“It is time to prepare dinner. Catherine and Steve! You can go now. Benedict and I will be looking after the children,” said Verena.
Steve picked up Catherine for church on Sunday. A butterfly crossed their path.
“Look at the butterfly,” said Steve.
“There is light. The day is still young. His life ends with the day. When darkness comes he will be dead. So he has to find the truth before the day comes to an end.”
“Do you think he will find the truth?” Steve asked Catherine as she walked next to him.
“Maybe he is just living to enjoy this beautiful spring day. He is part of a body, the body of spring. Everyday is unique. Being alive or death makes the difference. Death creates the night and Life the day,” said Catherine.
“The butterfly lives only for one day but his dream lives for eternity. The dream is lying in the womb of the cosmos and becomes alive in this butterfly for one day. One day in the life of a butterfly is eternity,” said Steve.
“What do you mean?” asked Catherine curiously.
“What if the butterfly is part of a body living forever? Wouldn’t the butterfly feel he was living forever too? He lives and dies in an eternal cycle.”
“Catherine. I will die in your arms. Sing me a song and I will follow your voice to the end of the world.”
“Your voice is even more beautiful than your words,” Steve said. Your voice carries me away to a place where only feelings dwell. I hear your voice in the choir of the monastery and close my eyes. I wake up in the river. Your voice caresses my body like waves. I see the moon silver shining between the pine trees on the river banks. The nightingale is singing from the rock. All creatures gather in your mind to express sorrow and pain. Your voice changes pain into joy and hate into Love.”
“You are my angel, Steve. You will stay on my side. I do not want you to become a man. When you are a man you will have to fight against the army of evil and you will be killed,” said Catherine.
“I will marry you on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit falls from heaven on earth. Then I will be your husband for all eternity. But first I have to pass the sacrament of confirmation. I will receive a new body. The body of a man. Then I will follow Brother George and all the monks into the final battle against King Bloodstone and the empire of darkness and destroy evil.”
“Do not be proud, Steve. Pride is the weapon of the devil to destroy the innocence dwelling in our hearts. Please do not go. You might not come back from the battle and leave me behind with a broken heart.” Catherine looked down on the village watching the children playing near the fountain in front of the church.
Hally, Steve’s sheep dog, felt Catherine’s sadness and came close to her. He pressed against her legs, his tail whisking nervously, trying to comfort her. The dog started barking and becoming upset.
A dark shadow was rising over a tree on a secluded rock in the north. The shadow turned into a huge black flying creature, charging toward the village.
“It is a dragon from the Mountains in the north. We must warn the children,” said Steve and ran down the small way to the fountains followed by Catherine and Hally.
The dragon charged down on the meadow where the children played. The huge black wings of the dragon flapped in the air. The dragon landed on a rock above the meadow where the children played. Leaves swirled in the air when the dragon flapped with its huge wings to land on a rock. Its razor sharp claws grabbed the stone. Its eyes moved quickly over the grass. When the dragon spotted the children, its head remained still. The dragon uttered a terrible screech. The children screamed when the dragon came closer. Its sharp claws grabbed the children on their skirts. The dragon flapped its wings and flew toward the Mountains in the North.
The news of the abducted children spread quickly around the village. Verena walked to the church in the early morning. Catherine and Jack were already there. The church of Saint Peter was filled with people praying for the rescue of the children.
The Graveyard of the Fallen Angels
A couple of days later Steve and Catherine were walking in the forests of the mountains of the angels. The sun was falling behind the grey and white mountain peaks when they heard voices. A creek cut deep into the mountains, like a door into the Underworld. The voices became louder. The lights of torches shone between the trees. A cave curved out of the dark, and Steve recognized the abbot in the twilight.
A monk appeared carrying a huge thighbone in his right arm. A dozen other monks followed him carrying the rest of a giant fish skeleton. The skeleton was much bigger than any fish he had ever seen swimming in the river. Steve had seen some fishermen catching big sturgeons but they did not come anywhere near the excavated monster. The skeleton had the shape of a huge fish with a gigantic mouth. The front teeth were as long as a butcher’s knives. The skeleton was carried on a cloth and wooden frame. The monks followed the abbot to the monastery.
“Where do the fossils come from? There is no lake here,” said Catherine watching the monks disappearing behind the gates of the monastery.
“This fish did not live here. They are so mighty and powerful,” said Steve hiding behind a tree. He felt the crumbling of the bark between his fingers.
The monks carried the fossils into the old cellars of the monastery. A bat flew through the dark tunnel. The monastery was built on mountain caves. Nobody had been in the caves for years. The smell of old rock mixed with the rainwater dripping through the ceiling.
The eternal light was burning on the altar. Shadows of red lights escaped from the candle flickering over the white cloth like dreams escaping in the day. But there was no place for them in the reality of the new day and they faded away like the moon shine over the mountains.
