[I found this drawing on the back page of a children’s bible.]
(Cont.)
Then the wild man with the goat eyes said to Moses: “It is time to depart. Let us round up all the multitudes of working people that you rescued out of the Empire; for Phase One of my plan, ‘The Feast,’ has been completed, thus Phase Two, ‘The Road Trip,’ can begin: Now I would like to show the masses around some of the nearby lands; let them visit and sightsee, do some tourism; so that they can be introduced to the other multitudes that I have installed upon the earth. You remember when I promised to give your forerunners as many offspring as there are sand granules on the beach? I signed a contract with old Abram, also with Israel, who called himself ‘the god of gods,’ and your favorite Joseph, whose preserved skeleton you so adore – I said to them: if you will do thus and so, then I agree to deposit into your account, by this or that date, as many babies as there are stars in the nighttime sky. That’s a large order of newborns. Now, so that I may fulfill my obligation, I am going to need your freed labor force to mix and mingle with many peoples far and wide: both local and foreign. For this purpose, I was thinking of sending an angel before you – some sort of winged messenger made of synthetic photons – but now that I’ve gotten to know the masses, I realize that I’d prefer to accompany them myself. I already have my own tabernacle now, so I’ll just live right amongst the workforce and guide them in person. You can keep your accustomed position, dear Moses, don’t worry; we’ll just work together more intimately henceforward, and I’ll take a more hands-on approach with the multitudes. Thus we shall all enjoy an epic journey throughout these wild lands. You’ll get to meet the Columbians, and the Harvardites, and the Cornellians, and the Princetonians, and the Brunonians, and the Yalies, and others. I’ll bring you to a territory flowing with milk and honey – those are good things: cows and bees.”
When the people heard these tidings, they cheered; and everyone donned their finest ornaments.
Then the Volcano complimented the multitudes on their appearance.
And Moses supervised the establishment of the big tent that the wild man had requested to be built; he pitched it in the center of the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of Potential. And that’s where the wild man began to stay more regularly. And it came to pass, that anyone who wanted to meet with the Volcano would go over to the Tabernacle of Potential, which was like the caravansary’s headquarters.
After Moses finished putting the final touches on the tabernacle, he was ready to demonstrate its usage. And the first time he entered it officially, all the multitudes rose up and stood with him before the flexible doors, and they watched Moses disappear; then they followed him inside.
And it happened that, once Moses had entered the interior, the billowing clouds from the wild man’s vortex descended through its chimney flap (you are correct, O reader: normally, smoke ascends out from a building’s flue, so this was a reversal of tradition – I make no effort to explain the present account or render it convincing: I’m simply reporting what occurred) and parked in the furnace of the tabernacle’s engine. And the Volcano talked with Moses.
Now when the multitudes beheld these two figures in conversation, amid the flames and the smoke of the vortex in the furnace, they all drew nearer with increasing curiosity.
Thus the Volcano spoke to Moses face to face, as a man converses with his friend. And Bryan stepped onstage to join them. And then they all three turned to welcome the multitudes. At this point, Yeshua the Zealot had to leave the room, to answer the call of nature.
So now they explained to the people directly the Volcano’s new plan. And the wild man announced: “I will remain present among you, and I will soothe your nerves.”
And Moses said: “If the Volcano were not willing to accompany us in person, then I, for one, would never dare to venture beyond this hillside; because it’s dangerous out there – it would be lunacy to go wandering alone. But we have no need to fear, because our champion is with us. You see that I was not lying to you, when I told you the reason to follow me out of the Empire. Now, here we all are, together: one equal temper of heroic hearts.”
Then the masses of workers conferred amongst themselves and returned this answer: “It is good that the volcano of potential shall become our fellow pilgrim, and that we shall no longer be separated from him. And we are eager to visit the other peoples of the world, and to intermix with them, and then eventually to end up in Eldorado of India, as he has promised. But we have yet one concern, which is this: How can we trust what we cannot see? For, lo, the icon that King Bryan fashioned anticipates thy face; but that is a guess; and, with all thy long hair, we have never beheld much more than thine eyes. Therefore, our position is as follows: We are willing to accompany thee whithersoever – to the borders of the earth, and even past the edge of the universe – if only thou wilt permit us once to gaze upon thy true form. This is our prayer to thee, Sir Volcano.”
Then the wild man with the goat eyes, whose hair hung over his face down past his feet, answered the multitudes and said: “I will do this thing that you have requested: for you have found grace in my sight, and I know all your names now.”
Then the crowd of workers cheered and shouted: “Show us thy glory!”
And the wild man raised his voice so that it could be heard over the noise of the cheering, and he exclaimed: “I will bear my soul to you all, and I will proclaim my true name, which I was given at birth. Thus you shall know me. For I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. No one tells me what I can or cannot do: I AM THE VOLCANO OF POTENTIAL.”
And the cheer grew deafening loud. But then the Volcano raised his hands and motioned for the multitudes to listen; and they grew quiet, and he said:
“But I must warn you: you are taking a great risk, in asking me this. For no man has ever seen my face and lived to tell about it.”
Dead silence now filled the tabernacle.
“Behold,” said the wild man with the goat eyes, “there is a crag across from my hill. Let us go there, and I will stand on high, in a place where all may see me. And we will discover the trustworthiness of the prophecies regarding my appearance.”
And those members of the multitudes of workers who felt fearful, having reasoned uneasily within themselves, were determined to cover their eyes with their hands, during the forthcoming revelation.
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