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26
Chapter 27 � Epilogue
Just
one week after the Day of the Dead festival, heavy rainstorms swept
across central Europe. The rain continued unabated throughout October
and the early part of November. In December the rain turned into snow in
the higher elevations. By New Year�s Eve a snowstorm hit and soon all of
Danubia was buried under a solid white veil of ice. A major cold snap
hit the Danubian Republic and the neighboring countries, a grip of cold
that did not let up for three months.
As the winter dragged on and the snow kept falling, meteorologists
started comparing that winter to the brutally cold winter 1942-43,
during which the weather played a major role in determining the outcome
of World War II. All of the smaller rivers froze over completely,
including the Rika Chorna that flowed from the eastern part of the
country into Dan�bikt M�skt. A thick sheet of ice formed over the Rika
Chorna Reservoir, which forced the nation�s power plant to reduce
operations. For the first time in many years Danubia had to import
natural gas to get through the winter.
The cold was so severe that Dan�bikt M�skt�s criminals were forced to
wear their capes, which was considered a major humiliation. For several
months the bright orange and yellow capes stood out among the mostly
drab colors of civilians� winter clothing. Of course, the capes had to
be taken off the moment criminals stepped into any building, so they
were a major inconvenience for their wearers, as well as being an
embarrassment on the street.
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Vladim Dukov became increasingly worried as the winter progressed and
the snow-pack continued to build on the Danubian mountain ranges. By the
middle of February the snow on the mountains was at record levels. Yes,
right now the business was great for the ski lodges, but the Prime
Minister�s worries went past ski season. Spring was coming, and with it
the snowmelt.
At the end of February, the Prime Minister of Danubia stood on the top
of the dam of the Rika Chorna Reservoir, along with the Minister of
Energy and a team of engineers. The frozen lake was full to capacity and
the snow on the mountains had not even started to melt. The Energy
Minister and a couple of the engineers overheard their leader say to
himself:
�This is the year� this is the year it�s going to happen.�
Dukov turned to the others:
�We�re going to need to put everything we�ve got into trying to drain
off this water. I want evacuation plans set up for all of the towns
along this entire region, because I can guarantee that we will need
them. I want a plan to commandeer all trucks and buses� everything this
country has. And we�ll need to rent some buses and dump-trucks from the
other EU countries and bring them in. I want bulldozers and backhoes�
lots of them� and diesel� and experienced drivers. I don�t care where
you get them or how much it costs; we need them here by the end of next
week. And sandbags and cement pilings. We need to get started on flood
levies immediately.�
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Three weeks later the temperature rose and heavy rains fell across
Danubia. All of the nation�s criminals, along with all of the younger
public employees, university and high school students, and army
soldiers, worked feverishly on constructing levies and digging trenches.
The drafted crews worked 16-hours shifts as they battled a seemingly
hopeless situation. The rain poured down around the teams of workers as
they shivered in the cold water. It seemed futile to stop the coming
flood, but everyone knew that the country had to at least try.
There was one thing the levee crews did not need to worry about, saving
civilians. Just hours before the flooding started, convoys of buses
moved through the villages to evacuate the population. By the time the
area was under water the civilians already were safely out of the way.
There was flooding along the entire western valley, but the hastily
constructed levies kept most of the water confined to the agricultural
areas and slowly moved it towards the East Danube River. Anyhow, the
Prime Minister was not really worried about the situation in the valley.
His concern was the dam. The spillways were filled to capacity and water
was starting to flow over the top. The rain continued to pour onto the
mountains and torrents of cold water made their way through the thick
forests, carrying mud and fallen trees into the lake. On the news the
Danubians watched their Prime Minister, in shirt sleeves and soaking
wet, sitting with boat crews as they worked to try to keep ice and
debris out of the spillways and away from the dam. It was vital those
spillways not be blocked. While sitting in his boat, Dukov was
continuously on his cell phone, talking to forest rangers who were
monitoring the hills above the reservoir. He knew that if those hills
gave way and collapsed into the lake, there would be, at best, about 30
minutes to evacuate Dan�bikt M�skt.
For a week the situation stayed the same� the countryside was flooded
but most of the towns were kept dry. Water continued to pour into the
lake at about the same rate it poured out through the dam. The water
level rose along the East Danube River and completely flooded out the
beaches and the forested area behind the Temple of the Ancients. There
was a moment during which the water was within a few centimeters of the
platform where most people began Public Penance. The docks were
underwater and part of the industrial area of Dan�bikt M�skt flooded,
but fortunately the private residences and downtown area were spared.
