Pilgrimage Read Free

might be surprised," Karen snapped. "But anyway God knows, and you haven't thought even once of Him this whole evening. If you're so all-fired eager to go busting into His house uninvited you'd better stop bawling and start thinking up a convincing excuse."
    "You're mean!" Lea wailed, like a child.
    "So I'm mean.'" Karen stopped so suddenly that Lea stumbled into her. "Maybe I should leave you alone. I don't want this most wonderful thing that's happening to be spoiled by such stupid goings on.
    Good-by!"
    And she was gone before Lea could draw a breath. Gone completely. Not a sound of a footstep. Not a rustle of brush. Lea cowered in the darkness, panic swelling in her chest, fear catching her breath. The high arch of the sky glared at her starrily and the suddenly hostile night crept closer and closer. There was nowhere to go-nowhere to hide-no corner to back into. Nothing-nothing!
    "Karen!" she shrieked, starting to run blindly. "Karen!"
    "Watch it." Karen reached out of the dark and caught her. "There's cactus around here." Her voice went on in exasperated patience. "Scared to death of being alone in the dark for two minutes and fourteen seconds-and yet you think an eternity of it would be better than living-
    "Well, I've checked with Miriam. She says she can help me manage you, so come along.
    "Miriam, here she is. Think she's worth saving?" Lea recoiled, startled, as Miriam materialized vaguely out of the darkness.
    "Karen, stop sounding so mean," the shadow said. "You know wild horses couldn't pull you away from Lea now. She needs healing-not hollering at."
    "She doesn't even want to be healed," Karen said.
    "As though I'm not even here," Lea thought resentfully. "'Not here. Not here." The looming wave of despair broke and swept over her. "Oh, let me go! Let me die!" She turned away from Karen, but the shadow of Miriam put warm arms around her.
    "She didn't want to live either, but you wouldn't accept that-no more than you'll accept her not wanting to be healed."
    "It's late," Karen said. "Chair-carry?"
    "I suppose so," Miriam said. "It'll be shock enough, anyway. The more contact the better."
    So the two made a chair, hand clasping wrist, wrist clasped by hand. They stooped down.
    "Here, Lea," Karen said, "sit down. Arms around our necks."
    "I can walk," Lea said coldly. "I'm not all that tired. Don't be silly."
    "You can't walk where we're going. Don't argue. We're behind schedule now. Sit."
    Lea folded her lips but awkwardly seated herself, clinging tightly as they stood up, lifting her from the ground.
    "Okay?" Miriam asked.
    "Okay," Karen and Lea said together.
    "Well?" Lea said, waiting for steps to begin.
    "Well," Karen laughed, "don't say I didn't warn you, but look down."
    Lea looked down. And down! And down! Down to the scurrying sparks along a faded ribbon of a road. Down to the dew-jeweled cobweb of street lights stretching out flatly below. Down to the panoramic perfection of the whole valley, glowing magically in the night. Lea stared, unbelieving, at her two feet swinging free in the air-nothing beneath them but air-the same air that brushed her hair back and tangled her eyelashes as they picked up speed. Terror caught her by the throat. Her arms convulsed around the two girls' necks.
    "Hey!" Karen strangled. "You're choking us! You're all right. Not so tight! Not so tight!"
    "You'd better Still her," Miriam gasped. "She can't hear you,"
    "Relax," Karen said quietly. "Lea, relax."
    Lea felt fear leave her like a tide going out. Her arms relaxed. Her uncomprehending eyes went up to the stars and down to the lights again. She gave a little sigh and her head drooped on Karen's shoulder.
    "It did kill me," she said. "Jumping off the bridge. Only it's taken me a long time to die. This is just delirium before death. No wonder, with a stub of a tamarisk through my shoulder." And her eyes closed and she went limp.
    Lea lay in the silvery darkness behind her closed eyes and savored the anonymous unfeeling between