#50.12, Tues., Nov. 28, 2023

Historical Setting, 610 C.E. Besançon Fortress

         Here we are in the midst of this daring plot to free Father Columbanus from his cell on the main level and I’ve already broken the chains of the other prisoners. 

         Our plan is that the three of us Ezras will seem as only one monk who can do three tasks at once.  One Brother Ezra is waiting in the church to take the prisoners to safety; one is waiting with the Father, to guide him to safety through the tunnel, and here I am with the prisoners we are sending to the church who seem unwilling to escape.

         It would help our cause if these prisoners were singing hymns just now. It would remind anyone who gets suspicious of the biblical prisoners when Paul and Silas set all the prisoners free while praising God in song. [Acts 16:16-40] So I suggest to the prisoners, “Maybe we should sing some hymns while we watch the cell for the cue to go free.”

         “Hymns?” One of them speaks.

         “Like ‘Praise God…’” This fellow just stares at me like I’m the crazy one, and I see his wrath rising and his newly freed righthand joins with his left to gesture the threat of strangling me.

         “No, no. I was just thinking of hymns, but of course that is optional. All you really have to do is jump up when the cage at the top of the ladder is opened, and go up the other ladder before the guard can get down the cage ladder to stop you, then all of you run to the church to be safe. I will follow the guard so if he is chasing you I won’t let him catch up with you.  But you’ll all have to hurry.”

         “You mean we are supposed to walk, then climb, then run to the church?”

         I have to hide, just now, as the guard is already coming down to this level on his way to the other ladder to let Brother Ezra-Gabe out of the Father’s cell. We don’t have time now to discuss this. I duck behind the binding rock.

         I shout from behind the rock, “Let’s go now, quickly to the church! The Bishop will absolve all your sins!“ May the guard assume all my shouting of instructions is simply the mumbling of one of these prisoners.  He doesn’t turn to look.

(Continues tomorrow)