When I woke up the next day, I saw Jack by the window looking intently at a thick book. I approached him suspiciously. It was the book called Melville Crash, the book of witchcraft.
"This is the book." Jack handed me the book.
On the cover was a faded image of Satan's castle. The picture was meant to scare the weak. A name is written as if it were with dripping blood, bats hanging on a dark ceiling, some of them stare opening mouths by showing their wild fangs, and below that, in the dark interior of the castle, a man stands with a black veil on his head, an owl on his shoulder, and a wand in his hand. There is a faint red swastika symbol on the back. The whole thing looked like a poster for a witchcraft movie.
I bought the book and flipped through its pages. It looked like Satan was hiding in its pages with pictures and inscriptions. Heard the wind howling outside. It struck fear into me like the cries of the spirits of darkness from the enchanted castle. A flash of fear ran through my veins and shook my body. Some images flashed in my mind. The hell wind which flying the ghost and Satan howl..! The Sorcerer's Shout! His terrible laughter seemed to echo in the directions along with the wind.
I was very scared.
So no texts were found in the book.
I immediately returned it.
"Jack, let's get rid of this Satan and ghost. Can you make this vacation memorable by doing many other fun things? Enjoy boating down the river, go fishing, bird watching, hire a heritage horse carriage, and tour the countryside. Go to the town and see a movie, act in the street magician's magic show, like that many funny things fun things we can do. Or do you want to waste our time chasing this Satan's darkness?"
"Aren't these things we do all the time? Can we do more innovative things? This mission is more than just a darkroom spell. We will do many adventurous things with it."
"I still can't believe that Satan can be enslaved. Maybe Satan itself is a myth?"
"The Satan is not an illusion my friend. If there is a god, there is also a Satan. Before and still humans serve Satan and benefit from his supernatural abilities. If we know how to serve Satan, this task is not an impossible mission. We now know about it. That is our motivation and confidence. Behind every innovation comes a bit of sacrifice. How many explorers like Columbus, Copernicus, Galileo, Magellan, and Marconi..? All of them have reached the goal after overcoming the difficult paths of investigation."
"But Jack, there's a difference between their quest and ours."
"What?"
"This is an extraordinary investigation. Magellan and Marconi went after material practicalities. But we are going after something immaterial beyond the senses."
"Yes, you said a very relevant thing. But what we are doing here is a spell. It can materialize the immaterial. But this mission is not going to be accomplished with guns and knives. Mantras are our weapons. Doesn't the scripture say that in the beginning there was a word? God creates the universe from it. The power of words is immense. That is the power of mantras..! Satan will be bounded in the mantra field that is filled with the energy of the mantra. We enslave Satan with the power of mantra, not with the power of any chemicals and weapons."
His eloquent reasoning and argument like a lawyer left me speechless.
Those facts created a ripple of confusion in my logic. A slight feeling arose in my mind that there was more to what he was saying. So, though my eyes were beginning to fill with sleep, I listened eagerly to his speech.
Jack sensed my enthusiasm and continued enthusiastically.
"I wandered a lot in search of an artifact to seduce Satan. Then I saw Mr. Harp's abandoned house. My third visit there was on a thundery and rainy night. By the time I got there, the wind and the rain became heavy. It was a terrible night when the sky screamed and the light was scattered. The Satans shouted from the sky. They thundered without pause. They set the earth ablaze with fiery lightning which they threw from the upper world. I entered the house in that light. The bats lurking in the darkness opened their mouths and rushed towards me. I took the cross in my hand and held it up. Amazing! The fire of holiness blew out of Mount Golgotha to drive out the devils. The dazzling light of divine radiance in the darkness! Just as the Lord has appeared!"
He looked at me with a look of fear and surprise on his face. I laughed but controlled myself.
"Really, you are a good joker. If you write a fairy tale, it will be beautiful. Cross, Lord and divine light..! Great stunning imagination…!" I laughed mocking him.
"My friend, Do you know that some things on earth are beyond our imaginations?"
"It's not enough to hear it, need to see. Show Satan, then believe it."
"Okay. We are going to see everything firsthand. However, the house is a world of mystery. Tomorrow we will go there. Do you mind?"
