Notes from the Future: The Prophet's Reckoning, Part V

I hear a door open and I see the Prophet nearly run onto the balcony, staring at us. The nerves hit and I sink to my knees, fighting the urge to throw up.

"Who permitted this whore to speak?!" he shouts.

Words are in my head and in my mouth before I can think, and I remember hearing them somewhere, but I don't really think about it. I try to match the Prophet in volume.

"Long ago, the great Frith made the world!" I bellow in my best Woman Prophet voice. Did I dream this last night? It seems like a dream, but I don't remember.

I am shocked when he actually stumbles back from the railing, and the murmur that comes up from the crowd is much louder, now.

"Speak not of Frith, that God of Demons!" The Prophet is pointing at me, half hovering, half walking down the steps from the Balcony. He's moving kind of like a hornet, that weird hovery way they have of moving around you. He's still far away but it's scary. I need to focus and stick to my line.

"Frith made the world and Frith made the Prophet! The Prophet speaks the Will of Frith! Frith is the Fire of the Prophet! Fritha-Fritha-Fritha-Frith meeee! I wanna be ho-o-o-o-o-ly! Yabba-dabba-doo! Yabba-dabba-doo!"

I'm dancing a little, like a silly harem girl. I don't know what else to do. Some of the Ezekiels like my dance, I can see their eyes doing what the eyes of men do.

"Frith is not the God of the Prophet! Frith has no Power here!" the Prophet shouts from the last landing, closest to us.

"Yes!" I shout. "Frith has no power! The Prophet is mighty! The Prophet is fearless!" I look to the Rachels and Ezekiels. "Why are you silent? Do you think our Prophet is afraid of anything? He's not afraid! Say what I say so he knows you love him: The Prophet is mighty! The Prophet is fearless!"

"The ... Prophet ... mighty ... Prophet is fearless," is their quiet response. Wow, these people are worse at Improv than I am. Maybe it's good that California cut all funding for the Arts, now only special people know these tricks. I have to get them riled up, though, for this idea to work.

"I can't hear you! I said, The Prophet is Mighty! The Prophet Is Fearless!" I am jumping a little on each one. The Prophet is hesitating on the landing. Good.

"The prophet is mighty, the prophet is fearless," they repeat. Like they're reading ingredients on a cereal box. The Prophet is scowling like he just ate a fart.

"Do you want him to Taste you?!" I call to them before thinking, but oh well, maybe it will work. "Say it like you mean it, IF you believe! The Prophet Is MIGHTY! The Prophet Is FEARLESS!"

"The Prophet is Mighty! The Prophet is Fearless!"

"Again!" I jump into the air.

"The Prophet Is Mighty! The Prophet Is Fearless!"

"Louder!" I'm jumping, waving my arms like a cheerleader.

"The Prophet Is MIGHTY! The Prophet Is FEARLESS!"

"I! Can't! Hear! You!" This is actually a little fun, if you take away the cannibalistic psychopath aspect.

"THE PROPHET IS MIGHTY! THE PROPHET IS FEARLESS!"

They are scary loud, all worked up. Now is the time.