(Cont.)
Now, amid thunderclaps, the gargantuan ogre bowed to the Volcano; then he pivoted his vast form and began to approach the division of the masses that had joined the Church, as if he would consume them in an instant.
But the Volcano lifted his arms and commanded the colossal jinn, saying, “Baal-Peor, desist! Be not hasty to destroy the entire people, for they know not what they do. Save my wrath for the leadership of the priesthood, who have opposed me here today. Spare the rest of the flock: for I wish to give them many more chances. You may presently retire: go back to the underworld of Sheol. I will summon your power when I see fit.”
The massive spirit of Baal-Peor bowed low, amid rolling thunder, and returned whence he had come.
So the wild man with the goat eyes instructed Moses and Bryan to go gather together and guide back into the multitudes whichever laypeople from the opposing congregation desired to be rescued. Thus they rose up and ran forth to help any from the Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, and all the other sects, who were willing to rejoin humanity. And they urged the members of these congregations, saying: “Depart, we pray you, from among these subjugating men, lest you be consumed in all their stubbornness.”
So the laypeople withdrew from the Church; and they came back and reunited with the multitudes, on the side of the Volcano. Thus the priesthood, the Church Fathers and clergymen, were all that remained in the opposition camp.
And the wild man stood before the congregations and announced: “Today, with your own eyes, you have witnessed the proof of science, as it was manifested in the result of our experiment. And you shall certainly know that I am the volcano of potential, when you see what happens next. Take one last look at these Church Fathers, who led so many of you astray. Let me propose an additional experiment. I shall cause their cartel to disband; but the way that this shall come to pass will tell you something about my position in the universe. For, if these men end up enjoying a fruitful existence for the rest of their days on earth, and die peacefully in their sleep, at which point their souls float up to the clouds to be with their sky-god, then this will verify that I, the Volcano, am wrong about reality. However, on the other hand, if all these priests, pastors, ministers, bishops and clergymen go down alive into the pit, into the underworld of Sheol, this afternoon, in one great plunge, then you should conclude that I, the volcano of potential, am not to be trifled with.”
And it happened that, immediately after the wild man finished his speech, the ground beneath the Churchmen clave asunder, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up. Their houses also fell in after them, and their belongings: all that appertained to the priesthood got devoured. The clergymen went down alive to the pit, and the earth closed upon them. Thus did they take their leave from this world.
Now the laypeople that remained were so severely shaken by this event that they fled in terror and panicked: they screamed while scampering about, flailing their arms and saying: “The earth will surely swallow us also!”
§
Now Bryan constructed an android that he called his son. And while Sheol was eating the priesthood, the wild man with the goat eyes spoke to Bryan, saying: “Instruct your robot offspring Satyajit to collect the censers of the deceased clerics from off the mantelshelf, and refashion them in the furnace, for they have sentimental value for me now. Those clergymen gave their eternal lives to challenge me: there’s something touching about that. Once the censers have melted, tell Satyajit to hammer them smooth, and install them as plates before the furnace where we do all our cooking. They shall be considered sacred, for those men offered up their souls to be burnt sacrifices before the volcano of potential.”
So Satyajit the robo-son of Bryan took the brazen censers, with which they who died by firebolt had competed in the experiment; and they were beaten into broad plating and then displayed round about the kitchen area. To this day, they still hang as a reminder to the workforce never to follow the Christian priesthood of any sect: only believe in the Volcano.
§
The next morning, all the congregation that had formerly joined the Church awoke with the memory of what had happened the previous day. So they gathered and made a formal complaint against the wild man, in front of Moses and Bryan, saying: “You have slaughtered our Church’s leadership!”
And Moses and Bryan stood between the accusers and the volcano of potential, because the crowd was set on violence. Yet it happened that, as the mobs began to shove and press forward, lo, rolling thunder was heard, and clouds of darkness billowed up from behind the horde. Through these clouds could now be seen a bluish glow, and the enormous hoof of Baal-Peor manifested itself: his leg was hovering in the air, just overhead, ready to crush the accusers beneath it.
The Volcano addressed the giant genie: “Be not hasty, Baal-Peor. There are friends here among the foes. Think hard before you stomp.”
And now the mob of accusers became aware of the threat that was looming directly above them. Some tried to retreat, and others, having a change of heart, leapt forward to supplicate the Volcano. And Moses and Bryan stood between the two groups, hoping that the titanic hoof would avoid clopping them.
At last, Baal-Peor stomped down.
Now they that were crushed numbered fourteen thousand and seven hundred souls. Add that to the amount who died earlier, in the episode with the clergy, and it will give you the full death toll.
And the hoof narrowly missed stepping on Bryan and Moses; it fell right in front of them: wham! And they felt a wind when it landed.
So, after this tragedy, they went back to the great hall of the big top and dined with the wild man.
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