Chapter 7 "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" – Silent Night, Holy Night
[December 24th, 1611]
[St. Benedicts Chapel]
"It was over 1600 years ago, in a town of Nazareth in Galilee. There lived a young woman by the name Mary, she herself was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph…" old Ezekiel started the annual tale of the birth of Jesus.
All around him a dozen young boys sat together, listening with rapt attention. No matter how many times they hear this tale, it shall always remain one of their favorite ones. There is nothing quite like a good Christmas story, is there?
Huddled and cuddling, the kids sat in a halfmoon circular formation around the monk. All of them held hot tea in mugs in their hands. Careful not to spill a single droplet. Wrapped around their necks was this year's gift from the Chapel. Each one of them received a hand-stricken scarf, made by the nuns. Although they appeared to be made of leftover materials and thus gave off a patchwork like look, nobody would dare to complain. After all, to be materialistic would be to sin.
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"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."
1 Timothy 6:10
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The children listened patiently to the grandfatherly Ezekiel continue with his story. He made it particularly fun, always changing his voice according to whichever character spoke. The way he vocally separated the three kings made most young one's giggle.
For each passage he would call on one person to join him. They would sit on his lap and read a short passage aloud. A personal highlight for many. And if he gave them a little cookie to nibble on as a reward for completing a job well done? Nobody would dare tell on "Gramps Ez" for liberating a few from the kitchen. Not that they called him that to his face.
Brother Ezekiel, like many others had joined the Chapel as an orphan. His case being unique due to this mother giving him away as an infant because she wouldn't take care of him.
[Author warning /// skip the next two sentences if you are sensitive to S.A.]
There is a reason he makes sure all children are educated on the topic of consent.
Maybe that fact also spurned on his benevolence towards the young ones.
"Alright then, last but not least, Leo. Please come here and join me. It's your turn."
Standing up after being urgently pushed ahead by Bart, his best friend after Brother Edward, he swiftly sat beside the monk, noticing the shiny gray of his hair.
'Age catches up to us all I guess. Hope his old bones stay healthy. Gramps Ez is one of the good ones.'
"And it is so, in a quite stable in Bethlehem that Jesus Christ was born, wrapped in cloth and laid in a cradle. Countless Shepherds came from the fields and rejoiced in the angel's message of peace and salvation. The wise men had followed a star from the east, each bearing gifts to honor the newborn King. The Savior of the world had come at last." Leonhard finished the tale.
He didn't need to use his newfound power of sensing emotions on demand to know that the kids were excited. Celebrations and sugar tend to do that.
With slightly wet eyes Brother Ezekiel looked upon the children. 'I guess its bedtime now. But looking at those shining eyes and bright grins I might as well let them stay up a little later… yes that will have to do for now.'
"So," the monk started "is there anybody who wants to speak up about his favorite part of the bible? A meaningful passage? His favorite miracle? Any conclusions or doubts?"
What followed was a loud and fun back and forth between the kids. All claiming to like their favorite psalms the most. Whilst some of the older boys went to their room to conclude the night, the tightly knit group of friends remained with the wrinkly monk.
After Daniel, Lucas, Bart, Peter, Matthew and Elijah mentioned their favorite parts or any questions they had, it was Leonhards turn. He had listened in silence before, considering whether he should even ask his question.
"Well then young Leo. A penny for your thoughts?" the old man said jokingly. The way Leonhard had been scammed at the market was making its rounds at the Chapel. One of their brightest students falling for such simple deception was something too funny to not joke about.
'Hmmm, I guess this is a time as good as any' Leonhard thought.
"Gramps E- I mean Brother Ezekiel. I have always wondered about Jesus' miracles. Him healing the blind, walking on water and turning water to wine… is that magic?"
The room became eerily quiet.
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Intermission:
Exodus 22:18
"Eine Zauberin sollst du nicht am Leben lassen." /// "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
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Something dark flashed in the monks expression. I was was gone as swiftly as it had appeared. His eyes widened. For the first time since they knew that man they could see his brown orbs in this entirety. Usually wrinkles and long silver eyebrows cover them.
Drawing a deep breath Ezekiel collected his thoughts. After ten seconds of silence, he spoke aloud. Addressing not only Leo, but also the others equally.
"First of all, thank you for your question, Leo. Curiosity is mankind's single defining feature that separates us from mere beasts.
