyceum. Many had professions or jobs they would return to. One was going back to college. Two were going to make a fresh start at something new.
Liberty said something about Texas, but didn’t want to elaborate. Shawn said he might go up to Seattle, get a job, do some volunteer work. Ashley knew she would be going to Black Hills Junior High.
Marshmallows blazed on the end of sticks and laughter would occasionally fill the air as twenty-one hopeful hearts shared their dreams and fears in that secluded section of woods, somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, somewhere at a place called Lyceum.
Chapter 42: The End of the Process
When the evaluation group traipsed out of the woods shortly after eight o’clock on Saturday morning, they had eaten a breakfast that may have contained a fir needle or two, and their clothes had absorbed the aroma of cedar smoke, but with only a couple of exceptions, both over fifty years of age, they were in very good spirits considering the momentous day that lay ahead.
An hour later, refreshed and supplied with workbooks and other materials, they gathered in a room in Conference Center One.
Brother Randy Robert greeted them and passed out their test booklets.
Shawn discovered, once he got started, that it was a combination of all the things that had been in the other tests. But some of the questions were unique, and after finishing them, he decided they should be called ‘attitude questions.’
When the last person finished the test right at ten o’clock, a snack cart arrived, as well as most of the members of the evaluation team. Liberty searched her memory, and realized that only Sister Rebecca and Brother Timoteo were missing, of all the people who had facilitated their sessions.
“As you can see,” Sister Joan began as the team members sat down at the long front table and the prospective members spread out in the rest of the room, “you have nine Lyceum members who are ready to answer your questions. You can address your question to a specific person if you wish.”
“Brother Randy Robert,” a lady said, “what was the value of the campout we just returned from?”
“The issue is flexibility. An example should illustrate. Last year I was on a
technical and medical assistance mission. The team came to the Iran-Afghanistan border. The line of people at the office where we had to get our passports stamped was actually a three dimensional mob, with some people even climbing in the window from the roof to get their processing completed before the office closed.” Chuckles filled the room. “I should explain that the office closed when the agent wanted to go home, not at a certain time or when everyone had been processed. Needless to say, we Lyceum members were not very well adapted to the situation...” More chuckles. “...and so we didn’t make it in time. We had already been stamped out of Iran, but couldn’t go on into Afghanistan. We had to camp out for the night beside our land rovers in the little no-man’s land between the two border posts. There’s just no way to predict when something like that will happen.”
“I think I understand,” the lady said.
“I’m not sure who this question is to,” Shawn said. “I’m a Christian, and I wondered how much Christian missionary work I can do while I’m a member of Lyceum.”
Sister Maria took the question. “As much as you want, on your own time, in appropriate places. On your own time, you can practice your religion to any extent you wish. You just have to remember that proselyting can only be done at Lyceum in a space reserved and labeled for that purpose.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“I have often seen members heading toward the Recreation Center when it is closed,” a man said. “Is it true that members can go anywhere, do anything here at Lyceum?”
“Generally,” Brother Ben said. “The various parts of the Recreation Center have set public hours because those activities require supervision. Members are assumed to be responsible for themselves, and smart enough to know what they can and can’t handle. And they’re assumed to be mature enough to leave a facility in perfect condition after using it. If either of those assumptions don’t apply to a person, they shouldn’t be a member of Lyceum. “
Next Liberty asked, “Are, um... relationships okay?”
“Of course,” Brother Randy Robert said. “We’re all human. But complete kindness and respect are important too. If you get close to someone, and then break up, you still have to live near them and sometimes work or have classes
with them. And it’s important to keep yourself clean and protected. If you catch a virus that you could have avoided, you’ll have a situation that Lyceum will expect you to solve.”
Liberty swallowed, and realized she just might have to change even more old habits.
“Can a member cut their ties with Lyceum at any time, without consequences?” Aaron asked.
“Yes,” Sister Rachael said.
“And their responsibilities and benefits cease as soon as they want them to?”
