The chill of the pre-dawn air in the lower layer of last night's inversion stung just a little bit. But Billy knew that it wouldn't be long before the sun's radiant splendor would flip his atmosphere over, and warmth would prevail. Thus, it was easy to disregard this temporary discomfort. Eddy was not convinced, however, that their quest was even worth the effort. His bed had been warm, and he now found himself dragging his feet, wondering how his friend Billy had talked him into coming along on this fool's mission.
"What exactly are we looking for again?" Eddy asked as they crossed the creek at the bottom of the draw, carefully selecting the correct stones upon which to tread.
"The Will of God. Remember? We talked about it last night."
"Okay, yeah... But don't you usually find that in a book or something? I mean, people usually study that stuff for a long time before they actually find it, right?"
Billy paced ahead more rapidly, climbing now toward the top of the ridge. "Yeah. Maybe," said Billy, seemingly distracted from his primary goal by the current conversation. "But I've heard that if you seek, you will find," he took two more breaths; "...and that those who seek Him early, shall find Him."
Sliding a half step backwards as the loose topsoil gave way underfoot, Eddy mumbled to himself, "I don't even know what you're really talking about, but okay; whatever..."
As they reached the top of the ridge, the sun was just below the distant horizon. The entire sky glowed in anticipation, a blend of colors from pink and purple to deep blue and even bright green. Even Eddy was now enjoying for a moment the visual spectacle. He had seldom been awake at this hour, and he began, for just a moment, to ponder what he had been missing all his life. His attention was then averted to the fact that one of his shoelaces had become untied.
Just then, just before the sun peeked over the horizon, Billy exclaimed, "There! Did you see that!? I think I saw it! Yes! I saw it!"
"What?" asked Eddy, looking up from his shoe. "What did you see? I didn't see anything."
"God's Will," said Billy, "I saw God's Will."
"What did it look like? I didn't see it."
"I'm not sure, exactly," Billy replied, "But I know I saw something, and I'm sure it was God's Will." They stood in silence for a few moments as the sun repainted the landscape a golden-amber hue. Then they turned and began the short hike back to the car. Work would start in an hour, and neither one wanted to be late.
Billy said, "I just need a better look at it. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Should I pick you up?"
"Dude," said Eddy, "this is the third time I've sacrificed my breakfast and coffee for this, and I still don't know what you're seeing. Whatever it is, I can't see it."
"All I know," Billy answered, "is that I don't know exactly when it's gonna show, so you just gotta watch. You gotta keep your eye out for it... And you don't know exactly what you're looking for, but when you see it, you know it. All I've ever caught so far is a glimpse, but each time, it gets more clear. I know it's hard for you to get this, because you haven't seen it yet. But trust me: once you see it, you'll wanna see more of it.
"I'll be back here tomorrow morning. Are you coming?
"Ed, are you coming tomorrow, or not?..."