Therewerenevermorethantwoorthreestonesstackedupinanyoneplace,so nopartofitwasmorethanthreefeethigh.Butitlookedlikeitwassetupinside oflarger,moremodernwindowlessroom,withametal‐platedlightswitch visibleonthewall.Beneaththedilapidatedstonesonecouldsee,inplaces,a tiledcheckerboardfloor.
Layingdownonhisbackacrossarowoftheseancientblockswasthesameboy luredbythemagazineinthepreviousscene.Hewasnownaked,blindfolded, andscreaminghysterically.Twofiguresinhoodedblackrobeswithblackbird
maskswereholdinghimbythehandsandfeetasheflailed.
Thecamerathenzoomedintofocusjustonthem.Next,afigureinaleatherveil andapron,justlikethetwomenIhadseeninthebasementofStratfordHouse, steppedintothescene.Meanwhile,athirdfigure,againwearingablackbird mask,heldastonebowlbeneaththeboy’scrotchandusedawhite-glovedhand toholdthegenitalsupaboutafinger’swidth.
Thebutcherthenbrandishedapairofcleavers.Thecamerazoomedintothe child’ssexorgans,whichweresnippedoff.Hugeamountsofblood,aswellas thepartsthemselves,werecollectedinthebowlbeforethecamerafinallycut awayfromthegapingwoundandthrashinglimbstoablackscreen.
Atthispoint,ChesterfieldpausedthevideoasIrantothebathroomtovomit.I wretchedandwretcheduntilnothingbutbilewascomingup.Thankfully, nobodyelsewasusingtheotherstalls,andthefacilitieswerequitetidy.There’s nothingworsethanpukinginadirtypublictoilet.
Onceagain,IthankedtheLordforsmallfavors.Somethingaboutbeingonmy kneesinfrontofthe“throne”mademewanttopray.InoticedthatIhada tendencytodothis,andthisonly,asmyexpressionofreligion.
Whydidn’tIthankGodwhenIsurvivedthekidnappingandthebull sacrifice? I wondered. Andwhydidn’tIprayformyownsafetythroughoutthe entireevent, orbefore?Whydon’tIprayforGodtogetmeoutofthismessright now?
Andthereitwas.IstoodthereinfrontofthebathroommirrorwonderingwhyI wasn’ttakingaparticularcourseofaction.
Ithardlyevenamountstoactioninthephysicalsense,Ithought. Unlessyou actuallychoosetokneeldownwhilepraying,ortospeakyourprayeroutloud, whichmostpeopledon’tevendothesedays.
Notonlythat,Ithought.A realreligiouspersonwouldhaveprayedfor others too.Prayedfortheboyinthefilm,andotherswhowerevictimizedlikehim.
Prayedthattheperpetratorsbebroughttojustice.Maybetheywouldevenpray thattheguiltyonescometorealizetheirevilandaskforforgivenessbeforeit was toolate.
ButIjuststoodtherestaringatmyself,tryingtousemythumbtowipeawaythe eyelinerthathadsmearedduetotheperspirationthatcamewithvomiting.
Ifyouthinkaboutitthough,Icouldhavebeenmorecowardly.NotoncedidI thinkaboutrunningawayfromthisentiresordidaffair.Iwasundernoobligation tocontinuemyinvolvement.Icouldhavegonestraighttotheairportand insistedtheymoveupmydeparturedate,sinceIstillhadtheticketsfortheflight home.
Instead,IreturnedtothetableandsatbackdownnexttoAgentChesterfield.I askedhimiftherewasmoreonthevideo.
“Sadly,yes,”heanswered.
IaskedhimifIreallyneededtoseeit.Hesaidit“mightbehelpful.”SoIagreed.
Itookafewmoreminutestofinishmywhiskeyandbeer.Thenwecontinued.