“Their responsibilities cease as soon as they want them to. But Lyceum never just drops someone like a rock. We’ll provide housing and meals and such while they make new plans and arrangements, give them a ticket to wherever, put together whatever certificates and recommendations might be useful, and of course throw a going-away party. And remember, there’s always the option of non-resident membership as opposed to quitting completely.”
Ashley raised her hand. “Is it okay if members have visitors once in awhile?”
Sister Sarah answered. “Sure. But you still have to do your work and classes and stuff... unless you’re on vacation. And we all get twenty coupons a year that are good for free lodging and meals. We can give them to anyone we want. My mom visits me here all the time.”
The questions continued right up to lunchtime, and then the thoughtful group spent their last meal of the week with the members of Lyceum.
Everyone at Lyceum knew where the evaluation group was in its process, and so were especially respectful and tolerant of the needs and moods of the prospective members.
The self-evaluation booklets were handed out, and three members of the evaluation team remained in the lobby to take questions.
Liberty’s first instinct was to fly through the booklet, just like she was able to do with most tests. But she stopped herself and focused her mind on the importance of what she was doing, and at the same time tried to ignore her
stomach that was half-tied in knots in spite of two cups of Sister Marscha’s tea at lunch and fresh sachets around her neck.
She decided to take a different approach, use a very un-Liberty-like method. She decided to read all the questions first, and then go back and answer them slowly and carefully. She could remember many teachers recommending that approach to taking a test, but she had never found it necessary in the past. This time it felt necessary.
Shawn read all the questions first. He closed his eyes for a moment to remind himself of Lyceum’s relationship to Christianity. He was not joining a church, even though many religious things were done there. There was no creed to memorize... just ethics to remember. Lyceum was not against Christianity just because it wasn’t purely Christian. There were plenty of Christian churches that were purely Christian, and he could still join and go to one of them... or even more than one of them. He opened his eyes and started writing.
Ashley knew what she needed to do. She needed to show that her six months of assignments had helped her to grow and to understand Lyceum better. She remembered thinking that her answers to the self-evaluation questions were pretty short and simple back in December. This time they needed to show that Ashley Riddle wasn’t just a gymnast who was looking for a gym. Now she knew about helping old people in a nursing home, and about training handicapped people for the Special Olympics. Her skills had changed South Dakota’s Special Olympics from dull to exciting. She had learned French and walked all over Luxemburg and part of France. She had crossed her country twice now, and flown over the Atlantic Ocean twice. She had a ten-year-old friend who was dying, and she had almost fallen in love with a handicapped boy. And she had fallen in love and promised herself to a boy who was a ballet dancer. For a moment she touched the broken coin necklace around her neck.
Ashley kept all those things in mind, and put out of her mind the answers she had given to the questions back in December. She opened the booklet and began.
Describe yourself to a new friend in ten adjectives or less.
Liberty considered for a moment, and then began to write. Friendly, sociable, affectionate. This new, theoretical friend was not a street friend, she decided. Loyal, intelligent, creative. A little bit of physical stuff should be okay. Slender, healthy. Except the stomach, of course. Intuitive, determined. Yes, that one should come last, for emphasis.
What Lyceum concept have you had the most trouble understanding?
Shawn pondered the question for a long moment. He decided to be completely honest. I have had trouble separating the idea of a religious place from the idea of a church. It is getting easier, but I still have to work at it.
What are your career goals at this time?
Ashley knew her answer to this question had to go beyond gymnastics.
But it wouldn’t be truthful not to start there. To develop my gymnastics skills from level seven to elite world-class. But where to after that? Suddenly she knew. To develop my coaching and leadership skills for athletic events and the Special Olympics. Anything else? Oh, yes! To learn to interpret French better, and learn other languages too.
Liberty would have chosen Brother Timoteo for her final interview, but since he had flown to Los Angeles the day before to attend a United Nations conference, she was torn between Brother Ben and Sister Joan. But Joan was teamed with Brother Randy Robert for the interviews, and people who finished before Liberty were keeping them busy. That left Brother Ben, the swim coach.
He read through her self-evaluation booklet and her comprehensive personal resume.
“How do you feel now about your conflict with Sister Sarah?”
