A conversation under a chandelier

A conversation under a chandelier

Only after I had sent the invitations did a possible reason dawn on me for

why each guest had been so carefully and meticulously handpicked. Yes it

was possible. Each was arriving from their own unique direction and point in

time. Each from their own imaginations, experiences, religions, occupations,

motivations, aspirations and ages. Some came from far away whilst others

hadn’t left the castle grounds – the rest from in between.

Their differences were undoubtedly, in this instance, a matter of quite unique

significance. With a feeling I would answer for myself only later that evening, I couldn’t help anticipating that, between them, they surely knew everything there was to know.

Obeying my master’s orders, throughout the course of the banquet I served each from a safe distance with professional conduct and diligence. Apart from some isolated cases, I was shown in return a common fragrant of respect and dignity that I, of course, never failed to appreciate.

As soon as the banquet was cleared and my duties completed, I dropped

everything and rushed to the one room in the palace where my best of friends,the chandeliers, were still being lit in the ballroom. I entered and made my way to a quiet and dark corner and listened intently to the guests still present and now sitting around the grand ballroom table.

“Who among you agrees with the philosopher?” the king asked.

“It is a very elegant, profound and irrefutable point! What is difficult to agree

with, and what I cannot reconcile, is the realisation that a self-contained system cannot possibly sustain itself if everyone within that same system were to think and live, along such lines!” replied the wise scholar.

“Why not, why is that not possible? How can one know for certain? How can

one say so, if one does not try to venture further into the unknown and see what might be unveiled?” questioned the explorer.

“Because, by proven calculable estimations it will not work,” responded the

engineer.

“And, what is worse, unlikely to even fall within what could be described as even remotely probable,” reaffirmed the statistician.

“Only a fool reconciles faith with mathematics! The momentum of will and spirit is the only deciding factor!” retorted the revolutionist.

“Fool is not the word, my dear brothers, to describe those who lack such faith,” the religious leader reminded.

“Does not survival and power play a more prominent part in this?” suggested

the logician.

“Correct and nothing alongside,” the Machiavellian nodded in sharp approval.

“Why then does art, dance and music succeed where business and politics fail?” interrupted the artist.

“

Because, at the core model of dynamic equilibriums, they are variables

commonly misunderstood to be constants when modelling social phenomena,” the economist replied.

“How can the just institutions of humanity be so downgraded?” the lawyer cried.

“Or the wonder of medicine which brings all closer to the essence of understanding life itself?” the doctor added.

“As necessary as each must be, and let me confirm are, on any battlefield!” the warlord affirmed.

“Are we to discuss necessary in the individual sense or collective sense?” the visionary asked.

“Simultaneously!” the theoretician confirmed.

“Friends, can I propose we vote?” the politician suggested.

“On what?” the student asked.

“We are heading directly towards nowhere,” the lunatic whimpered.

As the conversation continued to flow I noticed only one patron listening

intently and not having the same forceful inclination to speak as to drinking the wine in their glass. Sure enough, my subtle point was similarly observed by the philosopher who soon asked, “My friend and lonely poet – every other person here has fought to make their voice heard and you have listened intently and remained silent? Why have you not yet offered your voice?”

Immediately following the room fell completely silent and all eyes, ears and

hearts stopped to hear what the poet had to say.

“Whilst I am only too aware of the infinite curvature surrounding what is now

being discussed, ever since those beautiful happy smiling dancers left I haven’t been inspired to make a fuss!”

Following an eerie silence a roar of applause and laughter erupted like I had never heard before, or ever since. The grizzly bear awoke in its cage, a monkey danced across the room whilst a black cat appeared from nowhere to listen more intently before tiptoeing out of reaching distance. A trumpet blew even though I couldn’t see the trumpeter. The conversation continued.

“And who was so stupid to ever make it even possible for them to leave?” the

pirate cried.

“These cakes are absolutely delicious!” the jester screamed whilst throwing one across the room and hitting the rapist in the face.

“Succumb to the pleasures of the flesh and every problem you ever had becomes the solution,” the smooth seducer declared.

“If chocolate were a sound, what do you think one would hear?” the drunk belched.

“Less talking and more action!” the composer screamed.

“I’m up for doing stuff!” the actor recited.

“Learn to seduce luck and you’re nearly there,” the gambler confessed.

“Which did you fancy the most?” the clown asked aloud whilst also nudging

the monk.

“What do you mean? Why, all of them … why, I don’t care!” the farmer proclaimed.

“Only the beautiful can get away with anything for they are the bank holding the currency!” the promoter announced.

“The lovely are always the hardest to forget,” the nice guy with a warm smile said.

“Let me declare that I do not discriminate between the beautiful or lovely!” the wizard pronounced.

“What a marvellous conclusion to a book,” the author noted whilst nodding.

“I even wore my shining armour tonight,” the knight lamented.

“Get them back in here!” the banker roared.

“One will always lean toward where one is welcomed!” the traveller suggested.

“Oh, yes,” the genius approved.

“I may be able to help all of us by conjuring up something special,” the magician proclaimed.

“Yes, something special – yes!” a mixed roar of voices followed in perfect unison for the first time that evening.

As the commotion reached tipping point a loud bell was rung. With that the king gestured for everyone’s glass to be filled with wine and an eloquent toast was made by the philosopher in a language I can’t translate.

Shortly following, the happy beautiful singers and dancers were invited and welcomed back into the ballroom to wild applause, more candles were placed into the chandelier, and there were once again more smiles than faces.