The Old Iron Swing: A Novel

Joseph R. Jones

feb 2004 · Xlibris Corporation

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visit the website at www.theoldironswing.com Chapter 9 Excerpt: As Seth lay in the swing, mother came around the corner of the house. Her faced contained a look of hostility. She had been arguing with Sara Beth about some small detail dealing with tomorrow ́s festivities. Yet, she was still so beautiful. She brought with her two full glasses of sweet tea and two pieces of apple pie. The pie was still warm, and it melted slowly in our mouths. Aunt Ellen could make the best apple pies. The quiet evening air began to creep into the backyard. The crickets were beginning to stir, and the melodies of the noise filled the air. A light turned on in the house, and Shelby and Joshua motioned for mother to come back inside. As she walked away, Seth took his position again, and I began to pull the grass with my toes. As I sat in the grass, I watched Seth dither in the iron swing. It was in that moment that I saw Seth for whom he really was. The crickets and other night creatures were the only noise that reverberated through the darkness. We both sat quietly for several moments. I was unsure what was traveling through his mind. Seth was an amazing man. He was the only man that I knew who had rejected the dogma of the Baptist church and most other churches. To him, it was unnecessary to attend church every week, and to worship someone who really does not want to be worshipped. In his psyche and in many discourses, he was god. He was connected to God in every manner, and did not see the purpose of worshipping himself. Several years ago he had realized that his spirit was not released into this realm to be rejected and punished to hell. There was no hell and eternal separation from someone to whom he would always be connected. It was all a game. She, he or it was simply floating through the atmosphere laughing at the ways in which mankind destroyed themselves. To the Supreme Being, Seth was a part of humanity and a part of the eternity. Eternity was forever, and what took place on this terrestrial ground really meant nothing. Millions had died in the Holocaust; yet, they all returned to the spirit realm to become complete again. It did not matter how good or bad one lived because there was no judgement. Thus, the idea of eternity out weighed the horrible years in a concentration camp. Seth knew that he would return to his previous home, once again connected to the creator. Christ was the perfect example of Seth ́s theology. He was a man who knew the truth upon entering the world. He accepted that truth when others could not; thus, he was killed. Christ was like all humanity. After death, perhaps, Seth, too, would be levitating through the world laughing at all of the people. Laughing because most people never come to the truth. They spend hundreds of hours living in fear of judgement and hell. Millions of people try to obey the religious bigots of the world, and all along they, too, are connected to the creator. In simple terms, they too are a part of God. There were so many differences betwixt the two of us; yet, I found something peaceful in his life. He possessed a tranquility that, at times, was inconceivable. We would spend hours arguing about the validity of Faulkner ́s Noble Prize. On many long summer days, we would pass the hours playing golf at the country club, or playing tennis on some deserted court. It was during those times that we would discuss literature and religion. Although I had forsaken some of my childhood teachings, I still believed in the main premises that surround my faith. He was never critical of my own personal beliefs, but he hoped that one day I, too, would discover the same truth that had delivered him. But, what if he was wrong. What if hell really did exist? If eternal separation from God was a reality, then his truth was a lie. He was quiet for sometime. The evening breeze captured my spine once again. It was as if we were children again; sitting in the darkness only seeing the porch light a