Zechariah 3
Weeds shot up high along the brick wall. Their green stems were adorned with cones of small purple flowers that looked quite lovely. Bees circled the scene humming with pleasure. From this angle it was as if I was sitting in a somewhat unkempt garden instead of the courtyard of the factory. I just needed to ignore the large plates, the barrels, the pile of rubble, and the smell of burnt steel that came from the welding workshop behind us. A tardy smell from P.’s shack, who was preparing lunch, blended with that of the workshop, my mouth watered. When I was about to ask how much longer, one of the rocks among the rubble caught my eye. It was an average sized rock compared to the others that were scattered around the courtyard, grey and unassuming. Except for the fact that when I turned my head just so, it seemed to glimmer, as if it was covered with a hardly perceptible gloss that interchanged between green and purple.
‘She’s adequate,’ he began in a soft voice. ‘Not to mention she’s been with us from the beginning.’ I nodded to indicate that I was listening although I did not make eye contact, he was sitting to my left and I did not want to lose sight of that rock. ‘She can be charming when she tries. We can instruct her, motivate her to be better. I think she’s willing to learn, furthermore, she fits the profile.’ Finally, lunch was served. I had to restrain myself from bringing the bowl, filled to the brim with noodles soaked in a rich broth, directly to my lips and devour its content in one slurping go. Instead, I inhaled the warm miso infused steam and swirled the noodles around with my spoon. ‘We have to take her past into account, obviously. The things she has told me,’ He shuddered. I locked eyes with him. I loved looking into his blue eyes, they were so light, he seemed to come from another world. Someone had described him to me once as alien.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’ he informed.
I smiled and brought a spoon full of broth to my mouth to humor him.
‘Maybe we can even make her past work for us. Everybody loves a good redemption ark. We will help her rise from the ashes as it were, like a phoenix. And you will dress her, won’t you? The last time I saw her she looked downright appalling whereas your taste is impeccable. You would be great at it. You would know just what to pick, what would suit her, and you would make the entire process feel pleasant, like a make-over in a non-condescending way. Only you could do that. I mean, look at the scarf you are wearing today, it turns around this entire dreary place.’
I was not immune to his flattery, but I had a difficult time concentrating on his words. I could not shake the feeling this conversation was not just between the two of us. It felt as though somebody, or something, was listening, and even watching us.
‘So,’ he cleared his throat, ‘we will forgive her sins, transform her as it were, guide her in the right direction, and if she does exactly as we say, she’ll do just fine, excellent even, I imagine. She’ll be perceived as a breath of fresh air, bringing justice, peace, and order. Probably she’ll even be thankful that we helped her ascend. Listen, I’m glad we laid that all out, she’ll be our pupil. It’ll inspire us all to better ourselves, hell, maybe we’ll even turn this courtyard in a proper garden so we can party with our friends beneath our own vines and figs, how would you like that?’
‘Do you believe this yourself?’ I scoffed. It had escaped me. I did not manage to hold in my disdain for his wishful thinking any longer. When I got up from the bench a pang in my stomach expressed how sorry I felt for leaving the delicious lunch that I had barely touched. As I walked away, I felt his eyes on my back. Yet I also felt a strange presence observe me from where the stone lay, as if the stone itself was sentient, and mocking me for my sorry attempt at rebellion.