chapter 16

"Jesus Christ, king of the Jews and Gentiles, wake up. It's time to get crucified."

Two Roman officers pushed open the door to my cell. Charus and Ekstein.

"Bloody ass dung."

"Jesus, get up, the crowd is waiting and I have made a brilliant discovery."

"We don't need to use nails."

"Yes, we have to use nails, they are sitting now in alcohol and they are beautifully made."

"You can have them when I'm done with them."

"I will take them and the cross to Rome."

"What's your discovery."

I bent down to pat the prison cat that had slept the night at my feet.

"Thanks for you support, buddie."

She purred.

"I was sitting out side the temple early this morning, getting used to this silly costume, watching little boys play a game. They had brought bread for the pigeon and stood back under a tree and threw stones at the pigeons.

And it struck me.

Just wing it.

They were playing a game. Throwing stones at pigeons."

"Charus, I'm about to be sentenced."

"The crowd is having fun chanting your name, just listen, it is the most amazing thing. I see how life works."

"Explain."

"The boys were practicing hunting skills. No longer needed. Instinctive hunting skills. They didn't stop to calculate their chances of hitting a pigeon, they just winged it. They picked up stones and threw them with such accuracy that I could see our forefathers before the time of weapons. We picked up stones. Many of us. The stronger of us, bigger stones, maybe even sharpened.

And we threw them at any animal that came close to us or we came close to. I've seen children in simple villages in Africa. Jesus, they were the same boys in different skin."

"That sounds all very clever. But does it mean anything."

"We are evolving, my friend. One day people will find us tedious."

"That's a good thing."

"That's the most beautiful thing to know."

"If you're right, some kid is going to be just like you. Another like Arbard."

"And half a dozen like you. And better. More. Children will have your knowledge and wisdom. They will think and do things we can't imagine."

"I love you, Charus."

"You ready."

"As I'll every be."

Ekstein told the trumpet players to play Pilate's intro march. Pilate came in looking mildly amused.

"So, what do we have today."

"This man claims to be Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews and he is here to bomb the temple."

"So you are Jesus Christ, the king of the Jews."

"It's me."

The priests listed off 603 incidences of public blasphemy and 467 in the synagogue blasphemes.

"What's blasphemy again. Do we have a law for that."

"It's rather vague, sir. We could whip the priests for taking up our time with this but there is the crowd to consider."

"Crucify him. Crucify him. Crucify him."

"Well, it's your show from here. You want to have him whipped and hung on a cross."

I looked at Pilate and nodded. I had told him over and over it was necessary to stick to the script.

So the bugger had me whipped like any other criminal.

"Flogging sheep dung."

"Take up your cross and go. Jew."

So I did.

chapter 17

From the time they drove the nails into me till the eclipse was an eternity. The pain of the first nail going through my hand chilled my whole body. Then it burnt like hell until the next nail tour through my other hand. And the pain found a balance just about the time they drove a nail through my feet.

I let out a scream that made everyone jump.

Then I opened my eyes and seemed to see for the first time. I saw only angels. Even the priests who wanted to see me die, who thought their wish had finally come to an end.

"I forgive you."

I said it to everyone. It was my show. I had agreed to it when I was a child. Some people are made to catch fish some to grow wheat. I was made to expose a paradox by becoming a paradox that eventually would implode and crumble.

I held that thought an eternity. Until finally the moon was approaching the sun. Karl smiled up at me and held Ming's medicine to my nose.

I took a deep breath and someone yelled wait.

They told me to come down from the cross. The priests were taunting me. I smiled. Thirty years, three years, three hours. We had almost reached the bridge. One day the Jews and Gentiles would be one.

The moon covered the sun and small explosions went off all around Jerusalem. It felt like an earthquake.

I screamed in Chinese, Greek, Hebrew and Latin.

"Get me down off the bloody cross."

About seven people of the 60 people who had stayed till the end might have understood what I said. It was the last of what I said. Whatever the stuff was that Ming had made up, it worked. I felt Charus poke me in the ribs with the end of his sword.

"He's dead."

It seemed like another eternity until they ran to Pilate and back. But it wasn't. And the nails only hurt half as much coming out. Thank Flog. I was very far away at the time.

By the time I came to, we were half way to Galilee.

"We did it, Man."

"Am I still in heaven."

Ming kissed me.

"You were great, Jesus. I'm certain that one day they will talk of you in my land."

"Do you think it's a good idea that you are the first woman to kiss me after the resurrection."

"As long as the rest remains between us."

Ming was my personal doctor and trainer and Helene was a little jealous that it took so long for my feet to get better.

Ming stayed with us in the Toscana for almost half a year before moving to Rome.

Everyone else stayed in or around Jerusalem to start setting up churches. Something that would make me vomit. So I let it fall away and when my hands started working again.

I started building things.


mary helene magdalene chapters 01 - 03