Read Online The Choice by Suzanne Woods Fisher - Free Book Online

out the back door to give him privacy.
    The next morning, the weather turned cold. Carrie took some coffee to Daniel down by the barn. She watched him for a moment. Concentrating intently, he pumped the bellows to blow on the fire, then grasped a horseshoe with the tongs and thrust it into the burning coals. He looked up when he saw Carrie and gave a brief nod when his eyes rested on the hot drink. She watched him pick up the poker-hot horseshoe and plunge it into the trough of water, releasing a hiss and plume of steam.
    “Every now and then, the bishop likes to remind us of our sinfulness, Daniel.”
    He put the tongs down and took the coffee mug from her.
    “He’s not usually so grim. He’s really quite kind. And the ministers aren’t grim. The deacon, Abraham, isn’t a bit grim.” She leaned against the workbench. “Yesterday, Mattie said that maybe the bishop has been reading too much of the Old Testament lately and not enough of the New Testament.” She picked up a tool, studying it. “She says that the New Testament tells us our sins are wiped clean.”
    Daniel took a sip of coffee but kept his eyes fixed on her.
    “Whiter than snow, Mattie says. I’m not exactly sure where in the Bible it says that, but Mattie is usually right about that kind of thing. If she were born a man, the Lord would choose to give her the lot so she’d be a minister one day. I’m certain of it. Mattie’s grandfather was a bishop. Caleb Zook was his name. One of the finest bishops there ever was. Everybody loved Caleb Zook. Even Esther. He passed, just a few years ago.” Her words fell into an empty silence. After an awkward moment, she put down the tool and turned to go when she heard him say her name.
    “Carrie?” he asked.
    She spun around to face him. Daniel’s eyes met hers, wide and sea blue. She could see his heart in his eyes, a heart beating with hope and hurt. She saw all of his sadness wanting to pour out so he could be freed from it. But he kept hesitating, and then the moment passed, like a cloud swallowing up the sun.
    All that he said was, “Denki.” He tipped his head toward the coffee cup in his hand.
    “Bitte.”
    It was a start, she hoped.

    Mattie was riding her scooter down the road one afternoon when she spotted something peculiar moving in a tree. She pulled over on the scooter to examine what it was. As soon as she saw the sandy blond head, she knew. She slid off the scooter and walked to the tree. “Andy Weaver! What do you think you’re doing up there?”
    Startled, Andy looked down at her, eyes wide. “I’m trying to feed the baby birds. Those rotten English boys killed their mother and they’re awful hungry.” He put one hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of wiggling worms. “I dug up some food for them. See?” One of the worms dropped from his hand and landed on Mattie’s head.
    She screamed and brushed it off. “Andy, you shouldn’t be climbing so high up! You’ll fall!”
    “Nah. I’m nearly there.” With that, he swung one leg onto the branch by his head. There was a huge crack! as the limb broke. Andy spilled on top of Mattie, knocking the breath out of her.
    “Oh Andy, are you all right?” Mattie asked, as soon as she stopped feeling dazed. She tried to get up, but he was smashed on top of her like a pancake. “Say something!”
    “I think I’m dead,” he said, rolling off of her as he held up his arm. His wrist looked as crooked as a snapped tree twig.
    “Oh no!” Mattie said as she sat up, eyeing his wrist. “Another visit to the emergency room.”
    Andy smiled weakly. “At least they got television.”
    Mattie managed to wheel Andy to Carrie’s on the scooter, slowly and awkwardly. While she hitched up the buggy to take Andy to the hospital, Carrie wrote a note to leave on the kitchen table for Daniel.
    After the X-rays had been developed, Andy waited on a bed in the far corner of the emergency room, close to the television. Carrie had just turned the