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Breakfast in bed. Dreamstime.jpg
The next morning an orderly knocked softly on our door with a tray of food. I was surprised there were fruits, a bagel of sorts, tea and juice and a rose. There was one egg but no bacon or coffee. That item I’m sure they ran out of long ago. But I remembered I had a whole case of one pound packages of it in our car. ‘A gift for the general’, I thought.
As we were eating this slender meal we had the most welcome surprise. Another tap on the door, and who steps in? It was no other than our doctor, so concerned years ago over our pregnancy issue, Jim, an intimate friend for all the conversations we had. He was so glad to see us he ran up and shouted: “You’re back”. He gave Nancy a hug and reached over her to shake my hand.
“The General came to us first thing and told us of your arrival. I’m having a gurney brought in right now and we’ll roll you downstairs and take a look at that leg.
“There are great doctors here, all eager to meet you. You’re in the best of hands. We’ve started the generator and the lights are on”.
The orderly and Jim rolled her into this bed and we went down two floors to a room where a dozen men and women wearing something like doctor’s uniforms were waiting. As soon as I stepped in behind Nancy’s bed a universal clamor rang out, “The Prophet”. They rushed at me almost ignoring Nancy, all eager to vigorously shake my hand.
Three of them pulled Nancy behind a set of curtains and went to work. I was surrounded by the rest of the crowd, unable to comprehend such an eagerness on their part to talk to me. I was just an author I figured, and these were all famous scientists. How could a writer of novels match this group?
One of them was so forward as to hug me. Then stepping back, she said “I couldn’t help myself, but you saved our lives”. All of them nodded in agreement and a few said so again.
I had no idea why they were saying this, but I did remember the same thing from the soldier the day before who told me, “you saved a lot of lives”. I didn’t comprehend that then but let it go.
So I replied: “I know my books were fairly accurate and gave you some warnings of things to come. But that can hardly be called saving lives”.
Then my friend Jim spoke up for all: “He doesn’t know what we’re talking about”. Then he turned to me: “Your fifth book, in which you described the last wave and the bubonic plague so accurately did that. It made us realize we were going down a dead end in our research since that outbreak. For over a year we were searching for the antigenic shift that made the virus so deadly. But we couldn’t discover why it was so deadly. We were baffled, at a dead stop and our lab contained the best and brightest minds flown in from all over the world working on it.
“Then a lab assistant brought in your book and read to us the paragraph that explained how the two had combined, a virus and a bacterium. We never considered that a possibility. We thought it was impossible. There were no precedents. And though we saw the similarities to the Black Death, we thought it was all viral and kept examining glycoproteins and Nod receptors.
“Bacteria are a whole different ballgame which we ignored, until your statement. The virus had mutated, probably in Africa, combined and adopted enough of the DNA of that bacterium, masking it by infusing it into a cell, then helping it self replicate, at so slow a rate we never noticed, a cell within a cell. So once inside, it had the mechanism to spread. But we never dreamed of searching for this and it did all the damage.
“We made astounding progress when we realized this. We discovered the conveyor, the gene with the slight variation that looked just like another attaching link, which we had ignored all along as nothing more. But this little piece infused the DNA that built the intruding cell. We had the antibiotics all along that could kill it, the same that kill the plague. All we needed was the right cocktail to address them both. Within weeks we had a workable vaccine, all thanks to you again”.
His language was a little out of my league and I didn’t even remember that exact paragraph in my book. But sometimes you write a random line, a chance remark, and to someone else it solves the equation that baffled them, the clue. I smiled like I knew something and they asked how I came up with such a brilliant insight.
I was speechless again but an older doctor with a German accent stepped in and answered for me.
“Look, everyone, look at how many other things he prophesized”. He turned to me: “Now I’m a scientist and an atheist and most of my associates and best friends are dead. The only reason I’m alive is because I left my office and came to this basement lounge the night of the attack, for a coffee of all things. Then the police rushed in and told us all to stay put and quiet. They bolted our door and the one at the top of the stairs directed the mob down another hall.
“I don’t know how you guessed it, there’s no scientific antecedent or model for such a mutation, but you’ve been a miracle man for all of us all along. And the vaccine has saved at least twenty thousand lives already, and we could save a hundred times more if we could only get it out to the world.
