Sacred Scrolls; Chapter 40

 

Sacred Scrolls; Chapter 40

© 2021 by Amber Wright

TO THE SEVEN

“Thank you for listening,” Junia finished, seating herself on a boulder, “but your ears are probably hurting by now.”

Julia sat next to her. Nearby, Nicolas and Lucius, their bodyguards, were talking so hopefully they had not heard anything. But Junia was sure she sensed Lucius’ ear cock at least once. That boy loved nothing better than to listen to juicy gossip.

“My ears would never be capable of hurting as much as your heart is,” Julia was nice enough to say. “The only pain I’ve ever known has been being a slave. But I have known nothing else, I was born in Caesar’s house. I didn’t mind, until…”

“Yes?” Junia cringed, having heard stories of slave girls of the rich.

“I was spared. We left.” Julia looked straight into her face, blankly. “We came here. Domitian did not get me.”

Relief washed over Junia.

Julia broke into a smile, looking happy despite her circumstances.

Junia managed a small smile. “That’s good to know. There are others…less fortunate.”

“Like Andronika?” Julia looked away. “Or is her husband dead?”

“Her betrothed is dead, yes.”

Julia's brows creased. “They—?”

“She was a harlot,” Junia told Andronika's story as simply as she could. “Nobody cared for her back then, besides a few of us. She didn’t want to be bad. It just happened.”

“Temptation,” Julia swallowed briskly, “is a hard word. It is by the power of Jesus Christ that we can fully resist, as Elder John said.”

“Yes, by His power and,” Junia paused thoughtfully, “by a few kind words. You never can evaluate the price of a few words, good or bad.”

Thoughtful silence followed.

A bird twittered nearby, interrupting Junia's thoughts. She leaned up with her elbows on her knees and glanced down at the soft soil under her sandaled feet, protected from the dirt by a few strands of thick grass. Like the grass, sometimes in life the only things that stood between a person and a mud-shrouded name was something little. One slip and the world is crying for your blood. The cool air felt stuffy somehow now, thinking on this. One slip, one day, one event—one second can determine your future, your life, your soul. She glanced up. The sun sparkled through the trees, looking so radiant and peaceful upon the earth. And yet, the world Junia knew was at stake, trodden upon and slipping through her fingers like fine sand. Yes, one slip can determine…your memory.

“That’s why the words of God are so important,” Junia turned back to Julia with a smile. “I have something to show you. A scroll, printed by my friend Demetrius.”

Julia’s eyes brightened. “Lucius’ brother?”

Junia felt her jaws drop. “How did you—”

“He told me.” Julia glanced up at Lucius who had just stopped beside them.

Junia stared at Lucius. “You told—”

“Yes, I’m not ashamed I have a brother.” Lucius gave her a crooked smile. “After all, he is a student of Elder John and is…”

“And is—what, Lucius?” Panic filled her throat. Did he really know and was not telling them? Please no!

“Is somewhere.”

Silence settled over them like a prickly garment. Junia felt her heart race, then relax, breathe again. Life was so unraveled. Would there be anything left of them whenever tomorrow arrived?

“No point in getting gloomy.” Nicolas broke the silent, somber atmosphere with a half-smile. “We have to trust God for our future, not mistrust Him. God knows what is best. Smile, everyone!” He folded his arms and frowned into nowhere.

“Where’s yours?” Lucius lightened his facial expression into a small smile. “I see a frown. A heavy frown.”

“Rainbows smile this way,” Nicolas turned the corners of his mouth down even farther.

“After the rain.” Lucius made a shocked expression. “Don’t tell me you’ve been crying and now you’re confessing. Be truthful now, Nicolas.”

Nicolas started to sputter, his frown twisting.

“Shh, Lucius!” Junia giggled. “Let’s not ruin Nicolas’ rainbow. I think I see stripes.”

“Leftover lunch, hmm…soup, bread crumbs and milk.” Lucius teased, shaking his head. “All you need is another layer of soup, bread crumbs and more milk. Then, with a layer of honey cake, you have the seven stripes of the rainbow!”

“Let’s not be so sophisticated about this conversation, Lucius.” Nicolas said dryly. “Indeed I am…a rainbow, full of promise.”

“Let’s not be, shall we say—vain?” Lucius retorted promptly.

Junia felt the air lighten, until she saw Lucius' happy smile snap into a very sober face. She cringed as he cleared his throat twice.

“But to be more realistic,” Lucius' tone was morbid. “You should have seen all the burning houses from here to Ephesus.”

Junia did not want to be reminded and she tried to numb the pain of those horrible memories. But what Lucius had seen on his walk to Ephesus, searching for Elder John, must have given him even more horrible memories. How could he sleep at night? She would pray for him.

“Shattering to think… They were our friends, family, our brethren—dead.” Lucius looked pained as he halted abruptly.

Junia felt a lump fill her throat. Burning homes. Disaster. Death. What if Lucius had seen Demetrius in one of them? No! Demetrius is no dead. I refuse to… She stopped, finding a little voice nagging her insides, What do you refuse, Junia? Can you change the past, what has been? Can you change the future—the future that God has planned? She felt so foolish suddenly. She could not change the future, especially not the past. God knows best, like Nicolas said. She stood up briskly. “Shall we go back now?”

