Catherine was convinced that Verena would find the sea of love. Catherine had seen her mother doing housework for the family because she considered the work part of her duty. But Verena was doing it out of love to create a better world and help people to carry their cross.
Next morning Verena and Catherine were walking with the children to the monastery to get some vegetables and wood for the stove. Verena hold Fortunate by the reins. The old horse was pulling a cart. Fortunate was an old horse from the monastery. His owner of Fortunate, a monk, had been killed by the Roman army three years ago. The monastery gave Fortunate as a gift to the orphanage. Fortunate now spent his days pulling a cart.
The Appearance of Saint Barbara
It was still dark when Verena and Catherine went to the church to celebrate the feast of Saint Barbara next morning. Verena watched the frescos at the ceiling. The church was filled with a voice of hope calling out of the coldness and darkness. The sunbeams touched the image of the Archangel Gabriel, who stood next to Mary in a blue garment in the stained-glass in the east wing of the church. Red orange and blue light fell to the floor of the church which was built on a rock.
The wooden door of the church opened and three shepherds entered the church. They carried blue elder, apple, hazelnut, birch and cherry branches in their hands which they plugged into a vase on the altar. The branches should blossom until Christmas as did the branches during the captivity of Saint Barbara.
Verena was deep into prayer. She knelt on the wooden bench with folded hands. She was looking up and noticed the shepherds and the branches.
Suddenly the earth started trembling. The noise got stronger and stronger as if the mountain was moving away. Verena and Catherine run outside and saw a white cloud rushing down from Mount Mary.
“It is an avalanche,” said Verena and pointed to the White Mountain.
“A bit early for avalanches we did not have any snow in the valley this year.” Catherine watched the natural spectacle taking its course in front of their eyes.
“Lucky that nobody lives that high in the mountains,” said Verena.
The trembling ceased and a white cloud covered the region. The earth was filled with peace and tranquility. The white cloud was settling down. Then the earth trembled again but less vigorous than last time. A shadow appeared moving quickly on the surface of the earth. A white horse emerged from the vanishing white cloud on Mount Mary rushing like a waterfall into the valley. The horse raced toward the gates of Saint Peter. The rider held a colorful shield in the left hand and a sword in the right hand. She stopped to talk to the guards at the entrance of the village and then rode towards the monastery. The emblem of the Archangel Michael blazed on the centre of the shield.
“Maurice, George and Julian are in great danger. Where are they?” asked the lady on the horse dressed in a knight’s armor.
“They left to find the Morning Star in the valley of death,” said Verena.
The Rescue of George, Maurice and Julian
Brother George, Julian and Maurice were penetrating deeper into the mountain, which smelled of old rock. No human being had ever entered this deep into the mountain of death. The darkness was unbearable, like a hole, absorbing all light. They felt as if something was observing every one of their movements. A howling noise came from the second inning of hell. The darkness appeared like the disappearance of a star millions of years ago. The dying star was sucking up all spiritual energy, feeding on the souls which succumbed to the second death. There was no exit from the second death. Not even a spark could escape it. The souls were sucked deeper and deeper into the destruction of the abyss without being resurrected. The verdict of the abyss was death for all eternity and only Jesus Christ could rescue the lost souls from the abyss.
The eternal evil was burning like a fire in Brother George’s heart. Pictures of horrors passed through his mind and sent cold shivers down his spine. The men came to a well filled with a thick liquid. Maurice was standing behind Brother George. The well rose and moved as if something was dragging it along. The fins of a snake like creature appeared. It was Leviathan the sea monster dragging a huge wave behind his gigantic body. Leviathan was one of the six guardians of hell.
Maurice pointed the Holy Lance at the back of Leviathan ready to strike. The sea monster dived in the depth of the oil well leaving a whirl on the surface. All souls got sucked into the whirl disappearing in the abyss.
The fumes of the oil were becoming stronger and the men passed out. When they woke up they were stuck to a wall. The tentacles of a sea star were sucking the blood out of their veins. Queen Jezebel stood underneath them holding a torch in her hand. She wore a black crown. The jewels in the crown sparkled like stars in the night.
“Coming to rescue the Morning Star…” she said in a sharp tongue.
“The three kings followed the morning star and brought their gifts to Jesus in Bethlehem. I have taken the morning star away so nobody will find the way to Jesus Christ anymore. The Morning and Evening Star are the star of Venus and belong to Lucifer together with the tree of life and all other gifts of the churches.”
“When do you realize that you cannot escape from hell? Your visions of heaven are an illusion. There is only hell and nothing else and nobody escapes from here. The Evening Star snatches at your heels and drags you into the darkness of the night.”
“The blood of the innocent children of the queen of heaven is dropping from your soul,” replied Maurice.
“I will strip the remainder of goodness from your souls. You will end up in hell and help us to spill sin on the earth,” said Queen Jezebel
“Do you accuse us before God?” asked Brother George.
“Yes, I will drag your soul into darkness and transform it into a stone falling every deeper into the abyss,” said Queen Jezebel.
