Paradise World

by Dan Edmund

Chapter 16 - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

  Harry and I had then spent the entire day together, exploring and sightseeing around the village's vast hinterland. He was now the tourist and I his guide, and many beautiful sites did we see. There were the delightful waterfalls that lay just north to our village, then just beyond, the impressive mountainous terrain. Animals we saw by the score, including white-tailed deer, red deer, a huge bull moose, and wolves. Then, in the mountainous streams, we saw salmon, otters, beavers, and even a bear. Yet, to Harry's constant amazement, all could live in perfect harmony. It was incredible to him that there were no longer any predators or prey. He saw firsthand that all of God's creatures were now vegetarians, with food in the water, on the land, on the bushes and on the trees, having far more food than they would ever need. As the day had progressed, I beheld Harry's entire attitude changing from belligerence to fascination. It was thus a totally different Harry Marston when we returned to the village at sundown. Although still formal and reserved, he was now at least civil to the people we had met, treating them like human beings rather than mere figments of his imagination. When I explained what had happened up at Mount Anastasis, all were convinced that it was a miracle, and none more than I.

  That night, at the Love Feast, Harry and I were ushered to a small table just for two, which I knew Harry preferred. Just before dinner, during prayer, I noticed Harry gazing curiously around the room, observing others with their eyes shut and their heads bowed in the customary sign of respect that was the norm of this world. Yet, Harry neither sneered nor showed any other sign of disrespect, merely curiosity. He was, after all, a man not accustomed to prayer. After the chorus of 'amens' that echoed throughout the hall, we all stood up and made our way to the long table loaded with delectable food. Harry was not at all shy in filling his plate, getting as many tidbits as he possibly could. "When I travel anywhere, I like to explore," he stated in his matter-of-fact way. Back at our table, I could see that Harry was indeed enjoying the local delicacies, food which I knew he could never have tasted before. Music then also filled the air, local hymns of praise on the piano, violin and flute, not played absolutely perfectly, but well enough for even someone as critical as Harry to enjoy.

  "See, I told you that life here was wonderful!" I said, happy to see Harry enjoying himself.

  "If this really turns out to be just another dream," he said with a mere smudge of a smile, "at least it's turning out to be a rather pleasant one." The smile then broadened. "The only thing that is now missing is a nice bottle of Chablis, although the way I now feel, I could even settle for your Californian Chardonnay."

  I laughed. "I'm afraid we don't have any, but could I interest you in a nice bottle of our 'Paradise White?' It's a very special white grape juice."

  His smile vanished. "White grape juice!" he declared in disgust.

  "No! No!" I laughed. "We have a type of white grape from which we can make a white wine of sorts that I'm sure would even suit your fine palate. I'll get you some now." Before he could say no, I was on my feet and on my way to the serving table.

  When I returned, I saw my father sitting next to him. "And that's not all!" my father blustered. "Before I became religious in my old life, whiskey used to be my choice of drink. I used to drink straight from the bottle. All those fancy wines, with those fancy European names, meant nothing to me. I couldn't tell the difference between a port and a bottle of vinegar!" Dad roared with laughter; Harry forced a polite smile. "Ah, here's my son now with that Paradise White. It tastes great, makes you feel great, but doesn't give you a hangover!"

  I sat the glasses on the table and poured us all a generous supply of Paradise White. "My father, is right, Harry. As he told me, one drink makes you feel good, two even better, but any more you remain the same. You see, you really can't get drunk on any of our beverages here."

  Harry gingerly took a sip and smiled. "Not bad. It may not be a Chablis, but I admit, it does taste rather good."

  We had already finished our meal, and I was just finishing my third glass of Paradise White when Harry asked me if I was still going to perform tonight.

  "Yeah, sure. I didn't bring my guitar for nothing!" I answered, laughing. Then, looking at the trio, I added, "In fact, I'm scheduled right after this next song."

  Harry flashed an ironic grin. "Are you quite sure you can still provide us with a polished performance after imbibing on your Paradise White?"