Thenextsceneshowedthebowlwiththegoreinitbeingplacedbygloved handswithrobedarmsuponanaltarthatwasshownsittingamongthesame ruins.Thereweretwootherbowlsthatweresimilar,butempty,sittingontopof thealtaraswell.Thenextshotshowedthesidesofthealtar.Onefeaturedatree fromwhichhungtwoflutesanda tympanum—theceremonialhanddrumusedin theritesofCybele—washung,alongwithtwopipes.
Thereliefontheothersideofthealtarshowedtwoofher Gallipriests,wearing theirtraditionalPhrygianhats.Theywerecarryingacofferonpolesmountedon theirshoulders,justliketheArkoftheCovenantwasdepictedasbeingcarried.
OntopoftheboxwastheHetoimasiacthroneofthegoddess,depictedin aniconicformwitha cista—aritualbasket—placedasastand‐infortheinvisible goddess.
IinstantlyrecognizedthisasagenuinealtarofCybelethatoncebelongedtoa wealthygentlemaninLondonattheturnofthetwentiethcentury,whereabouts nowunknown.IhadreadaboutitrecentlyintheJSTORarchiveswhiledoing researchforanarticleIhadpublishedinananthropologyjournal.Iknewthere wasanothersidetoit,notshowninthefilm,whichdepictedthegoddess standingwithabowlinherhandwhiletwo Gallistoodateithersideofher.Both wereshowncrossingtheirlegsuncomfortably,justliketheTemplareffigieson thegravesatTempleChurch.
Next,thefilmshowedtheglovedhandsstrainingtheorgansoutofthebloodin thebowlwithaslottedladle.Theywerethenplacedintwootherbowls:the penisinone,thetesticlesintheother.Thehandsthenliftedeachbowl,oneata time,whileanotherpairofglovedhandsappearedfromoffscreenandplaceda small,form‐fittingbasketbeneatheachone.Followingthis,thebaskets,withthe bowlsstillinside,werecoveredwithawickerlidsothateachonenow resembledthebasketed cistathatweredepictedontopofthethroneshownin reliefonthesideofthealtar.
Afterthat,thesecondsetofhandsgavethefirstpairanancient‐looking cylindricalmetalcasket,aboutfourinchestallandtwoinchesincircumference.
Itwasdecoratedwithdilapidatedscenesofmenfightingwithvariouswild animals.
Itwascarriedbyametalchainthatithungfrom.
Thefirstpairofhandstookoffthetopofthecasket,whichremainedhanging fromthechain.Theythenremovedasmallballmadeofmetalwire,dripping wet,whichhungonachainofitsownandcontainedadarksubstance.Ifigured itwasastrainercontainingherbsofsomesort.Thehandspouredliquidthat lookedlikemurkywaterfromthecasketintothebowlwiththebloodwhilethe secondsetofhandsheldthebasketlidup.
Thenamoremodern‐lookingmetalbucketwithahandlewasgiventothefirst pairofhandsbythesecondpair.Itcontainedaclear,thick,slimysubstancethat appearedtobefat,whichwaspouredintothebowlwiththeblood.Thenalarge metalspooncameintotheshotfromscreenright,andwasusedtostirthe contentsofthebowl.
Followingthis,thefilmcuttoanothershot.Thecamerawaspointingdownat thebowlinthebasket,withthelidoffandthespoonstillinit,whichnow appearedtobesittingononeoftheruinedwalls.Then,threeerectand circumcisedadultwhitepenisesappearedfromoffscreen.Threelargewhite malehands,ungloved,wereseenmasturbatingthem.Afteralmostaminute,all threepeniseshadejaculatedintothebowl,onerightaftertheother,withonlya fewsecondsin‐betweeneachclimax.Thepenisesthenleftthescreen.Gloved handsappearedagaintostirthemixturewiththespoonandplacethebasketlid backon.
ThesubsequentshotshowedwhatwasunmistakablytheMetecoffer,sitting thereontheantiquestonebricksstackednexttothealtar.Thelidwiththe pictureofMetewasremovedbyonesetofglovedhands,andthethreebaskets wereplacedinsidebyanotherpair.Thelidofthecofferwascarefullyreplaced.
