Derailment: Day 8

Word Count: 48,024

Summary of Events:
Matthew woke up in Fox Paw's home and had breakfast before telling Fox Paw and her mother about the differences between God and the Spirits, which surprisingly confused them greatly. Fox Paw asked Matthew questions about other things and then offered to make him clothes. Matthew politely refused, which surprisingly made Fox Paw quite sad, so Matthew comforted her — only to be caught embracing her when Badger Ears entered. Fox Paw pursued Badger Ears and apologized profusely for what she'd done; Badger Ears treated her with mercy, but told her she must prove her faithfulness to him for a month. Matthew and Adonikam then went to spend time with Shelomith; the woman nursing Shelomith told Matthew that her people knew about God, and even had a church.

Excerpt of the Day:
"Matthew was curious and surprised; they had a church? They'd had missionaries come among them? Who was their pastor? Matthew got to his feet, cradling Shelomith in his arms, and walked over to the structure.
Apprehension closed in on him the closer he got to the structure; part of him wanted to turn around and flee, which he didn't understand: if this was a place where they worshipped God then why was he not attracted to it?
Matthew cradled Shelomith closer to him as he approached the doorway — facing east, as they all did — he checked where Adonikam was and reached down to take hold of his son's hand.
"What wrong Papa?" Adonikam asked.
"I don't know," Matthew replied, stopping. He couldn't do it. Why couldn't he do it?
Matthew took Adonikam and Shelomith back to where the woman was still working at the preparation of the skins. Matthew set Shelomith down on the ground again and released Adonikam's hand.
"The two of you stay here, alright," Matthew said.
"Why?" Adonikam asked.
"I want to go in there by myself," Matthew replied.
"Then we go?" Adonikam asked.
"Maybe," Matthew replied. "So you stay here with Shelomith, okay?"
"Yes Papa," Adonikam replied.
Nodding, Matthew straightened and walked back toward the place with long strides, although he wanted to keep right on striding past the place instead of going in the doorway — even without his children.
Matthew went to the doorway and looked inside. No one was there, just things. Matthew stayed in the doorway and surveyed the place. He didn't dare step inside, he didn't like this place at all.
It looked like a place of Spirit worship, however Matthew didn't recall there being any specific meeting place for those who had worshipped Spirits among the Comanche, so why would there be one here?
But of course, the woman had said this was the place where her father, husband, and others worshipped God. It couldn't be, though, and yet suddenly sense struck him, a great realization.
This was why the young woman and her mother who had hosted him the night before had been so confused: their people worshipped God the same way they worshipped the Spirits.
Matthew looked around the room at all of the different things, somewhat familiar to him from having seen Spirit worshippers in his childhood, and he couldn't begin to imagine how they related these things to worshipping God.
These people couldn't possibly believe in God if they did not worship Him properly — of course, who was he to say that he knew the proper way to worship God? But this was combining the worship of God with a false religion, it couldn't be a proper way to worship God. God was not worshipped like the pagan gods or Spirits.
"Why do you stand in the doorway?" a slightly familiar voice asked, suddenly sending a chill of terror through Matthew's entire being."