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The new outcast of the “decent society”, as one of the standing in the line said, appeared again and began shouting something against not one person, but the whole crowd.
“Pharisees!” He shouted.
He shouted from his heart, spewing to the crowd a stream of unsubstantiated emotions. Actually, no explanations were necessary. Each found in his memory something confirming the words of the beggar or denying them.
The man in the queue rolled up his sleeves, going to fight him back, but he was stopped. And he limited himself to the trivial:
“Get out!”
“I,” the tramp contested, “came not to you! In fact, everyone can come to the temple!”
“Not people like you!”
“Where is it said about in the Bible?”
“You're drunk!”
“God didn’t turn water into soda either, but into wine... Did you miss this chapter?” He didn’t argue but preferred to retire peacefully, giving, perhaps, with his short presence the ground for someone to think.
Master, without noticing anything or pretending not noticing, primly glided in the crowd, making his way to his car where a personal driver was waiting for him.
And just in a minute Mary found herself in the temple, squeezed in by the crowd. There the churchmen were waiting for her, whose duties included order maintenance and timely departure of the above-mentioned relics of the Saint.
“Faster! Faster!” They hurried, pushing her in the back.
Another queue formed in the temple. And already in this queue, the churchmen were shouting to people:
“Faster! Pray in advance! No time! Pray in advance! Before you come to the relics!”
An iron hand was lying in a miraculous coffer. Maria was indignant, but remembered that no one would hear her.
“It's a lie! Is that a relic? And besides, relics don’t heal, but the Saint himself. He sees who needs it the most, in this crowd or any other place, and helps those who really deserve help! People! Don’t go crazy!”
Waiting for Michael, Mary perched on the edge of the bench. She heard scraps of someone else's conversation. From the already familiar voices she guessed they were the girl and the priest.
“Why did you come? You know that he’ll surely smell you here – this is the worst place to play hide-and-seek with him.”
“I’m not playing, let alone hide-and-seek,” she answered both belligerently and hopelessly.
“Sorry. I understand. But you must understand me.”
“I know that you are worried about me, Father... But it seems to me that he was pla
ing something completely different.”
“I know that he pla
ed something completely different. But you must remember that now is a particularly important time and take care of yourself…”
“I will. I promise. As soon as I win.”
“Silly!” the priest exclaimed in anger; he seemed to be genuinely worried about the fate of the girl who apparently was threatened by an unknown danger.
“You should be doubly cautious. This religion has outlived its purpose. It’s strange that it lasted for so long without updating and actualization. The government raises new generations, gradually replacing faith and religion with sham symbols of paganism which religion once arrogated to itself once failed to beat. If you ca
ot defeat the outrage – lead it. Now even this doesn’t help them. And any agonizing creature is doubly dangerous for those whom it may consider its opponent…”
Mary got up to get closer and get a better look at them. But as soon as she took a few steps, Michael appeared before her.
“Who is it?” Mary asked him.
“A person the other world depends on and who depends on the other world herself, which, by the way, is very difficult and painful. A person on whose shoulders lies an unbearable burden and she doesn’t even try to get it off.”
“I didn’t understand anything! But you will explain it to me later, right? Really, will you?
“I have no choice! I’ll explain, of course!”