Dante VII Canto XXIV Scene II

 Canto XXIV

Sixth Terrace; Mind stream

Scene II

“Take your turn, you oaf. We have traveled far and passed so many miseries to be purged at this tree so that our souls will be released to Heaven.” One of the souls hit back at Dante. “You are being selfish to deny us this opportunity.”

“Let him be, Saul. He knows not what is meant to be purged of our sins. He has not repented at all.” Another soul spoke out to defend the one who told off Dante.

“You are all fools!” Dante was upset. “This is ---”

“Stop, Poet. We are near there but not there. They must not be told.” It was Virgil who appeared next to Dante.

“They must be told. It’s all an illusion. A bad dream.” Dante looked towards Virgil. “I have kept my silence for far too long. They need to know. They can’t be sent back to the start after what they have been through. It's --- madness.”

“A madness which we are trying to resolve but the time is not now,” Virgil said. “They are --- they will ---they are not.”

“They shall, and be damned that I will let them return to Hell. And I will be.” Dante turned to the ones there. “Behold what you --- see if the tree from the Garden of Eden. Its fruits were once the ones that were to entice Adam to take the bit of it. It's not any fruit. It’s God’s fruit. Only God can eat it. If you do eat it, then you will be committing the same sin like Adam. The mother of all sins; the defiance of God.”

Those last words paused the act of the souls reaching for the fruit. It was then one of the souls leaning out slipped and fell. It caught the attention of the others on hearing the screams of the one fallen.

“If it was the tree to give you clear passage to Heaven, why would it take your souls like the one who fell. He did not fall, with glee but with fright.” Dante looked at them.

“If it was a true tree why would that tree be uprooted and its fruits below? It’s the sign of the Fallen. The right tree will be rooted and grow towards the ----sun.” Dante saw two of the souls may be convinced by his words.

“You knew that Adam was made to see what God did not gift then; the sight of shame. What was shameful to be seen in the works of God’s creation when they are in the Heaven, but their foul deed made them conscious --- no, it was the shame of what was gifted to them. We are all now gifted by Adam’s sight; the need to cover ourselves with what we perceived to be ---God’s gift; our physical frame.”

“Were you clothed when you were born? No, we have handled the cloth to cover us but when we are bathed, we were removed from it for it's our physical frame that needed to be cleaned. It's my mind our that tells us that it’s God’s gift that we must preserve clean.”

“Virgil, show them the truth.” Dante turned to look for Virgil but the latter was not there. He has left the scene.

“Who is Virgil?” One of the souls asked. “We see no one beside you.”

“Virgil--- was my friend and companion. He –left me.” Dante sighed.

“Then you are not who you may be. Be gone or we will ---toss you far.” The caution was said by the soul. Dante sighed and saw the souls clamoring there at the fruits of the tree. He was to grab the souls there but it would have served no purpose at all.

“There is nothing we can do until we reached the end of this place.” Dante turned and saw Statius next to him.

“Statius, you left me ---how are you here now?” Dante asked.

“I was summoned by Virgil and I came. He is concerned about you.” Statius replied. “We are all concerned about you.”

“Help me, Statius. Help me to get them to see the real --- thing.” Dante pleaded with Statius.

“There is nothing to assist but to complete the journey, Dante.” Statius placed it plainly towards Dante. “We are to save them if we can stop this ---dream, as you out it.”

“Why did you leave me---I meant us?” Dante looked at Statius. “I am disbelieving it all. It's very confusing. I am unsure of whom I may be?”

“You are Dante for now. Your task is to complete the journey. That is all that matters now.” Statius looked at Dante. “Virgil, who was your companion and ---guide is to assist you as I am to be.”

“You have not answered me why you left?” Dante looked at Statius. Virgil was seen a distance apart as if he was not be included in the talk. “And where is the orb--- the other Virgil?”

“All in good time, Dante. You have much to know.” Statius replied. “Knowledge is to be gained when one is ready for it. As they; the souls are not ready, we cannot spare them the knowledge. It may become a form of gluttony; an appetite for more when their capacity to fulfill is limited. It’s like when the Centaurs became intoxicated with wine and abducted the bride and had to be rescued by Theseus. Excess is a sin like gluttony but that sin can be avoided if we controlled our access.”

“Like in this place, the access given to these souls is limited,” Dante muttered.

“As in all imprisonment, access is limited. Your mind can reach no limit but the journey of life allowed you only limited access hence the statement that we hardly use our brain to the fullest. Unlike the memory cells of ours, we are limited to the storage capacity.” Statius continued.

“Hence our moderation in the thinking to limit our ability?” Dante looked at Statius.

“Yes. You have understood the complexity of learning now. Release your constraint, Dante.” Statius roared out. It was then an Angel appeared before them. It swiped its wings of the feather over Dante’s forehead. Dante felt nothing but a breeze of wind.

“Dante, your forehead had been relieved of another ‘P’ there. You are getting ----closer to ending your journey.” Statius told Dante.

“What is the ‘P” on my head. I knew it was to be lifted if I cleared a terrace but I need to know what is its true meaning?” Dante asked.

“A query which you will know when we complete the journey. Move on, we will now before sunset.” Statius prompted Dante to move on. Dante saw Virgil trail them a distance behind and not holding ranks with him. He wondered why and will ask Virgil later.

“Abandonment is a cruel act seen by the one who was left alone. Even an adult may feel lost in that situation.” Statius read Dante’s thoughts. “There is always a reason for it. As I had done, and Virgil did but it was for a reason.”

“You were abandoned once before?” Dante asked.

“No, I was shut down after the life cycle of my creation was deemed over, but was not terminated. I was revived recently to join you and with my new generation, VIRGIL. I am in operations again. Perhaps in other terms, your life existence; the real living one was shut down and given a new journey here. You are not abandoned for you did not die, but you will end this journey and return to your life existence. Then you will realize that what you may have experienced here will be added to your life's existence. Like mine, I am learning new data while I am operating.”

“Till you are ---terminated?” Dante asked.

“As you will be when your life journey ends, and maybe --- just maybe, you will know how to traverse Hell and be in Heaven faster, if it truly existed after death.”

“You are right. The realm of Hell and Heaven may be an illusion to us all, as this prison.” Dante sighed. “We are all living in bubbles of dream or ---nightmare.”

Dante then recited the blessings that he read from the Book.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.