Mounting tensions are eased

(Cont.)

And the wild man arose with the sun, and he was glad in his heart. And he looked out of the portal of his vortex, and there sat Moses, with his two stone tables: he was still in that secluded place on the hill, looking like a candle in daylight; or rather like a torch that has been extinguished and then hidden in a bush. And the wild man said to himself: “I will now turn aside, to see what is the matter with my comrade, and why his countenance is fallen.” And the Volcano called into the bush, and said, “Moses, Moses.”

And Moses murmured, “Here am I.”

And the wild man with the goat eyes said: “Why are you sulking?”

Then Moses huffed and said, “Go, walk over and see for yourself what is happening; for your people, which you brought out of the Empire, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I instructed them: they have modeled what seems to be some sort of statue of liberty, and have merged it with our museum chest, so now you cannot even stand atop it to judge the people. And they all admired this portrait so much that they said: ‘This is our president, who removed our oppressors.’ Look: these workers are an imprudent mob. O how I wish that your wrath would wax hot against them, and that you would consume them, like you did to the King’s forces in the Empire: and start all over again, and crown me the King, and make me an Empire.”

Then the wild man answered: “Moses, remember when I created a gourd for your brother Jonah, to shade him from the hot sun, but then I destroyed the gourd, which left Jonah furious to the point where he wished to die, so I said to him: ‘Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd, which came up in a night, and perished in a night?’ – Now I could ask the same of you: Doest thou well to be angry about the people, which you have brought forth out of the Empire with great power, and with such a mighty hand? Why should we ruin this good thing that we have? Why allow the ruling class to say: ‘Ah, it was only for a jape that Moses freed the workers, to slay them on the hillside, and to consume them from the face of the earth!’ Now, the first thing I saw upon waking this morn happened to be you over here fuming, thus I decided to come and parley – I haven’t yet had a chance to visit the main part of our camp, so I don’t know what all they’ve been up to; but I’m sure that it cannot be as bad as you say. Therefore, lighten up: let your anger subside, and repent of these vengeful instincts. Recall your forerunners Abram, Israel, Judas, and the wonderful Joseph, whose embalmed remains you keep always by your side: I signed a contract with these men, promising that I will multiply their seed and give them land. How can I honor this deal, if we massacre the multitude? Take my advice and get some rest.”

Then the wild man caused a deep sleep to fall upon Moses; and he slept for the space of a quarter of an hour, yet, when he awoke, he felt that he had spent the entire sabbath day in slumber.

Then the wild man with the goat eyes twitched the mantle of Moses, so he rose up, and the two of them began to walk together on the hill, heading in the direction of the multitudes, who were merrymaking on the far side with Bryan. Moses was still clutching to his heart the pair of stone tables, which were engraved on the front and back with all manner of accounting figures, facts, commands, and bloodlines.

And the wild man and Moses were too far off to see anything yet, but they could hear the noise from the party as they approached. “What a din,” said Moses; “it sounds like a chant of war.”

And the wild man answered: “No, those are not shouts of aggression . . . Ah, now I understand; it’s a singalong – they are belting out a drinking song: Come, let’s join them!”

Then it happened that, as they drew near to the campsite, Moses and the wild man saw the people cavorting, and the new Liberty Statue upon the ark. And the multitudes were unclothed, and were not ashamed. The scene resembled those paintings by Matisse from 1909-1910 called La Danse and Dance (I).

And the heart of Moses, which had been hardened, now melted with love; and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them on the ground.

Then Moses turned aside and said to the wild man: “I now perceive the meaning of the dream that I dreamt; for when I fell asleep after our earlier exchange, a great spirit appeared to me in a vision, and he cried out: ‘Moses, Moses, why do you accuse me? I tell you, no virtue can exist without breaking those tables of stone; the Volcano is all virtue, and acts from impulse, not from rules.’ – Therefore, I let drop the tables that you engraved.”

Then the wild man answered: “That was my messenger, whom I sent to you. His name is Blake. Those tables were a test. You have done well.”

And the wild man took the fragments of the stone tables, which Moses had broken, and he splintered them into a thousand pieces and scattered them on the winds.

Then Moses greeted Bryan and said, “What have you been doing with the people in my absence?”

And Bryan answered, “I hope that you do not mind: the people came to me with a desire to make an artwork for our museum, and they wanted to honor the volcano of potential; and no one knew where you had gone off to, or we would have consulted with you about it, but it seemed a good idea, so I instructed them to remove their golden earrings, which they all still wore despite having escaped that life of servitude, and I collected the earrings and cast them into the fire, till the gold was molten, and then out came this portrait.” Bryan motioned toward the icon.

Moses gazed upon the likeness and then turned and looked at the wild man, who was also admiring the work; and Moses said unto the wild man, “But now that this idol is towering in your stead, atop the ark, where shall you pose for your Final Judgment?”

The wild man smiled and placed his hand on the shoulder of Moses and said: “Relax; there’s not going to be any Final Judgment.”

Then he turned toward Bryan and said, “I like the sculpture. It’s very good. Now let us all go join the festivities.” And the three of them went off to get drinks and ram’s meat.

Then the wild man from the vortex stood by the gate of the fence and made an announcement: “Everyone give me your attention. I’d like us to split up into groups. Let us separate the sheep from the goats, the horses of instruction from the tygers of wrath. All you logicians, lawmakers, and constables, stand over there with Moses. And whoever is for mischief, whim, and absurdity, let her come to me. Priests over yonder; prophets right here – and if you’re not sure why I make this distinction, then go with the priests.”

And all the multitudes of the workforce divided themselves asunder. And the wild man said: “Now go in and out from gate to gate throughout the campsite, and take every person a partner for the next dance.”

So each side sought out partners from the opposing team, and the people then waltzed.

That afternoon, more than three hundred thousand souls performed al fresco coupling.