"No. But don't let your imagination run wild. I like facts. If I want to entertain the stories of imagination, is it enough to read a book? How many stories have opened the doors of miracles?"
"We are going to see a bigger wonderland than that! All things are imaginations, until known and experienced. I have a little more to say about my visit to that house." My friend continued the story from sitting in a place.
"Outside strong thunder and rain, inside as dark as hell! There, the chirping and crying of the bats were resounding incessantly. Meanwhile, In the meantime, the howling of owls like death trumpet. Suddenly, It happened..! "
"What ?"
"A part of that house collapsed. I think I was attacked by Satans."
"A part of that partially destroyed house fell in heavy rain, think like that..?"
"You can think both ways. Anyway, I was lucky to escape. As I ran out, I saw the candle stand in the light of the thunder. I took that thing of the Satan and immediately escaped from there."
He looked at me. I saw his eyes searching if the story really affected me.
"Jack, the Satan may or may not be, whatever. Now inside you is a fantasy world made up of human imaginations. Should we be fools to follow such beautiful fairy tales?"
"Are the experiences Imaginations? There are many secrets in this nature that humans do not know. They are beyond the imagination of fairy tales. Such things could not have occurred even in human thoughts. My friend, the universe is so mysterious."
"Yes, the universe is mysterious. Many things are beyond the reach of humans. What is the use of us diving into it like fools?"
"We're getting down to something attainable." he laughed.
Not knowing what to answer, I kept silent.
"What if we call this mission Satan hunting?" Isn't there an adventure hidden in that name itself? We will strike Satan like lightning in this operation."
"Very interesting name. Beyond this, we eventually become mad and become Satans." I sighed.
"Melville Crash describes exactly how to enslave Satan with witchcraft. We will do the same." He opened the book. "I will read a little."
"Let it be later. Do not go with Satan at this very dawn."
"Melville Crash is very brave..! See, he spent five nights and five days in a haunted house in a deserted valley to bind Satan."
"Do need this many days?"
"That means..?" Jack was confused to answer. "It must be because Satan is not in the place. Yeah, maybe that will be the fact."
He also laughed at my smile.
"Did you sleep late yesterday?" Jack asked.
"I remember the clock striking twelve."
"Yes..?" An eagerness appeared on his face. "Did you see him on the moon?"
"Who..?"
"The Satan.., the lord of darkness..?"
"Jack...don't make me angry this early in the morning."
"The truth is, I have seen him in this room many times. He can't stay away, his candle stand is in my hand."
He laughed at the fury on my face. "I did not ask about the beauties who came to you in the dream, did you see any bat in the room?"
"I didn't see any hell here."
"You will not see, it's natural..!" He looked at me with an amused expression. "They will be afraid to come forward. Because we are the witches hunting them? However, the cross and the Bible are in the room so they won't appear here in a monstrous form."
"Is that so?"
" Yes, Melville Crash carried a cross and a Bible with him when he hunted Satan."
"The Satans must have seen us and did not appear here. Are we not more terrible than they, the secretaries of Antichrist?"
My intense anger amused him.
"Come on friend, come on. All these opinions of yours will change in just a week. We are the ones who are going to ride in Satan's celestial chariot."
"Not in the Satan's chariot, but in the police chariot. Witchcraft is a criminal offense. In the past, people used to burn witches."
"We are not going to do the witchcraft of doom that says in Shakespeare plays. It is benevolent magic that benefits mankind."
"If the police catch us, Satan will testify that we are doing witchcraft for good?"
"No one is going to catch us, friend. Don't get mad like the priest who was affected by Satan or did Satan really affect you?"
I realized he was having fun teasing me. So I stopped.
"You are the one who is possessed by Satan. Is that why you're behind him?"
"I will show you the Satan that afflicted me. Excuse me a bit."
"I want it too, for your Satan's blessing."
"Then get rid of all these worries and go forward with self-confidence. If you have optimism, everything else will follow. After breakfast, we will see Lomeo."
"Are you expecting important information from him?"
"Important information is the works to bind Satan. You can't get that anywhere else but from this book. But let's ask him to find out a house to perform the spell. Have you not forgotten him? He likes you more than me, even though it's a friendship when you come on vacation."
