Previously: Bill receives three hundred dollar bills from a fellow Mason, who tells him, “It’s all in the box.” Over dinner at Ruby Tuesday, he tells Kittie about this curious good fortune, but she pushes it aside, grateful for the meal. Bill cannot get the Mason’s words out of his head though, and becomes curious about the mysterious box…
I pulled out the ring box and started examining it closely. Opening the box, I noticed a tiny cardboard tab protruding between the side of the box and the black velvet on which the ring had previously rested. Clutching the tab between the nails of my thumb and forefinger, I pulled up on it, revealing that the velvet was discreetly glued to a piece of cardboard that slipped right out of the box. Underneath was a piece of white paper, folded over and over on itself, forming a one-inch square at the bottom of the box. Plucking out the paper with my thumbnail, I carefully unfolded it and read what was written:
“The shadow of freedom points your way, in the morning sun atop the dome of New Rome, where the image of the Worshipful Master defied; showing the 555 steps which begins your journey to the phallic symbol dedicated to his memory.”
Shadow of Freedom? I thought, 555 steps? Worshipful Master defied? I think Masonic here is Bill. You’re in the Mason’s world now, think like it. And then I knew, just like that. A light bulb went off in my head, and I just knew. With a devious smile, I read the clue out loud to Kittie.
“Shadow of Freedom?! New Rome?!” Kittie exclaimed, “What’s all this supposed to mean?”
“The way I see it, this poem is a message telling us we need to go somewhere.”
“But where?” Kittie asked.
“Well, it seems to be written in the language of Masonic symbology as it relates to D.C. geography. Freedom… atop of the dome of New Rome. It sounds like a reference to the U.S. Capitol building to me,” I explained.
“Okay, smartass, how’d you come to that conclusion?” Kittie retorted playfully. This was typical of Kittie who is often annoyed of my knowledge of trivial facts, when we both know damn good and well, it’s part of her attraction to me.
“Let’s start with the ‘Shadow of Freedom.’ Note that Freedom is capitalized, like a proper name. And it sits atop the dome of New Rome. Follow me so far?”
“Sure, but we’re on the other side of the world from Italy,” she responded, “and I’ve never heard of a ‘New Rome’ anywhere in the world.”
“Ah, now here’s an interesting part of American history the common man tends to ignore,” I began to answer. “The Founding Fathers were in love with a lot of the ideals that came out of the pre-imperial Roman Republic. It turns out that the working name for the Federal City that the Constitution called for to be the capital of the young nation was “Nova Roma,” or New Rome. It’s why so many of the older federal buildings downtown are based on Greco-Roman architecture, to go with the New Rome theme.”
“So ‘New Rome’ is D.C. but what’s the deal with Freedom’s Shadow?” she asked.
“Well, atop the dome of the U.S. Capitol building is a statue of a woman, often mistaken for a Native American princess, but in fact dressed in the manner of a Greco-Roman goddess. Her name is Freedom,” I responded.
“So we need to go to the Capitol?” she asked, “So why all the other references, and what is this about a Worshipful Master?”
“No, the Capitol is just the clue which points to where we have to go. I’ll get back to that part in a minute,” I started. “The Worshipful Master is a reference to George Washington himself.”
(to be continued)