Part of her had hoped he didn’t know about that. “I learned a lot.” That’s not enough, Liberty, and you know it. “I learned a lot about some bad habits I picked up on the streets, and how those habits have no place at Lyceum, or in anything I’m doing for Lyceum.”
Brother Ben was aware that Liberty had not actually answered his question, which was specifically how she felt about what had happened. But he figured she had come as close as she could at that point in her life.
“Do you want to develop your skills with horses?” he went on.
“Some. That would probably be good for me. I’ve never even ridden. But only as a hobby on the side. Mostly I want to learn to be a pilot.”
“I like your language choice. Do you think you want to go on baking?”
“Yeah, I really like it. I had to learn not to drink coffee and eat pastries all morning — my stomach couldn’t take it.”
Brother Ben smiled. After several more questions, they shook hands. She had almost an hour before the closing session, so she went to find a patch of cool grass where she could stretch out her insides and look up at the passing clouds... or maybe even close her eyes for a few minutes.
Shawn was torn between Sister Maria and Brother Howard. Finally, reminding himself that if he became a member he could get to know the sweet and very religious lady in other activities, he asked the blind man to do his final interview.
“I understand you had an interesting trip across the country.”
“Yes. I got to know several non-resident members.”
“How have you liked the morning worship and reflection times?”
The three morning services Shawn had attended had caused him a myriad of thoughts and feelings. None of them had been led by persons of the church he was used to. Only one of them had been clearly Christian. But he had to admit, all of them had been, in some way, worshipful and reflective.
“Um, even though they were done in ways I’m not used to, I liked them.
As I understand it, they’re the key to Lyceum members being tolerant of the many different religions that do things here.”
Brother Howard was thoughtful for a moment. “How do you think the situation between you and your father would effect your life at Lyceum?”
Wow. They don’t beat around the bush, do they? As he searched for words, Shawn could feel himself shaking inside. “Um... all that stuff is still very hard to talk about. But I know I’m grown up now, enough to make my own decisions. I think I can learn more about Jesus and our Father in heaven here at Lyceum than... anywhere else I might go right now. I know for sure I want to learn how to do all kinds of good service work. And I’m not going to let any problems I have with my family effect my responsibilities.”
Shawn breathed rapidly, almost gasping for air. He knew the answer he had just given could easily be the deciding factor.
“Do you know which science lab you would most like to learn about?”
Back to easy stuff — thank God! “Well... I guess I want to learn about all of them!”
Brother Howard chuckled.
“But I suppose if I have to choose, I should start at the beginning and learn about physics first.”
“Physics is a good place to see how science and religion are starting to interact,” Brother Howard said.
There were several more questions, none of which gave Shawn any trouble. Finally they shook hands, and Shawn used his free half hour to go into the Hall of Shrines and sit down at one where he had taken comfort several times before.
Ashley was one of the last ones to complete her self-evaluation booklet.
She immediately approached Sister Rachael and Sister Sarah, who were doing interviews as a team, but had only had one other request. The gymnast and Lyceum’s youngest member smiled at each other. Suddenly Ashley remembered Sarah’s words at the conclusion of her first evaluation week.
I know I’ll be dancing with you someday!
They entered one of the empty conference rooms and pulled chairs into a small triangle. Sister Rachael read Ashley’s booklet and Sarah read her resume, and then they switched.
“Have you had a chance to watch Brother Ted’s disk?” Sister Rachael asked.
“Yeah, twice now. I don’t understand much of it yet, but I’m going to keep watching it until I do.”
“There are many things he said that I don’t understand either,” Rachael said. “What have you learned since your first evaluation week at Lyceum?”
Asking that question was like opening a floodgate, as Ashley felt completely comfortable with the two members facing her. She launched into a narrative that retold all her trials and tribulations at the Rapid City Convalescent Center, including getting to know Jenny, and about events at the
Pine Street Group Home and the South Dakota Special Olympics, including a brief description of what happened with Chad. Then came her adventures in New York City and Europe, with a special emphasis on meeting and falling in love with Tim. All through the narrative, she remembered to put things in terms of the question she had been asked, ever emphasizing what she had learned from each experience.
