" Amen". It's a cold, icy, frosty winter's day. We have just finished prayers and are ready to start working. Because it's winter, we have to plough the fields and chop firewood for the Great Warming Room where a huge fire is blazing. We began to plough but Brother Elmer grabbed us and beckoned us to follow him.

He took us to show us what he thought was right in the universe. All of us thought that the Earth was in the middle of the universe but Brother Elmer, through lots of observation, said that he had found out that the Sun is in the middle. He even said that he had a thing called a telescope and books about astronomy. He also had a rock that he said has fallen from the sky.

Brother Elmer told us to keep it a secret but I knew that what he said was against our teachings, so I went and told the Father Abbott. "What!!!" he said. He stormed out of the cloisters and into the fresh luscious, green grass, where we could see it, and shouted "Brothers! Come for a meeting in the Cloisters Room, especially Brother Elmer". Well we trudged through the deep snow to the Cloisters Room where Father Abbott was waiting.

"Brother Elmer!" he cried, "Lie down on the ground to meet the devil. You have betrayed me, the Pope and especially God! You know that you are not allowed to keep secrets and personal possessions".

"But Father," muttered Brother Elmer "I have a telescope, books and a rock to show you".

"Alright, Brother Pip and Brother Becca go to the.... the.... Brother Elmer, whereabouts is this rock, these books and this tele-thing?" answered Father Abbott.

"Behind the fireplace in the Warming Room" murmured Brother Elmer.

"Right" said Father Abbott "Brother Pip and Brother Becca, go with Brother Bernard to the Warming Room to get these things. The other Brothers will stay with me to discuss what's to be done about this," he paused "...traitor?" finished Brother Steven for him. "Yes, traitor" agreed Father Abbott.

After lots of planning, talking and discussing we decided that he was to burned alive at the stake. Well, we didn't actually decide, Father Abbott did. He also said that anyone who was supporting Brother Elmer would be burned too. After a lot of arguing we managed to get Father Abbott to look down the telescope and he was so fascinated that he walked off and bumped into a wall because he couldn't see where he was going!

It was a freezing day at the abbey and snow covered the ground. It was our first full day and already was bored with being a monk. We got up to pray and then Brother Steven showed us his plans for the garden. We had all the planets in order with stars around the outside. Then some idiot named Brother Elmer put the sun in the middle and the moon going round the Earth. Everyone thought that he was mad. He explained it and I began to think that he was right.

At about midday we were doing some digging when a man came around the corner. It was Father Abbott. He said, "The Pope has sent me because he has heard rumours that someone is spreading lies about the sun being in the middle of the universe. If anyone knows about this, it is there duty to tell me."

A great gathering was called for Father Abbott. I could see Brother Elmer's blood run cold as we crept in. "Brother Elmer, is it true that you believe in this rumour about the sun being the centre of the universe?" asked Father Abbott.

"Yes" was the reply.

"If you believe this, you will burn at the stake! I'll give you a moment to think about it." Father Abbott was pleased with himself and he was bursting to tell the Pope.

A minute later Brother Elmer said, "The sun is at the centre of the universe."

"I see. Well let us go to the burning spot then." replied Father Abbott.

We walked down an eerie path and we said our farewells. Before I knew it we were watching Brother Elmer's gloomy face as they got ready to light the fire. Suddenly it started to rain rocks and the ground shook. We ran to an old farmhouse nearby and when we got out we saw that all the ropes had been broken, and above Brother Elmer's head there were lights showing the new universe.

Everything is back to normal now that Father Abbott has gone back to Rome and, well, being a monk isn't so bad after all.

The monastery came into sight as I approached. I came with the other new novices. Three monks were waiting for us, Brother Steven, Brother Elmer and Brother Bernard. I went inside with them. There were certain rules that we had to keep: no smiling and no laughing. Brother Andrew broke the rule, so Brother Steven, the head gardener made him lie prostrate on the ground. Brother Elmer hasn't learned any manners at all as he says things like "OK" or "Yep" to Brother Steven. You are meant to say, "Yes, Brother".

As I lay in my dormitory I was thinking and tossing and turning. "What sort of day was it going to be tomorrow?" I fell asleep after that. Next day something strange happened with Brother Elmer. He was meant to go to the manure pile with some novices and came back with none. I was one of those novices. He told us that he doesn't believe what we believe. We believe that the order of the planets is Earth in the centre and then the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and then Saturn but he believes that the order is the Sun, Mercury, Venus Earth with the moon going around it, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. We also believe that the planets are held in space by crystal spheres. He said that rock fell from the sky and would have smashed the crystal spheres. He never considered that God had thrown it at him because he had had bad thoughts.

Father Abbott came in and asked me where Brother Steven was, so I told him. Father talked to us in a loud voice, "I have heard that there are some strange goings on in this abbey. Someone doesn't believe what we believe and has disobeyed our promise of obedience."

We were all called to discuss the matter. I said that Brother Elmer had things of his own hidden away. Brother Andrew showed Brother Steven where the things were hidden. They found books, a rock and a tube. He said that the tube had lenses in it.

"Well it could be true or it could be sent from hell - a present from Satan, the devil." shouted Father Abbott. He refused to look through it. He asked us to decide for ourselves. All the people who believed Brother Elmer went to him and all those who did not went to Brother Steven. I went to Brother Steven with Brother Francis and Brother Andrew, only four Brothers; that was not good.

I am sad to say that Brother Elmer and his followers were burned at the stake. After that the monastery was a much better place in the world.

When I became a monk, I joined the abbey with 11 other novices. When we arrived, we were split up and some, including myself, were taken to a small room. Brother Bernard told us that we were going to travel the world to tell other people the word of God. But before we could begin our lessons in navigation, the bell rang for church. We had to line up in pairs and everyone had to walk slowly. It was a winter's day and my toes were frozen at the bottom of my sandals. I walked up the stone steps and into the church hall. Father Abbot was not pleased because he had been sent by the Pope to investigate false rumours about the universe. He wanted anyone with information to meet him in the cloisters, so that they could discuss it.

We were taken back to our lessons, so that we could learn all about sailing the world. When we returned to the monastery all of the other monks were in a big room, Brother Elmer lying prostrate on the floor. He had broken one of the rules by having his own books hidden around the monastery. Father Abbott said that if we believed Brother Elmer then we should go and stand by him. He stood up and most of the monks went to stand by him. They were shouting and trying to get the Father Abbott to believe that the Sun was in the middle of the solar system. After a while Father Abbott gave up, but he sentenced Brother Elmer and all of his followers to death by burning at the stake.

Today, at noon, I arrived at the monastery. The first thing I saw was soldiers guarding the gate. I went in and made my promise, " I make a promise to God to be a faithful and obedient monk". I had to give up all my possessions, but I didn't give up a few of my books or my telescope, which I hid in various places around the monastery.

The next day it all went wrong because I had to say the order of the planets out loud, but I disagreed with the other monks and said that the Earth was round and that the Sun was in the middle of the solar system. I was tortured and I am to be burned at the stake along with some of the other monks who believed what I had said.

When the Pope heard of this he sent a Father from Rome to see if the news was true. The Father Abbott was soon convinced by the evidence and told the Pope that it was true. The Pope was disgusted by the Father Abbott's words, so he was burned at the stake too...and all because of the flat Earth and universe.