There were scares, of course, and a few broken levies that were quickly
fixed. The nation held its breath�
The rain did not let up until mid-April. There was a week of hot, sunny
days and slowly the water receded from the landscape. Eventually even
the situation in the reservoir improved. Water stopped flowing over the
top of the dam and went where it was supposed to go, into the spillways.
Dukov, as always, was out on the lake in his boat with teams of
engineers, constantly checking on the dam. The cell phone was always in
his hand, as he continuously called to monitor what was going on in the
mountains. News commentators noted that he was being reckless with his
own safety, because if that dam were to give way, he most certainly
would be killed. To that the Prime Minister responded:
�I am just a single citizen of this country. I have my job to do, just
like everyone else I drafted to come here and assist in this effort. In
the eyes of the Creator, my life is no more important than that of
anyone else.�
By the beginning of May, the flooding in the farming areas had partially
receded. Water still continued to pour off the mountains, but the dam�s
engineers had managed to lower the level of the reservoir to a level
that no longer put the structure in immediate danger. Finally Dukov was
able to leave the crews on the water and go into the mountains to
examine the hillsides that overlooked the lake. Forest rangers pointed
out that the woods were heavily damaged and covered with fallen trees.
There were large portions of hillsides that barely were being held in
place by tree roots. One geologist commented:
�I�d hate to think of what would have happened had these trees not been
here, Prime Minister.�
�This hill� all this dirt� it would have all gone down into the lake.�
�Yes, Prime Minister Dukov. I think it�s safe to assume that�s what
would have happened.�
�� and the dam would have broken.�
�Yes, Prime Minister. Given the weakened condition of the dam, I�d say
that would have been possible, yes� probable, in fact... we would have
lost the reservoir.�
Dukov climbed down a hillside to where a large section of ground had
pulled loose, but was held in place by the exposed roots of several
trees. He grabbed a root, sinking his fingers into the ooze that still
covered it. He knelt in the mud and closed his eyes, as the bewildered
geologists nervously watched him.
For the first time in seven years, the images of Dan�bikt M�skt�s final
moments were not present in Prime Minister Vladim Dukov�s mind. That
vision had tormented his thoughts and affected his decisions, but now,
kneeling in the mud with his hands holding onto one of the real heroes
of the flood, he tried to bring the image of destruction to his mind and
couldn�t. His question finally was answered. What he had seen was not
the inevitable future, but only something that could have happened. It
would have happened, but because the hills had not been deforested by
Mega-Town Associates, the disaster had been avoided.
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Cecilia�s exchange program group was included among the crews that were
tasked to build, and later to dismantle, the emergency levies that
protected the towns from the flood waters. Neither the Danubian
government nor Cecilia were concerned in the least that the Americans
were not Danubian citizens: the fact was that they were university
students and all university students had been called upon to help out in
a national crisis. Anyhow, classes had been suspended during the flood,
so there was not much point in staying in Dan�bikt M�skt anyway. The
students got to see a part of Danubian life they never would have seen
otherwise, so there were few complaints. The only problem was that their
classes resumed in May and would not end until July, so all plans for
summer travel around Europe had to be abandoned. As Cecilia pointed out,
however:
�Don�t you be stressing about havin� to stay here �till August, �cause
there�s a lot worse places you could be spendin� your summer� like New
Jersey, for example��
Cecilia exchanged several e-mails with her US coordinator Dr. Halsey to
try to figure out who was going to replace her as program director.
Halsey recommended that she try to find a candidate from the current
exchange group, maybe someone who was planning on staying in Danubia
past the end of the semester. Cecilia shrugged her shoulders� because
that was easy enough to figure out: the one person who fit that
description was Carmen. The outgoing director knew that her student was
dating a criminal and that she had expressed regret about leaving
Danubia. Well, if Carmen took the director�s job; that would solve two
problems.
The moment she got the offer from Cecilia, Carmen realized that her Path
in Life was indeed to remain in Danubia. That vision from the year
before was no dream; it was to be part of her future. She would stay in
Danubia at least as long as Anthony remained collared, which would be
seven more years. Now she knew how she would support herself, by taking
Cecilia�s position at the university.
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The
days and weeks went by as the country continued to dry out from the
flood. What had been a wet disastrous spring turned into a pleasant
summer. The end of June was rapidly approaching and along with it the
Summer Solstice celebrations. As usual, Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna�s group
�Socrates� Mistresses� would be performing a live concert in the Plaza
of the Ancients.
Maria Elena went to the Plaza with Victor and a large group of others,
which included Carmen, Cecilia, and other members of the exchange
program and various boyfriends and girlfriends. Jason was not with
Cecilia because he had been invited to formally participate in the
Church procession. Cecilia had mentioned that was a huge honor, because
as far as she knew, no other foreigner had ever participated with the
Clergy in the main procession.