Finally she paused, and wondering if she had been thorough enough, started to tell of her experiences on the bus and train. But Sister Rachael raised a hand.
“The closing session starts in just a couple of minutes, and I wanted to give Sarah a chance to ask questions.”
Sarah looked at a little notebook she was carrying. “Um, if you became a Lyceum member, and a visitor came up to you and asked what you did here, which they do all the time, what would you say?”
Ashley had never expected such a hard question from Sarah. She found it much harder than Rachael’s question. But she felt ready for it... and knew she would not have been last December.
“Gosh... well, um... I’d say that I was a member of Lyceum, and if they needed anything, I’d be glad to help. I’d say that I did my share of the chores and other simple work, and that I took college level classes to learn about all kinds of things. I’d say I spoke French, and interpreted for people whenever it was needed, and whenever I didn’t have other responsibilities, I studied gymnastics and dance.”
As neither member had further questions, they all stood and Ashley shook hands with Sister Rachael and embraced Sarah. Together the trio hurried back to the conference room.
Everyone listened to Sister Joan describe the timetable the evaluation team would use in making their decisions and notifying the prospective members. Liberty was glad she would get to see her father and Mr. Neils again, and she even looked forward to feeding and brushing the horses.
Ashley’s excitement about the prospect of another train trip was minimal, but she knew it was necessary, and she looked forward to seeing her parents, Julie, and Jenny. Shawn already knew he would be able to stay at Lyceum
until the decision was made.
Each prospective member received their envelope and checked the personal information and travel plans printed thereon for accuracy. Both Liberty and Ashley were surprised to find that their travel plans were blank.
Brother Randy Robert was explaining their Certificates of Completion, meal coupons, and fifty dollar gift certificates. Both girls realized they had enough meal coupons to take them through Monday morning. They were confused.
Ashley knew she had a train reservation that evening, and Liberty figured she would be hopping on a plane the following day at the latest.
The facilitator began listing the departure times for the members of the group, starting that evening, and going all the way to early Monday morning.
Neither Liberty nor Ashley heard their names in any of the lists.
“Ashley and Liberty, your travel plans have been changed. Talk to me after the session,” Brother Randy Robert said, hardly satisfying their curiosity.
“Shawn, your situation has been taken into account. See me after the session also.”
After the remaining topics had been covered and a few last minute questions answered, the session ended so that everyone could freshen up for the banquet that evening. The three youth hung around, two of them still very mystified. Brother Randy Robert busied himself with the book and supply cabinet and other tasks. Liberty got the distinct impression he was waiting for all of the adult prospective members to leave. At last they did.
“Shawn, as you and Brother Jacob discussed, you are welcome to stay at Lyceum for the next few weeks no matter what happens. The entire evaluation team would like to meet with you Monday at nine a.m. You should move into a single room sometime tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Shawn said. “I really appreciate that.”
“Liberty, Sister Nancy spoke with your father two days ago. He’s in Europe right now, so your travel plans will be left open for at least a few days.
You’re already in a single, aren’t you?”
“Yes, in Terrabithia.”
“Good. The evaluation team wants to meet with you Monday at 9:30.”
“Okay,” she said, still not completely enlightened.
“Ashley, Sister Heather spoke to your parents today, and they agreed to
leave your travel plans open until you meet with the team on Monday at ten o’clock. You also will need to move into a single tomorrow.”
“Sure!” Ashley said, glad for even a couple of extra days at Lyceum, and knowing she was now free to use at least one of them to visit the gym.
While they had been talking, Sister Joan had finished cleaning up the room of all the papers and snack wrappers left by the group. She and Brother Randy Robert pushed the book cabinet out the door for the last time until the following December, leaving the three youth alone.
“So... what are you guys doing tomorrow?” Liberty asked to break the silence.
“I’m going to the service, and then I want to spend the afternoon in the gym, and try not to even think about Monday until Monday morning.”
“Good idea,” Shawn said. “Let’s enjoy the time we have in this special place. But I have to admit, I have a very good feeling about it all.”