"How can I forget that genius? Isn't this great man the originator of many of your fun schemes? Is he not the counselor in this Satan hunt too?" I smiled.
"He is a thinker, so he will have ideas."
"Well, where does this thinker work now? Maybe at the boat jetty or the cattle farm?"
"He doesn't have any job there now. For the past few days, he has been guarding a barn by the river."
"Jack, is this plan of yours really feasible for us?"
"Do you doubt again?" He smiled. "Why not? Satan's abilities are nothing compared to the power of the spell."
"Isn't that a story ?"
"Stop your damn doubt. This is not just a story. In the book, Melville who became rich due to the Satan has built a huge church on the banks of the river Hele."
" So is Melville a servant of both Satan and God?"
"Aren't all the people on earth like that? Can you show me on this earth a saint without the sin of Satan and the virtue of God? Man cannot live without sin. Aren't we all the descendants of the Father who sinned and was expelled from heaven? Then we will have that addiction to doing the forbidden thing. We are all gentlemen who delight in sin and walk in the robe of holiness."
I still didn't quite understand it. I felt all those arguments of Jack are childish, and even if he didn't get Satan, his plan would be a good time, so I calmed down. But the game is the magic of mystery, and the mind gave a warning that the danger is just behind.
"I will enliven my nights after binding the Satan."
Jack had not finished speaking when aunt appeared in the room. Jack immediately shoved the book into the cupboard.
"It's seven o'clock, children. Breakfast will be ready in a little while, so come down ready by then."
Jack and I went out after breakfast.
We saw Charlotte and Jane standing in the garden joking about something. Charlotte had binoculars. Jane took it and looked at us. Then I was surprised to see her whisper something to Charlotte and immediately Charlotte took the binoculars and looked at us.
They are laughing at something..!
They arrived just as we were crossing the gate. Still, the laughter didn't stop.
"What's so funny..?" Jack put his hat on his head and looked serious.
"Where are you going with your mother's hat on your head? Going to enter a fancy dress contest?" Charlotte burst out laughing.
"Oh, poor Jack, he didn't know." Jane stopped laughing and said.
That's when we noticed it.
Aunt's flowered silk hat on his head. The hat had changed.
"I thought I'd make you laugh when you're so bored with nothing to do. I will get virtue." Jack placed the hat on Jane's head.
We set out to see Lomeo.
Lomeo is of African descent. A philanthropic friend, my best friend as well as Jack's. The guy is our senior by age, four or five years older. Although he stopped studying in high school due to family problems, he is a good reader and has good knowledge about everything. Our Jack is the one who believes that many of Lomeo's seemingly superstitious arguments are actually actionable truths.
Jack believes that many of Lomeo's assertions, such as the continent of flying men, the land of talking birds, and the river flowing from heaven, are not just imagination, but truths in the veiled cosmic mysteries.
Jack introduced him to me when I came to Alaince Creek some time ago. Lomeo, who talks a lot and thinks beyond the reach of ordinary human intelligence, was in a sense an imaginative creature like Jack. We used to listen to his talks as if we were listening to the gospel, which included history, legends, and philosophy.
Every time I come here on vacation, he has something new to say. Innovative works of science, history, and imagination are all intertwined! Our crazy Jack, I like to call him so, is the one walking around with Lomeo's plans to make it all come true. In this context, I cannot help but say that I am a victim of his madness.
We walked along the river bank to a field of wheat that we could see a little further away. It was a beautiful sight to see the bushes on both sides of the small path, swaying in the light breeze with their multi-colored flowers.
After a short distance, the barn came into view.
"What day is today?" Tuesday, so we should turn to Thursday for that matter."
"Where will we go?"
"Let 's think about it, anyway, it is no longer possible for Satan to escape from us."
I was imagining us working miracles with Satan. I don't have to be afraid of math anymore. Sometimes I will have to clear the doubts of the teacher..?
We reached the barnyard. A few wooden barrels lie in the corner of the yard.
"Is there no movement here?" I looked at Jack's face.
"He'll be in the hall behind this."
We walked down a hallway to the backside. Cracks appeared on the walls with age. I guess parts of it will come crashing down soon. As we walk along the paved corridor, we saw sacks of grain piled inside through the broken windows.