“You have drunken the blood of many kings.” Brother George said.
“Your blood is thick like the blood of reptiles preying on humans. Your own sin will eventually drag you down into the deepest hell as there is no good in you to lift you up.”
“You are weak, earth angels? You are made of earth and I am made of the fire of Venus who lives deep in hell. The fire of hell will consume your soul. The day of revenge is near…” Queen Jezebel looked up at Maurice.
“Your soul is silver shining in the sea of death, easily detectable by King Bloodstone to hunt you down.”
“We do not claim to be strong but our God, Jesus Christ is,” said Maurice.
“I can see your souls, the light in your hearts. I can see your souls decorating the necklace of doom which I will wear when I will proclaim the new world order at All Saints Day,” said Queen Jezebel.
“My soul is not for you. It was given to me by God to find the way back to his home,” answered Maurice.
“Your God seems to be patient. I am not. I want your soul! Give me your souls and I will spare your life,” said Queen Jezebel looking around.
“It is time to honor Venus in my temple. I will be back tomorrow and reap what belongs to the Underworld.”
“Don’t you have enough? You own all the treasure on the earth. Now you want our souls,” said Brother George.
“Your soul does not belong to your God who is hiding it from the world so it can shine in heaven. I will share your souls with everybody in hell when it shines on my beautiful body.” said Queen Jezebel.
“I have to go now. I can hear the tide of the dark night thundering through the sea of death. King Bloodstone will slaughter the innocent on the altar of Venus to be sacrificed to the guardians of hell.” The Queen and left.
“Her soul died with the death of a star,” said Maurice after a while.
“I brought you here. It is my fault. I am sorry,” said Brother George.
“You have not done anything wrong, George. We are here to find the Morning Star,” said Brother Julian.
“I am a soldier. Death is my constant companion. But I always felt secure when being with you, m
y friends,” said Maurice.
There was silence for a moment. Water dripped from the walls into a pool curved into the mountain. The drops fell with the precision of a clock every drop bringing death closer to them. The shadows of death were burned in their hearts.
The light of the torches faded. Only a tiptoe of warmth sifted through the soil into the underground where darkness fell into the deep night.
With the dying of the torches, the dripping became louder. Then there was absolute silence. The silence fell into nothingness. The whisper of death moved the torch. The light was almost extinguished. Suddenly the dull glow of the torch was disrupted and the flame burst into several pieces burning wildly. For a moment Brother George thought that the flame was reinvigorate by the water dropping into the pond but then he could feel a touch of wind. It felt as if an invisible hand was touching his face. He looked down to the dark ground and then up to the ceiling but he could not see any sign of movement. The currant gained strength and became stronger. It stopped and hit the torch again extinguishing the flame. Darkness fell in the night.
Maurice spoke. “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. Jesus Christ is the true light.
“One of my favorite passages in the Bible,” said Brother George whose arms were covered in cuts.
“May the light of Jesus Christ shine in the hearts of the children of Saint Peter,” said Julian.
“The light of Christmas will fill their hearts with love,” said Maurice.
The pain inflicted by the tentacles of the starfish was excruciating.
A glimpse of light fell into the darkness like the first sunbeam in the morning dawn. The light became stronger as if the sun was rising on the horizon. A beautiful lady appeared with a torch in her hand.
“Who are you?” asked Maurice in amazement.
“Don’t talk. I will explain later,” said the lady and rescued Maurice arms from the arms of the starfish. Then she released the other two men.
They followed the lady holding the torch in her right hand through the tunnels of the mountain of death.
It was in the darkest hour of night. She moved swiftly on eagle’s wings over the rough edges of the rocky ground. The rocks looked like waves on an ocean moved by a storm.
When they left the cave, the night hung like pitch over the mountain. The moonlight threw a veil of silver silk over the rocky ground.
The Castle of the Queen of Darkness
“Where has the lady gone?’ asked Julian.
Maurice was quit and suddenly said:
“She has disappeared. She saved our life,” said Brother George.
“It is Saint Barbara Day today. She rescued us,” said Maurice.
“We have to move on to rescue the Morning Star before Queen Jezebel
The men penetrated deeper and deeper into the Underworld to the second inning, where no living creature had ever dared to go. Invisible eyes pierced the underworld like the eyes of hungry crocodiles. They did not dare to attack them because of the protection of their shields.
The sea of death appeared further down in the valley. The mighty towers of the castle of King Bloodstone rose in the far distance from an island in the sea of death. The black towers looked like huge pillars holding the dark gray sky together. Yellow clouds clustered around the towers. The lights burning behind the windows of the castle appeared like stars in a distant galaxy. The castle itself was surrounded by milk white gloomy lights looking like the eyes of dead fish.
Queen Jezebel’s castle looked like a nightmare floating in the darkest place of the soul. It absorbed all passion and emotion leaving a dry feeling of hate.
“The queen of doom believes that we are still captured in the mountain of death. We need to act quickly to use the element of surprise,” said Maurice following the small path leading to the castle.