The moonlight fell through the stained-glass windows and a blackbird returning from its winter residence sat on a pine tree was singing. A finches’ voice joined in. More and more birds gathered in the blossoming trees to celebrate with the people in the church. There was always somebody in the church praying; day and night, summer and winter. The church was a stronghold against evil.
The wooden chair groaned when Steve sat down. He was meditating on the painting of the lost sheep when the church door opened. The light of a star flooded over the floor, rising to the ceiling, which showed Jesus Christ united with Mary surrounded by angels and Saints.
The walking stick of an old man drummed on the wooden floor, sounding like the knocking on heaven’s door. A fisherman knelt in front of the altar praying for his young daughter who had been abducted by the dragon. More and more people came into the church sharing the grief with the parents bemoaning the loss of their loved ones. There was hate rising against God to have allowed such an atrocious act against the village of Saint Peter. Brother George could feel anger mounting in people’s hearts. He felt guilty that he could not protect his people from the monster.
He stared up at the painting showing Jesus Christ rescuing a sheep from a thorn bush. He asked God to give him the strength to alleviate the pain. He could feel a breeze touching his body like the wings of a dove. The Holy Spirit was descending from the ceiling. God had the strength to fight the demonic powers of King Blackstone and his army of demons streaming through the nights pouring their poison into the dreams of people. Dreams were the path of the soul on the pilgrimage to heaven. King Bloodstone was twisting the dreams of people to guide their souls in the ruins of darkness.
Brother George sat in the confession box, waiting for the first sinner, feeling like he was in a cage sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Confession was a process of cleansing, and every house needed to be cleaned, even the tidiest houses gathered dust. He urged the people to go to confession once a week.
The farmers needed to come every day as their souls were more like stables than houses and required a special clean. The farmers were very reluctant and only went to confession when they had a near death experience, making them remember that there was a God after all. When a farmer made it to th
e confession box Brother George was always happy.
He was wrestling with the demons of superstition which had nested in the farmers’ heads over thousands of years. From constipation to hair loss the farmers had a remedy for everything. Brother George discounted these remedies unlike Brother Leo, who also heard confession and always tested the remedies of the farmers. The natural treatments of the farmers had positive effects on the health of people.
Brother Martin also heard confessions, but he had a different approach to protect their souls from evil. He thought that evil crept into the minds of humans through dreams, causing crimes and murders. He saw the evil influence of King Bloodstone at the root of the problem. Bloodstone was manipulating dreams to prevent the soul from communicating with God.
Martin saw a connection between the spiritual and the physical health of humans. Sin came from outside destroying the defense system of the body. He said that Satan tried to burn holes into our spirits. Paintings of the Bible were mended these holes. He would determine exactly which stories of the Bible the people needed to meditate on to prevent sickness.
Brother George felt the burden of pain weighing heavily on people. Spirits of destruction rose in the minds of people and struck them down. The same spirits were also attacking the villages. Brother George perceived the anguishes as shadows of the past rising against Saint Peter. God had brought the painting of the transfiguration of Jesus into his heart. Brother George was holding the painting like a warrior to his shield, fighting off the blows of his attackers. The people looked at him as if he was a different person. The dragons were more dangerous than the crocodiles in the valley of death as they had the power to leave the underworld and annihilate the earth.
There were few sins but lots of problems making people’s lives difficult. After confession many people received food from the monastery. Couples were invited to listen to the choir in the monastery or the lectures of the monks about the Bible. Children were taken on pilgrimages to give their parents a rest.
Many people wondered why so many good things happened after confession. Brother George kept saying it came from Jesus who listened to their prayers and sent his servant, Saint Peter to help. But Brother George was wrestling with the sins of people when he dove into people’s lives to chase the demons away. His prayers became knives cutting off the evil spirits and destroying their eggs before they became apparent in the body.
Steve sat quietly in the confession box. He could see Brother George’s strong cheekbones through the wood ornament for a moment.
“What are the monks doing in Saint Michael?” he asked.
“How many times have I told you to come here to confess your sins and not to ask questions,” whispered Brother George. His face disappeared in the darkness and Steve could only see a shadow.
“I have seen the abbot and his monks carrying a skeleton into the monastery,” said Steve.
“Steve. I am not going to tell you. You have not yet been initiated into all spiritual mysteries. You have to wait. After your confession you will be introduced into the mystery of Saint Michael.”
That evening Steve saw Brother George with Brother Leo and Thomas walking quickly on the small path to the monastery. There was tension in the faces of Brother Benedict and Martin and they were walking hastily. Steve had never seen Benedict so distressed. Something extraordinary must have happened. Steve followed the men on the way to the monastery, ignoring all the warnings of Brother George. He was old enough to handle the truth no matter how frightening, he thought on the way up to the monastery.
