The Dreamers
Chapter 4: Then a War it Shall Be!
“Can I have your attention, please?” The room was filled with nearly thirty people
in all. Religious people of all kinds were gathered here in this small room. Catholics,
Lutherans, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims alike. Jon and Mahavir did quite a good
job of rounding up as many religious leaders as they could find. Sadly, they knew there
were quite a few missing, most likely dead or out of the country by now.
“Could I have your attention? Please!” Jon yelled for attention once again. The room slowly
became quiet. Once the last holy man stopped talking, Jon began to speak.
“I think we all know why we are here. Our right to lead the people in our religions has been
taken away from us. I offer this place as a hideout to all who wish to stay and try to fight for
our rights. If you would rather flee to a far away country and leave our people here to be
killed for believing in our Gods, then do so now, and God be with you.”
The room stayed quiet, no one planned to risk trying to leave. “Okay then, our first order of
business is finding places for us to stay. But, before we do that, I have one rule I want you
all to abide by while living here in my apartment building.” Whispers crept through the
room, several men and women became uneasy. “That rule is, that you will NOT talk about
religion with a member of another religion.” The room turned into an uproar. All were
arguing over the rule Jon had set in place.
“SILENCE!” Mahavir’s deep voice rang through the room. Everyone immediately went
silent.
Jon cleared his throat. “The reason for this rule is to keep the peace between each religion.
We do not need to be fighting within our own ranks while the government is picking us off
like flies. We need to stick together and work together, and if we do not talk about religion to
each other, then there is no way for an argument to spread that will only end in hatred. We
do not need hatred, my friends.” Jon ended his speech and all were quiet for some time.
“How are we going to save our followers? How in God’s name are we going to stop this
demonic rule over our country?” A small Lutheran pastor named Robert Downing had
asked this question, echoing everyone else’s concerns. Jon had not thought of this, he
hadn’t gotten that far yet, but Mahavir seemed confident.
“We will fight! Not with violence, but with love. We will protect our followers and we will find
a way to stop this genocide.” Mahavir’s voice boomed with confidence and his large,
muscular arms tensed.
“How can we stop this powerhouse, Guru? They care not for us. We can try to win them
over with love, but this is no longer a democracy, this is a dictatorship, and as such, we
have no power.” This came from a skinny, young Muslim who was standing far in the back.
His eyes were filled with fear. Mahavir began to say something but was interrupted by Jon.
“You are right, it doesn’t seem possible, but we can win. It was estimated that over 60% of
the USA this year believed in a religion, and only a few years ago, that percentage was at
80%. If we can muster up enough people willing to fight for their beliefs, then we can win
this war against religion.” Jon’s voice had quite an effect on the audience, Jon noticed Radi
was standing somewhere in the back, her eyes were locked on Jon.
“Are you suggesting a violent means, Pastor?” A small, shrewd Mother of the Catholic
Church asked. Jon hesitated.
“It’s the only way, Mother. We have no other choice at this point. We fight, or we die,” Jon
ended, feeling defeated in the fact that there was no peaceful way to end this genocide.
“Why not make the Pagans and the Cultists do the fighting? They have no morale’s against
murder.”
“You bloody fool! The Cultists wouldn’t help us! And the Pagans are just as peaceful as us.”
A large Hindu man interjected.
“Maybe they would help us.” Jon whispered to himself. Mahavir had overheard Jon and
ended the argument that was breaking out in the room.
“Then it is settled! We will find the Cultists and the Pagans and ask for their help! But, my
friends, we too will have to fight, they may outnumber us, but they will need the help of our
manpower. We will fight The Reality, and The Dream will prevail!” The small crowd
clapped, but still seemed unnerved by the thought of murder. After dealing with the rooming
problem, the meeting ended. The room cleared out as people went looking for rooms to
stay in, until the only people left were Mahavir, Radi, and Jonathan Rite.
“The Dream, eh?” Jon asked jokingly. “Nice name for a secret society.”
“Well, my friend, if we are going to fight fire with fire, then we will have to fight a secret
society with our own secret society.” Mahavir clapped his large muscular hand on Jon’s
shoulder and left the room. Leaving only Jon and Radi behind.
They stood there and stared into each other’s eyes, admiring each other. The spell broke
as Radi ran into Jon’s arms. She started crying. “Why violence, Jon? Why does it have to
come down to violence?” She looked up into Jon’s caring eyes. Jon brushed a few of her
hairs out of her face.
“It is something none of us want, but it is the only way. I have to speak with Mahavir and a
few others about contacting the Cultists. I hope to leave early tomorrow morning to find
them and discuss what our next move will be.” Radi gave Jon a quick kiss on the lips and
whispered into his ear, “May Vishnu guide you.” She looked deep into Jon’s eyes one last
time, then hurried out the door. Jon stood there, shocked.
in all. Religious people of all kinds were gathered here in this small room. Catholics,
Lutherans, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims alike. Jon and Mahavir did quite a good
job of rounding up as many religious leaders as they could find. Sadly, they knew there
were quite a few missing, most likely dead or out of the country by now.
