The Outsider Ch. 02

The Master spotted two detail-oriented children, whom, he teamed up with two Disney characters, To make the top team the Detail Team. Below them was the Advanced Group, consisting of several Disney characters, and many children did the prep work for the Detail Team. The Basics Team was made up of many people. For the detailed areas such as the Christ-child and the face of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all crews would overlap many times until the area was slowly unveiled, grain by grain.

While Mr. David and Mr. Joe were playing Chutes and ladders with some of the children, Mr. David's face froze. "THAT'S IT; there is the answer, Joe, look at the board, it is connected without being connected."

The senior partner watched David's presentation from the back of the room; he left with no comment. If you ever played Chutes and ladders, you would know that a player walked down a cement pathway; if they are lucky they could climb a ladder to ascend a level; if unlucky, they would be forced to descend a level on a chute. However, the different materials never touched.

So, Mr. David, along with Mr. Joe, came up with a brilliant plan. The laser-cut the acrylic for channels for the excess paint to go. Everything was on the template was Snap-On so that the kids could connect them. The children would learn how to steam wood so they can bend it. Some had balsa wood that was hollowed to the thickness of an eggshell but was not noticeable from the outside.

The critical areas that needed more strength were three-D printed. As a result, the mass, density, and the weight dropped significantly. A contractor was listening to Mr. David and asked. "How are the kids going to know how to paint the window?" Mr. David paused; he didn't have an answer; the idea was overlooked. "Do you have High Definition full-color images of the window on your computer?" How about section banners you can lay under the acrylic with either numbers or the full picture for them to paint?

"Not yet, but we can get them."

The projects that were being revealed to Paris were few and far between, Marie Ann must be doing things in secret. When Marie Ann's friends heard the announcement, all the regulars at the plaza were sworn to secrecy.

During mid-day, all the children had downtime; after all, these were very sick children who needed their rest.

Twenty minutes before the event, there was a commotion on the big screen, which awakened Beth; the ordinary scene had changed, but there was no mistaking the new image. She crept over to awaken Francine.

Francine, once she realized what was going on, could only point to the screen and speak French.

"Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!"

They, of course, we're looking at The Cathedral au Notre-Dame de Paris.

Every soul in the room was now transfixed onto the screen. Marie translated to everyone that tonight was a Saturday night vigil marking two months after the fire, and tomorrow was the Anniversary of the dedication of the High Altar.

As the cameras approached the doors, Beth let go of Francine's hand and faded back into the group. The trio of Francine, Marie Ann, and Marie went to the front of the room, knelt, crossed themselves and said a prayer. Marie translated the mass.

The children were now seeing the inside of the real Cathedral. Many were interested in the Rose window, but all were fixated on the gold cross.

Beth said, "God saved His cross because it is so important to Him, and it needs to be imperative to us. Marie Ann could not choke back her tears.

Marie took her great-great-great-grandchild to one side. "Marie Ann, I know you are going to use hand tools on the cross so your blood and sweat will become part of it. You will need to clean up teams. When it is all clean, you will need to prime it so your paint can stick, don't you think you could use some help?"

While using a massive, coarse bastard to remove the bark, some of Marie Ann's blood was spilled.

The cross, now with no bark and cleaned up was pure white, Marie Ann agreed to let the children lend a hand with the cross. Marie had the children surround the cross but alternated the position so each child could prime one body width of the cross. Beth looked at the bottom of the cross and saw a space, then she looked up and saw their Official Frenchman sitting in the corner. Beth pushed the boy's wheelchair to the base of the cross, put his right hand on hers, and said, "We will do it together, as a team."

By now, the children were following Beth's lead; she always had good ideas. The children all looked at the group of adults standing in the room. Without a word, every parent grabbed their child's hand, followed by the Disney people. Marie Ann sprinted toward the double doors.

Marie Ann got on the elevator and descended to the first floor, from there, she headed to the Chapel. The priest was putting out Bibles and hymnals; attendance had risen since the project started. He was in a good mood, two people in the hospice wing confessed their sins to him, it was a change from giving last rites.