But no - what Jesus did is under no circumstance to be confused with something as heretical as magic. In the bible it is said that he acted with the authority of God, granting graces to the people wherever he went. The exact quote is as follows: "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and ... he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil..."
Magic… magic is awful. Twisted. It's the realm of demons and devils. It's a hiltless sword that cuts the user as much as the enemy. And it always takes something important away from you.
Magic is the pathway to many abilities one may consider unnatural." He uttered in a spiteful tone.
He continued: "So beware my children. Magic is pure evil. Witches are… taken care of for these reasons"
'No need for the young ones to know all gruesome details, but I shall not suffer the consequences of ignorance in the children… not in my children. My Lord, please grant us strength…'
This was the first time the kids witnessed their usually mellow grandfather figure become so passionate about a subject. Such vitrol and anger were utterly out of character for the man who snuck cookies and gave hugs freely.
Ezekiel finished his anecdote by proclaiming: "So, if anyone of you witnesses any magical or otherwise unnatural occurrences. I ask you to do two things. Run immediately! Protecting yourself from these heretical forces is your priority. After that? Come to me without fail. Don't delay. Don't deny…
I have witnessed the crookedness of these beings once. And seeing it one time was enough for me to know that they are not our fellow man."
Ezekiel had finished on a whisper - eyes glazed like a war veteran reminiscing the unspeakable.
Thoughts were turning within Leonhard's head at a million miles an hour. Of all possible outcomes this was the worst. He had many arguments and counterarguments planned. All ideas he could scrap now after seeing the one man with such a pure soul express undiluted hate towards the one thing that encompassed who Leonhard was the most. Magic.
Thus, he made a decision to use said magic against Gr- Monk Ezekiel. He had promised himself not to practice on his friends and family, for that is what they have become over the last few months. But no. This concerns his existence. His life.
His ability to catch reflections of emotions behind someone's eyes came naturally to him. And it was with this ease that he could get an impression of Ezekiel's current mindset and emotions. And what Leonhard discovered confused him for a second. It felt like a pendulum swinging back and forth.
When he understood what is was moving back and forth from his back broke out with sweat and he needed to control his facial muscles not to twitch and give away his finding.
Ezekiel's current emotions had returned to humanity's most primitive state:
Fight or flight.
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Leonhard was alone his bedroom. Unable to fall asleep, for he didn't now what to do. His thoughts always came back to Ezekiel's experiences with magic and his absolute resolution to destroy anything unnatural.
He was twisting and turning in his bed, switching his pillow to the cool side but nothing worked – until he had an idea. It was a gamble, but with low risk and of little consequence.
He needed support from someone he trusted. That number had reduced itself by one tonight but he still had another option. He needed somebody on his side. A person who could rationally listen and understand.
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*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*
…. Edward was awoken by the subtle pounding of a small hand against the door to his bedroom. It wasn't unusual to get up because one of the children had night-terrors. This however had not happened on a day as holy as the birth of Christ.
Lighting a candle he slowly walked to his door and opened it up enough for the small child to slip inside and immediately look up at Edward with sleep-deprived-eyes.
'Oh, I didn't expect it to be little Leo.'
"Hey there buddy, are you ok?" he questioned.
After a beat of silence Leonhard without preamble stated his request: "Sorry to wake you up Ed, but can I ask for a favor?"
It was in response to this that Edward fully woke up. Leonhard hard never asked for anything. Ever.
"Of course child, what can I do for you?"
Leonhard stated "Well… since you regularly visit the library of Oxford University I wanted to ask if you could find any old books and lectures on the topic of miracles since Jesus. Brother Ezekiel mentioned some such as Jesus generously healing people. I wondered if anybody had helped the common folk since then in such miraculous ways?"
'There. I said it. The rest is up to him.'
In reply to this Edward freely expressed: "Of course I can. Is this keeping you awake? Don't worry, starting the next year, I anyway wanted to visit my Alma Mater about starting my philosophy studies. Doing a deep dive into the archives of the library is no problem. It would be my honor to grant our best student this request. Are you happy with that little Leo?"
Like a rocket launching itself Leonhard threw himself at Edward. His' thank yous' being muffled by his squished face.
Without letting Edward get another word in he quickly left Edwards quarters and went back to his room.
Finally, he could fall asleep.
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Please drop any stones and collections yo. Love and Peace
Sorry, very busy day so this chapter came out a little later than usual.
Danfictions over & out