"Isn't this house in line with our plan? Look, how terrible is this building..? Even Satans wouldn't dare stay here!"
He turned away, putting his hand on his hat. "Is it the age of this house that makes all this horror look like? It was built by Charles III of the Henri family in the last century."
"The work itself is strange. Jack, is there an older building in this countryside than this?"
"There is nothing that does not fall."
"So let's do the spell on top of this building? The upper rooms will be really dark rooms..! And the other side of the building is the forest."
"This place is not suitable for such a task. A short distance from this is Mr. Marshall's house. He has two guns. And will Satan come to this area? Moreover, only one side of it is forested. Isn't there a field on the other side and a road passing by it? Only a building or a cave in an uninhabited, desolate, forested area will serve our purpose."
We walked down that corridor to the hall where the hay and tools were stored. From the stacks of hay, the rats scampered down the hall. Jack hung one by the tail and threw it out the window.
We reached the back of the hall. Tobacco ashes were strewn in front of the guard's room. We peered into the room through the half-open door.
Lomeo is stretched out on a woolen rug on the floor and sleeping soundly, his straw hat was placed over his face. There were no chairs in the room. A few wooden barrels were found instead. A tobacco-free pipe was seen near the molten candlesticks on top of one barrel.
I moved a wooden barrel and sat on it. Jack bent down and blew hard on Lomeo's ear.
He jumped up as if he heard Satan's shout.
At first, he stared at us.
"I thought Satan was singing." He laughed out loud.
"Not the Satan, but the apostles of hell." Jack stood with a furious look.
"So you are the Papas of Satan's?" He happily sat on the bed folding legs. "Mickey Dobbins, the Papa of Yankee ford, has finally arrived..?"
" Yes, he has come to baptize Satan," Jack said.
"Friend, you have grown up a bit..!"
" Isn't time running with us?"
"Yes, through the evil paths. There we wander in search of the dream mirage. But it's just that you don't see it everywhere you look."
" Indeed, life is very deceiving to everyone. You also have grown up..! Are you fine?"
"Yes mate, fine. I have been in this room for the last two days. Living here comfortably listening to the devil's gospel and the song of ghosts.
As soon as the lethargy of sleep left, Lomeo got up and gave me his hand.
"I thought you'd come early this holiday season to start a riot. what happened? Did you go for smoking and jump with the hippies? Or to sing Hallelujah with God's callers?"
"It's not too late, a week, isn't it ?" I smiled.
"Not a week, but more than two precious weeks have flown by?" Jack was devastated. "With that time we could have completed the task."
"Do you know what this mission is?" I looked at Lomeo.
"A great mission..!" He laughed with some funny gestures.
"Although it is a mission to go to a forest and catch a wild animal, there is some logic in it. But do you have any logic in this Satan hunt?" I looked seriously at the smiling genius.
"Can't you believe it my friend?" Lomeo went on cheerfully. "You think like this because you go to school and study and believe only in material things. There is no place for God and Satan in those lessons. Or rather what are the superstitions that the adults tell the children from there...! Is the earth turning itself? If that's the case, don't you look down when you're flying? I have flown twice. Did not see the turning of the earth in any of them..?"
Lomeo began his joke. He is like this, his every move and every word is full of humor. If he joins us, his main entertainment is to entertain us..!
"What to do? We didn't have the freedom like yours? Now you can see my life changing after Jack enslaved the devil," I replied.
"Then you are ready for it, isn't?" Lomeo got on a barrel and sit.
"Lomeo, can you suggest a place suitable for this ?" Jack asked.
"We can think about that. Before that, have you prepared for the spell?"
"There are certain rituals to be performed before departure. It can be done in two days. It is all clearly stated in the book. Isn't it enough to act like that?"
"Does it talk about meadowsweet flowers and sanctifying horseshoes?"
"Yes, Melville prepares to spell with meadowsweet flowers plucked on a moonlit night. Finally, he binds Satan on the horseshoe at end of the spell."
"Then everything said in that book must be true. But there is something more to say." Lomeo remarked.
"Yes, at any reason, this mission shouldn't be lapse. Tell me everything in detail. Isn't this what your grandfather said?"
"Yes, grandfather was well versed in such matters. Once the grandfather cast a spell to bind the Satan."
