Church Bells

My friend, Karen, post writing prompts every Wednes day and so I decided to try one out. The prompt this time was "You hear church bells in the distance."
No editing is allowed while writing so this is a very raw draft.
Here is what I wrote.

The church bells floated across town on the same breeze that rustled the skirt of my new dress. I smoothed down the blue ruffles and turned to ask Grandpa what he thought of my dress. He was staring into the leafy top of the maple dream, a small smile on his face.

“Grandpa, what are you doing?” I tugged on his hand.

“Someone has died, my pet,” he said, the smile disappearing into the wrinkles that marred his face.

I lifted my head and listened to the bells. Shaking my head I turned to him. “How do you know?”

To my young ears the bells sounded no different then they did on Sunday when they called us to worship.

“They are slow, solemn.” He lifted a hand to the air and pulled on nothing. “Old Bertha, little Mary, hear how slow they ring?”

I stared at him. Had he lost it like Mommy was always saying. “Who’s old Bertha and little Mary? Did they die?”

Grandpa shook his head. “No, Bertha and Mary are two of the bells in the church.”

He lead me to the porch and slowly climbed the stairs. His bones creaked as he sat in the old rocking chair. He lifted me into his lap and stroked my red curls. I leaned into his comforting embrace and felt his heart pound out its own rhythm against my cheek.

“When I was about the same age as your brother I started ringing the bells in that church.” His hand stilled as the sound of the bells faded away. “Every Sunday morning I climbed into that bell tower and began to pull the ropes to call everyone to church.”

“Where they heavy?” I had seen the bells from below and they looked big. How my brother could pull them I didn’t know. He was only twelve and even if he did think he was strong I could sometimes beat him up even if I was only ten.

“Yes but I soon learned not to think about the weight. For years I rang those bells, for wedding, funerals, baptisms.” He voice rumbled on in my ear as he told me of the bells and what each was used for. He spoke of how he learned to play different songs as each bell played certain notes. He used the names he had given the bells and spoke of them as if they were old friends.

“Why don’t you play the bells anymore, Grandpa?” I asked as his voice trailed off, lost in the memories of the old friends that never betrayed him even in rain, snow, war and night.

He smiled sadly at me. “Because the people of the church thought it was time for me to retire. Your cousin plays them now. He learned from me and one day he will remember those bells as I do.”

He set me on my feet and disappeared into the house. I stood for a moment, straining to hear those bells again. But the wind had died and the bells were still.

I sat on the steps trying to understand what I had just heard. For just a few minutes Grandpa had seemed happy and young again. The wrinkles in his face had lifted and his blue eyes sparkled again. And as he spoke his hand had reached up pulling on nothing in the air, pulling as if he still stood in the bottom of that bell tower letting the town know that it was time for worship. In his mind it was him pulling the bells to let the people know that someone had died, that new life had been welcomed into the open arms of a growing family.

And I wondered if he had rung the bells when I was born.

Three days later the bells rang out their sad tune again and this time I walked beside my brother from the church. My blue dress had been replaced by a black one. Mommy walked beside Grandma and Grandpa lay in the black box as the horses pulled it away.

And the bells, Bertha and Mary, rang out one last time as my grandfather’s body was lowered into the ground.

Ten Things I Miss About Canada

I know that I'm supposed to be enjoying a new culture and trying new things but there are some things that I really do miss about my homeland.
I guess the saying 'Home is where the heart is' is true. I may be enjoying Australia and all the new sights, sounds and tastes, but not so deep inside I am a true blooded Canadian.
Here are a few things that I find myself wanting on any given day or just plain missing.

1. Tim Hortens - no one around here can make a cup hot of chocolate like them.
2. Bagels -  they have never heard of them.
3. Driving on the right side of the road - okay, to them we drive on the wrong side.
4. Knowing where I am going when I leave my house -  let's just say that I have a habit of misplacing myself out here.
5. Hockey - yeah, yeah, I hear you. But really, it's at least fun to watch. They like cricket. Makes no sense and is boring to watch.
6. My piano -  no around here seems to own one.
7. My family - even Luke.
8. My friends -  the people out here are awesome but they can't replace my Canadian friends.
9. My books -  I could only take so many with me.
10. Snow - alright, I admit it. I do miss that white stuff. Not the cold, mind you, but the sight of a snow covered world with a sun in a blue sky.

