A Call to Warn All.

4

“Wow. Thank you so much!” he exclaimed. Finn had been wondering where he would sleep that night. He’d thought of staying at a motel, but didn’t have enough money for both food and a place to stay. He had to sacrifice one of them and decided to sacrifice the motel so he could have a meal. What he didn’t know was that God was looking out for him. He had this all planned out for him.

“Oh it’s nothing.” The kind lady said. “What’s your name?” she asked him.

“I’m Finn Hayes ma’am.”

“Please, call me Heather. This is my husband George.” She gestured to him.

“Nice to meet y’all.”

“Come along, Finn.” George said as soon as he started walking away from the gravel road. Finn quickly gobbled the remaining croissant and followed the kind people.

The afternoon sky was cocktail-blue. Humming bees darted through the air murmuring in a strange cult hum excusive to them as they flitted from flower to flower. Within a couple of minutes, the three of them got to a nice, rambling old,   two-story farmhouse that was close to a laundry shop. A big Rottweiler ran up to George and showered him with sloppy kisses while George laughed and hugged the aerodynamic animal. Heather ruffled the dog’s burnished fur then went on into the house.



“This is Toggo. Our loyal guard.” George told Finn while still petting the dog as he showed off his canines. He had quite a hyperactive personality.
Awkwardly, he greeted the dog “Hi there.” Toggo’s mocha-brown eyes glanced at the stranger, Finn, then ignored his presence and continued having fun with his owner whilst wagging his bushy tail. He decided to get inside the house and assist Heather with anything she would want. Toggo’s woof deep bark caught him off guard making him stumble over a Persian rug that covered the shopworn carpet. They were, after all, giving him a place to lay his head for free. Unlike the people back in his city, Finn felt calm and fully trusted them.

“Let me show you to your room.” Heather offered and started walking up the stairs. The old boards creaked with each step they took. They felt veined, baked by a hundred summers and frozen by a hundred winters.

“Our son used to stay here before he joined the army. His name’s Vincent. Always stubborn like his father. We tried talking him out of joining the army but…he’d just made up his mind.” Heather talked to Finn while heading to the almost empty room. Once inside, he thanked her and offered to help her with anything she needed. He appreciated the grey shag carpet, a small desk with a blank blotter on it and a twin bed.

“Maybe after you’ve taken a bath.” She let out a small chuckle. Finn did stink. He’d spent more than two days without showering on his walk to this town.

“Yes ma’am…I mean, Heather.” He corrected himself.

“Once you’re done, come down stairs and help me with cooking. George won’t be letting go of Toggo anytime soon.” Heather shook her head. A few strands of her salt-and-pepper hair got loose from her messy bun.

“The washroom is right next door.”

“Wait. Will you be preparing dinner?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“At two p.m.? Isn’t that a little too early?”

A look of realization crossed her face. “Oh. Yes. It’s preparation day today. Friday. Once the sun sets, it’s Sabbath. I have to make sure everything we’ll use tomorrow is ready before that.” She said with ease.

After Finn had his shower, he went downstairs and requested Heather to explain to him more about the Sabbath. From the sweet couple that provided him a roof on his head, he learnt more about God than he ever did back at his home in the city.

“Almost there sweetheart!” Finn shouted over his shoulder to Lily as they rode on the rutted secondary road to the next town. The sun was coming down fast yet they still hadn’t got to the next town. According to the faded map they used, the next town would take them a bit over an hour to get there in a motorcycle from now. They had left their home town right before the sun rose and made little stops to fill the bike’s tank, relieve themselves and grab protein bars from vending machines they came across during the day.

The road was quite empty except for a few trucks passing by. It turned to a tight bend as they neared a hill. Finn followed the now smooth sailing tarmac road as it wound down the hill. The cold autumn air made their noses turn pink and slightly irritated. Winter was soon to arrive. He could see the town they were heading to from where he was. Just a couple of minutes more and they would be there.

The picturesque town had both Finn and Lily marveled. The grass was carpeted with gold and reds of fallen leaves and leafless trees stood in a haunted manner. Lily took in the freshly calm air with a hint of earthly aroma as Finn continued to ride at a slower speed. Her hair flew towards her left as the huffing wind gently blew. The long, straight streaks of clouds adorn the sky as the townspeople take their autumn harvest to their stores. Finn easily spotted a motel. Pink Motel. He rode to the motel and parked his bike.

“I’ll just get us some dinner. Probably walk. My legs are cramped.” Finn told Lily as he stretched his sore limbs. Lily took off her helmet and stretched as well.

“Okay. Stay safe.”

Finn walked off into the center of the town leaving his wife to book them a room.

“Are there any rooms available, sir?” Lily asked the young attendant. She’d wandered around the small compound whilst looking for the reception. "One room only. Single bed, one bathroom, five dollars a night.” The young man responded like a programmed machine.

“We’ll take it.” She frankly thought that staying in that motel would be costly. Fortunately, it wasn’t. The attendant gave her the key to their room after she made payment for one full week. She hadn’t discussed with Finn about their length of stay in this town.

A small group of children passed by the motel munching on some blackcurrants and one of them innocently waved at Lily. With a strained smile, she waved back and looked at the direction which Finn took off to get their dinner. She rubbed her arms against the light cardigan she wore as the chilly air mercilessly harassed her.

“Did you get a room?” Finn asked her making her jump in fright.

“Argh! Finn, you startled me.”

“I can see that.” He chuckled.

“Yes. I got a room. I haven’t checked it out yet.” She glanced at the two packs of food he carried and felt her mouth water. Lily hadn’t noticed how famished she was until her tummy gurgled and grumbled.

“Suppose we both are hungry.” Finn chuckled again after hearing her tummy growled making Lily’s cheeks turn a shade of hibiscus pink.