///Indie Journal Daily///

Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Halls of Knowledge, part sixty-nine

Vantarvian's story continued in great detail.

He told us more about cooking tribesmen and about Father Macksennett, who was eventually revealed to be ignorant about anything to do with the Spanish language. It turned out that one summer season, Father Macksennett was chosen by the governing body of the City of Umgowah to assist in communicating with Spanish dignitaries visiting the area. At first, Father Macksennett said he could not help them because he had a rare disease of the gums. But the governing body of the City of Umgowah insisted that Macksennett be the conduit, since he taught Spanish and no one in the area knew it better than him.

Vantarvian said the Spanish dignitaries arrived quietly and the governing body of the City of Umgowah met the two Spaniards as they were driven to the city by a car owned by the governing body of the City of Umgowah.

"Why do you sweat so?" asked Bindu Baa Baa, one of the governing body of the City of Umgowah asked Father Macksennett.
"Fever," he said. "I should be in bed and not talking."
"Nonsense," said Bindu Ba Ba, "you must speak Spanish to these men. They bring the hope of much trade for the area and that could make all of the villages in this area be able to have money like those who live in superior civilizations."
"That isn't so good," said Father Macksennett, "as you think it might be."
"How could that not be good?" asked Wana Tu Tu, another member of the governing body of the City of Umgowah.
"Because," said the fake priest who they did not know was fake at that time, "with money comes corruption and with corruption comes crime and with crime comes passion and with passion comes fire and with fire comes burning and with burning comes flames and, well, you get the picture."
"The car with the Spanish dignitaries is approaching," said Habba Meassa, another member of the governing body of the City of Umgowah.

The cream-colored sedan --a mechanics blend of five different autos of the era that was constructed with the working parts of five different autos of the era that had been in fatal accidents along the African coastline just west of the City of Umgowah-- stopped in front of the members of the governing body of the City of Umgowah and Father Macksennett and two men dressed in long blue suits came out of the back seat. These were the Spanish dignitaries and their hair was slicked back with coconut oil and their skin was bronze and their shoes reflected the blue skies of Africa and they each smiled like magpies.

"Hola," said the first Spanish dignitaries.

All of the members of the governing body of the City of Umgowah turned their heads and looked at Father Macksennett.

~To be continued

Frank Cotolo 8:23 PM

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The Halls of Knowledge, part sixty-eight

"Wait," I said, "did you say other tribesmen?" asked Kantarpatine.
"Yes, I said," said Vantarvian.
"I though he said other tribesmen," I said. "So you were raised by cannibals?"
Vantarvian said, "That is a cruel label. Especially since we never ate human flesh on Fridays. The head priest, Father Macksennett, was very strict."
"There was a Catholic priest in the village?" I said.
"No, in the city of Umgowah there was a priest," said Vantarvian. "But I didn't say he was a Catholic priest."
"Then what was he?" said Kantarpatine, now engrossed in the story.
Vantarvian said, "He was a missionary from some order somewhere. He had come to teach us to speak Spanish and learn the ways of God."
"Why Spanish?" I said.
"Why God?" Vantarvian said.
"You don't recall the order?" I said.
"Sure," said Vantarvian, "God came first and Spanish came second."
"Not the order of teaching," I said, "the order that sent the missionary."
"No, but they spoke Spanish well," said Vantarvian. "Maybe it was a Spanish order?"
"So this missionary, father ..."
"Macksennett," Vantarvian said.
"This Father Macksennett condoned eating human flesh?" I said.
"Not on Fridays," Vantarvian said.
"But all the other days?" said Kantarpatine.
"Yes," said Vantarvian.
"Don't you wonder," said Kantarpatine, "why your father didn't name you Sol instead of Vantarvian?"
Vantarvian thought for a moment, then said, "No."
"All right," I said, "go on with the story."
"Well," Vantarvian said, "cooking in New Umgowah was great fun and learning to cook other tribesmen became the greatest challenge. It was more difficult to cook the human meat than a hog or a fish or a cougar or an elk or such. The human meat needed to be treated first."
"Treated?" said Kantarpatine.
"Yes, boiled a bit, then salted, then some herbs and spices all rubbed in hard," said Vantarvian.
"All right, I get it," said Kantarpatine.

~To be continued

Frank Cotolo 9:38 PM