6.
On the day marked as the Festival of Fool is used to
make small innocent jokes, the "farce", practiced especially by
children in the joyous manner. Alike to Halloween, the festival was a fun way
to address a small social imbalance, but this time in the spirit of cunning,
joke and joy. However, the tradition runs much deeper.
The Feast of Fools was a major festival that by the rise of
Christianity. It was included in the words of Paul, "God chose what is
foolish in the world to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 27). The festival had come to include masks,
rituals of inversion, and Community dancing. The celebrations included an
outdoor procession, choral dancing, with the precentor or cantor carrying a
ceremonial staff. Celebrations of the Feast of Fools involved the temporary
elevation of young choristers to positions of liturgical authority, dancing,
and special vestments.
The
previous Archdeacons had tried to stop the festival but to no avail.
“The
festival will be allowed. They will need to be held. A good many of the people
need the reprieve of fun and cheers. The festival will do that and it does harm
us when they mimic the authorities in the light manner.”
So
it was sanctioned then.
It
was held for the last ten years at the Dome yard. It was the one place where
the ancient items were stored and deemed ideal to hold the festival with the
dances and songs that accompanied the festival.
Esmeralda
was up early and had prepared the needed items for the festival. The children
needed the masks and gowns. It was not the new stuff but the ones they had used
and then stored for the annual affair. She sorted out the better ones for the
younger kids while the elder ones get the broken or worn out ones. Once the
children were settled she went to help with the food.
The
Sarmale or Cabbage Rolls is made of minced meat mixed with spices, rice and
onions, and then rolled up in sour (fermented) cabbage leaves and boiled for
hours in the special sauce made of sauerkraut juice, tomato juice and other
family ingredients.
There
was the Mamaliga (Polenta) a side dish served with sour cream and Romanian
cheese. The dish is made from corn flour boiled in water with a pinch of salt
and a few drops of sunflower oil. It can mixed with the salty sheep cheese to
be the ‘bulz’ like by the shepherds.
“Chey,
you must take the Mici (Grilled Minced Meat Rolls).” Esmeralda heard the elder
lady. The Mici is considered the snack food. It was minced pork and beef mixed
with garlic, spices and salt. It’s juicy on the inside and crispy on the
outside. Its served with mustard and bread.
Those
were some of the offerings that the gypsy was bringing to the festival.
It
was different for Captain Phoebus
who had his hands full for the other preparations. During any events at the
Dome, the Captain had to check all the security points. His duty was to the
Archdeacon safety. He had failed to save the predecessor when the Archdeacon
was killed by the sniper bullet at the balcony and then toppled over to smear
his body on the yard. The investigation was carried out by the Captain Phoebus
but the conclusion was killer not identified. It paved the successor, Claude
Frollo to be Archdeacon.
The Captain was
not failed on this Archdeacon.
“Very Reverend
Sir, I would like to congratulate you on your ascension. I do believe you work
for it.” The Captain was the last to give the handshake.
“You have been
busy as I was told. You missed the speeches. Was it checking the perimeter?”
The Captain had to smile at the statement by the new Archdeacon.
“Yes, I was. I
had to go to the forest.” In actual fact, the Captain was there to dispose the
rifle that he had used for the assassination. It was a good shot and a deadly
one at six hundred yards from the tree branch. He had left the rifle on the
branch and returned to destroy the rifle. He had to do it then before the
others found out. The succession ceremony kept everyone at the Dome and the
Captain did the frivolous deed.
Just then at the
preparation, the Captain checked on the door entrance that was used by the
gypsy. He tested the lock and relocked it. He turned and saw the droid who was
the caretaker assistant.
“Unit, what is
your designation again?”
“It’s E-05,
Captain.” I replied with the note on the vid screen on my chest plate.
“Your rank, unit?
I did not ask for your name.” The Captain snapped out.
“Caretaker
Assistant.” The text appeared on the vid.
“Make sure the
entrance is secured.” The Captain gave the order. “I want the Dome cleaned
especially the balcony area. The Archdeacon will be making his vid speech from
there.”
It was the annual
affair for the Archdeacon to make his speech there with City as the backdrop. I
knew that as it was in my annual list of things to do. I had cleaned both balconies
of the bird droppings and even sealed the cracks on the flooring.
There are two
balconies seen from below. The lower one was ringed at the half way mark where
the guests could use to look at the yard. The second one higher was at the
upper level below the top where the ranking officers held their personal
chamber and the Archdeacon’s one was the huge one.
Above at the top,
there was not a balcony but the flat roofing with a small radius of ten feet
where the communication antennas were housed. It was unseen from the yard.
There was an external ladder to climb up which only the droids like me was
allowed to go up. The area was seldom patronized ever since they moved the
newer antennas to the upper balcony. I had been up there once on the order of
the Caretaker and upon reaching it, my sensors picked up the beautiful sight
there.
“It’s a beauty.”
I registered that text in my program but I was unsure what it meant.
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