Chapter 26 — The Sacred Ceremony (Part 2)

The night was completely dark now. The fire was softly crackling in the midst of the silent assembly.

They had all come in those woods with the hope to communicate with higher beings. But the universe seemed mute, or deaf to their call, shimmering up there with indifferent splendor.

Gropius' pitiful shadow was sitting alone by the lake.

Angie came closer to Marvin:

"You should go speak with him."

"Me? What do you want me to tell him?"

"I don't know. Something nice. He looks really sad."

"All right, all right. I'll go."

Marvin rose to his feet and walked towards the place were Gropius was sitting alone. Gently, he sat down next to him.

He started admiring the bright stars that were dropping silvery gleams on the calm surface of the water. They were both looking far away in silence.

Then, Marvin started :

"The universe is such an incredibly vast place. And we are just finite creatures. There are so many things we can't control. We can only try to do our best. It's useless to get frustrated because of things we don't have control over. I'm sure you're doing your best…"

"Yes, but still, I haven't helped you in any way."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. For now, you've done what you could."

"Maybe, but…"

"Don't worry."

"So, you're not pissed?"

"No, I'm not. It's just a matter of time. I'm convinced someday you'll have an answer for me."

"Thank you, Marvin. The day I have an answer for you, I will not fail to tell you, trust me."

"I know."

The two men gazed at the stars some more time, after which Marvin proposed to go back with the others. Gropius agreed.

They got up, shook the dust from their clothes, and walked slowly on the shingle.

 But meanwhile, something up in the sky went unnoticed. A shooting star made its way through the sky and disappeared in a short-lived but intense golden sparkle. 

All of a sudden, the aspect of Gropius' eyes changed. They seemed brighter, almost lit from within.

"Gropius?"

Marvin just saw that Gropius was now staring into the void and was moving forward like a sleepwalker.

As he was coming closer to them, the others also noticed that something weird was going on.

"Oh, I know that look on his face…" said Emilio. "That's what happens when he goes… inspired."

When he arrived in front of the campfire, Gropius, still staring into the void declared with a neutral emotionless voice:

"I see now."

"What, Master?" reacted Karen in haste. "Tell us. What do you see?"

Everyone was waiting for Gropius' answer.

"I see a bear."

"A bear?"

"Yes. A black bear."

They were all puzzled, and excited at the same time.

"What does it mean, Master?"

"I don't know. Wait… In fact it is a man-bear. No, a man wearing a hat made of bear fur. And a red garment. There are several of them."

"What are they doing?"

"Nothing. Standing very still. No, wait… They're marching now."

Fluffy was all eyes and ears.

"And now, there's a strange place. It looks like a Greek or Roman temple."

Angie whispered to Fluffy:

"Does it make any sense to you?"

"Hum… Not really."

"It's a beautiful place." continued Gropius. "I can see through its roof. As if it were transparent. Maybe… maybe I've already seen this place somewhere."

Everyone around him was paying full attention, but no one was able to understand what all this was about.

"Okay…" said Fluffy to Angie. "I'll find out what it means!"

 And without warning, she jumped skillfully above the fire and landed just in front of Gropius.

Baby Milky, surprised by the swift jump, giggled enthusiastically and clapped his hands again.

"Let me see!" ordered Fluffy to Gropius who was standing in front of her.

Very slowly, Gropius, still lost in his vision, lowered his bright eyes to meet Fluffy's.

"Is this part of the vision?" asked Gropius. "Or is this cat really speaking to me right now?"

Everyone around them was staggered, because they all heard the cat speaking.

"I want to see what you're seeing." said Fluffy.

Agent Lachance pointed a trembling finger towards Fluffy.

"That… that cat! I knew it… I knew it was that cat!"

He was so scared that he tried to hide his face away from the terrible feline monster that was traumatizing him.

"What the hell ?!" shouted the long-haired boy. Karen was too surprised to speak.

"I haven't drunk in a while." said Emilio to himself. "That must be what they call delirium tremens…"

"M… My… my cat goddess!" stuttered Gropius. "Are you the great cat goddess who speaks to me since the beginning?"

"I am the cat goddess." replied Fluffy.

"She is real!" murmured the others with disbelief.

"I was waiting for you for so long…" Gropius was almost crying. "You finally came for me!"

"Enough!" said Fluffy. "You're too tall! Get on your knees."

"Of course, my lady."

He fell on his knees with devotion, ready to worship his goddess.

But she gazed deeply into his eyes, into the light emanating from them. And he couldn't resist that hypnotic stare.

"Let me see…" she said.

Soon, her own eyes became brighter, illuminated from inside by a golden flame as bright as the campfire itself.

"Oh… That's better. I can see now…"

Fluffy, suddenly, was plunged into another place.

It was a huge white circular court surrounded by the pediments of Greek temples.

In its center, there was a big round column with windows all around it. Two stairways were surrounding it on each side.

The sky was covered by some sort of see-through giant spider web made of glass and steel.

Fluffy was walking on the white marble floor of this strange place.

There was no one there. This vast space was devoid of people, and if not for her cat paw pads, Fluffy would have probably heard the strange lonely sound of her steps resonating against the cold walls.

She entered another room. The ceiling was high, supported by white columns.

There were plenty of statues in it. They looked like heads of some gigantic pharaohs or some pieces of a wrecked sphinx.

Further, Fluffy found some painted sarcophagus, and also several mummies resting inside a coffin of glass. Colorful papyri were exposed on the walls.

Finally, she arrived in a room where she saw, in front of her, a brass statue of a cat which had the same size as the real animal.

She came closer to observe it, feeling directly attracted.

The cat was sitting majestically. It had a golden ring in each ear and one in its nose. A pectoral with the eye of Horus was hanging from its necklace.

Strangely enough, the brass of the statue appeared almost transparent in some places. Fluffy could see the organs, as if it were a living being. But instead of a beating heart, the statue was holding a big blue stone inside. The stone was vibrating and pulsating with light.

"Oh, of course…" thought Fluffy. "I get it now. How could I fail to think about it?"

The next second she found herself back to the campfire, with the ugly Gropius' face staring at her.

"London!" she said.

"What?" asked Marvin. "What do you mean 'London'?"

"I mean the British Museum. That's where we go next."