Botanicaust

pulled Eily into the warmth and comfort of the kitchen.

    The congregation had been preparing for the evening meeting all day. Hard wooden church benches filled the downstairs of the Lundgren home, the accordion wall pulled aside to make room for women on the kitchen side and men in the sitting area. Men greeted each other with handshakes and low words, while women kissed each other on the cheeks and eyed Levi warily. There were no children at this emergency evening meeting, no tables laid with sandwiches and pies. The scent of sassafras tea wafted from an urn on the sideboard, and men filled ceramic mugs before taking seats on their side of the gathering. The women ’ s side seemed emptier than normal.
    Out of habit, Levi held out a hand to greet Brother Abe as he found a seat next to him. Abe looked at the offered hand and said, “ May the Lord come to your help. ” He turned and placed his hat beneath his bench.
    You ’ re in the Bann . Shunned. Of course he won ’ t greet you. But Levi ’ s heart broke.
    The Brethren didn ’ t often meet at night, and most members were tired from a long day of work. Men in field clothes rather than Sunday vests murmured together from their places on the benches. Women had donned proper bonnets, but wore daily work aprons. In the far corner, Levi spotted Brother Peter surrounded by Brother Yonnie and several others. The old man twisted the brim of his hat around and around in his bony hands as he nodded in response to their murmured words.
    “ We apologize for the late hour, ” Bishop Eldon greeted everyone as the last stragglers found their seats. “ With Communion Sunday in a matter of days, and the return of Levi, we felt we needed to address our Unity in the Scripture one last time. ”
    The room fell to silence as all eyes turned to the bishop. “ The Elders have met with Levi and discussed his removal from the Bann. We, as your servants, do not presume to take his request upon our shoulders alone. The decision to remove him from the congregation was decided upon in unity, and the decision to bring him back must also be considered with the Scriptures and voted upon. Let us take a moment of prayer that God may guide our decisions. ”
    Levi eased to his knees on the floor before his bench and silently recited the Lord ’ s Prayer, focusing on ‘ thy will be done. ’ At the end, however, he entreated God to give him the words he needed to provide for Tula and Eily. If it be your will, God . The entire house remained silent for several minutes as everyone present asked for the Lord ’ s guidance.
    Shuffling among the pews as people regained their seats was the only indication prayers had ended. The Bishop spoke again, his words the traditional reminder spoken at every Council Meet in review of the Ordnung. “ I ask everyone gathered here to remember that adherence to rules and regulations does not promise us Salvation. True obedience comes from willing love, not fear of punishment. Our forefathers set us to review and ratify the Ordnung twice yearly, that better and more spiritual rules could be accepted and adopted, according to our times. As our Lord bid us in the book of Matthew, as the Prophet taught us during a period of great upheaval. But the principles of the Scripture are unchanging, now and forever. ”
    A chorus of “ amen ” rumbled through the rooms.
    By unspoken agreement, a man moved to speak from a bench behind Levi. “ I would ask about the Blattvolk. ”
    Several deep throated “ aye ’ s ” sprouted among the men.
    The Bishop replied from his position at the accordion wall. “ Let us ask Levi to speak, if that is agreeable to the congregation. ”
    A rise of voices again, and several “ aye ’ s. ” The Bishop nodded to Levi.
    Levi rose to face his people — the men and women he had grown up with. The original decision to restrict seeking a cure from the outside had been a difficult discussion for many of the members here. Most had close loved ones who also suffered from the disorder, and the women in particular had gleams of hope in their eye during the Salt Trader ’ s story. They would want to know what Levi had found.
    “ I must first begin with the decision I made to leave you in spite of the rules of the Ordnung. I freely confess that what I did was a prideful thing, born out of a desperation many of us have felt when it comes to our children. I asked God to work through me, to keep my son upon this earth so that he might be