I don't think any continent could replace Canada. I mean, we have the Rockies, Niagra Falls, hockey, PEI, the CN Tower and Tim Hortens. Australia has the Sydney Opera House, Kangaroos and Koalas, lots of cows, Ayers Rock and the Great Barrier Reef. Okay, both places have some pretty awesome attractions. But the place where you are born and raised becomes the place you think is the best.
Canada, you rock!

New Job, New Experiance

Last time I wrote, I was all set to work in a town outside of Adelaide, South Australia. Now I am working outside of Perth, Western Australia.
In 26 days I have moved from one side of the country to the other. I have spent a week with people I never imagined hanging out with, bought two cars, brought one back, lost a job, gained another and applied for a third. Yes, it has been crazy but still in some ways a lot of fun.
A week and a half ago I arrived in Perth. At that time I had lost my first job for reasons I still haven't quite figured out and I wasn't really sure what to do. But my parents knew. They called my aunt who called her nephew who called his parents. A few hours later Dad called me and told me to fly to Perth and someone would pick me up from the airport.
So I booked a ticket, brought my car back from where I got it, boarded a plane and landed five hours later in Perth. I was picked up by my aunt's niece and stayed with her and her parents for a few days. In that time I found a new job, bought a new car and moved to Gidgenannup.
My new job is one that I have always wanted to do. I'm a part time groom. Which pretty much means I feed horses, saddle horses, unsaddle horses, bath horses and sweep floors. It isn't glamerous but it is good honest work. I'm living with my employer's parents and have my own room and all the food I want.
I live out in the country surrounded by trees, horses, dogs, kangaroos and birds. It's a place that holds so many possibilities and experiances. The family I work and live with are amazing people. They are always asking if I need anything, eager to have me join in with them as they hang out with friends.
So for now I am settled in a place I am enjoying with people whom I greatly respect.
I have just applied for another part time job to fill in some of the hours I'm not spending working with the horses.
God has been good for me, helping me find a good job, a good group of people to hang out with and a church to attend. Maybe somethings that have happened haven't been what I wanted. Yet I have learned through all of this that God's plans are better then mine. I thank Him for the opportunity to show His love to more people, to learn new skills, to meet new people.
Australia is a land of good people, great oppurtunities and strange but wonderful creatures.