Thencameatitlepagewhichread:
Weprocessinthepaterns[sic]oftheSun‐runner.
Inthenextshot,fourfiguresindarkrobeswithhoodsandblackbirdmaskswere seencircumambulatinganoldbuildingwithagurneymountedontheirbacks andthecofferridingontop.Infrontofthemwasanotherhoodedfigure,shorter thantheothers,withawhiteveildrapedoverhisorherface,andheldonbyan attachedheadband.Thispersonwasholdingasmallmetalaspergillumandwas usingittospraylustrationsontothebuildingastheywalkedaroundit.Thenwe weregivenawideshot,andwecouldseethebuildingtheywerewalking around,toppedwithalargedome.IthoughtitwasmostlikelySt.Paul’s CathedralthereinLondon.Theywalkedarounditseventimes.
<
br /> Thenthescenechanged,andwesawthemwalkingalongastreetinLondon, nexttoabuildingwithatinymetalgrateembeddedinitscorner.Thecamera focusedonthegrateasthepeoplewiththecofferwalkedpast.Theshortveiled personstayedbehindandshooktheaspergillumatthegrate,behindwhichwe couldseeasmall,roughly‐hewn,somewhatsquarewhitestone,abouthalfafoot wideandafewinchestall.
ThentheshotchangedtoshowthegroupmarchingalongtheThames.
Theywerewalkingnexttoabuildingpositionedrightontheshoreoftheriver withtwowoodenrampsleadingoutofalargeopeningonthesidefacingthe water.Thisleddowntoacoupleofsmallboatsthatweredockedrightnexttoit.
Theshotwashead‐onastheentouragewalkedforward.
Thiscutquicklytoashotinsideoneoftheboats.Thecoffercouldbeseensitting intheforegroundwithoutthegurneyoritsholders.Itwassittingontopofone endofamid‐tone‐coloredblanketfoldedinhalf.Aglovedhandonarobedarm foldedtheotherendoftheblanketoverthecoffer.
Next,thecameraraisedup.Allwecouldseeabovethesidesoftheboatwassky, butwecouldtellwhentheboatstartedmovingfromthechangeintheclouds.
Thenwesawitturnleftandgounderneathsomething.Suddenlyeverything wentdark.Thentherewasanothertitlepage.Itsaid:Sacrificetotheguardians ofthetower.
Inthenextshot,ametalcagewithseveralblackcrow‐likebirdswasshown.
Anotherglovedhandreachedforthelockandopenedthecage.Thenoneofthe basketed cistawasshownsittingongrassinfrontofaparkbench.
Theshotwidened,andwesawthebirdsstandinginthesurroundinggrass, peckingattheinsideofthebasket.Thenitwasopened,andthecontents—
bloodybitsofflesh(presumablythesacrificedtesticles)—wereemptiedoutonto thegrass.Allofthebirdsimmediatelyconvergeduponthemandbeganeating them.
Asthebirdswalkedawaywiththemeatintheirbeaks,aglovedhandcame onscreenholdingashovelwithahandleaboutthreefeetlong.Itwaspushedinto thedirtbeneaththegrass.Thentheshotwidenedtoshowaman(judgingbythe shoes)inablackrobewithasunfacemaskpressingdowntheshovelwithhis foottoinsertitdeeper.
Nextwewereshownastoneeffigyofatombwiththestonerolledout,standing empty.Wecouldtellitwasaneffigywhenthecamerapannedupquicklyto showacrossmountedabove.Therewasadovewingingitswaydowntothe bottomofthecross,andtwoangelskneelinginprayeroneithersideofit.
Thenthecamerapanneddownandshowedaclose‐upofthetombstone.
Onitwereetchedthewords“Whyseekyethelivingamongthedead?”Thenthe thumbofawrinkledwhitemalehandcameforwardfrombehindthecameraand covereduptheword“Why.”
