Billy and the Turkey
Shoot
A Thanksgiving Story
By Danny Tillman
Thanksgiving Afternoon Continues
Everyone was seated finally and eating, including the servers, musicians & singers. The tenor, Hubert Eisdell's 2nd solo--Isaiah chapter 40, verse 4--of Handel's Messiah is playing on the phonograph.
Note: Enclosed in brackets is the Hebrew.
[kal ge, kal ge, yinna-se; yinna-se; yinna-se]
... "Every valley,
... every valley,
shall be exalted, ...
& be ex ... al ... ... ted;
& be exal ... ted;
& be ex ... al ... ... ted; ...
[vekal har vegiba yispalu]
... & ev'ry mountain & hill [shall be[1]] made low: ...
[vehaya he aqob lemisor veharkasim lebiqa]
... (& shall be made) the crooked straight; ... & the rough places plain ... ... ... ....; ...
[vehaya he aqob lemisor vehaya he aqob lemisor veharkasim lebiqa veharkasim lebiqa]
... the crooked straight,
(& shall be made) the crooked straight;
The blue sky was full of cumulus clouds.
... & the rough places plain ... ... ... ... ... ;
& the rough places plain. ... ...
Conversation at Raschelle's table was centering around her daddy and he was explaining how that, growing up in New Orleans, and being a relative of Jean Laffite, a sizable fortune had been passed down to him, which had enabled him and Raschelle to live comfortably.
[kal ge]
... Every valley, ...
During the 10 years of the father-daughter estrangement, which had begun the year after she had graduated from Duncan U. Fletcher High School in nearby Neptune Beach, he had secretly kept her supplied with the necessaries, including the Bowie Knives.
[kal ge yinna-se]
... Every valley shall be exalted ... ... ... .... . ...
He had prudently removed all firearms from the house, and when he made his frequent nightly visits, when Raschelle was out prowling, he checked the premises to be sure she hadn't purchased a handgun, rifle or shotgun.
[kal ge],
... Every valley ... ...
Meanwhile, Shaune had made the DCRGBKLBC his residence, although most of his clothes and possessions remained in the house.
[kal ge yinna-se vekal har vegiba yispalu]
... Every valley] shall be exalted ... ... ... ... & every mountain & hill (shall be) made low: ... ...
Hi-Daddy, being a member of the gun club, had met Shaune in years past, and the two found they had a common connection, being that R.L.'s son, Rufus, lived within a couple of stone throws from Raschelle.
[vehaya he aqob lemisor]
... (& shall be made) the crooked straight; ...
Eventually, Albey Yark had shown up, who naturally sought out the gun club soon after he moved to the area, and the three men became fast friends.
[vehaya he aqob lemisor vehaya he aqob lemisor]
... (& shall be made) the crooked straight, (& shall be made) the crooked straight; ...
The turkey shoot, which was a yearly event held normally on the grounds of the DCR...(M.w.: Aw, forget it!) had this year been decidedly moved to Atlantic Beach Elementary School on a whim concocted jointly in the minds of Shaune and Albey, in order to reach out to a larger portion of the Jacksonville populace, thereby possibly drawing in Rufus and Billy and staging a 'chance' meeting with Albey.
[veharkasim lebiqa]
... & the rough places plain... ...; ...
If that were to happen, perhaps a great gathering at Rufus' and Mary's would open up a pathway to 'bring the Knife Lady home'.
[veharkasim lebiqa; veharkasim lebiqa vehaya he aqob lemisor veharkasim lebiqa]
... & the rough places plain;
& the rough places plain ... ... ...;
(& shall be made) the crooked straight, ...
& the rough pla ... ces ... plain. ... ... ...
[1] 'shall be' from King James Version, omitted from libretto text