Preachin Man

When opportunity knocks Zach does whatever it takes to open the door.

Done me a whole lot of wanderin. Don't rightly know where I didn't go. Sometimes moseyin, sometimes warrin, sometimes runnin. Did whatever came to hand. Didn't rightly care what. I let the winds be my guide.

Didn't matter where I went, didn't matter who I was or wasn't with, didn't matter if I was drunk or sober, the dreams kept comin. Sometimes the dreams came when I was awake.

When I got to runnin, I didn't quit. I was runnin mostly from myself. I'd pull a job then lay low. This was my life fer a long time. I just didnt care.

Done a job and got holed up somewheres without a ride. A long walk through dry country got me bushwacked and dumped in New York City. I figgered it was time fer ole Zeb.

Fer the most part them northerners didn't take to my country preachin. I was about to call it quits.

I was walkin out of a dandy of a church when a woman latched on to me. "Reverend, you must tell my women's group more of your wonderful visions." She looked rich.

The ladies were titterin around tea and cookies all aflutter waitin to hear about the glories of heaven. I raised my tattered bible and fixed my hellfire gaze on them. They fell silent in holy terror.

"Sisters! I have seen heaven! And I have seen hell!" They were eatin out of my hand.

I'd get to wailin and thunderin and moanin about heaven and hell and they'd come a runnin. Word spread like wildfire. I was a rich man. Bout the time you get money people start eyein ya. It was time fer me to move on. I told the followers I was goin on a mission. The rich lady hugged me tight. I pulled her back and dried the tears from her blue eyes. "Sister, someday we'll meet up yonder in the land that knows no partin."

I was sittin in this ole park in my travelin cloze. I looked like somethin the cat drug in. Didn't have nothin to do, nothin I wanted to do. Seems like there was a church picnic goin on. I could see the mommas shooin their kids away from me. A pretty thing came up to me with a basket, "Would you care to share this picnic with me, sir?" She set down and shared out her food with me. I told her some travelin stories and she told me how some day she was goin to marry a preacher. Her brown eyes glowed. To this day I remember, she wore blue velvet.

Couldnt get them brown eyes outta my head. Got to thinkin on settlin down.

I got ole Zeb all cleaned up and sent him on over to her house with a mess of flowers. When I convinced her it was me she threw her arms around me and kissed me. "I could love you, perhaps I already do, but my father would not approve." One good thing came outta it, the dreams went away.

Dreamless wanderin. Samelessness day and night. Looked like it was time to find another war.

Came across a war in jungle country. Suited me fine until I got captured. When they figgered I didnt have nothin to tell they stopped beatin me and put me to work. When I was too broke down to work anymore they left me in the jungle to die.

I was in the light place agin. I hollered out, "Im getting sick of yer game!" The next thing, I was in the dark place agin. I hollered out the same thing. Now I wuz in a place that was neither light nor dark.

I woke up in a village by the sea. I stayed there a good long time. Night and day the dreams came. I was sick of it. When the dreams stopped, I left.

I spose wanderin is the one thing I do best and I did a mess of it.

People were suspicious those days, it was hard to find a helpin hand. Figgered it was time fer the preacher. Set me up a tent revival in some backwoods town and did a mess of miracalin and healin and demon castin. Word spread and that ole town became a stop on the holiness tour. The preachin was hot and that always gave Zeb a powerful thirst.

When the faithful found out, they gave ole Zeb the boot. Damn drunken preacher...

Excerpt from The Godz of Earth by S.E.Estes