“Could I have your attention? Please!” Jon yelled for attention once again. The room slowly
became quiet. Once the last holy man stopped talking, Jon began to speak.
“I think we all know why we are here. Our right to lead the people in our religions has been
taken away from us. I offer this place as a hideout to all who wish to stay and try to fight for
our rights. If you would rather flee to a far away country and leave our people here to be
killed for believing in our Gods, then do so now, and God be with you.”
The room stayed quiet, no one planned to risk trying to leave. “Okay then, our first order of
business is finding places for us to stay. But, before we do that, I have one rule I want you
all to abide by while living here in my apartment building.” Whispers crept through the
room, several men and women became uneasy. “That rule is, that you will NOT talk about
religion with a member of another religion.” The room turned into an uproar. All were
arguing over the rule Jon had set in place.
“SILENCE!” Mahavir’s deep voice rang through the room. Everyone immediately went
silent.
Jon cleared his throat. “The reason for this rule is to keep the peace between each religion.
We do not need to be fighting within our own ranks while the government is picking us off
like flies. We need to stick together and work together, and if we do not talk about religion to
each other, then there is no way for an argument to spread that will only end in hatred. We
do not need hatred, my friends.” Jon ended his speech and all were quiet for some time.
“How are we going to save our followers? How in God’s name are we going to stop this
demonic rule over our country?” A small Lutheran pastor named Robert Downing had
asked this question, echoing everyone else’s concerns. Jon had not thought of this, he
hadn’t gotten that far yet, but Mahavir seemed confident.
“We will fight! Not with violence, but with love. We will protect our followers and we will find
a way to stop this genocide.” Mahavir’s voice boomed with confidence and his large,
muscular arms tensed.
“How can we stop this powerhouse, Guru? They care not for us. We can try to win them
over with love, but this is no longer a democracy, this is a dictatorship, and as such, we
have no power.” This came from a skinny, young Muslim who was standing far in the back.
His eyes were filled with fear. Mahavir began to say something but was interrupted by Jon.
“You are right, it doesn’t seem possible, but we can win. It was estimated that over 60% of
the USA this year believed in a religion, and only a few years ago, that percentage was at
80%. If we can muster up enough people willing to fight for their beliefs, then we can win
this war against religion.” Jon’s voice had quite an effect on the audience, Jon noticed Radi
was standing somewhere in the back, her eyes were locked on Jon.
“Are you suggesting a violent means, Pastor?” A small, shrewd Mother of the Catholic
Church asked. Jon hesitated.
“It’s the only way, Mother. We have no other choice at this point. We fight, or we die,” Jon
ended, feeling defeated in the fact that there was no peaceful way to end this genocide.
“Why not make the Pagans and the Cultists do the fighting? They have no morale’s against
murder.”
“You bloody fool! The Cultists wouldn’t help us! And the Pagans are just as peaceful as us.”
A large Hindu man interjected.
“Maybe they would help us.” Jon whispered to himself. Mahavir had overheard Jon and
ended the argument that was breaking out in the room.
“Then it is settled! We will find the Cultists and the Pagans and ask for their help! But, my
friends, we too will have to fight, they may outnumber us, but they will need the help of our
manpower. We will fight The Reality, and The Dream will prevail!” The small crowd
clapped, but still seemed unnerved by the thought of murder. After dealing with the rooming
problem, the meeting ended. The room cleared out as people went looking for rooms to
stay in, until the only people left were Mahavir, Radi, and Jonathan Rite.
“The Dream, eh?” Jon asked jokingly. “Nice name for a secret society.”
“Well, my friend, if we are going to fight fire with fire, then we will have to fight a secret
society with our own secret society.” Mahavir clapped his large muscular hand on Jon’s
shoulder and left the room. Leaving only Jon and Radi behind.
They stood there and stared into each other’s eyes, admiring each other. The spell broke
as Radi ran into Jon’s arms. She started crying. “Why violence, Jon? Why does it have to
come down to violence?” She looked up into Jon’s caring eyes. Jon brushed a few of her
hairs out of her face.
“It is something none of us want, but it is the only way. I have to speak with Mahavir and a
few others about contacting the Cultists. I hope to leave early tomorrow morning to find
them and discuss what our next move will be.” Radi gave Jon a quick kiss on the lips and
whispered into his ear, “May Vishnu guide you.” She looked deep into Jon’s eyes one last
time, then hurried out the door. Jon stood there, shocked.
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©2009 Alexander SpriggsComments/Critiscism is appreciated! :D