Picture This: And rest your spirits

Blessed after all

Madman: Blessed are the Rich Pickled fruits for they shall be the last to enter.

Child: (Terrified) That one’s not well is he?
Boy: Of course not, silly. That’s why he’s untouchable! Everyone’s crazy here, I thought you would’ve realised that by now. That old crone’s the same.
Girl: It’s still a shock so you shouldn’t be mean.

Holy person: Quite right young lady, and young boy. You see when we worry too much we only ever get so ill that no one will talk to us directly, face to face I mean. Person to person in any language. Even animals are wary of people that poorly. They are what we prefer to call voiceless.

Boy: That is code for impotent.
Girl: Stop it; it’s not nice, no clever and not helpful.
Boy: Ooo-er well pardon me for telling the truth.

Holy person: But you are already pardoned whether you sneer or not, young man. You see, you are a man before your time and this silly girl as you call her is a lady. What other riches could you possibly wish for beyond that then? Food? It’s here. Shelter? It’s here too. I know games. You can’t help it, they flow out of everyone one. In an odd way the very fact that we have these untouchables here muttering things that never really make sense to us, quietly, gently is proof that there is hope always too for some find their presence the most comforting thing of all while they still live for it give them strength to keep going too. Why is this? No one is quite sure, not even I am sometimes I don’t mind telling you. What I think it might have something to do with is how they behave more than in what they sound or look like. You young ones understand that well enough. And look! See how that bird just landed on his shoulder? I’ve seen that particular bird do that so many times and every time I have to do the same thing with these terrifying untouchables.

Child: Please. What is that?

Holy person: I stop him feeding the bird, because the bird has a full tummy and get him to eat something more for himself because his tummy, is like his mind just as empty of anything harmful to others except perhaps false love and dis-ease. Not so very scary to you now I suspect.

Child: Can I tell him to eat more, do you think.

Holy Person: Well, it rather depends.

Child: On what.

Boy: Oh how brave you are of course. Do you want to get ill? I don’t.
Girl: You said it yourself, we’re all mad here. Don’t take no notice of a word he says. Listen to the Preacher instead.

Boy: See she’s not that nice either. She stuck her tongue out at me. I reckon she has the plague already.

Holy person: Children! Sssh. Enough or you’ll all scare the bird away and the insects it eats and the few scraps of food they can find that are safe enough for us to eat still. God wants us all to laugh well enough, but not at each other, but at ourselves first if at all possible.

Child: Oh, so if I laugh... but that doesn’t make sense.
Boy: Told you.
Girl: That’s only the first thing I bet.

Holy Person: So wise, so young and yet so silly. Again all of you are right for I have faith as well as hope because well... between you and me, I think God is a in a way a little crazy too.

Boy: Nooo, go on. Now I know you’re up to no good.
Girl: With enough love for all. My Dad told me. He got killed though.

Boy: Yup. Crazy and a liar this god of yours.

Holy person: Your parents at the end never thought so, and I know that because God has seen to it that you can all still find ways to laugh and smile. Oh dear. Young man, anger is the only way to feed that dangerous kind of madness. Try to remember that. Your father found that out too late, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying with even the last breathe in him to protect you. Even the most voiceless or untouchables feel or here and see that until it is there turn to die.

Boy: Whatever.
Girl: Well I prefer a peaceful, happy story to yours any time or any day.

Holy person: Again you are both so, so clever. So now what do you suppose that unfortunate man over there might be thinking and feeling if we could read his mind?

Boy: what we’d leave him alone to his batty bird.
Girl: I think I know... that we should stop arguing and one of us feed him but I don’t think he wants us to feed him, does he?
Child: Yes he does, but not to urm... say anything about it.

Holy Person: (Beaming the most loving smile at them). Perfection. Not with words, sound or even touch. How do we earn his trust then? Think of the batty bird for a moment.

Boy: Oh good grief, you leave on the filthy ground for him and walk away without looking back. Girls are so dumb.

Holy Person: So dumb one grew up to become your lost mother and fed you well enough so you could be strong and brave enough to say so I suppose?

Boy: SHUT UP! SHUT UP I tell you. There is NO God. They were good and God doesn’t exist. I hate you and everyone and everything in this place!

(Runs off at top speed so none see his hate filled tears)

Holy Person: And so he storms off again. He’ll be back tomorrow, sneering and jeering again though.
Girl: He does the same every day I guess. That’s right isn’t it?

Holy Person: Correct, but you know, each day he is not quite so angry. He didn’t swear again today except to insult God and well, God understands suffering best of all so he’s already forgiven for us because it is so hard to us to forgive pain this big. In as far as we can, we do and well, God works miracles on those who cannot, one way or another before they die too. That’s all anyone ever needs to know about religious matters I can assure you. We’re just not very good at remembering these things at any point when we are feeling hurt. Meanwhile the bird has flown off to comfort someone else I think, maybe it’s that batty boy this time, huh?

Girl: Will you watch over us while we feed that man then?
Child: I’d like that too.

Holy person: Need you ask? God is much better at seeing everything than we are though. (He winks)