  I chuckled. "Well, let's find out!"

  The hymn finished and Carlos went up onto the platform and thanked them for their performance. A warm round of applause followed as the trio walked off and I on. Carlos smiled. "Well! Well! Here comes David with his guitar!" More applause. I smiled appreciatively and sat myself on the provided chair. "However, before we will listen to him," Carlos continued, "I want to now officially welcome Harry to our brotherhood." More applause followed, louder than before, one that echoed throughout the entire hall. I looked at Harry and was pleased to see a smile upon his face. Finally, the ovation subsided and Carlos returned to his seat.

  I likewise welcomed Harry to our community, then added, "Harry is an aficionado of classical music, and so I will perform for him Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, then a couple of pieces by a Paraguayan guitar virtuoso, Augustin Barrios, then end with a guitar arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Once more there was applause. I waited for it to end, then took a deep breath and commenced to play. Once again I rippled out the slow and sonorous arpeggio introduction to Beethoven's great and introspective musical masterpiece. I saw from the looks and nods that many had recognized this music, and many clapped with sincere appreciation at its conclusion. I then performed the equally reflective but more cheerful, and technically far more challenging Sueno en la Floresta, followed by the sprightly Danza Paraguaya. Both were likewise warmly applauded by all, Harry not excluded. However, greater was the applause following Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Lighthearted and piously joyous, this music perfectly reflected the mood of not only the audience, but of this entire new world.

  Soon after my performance, Harry asked me if we could go home. I readily agreed, and thus minutes later, Harry and I, along with my parents, were strolling home under the canopy of another brilliantly starlit sky.

  "It's incredible!" Harry gasped. "Is it like this all the time?"

  "It sure is. I bet you've never seen so many stars before!" Dad boasted. "Makes a man feel rather romantic." He chuckled and placed his arm around Mum.

  Harry continued staring into the starry heavens. "No, I've never seen so many stars before, not even in the outback of Australia." He paused and then added pensively, "If it wasn't for those familiar stars and constellations, I would swear we were not on Earth." He then pointed heavenwards. "See, there is Polaris, the Pole Star, so obviously this is the Northern Hemisphere. Now look over there!" He pointed to a clearly defined constellation that to me looked like a saucepan. "There is the constellation Orion, the Greek mythological hunter. In the center is Orion's sword, the Orion Nebula along Orion's belt." Pointing then towards a cluster of stars, he added, "Over there are the familiar Seven Sisters, also known as the Pleiades. That bright star over there is Sirius, known as Sothis to the ancient Egyptians, the star they believed caused the annual Nile River floods." He then pointed to an even brighter star. "That's not a star but the planet Jupiter." He suddenly paused and gasped. "My God! I can even clearly and distinctly see the four separate disks of light around it. That's utterly impossible! Those moons weren't even visible to humans until Galileo first set his telescope onto Jupiter in the early seventeenth century, and certainly not like this!"

  My father chuckled. "Yeah, it's incredible, ain't it? Not only do we have perfect 20/20 eyesight, but even telescopic vision!"

  Suddenly, Harry became deadly silent. For several seconds he stared towards the southern horizon, then bellowed: "That's also utterly impossible!" He pointed towards a constellation shaped like a kite. "Over there, can't you se
e it?"

  "Yes, but what about it?" I asked.

  "It's the Southern Cross, or as you might know it, the Crux Constellation. From the latitude of Oregon, this constellation would not be visible. Even at the latitude of Alexandria in Egypt, where the ancient astronomer Ptolemy drew his star chart, the Southern Cross could not be seen."

  Harry again paused, then soberly added, "However, Ptolemy did tabulate the star system on his chart. That's a mystery that has puzzled astronomers."

  "Yeah, life is full of mysteries, even here," my father replied. "No, make that especially here!"

  Harry was the only one not to laugh.

  Whilst still staring into the starry sky, he then muttered almost inaudibly, "No, something is definitely wrong."