Fellowship & Fairydust

Dominic finally stirred a few minutes after David left; those words had left him stunned. He began eating again, though he was still digesting that final remark, “no competition.” Was he really here because of a problem, or was he testing me? Dominic thought. What exactly does he know? He realized he would have to find out later, as breakfast was over and he needed to go to the garden.

Even though he was wondering around in the garden, he found himself gravitating towards the cherry tree, the very place he had first met Philomena. By the tree stood a table with three chairs around it, much like how the dining room tables were set up. He sat down in one of the chairs and noticed a piece of paper similar to the one he had in the dining room. Oh, I didn’t get to finish that other paper. Maybe I can finish this one without any interruptions. He bent over the paper and worked on the numerous problems presented. Some answers he knew right away since he remembered them from school, others he had to figure out on his own. After a few minutes of problem-solving, Dominic heard some voices that sounded like they were approaching the cherry tree. He glanced around, trying to find the owners of the voices. Two men came around the bend from behind the cherry tree. One looked younger and happier, while the other looked older and grumpier. The two men stopped when they realized Dominic was watching them.

“What are you looking at?” grumbled the older man.

“Now, now, he was probably wondering who was disturbing his quiet study time,” laughed the younger man. “We apologize for speaking so loud.”

“Speak for yourself; I want to find just one of those fellows to talk to and leave soon,” snapped the older man.

“Who exactly are you looking for?” asked Dominic.

“Oh, the King was unavailable when we wished to speak to him, so one of the servants told us to come to the garden and find one of Princess Philomena’s suitors to talk to. We did find some, but they turned us away to work on some problems the King gave them. That’s mainly why Jonah here is so grumpy; we’ve already been turned down by eight others,” replied the younger man.

“Well, I’m one of the suitors, and I wouldn’t mind listening to you. Please, have a seat,” said Dominic, standing up to offer the other two seats.

“No way! You’re not even an adult!” shouted Jonah.

“I am sixteen, sir, and the princess is only fourteen. I don’t see what’s…”

“You can be a suitor for the princess, but I’m not talking to a boy! I want to speak to an adult!” Jonah continued to yell.

“V-very well, sir. I-I only offered because you have been turned down so many times and because the servant said one of the suitors, one of which I am. Y-you may continue to look for someone more to your tastes, b-but this table is still open to you if you cannot find anyone else to your liking,” Dominic stammered, taken back by the outburst.

“Oh, now look what you’ve done. You’ve hurt the poor boy’s feelings. Now we are going to sit and talk with him because of it,” said the other man. The sternness in his voice surprised both Dominic and Jonah.

“Alright, Joseph, we’ll talk with this one. When we’re done, we’re still going to look for a real adult,” growled Jonah, glaring at both Joseph and Dominic.

“Thank you, Jonah. Now, since you now know our names, young fellow, why don’t you tell us your name?” Joseph asked, his voice back to its earlier gentleness.

“Oh, um, my name is Dominic Savio, and thanks for…”

“Oh, great! Not only is he not an adult, he’s also the son of a blacksmith! How much worse can this get?” Jonah shouted in fury as he was sitting down.

“He is also one of Father John Bosco’s best students. Just because he is from a poorer family compared to yours doesn’t mean he’s stupid,” Joseph calmly retaliated.

Jonah grumbled and rolled his eyes. “Well, then let’s hurry it up and get this over with. I’ll go first. Have you heard of Neline?”

“Yes, I have. It’s that new territory that finally repented and began obeying the King’s laws,” replied Dominic.

“Yeah, that’s the place. I was the one sent to tell them that the King was going to destroy them,” said Jonah.

“That was you? You mean you’re the one who got…” Dominic started.

“Let me finish, kid,” growled Jonah, interrupting him. “Yeah, that was me. Don’t even mention anything else. My problem is that the King said he would destroy them, but he decided to let them live! How could he have done that if he sent me to tell them they would be destroyed? It makes me look bad!”

“Didn’t the King also say that those who repented and obeyed his laws would be spared?” asked Dominic.

“Yes,” grumbled Jonah.

“So, what’s your problem? They decided to reform their ways and the King decided to give them a second chance. He can’t keep killing everyone who disobeys the laws, even if they do it just once. There would be no people left and we wouldn’t get the chance to learn from our mistakes. Is there anything wrong with giving someone a second chance? If you were to make a mistake and want a second chance, wouldn’t you like to be given it?” Dominic asked.

“Yeah, I guess so,” sighed Jonah. “But I was sent there to inform them that the King was going to destroy them, no doubt about it! How can those people take anything he says seriously if he says one thing, then turns around and does something else?”

“It may seem like that, but I believe His Majesty wanted them to know that he is kind and merciful. Nobody in their right mind wants to be ruled by a tyrant. I’m sure it also eased any fears about him being such a man,” stated Dominic.

“Wow, he is not just smart, he is also very wise for a boy his age. We should listen to more people like this; we can learn quite a few things from them,” smiled Joseph. “Did that solve your problem, Jonah?”

“Maybe, but I still want to talk to an adult. I’ll leave you to have your brains picked while I go look for one,” grumbled Jonah. He didn’t wait for an answer as he stood up and stomped off.

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