Chapter 11. The New Home

The next day after Charon and Maya visited town, Charon woke up with a fervor unlike anything before, he wanted to go to the garden. He wanted to spend more time with Maya.

So, shooting up from the bed he pulled on his clothes from before and shot up the hallway, almost floating up the stairs in the process. With his hand on the door handle leading to the garden, he was in the middle of turning it before a sound echoed in his ears like a drum. 

"Charon!" The woman's voice cut through the air to him. "Come here, please!"

Turning at the voice he spotted the grandmotherly Sister Isha standing at the far end of the hall near the kitchen, her hands resting on her hips. 

"Young man, can you please come here for a second." She asked once more in a tone that told of the question to be more like a polite demand. 

Looking out the door once more he already saw Maya in the garden tending to the plants, but looking back at Isha he inwardly sighed and hurriedly shuffled his feet to her. 

"Now, now Charon. Where do you think you're going without breakfast?"

Stunned at her question Charon realized he had forgotten about breakfast. Given the new privilege of even having a reliable meal at the beginning, middle, and end of the day had escaped his mind, he was already too used to skimping on meals on the street.

With a gaping mouth Charon couldn't find any words to say to the woman, he was flabbergasted at her reasonable question. 

"That's what I thought, here take this." Isha started as she thrust a bowl of food into his hands and started pushing him towards the table. "Eat at one of the tables and-" Sniffing a couple of times she wrinkled her nose and commented, "and take a bath after you're done, you smell like an animal."

Unbeknownst to Charon all the moving he did yesterday had caused a certain stench to overcome his childish body. Aside from the dark spots of sweat that had stained around his armpits and neck. 

Sitting down at his usual table Charon ate away at the fruits and oats provided to him by the church. While eating the fruits he noticed some of them were familiar to those that Sister Maya had cultivated in the garden outside. He recognized them because she extensively went over how delicious they were but how delicate the plant was to handle. 

Finishing his breakfast he cleaned his bowl in the cleaning basin and set it to the side. Taking note of what Sister Isha had said he walked away from the garden and towards the bathroom Father David placed him in last time. 

Entering the room he was in days before he stepped into its humid climate with the same round bowl in the center of the ground, empty. 

'huh'

Spotting the empty bowl Charon began to inquisitively look around the room for any possible sign of water. 

Realizing he didn't know how Father David had caused the bowl to fill with warm water in the first place he hoped to find a secret mechanism that only a member of the church would know.

Walking around the room he found no evidence of any mechanism that would trigger the water in the bowl. Standing there with an empty stare he quickly went down the list of possible next moves. 

After a moment of thought, he walked out of the room and towards the main chapel. Heading through the double doors leading into the church he soon realized he was not the only person in here. Father David was currently holding a small collection of people in prayer and reciting hymns with the devotees. 

Ducking below a nearby bench Charon made sure to not intrude on the group. Inching closer row by row he sneaked up until he was barely a dozen feet from the small collective. Sitting behind the pew he quietly listened to Father David speak to the group. 

"Yet with the tides changing, the deity of the sea is uncaring of what you were but rather focused on what you are in this moment My brothers and sisters, according to the first book of the Ocean God, there is no past or future without the present." 

Echoing the recitation of book one of the Ocean God's text the repeated, "There is no past or future without the present." 

Nodding as if pleased with the group's reply he responded with his hands held together. "May the tide be in your favor, amen."

"May the tide be in your favor, amen." They answered signaling the end of the hour. Standing up the few numbers of men and women stood up and made their way to the exit with some staying behind to leave a quick word with Father David. 

After a handful of "Thank you's" and "Have a nice day Father" one woman came up to Father David. Charon, close enough to hear her words listened intently out of interest."

"Father David I heard that you have been petitioning for a school suited for the good of us commoner folk and I just wanted to thank you and give you this." Pulling out a piece of rolled-up paper she presented it to the priest, "This is a handful of signatures that I have put together in town. We all want this and to be fair we'd be willing to do anything to help you." She said.

Unable to hear an immediate response Charon heard the sound of paper unfolding as Father David unraveled the scroll to take a quick look at the signatures. "Thank you, Ma'am, I'll make sure to present this to Lord Ramon. With increased help from the average man, we'll have a greater chance of passing this movement." 

Exchanging politeness the woman left the church with the double doors signaling her departure. As the silence took over the church Father David spoke up with a cough, "Did you enjoy watching Charon?" he asked in amusement. 

Poking his head up above the bench he saw the elderly priest looking straight at him with a small grin adorned and the rolled-up scroll under his arm. "Were you looking for something or just felt like listening in to hear about the faith of the Ocean?" 

"N-no, I had to ask you something," Charon said sheepishly from behind the pew.

Nodding his head in recognition he gestured for him to continue. 

"I-I don't know how to get the bath working."

Looking at the young boy with a blank expression he narrowed his eyes before realizing. "Oh! The room I had you bathe in for your wounds? My apologies but that's not the bathroom, that's just the healing room." Waving his hands at Charon, Father David beckoned him to follow. "Come, I'll show you where the actual bathroom is."

Stepping lightly behind the priest the young boy followed him through the church, passing the room now known as the healing room, and ended up in front of the actual room. 

"Sorry about that Charon I should have made sure someone showed you around, I'll make sure to request someone to give you a tour soon. Although it's not a lot I know it can be confusing for a young child."

Nodding his head Charon peaked into the bathroom and quickly grabbed Father David by the tail of his shirt, causing him to turn around.

"I still don't know how to start it," Charon said weakly, his voice fading with each word.

Wide-eyed Father David realized his blunder and quickly showed the young man how to bathe and use the facilities all the while repeatedly apologizing. Feeling that he had covered everything in the room he left Charon to his own devices and with the knowledge given to him proceeded to cautiously take his first shower.