Re: Foot of the stairs: Burden/Audrey
Burden, he reckoned belief should be about helping folks. Flawed, broken, strong, loving, folks were a whole smattering of things at once, and he thought that made them real special. He'd seen a lot of hardship, though he recognized none of it had been his own, and he'd watched folks walk through it and persevere. Now, that didn't mean to say that folks didn't need help sometimes, and he reckoned that was what community was for. Be it family, friends, or a congregation. A village, as it were, and the old saying wasn't real far off in his opinion.
"I helped teach choir. I reckon that would be more honest to say, but I played piano, so it seemed a real good fit," he told her. "And I taught them at catechism. It's a class small kids need to go to before their first communion," he explained, knowing most folks didn't know the ins and out of the church. "But the play, it was real exciting. I almost gave up the church all together and planned on a future on the stage," he said, and while he was teasing it had helped solidify just how much he loved performing. "I did busk a whole lot for a spell, and then I came out here," he finished, the story an easy one to share as he looked out on the warmth of the house. His momma, she'd worked to make their home warm, but it had been hard when he was small. And on the island, there things were different. It had been like stepping even further into the past than back home in Kentucky. "I reckon everyone is drawn to warmth," he agreed. He didn't think she was talking about coming in from the elements, but that suited too.
He wasn't real sure why talking about inventions was challenging, but he was willing to quit asking. It was just curiosity, after all, and not some yearning to comprehend the girl from the story Audrey'd mentioned. Choices at places like this, they were about the person making the choice and not about the fictional character at all, at least to Burden's thinking. "There ain't a thing wrong with fangirling. We all got things we like. Stanning, I think it's called, which makes it sound less about being a girl." But Audrey, she took to talking about the girl in the book, and Burden took to listening. "Talking about things we love is good. It reminds us there are worthwhile things, even when maybe we're feeling bad about other things. And she sounds real brave and smart, the girl in your story."
He motioned her toward what he expected was the kitchen, though he hadn't been exploring none. "I'll take a plate to take home for myself," he said with a smile, jokingly denying his dorm-mates anything to eat.