All That Lives by Melissa Sanders-Self Read Free Book Online Page A

the same in our room.” Drewry and the boys arrived, with Drew talking. “It was as if a person was swallowing too
     great an amount, and choking with the effort.” His description agreed with mine. Behind him in the darkened hall the gulping
     came again. It was evil and it was at my door.
    “Keep lit the candle! Get the lamps!” I cried, as Richard and Joel took my quilt up off the floor. I held my hand to the back
     of my head and felt where my hair had been pulled. The pain was gone, but I was certain it had happened. “It is something
     unnatural here with us.” I spoke aloud my fear.
    “How say you, darling daughter?” Father asked, arriving at my door with Mother behind him, both in their nightclothes, each
     carrying an unlit lamp in one hand and a candle in the other.
    “It ripped the quilt from off my bed and pulled my hair so hard I screamed in pain, not only fear.” I was upset.
    Mother sat beside me, put her arm around my shoulders, and pulled me close. The gulping sound continued, accompanied by a
     raspy chorus of choking, and we all froze, listening to the grotesque smacking of lips, considering our situation.
    “Jack, we must light every lamp and you must lead us all in prayer,” Mother whispered, not frightened so much as greatly concerned.
    “Let us move downstairs and see if we are still disturbed.” Father turned and led the way. The gulping noise faded in and
     out in time to the flickering light of our candles in the hall. John Jr. displayed great courage walking toward it, with us
     as witnesses, and when his candle reached the boys’ room, the noise did cease. We went quickly down the stairs, bumping against
     one another as we struggled to stay near.
    The lamps were lit and set on the desk and on the side table in the parlor, then Father built the fire up into flames. We
     joined hands in a circle, standing on the parlor rug and Father began our prayer.
    “Dear God, who art in Heaven …”
    From upstairs came a frightening crash and thud, as though our wardrobes and chests were thrown to the floor. John Jr. dropped
     my hand, thinking he would investigate the noise.
    “Stay here,” Father ordered, and he continued to pray, “O Lord, deliver us from evil, for we are among the righteous.” The
     sound of our beds being ripped apart was joined by the noise of a metal chain dragging what I thought might be a large stone
     or some other unfathomably heavy object across the floor above our heads. I was deeply afraid and I was not the only one.
     Drewry and John Jr. had their faces set in stoic imitation of our Father, but Richard and Joel had quivering chins, and even
     Mother bore an expression of dismay.
    “Jack,” she looked to him across the circle, “we must repent our sins.”
    “Who here has sinned?” Father glared at us and I felt unable to speak, so tight was my chest with fear, but Joel squeezed
     my hand.
    “I have sinned,” he cried through tears. “I stole a carrot from Mother’s garden and fed it to the horse!”
    “The Lord forgives you,” thundered Father and I did wonder how he knew, but the sin was trivial enough, it could not warrant
     such persecution of us all.
    “I have sinned.” Mother did not raise her voice, and I strained to hear her over the pounding destruction taking place above
     our heads. “I have sinned, for I have not trusted you and your wisdom in every moment, dear God. You must know what forces
     you have sent among us. I renew my covenant of trust in you, Father, though these horrid and unnatural events wreak havoc
     with my faith.” We heard a clattering of stones cascading down our steps, so many and of such various sizes it was as if the
     Red River bottom accosted us.
    “Look!” Drewry ran and grabbed a stone and brought it back to Father. “It is a rock, exactly as it sounded.” Drewry’s simple
     observation was accurate and terrifying, for if the rocks were actual and they obviously were, what would remain of our