The Week That Started It All

Blood, sweat and bruises. That's one way to describe my week at Kulaba. Another way is to say it was fun, a huge learning curve and an eye opener.
Kulaba is a 2000 acre sheep and cattle station owned by Craig Pickette. Craig runs OutBackPackers, a farm stay designed to show people how cattle and sheep stations run.
At the beginning of the week Craig told us that it was hard work and he was going to show us all the hard work. This wasn't going to be easy.
And he was right. From day one we got hot, tired and dusty. But we also learned.
We learned the difference between lambs and ewes, between bulls, cows, calves and bullocks. We figured out how to think outside the box. Craig told us that farmers were simple people. Maybe they are but some of us found it hard to keep things simple. We over thought or under thought. We almost stole the neighbours cattle, we fell off bikes and horses, we banged our heads and in the end we survived a week on a real Australian farm.
But it wasn't all about the work. Every night we gathered around the table and talked. People told outrageous stories and others made us laugh. Beer flowed thick and the stories got more ridiculous. I may not have agreed with everything that was said. In fact a lot of it a I disagreed with it but I was in the midst of authentic Australian life. It was how they live, how they talked.
My eyes were opened to how most people in this world think. I met people who only have one night stands because they have seen so many relationships fall apart. I've seen others flirt when we all know they have a special someone back home. And they do it all with an ease that shocked me.
While I learned about the actual work I also became aware of how priviledged I am to have grown up in a Christian family.
There was a reason for me to behave, to live as I had been taught. Maybe they didn't understand it and maybe they did but that was no reason for me not to go on living just as I did at home. I spent time with my fellow trainees and had some good conversations with a few about my beliefs. They listened, they probed and I learned to dig deep down and remember all those things I had been taught since I was a young child.
Did I judge them? Maybe at times I did and that was wrong of me. But I also saw that a lack of proper upbringing brings most people to ruin early on. One of the girls I worked with admitted that she had done somethings she was ashamed of.
Maybe I could have brought her some comfort but was it the right time? The same person also told me that she was glad I wasn't forcing the Gospel on her. What could I do? She was talking to me and listening to what I had to say. We barely knew each other.
My one hope is that the things I said and did this week will stick with them and the next time they meet a Christian they will be ready for something more.
The work was hard but rewarding. I know so many things I didn't know when I stepped out of that van last Sunday evening.
I can tie knots that will keep loads from moving, I can draft sheep, I can ride a quad, change a tire and find tools when they are needed. I can handle myself in situations that are strange and at times embarressing. I found out that I have a strength from God that never fails.
People knew right away that I was differnt yet they accepted me and always urged me to come out and talk and not to hide away. That was good too. I learned to open up about myself, to tell them the things I believed.
In the end I ended up with a job that was quite different from what I had thought I'd do. But Craig and Jo, his office helper, try their best to match us with a job that they think will suit us. So I trust their judgement and will do my best to prove them right.
These next months are going to be just as challenging but I know I have a Father who loves me and will always be there to help me. That is what I cling to as I step into the unknown.
My week was amazing, something I will never forget. It was a huge stepping stone for me and I managed to step on and off without loosing anything that belonged to me. The memories and friends I made may one day fade but I will always remember this time as a time of strengthening, of challenge and most of all of fun.
It was the beginning of the adventure of my life.

World Famous in Sydney

When people think about Australia the first thing that comes to mind are the white domes of the Sydney Opera house.
The construction of this world famous concert hall began in 1958 and finally ended in 1973. Over the years it has become one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. Some 1,500 hundred performances are hosted every year with upwards of 1.2 million people attending.
The Sydney Opera House was designed by Jorn Utzon. The theory is that his idea for the domes came to him while he was peeling an orange. Beneath its famous domes is a complex of linked theatres and halls.
The biggest threate is the Concert Hall, which can seat upto 2, 690 people. Here symphony, choral, jazz, folk and pop concerts, chamber music, opera, dance and everything from body building to fashion parades are hosted.
The Opera Theatre, now known as The Joan Sutherland Theatre, is mainly used for opera and ballet and can hold up to 1,507 people.
One of the smallest theatres is the Playhouse. Holding only 400 people, it is used for intimate productions but still able to hold plays with larger casts.
The Drama Theatre can hold up to 544 people and is used by the Sydney Theatre Company and other dance and theatrical presenters.
The Monumental Steps, along with the forecourt, are used for outdoor performances.
The Studio can hold up to 400 people depending on how it is configured.
Inside it's halls are two famous paintings. One is a mural by Michael Tjakamarra Nelson, an artist from the central Australian desert. It is called 'The Possum Dreaming'. In the Utzon room is a tapestry designed by Jorn Utzon. This tapestry was inspired by the music of Carl Philippe Emanuel Bach.
The Northern Foyers and the Utzon Room can be rented for conferences, lunches, parties and weddings. The windows boast spectacular views of the harbour.
Outside many walkways surround the building allowing visitors to see all sides of the building. Along the walkways are many restaurants, cafes and souvenier shops. One of Sydney's finest restaurants, Guillaue at Bennelong, is located close to the front of the building under it's own little domes roofs.
From every walkway there is a view of the harbour where the boats come in and out.
Even though it took many years to build the finished result is something of legend. When the construction first began, the complex design had never been used before and therefore caused many problems. But finally it was completed and began it's famous performances which never fail to impress.
The Sydney Opera House, with it's white domes, will never be forgotten by those who visit it.

This Shattered World, Book 1: Glass, part 26

The music washed over my body as Dante held me close. I didn’t even think about the steps as we glided across the floor.

“Are you happy?” Dante asked.