"Father, I am here to confess my sins," Marie Ann stated,

After the priest sat Marie Ann in a chair, he said, "So what do you have to say to me?"

"Father, I have been very selfish, I wanted to do the cross all by myself, all those people would have stood there watching me paint the entire cross, even though they desperately wanted to help."

"So, what is your solution, Marie Ann?"

"I suppose I need to apologize to everyone."

"Then what?"

"I don't know Father; I am feeling too guilty to think that far ahead."

"Tell me, would the color of the cross change if it dried at different points in time or some areas took longer to dry?"

"Areas could get darker if they don't dry at the same rate."

"The answer is quite simple, isn't it?"

"Father?"

"Go buy the smallest brush you can find with a long handle, then show everyone how little it covers, and inform them you need help,"

Meanwhile, Francine sent Marie Ann's friends on some covert ops; she knew Marie Ann wanted at least seven days of celebration while she unveiled the treasures; the first few days had to be concerts.

Marie Ann's school had a trendy band, they used some back-channel web sites, and their agent would give the information to the interested parties. The agent did not hold out much hope for success.

He was not optimistic because he didn't know how to distribute the secret information. How do you attract crowds when you are unable to pay the performer, have no promotion, and have entirely free concerts? The agent had to agree to this to keep the local talent on the same level as the better groups.

"At least I don't have to worry about Headliners playing at the concerts."

The children of St. Vincent's didn't understand why all work on the cross stopped. It took two weeks before Marie Ann got her supplies; Marie Ann brought a large box up to the stage. She finally pulled out three sable artist paintbrushes; each gold tipped in metallic gold paint.

Marie Ann then mounted the stage, "I have to apologize to all of you; I was very selfish to want to do the cross all by myself. After all, God sent His Son to save not only me but all of us. We are each on our Spiritual Journey; we need to take our path with God's timetable.

"For me, it all started by running to the Abby to have my parish priest to ring the bells. I was told to tell him just one word. The word was Molly. I didn't know what was going on, and my priest told me I had to listen to what God wants to say to me, I am not doing very well at that. You all know Miss Daisy and Miss Molly; I think they know me better than I know myself." Every head, including the adults, nodded their heads.

"Please forgive me for being such a fool. I could use a roller, and get the job done in thirty minutes; the problem with that is it would look like I only wanted to put in thirty minutes' worth of effort. I would disrespect you and God; I am painting a cross for a church that had a fire in my hometown, an extraordinary church. I am not painting a bedroom that needs to have two coats put on it, and have it dried before nightfall."

"You have all proven to be artists, and artists use artist paintbrushes not dissimilar to this one, the problem is this" Marie Ann dipped her brush in some water and brushed a sketchbook page. "It doesn't cover that much; I will need the help of all of you."

"Bonjour, Monsieur Citoyenne Honoraire, Bonjour, Mademoiselle Beth." Marie Ann handed each of them their paintbrush. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle Marie Ann," both chorused back, Beth giggling

By this time, Francine, Marie, and Miss Director started handing out the paintbrushes in a roll call like fashion. Then a boy exclaimed, "Hey, this brush has my name on it." It was true, they all had a keepsake, even though the Disney characters had an overlap between Euro Disney, Disney World, and Disneyland.

The brushes caused quite the commotion; the room was abuzz with chatter. It took two days to paint the cross; the vicious paint took longer to dry than first thought.

The statue committee was getting magnified images every day. They met every morning to go over what they needed to do that day.

Marie Ann was overwhelmed on the day the window sections came in. Each was matched up with its banner, and the kids started using the translucent paint for the first time. They were now experts with the paint; each knew how to dab a spot of paint on the pane, some could give the paint a quick swirl to make an Aged pane.

The window grew wildly. Marie Ann asked for the little boy's iPad, knowing the diameter, Marie Ann was shocked at the number; the window was over 1,400 square feet.

On the day the children were finishing painting the cement pieces, Mr. David and Mr. Joe came down to visit the ward. They knew empirically, through simulator testing, the window should hold, seeing it in person made them doubt their numbers. Because of the size of the window, it had to be hung well before it was to be dedicated. A cheer went up as Beth, and the little boy depressed the first piece into place. There was a time-lapse camera to document the construction of the window. The impressive, elaborate landscape grew to its monstrous size before our very eyes.

