Chapter 10 Merlinian Dinner for 2024 Christmas

Balthazar is a strange man. He doesn't show affection much directly, but he is a very family man. Since it is nearly Christmas, he gathers a lot of sorcerers and vampires for a Christmas Dinner, no matter whether we normally are on the same side or not. We all gather at his Vampire castle in Welsh. Since Maxim Horvath and Sun Lok are also fans of classical music, they are also here.

I forgot to mention I am a Native Cantonese speaker, so same as what Maxim Horvath mentioned about Sun Lok: speak impeccable Cantonese, which means I and Sun Lok can speak in Cantonese, our first language.

And it is my very privilege to be in his throne room…no, actually throne room dinner no doubt is a privilege but …more for me is there is live Pipe Organ Music, it's hard to hear it in Hong Kong for Hong Kong doesn't contain many churches with pipe organs, and this time there is an acoustic pipe organ with 8 manuals (keyboard), a pedalboard (like the keyboard, but use your toe and heels to play it), 314 stops(the buttons that you can press or pull next to the keyboard, they work similar as instruments sounds in a digital piano keyboard ),449 ranks 33,112 pipes!

balthazar takes me and David to meet two ghosts, dressed in 18th-century clothes, and as they approach, they slowly turn into human form.

Balthazar: Minnie, meet my mother and my father….(He is embarrassed and looks at his parents.) I'm Sorry, I …forgot your names. (all: laugh) This is my apprentice, Minnie and David. (David nods to both). Minnie, I know you want to play the pipe organ, my father is the organist of the family, well, even though I am the owner of the pipe organ, you should ask him first, for he is the most frequent player.

Organist Blake: Minnie, please to meet you there, sorry for thee… I apologise for the Shakespearean English…from Balthazar's age, you can tell approximately how old I am. Just call me Organist Blake or Organ Blake will do. I remember you always never call Balthazar "Uncle Blake", so, you can call me that way.

Balthazar's mum: if in this case ( looks at her husband, and turns back to Minnie), call me "Aunt Blake"

Minnie: Nice to see you all, it's good to see someone kind and gentle from the Baroque period, sorry, I forgot originally that "baroque" is a bad word, it means "overly luxurious". Can I play the organ? Later, after the dinner just ask first, in case…after all, nobody likes their things being touched without permission.

Organist Blake: The baroque thing? I don't mind. And as for the pipe organ, go ahead, anytime as you wish, as long as you take good care of it, I know you know a little about pipe organs compared to me, just…normal musician rules will do, don't on purpose destroy it, ok? And if you want, I will take you on a little tour of the organ room, where are pipes are beyond most people's eyes. But now I want you to enjoy the dinner and the ball first.

Minne: Woo! One of my wishes has come true: I will visit a pipe organ, play it, go to its heart, and see its inner structure.

As for some of you who want to know what food is present at the dinner, I am sorry to tell you that I forgot, but I only remember there is black pudding ( not really pudding, it is cooked animal blood in solid form). But I remember the drama at the dinner. And the table is at the side of the throne room, it is normally the reading corner for Balthazar when he is in the throne room having his causal reading.

Balthazar was in his antique shop boss clothes when he introduced me to his parents, but at dinner time, he changed into his sky-blue 18th-century outfit, he said it matched the room's style.

The hall during dinner time is arranged into 3 areas (directions according to the view of one sitting on the throne). First, the organ in the throne room above and behind the throne where Organist Blake is playing along with his wife as his page-turner and organ assistant to pull the organ, the dining area on the right next to the wall, which originally was the reading corner where except vampires all are there. Finally, on the left-hand side is a salon (place to socialise) for some of the vampire ghost guests and other human guests who already reserved that they will not eat any food and are focusing on Organist Blake's cosy organ playing.

The table is a very very long table, Balthazar and Veronica are on the short sides, but there are only three places left: Balthazar's left and right-hand side seat (the two most honoured guest seats ), and Veronica's right-hand side seat (most non-important guest seats). The rest of the seats are all sorcerers sitting together due to their covens, and the table is full of different cutlery due to all of us are from different cultures. The only weird thing till now is Drake Stone is sitting next to some Chinese and Japanese sorcerer.

I walk down the stairs of the left-hand side of the organ, now I stand in behind the middle of the left-hand long side of the table as Merlin walks into the throne room from an exit to the corridor to the west wing. I know Merlin will be seated next to Balthazar's right ( most honour guest) due to how Balthazar respects him as his second father, so I am the youngest one by our real age (after all Abigail Williams only looks like a girl, but is 344 years old) walk to the direction of veronica.

Balthazar: my child, wrong sit. Here is your seat.

I look at him, he stands up and pulls the seat on his left, the seat exactly opposite Merlin, the second honour guest. I am a bit nervous walking to my seat, once I sit on it, I start to feel frightened, for notice that Merlin will be the man sitting in front of me and he is always like a headmaster in my impression. Apart from that, how Balthazar cares for me and always keeps me next to him), that he knows I am not a social person, and he knows I will be nervous during such social meetings (even his action of putting me on the second honour guest seat makes me more nervous).

Merlin today appears as a gentle old grandfather walks to the table and sits down as he nods to Balthazar for giving him such an honourable guest seat.

Balthazar is now doing his end-of-year talk before the dinner, he said he will be "quick" but we all laugh knowing it definitely will be "more than two lines".

