The Priest, the Rabbi, and the Widowed Man

"Oh Poet and Writer Lay down Thy Pen,

and Hear Yee a Tale of Ravishing Women,

and Once Mighty Men"

We left at around 5 pm and arrived at the main Cathedral of La Concepcion D’Oro  at 6pm just intime for afternoon mass.   Cardinal Hesseus greeted me, Rabbi Sadler, Eloi, Dr. Aldo beckoned us to stay for the mass, after which our meeting would begin. His Eminence also asked me if I could assist in the pipe organ, having heard that I had some skill with this divine instrument. I answered that if the fact that I wasn’t Catholic (being Greek Orthodox) wasn’t an issue, then I would be more than happy to oblige (in fact I was thrilled ‘cause the 120 year old organ was just tuned and in excellent condition, and I simply loved the instrument). Cardinal Hesseus replied that there was but one God and that it did not make any difference what denomination one was, especially when it came to the universality of music (he knew I was gonna play Bach..).  The good Rabbi added that since I would indulge in the instrument, he too will sit in the back of the Cathedral, being a lover of baroque and especially of the great master himself. 

 The mass concluded at around 7 : 30 pm, and the faithful having departed, his Eminence asked us to the well known north east angle of the church (the doors of the church having been sealed) and as we approached what looked like an ark representing the covenant between man and God, the Cardinal, Rabbi Sadler, Aldo, Eloi and I started to push the heavy slab. After considerable effort the heavy object gave way and slid across the marble church floor racing a semicircle and revealing under its base a staircase that we all followed down (except for Paco who stayed behind to Tyle the open entrance in case some Cowan decided to pry ). Hesseus pushed a switch and the staircase lit immediately (they must’ve put electricity in this underground retreat recently since I could still see the torch mounts and smell the kerosene). We arrived in the squared room, ‘bout 5 meters under the surface of the cathedral. The room was richly lit and had an ancient but amazing ventilation system sort of a Bernoulli type of system where the hot air made its way to the ceiling and through tubular tunnels reaching the surface and thus allowing cool air from another independent system at the floor to replace the hot air. Instant air conditioning with no  mechanical or electrical systems involved. Hesseus sat in King Solomon’s Seat, Sadler as Chaplin in the north, and all others in their places and the meeting began.

The topic in tonight’s meeting was death and the afterlife. Eloi, having lost his three daughters Mircalla, Mirllaca and Carmilla to the dark gift, was using the sublime degree as a gateway to first of all discover the fiend that took his beloved ones away from him (and of course seek ways, real ways, to destroy it, or him, or her,..) and reassurances of the existence of the afterlife giving him hope that one day he will again be united with his beloved ones. Specifically, through various methods of proof, it was evident that even when the body withered away, some form of consciousness and awareness continued.  

I exist  . I think and I feel. I suffer suddenly a fatal stroke. Does my existence simply vanish? Where a couple of seconds ago I was, am I simply from now on not? Does my being cancel itself out into nothingness just like that, or by some form of yet undiscovered physics am I projected into a different space and time?Am I conscious, then unconscious or do I simply stop existing and what do I feel throughout this ordeal?  

Or is it that before I am, and after I am not?? 

We concluded our deliberations and closed our labors at about 11pm (with the promise of Karma to all mal doers) and recessed for dinner. 

We left La Concepcion at about 2 am and I finally made it to bed at 6 am today. I could not but think of poor lovely Mircalla and how the color drained from her cheeks, within a three week timeframe, and how this rose withered and finally passed away. It may indeed take several lifetimes to find the doer of these bad deeds, but find him they will. 

I slept.