"And then.. ?" Jack jumped out of the barrel. "Where was it?"
"It was on an island in the river some distance away."
"Where is that island?"
"About twenty miles down the river from here there is a small island crowded with rocks and clumps of trees, near the town of Marshall Grant. You will feel scared when you see it! The views of that uninhabited island are so terrible. It is full of dark dense forest where no light can penetrate. In that forest are old robbers' dens and a huge ancient building."
"Is that where your grandfather performed spell?" Jack asked excitedly.
"Yes. Satans dwell in such dark and mysterious desolated lands where there is no human habitation."
"Then what happened?" I asked anxiously.
"Grandfather, knowing that Satan does not get along with black people, returned without completing the spell."
"Too bad..!" Jack frowned. "Couldn't your grandfather have forcibly enslaved someone?"
"Your that assumption is not correct, we can bind them as slaves if they like us. Otherwise, they are dangerous."
My knowledge of that subject was increasing. I happily began to beat on the barrel I was sitting on. The sun has risen well. The rustle of birds had begun to rise from the nearby forest as a pleasant sound of the morning.
"Then can we perform this spell of ours at the same place where your grandfather went?" Jack said, then he looked at me.
"The name of that island is Herero. I've heard grandpa say that it contains the cavern of ancient bandits and the remains of their weapons."
"No old buildings?" I asked.
"Yes, in the middle of the island. It is a huge building made of stone and wood, but it is an abandoned house for a long time like a haunted house."
"But isn't it far from here?" I asked.
"Never mind that. Just leave when it gets dark. You will reach there at dawn" Lomeo said. "And you can reach here in seconds?"
"How is that..?" I looked at both of them suspiciously.
"Isn't Satan in our hands? Then we can even circle the earth?" Jack looked at me with a smile, and so did Lomeo.
I couldn't help wondering if the two of them were making fun of me.
"I also wanted you to come. But if Satan sees me, Satan will go away. Satan doesn't get along with black people." It didn't sound believable when Lomeo smiled at me and said that.
I asked as they continued their conversation on the subject. " Doesn't this slave need food and rest from time to time?"
"They don't need it. Satans do not live with physical bodies like humans. Their world and life is a cosmic mystery that we do not know. Once we bind them with the mantra, then they are always ready to carry out the Master's commands. Even if you want a ride to Bermuda, Satan will have it done in seconds." Jack looked at me casually.
"Yes, they carry us up to the upper worlds," said Lomeo solemnly.
"To teach math..?" I asked again anxiously.
Jack stared at me.
"Mathematics..?" A look of surprise also appeared on Lomeo's face. "Math of what..? Dollar or timber?"
"Is that the only math..?" I asked a little annoyed. That teasing pissed me off.
"Then what is your math..? Once I heard my grandfather tell the count of the sheep and the sacks of grain. If your math is not this, they will be about the goods bought from the town..? Now the price of bread and jam has increased..?"
Jack said with a chuckle before I could answer.
"Math is one of his problems at the moment. That will be done by Satan in a moment."
" Mathematics..?" A look of surprise and laughter also appeared on Lomeo's face.
"The math of the new equation of the energy explosion," Jack replied. "He's going to be another Einstein with another formula that shakes up nature."
"Is it..? Don't go after such knowledge of destruction, my friend."
"All knowledge is salvation and peace for men. But when man's flawed intellect misuses knowledge for his temporary advantage, it becomes destructive. Isn't that the truth? That is how the gun and ammunition were found." I said.
"If you are mathematically inclined, try to create a formula for the evolution of the constellations, so that you can understand the dynamics of time," Lomeo said.
"What formula is that?" I looked at him.
"He is a graduate of the Academy of Understand. That is why it is said like this." Jack commented.
"I have only meager schooling, admittedly. But have you read as many books as I have read..? Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Magellan, Copernicus, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tolstoy, Marx, what can you say about them ...?"
"You are the master..! Isn't that why we came to ask your opinion on this controversial issue..?" Jack said. Then he turned to me. "Don't worry about math, Charlotte will teach you math. She is a post-graduate in Physics."
"It can be gained quickly if Satan helps..?" I smiled at him.
"She too is Satan, only the human Satan." He said amusingly.