“What?” I shook my head. The music had me lost in its rhythm.

“You’re smiling.” He twirled me out and then pulled me back to him.

“I always smile,” I said.

Dante smiled down at me and swung me to the side. “But you are smiling more now. Is it me or the dancing?”

I pretended to think for a moment and then laughed when I saw the look in Dante’s eyes. “Relax, Dante. It’s you, not the dancing.”

He laughed and bowed to me as the dance ended. I curtsied and then clapped with the rest of the dancers, turning slightly towards the musicians. Dante offered me his arm and I took it. We walked off the dance floor towards the punch table. Savannah and Dominique joined us and we stood sipping our drinks.

“I think it’s going just fine, Dante,” Savannah said. “At least there isn’t too much tension.”

“Don’t speak yet, sister. The evening is still young.” Dante leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Hey, that would be my fiancée you are kissing.” Dominique shoved Dante.

Dante retaliated and Savannah and I stepped away from the two.

“Are those two still at it?” a voice asked from behind us.

We turned around and saw President Tyson standing there. We both curtsied.

“President Tyson,” Savannah began. “I’m so pleased that you could make it.”

“I’d never miss this party, Miss Savannah.” The president turned to me. “Miss Crystal, I believe you were saving me a dance?”

I nodded, unsure how to speak to this man. If I said the wrong thing it could all go pear shape for Dante and Dominique.

“This seems about as good a time as any,” President Tyson said, holding out his hand.

I glanced behind me at Dante and saw that he was still play fighting with Dominique. I bit my lip and put my hand in the president’s. As we stepped onto the dance floor I had to smile. It seemed that the whole night I had been putting my life in other people’s hands or taking steps into my future. Why couldn’t I just have fun?

The music started and I found myself laughing as the president swept me around the dance floor.

“You are very light on your feet, Miss Crystal.”

“Life taught me that and Dante taught me all the dance steps,” I replied, stepping to the side and then back to him.

“If life taught you to step lightly, I want the life you had. So many people stumble around or march up and down the halls making too much noise.” President Tyson stared into my eyes and I was unable to look away from him.

How much did the man know? If he knew where I came from the gig was up before we had even gotten started.

“You are going to fit into this world so much better than most people do,” he whispered before handing me off to Dante.

“What was that all about?” Dante asked as he swept me across the floor and out into the crisp night.

I shook my head. “I think he was trying to tell me that this was where I belonged or maybe that he liked me or maybe he was warning me. I really don’t know.”

I took a deep breath and braced myself against the railing. Lifting my head I stared into the star studded sky. The air was sharp and burned my lungs as I dragged it in.

“Crystal, are you okay?” Dante pulled me around to face him and stroked my face. “Come on, tell me what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I thought this night would be a lot harder. But so far things have been going along smoothly.” I turned back to staring at the stars. “What am I doing here, Dante?”

“You’re going to help us save the world, Crystal.” Dante moved behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “And you are going to marry me and we are going to take the world by storm.”

I laughed a little. “The whole world? Isn’t that a little much?”

I felt him shake his head against me. “Nothing is too much for you and me. Apart maybe, but not together. We can do it.”

“But what are we doing, Dante? Really, tell me what are we doing?”

Dante turned me around and held my shoulders. “We are saving ourselves from ourselves. If the world keeps going as it is, there will be nothing left. Another war will destroy us. We have to stop it.”

I shook my head. He was so full of ideas, of dreams. How could I crush them? How could I tell him that the world didn’t want saving? And how could I help him save the world when I needed so much saving myself? I wasn’t the angel girl he thought I was. I had enough secrets to drown in.

“I don’t know how I can help you, Dante. My life has changed so much in the last while. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

Dante framed my face with his hands and rested his forehead against mine. “You are Crystal, the girl with the angel hair. My girl, the only one who truly understands me.”

I shook my head. I didn’t really understand him at all. All this talk about saving the world, it didn’t really make sense. How could I save the world? One person couldn’t do it. Neither could two. It would a revival of a lot of people. But maybe that was what I was meant to start. Maybe I could show people that those on the other side weren’t all that bad. And maybe those on the other side could begin to see that the rich weren’t all that bad.