“Well, at least my stomach is starting to relax. Is the banquet any good, Ashley?”
“Excellent. Totally trashes my training diet. Shall we go?”
“Let’s see who can shower, change, and get to the Dining Hall first!”
Shawn challenged.
“Me!” Liberty said, and they all three dashed for the door.
The three youth all arrived at the banquet room, nicely dressed, at close enough to the same time that they considered it a tie. They entered the room together.
With the remaining prospective members, their contact persons, the members of the evaluation team, and a few others all present in the banquet room and all interested in having a good time after an intense week, the dinner party was quickly taking on a lively tone.
“There’s our young ones!” Bob announced.
“A toast!” Sister Patricia said from her wheelchair over the buzz of conversation. Everyone quieted to listen. “To the twenty-one brave people who put up with our ceaseless probing into their lives for a solid week, I offer heartfelt praise of their patience and commitment!”
The three new arrivals quickly grabbed cups of punch and raised them into
the air along with everyone else.
“And in appreciation of the hospitality shown us by all the good people at Lyceum,” Aaron said, glass raised, “as we attempted to show that we were worthy of the great honor of membership in this distinguished place, I offer my thanks and a humble toast.”
“Yes!”
“For
sure!”
“Absolutely!”
Everyone consummated the toast.
The general laughing and talking resumed, and Liberty had a chance to survey the room. It would have been almost elegant even if it were empty, but with added streamers, balloons, flowers, and each of the three serving tables a cornucopia of delights from all over the world, it was truly magnificent even to her metropolitan tastes. Everyone was nicely dressed, some even formally attired, and even though the gnawing question of acceptance still lay ahead for the twenty-one, enough of the pressure was off to allow them all to feel relieved and at ease.
“Liberty!” Brenda said from across the room and headed in her direction, an hors d’oeuvre in hand. “I’m so glad you made it through the week! And I hear you have an interview with the team Monday morning.”
“Yeah,” Liberty acknowledged, selecting a canape from a nearby tray. “Is that good?”
Brenda spoke much more quietly. “Let’s just say that I’ve never heard of the evaluation team having a special meeting with someone they didn’t accept.”
Liberty’s eyes became big. “Are you sure?”
“Not entirely. I’m gambling a little. But sometimes you have to gamble in life, wouldn’t you agree?”
Liberty smiled. She would indeed agree with that statement. And she was grateful for Brenda’s gamble, as it boosted her spirits just that little bit extra she needed to completely enjoy the occasion.
People were beginning to sit down at the tables, and the servers were preparing to distribute the salads. Shawn found himself comfortably ensconced in the company of Brother Jacob, Sister Sarah, and Sister Rachael,
and they all found seats together. He too was gambling in a sense, trusting that the profound feelings of happiness and belonging that he was experiencing would result in some kind of good outcome, even if it wasn’t one he could predict at that moment. On his right hand was the friend and little sister he had never had at home, and on his left a kindly, supportive father image who had not come into his life until he was sixteen years old, and whom he had not even met until age eighteen. As he savored his delicate salad of ten or twelve different greens and other vegetables, lightly dressed with a slightly fruity vinaigrette, he pondered the mystery of why his life was unfolding as it was... instead of how his father would have wanted it to unfold.
Ashley, Tabitha, Karen, Sister Heather, and the elite gymnastics coach Brother Faelan had clustered around one end of a table. Ashley was feeling unexpectedly relaxed, now that she didn’t have to catch a train soon after the banquet. She completely intended to stay at the dinner party until the last bit of food and drink had been put away, until the last decoration had been taken down, until the last person had left. But at the same time, she felt no desire to overeat, like she had done at the end of her first evaluation week. She had taken her time with her salad, and that finished, felt quite full enough and just wanted to try little bites of the main dish options. Luckily the person serving their table had previously encountered the eating habits of gymnasts in training, and was able to create plates that were just right for the three girls.