I realized it was a warning to me.
Lomeo's laughter rose when he realized the matter, and there was a fear in my mind.
I responded with a goofy smile at their amused laughter at my misguided expression.
Charlotte, whom Jack called the human devil, is a fiery piece of fire that burns when touched, a very spicy item! It didn't seem to me that my studies would go well with her, who was suddenly irritable, with her unyielding, rigid stance. I'd have to put up with her like my incompatible mathematics teacher, Mr. Harry.
When I thought of it, fear rolled in my mind again. Satan and mathematics made me swell up equally.
At that time fear again rolled into my mind. Satan and math both disturbed me well.
I had no intention of asking such a question there. But my curiosity got the better of me.
"Then how to get there?" Jack asked.
"Our boat is enough. Go easy on it." Lomeo said.
"Did you forget that it flowed in the water when the snow melted last month?"
"Oh, that is true, isn't it?" He thought.
All those were anxious moments for me. I was fingering through my wool coat.
"What if a boat is stolen from somewhere?" Jack said in a low voice.
"I can't beat myself up. Don't you remember what happened last year? That day, we somehow escaped by rolling through the wheat field."
"Never mind that, Lomeo." Jack smiled. "That night we escape from here with a boat without being noticed by anyone. Arrive at Herero Island by dawn. And is there anyone to be afraid of?"
"No need for that," Lomeo said gravely, dropping his amused humor. "If someone sees us crossing with a boat, that's a problem. Maybe they don't care about you white people, but after me, who is black, they will rush to bite like hounds. I am the only support for my old blind mother. If we want to live, I have to work day and night in some dark room or guardhouse like this. I don't even get a day to have fun. The only comfort is the company of all of you. Everyone is God's creation, everyone is the heir of this earth. That is the law of nature, yet man, on top of that, with the written and unwritten laws and ideologies of his ego, disturbs the earth by robbing and destroying the rights of others! Isn't this arrogance of man really the unrest on earth? It is only for that, the humans make class, color, and religion the norms for it."
"We respect the natural law of equality and freedom that you mentioned," Jack said.
"Yes, there is no color, creed, or nationality among philanthropists, my friend," I said.
"How beautiful this earth would be if everyone thought like this." Lomeo sighed. "But, God and Satan don't want such peace here. Hence, we have to live here by fighting each other."
We were silent for a while.
We were deeply disturbed by the muteness of human lamentation over inequality.
A horse neighed in the distance. We were all disturbed by the silence in the room.
The wind blowing the dust of the plains came howled. It picked up the leaves that had fallen in piles on the roads and spread color everywhere. The birds basking in the warm rays of the clear day flapped wings with the wind and flew happily.
" Then how to get to that island?" Jack asked.
"How about a kayak?" Isn't it a downward journey? You can have fun paddling along with the current in the fiber boat. I will organize a kayak from a friend of mine." Lomeo looked at us.
"I am thinking of something else," Jack said.
"What? Traveling by land? Even then you need a boat to reach the island. And the distance by land is long. " Lomeo said.
"It's not that. The journey must be a wonderful trip. The best thing for that is a wooden raft. It'll have the beauty of the past, full of nostalgia." Jack looked at me. "What do you say? Wouldn't that rafting trip be beautiful?"
"Where is such a raft for it?"
"We will build."
"If so. Let's build a raft." Lomeo said.
"Can you make a quick raft?" I asked.
"Not even half a day. It's a fun job that can be done quickly." Lomeo said with interest.
"Do you see anything abandoned somewhere along the river?" Jack asked.
"It is unlikely. Let's make one."
"Then we can start the raft work right away, tomorrow itself..?"
"Why the new raft?" Suddenly something flashed in my mind. "That raft we made last vacation, Vasco di Gamma? Isn't it still here? Or was it taken by the river?" I asked.
When Lomeo heard about that raft, he laughed. he asked while laughing. "Friend, you still remember our Gama, don't you? But it left us. Someone took it."
"Yes, it is lost," Jack said. "Can we ever forget that raft that showed us the aliens? Don't you remember that trip?"
"I cannot forget that raft in this life," I said looking at the pictures filled with memories. That raft of past holiday fun was still lingering in my mind like a nightmare.
