On_This_Night

As I lie on my back and stare at the inky blue abyss my mind wanders over what I am doing here. I remember being told of a child, a king, who would be born underneath a star so I set out and started making my way to Jerusalem. But I am not alone. Two more have joined me on my quest. It seems that their wise men/prophets had foretold them about this child king and that they were on their way to greet him. I am glad for the company for the travelling has been hard and unpleasant with the blistering heat of the day and bitter cold at night. Days melt together and the horizon shifts into an endless blanket of sand. Time plays with my sense of reality and I am never quite sure of where I am or where exactly I am going. I have never been this far away from my country. All I know is that I have to follow that star, that beacon of hope that lights up the night sky. Without it I would be lost wandering the desert for the rest of eternity. We finally come across the city we have been searching for, Jerusalem, capital of the Jewish world. It was crowded as so many people had come here for the census and finding a place to stay the night was close to nightmarish. The innkeepers could only offer us the dirtiest rooms at outrageous prices. I was pleased when we received word that the king, Herod, wanted to see us. It means that we can leave the insect ridden dirt piles behind and go back to living in the lap of luxury if only for a short while. Herod had heard of our quest to find the so called ‘King of the Jews’. He asked us to seek the child out and to report back to him about the child’s whereabouts so that he could ‘worship him also’. Back at the inn I quickly made my way to the roof where I pondered on something that had been bugging me about our talk with Heron. There was one particular sentence that made me wonder “didn’t Herod already have a god' And if so, then why would he wish to meet with this child”. I have great fears for the boy who shall be born beneath a star. *** Word had reached one of my companions that the star was seen directly over the city of Bethlehem. We knew at once that the time of birthing would soon be at hand and quickly, we threw our items together and once again set off in pursuit of the star. Bethlehem was similar to Jerusalem, it was overcrowded, expensive, and no-one could give us many true answers of the whereabouts of the child. We gave up asking people for what they knew because out funds were otherwise going to run low and instead followed out celestial guide. It led us to a stable where a young couple were staying until the census was over. The best news was that the female was pregnant and had just given birth. We rushed over in time to see a miraculous sight, a small ray of hope snuggled between his mother’s arms looking for protection and love. This had to be him, the prophesised boy. Quickly we laid our gifts in front of the child, knowing full well that they only paled in comparison to the worth of him. There was no way that I was going to tell Herod about the whereabouts of such a precious gift and by the looks on my companions faces, neither did they. Our time in his presence was too short and we had to get moving quickly lest we be found by Herod’s men and be made to tell of the child. Silently like shadows we slid through alleyways and found a back entrance out of the city. *** Not long after arriving back ‘home’ I received word that Herod had thrown a fit of rage and had ordered that every young male under the age of two be put to death. Even while listening to this I knew that somehow they; Joseph, Mary and their son Jesus, had managed to escape. I was truly grateful for now I had hope. For some reason after coming back from that long trip to Jerusalem, I had seemed to change. I saw my people for the first time for who they were and I didn’t understand them. Their ways were so familiar and yet so foreign to me I might as well have arrived in a completely different country. I don’t know what to do. The confusion leaves me with headaches and pains. The people that called themselves doctors tried to help me but nothing would work. There is only one thing that could cure me. Seeing that pure image one more time. Seeing the bond between two loving people. Seeing the holy image of the mother holding her young child.. Seeing the birth of my new life.