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Show 120 "I am here." He stepped out of a shadowed doorway, holding his flute high for all to see. "I am here to do your bidding." "Play for our children, Gast!" Father Johann grasped me by the arm. "Come with me," he said. His face was grim but his eyes were filled with hurt and grief. "Where are we going. Father?" "Into the church. I will say mass and you will serve' on the altar. It is Sabbath. Mass will be offered whether the people come or not." I had not served mass since my days at the convent of Saint Gervase, and I didn't know whether I would remember the responses, but the priest's grip on my arm was so forceful that I had no choice but to follow him. I put on the acolyte's vestments and Father Johann began the entrance hymn. The church was empty except for the two of us. Father Johann's words echoed off the vaulted ceiling as my muffled responses dropped into the gloom. From outside, the piping of Gast's flute could be heard along With the shuffling of the children's feet on the cobblestones and the cries of parents exhorting their children to dance faster. It seemed that we were waging some uneven battle, the priest and I greatly outnumbered by the throngs outside as we went through the motions of the age-old ritual. "Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Iesum Christum, Filium tuum.... the priest intoned, underscored by shouts of "Jump, Marte, jump higher for Mother." "Hoc est enim corpus meum...." |