WinterfestSpeach

As Jacob took his place 1at the front of the massive
rustically crafted mahogany table,
his face was illuminated by the only lit candle
in the whole of the Great Hall.

And as this candles flame
flickered and danced off the stone walls
the ceremony that preceded Winterfest began.

Vincent, Mary and two others
took a light from Jacob's flame,
to light their own Winterfest candles,
so that they could then in-turn,
share their flame with two others,
and so on and so forth
spreading the light
throughout the Great Hall.

While the light from his candle's
flame was being shared,
Jacob then began the recitation
of the Ceremonious Tunnel Lineage.
With a deep meaningful tone,
Jacob began:

Jacob:
The world above us
is cold and gray
summer, a distant memory
our world too has known its winters
so each year
we begin this feast in darkness
as our world began in darkness

Vincent:
Long before the city above us
raised its towers to the sky
men sought shelter in these caverns

Mary:
In those days
these tunnels were dark places
and those who dwelled here
dwelt in fear and isolation

Vincent:
This is a land of lost hope
Of twisted dreams
A land of despair
Where the sounds of footsteps
coming down a tunnel
Were the sounds of terror
Where men reached for knives
and rocks and worse
At the sound of other men's voices

Jacob:
At last a few people learned
to put aside their fears

Mary:
And we began to trust each other
to help each other

Vincent:
And each of us grew stronger
Those who took the help
And those who gave it

Jacob:
We are all part of one another
One family
One community
Even the greatest darkness is nothing
So long as we share the light

Meanwhile...
as Catherine listened
to Jacob,Mary, and then Vincent,
recite their portions of
the Tunnel's history,
she looked around at all the people

that had gathered there tonight.
They were all there,
herself included,
because they had discovered
this magical place,
where people are given a second chance
to find their sole entity,
their reason for being,
a place to belong.
By the end of the recitation of
the Tunnel's Lineage,
the candle laden chandeliers were raised,
and the Great Hall
was then symbolically ablaze,
with the shared light
from Jacob's single candle.
Then the celebration began.

The minstrel's music,
rang through the hall,
and William filled empty glasses
with cheer,
from the large wooden barrels

Then off to the side,
the banquet tables were all filled in abundance
with foods from William's kitchen,

and everyone enjoyed helping themselves
to the buffet fashioned feast.

The Tapestry Page

The Winterfest Index Page
Master of my Heart!