The rock of the mountains offered a natural shelter. They hid behind the rocks. Guards stood on the tower above the wooden gate.
A dull sound filled the night waking up the dead spirits in the sea of death. The sound came from the clock of the apocalypse in the deepest level of hell counting the dark hours of human mankind.
The earth felt like pinholes under the vibrating sound of the clock. The sound became stronger and pierced through marrow and bones. The bells of doom were inviting them to the worship of Leviathan, the dead fish.
The noise died away and the wooden gate opened. The guards in their brown uniforms patrolling in front of the castle looked like cockroaches with their spears.
“It is the changing of the guard. Let’s follow them quickly to enter the castle,” said Brother George.
They jumped from behind the rock and ran quickly to the wall of the castle. They moved quickly along the black wall. Their hands touched the cold stone. Brother George watched through the gap of the wooden gate as the guards marched through the courtyard. When he was assured that there was no danger he jumped from behind the gate. They scuttled along the inner walls of the courtyard like cats. The huge pillars in the courtyard offered an excellent hiding spot. Another group of guards left the castle.
“We need to enter the fortress during the change of the guards,” said Brother George.
They went towards a wooden door leading into the cellar of the castle. The door opened with a squeak. Something glistened on the ceiling of the cellar. A huge spider web hung down from the ceiling. They could not see a spider but the net was moving. They recognized the bodies of bates whose dying bodies were twitching in the web. Then they could hear the legs of a spider crawling over the moldy ceiling. Two soldiers were standing on the stairs protecting the entrance. Brother George knocked them out and ran quickly up the stairs. A bright light flooded the top of the stairs from the entrance hall.
“There is the Morning Star,” said Maurice and pointed to the bright beams coming through the gaps in the wooden door.
The Morning Star was shining like the monstrance in the church of Saint Peter.
Brother George took the precious artifact from the wooden table and went straight to the entrance.
“We have to cover the Morning Star,” said Maurice.
“Wrap it in a cloth,” said Julian and gave him his coat.
They observed the castle and the change of the guards.
The abbot, Brother Martin and Leo were still waiting for Brother George, Maurice and Julian. The wind whipped over the rocks. Black clouds were brewing in the north.
“We have to go in and rescue our brother,” said Brother Martin pacing nervously up and down in front of the huge black gate leading to the castle of Queen Jezebel.
“We cannot stay here much longer. Christian is exhausted and a storm is coming up,” said the abbot.
“These are not clouds. They are locusts attending the celebration in the castle of Queen Jezebel,” said Brother Leo.
“They are the locusts of greed swarming out to destroy everything which gets in their way.”
The mountains were throwing huge shadows on the path when they left hell’s gate. The shadows were moving and swinging like ships on a stormy sea in the light of their lantern. The black clouds were coming closer.
“Herodes tried to kill Jesus Christ when he was born. John the Baptist was murdered. Saint Stephen was martyred and Mary Jacobe, Salome and Magdalene only narrowly escaped their perpetrators,” said Brother Leo.
“But who were the people who wanted to kill Jesus Christ and his followers?” Brother Martin said. “They did not mean any harm to the poor and needy.”
“They were a threat to the rich and mighty. Why was Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem?” asked Brother Leo.
“Micah the prophet, who lived seven years before Jesus Christ, predicted that the Messiah would be born i
n Bethlehem. King David, who ruled over Israel a thousand year before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem too.” said Brother Martin.
They arrived at the river of death. The bridge of hell was spanned over the gorge. They were crossing the wooden bridge when a howl sounded from a cave in the gorge which was opening like the jaws of Leviathan emerging from the depth of the sea of death to swallow the earth. The caves on the walls looked like gills releasing howling sounds. The organ of death in the deepest level of hell was playing to wake up the dead spirit in the sea of death. Sounds were howling through the cave and the earth was trembling underneath their feet. The locusts of greed disappeared into the top tower of Queen Jezebel’s castle looking like the top of a pyramid.
Sand was swirled through the air. The men could not see the hands in front of their faces in the sand storm. The storm was accompanied by a terrible noise sounding like needles scratching on glass plates.
The men had wrapped ropes around their waists so as not to be swept down into the gorge. They were all connected in a line walking one body length from each other. Something was shaking under their feet. The noise came from the centre of the earth. He felt like he was sitting on a swing going up and down. He moved toward the mountains, which looked like huge waves rolling towards him. He felt as if he was going to be crushed by the huge wave. A huge furnace burned in the centre of the mountain. The noise moved toward the top of the mountain. It was a noise nobody had heard before. It sounded like a predator approaching the earth.
“The cloud of doom has departed from hell to attack the earth,” said Brother Leo.
The cloud took the shape of a dragon sinking slowly to the ground. The devastating tide of death moved through the earth swinging the bridge toward the mountain to be crushed against the rock. The gorge opened its mouth like a hungry animal. Brother Benedict felt the same way when he read about the persecution of the Holy Family by King Herod. He suddenly realized what agony Saint Joseph must have gone through.