Maria Elena knew another person participating in the procession: Grand
Duchess Anyia. The nation�s Grand Duchess traditionally played an
important ceremonial role in the Solstice festival, and it was obvious
that Anyia took her duties seriously. Her behavior was a huge change
from the previous year, when she had snubbed the Church by not even
bothering to show up.
Everyone noted something else important about Anyia, that she was
pregnant. The nation now knew that the Grand Duchess was carrying the
heir to the Danubian Throne. Within a few months the Danubian Republic
would be excited over the Royal baby and the symbolism that child would
have for the future of the country. To see that Grand Duchess Anyia was
pregnant was something that most of the Danubians found comforting. The
public knew that, no matter what, the Royal Family would go on, in spite
of whatever crisis they might have to overcome at the moment.
The Grand Duchess was, of course, totally naked except for her Church
collar. She was the first Grand Duchess in three centuries who attended
to her duties at the Summer Solstice festival while performing Public
Penance. The change of her behavior and her lifestyle affected the lives
of many of her fellow Danubians. A couple thousand young people, mostly
women, but a few men as well, were following suit by wearing Temple
collars. As for the followers who had taken oaths to remain naked as
long as the Grand Duchess remained naked, eventually they would come to
be known as �Anyia�s generation�.
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It wasn�t long after the Summer Solstice that Jason�s Priestess asked
him to bring his fianc� to the Temple of the Ancients. Jason knew why:
it was time for the couple to stop performing Public Penance and begin
the process of returning to their normal lives. The Priestess correctly
assumed that her prot�g� and his fianc� would need at least a month to
adjust to being �normal� before they left Danubia. They would spend
their final month in Danubia dressed in regular clothing and
psychologically preparing themselves to return to the US.
The Clergywoman knew that readjusting to the United States would be
harder than either Jason or Cecilia could possibly imagine. Perhaps
Jason understood that it was the Creator�s intention that he return to
North America, but doing so would be one of the most difficult tasks in
his Path in Life. In Danubia everything made sense, everyone had his or
her place in society, and from day to day one could be sure of knowing
what was going to happen. To leave such a secure life for the chaotic
and aggressive life that the US had to offer would be hard on anyone,
and certainly on a couple who had lived the past five years of their
lives in the Danubian Republic.
The Priestess regretted that Jason had to go back, because with another
year or two of training, he would have made an excellent Priest for the
Danubian Church. However, the Priestess understood why Jason could never
become a Priest, because there was no way that Cecilia would ever be
able to join him as a Clergywoman. It was Jason�s path in Life to be
with Cecilia, and ultimately Cecilia would have to return to the United
States. So, Jason�s Path in Life would be to return as well.
The Clergywoman reflected that there must have been some important
reason why the Creator would have asked her to spend so much of her time
mentoring Jason, even if his Path in Life was not to serve in the
Danubian Clergy. He would return to his homeland and apply what he had
learned in Danubia to his own future and hopefully to the future of the
US. He was an intelligent and charismatic person and one of the best
public speakers she had ever known. His Path in Life would be to mentor
the people surrounding him, and maybe that would eventually include all
of the United States. Anyhow, the Priestess was satisfied that her task
with Jason Schmidt was complete. Within a month they would have to go
their separate ways, but throughout his life he would always carry her
in his heart.
Jason understood what lay ahead. He picked July 4 for the date that he
and Cecilia would report to the Temple� an appropriate day to begin the
transition back to being US citizens instead of guests of the Danubian
Republic. Cecilia had expected that the ceremony would be a big deal, in
the same way that the Ministry of Justice always conducted a special
ceremony for criminals when they were being de-collared and released
from their sentences. As they made their way to the Temple of the
Ancients, Jason explained that de-collaring with the Church was
different.
�This is a private matter between us, the Priestess, and the Ancients.
It is not a public spectacle, unless we want to make it into one later
on with a party or something.�
Cecilia may have been happy about her impending freedom, but she noticed
that Jason seemed a lot more reflective.
�You�re� still not really happy about this, are you?�
�Well, to be happy or unhappy about what�s going on is kinda like being
happy or not happy about the sun coming up every 24 hours. How I feel
about it at the moment doesn�t matter, because it won�t change anything.
Our Paths in Life are to go back to the US. I know that if we tried to
go against the Will of the Creator and stay in Dan�bikt M�skt, we�d end
up being unhappy. I know that for a fact. Yes, I�ve enjoyed my time in
Danubia and learned a lot and like being here, but in the end it�s not
important. Our lives here are over and next month we�re going home.�
With that the couple ascended the stairs of the Temple of the Ancients
and made their way into the main chamber. They took a pair of candles,
lit them, and knelt, to let the Clergy know that they needed attention.
