The War Must Go On ~ Book 1: Gemaris Island

Chapter 5: Gemaris Cathedral

Book 1: Gemaris Island

Chapter 5: Gemaris Cathedral

Instead of fighting the king, let's just show him a cute, little theater story! That will make him give up his crown!

Amien mocked Ora silently in his head as she finally paid for everything using the small fortune she had saved up during her life. Thankfully, she still had some money left, which Amien hoped to spend on something more useful than over-extravagant, overly expensive pieces of cloth.

After graciously thanking the clerk, Ora hurried out of the costume shop and out into the town square. The weather had failed to turn gloomy. The afternoon was young and the people of Gemaris Island were out and about to enjoy every second of sunlight left in the day. Some people danced in the streets to the music of a boy's white flute. Older people sat outside restaurants, conversing as they sipped tea and ate chocolate cake. Parents and other middle-aged men and women bustled in and out of shops with brimful bags and baskets.

Amidst all the hustle and action, Ora noticed one lonely building that was not being used. It was almost as large as the courthouse, though, and just as beautiful. Its walls were smooth grey-white stone and its roof was sapphire blue with curved tiles. Surrounding the front double doors were two turrets covered with tall dark windows and topped with pointy blue roofs. The top two floors of the three-story building each seemed to have a balcony and glass doors leading inside. Lively lilac gardens hugged the base of the giant house. Rays of sun reflected off the walls, turning them silver. Ora noticed at the very top of the building, right below the peak of the roof, there was a black and white stained glass window depicting a lovely dove.

"What is that place?" she asked Amien, pointing up at the fancy house.

"That's the cathedral," Amien told her. "You really haven't been to this island, have you? This cathedral is very important to the people on this island."

"How come nobody is going inside then?" Ora asked, hesitating to approach the cathedral.

"Because the lecture and recitation don't start for another hour," Amien answered. "At exactly three o'clock, the cathedral bells chime and every person in this town gathers inside to listen to the lecture. Nobody ever misses it. And then afterwards people usually go out to the Afternoon Cafe to enjoy food and entertainment."

"That sounds fun!" Ora exclaimed.

"It's really not," Amien immediately muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ora was almost not surprised, but still let out a gasp of disapproval. She could not believe that Amien didn't even find pleasure in going to a cafe to eat and be entertained. Did anything please this lonely, bitter teacher? Didn't he ever go out to a cafe with his friends? But the thought occurred to Ora that maybe Amien didn't have any friends. Without realizing she had been thinking all this in her head in a single moment, she blurted out the question that she had arrived at.

"Don't you have any friends?"

Ora sounded like she was accusing Amien of something, and realized how uncalled for her question was. But to her surprise, Amien just calmly replied, "No."

Ora decided to change the subject.

"Haven't you ever tried to go to the cafe to have fun?" she asked, shyly.

"Oh, you think I was talking about Afternoon Cafe?" Amien suddenly asked, raising his eyebrows. "No, the cafe's pleasant enough. I love going there. It's the lecture that's dull and the recitation is just weird."

He fiddled with the collar of his black trench coat as he kept his other hand in his pocket.

"What's weird about it?" Ora asked.