Dante touched his lips to mine and I leaned into his embrace. He pushed me up against the railing and I could feel the cold of the stone seep through my dress. His hands roamed down my arms and tightened around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck. This was where I belonged, here in his arms.

But as the kiss deepened my mind flipped. Suddenly the clean, crisp smell of the evening air took on a foul taste and the gentle hands at my waist became hard and pressed into my skin. His breath changed from peppermint laced to the rotten smell of bad teeth and cigarettes. The chatter of the guests turned into the maniac laughter of men who couldn’t think because they had had too much of the good stuff.

A cry wrenched itself from inside of me and I tore myself away from Dante or whoever I was seeing. I could see the confusion in his eye but I couldn’t stop to explain. I gathered my skirt in my hands and ran.

The snow didn’t slow me down even if I had to hop through two feet of it.

“Crystal!” Even Dante’s cries didn’t stop me.

I had to get away, from him, the nightmares of what I was remembering. I ran and found myself on the path to the stables. With a sob I tore down the path. My feet slid a little on the cobblestones but I managed to keep upright.

I looked around wildly. Were to go? Amour poked her head out of her stall and nickered softly. It was as good a place as any. I fumbled with the latch and managed to open the door. Pulling it closed behind me I sank to the straw. Burying my face in my hands I let the tears flow down my cheeks.

Amour nuzzled my head and blew into my ear. What was I doing? I reached up and stroked the horse’s nose and leaned my head back.

“Amour, what am I going to do?”

The mare gently lipped my hair and then went back to eating her hay.

This Shattered World, Book 1: Glass, part 25

As we walked down the stairs to greet the guests that I one day would call friends, I had a horrible thought. My strand of angel hair was in full view for everyone to see. I would be dead before the end of the first dance.

“Dante.” I stopped, grasping his arm. “I can’t go do this.”

He frowned. “Why not?”

I touched my braid and closed my eyes, willing the acid in my throat to slide back to my stomach. “My hair. They’ll all know who I am.”

Dante gaped. He looked at me and then my hair and then Elise. No one had an answer and the footman was hurrying to the door. We had about five seconds before everything went really, really wrong.

Footsteps clicked on the stairs above us and we all turned. Once again Mrs. Young had come to the rescue. In her hand she held a hair piece covered in flowers and feathers. Without a word she tucked it into my hair and placed a kiss on my cheek.

“There, your angel hair is covered and no one will question anything.” She hurried back up the stairs and disappeared.

I shook my head and turned to Dante. “Let’s go.”

“That woman needs a raise,” Dante muttered. “My lady, are you ready?”

I smiled and took his arm. “As ready as I’ll ever be, my lord.”

And together we walked down into the hall and joined Savannah and Dominique at the front door. The first couple through the entrance were young and beautiful. The footman took their wraps and handed them to one of the maids standing behind him.

With smiles on their faces the couple walked towards us.

“Sir William Pelts and Lady Sierra Pelts,” the concierge said.

Dante nodded to the couple and kissed the lady’s hand. “William, Sierra, this is Miss Crystal Reynolds, my fiancée. Her sisters, Robyn and Macy.”

I bobbed a short curtsy to Sierra and allowed William to kiss my hand. “Welcome.”

Robyn curtsied beside me and Macy hid her face in Elise’s neck.

“Miss Crystal, it is such a pleasure to meet you,” Sierra said. “Savannah told me so much about you. I can’t believe that you are Dominique’s cousin. He never mentioned a cousin.”

“Sometimes we forget people we haven’t see in years,” I replied.

And so it went as couple after couple shed their wraps and where announced. Names and faces blended into one solid mass as the time passed.

I curtsied and nodded to the guests, taking my cue from Dante. If he addressed them as a lord or lady or some other title I curtsied. I nodded at those with no title since we were on the same level. I don’t know how many people kissed my hand but eventually I felt Elise behind me. A cool cloth was in her hand and while Dante had a quick conversation with the next guest she wiped off my hand. I smiled. Not daring to look behind me, I squeezed her hand.

