The Bone Field by Debra Bokur (top e book reader txt) 📕

He always seemed to favor the youngest girls, though I sometimes wondered how he could tell them apart. They all seemed to be identical—starstruck eyes, long hair, childlike bodies.”

Kali felt a shiver.

“Was there ever any violence?” asked Tomas.

“No . . .” she said slowly. “Not violence, but I would say there was definitely abuse. It didn’t start out that way, at least from what I can remember. There were couples here, and everyone seemed pretty happy. Gradually, things got . . . well, stricter, I suppose. And couples were discouraged.” She smiled wryly. “At some point, Abraham decided that the only person anyone would have sexual relations with was him.”

Tomas nodded imperceptibly to Kali, and she looked directly at Anita.

“Do you think you could be specific about the things you saw—and perhaps experienced?” Kali waited. “If you feel comfortable sharing the details with us, of course. And what would be truly helpful would be for you to give us a signed statement about all of this.”

Anita looked off into the distance, then focused her gaze on the nearby buildings. “Sure. I can do that, though what good will that do? It’s been so long. The first time I came here, I was so excited. I’d received one of the brochures that was being distributed, and it spoke to me—you know, like it touched on things that I already believed in, and it promised that if I was willing to commit myself to the idea of existing peacefully in God’s love, that I would have no earthly cares. I could surrender to just being, and that would lead to healing on a deep and profound level.”

Kali stared at the other woman. “Do you mean physical healing, as from an injury or illness?”

Anita met her eyes. “Yes, but it was more. It went deeper than that. Maybe this will sound strange to you, but Abraham taught that if you have something wrong with your body, it’s probably because you have something wrong in your mind or deep in your heart.”

Kali nodded. “It doesn’t sound strange to me at all. There’s a similar concept in Hawaiian healing traditions, and also embedded in the traditions from many other cultures. I think even modern medical science has come to recognize that holding on too long to strong emotions, like stress or anger or grief, can literally make you sick.”

Anita looked at her gratefully. “It’s true. For me, it was debilitating back pain. I had a session with Abraham the first afternoon when I visited, after he showed me around. He asked me to lie on the floor, where there was a blanket and a cushion already prepared. I remember how warm and strong his hands were when he placed them on my back. He began to ask me about myself, and somehow, in the midst of what was taking place, I told him all about how much anger I felt toward a man who had been a big part of my life, who had chosen another woman instead of me, even after leading me on with the promise of marriage and a family. I started to cry, really hard, and Abraham’s hands were pressing gently on my back, and his voice was so soothing—the prayer he said over me seemed so personal. I felt blessed. Truly blessed.” Anita’s eyes had filled with tears. “I felt as though I had been led to this place by something more powerful than I’d ever experienced before. That I was home. It was as though a powerful current jolted through me from my head to my toes, and the pain was gone.”

Kali and Tomas waited for Anita to regain her composure. She looked up suddenly, smiling ruefully. “But I wasn’t special at all, as it turned out.” She got up from the table and began to walk toward the barn. She paused beside it, pointing to the small house in the rear.

“Abraham lived there,” she said. “After I expressed interest in being an official member of Eden’s River, I was told that I would have to address him as ‘father’ from that point on, and that his house was off-limits. There was a gradual shift that began to take place, like my energy was being absorbed into the group. Once, when I asked a question about the day’s Bible lesson during our lunch break, Abraham chastised me in front of the others, and one of the senior members of the fellowship took my plate away from me. I was made to sit and watch the others eat, as if I had committed some minor crime. After the meal was over, I was told that to question Abraham was to question God himself, and that my arrogance was a danger to our family.”

“And by ‘family,’ you mean the commune group?” asked Tomas.

“Yes, exactly.” Anita went on. “There was a lot that bordered on bizarre, though it took me a few months to realize that. Public spankings, for instance. Abraham would sit on a chair and make the person who was being spanked bend over his knees, like a child. Then his wife, Ruth, would deliver the spanking. Once, when a member was late for a meal because she’d fallen asleep out under a tree, Ruth struck her repeatedly until the member begged her to stop. No one watching, including me, dared to intervene.”

Kali recalled Bill Bragden’s story about his daughter being the victim of domestic abuse, and felt a wash of anger. She thought about Abigail’s passive demeanor, and her obvious deference to her father. The thought rose, unbidden, of Abigail as a child being mistreated and humiliated. With an effort, Kali kept her voice free of inflection. “Did the violence escalate? During the time you lived there, did you observe a marked change in Abraham’s approach to running things, or punishing people for challenging him?”

Anita looked uneasy. “He wouldn’t have said so, I’m sure. But I believe he truly had himself convinced that we all belonged to him, like