Chapter Six
-Rosalyn-
-Sunday, November 20-
“Wow!” I exclaimed as we sat down once more around the table. “God is so good!”
Looking around the table, I smiled.
“I think tupilak safe now.” Ersta smiled back.
“I don’t know.” Abby said thoughtfully. “I think there will still be trouble.”
“Why do you say that, Abby?” I wondered.
Only then did she tell us what she had seen outside.
“Are you sure it wasn’t just some Greenlanders leaving?” Ersta questioned.
“Maybe you’re right, Ersta. I guess I am just getting a bit jumpy. Anyway I’m famished, can we finish eating?”Abby asked as she filled her mouth with bacon.
Laughing, Esta picked up the plate of bacon. “Let me heat it all up first. It has been sitting here all day!”
“I wouldn’t bother, this is great,!” Abby assured her as she helped herself to her second waffle.
“Very well, would you like some bacon, Rosy?” Ersta asked, as she passed it to me. I don’t like bacon one bit, but I didn’t want to be rude. So I reluctantly put a small peice on my plate. Looking up I saw Abby watching me with a smirk.
Smiling, I playfully kicked her under the table as I handed her the plate.
-Monday, November 21-
I woke up with a start. What woke me? I wondered as I lay in bed.
Then I heard it again, a noise coming from the main room.
I slipped out of bed silently, not wanting to wake Abby.
My feet tingled as they touched the cold stone floor.
Pulling a blanket around my shoulders, I tiptoed towards the the door leading into the dining, and kitchen area.
Slowly, I opened it and peeked out. Ersta slept soundly on the mattress she had put on the floor for herself.
I glanced around and then tiptoed out of my room.
Did I imagine it? I wondered after seeing nothing unusual.
Clank!
The sound came from the door. Suddenly I realized what was happening, someone was trying to break into the house.
Quickly I ran to Ersta and shook her awake.
“Ersta! Ersta, someone is trying to break the lock on the door!”
She sat up straight instantly alert.
“Quickly” she whispered, “Help me remove portrait off wall, we get tupilak.”
Together we lifted it off the wall, revealing the secret safe.
Leaning close to Ersta so as not to be heard, I asked,
“Wouldn’t it be safer to leave it here in the safe?”
As she lifted the tupilak out of its hiding place, Ersta replied.
“No, you take tupilak with you. It too dangerous here for you, you leave my house tonight.” She was interrupted by another clank from the door “ I will miss you, sister.” she continued, wiping a tear from her eye.
Quickly we replaced the painting on the wall before hurrying into the room Ersta had let us use.
“Wake up, Abby.” I whispered, shaking her.
She groaned, rolled over, and kept on sleeping.
“Abby. Please wake up!” I urged, shaking her even harder.
She sat up slowly and looked at me blankly.
“What did you say?” She asked in an unimpressed voice.
As I told her the outline of what was happening, she quickly jumped out of bed.
“How do we get out?” She panicked.
I shrugged my shoulders, not realizing that Abby probably couldn’t see my reply in the dark room.
While I tried to get Abby out of bed, Ersta had started setting our things under the lone picture on the wall.
“How will we get out unnoticed?” Abby asked, a little calmer than before. “Won’t there be people guarding all the windows?”
“Yes, there probably be people by windows. That why you not use window to go.” Ersta replied.
Curiously we walked over to where she was standing in front of the picture.
I hadn’t paid attention to the painting before but now as the moon shone on it I looked closer, it was a beautifully painted ladder leading up to heaven with angels of God ascending and descending on it. On the bottom right corner was the reference to the bible where the story is found. It reminded me of the stories I've read about how the people in the underground railroad used the signal as a symbol to show the runaway slaves that it was a safe place.
As we watched, Ersta put her finger in the middle of the third rung of the ladder in the picture, and pushed. Silently the frame moved to the side revealing an opening into the mountain.
“Another secret opening? Wow!” Abby said in amazement.
Just then the lock broke on the front door and we heard hushed voices in the kitchen.
“Quick, Climb in!” Ersta whispered urgently, throwing our bags ahead of us into the tunnel. “I am going to act like I am sleeping.”
We stepped out of the house and into the entrance of the tunnel.
I immediately sensed the change in the air, instead of the house’ warm homey feeling, the tunnel was dark and musty and smelled of wet dust.
The place where we stood was spacious but on both sides of the hollow were narrow tunnels leading in different directions.
Turning back to Ersta, Abby hesitated.
“Are you sure you will be alright?”
Ersta just smiled and answered.
“When everything settled here, I tell you how to get to boat docks safely. I sure you would get lost in tunnels without me. Just wait here until people leave.”
With that, the the door slid shut leaving us in total darkness.
I heard some shuffling in the bedroom and then the bed squeak as Ersta lay down.
I grasped Abby’s hand. “We need to pray.”
In a hushed voice I began. “Lord, please give Ersta wisdom to know-”
My words were interrupted by shouts in the Greenlandic language that I could not understand, and banging on the door of the bedroom.
They probably think we got away. I thought to myself.
Amongst all the noise I could faintly hear Ersta shuffle slowly out of bed and towards the door as if she had been asleep.
There was a sudden hush as the door creaked open. Then to our surprise and dismay an english voice, one I recognized from the bus back home, spoke up.
“Where are they?” He demanded harshly
I leaned close to Abby’s ear. “It’s that Antonio guy!”
I was hushed by Abby’s warning hand on my shoulder.
“They? I sorry, but you must clarify.” Ersta replied calmly, more so than I ever could.
There was a bang as if someone hit the door frame.
“You know who I am talking about! The two girls, where are they?” He yelled impatiently.
“Ah, you mean my guests? They no longer in my little home.”
I smiled to myself. She was right. We were just outside of her house!
“Where did they go?” He growled. “Tell me where they went!”
Ersta calmly sighed. “I have not seen them since I closed the door after they stepped out.” I almost chuckled but kept it back for fear of being heard.
“I do not believe you. Men, search the house inside and out.” He ordered. “We will find that Tupilak.”
Suddenly the whole house erupted into noises of shouts, scraping furniture as they were being moved, and orders from Antonio.
“What do you want with the Tupilak?” Ersta questioned as she watched her house being searched, unconcerned.
“There is a lot of things you could buy with the money it could bring.” He boasted. “And it will be all mine!”
“‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ 1 Timothy 6:10” Ersta said with passion in her voice.
“No! Money is the greatest thing a man can have!” He retorted.
“‘For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’ Sir, Money buy you things in this world. But it cannot save your soul. when you die all your stuff and money will stay , with no value to you.
My question is, where you go if you die tonight--”
“Stop! I am not planning to to die yet!” He roared angrily.
She replied calmly.
“Nobody know when they will die. Only God know. He gives life and he take life--”
“Stop, I said stop! I will hear no more.” He stomped off shouting, “Let’s go men. They are not here.”
There was a sound of boots clattering and then a slam of the door announcing that the last man had left.