"Yes, that raft will remain as a treasure in our memories. Didn't we see aliens because of that?" said Lomeo.
Jack and Lomeo laughed out loud.
But I couldn't laugh. It was a fun event, but I was terrified that night. The memory of that rafting trip once again stirred waves of fear in my mind.
At one point during that night rafting trip, we caught a group of students who were playing as aliens by the river. They rounded up us and fired with their water pistols. Various colored dyes were sprayed at us from their toy guns. We returned from there by taking bath in colors.
"Aren't these things that make life fun?" Jack said casually. "Life is meaningless without such pleasures. A celebratory turbulent life gives us the energy to live rather than a depressed silent life."
"Yes, life becomes an enjoyable intoxication when it is active, otherwise it is like a dead body. The passivity and silence that afflicts life is a terrible tragedy." Lomeo remarked. Then he said. "Now all that's needed for this mission is Meadowsweet flowers. They must be collected. And a horseshoe."
"It won't be hard to find," Jack said.
"That horseshoe must belong to a sinner's horse." Lomeo looked amused.
"All who are on the earth are sinners. Then any horse's horseshoe could be used. So, let's decide the itinerary now." Jack looked at me. "Can we perform the pre-spell rituals on the following moonlit nights? What do you think Lomeo? You are our mentor."
"It should be performed on a moonlit night. So choose moonlit nights for it."
"What actions?" I asked.
"The meadowsweet flowers should be plucked by chanting the mantra and wrapped in a white cloth, then the candle stand should be purified with blood, the horseshoe should be immersed into water to drive out the inactive Satans who have settled in it, and so there are some interesting things to be done in the stillness of the night."
Lomeo added with a chuckle, seeing me look suspiciously at Jack's solemn reply. "Indeed, it's all interesting stuff."
"Where will this be done?" I asked.
"Shall we go to the river?"
"In the middle of the night?"
"Yes, that is the time of peace?" A small smile on Jack's face.
I sighed in response, a sigh of uneasiness.
Both of them laughed out loud.
"Okay, Lomeo, then, shall we make a raft?" Jack asked.
"It won't happen soon, will it?" I looked at Lomeo suspiciously.
"Why not? At the rear of the chicken farm, there are a lot of cut logs. We can use them."
"Do not need planks?"
"Yes, if you want to travel without getting wet, you have to tie planks on top. Planks abound here."
"Can you get them?" I asked.
"It's all abandoned. Let's take them and use."
"Then the next day we have to start working on the raft. Do you have work here tomorrow?"
"No, after a while the workers will come. Will have to look elsewhere from tomorrow."
"Then we can start work tomorrow," Jack said.
"Yes, tomorrow we can make a raft and put it down in the river and let us play."
"The Satan must be bound as soon as possible. And do you know what I am going to do at first?" Jack looked at Lomeo.
"Make yourself a rich man. Yes, that's it. Gold and precious stones from the hidden treasures of the earth will reach your home. Then you will rise to many positions like a noble hero. You will become a businessman, administrator of the country, etc. step by step. Or do you want to become a genius respected by the world?"
"I have no such greed. My grandfather used to say that it was better to live in silent peace without being noticed by anyone, whether it was famous or infamous, rather than as an eye-catcher that people would notice. Fame is like sweetness and the more it tastes, the more it feels like having to taste it over and over again. It will turn into a wild addiction until the end of life. Accordingly, we will live as dreamers without seeing real life, bewildered by the praises of our admirers. In the end, life would end up in that sweetness. The rich, the ruler, and the genius are not great things for me.
"And what, what is your desire..? Tell me, friend. We want to know." I said.
" My biggest dream in life is to fulfill my blind mother's wish to see me. You know, my mother often cries. They would kiss my forehead and run their fingers through my hair, always lamenting that they were not lucky enough to see their only child. This is something that makes me very sad. The sight of the delight of my blind mother when she sees me and this colorful world and the beautiful universe that can be seen in the sky is my only wish."
We didn't speak for a while. The grief hit us hard and made us silent.
"That wish of yours will one day come true, Lomeo," I said. "God will not hesitate to hear your mother's cry and sorrow."
"Yes, God will listen," Jack said with a frown.