Chapter 3 - Seeing Through the Lens Part 1

Nine thirty in the morning - that’s the time the airplane of Father Marcus and his secretary landed on the City of Prague. They were greeted by a chauffeur named Mr. Ocarino, who was instructed by Madame Regina to drive them to the Rogratiatto Estate.

“The estate is past the city, located in the first mountain you see in your windows gentleman. It is going to be a long ride, so please do entertain yourselves along the way, ” the driver stated in thick English, addressing the two before he drove the limousine out of the airport parking area. They nodded with this and went on to glance at each of their side’s window.

True to what the driver stated, the travel was a long one. Marcus spent amusing himself with the scenery outside, while Father Julien, as usual, went on to pray the rosary cycle. It was actually their second time visiting the city. The first was when Marcus got invited to become a speaker in a youth assembly. It was five years ago, however, so it wasn’t a surprise he was astonished to see the many changes in the city in terms of streets and stores aligned near the road.

The usual could be seen in a city that is the heart of every country. Locals and tourists were mixed, walking in the paved roads and side lanes. Busy businesses were open for customers to dine, shop, or just dally around. The city didn’t have any festivity, but people seemed to crowd in the parks more than usual.

Noticing the exorcist priest’s perplexed expression, Mr. Ocarino smiled and broke the seemingly unending silence inside the car. “The city is this abuzz Father whenever it has this kind of beautiful weather. We have quite a round of rainfall these past few days, so to have this sunshine is a fresh welcome for us.”

Marcus shifted and met the driver’s gaze on the front-view mirror.

“Ah, so that explains it, ” he stated, feeling educated in the most unexpected way. “Thank you for the information, Sir.”

The driver smiled some more and nodded. “You’re welcome, Father.”

Covering a few miles more of road, they passed by a public square that was situated at the center of a road intersection. It was of decent size, confined by a long stretch of thigh-high iron-wrought gate. Tree of different species grew inside it, landscaped together with flowering shrubs and finely-trimmed grass. At the center of the plaza, there was a tall six-tier Renaissance fountain, making the place looking grander than a common park.

Marcus watched as the car sped its way into the intersection. However, when he caught a glimpse of something tasty in his line of vision inside the plaza, he immediately called out to the driver, “Stop! Stop the car now!”

Finding it sudden, Mr. Ocarino abruptly pressed on the brake pedal and whirled to face him. Good thing that they had stopped near the sidewalk, otherwise they would have caused unexpected traffic on the road.

“Why Father? What’s the matter?” the chauffeur asked, raising a brow of confusion.

Father Julien threw a look of puzzlement on his colleague too and then said, “Is there something bothering you Father? Why do you want the car to stop?”

Marcus looked at them with a face that showed he was stone-cold serious. Clearing his throat, he pulled out a newly-exchanged Czech crown worth a hundred Euros from his personal bag’s pocket. “I need to buy something, ” was his answer to their worried query and this made Father Julien suppress a laugh consequently.

Mr. Ocarino’s brows lifted even more finding the secretary priest’s snicker confusing. He eyed the exorcist priest who was now stepping out of the car speedily and thought it odd.

“There goes the infamous Glutton Marcus, ” he heard Father Julien say as soon as the car door closed.

***

Marcus’ attention went straight to cross the pedestrian lane. It wasn’t a difficult task as there were fewer cars on the way to the other road. His loose white shirt was pressed evenly on his chest due to a sudden rush of wind when he crossed. In no way did he look like a priest with his garb, but even so, the way Marcus walked, it looked like he was showered with an aura of holiness, much like priests should be. One that differed him above all else though is his air of confidence. His broad shoulders were straight, his chin raised, and though he wasn’t cocky or arrogant, he wore a smirk on his face. This smirk was evident now as thoughts of the tasty trdelnik played on his mind.

Was there a twinkle in his eyes too? Well... yes, there was, but no passerby noticed it.

Once he entered the plaza, his direct motive was to buy the pastry he had been wanting to taste since after their first visit in Prague years ago. A food stall just a few feet away from the center fountain sells it and this was where he was heading to without a second thought.

There were just a few people near and around the fountain when he reached it. One man was holding a dozen of colorful balloons, selling them to any visitor. There were children playing in one corner and in the other, some teenagers texting. Numerous benches were located alongside the cobblestone pathways; some were vacated and the others were taken.

Marcus, before nearing the food stall, noticed a brief flash of light some distance away from him. He disregarded it, but momentarily caught sight of the photographer. It was a woman with her hand holding a professional camera, engrossed with her current subject - the man holding the balloons.