The Last Handful of Clover - Book 2: Gifts Both Light and Dark

2.25 The Gifts

June 13, 8:20 am

It was only a quarter mile from the hillside on which he had died, down to the "This Is The Place" monument. Billy led the way, with Richard tagging behind. After their talk about the Vastness, and Richard telling him about his terror of death, Billy thought he understood the man much better. He had met many people in his life who lacked faith, and who were attached to the trappings of their time before the Hereafter. But none he had ever met seemed as desperately bound to their life as Richard Pratt.

He wouldn't make a very good Buddhist, Billy thought. It is interesting that a man who has studied so much Indian philosophy has learned so little from it.

By the time they reached the monument, which was still mostly abandoned this early in the morning, the sun was bathing the valley below in a gentle, golden light. The figures of Brigham Young and his companions on the fifty foot high central pillar were now shimmering in the first rays of the sun. Only the base of the monument was still in shadow, as they sat on the low railing. Behind them was the bas-relief portrait of the pioneers of 1847, rendered larger than life. Billy thought the likeness of the wagon was especially true to his memory of what life had really been like in those early days of the Salt Lake Valley.

When they had settled, Richard seemed ready to talk again. He still looked tired, but at least, Billy thought, he had shaken off most of the despair that blanketed him during their earlier discussion.

"You were going to explain the gifts," Richard said. "What are they? And who told you about them?"

"It was Tuilla. After she found me at Bridal Veil Falls, she became a kind of teacher to me, or perhaps a guru, in the more modern parlance. She felt like a physical embodiment of God's love. When I was with her, I was as close to that glowing face of God as I had ever come in this dark place."

"You sound like a devotee."

"I suppose I am. But not just because she is so wise, or because she has so much compassion. If I'm devoted to her, it's because I see how important she is. Not only to me, but to all of us. To you. To Keith. To everyone."

Richard contemplated his words, as if he was a fish deciding whether to take the dangled bait. Billy expected him to pursue the details about Tuilla, so he was surprised at his next question.

"You've said there are both light gifts and dark gifts. I think I get what the light gifts are. But what about the dark ones? Did she ever explain them to you?"

"Not for several years. But yes, she told me, eventually. She told me about all the gifts, and about everything she knew or suspected was coming. She told me about Drouillard, and that she called him 'the Wanderer.' And she prepared me for the day that I might meet you, although I'm only just now realizing that was what she was doing."

Again, Richard didn't rise to take the bait. He seemed focused on just one thing.

"You didn't answer my question. You have been talking about these gifts since we met. What are they, exactly?"

With a sigh, Billy explained.

"It's fairly simple, really. Let's start with the gifts you already know. The first three gifts are the Eye, the Ear and The Hand. They come at different times for different ghosts, but always in that order. In all cases, attaining them takes years, and they are far from guaranteed. Remember, it was thirty years before Mattie and I got the Eye and the Ear—which meant we could see other ghosts, and hear them as well. Those two gifts often, but not always, come together."

"The two gifts I had my first day here," Richard said, stating it as a fact, and not a question.

"Yes. I mentioned they seem to come more quickly now, but it is still usually a matter of months and years for new ghosts. And as you know, some never get them at all. And never have I seen any of the gifts bestowed in a matter of days."