Inthefollowingshot,ayoung,barely‐pubescentgirlwearinganEasterdressand bonnetwasshownholdinghandswithafinely‐dressedmanandwomanwhose faceswerenotshown.Thefirstshotshowedmostlyjusther.Inthesecond,we sawthegroupfrombehind.Theyappearedtobeatachurch,aspewsanda statueoftheVirgincouldbeseeninthebackgroundofthesecondshot.
Thegirllookedverysad.Quiteinappropriately,sheseemedtobewearingmake-uponherface.Shehadeyeliner,eyeshadow,andlipstickon.Herfacewasmade palewithcakefoundation.Afterthisshot,anothertitlepagewasshown,which said:
TheSacredMarriageoftheStoneandtheBosse.
Thenextimagewasfilmedlookingthroughthefrontwindshieldofacardriving throughagatewayunderneathamedieval‐lookingarchway.Itwasverytall,with onelargearchinthemiddle,throughwhichthecardrove.Thenthereweretwo morenarrowopeningsoneitherside,onlywideenoughforfoottraffic,or perhapsabicycle.
Therewasastructureontopalmostastallasthearchitself.Itfeaturedtwo statues,eachsetinsideofaniche,andbetweenthemastained‐glasswindow.
Extendingoutwardoneithersideweretallhedges,andbehindthese,aneven tallerblackmetalfence.Thetwosmallerarchwayswerebarredbymetalgatesof thesamestyle,butthegateforthelargeoneinthemiddlewassetopen.
Itwasraining,andthewiperswereonasthecarwentunderthearch.
Beyondwasadrivewaylinedwithtrees.Wesawthecargodownthedriveway toaverylargered‐brickedmanorhouse.
Thiscuttotheinteriorofadecayedmedieval‐lookingstoneroomwithasmall roundwindowshowingonlydarknessbeyond.Twohoodedpeople,thistime wearinglionmasks,stoodoneithersideofthewindowholdingtorches,which appearedtobeprovidingthelight.Thecamerapointeddown.There,thesame girlfromthescenebeforewasnowshownstandinginawhiterobe,shivering andcrying.Eyelinerstreameddownherfacewhiletwopeoplewithrobesand birdmasksheldherbythearms.
Anothermanthensteppedintothepicture,alsowearingadarkrobe,butwitha sunmask.Hewasholdingastaffthatendedintheshapeofasmallerectphallus.
Thestaffwasdark,butthephalluswaslight‐colored.Thegirlwasforcedbythe peopleinthebirdmaskstobenddownononekneebeforethemaninthesun mask,andtoholdherhandsinfrontofherinanattitudeofprayer.Thepeoplein thebirdmasksdemonstratedtoherhowshewastoholdherhands.
Thenafterwardsshesattherepleadingandsobbingforafewseconds,another titlepagecameup.
SeetheVirgingenuflecttoOurFather.
Wethenwereshownaclose‐upofthegirl’sfaceasthesun‐manputthephallus-wanddirectlyuptoherlips.Sheturnedawayindisgust.Inoticedthatitlooked almostasthoughitwerecoveredwithactualhumanskin,andIwonderedifit was.
Next,wesawthephallus‐wand’stipsubmergedintooneofthebasketed cista, shownsittingonthefloor.Thewandwasusedtostirthemixtureofblood,fat andherbs,whichnowlookedquitecongealed.Thenaturallubricantcausedthe dildotoglisteninthetorchlight.Followingthat,therewasashotfromtheside ofthegirllyingonherstomachonablanketonthegroundwiththetopofher headbuttedupagainstaroughly‐hewn,vaguelysquare‐shapedstone.
