4/7/2000 Geoff Ashbrook
"Look," he said, with his hand up in the air fiddling with the top of his hat, which was rather tall, "How long has this Church been in the town? No, well, that isn't what I wanted to ask, but what is it anyway?"
"I think this church has been here for a good six hundred years, and the town's been here for about three hundred," said the man who sat in a chair behind a desk. "What was it you came to see me about, you seem agitated about something."
"Well I wasn't going to come a see you quite so soon as this, but I had a little accident with Tim here," he looked over at the guard who was standing off by the side wall, who had both his hands around the copper cross that hung around his neck. "And so I came in here right away, even though I don't have all I wish I had. I've been gathering information and I didn't want, naturally, to come and see you before I had enough for it to be worth your time."
"He…" Tim began to speak but the desk-man held up his hand and Tim stopped.
"Well," he said, "I don't see what can't be talked through. We're all reasonable people, god's people," he said smilingly.
"He tipped his hat off," Tim blurted out.
The chair turned toward Tim. "I'm sure he did. People have been known to do such things with hats. I'm not sure I understand what you mean. But in any case, I would appreciate it if you'd let Mr. Talisdorrow say what he came to tell me. If you have a problem with him that you want me to mediate, I'd be happy to do that in turn. You can stay, Tim, if you like, while Talis speaks, if it's ok with him." He turned his chair back to the front. "I'm sorry, Mr. Talisdorrow, please continue."
"No," he said, "It's no problem. And I'd prefer it if Tim did stay. I've thought of him as a friend for some time now. And the misunderstanding between him and myself does have to do with what I was coming to see you about. It's such an awkward thing. I'll get to the business about my hat in a moment. Could I," he asked, "possibly grab a chair?"
"Of course, any one you like."
"Thank you." He went off to one of the walls covered with books and picked up a small three-legged chair from in front of it and returned to the desk. "Now. How in the world am I going to say this...
"Ok, you said the Church has been here for six or seven hundred years, but the town only three. Before this town was here, and possibly before the church there were groups of people living in these parts, and there still are. If I remember correctly there are many stories about the early days of this here church, where it was a kind of fortress, a safe house with dangers all around it."
"Yes it was, and I think it's too much like that now," he said, sipping a cup of water.
"Now, I need you to hear me out in this, because it may sound bad but I am trying to help." He took a breath. "The common people of this town are told that the church is good, and that anything the church hasn't touched is dark and evil. They believe the church is infallible, and that anyone who would dare oppose the church is cursed and wicked and means only trouble. I think it must be a bit different inside the church. Some of the people who are sent here to help are only interested in helping themselves, like Father DeMaent who was just sent away. I don't think anyone is sorry to see him gone. And Father Larm, who just died two years ago, I think everyone was sorry to see him go. Many of the people in the town also believe that the church is the center of all knowing. Your library here, and the one upstairs, are among the best I've ever seen. They have to be the best for over a hundred miles around, and maybe the only ones within fifty. The people are told, and possibly would believe it anyway, that if there is a book worth having in these parts that you will have it. And that if you don't have it, then it is either false, or a dark book. The people of the town see this church as a light, and I know I'm starting to repeat myself here, but I know that isn't absolutely true.
"I know there are people who are outside this church, who don't believe what the church teaches, who are happy that the church is here, and who are helped by it and who do help it in their own ways. And I know there are people in the church, in this church and in all the churches as one, who are far worse than Father DeMaent --who's worst crime seemed to be stealing gold and livestock. Ordinarily the good people outside of the church simply keep quiet. This church has done mostly good for this area, and there are endless stories about times when the outside people tried to make themselves known and caused a panic. If people insist that the church should do their thinking and picking for them, and trusts that anything the church does is good, then the people who work in this house have a responsibility to choose well.
"As I said before, people who are good but different from a normal churchgoer will stay quiet and pretend they are like anyone else. But I think that now we have a reason to combine our forces, or else both the church and the good heretics will all suffer a great loss. To some degree, as long as the differences between the Heretics and the churchgoers are subtle, what I'm proposing doesn't even need to be put out like this. But I think it's more complicated then that.
"Now, about the business with my hat. While I was outside your office it tipped, like so." He cocked his hat to the side to that his ear was exposed to have an unusually tall lobe.
"Ears come in all shapes and sizes," said the man at the desk. "I've see stranger ears than that in my day."
"And so I told Tim, I said it was an oddity of birth. Now suppose the hat comes off." He flicked the hat from behind and it flipped off his head and he caught it in front of him.
It took the man in the desk a moment to realize that Mr. Talisdorrow had a third eye up on his forehead which had been covered by the brim of the hat. The third eye blinked and squinted as it adjusted to the light. "Even if you don't take to fear and drive me out of town, the congregation at large surely would if they wouldn't have me killed on the spot. Now I'm not proposing that all the people have to know." He put his hat on. "What the people might do in ignorance is not my greatest fear. Now, I'm sure you have some questions for me."