Some days after his execution Balthasar Gerard found himself alone on the Goodwin Sands a small unseaworthy boat having left him there some hours earlier<\/p>\n
As he looked out to sea he saw the boat and its meagre crew disappear into the sea far short of the imagined horizon<\/p>\n
The assassin touched his chest and found his heart intact. He bore no reminders of the torture he had experienced which surprised him greatly<\/p>\n
He suddenly became aware that he was no longer alone as a man was seated on a chair on the edge of the sands<\/p>\n
The man wore fine clothes but was plain in presentation<\/p>\n
The assassin\u2019s clothes shamed him<\/p>\n
The man in the chair gestured Balthasar towards him<\/p>\n
As he shortened his distance the assassin saw that the man was wearing a wide-leaved loosely shaped felt hat with a cord made from silk around the crown<\/p>\n
His loose coat was made from a grey frieze cloth and worn over a tawny leather doublet and hung over the side of the chair hiding his breeches<\/p>\n
The man was watching Balthasar<\/p>\n
We both live do we not? <\/i><\/p>\n
It appears so but I delivered a pistol whose violence scarred the wall behind you <\/i><\/p>\n
Oh yes it went through me with ease<\/i><\/p>\n
Then why do you live? <\/i><\/p>\n
That is a mystery <\/i><\/p>\n
Why are we here?<\/i><\/p>\n
This must be the afterlife <\/i><\/p>\n
On a sand bank which I suppose will be covered in good time<\/i><\/p>\n
Then it will not fault our occupation <\/i><\/p>\n
Balthasar moved forward and placed his hand on the man\u2019s shoulder and as he did so the man began to fade<\/p>\n
The assassin was alone again<\/p>\n
He was assessing his station when he noted a movement in the low waves<\/p>\n
There were mermaids nearby confident in their exhibition. He shouted to them but received no reply<\/p>\n
Soon the fish began to sing and their songs began to drown out the bold breeze<\/p>\n
If this was his damnation then it was meek in association with his actual life<\/p>\n
The assassin let this sentence repeat itself in his head and he walked across the sandbank<\/p>\n
The waves were getting nearer and soon the sea had covered the sands was up to his chest<\/p>\n
He did not fear the sea for as a dead man could not drown but as the sea overwhelmed him he began to swim<\/p>\n
As he did so a mermaid indicated that he should swim with her<\/p>\n
He recognised her face as being that of the prince\u2019s sister who had held her dying brother in her arms<\/p>\n
You bear me no malice? <\/i><\/p>\n
The mermaid did not answer as she was condidering her reply<\/p>\n
I am returning to Delft assassin; swim for another three hours in this direction and you will deliver yourself to an English coastal town. In time you will become a merchant in your adopted country but you will return to the country of your birth. No-one will recognise you as a considerable number of years will have passed. You will visit me in my chamber and we will prepare maps of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
But why the universe is this world not enough?<\/i><\/p>\n
The mermaid gestured that the assassin swim away and as he did so he saw her vanish beneath the waves<\/p>\n
Ten years passed and as the mermaid had predicted he had become a rich merchant but had not moved from the town for fear of reprisal<\/p>\n
He was after all an assassin<\/p>\n
Balthasar often looked the long beach of the town as he sat by the window of his office. He could see the town-folk come and go and on clear days the mermaids in the sea<\/p>\n
One day a fellow Dutchman visited his office<\/p>\n
Balthasar immediately knew he was the same man that he had met on the sandbank<\/p>\n
It was the prince he had assassinated<\/p>\n
The clothes that he wore were same but had aged somewhat although they exhibited no signs of his destruction<\/p>\n
We meet again assassin <\/i><\/p>\n
Am I dead? I feel that I am alive but suspect the afterlife<\/i><\/p>\n
The man did not immediately answer and looked at the window<\/p>\n
What can I do for you prince? <\/i><\/p>\n
I ask you to return to your homeland. You will not be harmed as you have been forgiven <\/i><\/p>\n
If that is your pleasure <\/i><\/p>\n
I have no pleasure but ask that you visit my sister in Delft and describe the universe to her<\/i><\/p>\n
I know nothing of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
Then aid my sister with your meagre knowledge <\/i><\/p>\n
Why did you forgive me? <\/i><\/p>\n
Because I guessed your motive and as I faded I received the greatest gift of all<\/i><\/p>\n
What was that gift? <\/i><\/p>\n
A vision of Our Lord in all his splendour<\/i><\/p>\n
That was a great gift <\/i><\/p>\n
I knew that you had been commanded by others to do your task but this was of no issue for you gave me the witness that many men seek<\/i><\/p>\n
Will you share refreshment with me so we can talk further? I am intrigued by your story <\/i><\/p>\n
It is no story assassin <\/i><\/p>\n
