The inquisition

The Dimitri hall

Chapter 3

The sun rose on the quiet village, and some people began to appear in the streets here and there to go to work. We see the vegetable vendor pulling his cart toward the market, and here we see Mr. Miguel, who works as a carpenter, carrying his wooden toolkit and walking calmly along the road. Among these and more, we also see here Mr. Kin hurriedly exiting his home towards the Dimitri meeting hall, an old hall built by a wise man named Dimitri, one of the great founders of the village. It’s primary function was, at first, to judge those who practiced magic, as in that historical period of Europe in general and the village in particular, there were those who used deadly black magic, and others who deceived people into believing they could improve their lives and predict the future using their incantations and having their own rituals with demons. This was strictly forbidden in the village by the clergy who received orders from the grand church.

Despite the harassment that witches and soothsayers faced from the wise men and leaders of the village, it was still practiced covertly in the forests by devil-worshippers and inside the houses of witches and various amateurs who sought to collect money, as it was a source of income for them. There were some fools who paid these sorcerers money for them to read the future for them, such as saying, “Read me my future. Who will I marry? Will I amount to something in the future, or when will I die?” Others paid them to make them rich! And a logical question comes to mind: if these sorcerers could make you rich, why are they poor? Why don’t they make themselves rich instead of taking a few coins from the villagers in exchange for their magical works? Yet, there were real sorcerers filled with evil and darkness before they were fought, burned, or expelled from the village and Europe entirely. However, that battle and the trials faced by the sorcerers also contained a high degree of injustice, with accusations of witchcraft being unsubstantiated and merely slander from the church.

After that, the Hall of the wise man Dimitri transformed into a place where villagers gathered to discuss important matters, and they rarely convened there except at the beginning of each new year or if any emergencies arose to judge the accused or make an important announcement for the residents. The hall had a bell, and when this bell was rung, all the residents would leave their work and homes and rush to the main hall because surely something important was happening. As soon as Mr. Kin reached the hall, he went towards the bell and began to ring it to announce to the people that there was an emergency meeting, and the first to arrive was Daniel and the other men because they were the vital element of this meeting. People began to arrive, men and women, except for one person; yes, it was Raymond, lying in his bed. As soon as he heard the sound of the bell, he said, “Damn these strange folk, they can annoy a deaf mouse even if it were in the deepest pit underground. Sure, it’s a meeting because of that silly screaming. Cowardly scoundrels, and he muttered some dirty words and dragged his clothes towards the bathroom. The streets were empty, the market unchanged with goods, vegetables, and tools, but there was no one; all the villagers were in the hall now, some whispering. Mrs. Maria said to her friends, “It seems the matter is serious; I heard there is a ghost screaming in the valley.” So, whispers and speculations were present in the hall. All the villagers came, and the number was complete in the hall, as the last to arrive was Raymond, who entered and sat in the corner, looking around to the people in boredom, in line with his strong hatred for the village and its people. The design of the hall resembles that of courtrooms, with a high and large platform where the village leaders and council heads sit, and near it, a small platform where defendants or those wishing to speak about a problem usually stand. Here stood Anna s grandfather along with Daniel and the other men. At the head of the council was Mr. Brandon, a plump man showing signs of foolishness. Unfortunately, during that era and even now, incompetent and foolish officials are chosen, with their only qualifications being that they come from wealthy families or have grandparents with social capital or historical influence, which gives them rights and privileges over others. Brandon was one of them. Also sitting beside him was Mr. Harrison Hayes, who had the same historical privileges and was a highly arrogant narcissist. He owned a coal factory and large farms producing various crops, in addition to his family s service to the church and their obedience to its orders. Here we also see Mr. Gabriel Alvaro, who is considered better than others, a man with serious and calm features; his grandfather was a commander of one of the army s legions, and his family was among the families that founded the village. There were also some advisors from the village whose job was to assess the situation and discuss issues, but it was merely a symbolic role as the end decision always returned to the upper council and the church monks. Although the upper council was weak and inherited without a group of capable and good people, it somehow organized the lives of people. It is worth mentioning that every few years, a new council is elected, often from the same families; some are competent while others are not worthy of responsibility. Each person sat in their designated place, and Mr. Keen, Daniel, and the men stood in line.

Mr. Gabriel Alvaro initiated the discussion, saying, "We are now here, folks, to discuss an urgent matter: something strange happened last night, and I will give the floor to Mr. Keen and the men here to explain to us what exactly happened." Mr. Keen began his speech, saying, "Esteemed members of the council, gentlemen advisors, and dear residents of my village, I regret to inform you that Mr. Robert has been missing since last night after he, Daniel, and these men went on a dangerous mission to investigate something strange that occurred in the village, specifically in the valley. We all woke up, we, the residents of the neighboring area, to the sound of disturbing screams. Their departure was born from what their conscience dictated regarding the safety and security of the village. The men went, and in truth, I was not with them, but I will let Daniel tell you what happened and what they encountered there.Mr. Keen s introduction to the audience was like a true hurricane; the hall buzzed with talk and tension. Mrs. Miranda said, I told my husband some time ago that I saw the ghost of a young man standing under the tree of our house looking at me and sticking out his tongue in a terrifying manner. It was at midnight when I was going to the bathroom, but he considered me just a crazy woman. I can never forget that night; I was going to relieve myself, but when I saw this sight, I urinated in my place before I reached the bathroom. Oh my God, I think it s the end; we should have left this village since then. One of the advisors shouted, alerting the attendees that they needed to remain silent to continue the session. I know you are terrified, gentlemen," Daniel said, "but it’s the truth. We indeed went after that screaming sound in the valley, then we followed it to the fields, where it began to speak to us, saying, Tell them I am coming back, and I will make their lives a hell. After that, Mr. Robert fell, and we rushed towards the village not knowing his fate until now.The hall was in a state of boiling fear. After considerable effort, one of the advisors managed to convince those present to calm down to hear the committee’s address. Mr. Brandon began his speech with disdain for the event, looking at the people in the hall and starting his remarks with an irritating laugh, saying, It s a joke; it’s unreasonable for what these men said to be true. How can they hear someone speaking without seeing him? I think they must have imagined it, and there is no tangible material evidence that this event occurred, other than Robert’s not returning, and if Robert even went with them in the first place.He was interrupted by Mr. Keen, saying Excuse me, Mr. Brandon, but we were all present yesterday and witnesses to what happened. In fact, Mr. Robert himself was the one who took these men with him..Mr. Brandon interrupted him before he could finish speaking, saying, Mr. Keen, Mr. Keen, it seems everyone yesterday is imagining things, and this imagination is a form of sensory distortion and lack of perception of tangible matters and misinterpretation of reality, people. Thus, a distorted image of emotions is conveyed, and incomprehensible feelings resonate in your heads, thinking they are the truth. I believe these men are more deluded than you. Here, Mr. Brandon dismissed the case, accusing the village and its people of hallucination in a clear and blatant arrogance, which Daniel and the men, along with the other residents who were present during the event yesterday, regarded as disdain and strongly rejected it. The hall erupted in protest against Mr. Brandon’s remarks. Suddenly, the door of the hall slowly opened, and a pale-faced person entered, exhausted and weary as shown by the way he walked in. It was Mr. Robert. Oh God, it is Mr. Robert! Then Mr. Brandon murmured, "Here comes the head of the deluded and the lost." Daniel and the men went towards him and tried to help him sit down, while all eyes in the hall were on him. Mr. Keen asked him, "Are you okay?" Mr. Robert responded with an indication that he was not well. The committee decided to end the meeting in this manner and to hold another meeting later.