chapter 10

Rome, the university of the ruling empire, wanted Jesus. They wanted him to teach the Holy Scriptures of his mother's ancestors and they wanted his philosophy for his blood father's tribe of war lords.

We sat on the balcony drinking a tea pretending to contemplate weather or not he had a choice.

"Helene, I don't think I can say no. It is the den of the beast and I must try to do whatever I can to poison it."

"You will find the angels. Or they will find you."

"I'm certain there is some theater there."

The biggest theater was live murder shows for idiot spectators. And it sacred both of us. It was the mecca of madness. Everyone in Istanbul knew it and no one wanted either of us to leave. My theater group refused to let me go till the end of our season and Jesus didn't want to go before I was ready to go with him.

So he wrote back that he was honoured to come to the university of Rome and would make preparations for travel at the end of the summer.

The end of the summer came like the end of our last three summers in Istanbul, much to quickly.

Our old woman told us she would die if we left. And she did. She died two days before we boarded a ship. An Imperial ship. A ship with slaves chained to oars.

On board. On deck, their was wine and a fine kitchen and we had a cabin with more luxury than our home of four years in Istanbul.

Jesus was constantly standing at the front of the ship trying not to think. I tryed not to leave our cabin in day light and paced the deck at night.

The east faded behind us and the west sucked us up into its madness.

At the port in Rome we were greeted by the magistrate of the university and it took some of my fear away to see him. He and Jesus loved one another on sight. I would get used to being in the den of the beast.

Our flat was beautiful and the first thing I did was lay on the bed and not move until Jesus thought my soul had died.

"Helene. Should we return to the east."

"No. Jesus. You belong here. I will be okay as soon as my strength comes back."

It came back when Jesus took me north to the quiet hills of the Toscana. And I realized that I was pregnant.

chapter 11

We, Jesus and I, were brought with modesty and comfort to a piece of paradise in the Toscana. In a big stone house, lived John Camus and Mary and their two children, two dogs, goats and chickens and their stained glass business.

They had beaten their way through life in Rome until John Camus said Flog it and left his stress lawyer job and headed for the hills.

After a few days, Jesus decided to leave me in paradise and return to the university to take and teach classes.

I missed him but part of me was him and part of him was me and I felt the space he took up in my mind and my heart. I couldn't remember being his grandmother. He was certain. He was certain that we had been part of one another back before we started telling stories about ourselves. The talking animals trying to construct meaning with their baby minds.

From my perspective, I had crossed the world and found myself back with old friends.

It was the home I had left that I had never had because my family loved the law of their ancestors and couldn't see Jesus for the true angel that he was.

"In another life."

John Camus thought like Jesus and assured me that my parents would some day be my children or grandchildren and they would watch and learn and if it took 10 or 20 generations, it did not matter. What mattered was life and as long as we had it we had to do all we could to preserve it, love it and celebrate it.

So that is what we did. We got up each morning and made a tea and ate a few cookies. And when someone was inspired to move to the garden or the shop, they did.

I took long slow walks up and down the hills. Sometimes we walked into the village to have a coffee and catch up on any local news.

Everyone wanted to know who I was, what brought me to the hills of Toscana, who my man was, what did he teach.

But as beautiful as it was in the Toscana, when Jesus returned, I was ready to go back to Rome with him. Even if we lived forever, there was no forgiveness for not taking love when it was there. The now was what mattered.

When we were back in Rome, Borus Charus helped me set up a theater group at the University. He and Jesus were my biggest fans. They often sat and disgusted with me the philosophy of theater and the necessity of creating a real life theater.

Borus had much influence and won the support of Rome to execute what he called the great conspiracy. Not with the Roman officials. With them he called it the new church.

"Helene, the world has become our stage. The play has run its course and Jesus was born to change the world. All he needs is a few thousand angels."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"It is the only thing he already has."

The architecture was the part that had to be developed. For the planning of the event, Borus gave me all the support I needed to teach Jesus theater and to become natural in it. And he put together a think team of great minds from the east and west.

And as a beautiful surprise for Jesus and I, he brought John and Liz and their two children to Rome.

chapter 12

With the think team of Jesus we went back to the Toscana to visit John Camus and Mary for some fun and a little light hearted conspiracy.

Jesus was a children magnet. It was nice to see the children of John and Liz telling Jesus stories. It was clear to see that they already knew him.

Jesus felt me watching him and looked over at me and smiled.

"King of the Jews."

"Goddess of life."

Jesus and I left the others and walked barefoot through the woods to a small stream. The sun shared the sky with the clouds and we put our feet in a cool stream and let go of the world of our ancestors and let the world of the animals take us where it pleased.

When Jesus and I had sex, or even when we didn't and let the world of Law and chaos fall away from us, there was a hyper reality that embraced us. Heaven became obvious and questions obliterated.

And when I opened my eyes after an orgasm, Jesus was smiling at me like a god watching a goddess.

And it was simple and real.

We fell asleep holding one another with the stream running over our feet. And we didn't wake up until my stomach rumbled.

"I think our child is hungry."

"We mustn't forget to feed the children."

Jesus drank from the stream as did I. Then we walked back to our party of angels and soaked up love and prepared the evening feast.

"Jesus, have you ever thought of opening a restaurant."

"I've thought of many things John Camus. Perhaps when I have finished my contribution to the establishment of the animal virus in the new church of Rome, I will come back here and we will make a road side inn and restaurant."

"Till then he can cook for his women and children."

Fau smiled at me.

And as it always was in the Toscana, it was too soon again that Jesus and I had to return to Rome. The roaring beast.

Its tragic brutality was becoming more obvious to me while I watched the effort with which Jesus and his seven friends went about preparing for the grand theater.

With Francis on my breast, our golden son, I was forced to slow down and act less. Borus made Jesus drop many of his classes so that he could spend more time being a father to his child and a man to his woman.

And I almost started liking Rome. The university was an island of hope and beauty.

Before John and Liz seemed to be part of Rome, John left to return to our bloody holy land. After a few more years, the think team of Jesus was moving to the stage where the next big event would take place. Some times I thought it a mad notion to pay so much reverence to the religion Jesus had rejected but not when I saw how Borus shone with hope every time he talked of our show.

"A mind virus, Helene, can be a terrible thing. Or. It can be a beautiful thing. And all I have to do is see you and I know that no one has a better chance than Jesus to save the world of the animals."


mary helene chapters 13 - 15