The man smiled and looked towards the long beach again. He began to fade and soon Balthasar was alone again<\/p>\n
Later as he finished his port Balthasar noticed a small orb floating above the furthest window. It floated towards the heavy wooden door and then remained still<\/p>\n
The assassin knew that he must leave his adopted country and visit the sister of the prince<\/p>\n
Two days later after a passive crossing he found himself travelling towards Delft<\/p>\n
He had placed the orb in the pocket of his heavy coat<\/p>\n
No-one recognised the assassin and he was able to move freely and on the third day after his departure found himself in the Dutch town<\/p>\n
He enquired of the residence of the prince\u2019s sister and soon found himself at the door of her house<\/p>\n
The door was opened by the maid and Balthasar followed her up two flights of stair before he found himself in a light airy room that commanded a great view of the sky<\/p>\n
Numerous maps were on the floor and the heavy wooden table<\/p>\n
They were all maps of the universe<\/p>\n
The prince\u2019s sister dry from the sea entered through the furthest door<\/p>\n
I have been expecting you assassin <\/i><\/p>\n
Your brother commanded that I come <\/i><\/p>\n
Yes, I require your help assassin. In the next week put your English affairs in order<\/i><\/p>\n
They are in order <\/i><\/p>\n
That is good as I will require you to stay with me for six years and six days. In that time we will map the universe together<\/i><\/p>\n
I know little of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
You know everything of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
Then I will help you madam<\/i><\/p>\n
In your coat pocket I know that you retain an orb. Please hand it to me and we will start our task within the hour<\/i><\/p>\n
Balthasar handed the orb to the prince\u2019s sister<\/p>\n
See brother I know many of the secrets of the universe but your assassin will help me further<\/i><\/p>\n
The orb began to glow firstly green then a blood red<\/p>\n
When we have finished the task I will return this orb to his keeping and he will travel to his adopted country where he will prosper further. He will leave me with many fine maps detailing all the secrets of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
The orb turned blue and then became transparent again<\/p>\n
Later that day Balthasar and the prince\u2019s sister began their work and started to map the universe<\/p>\n
Occasionally Balthasar would look up into a high mirror and would see the prince smiling in the half light<\/p>\n
He was watching them<\/p>\n
Six years and six days later the assassin laid down his pen<\/p>\n
His task was complete<\/p>\n
Madam you now know all the secrets of the universe <\/i><\/p>\n
Thank you assassin my brother will be pleased. Tomorrow you will travel with me to the sea. Rest tonight as the journey will be long <\/i><\/p>\n
On the afternoon of the following day Balthasar found himself on the beach with the sister of the prince<\/p>\n
Like her brother she had dressed simply<\/p>\n
I see no boat madam<\/i><\/p>\n
The woman began to walk into the sea<\/p>\n
You will drown madam for the sea is wild<\/i><\/p>\n
The woman did not reply and Balthasar began to run towards the sea<\/p>\n
But it was too late as the waves had covered the woman<\/p>\n
The assassin began to swim in the wild water and soon her felt himself being swept out to sea<\/p>\n
Go now merchant; you are no longer an assassin, your debt is well paid. Swim to your adopted country as you will not return to the country of your birth again<\/i><\/p>\n
The merchant saw that the mermaid was swimming beside him once more<\/p>\n
Will you accompany me on my journey?<\/i><\/p>\n
No, I will swim with you for a while and then I will return to Delft as there is much to do<\/i><\/p>\n
These are exciting times <\/i><\/p>\n
I have sown my brother\u2019s orb into the pocket of your coat. Do take care of my brother <\/i><\/p>\n
I will take care of your brother as I took his life it is my reward
\n<\/i><\/p>\n
We will not speak again merchant<\/i><\/p>\n
The mermaid stopped swimming smiled lightly and dived beneath the waves<\/p>\n
Balthasar continued his journey and some days later found himself looking out of his office window at the long beach as he had done many times before<\/p>\n
On his desk was the prince\u2019s orb which in certain lights and on certain days glowed brightly before fading into transparency<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Some days after his execution Balthasar Gerard found himself alone on the Goodwin Sands a small unseaworthy boat having left him there some hours earlier As he looked out to sea he saw the boat and its meagre crew disappear into the sea far short of the imagined horizon The assassin touched his chest and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stuartmillerosborne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}