“If you solve that problem I’ll believe you are the messiah. I’ll get down on my hands and knees, kiss your feet and call you Jesus Christ”. The people around me applauded his strange speech. I could only blush.
My new admirers. Dreamstime.jpg
When you can’t explain something, don’t try. I learned that the hard way many times, years before, in front of audiences of journalists and paparazzi and the rich. But I hadn’t been in a crowd like this, all of them scientists, PhD's, probably the finest minds left. So I took advantage of it.
“Thank you for such kind words. I never would have guessed a week ago that such an educated group like you survived, and far more important, invented the vaccine. It’s as if my rosiest dreams for mankind have come true. I know I’ll be here awhile as Nancy recovers and I want to get to know each and every one of you personally, become friends, hear your perspectives and most of all, devise a plan.
“But while you’re all here together, I will say this. The world is a mess and the Church has taken advantage of it. But they’ve made grave mistakes, as far as civilization goes. That’s their ignorance and their weakness.
“My mission is to preserve what we can of human progress and the one thing I do know is that intelligence prevails over ignorance, though it takes time, especially the right time to know when to act. I hope you’re all in with me on this and ready to do what we can. Let’s stick together and plan together, as a team.
“I hear the Church is in disarray and getting worse each day. I think our chance is coming soon. Perhaps that’s why I’ve reappeared. A small group like us can be instrumental in saving lives and convincing them to rebuild a semblance of our former culture and be the human beings we started out as, compassionate, kind, teachers of sorts helping others, before this terrible disaster”.
I got another round of applause for that one.
It had been a while now and I wanted to know Nancy’s condition. Two women went in and in a few minutes came back to report that she would need shunts, but they had an expert in that field. They had all the needed tools here for to perform the surgery. I hugged them both for this good news. Then the older doctor came up and gave me a pill.
“Your safe now and I can say this for everyone, we’re all on your side. You’re showing up here has been the chance we’ve been waiting for, the catalyst, like you’ve been all along. The General is our friend and ally. But he’s still under Church command. The bishop is also our friend. He saved us but he doesn’t know what to do next. Now we have someone who he’ll listen to. Make the best of it, Luke, you're our star hope. I heard that he’s coming here to see you today. See what you can do and remember when you talk to him and the General, you’re the Prophet, the one who knows the way, so guide them”.
A soldier came in and said the General wanted to see me in his office. Before I left, I asked to see Nancy. The woman doctor said she was out. They were operating. By evening she’d be awake and I could talk to her then, with a full report.
The General was behind his desk, smiling just like the night before. But he moved it nearer the wall and set up a fancy, large-backed chair in the other corner of the room and another for me near his desk. He told me the Bishop would be here soon with one secretary to take notes, a trustworthy fellow we didn’t have to worry about. There would be a few other priests along too but they’d wait in the hall. We could talk freely.
While we were sitting there I mentioned the coffee I’d brought along and would gladly share.
“Oh my God”! He exclaimed. “Another miracle”. He had a buzzer on his desk and rung it. A soldier was quickly dispatched to my car. When he brought in the bags the general said: “this is the perfect gift for the bishop. No one’s had any in over two years and I love it. He sent the soldier away and emptied about a third of each bag into a tin can and hid it in his desk, neatly folding both bags to look untouched. It made me wonder if caffeine was as addictive as nicotine or alcohol, the way he hid it like a child.
“Those bottles of wine, they’re a touchy subject. The Church prohibits alcohol. But I know the Bishop loves a little nip now and then. We’ve had a few together right here in my office. He’s old, very old, sixty two in fact and he claims it’s medicinal for him. So I’ll have to slip a bottle to his secretary, under his cloak when he leaves. But the coffee, I can have my cook brew us up a pot right now, from his supply of course.
“All those huge shipments we were supposed to get from South America and Africa, that all stopped within six months. Some crazy commander commandeered a navy destroyer, fully armed and with a full crew under his command, refusing to follow Church orders. He thought he was invincible, the biggest bully on the block. And he was, for awhile. Nothing could touch him. He even had nukes. But he had no plans. He sailed the Atlantic for awhile, disrupting all shipping lanes, boarded a few tankers and container ships, and stole what he wanted, stopping all the rest out of fear.