Thepoorgirlscreamedandballedherhandsupintotightfistsasthemaninthe sunmaskkneltbehindher.Heinsertedthewandintoherrectum,muchtoher extremeagony,pushingandpullingitseveraltimes.Herpainthenseemedto increaseimmenselywhenhemountedherandreplacedthewandwithhisown swollenmember.Asshescreamed,wesawthegirl’sheadrepeatedlybangup againstthestonewhich,Inoticed,resembledtheoneseenearlierinthefilm sittingbehindagrateinthecornerofabuilding.Thencameanothertitlepage:
“Thesacredwombisseededwiththeancientrite.Afterwards,anEastereggis laiduponthechamberfloor.”
Thelastshotwashorrifyinganddisgustingbeyondmeasure.WhileIregretto havetodisturbyoufurther,dearreader,thesethingsmustbesaid.Whatwesaw wasatightshotofastringofbeadscoveredindarkslimebeingpulledbyanoff-screenglovedhandfromaswollen,prolapsedanddistendedanus.Thebeads werewhiteandcarvedfromeitherstone,ivory,orsomeformofbone.
Betweeneachsetoftenroundbeads(yes,Icounted),therewasabeadcarved intotheshapeofeitherahandorafoot,foratotaloffour.Attheendofthe stringtherewasonemadetolooklikeaJanushead,withthefaceofJesuson oneside,andthefaceofaskullontheother.Afterthiscameout,alargeblack masswhichIpresumedtobebloodystoolbegantoemergeamidprofuse bleeding.Butbeforeittookanydiscernibleshape,thefilmmercifullyended.
Whenthefinal,awfulshotatlastfadedtoblack,Iwasinshock.Iwasalso flushedandsweatingheavilyasanotherwaveofnauseaovertookme.Iwentto thebathroomtoemptymystomachagain.
Chapter13:RavenConspiracy
Theweepingchildcouldnotbeheard,
Theweepingparentsweptinvain;
Theystripp’dhimtohislittleshirt,
Andboundhiminanironchain;
Andburn’dhiminaholyplace,
Wheremanyhadbeenburn’dbefore:
Theweepingparentsweptinvain.
AresuchthingsdoneonAlbion’sshore?
—WilliamBlake,“ALittleBoyLost”from Songsof Experience AfterafewminutesIreturnedtothetabletojoinChesterfield,whowassitting therelookingsadandsick.
“Sowhathaveyoufiguredoutsofaraboutit?”Iasked
“Well,severalthings,”heanswered.Heappearedtoperkupatthethoughtof doingsomethingpracticaltosolvetheproblem.Hetookafancyredceramicpen andasmallnotepadwithablackleathercoveroutofhisjacketpocket.Thenhe openedthenotebookandusedthepentoenumerateitemsonalisthehadmade.
“First,wethinkitwasshotin1950s.That’swhatwepresumefromthe
‘Teddyboy’styleofdresswornbythekidsintheopeningscene.The Playboy Magazine isfromMarch1956.That’salsothelastyearthatEasterfellonApril first,whichwillhappenagainthisyear,inthreedays.”
“Sothat’sthemeaningofthereferencetoEasterandthe‘Aprilfool?’”
“Yes,”hesaid.“Unlessyoucanaddsomeoccultwisdomaboutthesignificance too.”
Ithoughtaboutit.“TheonlythingIcanthinkoftoaddrightnowisthattheNew YearusedtobecelebratedonMarch25thinmedievalEurope,aroundtheSpring Equinox.”
“Ahyes,theFeastoftheAnnunciation,whenMarywasimpregnatedbyGod.Or
‘LadyDay,’aswecallitintheChurchofEngland,”saidChesterfield.I continued.
“Yes,anditwaspartofaweek‐longfestivalthatwouldendonAprilfirst.So whentheNewYearbegantobecelebratedonthefirstofJanuary,thosewhostill clungtotheolddatesfortheholidaywerecalled‘Aprilfools.’”
“Hmm.SoAprilFool’sDayispartofafestivalconnectedtotheoldNewYear’s Day,whichjustsohappenstocomeonedayafterthat“DayofBlood”forthe goddessCybelethatyoutoldmeabout,wheretheywouldcastratethepriests.”
Genuflect Page 8