Ezekial's Train, Chapter Four

“Sit down, now, sit down,” Elijah said, guiding Daniel to the bed. He gratefully sat down; grateful for having some place quiet to sit, and grateful for staying firmly where he was despite Elijah’s hand at his shoulder. For whatever reason, his visions were more frequent and more vivid whenever Elijah was at hand. Perhaps the reverend was, truly, a man of God?

That question, however, would have to wait until Daniel’s head stopped spinning. He rest his arms against his bent knees and lowered his head, staring intently at the wooden floorboards and breathing deeply in an attempt to calm his heaving stomach and focus his blurry vision. Beneath him, he heard the thudding of several people walking to and fro. Hushed, muttering voices floated up through the floor. Churchgoers, he thought, either concerned for his well-being or curious to find out whether the supposed messenger was a devil in disguise. To be honest, he himself wasn’t sure what the truth was anymore.

“Don’t worry about them downstairs,” Elijah said. “My wife’ll see them out right quick. You don’t need to be worrying about seeing or talking to anyone you don’t want to.”

Daniel nodded to show he heard. He was in no shape to talk to strangers, that was true. More importantly, it might prevent him from fulfilling his mission. For the first time since he was first contacted by the angels, they had given him a purpose along with the vision. A mission, even. This was something he must do.

He took one last deep, bracing breath and looked at Elijah, who was looking back at him with concern.

“I must go to the ocean,” he said. He gripped the bedpost closest to him and attempted to push himself up, but the room spun the moment he found himself on his feet.

“Careful, now!” Elijah rushed forward, grabbing Daniel’s arms, steadying him. “Don’t you be getting up, Brother. God’s been speaking through you and it ain’t no surprise you’re not feeling yourself after being contacted by the Lord. You need rest, and then we’ll see about getting you where you need to go.”

“I need to be there now!” A fury unlike anything Daniel had ever experienced consumed him, and before he could think he lashed out at Elijah, striking him across the face. A stunned silence stretched between them.

Elijah let go of Daniel’s arms, leaving him once again unsteady on his feet. “I apologize, Mistah Ezekiel,” Elijah said. He backed away, his hands upheld in a sign of peace. “I suppose I forgot my place.”

The fury vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Daniel feeling emptier and more exhausted than he was before. “No, no,” he said as he sat heavily on the bed. He dropped his face into his hands. What had come over him? “I’m the one who’s sorry. You have been extremely kind to me. Don’t think twice about ‘you place’ or any of that nonsense.” He looked up, a pleading look on his face. “This is something I need to do. And I believe I may need your help.”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed, wary, but it lasted only a moment. “I accept your apology,” he said, his shoulders squared and his head held high. He walked over to the desk on the other side of the room, which was, like all of Elijah’s furniture, simple and made of wood. He dragged over a simple wooden chair, set it front of Daniel, and sat down.

“I’m going to tell you something,” Elijah began, his face bereft of its usual humor or easy-going nature. “I’ve been sent here by God himself to help you, and I’ll see that everything is done to get you to where you need to go. But between you being weaker than a newborn babe and arrangin’ proper transportation, it’s gonna take a while. Now first, where do you need to go?”

Daniel felt calmed by Elijah’s staunch confidence.

“The ocean.”

“I’m afraid we’ve got quite a bit of that here in Miami. Do you know where?”

Daniel shook his head. The picture was so clear in his head. The city skyline was far behind him, and all that remained of them were indistinct, gray silhouettes fading in and out of the ocean mist. He knew where he was by the position of the sun as it struggled to be seen through heavy gray clouds, by the way the wind blew salt and water through his hair, and by the way the boat rocked on top of dark, murky waves. “I’m afraid the angels weren’t that specific.”

Elijah nodded knowingly. “Not surprised. The ways of the Lord and his messengers are mysterious to us lowly men.”

Daniel suppressed a mirthless laugh. At least there was something in this world he could agree with completely.

“Don’t worry, now, Mistah Ezekiel. We’ll make do.”

“Elijah,” Daniel started suddenly. “Why do you keep calling me ‘Ezekiel’? Who told you that name?” He had asked before, but Elijah’s answer then had told him nothing.

“Why, it’s the name the Lord gave you. And my, ain’t it a fittin’ one!”

“Why do you say that?”

“Haven’t you ever picked up a Bible?”

Daniel hesitated, and that was answer enough. Elijah brought his hands to his heart in mock pain.
“Ezekiel was one of God’s prophets. He preached against the wickedness of the Israelites, and he told ‘em they would be destroyed if they didn’t change their evil ways. They didn’t listen, and so God smote them from the Earth.”

An uneasy feeling began to knot in the pit of his stomach.

“What does that have to do with me?” he asked.

“Brother Ezekiel, you aren’t from this country. You haven’t seen the suffering here. My people work and work, sun up to sun down, every day of the week, just to see their just earnings snatched away from them by greedy men. Their only reward has been beatings, and whippings, and then hangings.” Elijah’s eyes began to glisten as anger and excitement threaten to overcome him. “And are they ever punished? It’s all we can do to hope that the Almighty sends their guilty souls straight to the pit.” Elijah was on his feet now, pacing. “We thought our time had come when the War came and they were all but put to the torch, but I guess the message still wasn’t clear enough. So now the Lord’s sent a prophet to lay them to waste and a new world can take its place.”

Elijah stopped pacing and looked at him. Daniel swallowed once, twice, trying to wet his dry throat before he could get out the words. “And…God…showed you this?”

“He sure did. Sent one of his mighty messengers to tell me you were coming, like I told you at the station. He told me that if I helped you become a great man and complete your mission, everything would change.”

Elijah smiled. He bent down and placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “There’s a great new world awaiting us, and God choose you to show us the way.”