The Man in the Tower

I sail for many days nonstop after my encounter with the beautiful woman. She gave me so much food and drink that I won't need to stop for quite some time yet, but I think it would be nice to sleep on solid land for one night. So, I leave my boat on the Rhine's bank and head up the hill to high ground, looking for a place to sleep with a view. As I reach a clearing at the top of the hill, I notice that this area is much busier than the last—I've passed several people already on my hike up the hill, and I can see many more bustling in a market area below on the other side of the hill.

I speak to some of the folks, most of whom looked fairly well-fed and were dressed in heavy fabrics. They asked me about my business there (I told them I was passing through on my way home), and I asked them about their town.

"We've been struck by a famine this year," says an older woman, gesturing towards fields behind her that contained rotting grain, by the looks of it. She continued, "Most of us have made it this far alright, because we have family stores from last year, but many of the poor in this area are on the brink of death. Only the bishop has enough in his stores to share with them, and he's hosting all the poor tonight in his barn over that way." She points to a structure by the river, close to only a tall, forbidding-looking stone tower.

I watch as many people, wearing rags for clothes, enter the building. Dusk is fast approaching, so it isn't easy to see much. Hearing a bang, I can only assume that the building's doors were closed. I lie down on the ground and shut my eyes, welcoming sleep.

Seconds later, shrieks rise up from the river's edge, and a burst of light penetrates through my eyelids. I scramble to my feet and look on in horror as the barn catches fire, burning everyone inside. The townspeople around me are crying, for they know the poor people who have undoubtedly just lost their lives.

As we watch, a boy comes riding up the hill on a horse, screaming, "He's gone crazy! The bishop finally went mad! He said he set the barn on fire on purpose after locking everyone in because he didn't want the hungry to deplete his stores!"

"Where is the bishop now?" someone screams.

"He's locked himself in his tower, fearing retribution because the voice of God sounded and told him he would be gravely punished!" gasps the boy.

Murmurs come from the crowd. Some people say they want to kill the bishop right away, while others think we should wait and let God's discipline take place.

I listen as these deliberations last all night. The sun is rising over the hills now, and I can just make out the barn's ruins in the faint lighting. Only embers remain, and I feel rage boiling inside of me.

Everyone is staring at the smoldering remains now. As we watch, someone points out a dark shadow making its way quickly over the hill behind the tower. It was monstrous, made up of not one being, but thousands, tens of thousands! As the shadow reaches the bottom of the tower, I call out, "RATS!" having identified the small beings. The rats scale the tower's walls easily, reaching the top in seconds. We are silent, transfixed by the scenes in front of us, but a horrifying scream sounds from within the tower, and we know what is happening. The rats are eating the bishop alive as payment for his sins.

As quickly as they came, the rats leave the tower and disappear over the distant hills. All of us onlookers are quiet, shocked by the events that we have witnessed. I realize it's time for me to go, and—with a horrible feeling of loss—I make my way down the hill towards my boat, hoping never to encounter such a thing again.

As the sun continues to rise, a reflect on how witnessing such a tragedy makes me all the more ready to return home to my family. Thankfully, I've been travelling for weeks on end, and I should reach my destination today!

At long last, as night is falling over the Rhine and its surrounding hills, my town comes into view. With my heart beating out of my chest, I dock my boat quickly and race up the path towards my home. I see it now! It's windows are tinted red and flickering from the fire within, and I see my children racing about inside; a feeling of elation comforts me as I walk over the threshold, home at last.