the sound of a distant hymn sails to me and brushes my ears, weaving between a rush of wind at my back and a splash of stream at my feet. it's late afternoon and the sun is long, a sprawl of passionate gold sheltering the ripples of grass. i don't know where the church is. i can't see it from here but maybe it is a small white one with fresh paint shaded by a giant oak that adorns the roof in red and brown as the light of summer fades into fall.