A minute later Jason�s Priestess showed up and led the couple to the
back balcony of the Temple. An attendant followed behind, carrying two
prayer robes.
The two Americans knelt naked for the last time. The Priestess took
Jason�s hands, closed her eyes, and prayed. For a long time the
Clergywoman was perfectly quiet. However, Cecilia noticed tears running
down her cheeks. Jason seemed to be fighting back tears as well. At that
moment Cecilia realized just how important Jason and the Priestess had
been in each other�s lives. She said nothing, but inwardly she was glad
to see that relationship coming to an end.
The Priestess regained her composure and ordered Jason and Cecilia to
stand up. There was a brief prayer before the attendant handed a key to
the Priestess. A moment later the collars were unlocked and off the
couple�s necks. Jason and Cecilia put on their prayer robes. Already
Jason looked uncomfortable in the garment, because it was the first time
in four years he had been dressed at all. He was a natural nudist, so
having to return to wearing clothing would be a major sacrifice for him.
----------
A month later Jason Schmidt, Cecilia Sanchez, and her nephew Pedro
Mejia, boarded a plane and left the Danubian Republic. Before they
departed there were, of course, numerous parties and send-offs,
including a state dinner at the Prime Minister�s official residence.
Finally all that ended, and the day came when Cecilia and Pedro left
Victor Dukov�s house for the last time. A police van passed by the house
to take them to the airport. There were a final series of hugs before
Cecilia and Pedro boarded the van and disappeared from lives of Victor
and Maria Elena. Perhaps they would return someday, but� if they did, it
would only be to visit. Everyone�s lives would be different. Everything
would be changed.
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For the first time Victor and Maria Elena were alone in his house, truly
alone. Yes, they had been alone in his bedroom plenty of times, but
rarely had they been in the house when Cecilia or Pedro had not been
there as well. Now, except for the days when Victor�s sons came over as
guests, the house would be empty.
As they stood in his front yard, Victor and Maria Elena were nervous,
not only because of the departure of the other members of the household,
but also because each had something important to tell the other.
Victor went first. He handed a small wooden box to Maria Elena. When she
opened it, she saw that it contained three pieces of jewelry: a silver
hairpiece, a necklace, and a ring. Following protocol, he stood at
attention while he waited for her to respond.
She understood that he was proposing to her. To accept, she had to take
the items out of the box, one by one, and hand them to him to put on
her. Once he had placed the three items on her, the couple would be
formally engaged. Maria Elena smiled and was hugely relieved as she took
out the hairpiece and Victor placed it in her hair. Next came the
necklace, and finally the ring. When he took her hands she responded in
accented Danubian:
�I have news for you too, Victor. I just found out I�m pregnant.�
�I suppose that�s just as well. I was thinking the house was going to
feel terribly quiet with just you and me in it.�
Victor and Maria Elena walked towards the East Danube River. They
crossed the university and stood on the beach, looking out over the
water towards the cliffs that formed the western shore. By pure
coincidence a plane flew overhead, having just taken off from the King
Vladik International Airport on its way to Frankfurt. Victor commented
that he was sure that was the plane carrying Jason, Cecilia, and Pedro
out of Danubia, on the first part of their trek towards the US.
�I don�t envy them at all. From what I know about America, it�s not an
easy place to live. I know it�s not somewhere I�d want to be.�
Maria Elena cuddled up to Victor. She took his hand and put her head on
his shoulder. They watched as the jet vanished into a frail vapor trail
in the western sky.
�It�s strange, thinking about how those three are having to start over.
I couldn�t do it. Too old��
�You�re not too old to start over, Victor. You are starting over. I�m
starting over too. It�s all going to be new for us� the baby� being
married� and�� Maria Elena giggled: �� having step-sons who are older
than me��
�� and you with your collar� we are indeed a scandalous couple� and you
really want to spend the best years of your life putting up with an
ill-tempered, tiresome old man?�
Maria Elena moved in front of Victor and kissed him. She then moved his
hand to her stomach. There was just a hint of swelling, but that would
change quickly enough. They�d have to get married shortly, to avoid an
even bigger scandal than the one they were causing already.
�I want that more than anything, Victor. More than anything.�
Because clothing was prohibited on the beach, Victor stripped off his
clothes and folded everything into his shirt to carry. The couple walked
several kilometers the along the water�s edge of the river shoreline in
the warm summer sunshine.
It was dusk by the time they got back to the University District. In the
fading light they returned to Victor�s house, ready to begin the next
phase of their Path in Life.
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