When he was low on fuel he headed for the gulf where several rigs and one refinery were still operating. That’s all the Church thought they needed to keep in operation, stupid fools, because they hated technicians and technology.
Well he had some sort of altercation in Huston trying to get fuel. The place was well guarded by the Church, the docks, the fueling station, and a few shots were fired at his boat. He fired back with his big guns and by some mistake the whole place caught on fire and blew up, refinery included.
Last we heard, he headed down to Venezuela hoping to find fuel there. Haven’t heard a thing since. That’s when the satellites went dead. But all trans-Atlantic commerce stopped. Just one more mess we can thank the Church for, no more coffee.
I noticed that our general had a way with words, a succinct manner of summing up a complex situation, defining the main points quickly, and dispatching it, like a bullet to the head. And I admired that conciseness. It had the immediacy of a command to be instantly carried out. Too bad he didn't think on a larger scale.
Now the Bishop arrived. His adjunct opened the door for him and we stood up. He nodded at the General but walked right up to me, staring me in the face for a moment, silent.
Then he spoke: "You’re so young. Where did you find all that wisdom?"
”It came to me in dreams and my wandering imagination. When the news reports started, I seemed to know where things were going”.
“Well you did all of us a favor, young man, and gave us time to prepare. But tell me, what do you think of our affairs right now, this schism in the Church”?
He said this slowly and with all sincerity. Then he took his seat, as if tired.
“My honest answer is that we should all be working together, to help save the few who are left”, then after a pause, “with the vaccine”.
“I agree with you and wish I had the power to make it so. It would be given out instantly to all the people of this country. It would restore faith in the Church and make the people moral again, kind to one another, living without the fear of the plague, which seems to have driven many mad. Do you have any ideas on how we might perform this”?
“The General has told me all about the war and the 'no man’s land', the standoff and how it goes nowhere”. I didn’t want to mention New York by name. It might stir up emotions.
I continued on. “I’ve found that when you have an obstacle in your way, you go around it, and when you can’t reason with someone, you go around him too and talk to someone else, who might listen to reason”.
“Very well put, young man, but that ‘someone’ just happens to control everything South of here, a giant compared to us, with his armies”.
”But the fact that he hasn’t attacked tells me there must be some disunity among his own people, or his allies. We’ve been lucky on that account. But we can’t depend on luck forever. We need to take action.”
“I agree with you there. We grow stronger every year. Did you know that our population has increased over the past year, with a few hundred refugees coming in. There have been forty healthy births this year. There were only ten the last two. And our fishing boats come home again with plentiful catches. The cruisers have vanished. It’s been a good year, and I thank God for that.”
Now the General added: “The cruisers ran out of fuel. They spent their last reserves looking for more and couldn’t find any. We won’t be seeing them again. But what action are you talking about, Luke”?
“This is our year of providence, and we need to take advantage of it. We prosper while others don’t. We have to show the right people our vaccine, and how much it benefits everyone. They’ll join us for sure, become our allies”.
“The no man’s land is in the way”, said the General.
“Then we move West and North, at the same time, expand our territories and populations. The prospects of peace, prosperity and especially the vaccine will draw them in. Everyone’s tired of war and disease. That’s probably why they never attacked from the South.”
Now the cook brought in a platter of four cups of coffee. The General had handed over the bags to the bishop, as my gift, and whispered to his secretary to have our cook make some, right away.
The cook set the platter on the desk, with milk. There was no sugar, so he put some honey in a bowl.
“I must confess”, your honor, “when I was brewing it the aroma was so tempting, I took a half cup for myself and it was delicious”.
“No one will blame you for that” the Bishop said. “It’s the right of every cook to taste his own creations.”
The bishop seemed more sensible and humane with everything he said. This heartened me, as we paused the conversation and all partook, the General with the widest smile.
“The bishop turned to me again. “It’s a fine sounding plan, young man, but I’ve heard the bands out there don’t speak to one another and especially us in our white capes. They'll shoot you upon sight”.
“This is a big country” I began, “and the Church is grouped along the coast. The vast interior is almost empty of people now and I do believe those few are tired of fighting and would be glad to see someone ready to offer them the vaccine, especially if there were no conditions attached, a gift offered freely, a life-saving gift. I think that would make us some useful allies”.