The tender halibut filet, lightly covered in a tangy hollandaise and sprinkled with perfectly toasted sliced almonds, commanded almost universal praise. The succulent scaloppines of chicken breast, breaded and layered with Swiss cheese and spinach, also generated a fanatical loyalty. Finally, the lightly marinated prime rib, served with fresh creamed horseradish sauce and a rich au jus, caused an equal sensation. There were few people in the room who didn’t try at least a small serving of each.
Ashley felt for the three prospective members who had to leave soon after six o’clock to catch the van. She had once been in their shoes. But she couldn’t do anything about it, and soon returned to talking and giggling with Tabitha and Karen. Already she thought of them as her team mates, hoping beyond all hope that she was interpreting Brother Ted’s words correctly when he had seemed to imply that she would have been accepted the first time
except for his insistence that she have some additional experiences first. And she had an almost constant silent prayer running through her heart that Sister Sarah had known something when she had predicted they would dance together someday.
There were desserts of many descriptions, and a portable fountain rolled into the room to make sundaes and floats for ice cream aficionados. There were more toasts and appreciations shared, addresses and phone numbers exchanged by persons who didn’t know if they would ever see each other again, and invitations to visit if anyone was ever in the proper local... unless of course the inviter became a resident member of Lyceum.
All three youth did stay until the very end, when little was left but a nearly empty punch bowl, a few carrot sticks, and a quarter of a peanut butter pie of Brenda’s making. At about 7:30 the Lyceum members who were working in the Dining Hall that evening began to clean up. The three looked at each other.
“It’ll help us to settle our stomachs!” Liberty said, and they all joined in the clean-up effort, to the delight of the members on duty.
Sunday was a day of relaxing and waiting. To one degree or another, all three wished they could speed the arrival of that moment in time when they would know if they had been accepted or not, and could then get on with life, either at Lyceum or elsewhere. But at the same time, all three wanted to linger as long as possible, savoring the sights and sounds of the place, in case they were not accepted.
Liberty and Brenda went to the morning worship and reflection time, and then had a light breakfast together, talking about the fun they had had together exploring the campus and baking, but not quite daring to talk about the fun they yet wanted to have together. Brenda did not have any responsibilities in the inspirational service that week, so they sat together.
Again, Liberty was surprised that she enjoyed it.
They packed a picnic lunch and went for a long walk in the woods, talking and laughing for hours about whatever came to mind. By mid-afternoon, they returned for a long swim and a soak in the Water Sports Pavilion’s hot pool.
At the end of the day, Liberty was glad that several good movies were
scheduled. By the time she fell into bed shortly after midnight, she had seen all of two movies and most of a third.
With Tabitha’s assistance, Ashley located the Catholic mass in the Hall of Shrines. Brother Randy Robert was there, and about thirty other members.
The priest was from a parish in Portland, and he invited Ashley to stop by if she ever had time or any need and was in the city.
Tabitha danced in the inspirational service, and then they had a late breakfast of fruit salads together. After that, Ashley took care of the necessary task of moving into a single Lodge room, and to her delight, Antelope was available. They were soon in the gym, and even though it saw considerable use on Sunday afternoons, they were always able to find a free mat or balance beam, climbing rope or vaulting horse. With only short breaks for refreshments, they remained in the gym until a movie was about to start at seven o’clock that Tabitha was dying to see. Ashley was happy to return the loyalty her companion had shown her, even though the movie was not one of her favorites.
Shawn was up very early Sunday morning, and Sarah found him in the South American Garden. They met Brother Jacob for breakfast, and the young man and the older man sat together at the inspirational service while Sarah joined her dance team.
Guyon’s Cave was occupied, but the single Lodge room called Redwood felt very comfortable to Shawn, and he had soon settled in his few belongings.
After eating lunch with Sarah, he spent the entire afternoon and evening wandering the gardens alone, seeking places for prayer and thought. He was very glad to find three different shrines that were both very comfortable and very secluded. He prayed long and fervently to know God’s will for him.
When he finally wandered back to the main building complex at eight o’clock that evening, Sarah met him in the Main Lobby, and they ate a late dinner together. Although Shawn had not, while at prayer, received any great revelations worthy of canonization, he knew with all his heart that the right thing would happen the following day.