Magna
Regina Brunensis
The synophis: The young clerk Tomáš
Pongrác received a shoulder blade in the parcel and someone wanted to meet him
at the cemetery in Brno.
„There is your
mail,“ said a receptionist to Tomáš Pongrác.
„Thank
you, Ms. Suchá,“ said a twenty-five years old man and assumed the small parcel.
Tomáš
was quite new at Brno City Municipality. He took up as an officer for inner
agenda two weeks ago.
His
office was in a part of a city hall which was only rarely used. There was a
storage of some documents and Tomáš's
office.
His
predecessor died in a car accident so they had been looking for a new clerk. At
the job interview, they said he would do some paperwork. But reality had been
different. Nobody did really know what Tomáš should do.
It
was great for him. He had been sitting in the office, doing nothing and being
paid for it. He had enough time to prepare for a repeated entrance exam.
Although he had been a great student, he failed the entrance exam for postgraduate
studies at Masaryk University.
He
entered his office and opened the parcel. At first, he was very surprised. What
a bad joke! There was a shoulder blade in the parcel.
He
sat down, took the shoulder blade with a tissue and looked at it carefully.
Suddenly he foud out that there was some text on it. It was a message for him!
„Come
to the central cemetery tomorrow. Be in section 18 at 17.45.“
„What
is it?“ Tomáš didn't
understand.
It
was probably a bad joke from Jarek, he thought. Jarek was his friend and a former
flatmate. Jarek was an amateur actor and a big fan of LARP - live action role
play. He loved when he could wear a costume and pretend he was a warrior, a
beggar or a king. He was also a specialist for practical jokes and played a big
joke on Tomáš last year. Jarek and his companions kidnapped Tomáš and pretended
they want to surgically remove his kidney.
Tomáš
decided to stay home tomorrow at first. But then he changed his mind. He knew
how much Jarek loved these jokes. He had prepared it for a long time probably.
Tomáš was going to the cemetery. But in his own way. Jarek would be surprised!
***
Tomáš
had been hiding near the place of meeting. He was wearing a long black coat
because of cold weather in March.
„The
cemetery is going to close in fifteen minutes,“ said a voice from a speaker. It
was the time of the meeting. The sun went down already and the whole area was
being in dark now.
Tomáš
turned around and he saw a person sitting on a bench. He saw only a back of the
person, but he recognized Jarek well. His figure was short and a bit fat.
Tomáš
put his coat off and put on an eye mask. Then he started to sneak up to the
bench.
„Hey,“
Tomáš shouted and he was looking forward to Jarek's surprised face when he would see a skeleton. Tomáš
was wearing a black costume with white bones.
The
figure turned back slowly. It was a woman! She raised her eyebrows and said:
„Tomáš Pongrác?“
„Who
are you? And where is Jarek?“ said Tomáš and hid the eye mask into a pocket.
„I
don't know that man.“
„Is
it another joke like the letter written on the shoulder blade?“
„No,
Mr. Pongrác. I am the author of that letter. Please sit down on the bench.“
„You?
I don't believe you.“
Tomáš
put on his coat and took a look at her again. She was about sixty and her face
was gray.
„My
name is Klementýna Fišerová. I am your predecessor. I had been working as an
office worker for inner agenda for thirty-two years.“
„But
my predecessor is dead.“
„You
have correct information, Mr. Pongrác. I see you don't understand. But we have an appointment in the
crematorium soon. Come with me and I will explain it to you.“
They
were walking through the closed cemetery.
„Ordinary
people don't know that some
creatures normally live among them,“ said Klementýna.
„What
creatures?“
„Pixies,
fairies, water goblins, ghosts, and others.“
„Hm…
I understand,“ said Tomáš and stifled his smile unseen. Jarek had come up with
really interesting LARP.
„People
thought supernatural creatures are like wild animals. But it isn't true. They are quite
civilized. The laws must be obeyed by them because they are citizens of the
Czech Republic. So they need a permanence resident permit or a building permit
as ordinary people. And it is your job because you are the clerk for inner
agenda.“
„It
is very interesting. But nobody told me about it.“
„Naturally.
Because other clerks don't
know about it. People aren't
able to keep a secret. When the original officer for inner agenda retires, he
breaks a new one in. But I died unexpectedly, so you don't know a thing.“
„You
are very open. But I can tell the secret to everybody,“ said Tomáš.