Two monastic guards opened the wooden gate. The monastery was more like a fortress with all its armed guards patrolling ready to defend the treasures of the community against the thieves of the Roman Empire and King Bloodstone. The people of the village gave their most valued treasures, their spiritual encounters with God, captured on the soul paintings, to the monasteries. They were safe under the surveillance of the monks. King Bloodstone was afraid of the warrior monks who fought for the glory of Jesus Chris, Mary, the angels and Saints.
The wooden gate closed in front of Steve with a dull thud sounding like a stone falling into a deep fountain. Steve had spent a lot of time in the courtyard listening to Catherine singing in the choir. He knew the monastery like the pockets of his trousers. A monk had told him about a fox having killed some chickens recently. Steve found the spot where the fox was entering the monastery. The hole was narrow but big enough to squeeze his body through.
He crawled along the bottom of the walls. Black shadows fell on the freshly cut grass in the courtyard. Steve saw Brother George and Leo disappearing through the main gate. The light of a torch fluttered on the walls of the staircase. Steve felt the cold hard granite under his hands as he moved along the wall to the tower. The walls filled the fresh spring air with a dry smell. He entered the tower through the cellar underneath the kitchen. A staircase connected the kitchen with the cellar he was familiar with as he had helped the monks to carry grape juice to the tournament every spring.
He was in the corridors of the monastery when he heard the steps. He took his shoes and socks off and moved smoothly along the walls of the monastery like a mouse which had stolen cheese from the kitchen. He felt sand crumbling under his toes. Brother George and Leo had arrived in the second floor of the tower where the study of the monastery was. Monks were translating books they had received from the Holy Land. Mary Salome and Mary Jacobee had rescued secrets books of Jesus Christ and Mary from King Bloodstone in the Holy Land. The Romans attacked the monasteries where the books were kept when they became aware that the knowledge was empowering the newly born Christian communities to crush the Roman Empire.
The steps echoed on the pine boards. The smell of the pine wood took Steve’s mind on a journey through the monastery of Saint Michael. He thought that the monastery was talking to him releasing its hidden secrets. He heard voices coming from all directions. The sweet smell of lavender filled the staircase. The voice of the abbot drifted toward him and soon after the heavy wooden door fell shut. There was a little window at the bottom of the door. Steve looked through the window.
The abbot put the map on the table.
“Thank you for coming into the monastery. Some extraordinary things have happened in Saint Michael. First I thought it was a coincidence but then I found out it was something much stranger. We found the remains of a skeleton in the rocks in the hills. We did not pay too much attention as we thought it must be the remains of an animal. But a monk pointed out that the bones were much bigger than any living animal. We found more skeletons of prehistoric animals. There must be thousands of fossils scattered in the region. They are huge. We found some which had the same shape as the dragon attacking the Christian villages. We found a mass grave of prehistoric animals. Thousands of them must have lost their lives in the mountains of the Angels millions of years ago. The place resembles a huge battlefield.” The abbot pointed at the spot on the map.
“Evil is becoming more and more apparent. The sign of the dragon is a clear indication of the End Times,” said Brother Leo.
“The woman and the dragon, Revelation chapter 12,” said Brother Thomas and went on reading in the Bible he had composed:
“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
“Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for a thousand two
hundred and sixty days.”
“The woman and the dragon and the apocalypse are talking about dragons and Armageddon and the final battle between good and evil,” said Brother Leo.
“But the battle of Armageddon is in the future not in the past,” said Brother Benedict looking at the map on his table. Every cave in the mountains was marked on the paper.
“Life was created by God millions of years ago. The devil was meant to become an archangel as powerful as his brother, the Archangel Michael, but rose up against God and God threw him into hell.” The abbot tapped the Mountains of Saint Michael.
“Do you mean that you have found the remains of the devil?” asked Brother George.
“Reality is not only what our hand can touch. There are many things which are hidden from our eyes,” said the abbot.
“For example?” asked Brother Thomas.
“God, Jesus Christ, Mary, the angels and Saints. They are hidden from us but you can feel them. There is spirit and matter. You can touch matter and you can feel the Holy Spirit,” answered the abbot.
“They are in your memory because you read about them in the Bible,” said Brother Thomas.
“No. They exist in my mind because my soul knows about them,” replied the abbot.
“The Holy Spirit is the savior of my body and soul and I would not be here without it.”
“Who did they save you from?” asked Brother Thomas.
“They saved me from the fallen angels who have become sin. God threw the fallen angels into hell. The spirits, who were meant to live for the welfare of the creation of God turned into enemies of his creation. There was a battle between good and evil millions of years ago. The bones are proof of that battle. Evil is rising again against the human race and there will be a terrible battle. As it was in the past so it will be in the future.”
“Do you think that the bodies of evil are emerging from hell and falling over us?” said Brother Thomas.
“Why has God not destroyed all evil?”