Page 165 | The Encyclopedia Of Religion Volume 4
“They are the last two who remember the old peace,” said a voice. Matteo turned. A figure wrapped in shadow—neither male nor female, neither angel nor demon—stood beside him. “The flame is their prayer. If it dies, so does the memory that all faiths once shared a single question: Why do we suffer, and how shall we bear it together? ”
“Take their place. One of them must step away so that a new voice may kneel. But once you kneel, you cannot rise until another comes to read page 165.” the encyclopedia of religion volume 4 page 165
The flame leaped.
Matteo thought of his silent office, his catalogues, his safe conclusions. Then he thought of the wars fought over names for God. He removed his spectacles, stepped forward, and knelt between the nun and the priest. “They are the last two who remember the
The footnote read: When religions forget they are siblings, the keeper must remind them. To read this is to become the reminder. “The flame is their prayer
“Until another reader opens the book,” said the keeper. “Could be a century. Could be tomorrow. But you will not age. You will only wait, and breathe, and hold the question open.”
Here is a story based on the archetype of the “guardian of the threshold,” a common religious and mythological motif:
