"Horror is in the eye of the beholder."

𓆟𓆟𓆟

-The Blasphemous-

"Segenah, you will take me to these bird people straight away. There has to be a way to reason with them," Cornelius said with his pragmatic thinking.

Segenah laughed. "No one goes to the bird people Cornelius. The bird people come to you. And when they come, there is nothing you can do about it."

Cornelius paced back and forth, as the words Edward had spoken continued to haunt his thoughts. Would this be their only option, he wondered, because he knew Piety would not hear of it. She had been horrified by the tale and had taken to her bed, not leaving for three days.

𓆟𓆟𓆟

"This thing you are thinking of is blasphemy, Cornelius."

"What other choice have we, William?"

"Certainly not what you are suggesting."

The elders nodded in unison. "This is far outside what the church will accept!"

"The church refuses to address the problem at all," Cornelius argued. "Again, I ask you what choice is there?"

He was met with stubborn silence.

"Then as the founder of this settlement I must make the decision to follow my instincts concerning this, situation. As such, you will all concede to the reasoning behind it and like it or no, you will go forward with my instructions, or I will be forced to see you expunged from Pennybacker Settlement for good."

The Elders looked about themselves, not one of them able to defend their feelings for fear of being cast out into the wilds of this Virginia landscape. It was too much to bear and William was the first to reluctantly nod.

His peers followed suit, in varying degrees of uncertainty and dislike.

𓆟𓆟𓆟

From that wicked night forward Cornelius was plagued with dreams. Strange dreams of hell and fire. Then came the visitations, just as Segenah said would come.

Cornelius first noticed as he sat at his small letter desk in his writing closet. He sat there by candle light composing a note. The house was silent, the hour being very late.

As he looked up to ponder his thoughts and glanced into the darkness outside the small window his breath caught and his blood accelerated in his veins. There along the fence they stood. Staring with their empty black eyes over long crooked beaks on stilt like legs stripped of all their flesh.

Slowly raising a boney skeletal arm, the one in the forefront of the group pointed.

Cornelius caught a painful breath, clutching his coat to still the dull twinge of pain that gripped his heart.

He pushed his chair back and shot up, turning to run from the tiny room and the sight of the skeletal apparitions outside, stifling a hysterical scream, he froze.

Edward stood just in the shadowed doorway.

"Edward! You about scared the life out of me boy! What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I was awoken Father."

"Awoken? Did you have a night terror?"

"No. I had a visitor," Edward said enigmatically.

"Dear Lord boy, come along, I'll take you back to bed," Cornelius said. "You'll catch your death in this cold."

"They're here Father. The Bird People are here, waiting."

Cornelius closed his eyes and looked heavenward.

"I know Son," he breathed.

𓆟𓆟𓆟

"Sarah lost her baby," Piety told Cornelius.

"The child was born too early," Cornelius replied.

"Then how does that explain the others?" Piety asked pointedly.

"My dear, I shouldn't worry about these things so much. These things happen. Let them work out for the best in God's sight."

Piety did not care for her husbands answer. "These are things we should all be concerned with Cornelius. We have not come across land and sea just to experience heartache and loss. Why look how hard it was for poor Edward. He barely survived."

"But he did survive and as I said God makes the choices. Not us dear."

"Such a pity. To lose a child. And at birth mind you. Men do not understand how tragic that is to a young wife."

"Perhaps not," Cornelius agreed. If he didn't agree with his headstrong wife, she would never cease to go on about it. "Make some dishes for Sarah and take them out to her. Sit with her a bit and comfort her and Elias. Perhaps you will both feel better dear."

"Yes," Piety thought out loud. "I will do just that."

"Good idea my love," Cornelius praised her.

Piety Dyer Pennybacker loved to think it was her very own idea. Cornelius didn't mind. If his wife did not stay busy she would worry him to death about things he had no intention of her ever finding out about. Yes, he thought it was best to keep her busy.

Piety straightened her hair and dress and went off happily to the extra large kitchen Cornelius had built just for her and their daughters. They loved it dearly. It was a grand sight better than what they had back in England. With six daughters under their belt they had sorely needed it. Here in the Americas one could build and build and still have room for more.

Now, if they could just get the last four daughters married to their prospectives, Piety's mind would rest. Her sons had blessedly found good, strong wives.

Except for Edward. Edward seemed to have no desire for it. That worried Piety. It wasn't normal for a young man. She often comforted herself with the thought that perhaps he just hadn't found a girl who sparked his eye but as time went on, Edward seemed even more retiring.

The settlement had grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years and even though they did have to attend Mass services in a larger settlement some miles away, there were plenty of families with strong young women.

Why Piety knew herself, she had caught one or two maybe even three glancing Edwards way more than a time or two, but he never seemed to notice. Cornelius had always said it was because Edward was the youngest. The youngest, he said, were the last to leave the nest.

That was fine with Piety, as long as he found someone to love.

𓆟𓆟𓆟

Piety rocked her old rocking chair, and hugged Constance. She smoothed her granddaughters hair back under her bonnet cap and hugged her tightly, but she didn't dare tell the child how much she loved her or how much her father would have loved her. She didn't dare. For all their sakes, it was a phrase that must never be spoken aloud. No matter how hard it was or how bad it hurt to see the childs daily suffering.

All Piety could do was try and show her.

"So, Papa found Mamma and he loved her, Granny?"

Piety nodded. "Yes child. He found your Mamma and he loved her. And your Mamma loved him. And when your Papa died she vowed to love you enough for both of them but your Mother's love brought a world of evil on her life, and now your life."

"What does that mean Granny?"

"It means that after I die, you will be alone, Constance. So Granny needs you to be strong and learn all the things you need to know to take care of yourself."

Constance Mercy sat straight up and looked at Piety with a horrified look. "But why Granny? I want to have someone to love when I grow up too! Like Papa," Constance cried aloud.

"Constance Mercy. You must never seek out love. Do you hear me?" Piety whispered hotly.

Constance nodded but tears filled her pretty green eyes. "I don't understand Granny," she wept. "Do you love me Granny?"

Piety took Constance by the arms and pulled her close to her face, looking in her eyes. "Never forget these words Constance. 'Actions speak louder than words.' You're old enough to understand that aren't you?"

Constance nodded but her eyes told Piety the child was being destroyed by the truth.

"Constance, when you were born, your Mother did something so awful it cannot be discussed. Because of this, you can never seek out love," Piety shook Constance a little to snap her out of the shock of what she was hearing and it would only get worse in the times to come. "Now child, promise your Granny you will never forget what I'm about to tell you. And know this child, I would have stopped it had I known. You are to use what I tell you to be strong in the face of all trials Constance."

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