„No,
you can't. You signed an
employment contract. There is a clause that citizens with special status – it
is a name for the supernatural creature in official language – can do
everything with you if you give the secret away. So be careful. The creatures
killed a clerk very awfully in 1923.“
Tomáš
saw a dark skyline of the crematorium in a distance.
„Whom
should we meet?“ asked Tomáš.
„The
ruler of the cemeteries in Brno. She is very powerful. Do you know that the
area of this cemetery is the largest in the Czech Republic? She also rules the
dead men in the ossuary underneath the Church of St. James. The ossuary is the
second biggest in Europe after the catacombs in Paris.“
„I
know the facts, I had been studying history.“
„The
ruler is a very important person and she had condescended to give you an
audience. It would be very useful if you established a good relationship with
her.“
They
were close to the crematorium. They ascended a staircase and stayed in front of
the main entrance. The silence of the cemetery was interrupted only by the
noise made by cars going along Jihlavská street in a neighbourhood.
„Are
you ready?“ asked Klementýna.
„Yes,“
replied Tomáš and he hoped for a quick end of this masquerade.
They
entered a dark main hall. Nobody was there. Only one candelabrum was
illuminating the space and a decorated armchair which was placed on a platform
where the coffin was normally standing.
„Where
are they?“ ask Tomáš.
„Be
patient,“ said the woman.
They
had been waiting for ten minutes, so Tomáš took out his smartphone and started
to play a game.
Then
they heard a sound of bells.
„She
is coming, put the phone into your pocket!“ said Klementýna.
A
side door was opened and a skeleton with a ceremonial wooden stick in its hand
entered. Tomáš thought: It had a similar costume as he did.
The
skeleton tapped with the stick on the floor. „Magna regina brunensis, the ruler
of all cemeteries in Brno, Žofie Chobarová.“
A
lady wearing long, low-cut dress entered the side door. Her skin was pale and
her hair was combed up. She had little bells sewn onto the hem of her skirt.
„They
are death bells. Some old people hear them as ringing in their ears,“ whispered
Klementýna.
The
ruler stayed at the platform. A man wearing a hat and another skeleton stood
beside the platform.
„Come
closer,“ the ruler commanded.
They
went to the middle of the hall.
„Let
me introduce my successor Tomáš Pongrác. If you need to deal with Brno City
Municipality on something, you could contact Mr. Pongrác,“ said Klementýna.
„Nice
to meet you,“ said the ruler and came down from the platform. Bells were
ringing with every of her steps. She came in front of Tomáš.
He
realized she was very pretty. He didn't know what to say. He was a bad partner in small talk with
women so he said the first thing which comes to his mind: „You have really nice
bells.“
„Thank
you,“ the lady smiled. „These bells are very old and they are the insignia of
my role.“
Tomáš
was so relieved that she reacted normally. He took the smartphone out of his
pocket, stayed next to Žofie and said: „Let's take a selfie – just in memory of this LARP.“ He
pressed a button and a photoflash lit up the whole hall.
She
was very surprised and couldn't
say a word. Tomáš checked the photo quickly. But it was very strange. He could only
see himself with a stupid smile. There were neither the women nor the skeletons
in the background.
„What
are you doing?!“ the ruler shouted and knocked the phone out of his hand. The
phone fell down and broke.
„Arrest
this rude guy!“ she commanded.
Two
skeletons caught Tomáš. He felt their bony hands. It was real! They didn't have any costumes! He was
trembling with fear.
„He
is only impolite, but he isn't
dangerous. Could you release him, please?“ Klementýna begged.
„No!“
replied the man wearing the hat. Klementýna knew him. His name was Bedřich
Ochstein and he was an advisor of the ruler. He was slimy and Klementýna didn't like him.
„Go
back to your grave,“ he said and Klementýna rose in the air and disappeared.
Tomáš stared at the scene but then the skeletons dragged him off to a corridor
and then into a room and locked the door.
He
looked around. Some bereaved said their last goodbyes to their dead relative in
this room before a funeral probably.
Tomáš
tried to open the door but it was locked.
He banged on the door but it didn't help him.
