SALVE ROMA! A Felidae Novel - By Akif Pirincci Page 0,33
peace, because there will be no escape for the inferiors, for those who seed hate and war. This miracle will heal the world, cari fratelli!«
»Ah grande maestro, esaudiscimi!« someone from the audience yelled all of a sudden. In contrast to the smooth voice that was floating down the platform, this yell sounded like the last croak of a frog that just happened to make the acquaintance of a hiking boot’s sole. From afar, it wasn’t locatable which brother it was.
»Grande maestro, you have talked about the approaching miracle so often, and with that you bathed our souls in ointment. I am aware of you being several levels above us and of you being able to see the future that we can’t catch on, yet. But still I already want to know something now, so that I can praise you and our teaching even better. Therefore I ask you: What kind of miracle is this, what does it do and what does it look like?«
Like Moses at the time of his famous prime deed, I saw how the sea of batmen split into two parts in wavy motions. As if the impudent brother had announced that he was infected with the plague, the other brothers departed so that the space around him emptied and he stood alone. Apparently, they feared the master’s anger, and even I didn’t want to be in the heckler’s shoes. The Master though was full of goodness, after he had paused for a little while.
»Fratello, that’s a good question«, he said, and if the stupid hood hadn’t hidden his head, I’d surely been able to see a canting face, just conjuring up the phoniest smile in the world. But, whose face was this? Fanned by the familiar voice, the musing in my head grew into some kind of mental tooth pain.
»You are right. Because a man, who enters a train without knowing where it’s headed, must be either a fool or crazy. I understand you, my friend. But do you really feel strong enough already for the miracle? Wouldn’t its sight dazzle you in your current level of incarnation, blind you and in the end maybe totally tear you up? I will still give you a description. The miracle knows the face of the evil, of the misanthropist. And wherever the evil may hide, the miracle knows where to find it. Many know the road to evil, but they founder on the guards and the thousand nooks of the maze – do you think that? The miracle won’t! The miracle won’t, cari amici!«
The hooded guy yanked his arms up as if finally there had been the long-awaited goal for his favorite soccer team. And as if his followers had just waited for this sign, they went giddy with excitement. In the now closing sea of the batmen the recusant inquirer shrank back into the insignificant black spot he had been before, until he totally disappeared in the billowing crowd. Everyone took of their toppers, cheered their master with waving arms, applauded and hooted their heads off. The hooting and the stamping of feet got louder and louder until the whole room began to tremor. Meanwhile I seriously worried about the intactness of my ears. Samantha faced the same issue, a single glance to my side was enough to get a full impression of the total distraction in her face.
»So, have you thought of something by now?« she asked me. Her right gray ear twitched in impatient fever.
»Yeah«, I replied. »If you happen to have a map of the route we took here, I’d be willing to pay ten times the price or – if you’re into stuff like that – let you watch how Antonio and I become lovers!«
I quickly averted my eyes, because I didn’t want to see her reaction on my sarcasm that was born out of pure desperation. My eyes were totally caught by the stage on which the hooded guy, cheered up by his roaring fans, ecstatically flounced like a pop star at the zenith of his show and wildly swang the saber in the air. When the crowd eventually began to yell-sing again due to sheer euphoria, the star made some provoking gestures with his free hand as if he was demanding something that he deserved.
»Manna for the miracle!« he shouted at the audience which appeared to be in some kind of a frenzy. »Manna for the miracle, cari fratelli! Manna for the miracle, cari fratelli!«