Derailment: Day 1

Word Count: 6,010

Summary of Events:
Matthew set out from his mother and stepfather's house — which ended up being a surprisingly emotional ordeal — on his journey to his sisters in Oklahoma Territory. Fox Paw went to visit Badger Ears, but ended up getting panicked over the fact that Badger Ears had already been married and widowed twice and fearing that she, too, would die if she married him. Matthew got Adonikam ready for bed and then started writing another sermon, as he often did before bed, inspired by the passage he always read before bed.

Excerpt of the Day:
"Matthew kept writing until the lantern flickered again a little bit; it was like someone was trying to blow it out, but was being unsuccessful. This time they seemed to get a little closer to blowing it out.
Sighing, Matthew packed up his things. He had a sermon already, he'd be fine, he didn't need to have a month's worth of sermons ready and waiting to be preached to his congregation, he would have weeks there to plan and prepare sermons. He only needed one, and he had it.
Closing the crate and setting the hammer on top of it — being as he didn't want to wake either of the children by tapping the nails back into place — Matthew then went over to his bedroll, took his nightclothes out of it, and slid his boots off.
The lamp flickered again. Matthew straightened up and blew it out, he could change in the dark. Matthew unbuttoned his vest and took it off, then he unfastened his belt and pulled it out of the loops.
Climbing into his bedroll, Matthew laid his head down on his pillow and let his eyes drift closed. He could see Josephina beside him, her beautiful brown hair spread out behind her, having been released from the usual knot at the back of her head as she'd changed.
She slowly moved closer to him and draped her arm over his side; Matthew sighed and smiled at her. Josephina smiled back at him and slid her arm up to rest her hand on his shoulder.
"You are very much a pastor," she whispered — as she often did — "But you cannot be a good pastor if you don't sleep when you ought to."
"But there's so much that has to be told," Matthew protested.
"Yes, there is, I know," Josephina said. "The Bible is the living word of God; but you do not need to tell it all before you're thirty, you will tell it all in good time, you have many years left in your life, you do not need to rush."
"Then I should hope you have equally as many years left so that I can get my rest and receive my care as I need to," Matthew replied.
Josephina smiled and closed her eyes, her face relaxing and going pale before she suddenly faded from sight. Matthew startled and his eyes popped open; he found himself in the darkness of the Kansas night.
Reaching out, he felt Adonikam sleeping beside him; reaching behind him he felt the cradle and Shelomith inside. There was no Josephina. Matthew inhaled a shaky breath and closed his eyes again.
His heart ached within him; even though it'd been a year he missed Josephina with a pain that never seemed to ease within him. Turning his face toward the pillow, Matthew inhaled another shaky breath and let the tears seep through his eyelids into the cotton and down."