„Shut
up!“ said the skeleton who guarded him. „Be quiet or we will do something much
worse with you. For example, we can bury you alive!“
He
was really shocked. He was sitting on the cold floor and was close to tears.
Damn it with his troubled life! He had disabled his older brother by mischance,
he wasn't accepted for his
doctoral study and finally he was arrested by supernatural creatures.
When
he calmed down, he started thinking. He had to escape from this prison. He
checked the windows but they were too small. So what to do?
Tomáš
had an idea. He undressed his skeleton overalls so he was wearing only his
underwear and the long coat. He found a chair in a corner and arranged the
overalls on it. Then he propped a broom against the chair and tied the eye mask
to the broom.
He
started to make a noise to caught the guard's attention. Then he talked in the empty room and
pretended to plan an escape.
„Aren't you a companion of the skeletons
who guard me? Where is the secret tunnel you are talking about?“
The
guards had heard it.
„We
have to stop him! Open the door quickly!“ said one of them.
They
entered the room and run to the chair with the costume. „How did you get here?“
the skeletons shouted at the costume.
Tomáš
had been hiding behind the door. When the guards were in the middle of the
room, he escaped and locked the door. He was free!
He
had to go away quickly. He found a side door to a terrace but the door was
locked. The only exit through in the main hall. If he was lucky, the hall would
be empty already.
But
he heard a quarrel from the hall. He started to listen carefully.
„I
will do as I said, Bedřich. I am going to release him tomorrow,“ Žofie said.
„No!
We must use the opportunity. We should take control of Brno. Nobody stops us.
The clerk for inner agenda is a beginner and he is in our prison,“ Bedřich
said.
Tomáš
peeked inside. Both of them were engrossed in the quarrel. He started to walk
along a wall inconspicuously.
„I
don't break the balance of
power! And stop talking! You are only an advisor,“ Žofie said.
„Not
anymore! If you are too weak to make strong decisions, you should not be the
ruler!“
The
man hit the woman. She fell down.
„What
are you doing?“ she screamed. „Skeletons, defend me against him!“
But
the skeletons didn't come.
They had been locked by Tomáš.
„This
is your end,“ said Bedřich and tore off the bells. Žofie tried to defend
herself, but Bedřich was stronger.
He
opened a gate behind the platform. It was the gate leading to furnaces.
„Fire
is a final way for every dead man. As well as for you, my lady,“ Bedřich said
and dragged her through the gate.
Tomáš's escape was successful. He
passed through the main entrance and nobody had stopped him.
He
was standing outside the crematorium and breathing cold night air deeply.
He
couldn't let Bedřich kill
Žofie! Although she arrested Tomáš, he knew she had been a reasonable ruler.
But Bedřich was a madman. He turned around and run inside the hall quickly.
He
looked for a weapon. He grabbed the ceremonial stick. Then he entered the gate and he was in the
room with furnaces.
Bedřich
had been staying near one of the machines and was reading a text on the screen.
Tomáš didn't see Žofie.
He
had many questions but he wasn't
so stupid as the heroes in the books. He knew that speaking to a villain was a
bad idea. So he hit him with the stick immediately instead. Bedřich fell down
unconscious.
Tomáš
searched the whole room but he didn't
find the woman. There was only one possibility. One of the furnaces was
droning. He opened the stove door. The woman was inside and her body was
burning.
Tomáš
felt despair. He wasn't
able to help her. She died for the second time.
He
heard some noise and saw a hand sticking out of the stove door. Žofie was still
alive! She crept out of the furnace. Her dress, hair, and skin were burnt
awfully.
„How
did you survive?“ Tomáš asked.
„The
furnace needs twenty minutes for warming up. If the temperature isn't too high, bones don't burn.“
Žofie
looked terrible. Tomáš scented a horrible smell of burned meat and he didn't feel well.
„My
beauty is gone,“ she said. It was the last what Tomáš heard. He fell
unconscious.
***
He
woke up lying on a bench at the cemetery at dawn. Klementýna Fišerová was
sitting next to him.
„It
was a very good job you did last night,“ she said.
„I
have many questions. Can everybody see supernatural creatures? Why some dead
men look normally like you do and others are skeletons?“
Klementýna
smiled. „It is a good signal. The new clerk for inner agenda wants answers. So
listen…“
Trams
were passing outside the central cemetery and another ordinary day was
beginning in Brno.
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