Dr Valentine is off duty. She slips in beside Pastor Moon.
They drive sixteen kilometres out of town along the Cobb Highway.
Here we are, says Dr Valentine. Now what did I say?
Run me through it, says Pastor Moon. I don't see anything.
Hay Sunset Viewing Area is a square of cement furnished with three seats of irregular dimensions.
Do we get out ? says Pastor Moon.
Of course, says Dr Valentine. Otherwise what are the seats for?
They look rather uncomfortable, says Pastor Moon.
Olive Python and Charles Red-belly poke their heads out of the snake box.
What beautiful twisty seats, says Olive Python.
Sinuous, says Charles Red-belly. I like the low one.
For that, says Dr Valentine, you can get out of the snake box to view the sunset.
They all get out of the Toyota Ute and arrange themselves on the sinuous seats.
Pastor Moon on one, Dr Valentine on another. Olive and Charles drape themselves on the low one.
Due to the flatness of the landscape, you can see everything there is to see from the Hay Sunset Viewing Area.
The sun going down for example.
The clouds turn a rich shade of carrot and orange. The sun looks like an over-ripe mango.
See that, says Dr Valentine. The beauty of nature.
God's handiwork, says Pastor Moon.
He recalls his crisis of faith, and looks suddenly downcast.
What is it? asks Dr Valentine.
Oh nothing, says Pastor Moon. Well, yes something......may I tell you my story?
Certainly, says Dr Valentine. Tell away.
Olive and Charles look up from the low twisted seat they are exploring.
What is Pastor Moon's story?
The sun has dipped under the horizon. The clouds are the colour of mashed banana with black bits.
Pastor Moon speaks:
I was a pillar of the Church, believed in the Word, and the Coming.......then my daughter.... she was going to run away....she met someone who knew Jesus.... Sweezus he calls himself now....can you believe it? .... I went with her...... he was....... a disappointment..... I went home to Blaxland...... my daughter stayed and worked with him on a paper....to cut a long story short, my congregation found out.
How fascinating, says Dr Valentine. And what was the upshot?
They rejected me, says Pastor Moon. When my daughter returned they went ....
What? asks Dr Valentine. Mental?
Yes, says Pastor Moon. They went mental. They think she's got exclusive access to a second edition of the Word through this Sweezus.
And has she? asks Dr Valentine.
He sends her various writings, says Pastor Moon. She edits them.
Paperwork! says Dr Valentine. Don't you just hate it!
The Word is hardly paperwork, says Pastor Moon.
It becomes dark, very dark in the country. The stars shine as bright as a million fish scales.
Pastor Moon is about to have the best and most independent thought he has had in his lifetime.
Perhaps the Word is just paperwork.
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