The final day of the installation was a glorious day. The workers finished moments before sunset; the children were the first to get a sneak peek, the view was exquisite, the glowing fireball, streaking though the multi-colored window, mesmerized the entire room.

Sunrise found Marie Ann video-chatting with Mr. David, "Wake up sleepyhead, don't you want to see a room with a view?"

"What a sight! However, I am considering having a serious chat with God and ask Him why He scheduled sunrise so early in the day."

"I still can't believe it works, Marie Ann, did I tell you I am in line for a promotion, I sign the bonus tomorrow, but it will take a month or so to get me up to speed with everything. How about you and me, tomorrow evening, dinner, you pick the place.

When the kids found out that Marie Ann had a dinner date, they spread the word and lay in wait. When Marie Ann was gathering her things to leave, there was a feeling of conspiracy in the air. Then everyone let out a chorus: "Marie Ann and Mr. David sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." Marie Ann turned fifty shades of embarrassment, then turned around and stuck out her tongue. Everyone laughed even harder. Beth was the first one in on the plot, she taught Mr. David many phrases, and likely responses, Marie helped with the food choices.

The dinner, of course, was candlelight, David ordered for both of them in French, most of the items were off-menu, but the chef had not made them in years, he insisted he on making his specialty desert, also off-menu, for the couple.

The chef came out to talk to Marie Ann. Marie said, "Sir, I am a Parisian. I was here when the fire happened. It was suggested I use my love of art to help me through my problems. I am in charge of the Norte Dame project at St. Vincent's. I also teach the kids about France. My friends are the reporters in France, so you get honest to goodness, Parisian to Parisian reporting. Keep your eye on the blogs and Facebook pages for secret reveals."

The following day, Marie approached Francine, "Francine, I thought before we start the reveals, we should have some concerts to get people in the mood."

Francine looked in a folder she was carrying and handed Marie Ann several pages, "This is the latest list, I broke them down into Rock, Country and Blues genre's, but Classical would not be a problem."

"We can't afford to pay these people; do you realize how much money people pay to get one ticket for them?"

"Oh, your high school band's agent is good, he convinced to have all those "A-lister's" start a European tour in Paris. Paris would not be promoted, so no one will know they will be there, and if they spot a promising band, they agreed to take them on tour. I will keep you updated every week."

Marie Ann went slack-jawed.

Beth mentioned, "Marie Ann, that is not very sanitary, flies will get in if you keep your mouth open much longer."

Many of the secret projects were being completed, Marie Ann even commissioned some smaller relics.

The High School band was the first to take the stage to kick off the concerts. The concerts were billed "Free concerts on the plaza." No mention of who as playing.

When the first "Headliner" took the stage, social media erupted. Most people thought all the bands would be awful. Here was a group that charges over 100 Euros for a ticket, and it was not difficult to get within a few feet of the stage. The sets were far longer than their typical concert, and they were having a good time.

Marie was in one of her downtimes when her mind drifted back to all those posts she received while Daisy and Molly lived at "Image of God" then it hit her. Marie walked over and had a word with Molly.

"Marie Ann, Beth, can you come here, please?

"Thank you for coming girls. I want to play a game with you that some of my friends played when I was at Image of God. The trick is you have to name or define yourself as an animal."

"Marie, what animal would you choose?"

"Oh, a bear, most defiantly, Miss Molly."

"Well, let's see how creative these youngsters can be."

Marie Ann protested, "This is silly Miss Molly, I am French, I don't know all the cartoon ones over here."

"Can you name something French, that has the meaning of a bear?"

Marie said, "Miss Molly, that is her 'I'm, going to get even with your face.' There is an obvious choice, but she's mad at you right now. It would be miraculous if she gets this."

Marie Ann stated, "I know you, you could have said that same thought many other ways, you always try to trick people and see if they can figure it out.

"So, lets recap, it's French. Anything to do with miracles must be related to a saint, most likely a female one and the name has a meaning of a bear.