“Well spoken, once again. But they might kill the first stranger to approach them, as they have in the past”.
“Yes, because they don’t know that person’s intentions. But a rumor can’t be shot and spreads rapidly. ‘Rumor Volat’ if you remember your Virgil”.
“Yes I do” he said fondly. “I see you are an educated fellow. But how would we get this message out to people hiding in towns or forests, avoiding all contact”?
“A message can’t be shot. Let me go out there with my vehicle and with the General’s best man, not wearing white but dressed in common clothes. We’ll find an open field, and in the middle set up a table. We’ll leave a packet of a hundred pills, and this note: ‘This is a vaccine against the plague. It cures even those who are sick. Try this pill on some and in a few days, you’ll see them regain health. We have many more.
"Everyone should take one and you’ll be free from catching the plague forever. Light a bonfire like we’ve done and two of us with come back with more pills, to talk. If you kill us you’ll never see another. But these are pure gold, the remedy to the plague. You can barter them for anything with other clans. There are no strings attached. Our mission is to save as many lives as possible, so spread the word and tell everyone you meet to do the same. You’ll be rich with these”.
”You confuse me, young man. What do you mean?”
“A bullet can only travel so far, but a fire can be seen from much further, especially in a land pitch black. We need a go-between. This will surely get us one. We’ll drive ten or twenty miles west of here, set up this post outside a nearby town during the day, light a large bonfire and in a half-hour be on our way back here. We’ll have the table and wood in a small trailer behind us. It might take a few tries, a few different locations, but for each we can return, waiting for their return signal, another bonfire.
“In the night people will see it and the next day carefully approach. That’s human curiosity. When they take the pills or give them to one of their sick, they’ll know it works and see its value. I threw in that last line because that’s human nature, greed. I’d seen its effect on people, my old publisher for instance. He made a fortune selling my books about the Pandemic, working day and night. Then he died of it before he could spend any of it.
“Isn't that an irony”!
The bishop mused upon this awhile then spoke up: “I approve and condone your plan. I don’t know what sort we’ll be dealing with. They may be too wild to be of use. But one thing I do know, all communication is good, especially with our neighbors, whoever they are. It’s the first step towards better relations. And who knows what good may come of it. We put ourselves at no risk and will save lives with pills now sitting on shelves, doing nothing. You are a brilliant young man. But you should let someone else take your place in this mission. We fear to lose you so soon after you were found”.
“No sir, with your permission I’d like to go myself. I know the situation out there. I just drove two hundred miles through their territories without harm. I was able to talk with one of our assailants, an older woman, before she died of her wounds. She told us quite a bit about the people out there, all she knew. She was kind, a keeper and trainer of dogs so I’m sure there are other good people well worth saving, just stuck in bad circumstances like she was, forced by the others to attack us.
“I have one more request. Please don’t insist that these people have to join the Church right away if they decide to settle nearby for safety and follow our ways, building farms. Give them the choice and time to consider it. An unwilling disciple is never a good one anyways”.
He said the same thing himself: "I can agree to that. A life saved is a very great thing. I don’t know what benefits this might bring, or even if we are saving only brutes and killers. But your plan is the first anyone has thought of in a long time. This stalemate has been a long, hard trial, and you’re our relief, a welcome breath of fresh air”.
With that he stood up and handed me a large silver star, saying it was their highest mark of honor and that I’d have to wear it when he gave me a tour of his city, which he hoped would be soon.
“I’d like to see Nancy before I go”.
We both went down. She was awake now, still groggy from the anaesthesia but able to recognize me and him by his bishop’s hat and smile.
We said a few words and left her to rest. The doctors said the operation went smoothly. But the metal wedges they inserted below her knee would require her to be immobilized completely, to allow the tissue to grow back. This would take many weeks. Then she'd have physio, to learn to walk again. They explained how slowly splints fuse with the bone, a complex procedure. But this was the only way to restore her leg to full use.
"It's worth all that time if she heals" I said.
"She will" the lead surgeon replied. "I hope you have something to keep yourself busy over the next month."
"Oh, I'll find something to do."
The good Bishop. Remmant newspaper benedict
