Steve and Catherine were overwhelmed by the divinity of the place. They did not speak to each other because they did not want to disturb the holy atmosphere. Steve was scared. He suddenly thought that he had entered a world which was closed to him. He felt like a little boy who had been caught doing something wrong. He wished that he had never entered the caves. A strong sensational feeling from deep of his soul carried him to another dimension and the feelings of guilt disappeared. Memories were melting in the image of these caves. It felt as if the spirit of God had rested at this place.
The Flood Wave
The sun was still strong when they swam back to the shore of the river. Their bare feet sank into the warm muddy earth. A dragon-fly flew over the river. It stood still and motionless for a moment, then disappeared in the reeds. The air was soaked with the fresh smell of grass. A trout jumped out of the water to catch a fly.
The river disappeared behind a rock. Tree logs floated on the river. A few rafters were maneuvering the logs over the water rapids. Steve and Catherine waived at the men. Some of the rafters had already gone ashore.
A loud noise echoed suddenly through the steep walls of the mountain. A natural dam containing a lake in the mountains had burst. The water spilled into the river and changed it into a wild torrent. A big wave rolled down the river like a wall. The logs scattered in all directions. One man in the river who tried to make it to the shore. A tree trunk appeared in the floods and moved rapidly towards the man’s boat. It hit the boat and crushed it like an eggshell. The flood wave thundered down the mountain leaving a trace of destruction behind.
It was silent for a moment in the aftermath of the flood. Steve jumped into the water and swam to the place where he had last seen the man. The body of the man floated on the surface. His face was under water and he could not breathe. Steve grabbed his body with his right arm and dragged the man through the river as Brother Benedict had taught him once. Steve laid the man’s body in the grass. He could still feel his breath when he turned him over. The rafter was coughing and spitting water out.
The Good Samaritan
His mates helped Steve to carry the man to Brother Benedict’s house where he was examined.
“He just needs some rest and will be on his legs soon,” said Brother Benedict after careful inspection.
“Can we stay in your village until Paul feels better?” asked Peter, a strong young man who was concerned about his friend.
“Yes, of course. That is not a problem,” replied Brother Benedict who was brewing a tea with herbs based on a recipe of Brother Leo.
“Good Samaritan,” said Steve in a soft voice.
He looked around as if he had lost something. The story of the Good Samaritans who rescued a man who was beaten and robbed was in his mind. “Have you seen Antony?” Steve asked, looking at Brother Benedict, who was dissolving herbs in hot water.
“Yes. He went to the church. When he came back he was painting something. He put the painting here,” said Brother Benedict pointing at the soul painting on the kitchen table.
Steve picked up the soul painting. It showed the Good Samaritan helping the injured man resting on the road leading from Jerusalem to Jericho.
“He was drawing this painting when the boat of the rafter capsized. He must have felt what was happening. How is that possible?” asked Steve who did not comprehend.
“Tomorrow is yesterday’s prayer. God tailors our days around our prayers. The soul painters do receive answers from God to prayers and put them on paper. They are sensitive people and close to God,” said Brother Benedict to his friend.
“But there are so many people and prayers. God cannot impossibly read all of them,” said Steve, who was fascinated by the prophet gifts of the soul painters.
Brother Benedict gave the tea to the rafter who was waking up. “God perceives our prayers like melodies. The melodies are sometimes melancholic and sometimes joyful. God is like a conductor listening to the orchestra of prayers. We have all different voices, different souls. God perceived our souls as sounds and influences the tones positively so our souls which are the engines of our being. The worst thing which can happen to us is to stop praying. The less we pray the more the drums of darkness beat the creatures of the sea of death into our souls and disperse the beautiful melodies of God. The God given beauty of our soul is destroyed and we become part of the conspiracy against the human soul as we turn into creatures of evil.”
”Steve did not want to comment on the moral aspects of the statement and said after a pause of reflection:
“This reminds me of Abbot Antony who can feel if one of his singers is not feeling well.”
“Abbot Antony can read souls,” said Brother Benedict.
“Are we boring you?” Brother Benedicts looked at Peter and his friends standing in the room.
“Not at all, we are Christians too,” Peter said.
“I like listening to your conversation and cannot wait to go to your church. We were just on our way to deliver wood to the church of the fisher priest. The monks have built a church on the island in the mountain lake. They are building an underwater church with all themes of the Bible decorating the walls of the rooms,” said Peter excited.
The door opened and Brother George entered the rooms.”
“The children in the village told me about the accident. You can of course stay in Saint Peter until your friend feels better,” said Brother George to the men in the room.
Peter had heard a lot of Brother George and was looking at him full of admiration.
“Are you Brother George? The legendary Brother George?” Peter gazed at Brother George as if he was having an apparition of a Saint.
“I hope you heard only good things about me. I hate gossip. By the way are you familiar with village football? We are still recruiting players for the tournament,” said Brother George.
