Attrition of the Gods: Book 1 of the Mystery Thriller series Gods Toys. by P.G. Burns
Authors: P.G. Burns
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every detail of his week and even more unusually, telling her how much he missed her and wanted her with him. Still, this didn’t prepare her for his final words.
“I love you Regina. More than I ever have or will love anyone or anything.”
His words invoked concern in his wife. She told him she would be home the following day and as they disconnected a feeling of foreboding fell over her.
When Leo hung up he felt bad that for the first time since they met over thirty-five years ago they wanted different things.
He was so happy here. Fifty miles of books and manuscripts fill the Vatican library’s shelves. Packed with knowledge. Millions of books and scriptures. It is the world’s greatest repository for medieval and renaissance manuscripts as well as many incunabula collected or stolen from cultures over the first half of the millennium. The machine that is the Roman Catholic Church owned works of literature and art, science and maths, priceless documents, even parchments that were written before Christianity existed telling of a history forgotten by the world. This fountain of knowledge was Leo’s utopia yet unbeknown to him the adventure was about to escalate and the fun was about to end.
The next day Leo was up and about at the crack of dawn. It was Friday and Leo hoped to get into the office before 07:00 so he could finish early and meet Regina off the plane. She was scheduled to arrive at 15:00 and Leo was looking forward to seeing his loving wife. When he got to the Vatican Sister Bernadette, the nun who looked after the admin at the small office out of which Leo worked, met him at the door.
“You are to go straight to the Papal office,” she told him. “His Holiness wishes to see you.”
Leo was slightly alarmed; the sister had sounded anxious as she hurried him up. Although Leo met with Simeon at least once a week he had only met with the Pope three times during his assignment as the Pope was a very busy man.
Normally Leo would wait for a Swiss guard to escort him but today the nun was insistent that he go straight to the Pope’s personal library. As Leo made his way through St Peter’s Basilica, the greatest of all churches in Christendom, his gaze was drawn to the huge central dome and he was once more overcome by the gravity of his place of work. Leo could not help but be impressed by the Catholics but he also wondered how they could pretend to be the church of the people and the descendants of Christ when they surrounded themselves with such ostentatious architecture. He wondered what the man who threw the traders from his father’s home would make of all this grandiosity.
Eventually he averted his gaze, remembering that he was about to meet with the Holy Father. Quickly he tried to recount his rehearsed explanations for the lack of progress in his search for whatever it was he was looking for. Head down and mumbling to himself, Leo reached the exit of the great church, headed up the corridor that led to the library and walked straight up to the guards who stood at the entrance to Benedict’s apartment. The head guard waved him past, he was obviously expected. As he approached the grand library he could hear the Pope’s voice and that of Simeon, the loyal servant. The discussion was about some book.
“You asked to see me, Your Grace,” Leo said, addressing the Pope.
To his discomfort it was Simeon who answered, still wearing the damned sunglasses.
“Did he fuck? I wanted to see you!”
Leo recoiled in horror and surprise. Did Simeon just curse in front of the Pope? Leo looked at the Pope, the man who is God’s representative on earth, the man who commands over 1.2 billion Catholics across the planet, the most famous man on earth, who was now cowed like a schoolboy brought before the headmaster.
“Sit down, Leo,” ordered Simeon.
Leo immediately recognised an authority in Simeon’s voice that was absent before. He looked again to Pope Benedict.
“Is that okay, Your Grace?” he
“I love you Regina. More than I ever have or will love anyone or anything.”
His words invoked concern in his wife. She told him she would be home the following day and as they disconnected a feeling of foreboding fell over her.
When Leo hung up he felt bad that for the first time since they met over thirty-five years ago they wanted different things.
He was so happy here. Fifty miles of books and manuscripts fill the Vatican library’s shelves. Packed with knowledge. Millions of books and scriptures. It is the world’s greatest repository for medieval and renaissance manuscripts as well as many incunabula collected or stolen from cultures over the first half of the millennium. The machine that is the Roman Catholic Church owned works of literature and art, science and maths, priceless documents, even parchments that were written before Christianity existed telling of a history forgotten by the world. This fountain of knowledge was Leo’s utopia yet unbeknown to him the adventure was about to escalate and the fun was about to end.
The next day Leo was up and about at the crack of dawn. It was Friday and Leo hoped to get into the office before 07:00 so he could finish early and meet Regina off the plane. She was scheduled to arrive at 15:00 and Leo was looking forward to seeing his loving wife. When he got to the Vatican Sister Bernadette, the nun who looked after the admin at the small office out of which Leo worked, met him at the door.
“You are to go straight to the Papal office,” she told him. “His Holiness wishes to see you.”
Leo was slightly alarmed; the sister had sounded anxious as she hurried him up. Although Leo met with Simeon at least once a week he had only met with the Pope three times during his assignment as the Pope was a very busy man.
Normally Leo would wait for a Swiss guard to escort him but today the nun was insistent that he go straight to the Pope’s personal library. As Leo made his way through St Peter’s Basilica, the greatest of all churches in Christendom, his gaze was drawn to the huge central dome and he was once more overcome by the gravity of his place of work. Leo could not help but be impressed by the Catholics but he also wondered how they could pretend to be the church of the people and the descendants of Christ when they surrounded themselves with such ostentatious architecture. He wondered what the man who threw the traders from his father’s home would make of all this grandiosity.
Eventually he averted his gaze, remembering that he was about to meet with the Holy Father. Quickly he tried to recount his rehearsed explanations for the lack of progress in his search for whatever it was he was looking for. Head down and mumbling to himself, Leo reached the exit of the great church, headed up the corridor that led to the library and walked straight up to the guards who stood at the entrance to Benedict’s apartment. The head guard waved him past, he was obviously expected. As he approached the grand library he could hear the Pope’s voice and that of Simeon, the loyal servant. The discussion was about some book.
“You asked to see me, Your Grace,” Leo said, addressing the Pope.
To his discomfort it was Simeon who answered, still wearing the damned sunglasses.
“Did he fuck? I wanted to see you!”
Leo recoiled in horror and surprise. Did Simeon just curse in front of the Pope? Leo looked at the Pope, the man who is God’s representative on earth, the man who commands over 1.2 billion Catholics across the planet, the most famous man on earth, who was now cowed like a schoolboy brought before the headmaster.
“Sit down, Leo,” ordered Simeon.
Leo immediately recognised an authority in Simeon’s voice that was absent before. He looked again to Pope Benedict.
“Is that okay, Your Grace?” he
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