Monday, December 26, 2022

Dante VII Canto XXXIII Scene II

 Canto XXXIII

The Earthly Paradise; The realm in the Universe

Scene II

“I can’t allow it.” Beatrice looked at the others. “Daniel is too weak.”

“No, my daughter. Let me make amends for this.” The voice was of the frail-looking old man seated in the wheelchair. He rolled over towards Beatrice.

“I have to work on my creation. I ---”

 

“Father, I cannot lose you again. Not again.” Beatrice looked at the older man.

“You won’t for I am in your life and mind. And heart. But I must undo my mistakes. I will work with Nicholas here guiding all of you.” Daniel turned to Fabricius. “Go with her and remove the Queen. She ---”

“She is my sister, Father. Your daughter too.” Beatrice reminded her father. “I was ---”

“You were mine, Beatrice. Your twin, Bernice ---- she was with me when I left your mother. You needed extra care and I was ---selfish then. Our estranged relationship dragged on until you told me of the world you were building. Like the Ancient Greek World, it was to be a journey to see and not to be trapped. You wanted the world to see what was it like to be a sinner. Or in your case, the illness of yours gave you the hard time processing personalities. The healers cured you and I wanted to make amends.”

“So did Charles. He was there to wed me off to the emperor.” Beatrice looked at her father. “It was mother’s doing.”

“Charles meant well. He --- Your mother could not care for you anymore. She knew that you needed a guardian. You were too far out in your realms.”

“It was my salvation from ---reality. I was with the illness; the multiple personalities. I was cured but not my life. I wedded the man I did not love. I forego my love. I had no real one to lean on except my other-selves in the virtual realm, and you returned, Father.”

“I returned and brought me another personality; your twin sister. She was good to be you and then she had other reasons. She camouflaged her ---a condition by immersed in the works there; building what her other personalities saw in it. She was well trained by me unfortunately and kept the hidden files from me until it was too late.”

“Bernice had helped. She had other mentors.” Beatrice looked towards her father. “Just as I have; Charles and Fabricius and you. She had more; your peers and students too.”

“Yes, the Magnificent Seven. I know all their names but they won’t use them anymore. They called themselves the Universe.” Daniel put on a weak smile. “They wanted to rule the world; or a virtual one. What were their names? Yes, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, and finally the Sun which was the emperor. Then came the final two rulers of the Seven; the Fixed Stars, the Federation flags keeping every subject to the will of the Prodigal Son. Peace and unity or rather an obedience.”

“The next ones are the Prime Guards of the Queen, in support of it, their devotion to the Empyrean’ Queen Bernice who had replaced you in name sits there presided overall. She ruled them all. She had it all planned out. He held Dante’s poems to her heart. And mind.”

“Yes, the demented understanding of Dante’s poems; in which he wrote in defiance of the system then. I guess the seven here their defiance towards what we termed as God.” Daniel paused while he coughed to clear his throat. “And their God is a woman.”

“God bless us all.”

 

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