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[fatherfjmulcahy]

Oh, goodness! It seems we have a lot of new people in town, and it seems to have happened very suddenly.

Does anyone need anything? Help, cookies, a friendly ear? I'm Father Mulcahy, the town priest, and I'm happy to do what I can.

Comments

[ittybittyolive]

What about pie? Do you know where I could find a decent piece of pie?

Nice to meet you Father. I'm Olive.

[fatherfjmulcahy]

Let me see. The Sweet Lady Jane Bakery probably has pie. Tim Hortons has cookies and pastries, but no pie. And I don't know if they make pie at the tea shop or not. So the bakery would seem to be your best bet.

Hello, Olive! Nice to meet you as well. What brings you to Aternaville?

[ittybittyolive]

Bakery. Right. Oh, do you know if there are truffles around here anywhere?

I sort of followed Ned a friend here. He just doesn't really know that I followed him. I don't think. I'll tell him when the time is right.

Do you have a service on Sundays, Father?

[fatherfjmulcahy]

Truffles? The chocolate candies or the mushrooms? For either, I suppose I'd check the grocery store.

Ah, I see! It's good that you came here of your own volition. Not many people do, I find. I was surprised to find myself here, quite honestly. One of the peculiar things about this town.

I do! Are you interested in attending, Olive?

[ittybittyolive]

The mushrooms. But, do you know if they grow around here? You see, I have this truffle hunting pig and I think she's awfully bored.

Really? People are forced to come here? Is this some crazy slave trade port or something? You didn't volunteer to come here yourself?

I might be. I lived in a convent for a little while and I sort of miss it. Just a little bit. Not enough to go back.

[fatherfjmulcahy]

I'm not sure. There are some lovely forests in town, particularly near the park. You might take your pig there. Or I suppose you could always buy truffles and set up a sort of treasure hunt for her.

I'm not sure if forced is the right word. But apparently it's not uncommon for people to be going about their daily lives and then suddenly find themselves here. Or they wake up here. From what I understand, some people actually remember dying before they appear here. I was traveling here from Korea, where I served as a chaplain before being assigned here. So yes, I did volunteer to come here, but I was unaware of just when "here" was. This may sound peculiar, but to some who come here, this era is the future, and to others, it's the past. When I left Korea, the year was 1953.

Ah, did you? Were you considering becoming a nun, or was the convent simply your home? My sister is a nun, actually--the fellows back in Korea used to rib me in good fun about "your sister the Sister."

[ittybittyolive]

I'll definitely check those out! Thanks! The treasure hunt isn't a bad idea, either, though.

1953? Wow. I can't imagine how that must have been for you. How long have you been here, now?

A little of both, maybe. I was never a very good postulant. I lost most of my stuff at that point. I don't think I could seriously become a nun, I like my clothes and stuff too much. But good for your sister.

[fatherfjmulcahy]

You're welcome! And thank you. I've never met a truffle-hunting pig before, I must say. Does she help you in a business of some kind, or is she a pet of sorts?

It was quite a change. Let me see...I've been here since October of last year, I believe. So quite a while now. It was challenging, but one of my friends from home was here, and there have been so many positive changes in the world that I'm very pleased with my glimpse of the future.

Ah, I see. It sounds as if you've led a rather unconventional life! I've come to understand that living in a convent or choosing to become a nun is by no means as common for women in this era as it was for women in my time.

[ittybittyolive]

Oh, well... she used to hunt truffles for the convent. But then when Sister Larue died, Pigby sort of became attached to me. So when I left, I took her home. I guess she's more pet now, than business associate.

A good few months then. I have to admit that I have found this place to be very strange, but it's not totally offputting. It kind of makes things interesting. I have a friend from home here, too. He just doesn't know I'm here yet. I'm not really sure how to tell him, to be honest.

Well, see... the only reason I went there was because Vivian Charles told me to. I was going through a rough patch and she had spent some time there herself, so I went to escape a little. I never really had any intention of making it a permanent thing. But if certain circumstances hadn't changed, I probably would have remained there for some time.

[fatherfjmulcahy]

It sounds as though you two made quite a connection!

It is strange here. Strange but interesting. Would you believe that the first official duty I had here in town was to marry a king to his bride? I thought the MASH unit where I used to be stationed was peculiar!

Well, if he's your friend as you say, he'll likely understand the truth. Or if he doesn't understand it, at least he'll appreciate that you thought enough of him to give it. (This is not to say that diplomacy isn't called for sometimes; certainly it is.)

I see. If you ever need someone to talk things through with, I'm here. And I take my duties very seriously, so anything you tell me would never be told to another soul, even if it wasn't told officially through confession.

[ittybittyolive]

We did. She's great.

Did you?! That's amazing. There's a King here? Wow. I think I'd like to meet him. Is he the King of this town?

I'm afraid he'll think I'm being too intrusive. I am sure he didn't intend for me to follow him. But I was worried.

I really appreciate that, Father. I may take you up on that offer some time. I trust that you'll keep my secrets. You're a man of the cloth, and that tells me everything I need to know.

[fatherfjmulcahy]

I'm glad.

There is indeed a king! I take it that he was, in fact, king of England, perhaps even before England was known as England. As far as being displaced from time, he's the person from furthest in the past that I know about. I'm not sure what rights he enjoys here, but I do know that he lives in a castle in the park.

Of course. I understand.

Thank you, Olive! Good luck settling in, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.