The Council of Wise

The Fourth Course

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The Jelly was a deep, dark brown, almost black in color, reflecting the faces of the Wise like some umber-colored mirror. The Borage alone would begin, as is the custom of the Boraginaceae during the final dish of the Wise.

This dish, he noted, is dark, like P31-M2, the color of doom. It smells strong, dark roast, I presume. The jelly itself feels firm to the touch; they likely used agar over gelatin to achieve such a texture. There is a deep animosity here, and yet, it is a quiet dish, almost solemnly so. This is acceptance, finality… the bitter certainty of an end.

Thank you for your insight, the Spiraceae said. Now, for this final dish, after tasting, consider each course of this meal and recommend a coffee jelly dessert that’ll communicate who or what might be the cause of what you’ve seen here; after which, I will submit your suggestions to the Court of Roses for review. What you say today will determine how the Roses will respond to similar events that will occur on other worlds in the near future, and we are willing to do whatever is necessary.

And with those words, the Myosotis understood the vision of the Bees. This dish… it was the Roses' solution to the problem, a Dyson eclipse. P31-M2, the dark-colored honey from the beginning… Soon, most of the inhabited worlds in the solar system would go dark, starting with the one portrayed in their meal.

After tasting, our resident Alkanet and Fiddlenck will start us off, followed by Blue and the Lungwort. Lastly, our Resident Borage and the young Myosotis will close us out. And with that, for the last time, taste and see what the Melissae would have you to see, the Spiraceae said.

And so they did. The taste was roasted, nutty, and black. The slight bitter taste of coffee, though familiar, was off-putting because of what everyone knew it meant. Unavoidable doom, plain and simple. While the Wise were tasting, a piece of paper was handed to the Spiraceae, good, he says. I see, three, four, and six months ago, there were protests on Ahuna Mons of Ceres and Solis Lacus of Mars. What say you?

A bowl was set before the Wise, followed by spices in the center of the table; all were quick to add a dash of cinnamon and cayenne pepper to the bowl.

Good, the Wise have unanimously agreed that this is Mars. Please proceed.

The conversation that followed lacked any unique insights with regard to flavor and quickly proceeded into theory and predictions, beginning with the Alkanet and the Fiddleneck.