"Yep." Raziel didn't seem anxious anymore, and even had a take-command, confident look. A short walk and Raziel was quietly unlatching a heavy, wooden door that led to the Inner Chamber. Frac and Raziel walked through the doorway into a room, with wood paneled walls, dark and rich looking. The room was lavish with deep purple window coverings, thickly matted seat coverings, and a heavy wooden table, the color--a deep, reddish, brown--of which Frac had never seen. The room had the residue smell of the incense used during worship ceremonies. Along one whole wall, and actually almost two whole walls, were shelves filled with a wide variety of books. Some of these books seemed hundreds of years old and some had coverings that weren't wooden, but like cowhide.

"Wow! You spent three days in this place, Raz?" Frac asked, in awe of the room, "Where's The Scroll of The Mysteries of The World?" Frac was drawn to a big, thick, black book. It had a sort of dimpled cowhide cover and lettering embedded on the cover--The Ri--or The Bi--something--but it was too dusty to read the remaining letters, so Frac was about to dust it off...

"Don't touch anything!" Raziel commanded, and walked across the room to a cabinet next to another heavy, wooden door. The cabinet was most unusual. It was from floor-to-ceiling and that rich, reddish-brown wood, but the front panels were clear wood. You could see right through them! "They're in here," Raziel said, opening the cabinet doors and opened a drawer in the lower section of the cabinet, then carefully pulled out one of seven scrolls. "You better get back."

Frac wanted to stay and it was as if a little voice, way back in the back of Frac's head, was urging that. It reminded Frac of Forneus's urging in the Underground Pool, but in a different way, or tone. Raziel was right, glanced around the room, taking a mental note of the room in which to think about it later. "I'll be back as soon as Gadal starts speaking...or if something else happens. Listen for any signal or any commotion," Frac said as a roar of applause could faintly be heard from the gathering outside and Frac left, quickly making way back to position at the ceremony. Gadal was still transfixed to The World One.

"So on behalf of The Great ONE, I would like to bless you all, our village and leaders." The gathering applauded again and Gadal was applauding wildly. Frac applauded behind Gadal, while looking over Gadal's shoulder to scan the gathering below. They were clapping wildly, but their eyes, all of them, everyone of the people below was transfixed onto The World One. Not one person was looking away, or down, or to the side. Very strange. Eerie. Frac glanced over to Pronoia, Psisya and Haniel. Psisya's eyes were glazed and transfixed, looking up to The World One. Pronoia was also looking toward The World One, but not with the glazed eyes, nor directly. Haniel was applauding lightly, head slightly bowed--and with sad eyes. "Strange," Frac thought.

"Now, it is our obligation and our duty to show our appreciation to The Great ONE. Wonderful blessings will be bestowed upon us this year. Discoveries of mind. Discoveries of the world. The more that we show our appreciation, the more that will be given us. Instead of donating a quarter of our working compensation to alms of this Temple Of The Great ONE, let's raise it to half during this Year Of Jubilations and let The Great ONE bestow us with unheard of blessings and grace."

Frac thought the crowd would revolt as many families just barely were able to feed themselves, no less provided themselves with any items of luxury, but... the gathering below applauded more wildly then Frac had ever seen such a crowd. Pronoia applauded politely, it seemed, and a single tear fell from one eye. Haniel applauded not at all and was developing a reddish face, as was the Elder in attendance. Out of the corner of Frac's eye a dark figure seemed to disappear behind the Court of Justice building--everyone else below was still transfixed to The World One, who has still standing in the same spot, arms outstretched. It reminded Frac of a hanging on one of the walls of the Inner Chambe. Frac wondered if Raziel was fine.

"It is now my honor and my pleasure to introduce our newest citizens of Nuemerican society, the first--Gadal," The World One said, while sitting down in the exuberant seat. The gathering applauded, Frac slapped Gadal on the shoulder and noticed Gadal shaking.

"It's alright, go on," Frac said, noticing a whiff of urine smell from Gadal. Gadal walked out, bowed to the knee and kissed The World One's extended hand. Frac seen a tiny puddle soaking into the stone where Gadal had been standing. Gadal shook the hands of the other attendees, then hip-bowed to the gathering and waved. The gathering applauded again, but now they weren't transfixed to the Temple summit any longer, and though attention was still directed to the proceedings, many folk were milling about as was typical in this event. Frac quickly scooted down the hall to the Inner Chamber to alert Raziel.

Frac peeked in, seen Raziel hunched over an open scroll, "Raz, Gadal's speaking." Raziel waved, without looking up from the scroll. Frac scooted back to position.

"Thank you Gadal. I'm sure you will find no problem in securing a position, following your Guardian's footsteps, as dung removal is essential to the health and well-being of Nuemerica," Frac heard The World One say. The gathering politely applauded, while Gadal sat down in an empty seat beside Gonael and Jeduthun. "Now before I introduce our next young, new citizen, let us bow our heads and give thanks to The Great ONE, once again for a thousand years of grace and protection. We are a chosen people. We alone were saved from the awful destruction of the Old World; a world where the citizens of that time raised themselves, in their own eyes, to the eminence of The Great ONE. We alone are the redeemed remnant of that awful society--a transformed likeness--a blessed replica--a new people." The gathering, once again transfixed, applauded wildly.

Frac applauded politely, but had a burning desire for that book in the Inner Chamber--as if something inside, inside the book and inside Frac, was screaming for each other. Frac shook head and listened as The World One continued.

"Folks of Nuemerica, our next young citizen--child of Haniel and Pronoia--Fraciel," The World One announced, and once again sitting down into the fancy chair.

Frac was shaking a bit as Gadal had, but just a bit and walked over to The World One, as was protocol, took The World One's extended hand, and while looking into The World One's eyes, became a bit perplexed. Correct protocol was to kneel and kiss the hand, as Gadal had done, and that is what those mesmerizing eyes seemed to demand--kiss the hand. But that same voice, deep in the back of Frac's head, urged Frac to look deep into The World One's eyes--to read those eyes and the person behind those eyes.




© 2001 John Gnotek