Ivy's eyes met his, and he wasn't surprised when she said, "I think Lucius should tell you what he means." The subject was still too painful for her.
He was on his feet at once, saying, "Yes, I agree." They shared a quick embrace, and he once again addressed the crowd.
"Think back. Remember those skinned animals last fall, that some of us assumed had been killed by the forest creatures?" Heads nodded, and young faces looked mystified. "When the killings stopped, we believed it was because winter was at hand. But they didn't resume in the spring...they were like nothing the 'forest creatures' had ever done before...and we now know there are no forest creatures.
"The elders probably figured this out long ago, but I'll explain for the rest of you. The 'creature' killing those animals was Noah."
Shocked as the young people had been by the earlier revelations, they hadn't gone numb; they were instantly caught up in this one. As for Noah's parents, they groaned, but clearly weren't surprised.
"He lived near the forest," Lucius explained, "and he'd been slipping in and out of it frequently, almost all his life. He knew there were no forest creatures. He realized what the elders were doing, and he perceived it as a silly game. So he decided he'd play too."
Edward Walker's head shot up, and he exclaimed, "Oh God!" The other elders were reacting in much the same way.
That surprised Lucius. "You didn't know?"
Walker shook his head vehemently, fresh tears welling up in his eyes. "I thought at first that a renegade elder was killing the animals. Later, I realized it must have been Noah. But it didn't occur to me that at that early date, he already knew there were no forest creatures. I never guessed his antics were a response to our antics--an escalation! It makes perfect sense."
Lucius wondered, fleetingly, whether he would have thought of it if Ivy hadn't questioned whether Noah was trying to play with her in the woods.
"It's unclear why he began 'playing' at that particular time," he pointed out. "One possibility is that he'd just discovered what was going on. But there's another--" His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat. "He'd been playing too roughly with the children, hitting them. Ivy made him stop. So maybe...maybe he needed another outlet for all that energy. And...another form of violence as a substitute for hitting."
He stole a look at Ivy, and was relieved to see her dry-eyed and composed. Bearing up for my sake?
He continued, "His attacking me wasn't part of any 'game.' But I don't think he would have done it if he hadn't already become accustomed to carrying a knife and making lethal use of it."
Walker's mouth twisted into a mirthless smile. "So our little 'game' was the indirect cause of the violence we so wanted to avoid?"
"I'm afraid so."
After they'd had a minute to absorb that, Lucius went on. "Noah's having seen through the 'forest creature' hoax proves something I always suspected. He wasn't unintelligent, not by any means. He may have been very intelligent. But he couldn't function normally because he was constantly excited and agitated."
That idea seemed new to everyone except Dr. Ashline; he gave a barely perceptible nod.
"Elders...remember my saying I thought medicine could help him? That was one thing I had in mind when I asked to be allowed to visit the towns. Later, when I described his symptoms to doctors in Philadelphia, they said I was probably right."
Ashline flinched.
Vivian Percy blurted out, "You mean--if we'd allowed you to go for medicine a year ago, my son could have been helped, and everything that happened later could have been avoided?" Her voice rose as she continued, "He wouldn't have stabbed you--he'd still be alive?"
Lucius hated inflicting new grief, but he had to nod. "Yes. Probably. But I would, of course, have seen enough of the outside world to realize we weren't living in 1897."
"To hell with that!" Vivian broke down, sobbing, as her husband held her tight.
Lucius took a deep, shuddering breath. I have to get through this. We need to get the whole truth out in the open, once and for all.
He resumed his address to the group. "As I said, I'd believed all along that Noah could be helped. And I spoke to doctors about him within the first few days I was in Philadelphia. My understanding then was merely that he had a treatable condition, like Ivy's cataracts. But in the months that followed, I learned more about it.
"Specialists went into Covington Wood and studied its plants. Most of the native shrubs were wiped out long ago. But there's one kind that's hardy enough to still be thriving--a bush that has berries throughout the summer and fall. Red berries," he noted with bitter irony.
Ignoring the gasps at his use of the forbidden word, he told his audience, "There are huge patches of this variety. The fact that it's thriving doesn't mean its berries are safe to eat. Normally, they'd merely be non-nutritious. But these shrubs are growing in tainted soil. So the berries are poisonous, in a non-lethal way.
"Noah was in and out of that forest all his life. And children are attracted by bright colors..."
Everyone saw where he'd led them. Most of the villagers cursed, moaned, or choked back sobs.
It was Edward Walker who burst into inane, cackling laughter.
.....................................................................................................................
I understand now that no color is good or evil in itself. But red was an appropriate color for the poison that brought violence into our closed community. It was a community born of paranoia, theft, and deception, and the extreme measures taken to protect it sowed the seeds of its destruction. Red was the color a blind Ivy saw in a tragically warped Noah. Red is associated with bloodshed and violence. Yet it can also symbolize courage. The blood of heroes who give their lives to save others...the blood seen in childbirth, calling to mind the ever-wondrous cycle of human existence. Yellow or gold, we were taught, was the safe color. Its various shades are associated with the sun...the beautiful and useful sunflower...fields of grain...the glorious leaves of autumn. A wholesome color, a light in the darkness. The color a blind Ivy saw in her father. But the color gold is also associated with the mineral of the same name, and with the robes of kings. Wealth, power, arrogance. The color a blind Ivy saw in her father. Violet is the color of mysticism. Associated with a humble flower...and with the blood of saints and martyrs, inexplicably having the sweet scent of the flower. The color a blind Ivy saw in me. But the color violet is akin to purple. Purple is another hue associated with royalty, with power and arrogance. The color a blind Ivy saw in me. As we adjust to life outside the village, our young people and even most of the elders cling to Ivy and me, wanting to exalt us as they never did the now-imprisoned Tabitha and Edward. Burdened with the care of Ivy's little sisters, forced to postpone having a child of our own while we see Mother and August adopting, we need all our strength to resist taking advantage of those fawning followers. But thus far--with the help of friends like Kevin, Stacey, Joe, Aileen and Will--we seem to be doing okay. We're tackling life head-on, urging the other former villagers to do the same. One lesson we've learned is that the "safe" color was never really safe. We understand at last that the "safe" color, Edward Walker's color, can also represent cowardice.
.
.....................................................................................................................
.
.
.
.
.