The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1942-12-05

III breathe COul pdSSlOn OH I'll
mama Yo' Son Jesus who died on
the cross n gave us the mercy OF
Yo' Lowell Ahmen. ...."
Bigger stared unthinkingly at
the white wall before him as the
preachers words registered them
selves in his consciousness. He
knew without listening what they
meant: II was the old voice OF his
mother telling OF suffering. OF hope.
OF love beyond this world. And he
loathed II because II made him feel
as condemned and guilty as the
voice OF those who hated him.
"Son.
Bigger glanced at the preacher.
and then turned away.
"Fergit everything but yo' soul.
son. Take 20 mind off everything
but eternal life. Fergit whut the
newspapers say. Fergit yuh's black.
Gawd looks past yo' skin m inter
yo' soul. son. He's lookin' at the
only parta yuh tha's His. lie wants
yuh n lie loves yuh. Give yo'sef
Z I'm. son. Listen. femme tell yuh
why yuh's here: femme tell yuh
story tha'll make vo' heart glad"
Bigger sat very still. listening
and not listening II someone had
afterwards asked him to repeat the
preachers words. he would not
have been able 10 do so. But he
felt and sensed their meaning. As
the preacher talked there appeared
before him a vast black silent void
and the images OF the preacher
swan in that void grew large and
powerful. familiar images which
his mother had given him when he
was a child at her knee: images
which in turn aroused impulses
that he had suppressed and sought
TO shunt from his life. They were
images which had once given him
a reason for living. had explained
the world. Now they sprawle1 be-
fore his eyes and seized his emo
tions in spell OF awe and won
der.
an endless reach OF deep
murmuring waters upon whose
face was darkness and there was
no form no shape no sun no stars
and no land and voice came out
oi the darkness and the waters
moved to obey and there emerged
slowly huge spinning ball and
the voice said let there he light
and there was light and II was
good lieht and the voice said LET
there he armament and the
waters parted and there was a
vast space over the waters which
formed into clouds stretching
above the waters and like an echo
tie voice came from far away
saying let dry land appear and
With laundering rustling the
waters drained off and mountain
peaks reared into view and there
were valleys and rivers and the
voice called the dry land earth
and the waters seas and the earth
grew grass and trees and flow
crs that gave or seed that fell
to the earth to grow again and
the earth was liz by the light of
million stars and for the day
there was son and for the night
there was moon and there were
days and weeks and months and
years and the voice called out OF
the twilight and moving creatures
came forth out Of the great waters
whales and all kinds OF living
creeping things and on the land
there were beasts and cattle and
the voice said LET rs make man In
our own Image and from the dusty
earth man rose up and doomed
against the day and the sun and
after him woman rose up and
doomed against the night and the
moon and they lived as one flesh
and there was no Pain no Long
ing no Time no Death and Life
was like the flowers that bloomed
round them IN the garden Of
earth and out Of the clouds came
p voice saving eat not Of the fruit of
The tree In the midst III the gar
den neither touch II. lest ye die.
The preachers words ceased
droning. Bigger looked at him out
OF the corners OF his eyes. The
preachers face was black and
sad and earnest and made him
feel a sense OF guilt deeper than
that which even his murder Of
Mary had made him feel. He had
killed within himself the preach
er's haunting picture OF life even
before he had killed Mary: that
had been his first murder. And
now the preacher made II walk
before his eyes like q ghost in
the night. creating within him a