“How much longer do we have to be here?” Robyn bounced on her feet trying to catch a glimpse of the ball room. “I want to dance.”

I laughed and settled a hand on her shoulder. “Soon, little sister, soon.”

“Crystal, the President, Lucas Tyson.” Dante bowed beside me and I dropped into a deep curtsy. “President, this is my fiancée, Miss Crystal Reynolds. Her sisters, Robyn and Macy.”

I stood up again and looked into the kind face of the president. His blue eyes twinkled and his grey hair was slicked back. “Welcome. Thank you for coming.”

“Miss Crystal Reynolds.” The president took my hand and kissed it. “What a pleasure to meet you. Dante mentioned you last time we spoke. Now I see why he was so enamoured. Please, do me the honour of saving a dance.”

I nodded not knowing what else to say. The president had just asked me, a nobody from the slums, to dance with him. Was that normal? Not by the look on Savannah’s face. I looked at Dante and he was just as shocked as Savannah.

“Thank you, President Tyson. It would be a delight,” I said.

The president smiled. “I think we shall get along very well, Miss Reynolds.”

Then taking his wife’s hand he led her into the ballroom and swept her into his arms.

I had no time to ask Dante anything because me guests were arriving. Each woman that came in the door seemed to be trying to out do the one before her. Precious gems dripped from throats, arms and ears. Dresses in every colour swirled through the ball room, the black and dark grey of the men’s suits kept the colours from becoming to overwhelming.

The last guests through the door had me shrinking back against Dante and Savannah gasping.

“Lord Gregory Brooke, Lady Kaitlyn Brook.”

“What are you doing here?” Dante growled. “I told you not to come back.”

“Please, Dante,” Lady Kaitlyn begged. “It would look bad if we weren’t here. Your father promised not to speak against your young lady.”

I took Dante’s hand and found it tight. Reaching up I whispered into his ear. “Let it go. They can’t hurt me.”

He took one look at me and I knew that the words I had said were the right ones. The anger and pain slowly receded from his eyes and he managed a smiled. Turning back to his parents he lifted my hand to their view.

“I just want you to know that I have asked Crystal to marry me and she had agreed.”

Lord Gregory opened his mouth but his wife beat him. “Congratulations, my dear boy.”

She reached up and kissed Dante’s cheek. With a smile she leaned in and did the same to me. I found myself surrounded by the sweet scent of her perfume.

She pulled away and taking her husband’s hand pulled him away to greet her daughter and her fiancé.

“Well, that wasn’t to bad, was it?” I smiled up at Dante and he smiled back.

“No, it wasn’t. Let’s just hope Mother can keep him under control the whole night. They’ve see your angel hair.” He bit his lip. “It will only take one word and everything will be undone.”

“Dante.” I grasped his lapels and pulled him down to my level. “Let’s not think like that. Besides, the president is here. Do you really think your father will try anything that will harm his position in the Elite government?”

Dante stared at me long and hard. “He wouldn’t have to risk anything. They all want you dead.”

“Not the president. He likes me. I don’t think anyone in that room would dare to harm me.”

Dante laughed. “You have a very uncanny way of making everything go right, Miss Crystal. And I love you for it.”

“I have been touched by an angel, maybe he left some of his miracles with me,” I quipped reaching up and kissing him. “Come on, our guests are waiting.”

I took his arm and we walked to the door into the ballroom. Savannah and Dominique followed us with Elise and the girls behind them.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, your gracious hosts, Lord Dante Brooke, Miss Crystal Reynolds, Lady Savannah Brooke and Lord Dominique St. Clair, Miss Robyn Reynolds and Miss Macy Reynolds. They welcome you to their home and wish you a blessed Christmas season.”

As the echoes of the words disappeared we stepped into the brightly lit room to a round of applause. As we stepped over the threshold I knew that it was more then a simple step. It was a turning in my life. After I entered that ballroom as the fiancée of a lord there was really no turning back. I was one of them.

Holding my head up, refusing to be ashamed of my roots, I stepped into my future, my destiny and the place I belonged, beside the man who held my heart even if he didn’t know it and I didn’t want to admit it.