"Joan of Arc is the one you would think of first, so she can't be it, it is too recognizable. I know, Bernadette, I love her vision."

Miss Molly said, "What does she have to do with a bear? I am not sure that counts."

Marie said, "Miss Molly, the name means, strong, fierce bear. She found a spring of healing waters at Lourdes. Well deduced Marie Ann."

"Wow, a real Saint, how cool is that," said Beth, "I will have to think hard."

Beth raised her hand, "Can I have two? The names are almost the same."

"Well, I never said you couldn't have two. I guess it is not against the rules."

"Daddy told me of a story of St. Ursula, she was a Saint a long time ago, she got killed when she was young. She is nothing like Saint Bernadette, she is a minor saint and a princess, you probably never heard of her. Her name means little, female bear.

"My second one is, Ursa Minor, meaning small bear, you probably know it as the little dipper, before I got sick, Daddy would take a day or so off work, for us kids to see something special in the sky, like some close planet, eclipses, and of course, meteor showers. We would go up to our cabin high up in the woods that had a great view of the sky out on the back deck. We all had telescopes with motors on them so you could adjust the telescope to the right part in the sky. The sky was so black, and the horizon was so broad and flat because of the lake. Sometimes, we got in our sleeping bags and fell asleep looking at shooting stars."

By this time, Marie Ann settled down in her chair, after borrowing the little boy's iPad. She wanted to read about St. Ursula. As soon as she started reading, she crossed herself and handed the iPad to Marie, who copied her actions, "They were mere babies." Marie Ann began to pray for those who died eight-teen hundred years ago. The slaughter of innocents was so great, it was inconceivable.

The iPad was next passed to Molly, then reluctantly to Beth.

"Well that settles it, she will be my favorite saint all time, I don't care if she is a minor saint, she and her followers died because of their faith."

Later in the day, Molly was surfing the web to get the current phone number for the seamstresses in Orlando. She called them.

"Hello, this is Miss Molly. I want to put in an order for a wardrobe for two teddy bears please."

"Miss Molly, is this a crank call? We are professional seamstresses. We don't do doll clothes and especially not bear clothes."

The remark perked the interest of one of the workers and signaled to the owner that she wanted to talk to Molly.

"Hello, this is Racheal, to whom am I speaking?"

"This is Miss Molly, I wanted to order wardrobes for two teddy bears, but your owner seems against it."

"Miss Molly, it is an honor to speak with you, I will do your bears for you, even if I have to do them on my own time. Beauty inspires me, and I think I am a better person for it. The Royal Carriage never gets old.

"Can I have the bio's, please?

"Number one name is Beth; she picked out St. Ursula and Ursa Minor, also known as the little dipper. She has cancer, she is helping with the Notre Dame project, and the kids look to her as a leader.

"Number two's name is Marie Ann, she picked out St. Bernadette, she is a Parisian and oversees the Notre Dame project. She is also a new Christian. The kids look to her as a leader as well.

Can I show you something?" Rachael brought the ower of the shop over to the pictures. "We started doing bears over eighty years ago, but have not done any for several generations. They serve as comforters, at least seven went to people who had lost loved ones. A year before we started doing bears, the entire town got washed into the river or subsequentially had to be razzed. They had to rebuild their entire village. The only thing that survived was their Beloved Christmas Tree. Each person got their bear or horse for a different reason, but the group was by invitation only.

"This is Beauty; she is the most loved of all the dolls, so much so, she later received a Golden Royal Carriage. The shop had to be shut down for a week to make her things; everyone had to work on something of hers. Here is the real Beauty; she inspires me so.

After that, the owner read the testimonial Michelle wrote, so many years ago.

"Did I hear you ask for bio's?"

"Yes, here they are, there is more information this time than we normally get."

"These don't say what they want."

"Well, we are professionals; they want us to dream big; we have total freedom. These are female bears, think of your wardrobe, then triple it.

"Marie Ann is a French girl who loves her country, you might want to include dress of the French Revolution, a day at the beach, casual, a night out on the town, and you need more than one outfit for each. Some pieces will need St. Bernadette on it. Perhaps, a pearl necklace and earrings.