Chapter 12: The main pavilion (The athame queen the wooden spoon and the bard)

A woman all dressed in black stands before you.. her eyes look a bit distant and harried and you see that she looks a bit tired as she takes your hand. Yet at the same time you sense a feeling of building anticipation and a need. Various other robed wiccans are scurrying around gathering more things and bumping into one another.  One of them is nearly run over by two more priests who come in with another postulant. ( you hear one of the ones mutter as they get up some more water, “damn how many more are there”) ( you also notice the new postulant is nursing his elbow which looks to be a bit grazed)  You gaze around and see you are in the antechamber of a pavilion tent. You are in the centre of a disorganised malestrom.. which sadly seems to differ from your intial impression with the blindfold on.   Several black and purple robed wiccans stand around holding either wands or staffs or athames.  (they look like extras on a movie set told to HOLD THIS and DO THIS, you wonder what they would actually do if they were asked to use their wand or staff or athame)  A couple of them are huddled in a corner reading in turn from some papers quietly. 

The alcove is filled with weaving smoke and candle light. ( you notice several large wrought iron candelabra... looking at one in particular with twists and turns as it moves from the main trunk to the branches of the candelabra holding the flickering candles).  You notice that the candelabra seems to move and then topples over slowly onto the ground.,, You feel a wind lift the side of the tent like a large hand.  The candles scatter on the straw on the floor and you see the postulants drop their tools and put out the small flames that start... your eyebrows lift at the most unspiritual language... You are guided to a draped opening and taken through.  You are in a large pavillion tent, the floor is covered in straw.  In the centre is a large cauldron with flames sporadically leaping out of it . Flanking it are two smaller cauldrons with clumps of smoke coming out. You see a couple of acolytes attempting to tend the cauldrons. Over in the middle of the far wall is set up an ornate altar with wrought iron candelabra holding black and white candles

You hear music coming from around you, some drumming and a calling voice,, you recognize it as one of the tapes that is played incessantly round the wiccan grove. ( you remember that spot where the tape flutters and continues. and as you do it does it again making you wince gently).  You can hear some gentle drumming and music that is seeming to try and bolster and support the music.