Dreams, Memories & Keys

Chapter 44 - Calls of Various Sorts

The sound engineer gave Greg, Jessie, and Gary a signal when the recording for the Gary Gaffney Show was stopped. Greg, Gary, and Jessie all took their headphones off and stood up, stretching.

"I believe that was one of the most intense couple of hours we've ever had on my show," Gary remarked to Greg, just as the producer personally came into the booth.

"Excuse me, Gary. Phone call for you," Mark said soberly. "Some sort of family emergency."

Gary nodded. "Excuse me," he said turning to Greg. "I'll take it in the control room."

Greg followed Gary as far as the hallway where Susan was waiting for them. Jessie followed, going to sit beside Susan while Greg hovered in the doorway to the control room, wondering about Gary's family emergency.

"How did I do, Mama?" Jessie asked while Susan hugged her.

"I think you did really good for your first time on the radio," Susan told her.

"Really?"

"Really. You told the story of the Master's House with Papa very clearly," Susan replied.

"Except I really didn't get to tell them too much about what happened at the Stone Village or about all the lessons we learned, both there and at the Master's House," Jessie told her with a hint of remorse in her tone.

"Something I expect we can do during our second hour," Greg told her, listening in on the mother-daughter conversation.

They were just about to say something more about that, when Gary emerged out into the hall with the phone from the control room still in his hand.

"It's Max. Ezra's in hospital. They took him in late last night. I heard about it about the time they went. I think they called all the family to let them know. I thought they were admitting him to try the new treatment Max told us about last Sabbath. I didn't realize the reason they went last night was something else, nor that it was quite so serious," Gary said, with a hint of apology in his tone.

"What did he say?" Greg asked anxiously, while Susan and Jessie listened to the conversation.

"He said, Ezra asked to listen to our show," Gary told him.

"This last hour ... did it go out live?" Greg asked.

"It did, locally and for several of our syndicated audiences. Not all of them of course, but quite a few heard the show all around the world," Gary replied.

"Was Ezra listening?" Greg wondered, thinking about how the last 15 minutes of their conversation in some ways centered on him.

"Ezra heard it all ... but he expired, just now. His last request was for Max to call us immediately, while we were still on the air, to tell us Lemuel Masters was his son. He changed his name legally to separate himself from the Lemuel family, who had a history as servants with overlords and were inappropriate to become Lords of the manor. Also, he wanted to honor both his original family and Master Simeon with his name. When Max asked if he was certain, he said Ezra nodded and said, 'it's on the wall'. Then he died," Gary said sounding distressed.

"Who is Ezra?" the producer asked.

"Our cousin's son," Greg replied for Gary, while Gary looked lost in thought.

"And he died?" Mark asked.

"Yes. I knew he was ill ... I think the whole family did, but to have him die so suddenly ..." Gary's face held a hint of controlled shock, suggesting although he wasn't exactly surprised, he was taken unawares it could happen so soon.

Susan regarded Gary with a hint of sympathy while Greg considered the boy's dying words.

"It's on the wall. I wonder what that means," Greg mused.