Balthazar: I will do it quickly. First, thanks for coming, and it's nice to see you all even though we in the past were enemy, and as some of you might remember this place an important palace of vampires or sorcerers, and led to suspect I might be the sorcerer or vampire or even some specific titles that ring in your head, I can confirm you I am both (gently turns to vampire king full form), and I promise you all that you all are safe here, and under my protection ( turns back into human form but let one eye in vampire grey eyes with dim red aura light), I just have two conditions, first, I would like to you ask for your permission to let me stay in this human form with my left eye is in vampire form as a way that I finally no need to hide any part of me to any of you. Second, please accept my apprentice and vampire queen, Minnie. (I stand up and bow nervously) .My talk is finished, enjoy the food.

I nod to Merlin and act not to be nervous, but Merlin as a 1330 years old sorcerer reads my mind and echoes in my head "my child, don't worry, I am same as you,still a young child inside me, nothing to worry, and I know you have the habit of addressing my name in welsh "Myrddin", I don't care how you call me , "Merlin" in English, "Merlinious" in Latin , "Myrddin Wyllt" in welsh my other names, as long as you feel confortable" he gives me a truthful smile too. His words seemed infused with magic and made me more comfortable now.

As I mentioned before, I forgot what was present at the dinner except black pudding and the interections of everybody.

First, there is Drake Stone's incident. In Asian culture, chopsticks should never be 90 degrees to the table, standing like a building. I don't know the meaning of it in other cultures so I will only explain it in Chinese-Cantonese culture: that should never happen except when visiting the graves of the dead, the action means inviting the dead to enjoy the food (yes Cantonese culture believes that even the dead will need to eat and drink or at least smell the taste of the food and drinks) , so does this rules expend to all other cutleries from table knife to forks or spoons. our poorly Drake the first two times after taking the food onto his plate, he just broke that rule, the Japanese sorcerers just can't help but move the public cutlery to let them lay on the plate, while Sun Lok just gives a non-pleasant look on him. And the ghost guest in human form seems to have an agreement with the people around Drake. The third time, Drake did not take the lesson and got snapped by all the sorcerers around him, they hit his hand by using their cutlery ( a very Cantonese-Chinese way to deal with kids who did not behave well at a dining table), and the ghost guest just all reveal their ghost form and laying their hands on the plate of Drake while saying "thank you" or "thank you for the invitation" or "the food are really delicious, thanks for sharing more to me", a ghost guest even move away his plate, that lead to drake screams, luckily the ghost guest is just made a false alarm and later all turn back into human form and continue the dinner like nothing had happened, but I bet this lesson definitely will let Drake never break this rule again)

As the dinner goes on, people are now divided into different group chats (like online Zoom meetings can be divided into different minor discussion rooms while staying in the same major online chat room). As the rest of the folks are chatting (gossiping), I hear a very gentle voice from my front right, it is Balthazar's chanting something in Latin: Lux Aeterna, dona eis requiem.

Merlin knows I will ask the meaning echo in my head: Eternal Light, grant them rest.

Balthazar: my secret gift to all here tonight, keep it secret.

From this on, it automatically became a ballet Pantomime/mime (hand gestures) guessing game (not all are ballet pantomime, but most are)

Merlin gives Balthazar an "I will play along with you" nod.

me: give him a nod …put my right hand on my chest …, Walt Disney's style of pointing at Balthazar him, pointing myself, put my hand above my head on left-hand side later right-hand side, putting my right hand on my chest …a gesture of walking with my fingers …put …cross my arms together while all my fingers are closed.

meaning: (thanks), I got it (I will play along too). (And) you (are) my king, I (will) walk (with)/follow you (even after my) death.

merlin: an easy ballet mime gesture that means kiss (Love you all), copy the exact mime as mine: I (will also) follow you, my king, even I am already dead (as you knew)

Balthazar with a rare smile. he echos in our head: I know it, thanks, keep it secret thanks)

me to Baltazar: put both my hands on my chest use my right hand on my left hand 3rd 4th finger (love you, I am "married" to you as your vampire queen even though I am not your wife)

we three smile together, this is our secret pact.

baltahzar gives us a "shh" sign with a very bright smile.

Becky: oh..I feel something in me. did any of you use magic?

Balthazar still echoes in me and Merin's head: keep it private.

Merlin: oh, Becky, it's just one of our friendly ghosts flows around, they are curious and never want to miss any cosy moments in this palace.

Becky: I think I sense something

a ghost servant doesn't know what is going on but tries to comfort Becky who instantly stands behind her: it's just me walking behind you to collect your empty plates.

balthazar secretly gives a little bow to that ghost servant to hold the secret, even though the ghost doesn't know what is going on, he still gives him a nod.

As the dinner is finished, balthazar finally "set me free".

I will leave you to my parents. Enjoy your pipe organ playing time.

Now the hall is spread into three big groups, the first group is the sorcerers dancing or chatting, and the second group are some vampires that Balthazar trusted, who are right now talking to Balthazar as he is sitting on his throne.

And I divided the rest of the time into two parts, one part is dancing with Horvath and Balthazar, of course also Merlin (gosh, Horvath is such a dancer, also Balthazar!), the second part is playing the pipe organ, (got that Horvath was a Opera singer, he has that voice and skills even according to him, he never sings in front of anybody officially for 100 years !). I definitely will not forget Sun Lok is so beautiful in a dress and how he says I am such handsome in men's clothing in Cantonese!
Guess my 2025 will be fine and even more bravo than 2024!