“We have heard about the games. Our village, Saint Paul, is very secluded and also very small. We have never made it to a tournament,” replied Peter.
“Well here is your chance. We are still short of players and you can help us to win the trophy of Saint Mary. I am going to teach you how to play. The rules of the game allow visitors to participate,”
said Brother George to the young man.
“Why has village football become so popular?” asked Peter.
“The tournament puts an end to the barbaric games of the Romans. Unlike gladiator fights, whose aim is to kill people, this game does not kill anybody. It brings people together to have fun. Everybody is allowed to participate except from monks. Nobody is excluded. Young and old, male and female, healthy and sick,” said Brother George holding a leather statue of Saint Peter in his arms.
“It also brings self-confidence back to the villages. The days of Roman control are numbered.”
“We face the same threat. The Romans have attacked Saint Paul and destroyed part of our village. We are not defenseless any longer and will face our enemies. We have a few surprises for the Romans next time they attack us,” said Peter. His mates laughed.
“We are honored that we can play for you and Saint Peter,” said another rafter.
“It was about four years ago,” said Steve.
“We were about two hours into the game against Saint Andrew. The defense of Saint Andrew was getting weaker and weaker. They had withdrawn all their players from the attack and threw them in the defense. Brother George went steadily through their defense. An old lady holding onto the statue of Saint Andrew with both hands and would not let go. Brother George lifted the old lady from the ground and carried her with the statue to the middle point.” Steve caught the statue of Saint Peter which was thrown to him by Brother George.
“I had no other choice than carrying her to the middle point. She would not let go of the statue of Saint Andrew,” said Brother George. Everybody laughed.
“I remember that game. I was teaching the Old Testament at that time. We integrated the Old Testament as
secret symbols into our game to conceal our moves. “Kings” meant to withdraw. “Genesis” meant to launch an attack. “Goliath” meant that the enemy was getting stronger and we needed some reinforcement. “Exodus” meant that we had to part the enemy’s ranks to get to the middle point,” said Brother Benedict.
“All the players of Saint Peter knew what we meant but the adversary did not,” said Brother George.
Preparations for the Fifth Season
The carnival was approaching quickly. The fasting season lasting forty days, followed the carnival. The fasting had its origins in the New Testament when Jesus went into the desert to pray to his father.
Food intake was drastically reduced during the fasting period and had to be consumed during the carnival season as people were not allowed to eat any meat nor eggs. As eggs could not be stored for a long period, half of the chickens were used for consumption during the games. Spring tomatoes were used to make sauces for the dishes. The bakers baked a variety of different breads adding all sorts of herbs such as thyme, basil and rosemary. The bakers had received a few bags of sugar from the Knight of Whitestone which was used for the sweet dough for delicious desserts.
Meanwhile, Brother George was spending a lot of time on the football field working out his communication system.
The aim of the game was to find a way through the defense and to carry the statue to the middle point. Some elderly people were lethargic all year and only the fanfares signaling the beginning of the games brought smiles to their faces. Many old folks could not remember last Christmas but the past spring carnivals were still vivid in their memories.
Brother George made sure that everybody, who wanted could participate in the game. People with physical handicaps willing to play were recruited as communicators. Brother George even built wheel chairs for physically challenged people who did not want to be communicators but wanted to defend Saint Peter or to carry the Saint of the opposing team to the middle point.
The monks set up tents to entertain the spectators who came from all the neighborhood villages. The farmers offered their sheds to host the fancy dress parties. Verena and Catherine decorated the orphanage for the children carnival. The theme of this carnival was ancient Greece and the children got dressed up as heroes of the Greek mythology. Marc was playing Apollo in a golden costume with a crown of rays symbolizing the sun. Simon was Zeus and had a red costume carrying a stick with a star on top and Peter was playing Poseidon with a costume blue as the sea and silver hair holding a trident in his hand. Little Catherine was playing Persephone the daughter of Demeter, who was kidnapped by Hades and taken to the underworld.
Brother Benedict hired a big shed from a farmer close to the playing ground which was going to be called Atlantis for the next few days. Benedict and Steve were going to play music in the shed. The biggest storehouse of the village was transformed into a big party room called the Crooked Oak. The crooked oak had always been the most popular place during the spring carnival.
The carnival was approaching and there were many people who did not know what to wear.
Brother Benedict gave them the advice to lie still on their beds, close their eyes and imagine that their beds would become a leave floating down the river toward the ocean, the leaves changing their colors with the seasons. The season felt most attracted to should determine what to wear. Witches and dwarfs were creatures of winter; elves and fairies creatures of spring and autumn. Autumn was a particularly inspirational season with the Thanks giving period.
The cries of ravens had disappeared with the cold winter days and had taken the worries of people into the dark season. There was not a single person who did not feel cheerful. The atmosphere was contagious.
A Pleasant Surprise
When the day of the tournament arrived, the streets of Saint Peter were crowded with people. The Carnival was lasting from Friday until Ash Wednesday. The only serious people were the priests. Brother George was busy studying some strategic moves with his key players when a peasant came to the football ground.
