Paul Robertson - Road to Nowhere

April 3, Monday

The moment had come; the gavel fell.

Come to order, the heavy voice said, and the air itself became still and silent, waiting. Go ahead, Patsy.

The ancients had held their councils, in sacred groves, beneath holy mountains, gathered under each moon for each moons ritual. Still, in this different world, the rites were maintained.

In the past, powers were invoked. Today there were still spirits that presided and moved, unknown and unrealized but also undiminished, intervening as they always had in the decisions made. The words spoken were more than those speaking them knew.

Mrs. Brown?

There was a circle. Each one of them would be taken into it. Any tribal elder would have understood this prelude to the exercising of ritual power.

Here.

Mr. Esterhouse?

Here.

Eliza?

And now she herself was called.

I am here. Just the statement of presence, of existence, was as profound in itself as the ceremonial declarations used in other ages.

Mr. Harris?

Here.

Mr. McCoy?

Right here.

Everyones present, Joe. The acknowledgment was the closing of the circle.

Thank you, Patsy. Jefferson County North Carolina Board of Supervisors is now in session.

It was an act of creation. In this place, in this moment, a living thing was brought into existence. It was the merging of their will, their purposes, into a fire, alive in itself and beyond themselves. They were only the coals that were its fuel. The flame had power and authority, joined with the unseen powers that were gathered.

Motion to accept last months minutes?

Ill move that we accept last months minutes.

Ill second that.

Motion and second, Joe Esterhouse said. Go ahead, Patsy.

Eliza listened.

Mrs. Brown?

Yes.

Mr. Esterhouse?

Yes.

Eliza?

No guidance. She still did not understand many of this councils rituals, but that would come. I vote no.

Mr. Harris?

I vote yes.

Mr. McCoy?

Yes.

Four in favor, one opposed, Patsy said.

Motion carries, Joe said. Minutes are accepted.

In times to come, she would be given words to speak.

Next is receiving public comment, Joe said. Eliza turned her thoughts outside the circle.

The doctor, the man of anger. No one else understood, not even him, but he was a spokesman. Eliza saw deep, that there was a fire in him, that he was speaking words given to him.

Everett Colony, 712 Hemlock in Wardsville. Im here, and all of us are here, because we thought there was supposed to be an announcement about the road. We were told the state funding decision would be made by April first. Ive called the office here in Wardsville and Ive called the Department of Transportation in Raleigh, and nobody can tell me anything. I think someone is trying to hide somethingas they have been through this entire process. I would like to know two things. Why wont anyone tell me anything, and has this road been funded or not?

Joe Esterhouse, the leader, raised his hand. The single motion of authority silenced all others.

Ill discuss that, Joe said.

He held in his hand a paper like fire itself. Eliza shrank from it.

Received this today by special delivery, dated March thirty-first. Addressed to me as chairman.

Mr. Esterhouse. The North Carolina Department of Transportation hereby informs the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors concerning project bunch of project numbers and code sections and application numbersthat the funding for completion of Gold River Highway as described in application number bunch more words, you can look athas been approved.

Approved? The man facing them spoke and his fire lit the room. What does that mean? I was told this board would vote before the road was approved. This is an outrage. Esterhouse, youve crossed the line here, and youre not getting away with it.

Again, Joe Esterhouse spoke. Im reading this letter and Ill return to public comment when Im finished. Ill require quiet until then.

Joe waited for the quiet to be complete. Next to her, Wade Harris wrote words on his papers, underlining them fiercely. Then Joe read again.

The information in this letter is confidential and may be announced only at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Supervisors. Going onPreliminary engineering plans will be provided for July meeting... Going onFinal acceptance will be contingent on vote of approval by your board by December 31. Thats the main points. Patsy, could you take this back to the office and make a dozen copies?

The copier takes a while to warm up, Joe.

Get it started then. And, Lyle, why dont you wait on it back there so Patsy can be out here writing down the comments. Well resume the comments now, and anyone wants to see this letter complete before they speak, well wait on them.

The man facing them spoke again. I dont believe this. The fire had subsided, down to hot coals. This is incredible. Ive never heard of any government department acting like this.

Joe Esterhouse looked directly at the man. Dr. Colony, I have to say I am in complete agreement with you on that.

Those strange words were the beginning. The papers were brought from the offices; Eliza would not touch them.

But though there were many speakers, there was only one voice. And Eliza knew the voice.

There was also fear. They spoke of destruction and disturbance, though Eliza knew the one speaking through them had no fear.

Some spoke of justice, and injustice, and the burden they would carry unfairly. Some described the loss they would suffer. Always, with each word, Eliza was hearing more clearly a single voice, and one she knew well.

Do not desecrate, do not defile, do not violate.

It was the Warrior.

The Ancient One, far older than this people, even older than her own people, was speaking to her.

Do not desecrate, do not defile, do not violate.

She listened closely to the words of one man.

I dont even know who wants this road. Not Wardsvilleit doesnt go anywhere we want to go. And everyone says Gold Valley wants it, but I dont know why. They dont want to come here. Its just going to be a road to nowhere.

But deeper, beneath the mans words, she heard the deeper voice, Do not desecrate, do not defile, do not violate.

Another voice spoke, but the deeper words were still the same.

I live just two blocks from Hemlock Street, and if you build this big road, how am I supposed to sleep at night with trucks at all hours and kids drag racing and all that highway noise? Wholl be using this road, anyway? It wont be the residents of Mountain View. But wholl have the traffic and noise right in their front yards? The residents of Mountain View. Well be the ones picking up the trash that those cars leave behind, and well be the ones hiding in our homes for fear of crime, and well be the ones who cant use our own front yards because of cars flying through.

But the Warrior was saying, Do not desecrate, do not defile, do notviolate.

Wait a minute.

A different voice. From beside her, Wade Harris was speaking.

Who do you think is going to be on this road, anyway? For Petes sake, half the people in Gold Valley are retired. Were talking grandparents here, driving into Wardsville to buy groceries. What do you mean theyll be throwing trash in your yards?

And maybe the reason no one ever goes from Wardsville to Gold Valley or the other way is that they cant. You say it wont go anywhere? Well, thats what it does now. Suddenly his words had their own great strength behind them. Im tired of living on a road to nowhere.

Those words...

She felt power against them but also power behind them. Two strong powers, two mountains moving slowly against each other.