Chapter 9

Cathedral Fire

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Cathedral Fire
Incendie de la cathédrale
L’Feu d’la Cathédrale – Sel ka parl
I hear screaming and I run to the window to see what’s going on. I can see the flames in the sky. For a few moments I stop breathing.
It’s a chill in the soul to see the cathedral in which I got married 8 years ago… Even worse, we just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the mission of Saint-Boniface.
By the time we get there, there is a crowd around the burning cathedral.
My husband is a fireman so he immediately tries to make them move back because it is very dangerous.
But people are too fascinated to listen. But they move back quickly enough when pieces of the cathedral start to fall.
Two firemen move towards the door of the staircase to climb up the tower with a hose, thinking to spray the roof more directly.
Suddenly the bells come down! These bells could have killed everyone going up the tower. When you’re a fireman’s wife, you often thank God.
The firemen quickly understand that it’s a waste of time to try to save the cathedral. All they can do now is to water it and try to protect the surrounding buildings.
This is not the first time a church has caught fire. It’s not even the first time St. Boniface Cathedral has caught fire.
But the fact remains that to see the house of the Lord burn down is particularly shattering.
It’s believed that it was the cigarette of one of the men repairing the roof that started the fire. For a forbidden pleasure, here we are – living a moment in hell…
J’antan di kri pi sh’kour ô shâssi pour werre kousé ke s’pâsse. Shu kapab werre li flamme dan l’siel.
Pour kuk sgonde, j’respire pu. Jâ frette dan l’âme d’werre la katidral bruli divous ke j’mâ maryé v’lâ 8 z’anni…
Pi s’k’ita pluss pire, si kon v’na juss di silibri li 150yemme annivarserre d’la misyon di Saint-Boniface.
Par li tan kon arrive, mon mari li ein ponpyé, y l’ava bein dju mond alantour d’la katidral an feu.
Paske sa li tro danjreu, mon mari assèye toutte switte di ferre r’kuli. Mi l’mond l’ita tro en trans pour ikouti.
Mé, sa rikule bein vitte kan di morsô d’la katidral lâ komansi a tonbi.
Deu ponpyé y von prosh d’la porte d’l’eskalyé, pour monti dan la tour avec enne hoze, pansan k’y’alla arrozi l’twa djirekman.
D’ein kou, li klosh y tonbe ! Si grosse klosh l’ara pu chuwé toul’mond ke monta dan la tour.
Li ponpyé lâ vitte konpri ksa vala pâ la penne d’assèyi d’sôvi la katidral.
Toutte kousé ksa pouva ferre asteur sta d’arrozi et assèyi prâtiji li bâchisse alantour.
Spâ la premyerre fwè k’enne iglize a pran an feu. S’mêm pâ la premyerre fwè ke la Cathédral di Saint-Boniface lâ pri an feu.
Mé werre bruli la mizon dju Seigneur li bein diranjan.
Sa pans ke sta la sigarette d’enne di parsonne ke arranja l’twa, ke lâ komansi l’feu. D’y foi si yeink une p’chit aferre ki fait ben du troub por une grosse aferre.