The Shrine

Story and song by Gunivortus Goos
Image in commission for this site made by Ahmed Raafat Abbas

The small community where he lived, close to the border, was in dire need of funds. The access roads to the village had suffered greatly during the long and harsh winter. When farmers had to drive their tractors and heavily loaded trailers over these roads to deliver the harvested sugar beets to the collection point, the condition of the road worsened significantly. In recent weeks, several accidents had occurred, causing both adults and children to fall due to the potholes. The local doctor found herself with a lot of extra work and even had to send two of the unfortunate victims to the hospital. Although the district to which the community belonged wanted to assist in repairing the damages, they demanded a substantial contribution from the community. However, with their coffers nearly empty, the town council sought to raise funds by offering a larger patch of woodland for sale. The asking price was enticing enough to tempt him into making a purchase. Although he had been saving to renovate his old house a bit, that wasn’t an immediate necessity.

He immediately seized the opportunity and purchased the forest from the community, especially since it bordered his own small plot of land. There was something about the forest itself that compelled him to make this decision. No one from the village dared to enter it, as it was widely believed to be haunted by spirits. When the villagers learned that he had bought the little woodland, most looked at him with pity, and some remarked that he even better could have thrown his money out the window instead.

When the weekend arrived and he finally had some free time, he quietly approached the edge of his garden, climbed over the fence, and stepped into the forest. There were no comfortable hiking trails, so he simply followed a narrow game path. The forest was stunning, with wild plants everywhere, some in bloom, and majestic trees lining the narrow trail. Only the soft sounds of animals and the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard.

After about three-quarters of an hour, during which he was continually enchanted by the forest’s abundance, he arrived at a clearing approximately 50 to 60 meters in diameter. In a circle stood towering stones, and at the center was a nearly square rock, about the height of a dining table. He stood there for a long time, amazed and delighted by this undoubtedly ancient monument. Then he walked slowly, almost in reverence, around the stone circle until he returned to his starting point

Then he walked between two of the tall stones and approached the stone table. Upon reaching it, he noticed heavily weathered letters on its front side. One word contained the letters ‘deo,’ which he immediately wrote down in his small pocket notebook. A second word appeared to be ‘oraculv,’ though the last letters of this word were illegible. Recognizing the words as Latin, he speculated that the stone table might be the shrine of a god from Roman-Germanic times, as ‘deo’ pointed to a deity. The second word likely meant oracle or prediction. If he pieced it together correctly, then this rectangular stone was indeed a shrine dedicated to an oracle god.

He gently placed both hands on the stone. Instantly, he felt a growing warmth beneath his palms, yet it remained pleasant. Then, a voice spoke in his mind… He quickly withdrew his hands, and the voice fell silent. However, his curiosity got the better of him, and since it didn’t seem dangerous, he placed his hands back down, and the voice returned, prompting him to respond. During the conversation, a figure of the ancient god emerged behind the shrine, initially shimmering and then almost appearing real.

After a few minutes, the conversation came to an end, and with great reverence, he left the stone circle and made his way home. That night, he found it impossible to sleep, still overwhelmed by the experience in his forest.

As he realized that his memory of the ‘Conversation at the Stone’ was beginning to fade, he quickly jotted down everything he could still recall. He didn’t want to spread this unique tale around the village – people would likely think he had ran crazy or wander through his forest in groups to check if the clearing with the stones actually existed. The forest would undoubtedly suffer greater harm in the process. Thus, he decided to turn his notes into a song and publish it online under a pseudonym, without any geographical details or revealing his name. Perhaps some serious interested parties would reach out, and he would have the power to decide whether to make contact.

Below the related song with lyrics