Page 110 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Fasting the Plastiphage

completely absorbed in the task. The boy waited
patiently. Finally the aged Hierotech looked up in
surprise and demanded to know why he was there.

‘O High Priest of Burdleim,’ began the child in reverent
tones, ‘I have come from the far village of Kamchaf to
report a most horrible blasphemy against our Lord
Burdleim. It is a terrible evil which has befallen us, and
my father, who is too oand sick to make the journey,
has sent me to seek your counsel.’

The old priest found himself interested despite his
immediate concern with planning an escape. ‘Well,
young man,’ he said, ‘Tell me exactly what happened,
but be brief: I have many important tasks to perform
this morning in the service of Burdleim.’

‘Yes, O Holy One,’ replied the boy. ‘It happened seven
days ago. Our family has a small shrine in the fields
where our plastikon is kept. Every morning before we
begin work we stop there to offer our prayers of
gratitude to Burdleim. But on that morning we were
shocked to find that the plastikon was gone! Nobody
would dare steal it and earn the wrath of Burdleim, of
that we were certain! And when we searched around
the area of the shrine, we found strange blurry
footprints and a puddle of thick black fluid. Here, I
brought some of it to show you.’

The boy opened his shoulder bag and brought out a
gourd with a wooden stopper; he opened it and gave it
to the High Priest. It contained oil. The miracle at last!
The old man immediately organized a secret expedition
to the remote village and swore the boy into the
Hierotechs in order to ensure his silence. In fact,
Stimgage heard most of this story from that same boy,
who was a garrulous old man at the time Stimgage took
his vows.

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