“Hurry up!” the peasant shouted. “Roman soldiers are fortifying the church.” He was gasping for air.
“Follow me, mates. We will teach them a lesson!” said Brother George. He ran up the small way to the church. He was knocking at the door, shouting.
“Nobody enters Saint Peter’s church without my permission. Leave the church immediately, or I will beat the daylights out of you.”
“You have to catch us, first,” said a voice from inside the church.
Brother George entered the church through the little side chapel dedicated to Saint Mary. As he jumped through the window into the church, the Romans left the church through the main entrance door. Brother George opened the big wooden gate. He stood in the bright daylight, looking around to find the intruders. He heard a noise and turned around. A man hiding on the roof jumped on the ground. Roman soldiers appeared from all over the place.
”Is that the best you can do to protect Saint Peter against his enemies?” said a voice behind Brother George.
Brother George turned around and saw Maurice.
“You tricked me again,” said Brother George, laughing.
“I knew that the carnival was on. We thought we would come and help you,” said Maurice brushing the dirt from Brother George’s back.
“Welcome to our team, Maurice, Felix and Victor. I am so glad to have you on board,” said Brother George and gave his friend a big welcome.
The Spring Carnival Begins
They were still talking to each other when the church bell started ringing. This was the signal announcing the beginning of the carnival season.
“Close all the churches. The fifth season has started!” shouted a man from the streets.
Another voice sounded saying.
“Nobody is allowed to set a foot in the church!” Joyful laughter filled the streets of the village mixing with the sound of the bells. The people of Saint Peter gathered in front of the church to welcome the altar boys who carried a fake statue of their Saint to the playing ground. An orphan ran to Brother George pointing to the hill.
Julian stood on the hill which later became Mount Joseph looking down on the village. He was standing at the same spot as when the company of the Morning Star had returned from Queen Jezebel’s castle. He waved at his friends and disappeared in the forest leading from Mount Joseph to the village.
“Julian, my friend,” said Brother George, welcoming Julian as he appeared between the trees of the forest.
“Everybody from Saint Michael to Saint Mary is talking about the spring carnival,” said Julian.
Maurice and Julian were so glad to see each other again. They shared their recent adventures together.
“You can talk about that later. The first game starts in a few moments,” said Brother George who was getting excited.
The average length of a game was less than two hours. Jack, Marc, Steve, Brother Benedict, Julian and Maurice were running for the team. Their task was to carry the statue of the opposing team over the field.
Brother George stood about twenty meters away from the middle point not far away from the terrace, where all the spectators sat. The audience laughed when the team of Saint Peter entered the playing ground with bird cages.
Winners and Losers
There was a lot at stake particularly for the priests of the villages. Victory was of utmost importance. Success was proof of the priest being in harmony and good understanding with the Saint of the village which was considered to be most important. The Saint was the heart and soul of the community everybody could identify with. It was a privilege for a citizen to live in a village with a good football record. Victory was also important for the Saint as it raised the Saint to angelhood. The Saint had a chance to meet Jesus Christ and Mary in heaven. When the Saint descended from high above into the local church after his holy days he shared the acquired wisdom with the congregation.
Winning was very rewarding for the pr
iest but losing was terrible. The priest had to take full responsibility for defeat. It had happened sometimes that priests who had lost a game fled in the mountains to escape the punishment of their parishioners. The priests could not return from the wilderness for days or even weeks depending on the severity of the loss, and lived on wild berries and mushrooms. Under such circumstances the monks had to assume spiritual leadership of the congregation and trying to mediate between the congregation and the priest. The monks required all compassion to motivate the congregation to get their ousted priests back into the church. The pressure on the man of the church was enormous. The priest was the only player on the field who was allowed to ride a horse to cover the huge distance of the playing ground.
Brother George watched as his fellow priests entered the playing round. They sat proudly on their horses holding the flag of their village in their left hand followed by the player’s mostly strong farmers and young healthy lads. One priest sat on his horse, looking down on Brother George smiling. Brother George held two dove cages in his hands not taking any offence in the pitying smile of his colleague who had spent most of the church funds to purchase the fastest race horse he could get from a merchant in Constantinople. He was convinced that the speed of the horse would lead him to victory as he was able to move faster than anyone of his fellow priests on the field. The priest sat comfortably in the saddle of his race horse which was trotted elegantly over the green grass. The priest had spent the rest of the church funds to buy young players from neighboring villages to strengthen his team. He came later under scrutiny from his congregation as he spent more than half of the church money for the year during the carnival season and there was no money left for the poor and needy.
He was sent off to the wilderness to reflect on his reckless spending. His church was led by a monk. When the congregation made no attempt to have him back after one week, the monk was searching for him. But he could not find the priest anywhere. Some farmers of Saint Michael said that they had seen a man riding an Arabian race horse and crossing the Mountains of the Angels. The priest had never been seen again.