~

Demetrius sat in damp, musty-odored cave with Elder John and Marcus, writing. He'd copied the first scroll of Elder John's vision and hoped to finish all seven tonight. Matthias would then take them to the seven churches of Asia.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a

great voice, as of a trumpet. His fingers ached but he wrote on, his mind taking in every word as the quill flew along the papyrus, pausing only when he needed to dip more ink onto his pen. I am He that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and death. He paused to stretch his fingers.

Night filled the air with darkness and the stub of his candle flickered a strand of light for him to see to write. Marcus stood in the doorway of the cave, the faithful watchman. Elder John spoke, writing a copy of the vision himself on another slab of rock. Every word must be accurate.

Demetrius' fingers flew along. The seven scrolls must be complete before sunrise. The message was urgent!

~

“Here is our wheat field!” Tarsus threw one hand towards the little clearing surrounded by mountains, looking excited.

What beauty, Junia smiled in awe as they stepped onto the vivid green grass. Just like a square plate of tall yellow sheaves that is nestled in the rocky peaks and spindly trees. She could not take her eyes off of the beautiful little field rippling with silky wheat.

Beside her, Tiria bubbled like a rabbit and bubbling stream altogether. “Perfectly enchanting! This is excellent, somewhere I’d like to die. That is, if I would like to die. I don’t think I would anytime soon though. Of course, if it didn’t hurt I might.”

“Might what?” Noah wriggled one eyebrow up, looking amused.

“I might go ahead and want to die. But,” Tiria did a lop-sided grin, “I’m not going out of here until I meet Tirius!”

“Tirius?” Noah sounded confused now.

“Yes, Tirius, my future grandson. Now, what do we do?”

Junia caught Nicolas’ brown eyes pop open huge and his mouth set into a teasing grin. She waited for what he was going to say. Nothing too rash, please. We have these sickles… The horrible thought made her snort out a giggle and she muffled it in by faking a cough.

“I’m not so sure you’ll think the work that follows is excellent,” Nicolas laughed.

“At least you're honest enough to voice that thought aloud—meaning yourself, of course.” Tiria frowned at Nicolas, and turned back to Noah. “The bugs don’t bite your toes, do they?”

“Not that I know of.” Noah made an odd snort and his face looked like a twisted smile and frown together. “I doubt they’ll hurt you much. That is, if they do decide to bite.”

“They’re never known to bite your toes off completely,” Junia teased.

In reply, Tiria glared down at her bare toes.

“Not quitting, are you?”

“Of course not!” Tiria gave her a fake smile. “Let’s just get our toes amputated together. I’ll feel more comfortable that way.”

Junia held in a laugh and sank her bare feet into the thick, warm soil.

“You know, this actually—ah!” Tiria made a face, stepping into the field. “Uhm—feels good. Not as bad as I thought.”

“Quite.” Junia felt the dirt squashing up between her toes. “I’m afraid we’ll have to carry our sandals on our way back.”

Home, she'd almost added. She blinked in thought, her sickle in midair. Where is home? The words she told Demetrius nearly seven months before drifted into her ears, Home is where the heart is. She swallowed with effort. Brushing thoughts aside as quickly as possible, she raised her sickle. Please God, keep my heart alive. The birds in the brush and spindly tree branches began chirping louder, as if reassuring her that her prayer would be answered.

The silky strands of wheat glided onto the ground in heaps as she silently worked, biting onto her bottom lip firmly. She would not give up hope. Or my toes, she used her sickle more gently, eyes fastened onto it.

~

“Deliver these to the seven churches of Asia,” Demetrius thrust the letters into Matthias’ hands, his voice barely above a whisper.

Matthias nodded, and put the scrolls into the inner pocket of his coat.

Breeze from the Aegean Sea floated between the iron bars that separated the mine from the island. The scent of salt and fresh air made him wish he was a big fish swimming freely in the blue waters so near and yet…so far away. He could not go past the iron gate without a guard. The clouds drifting above him taunted him. They too were unrestrained while he was a captive. Even the gnats that stung his eyes flew over the iron bars of the Patmos mines. Even… He stopped gaping at the free and returned his attention to his visitor.

“Shall I deliver a message from you?”

“Yes.” Demetrius brushed back his uneven dark hair that grew over his eyes. “Greet all the brethren and send them my prayers and love.”

And especially to Junia, he wanted to add but refrained.

“God be with you,” Matthias smiled briefly as he turned to leave.

“And…” Demetrius gulped, wanting to add something for Matthias to tell Junia. Anything, just something for her. But his tongue went dry so he lamely finished, “Shalom, Matthias.”

Demetrius watched Matthias walk to the gate, pass the guards and enter into the free air. He sighed. He was stuck behind the prison bars while Matthias would deliver the letters to the seven churches of Asia. And get to see Junia. He felt his eyes lower to the ground, half-closing, as he bit back his envy and started back to his unfinished work. His heart felt like lead. Time to work. Time to be a prisoner.

~

“My toes didn’t get bitten once and we’re done harvesting!” Tiria smiled in triumph, looking proud of herself.

“And it only took three days, half the time we usually take.” Noah calculated, stabbing his sickle into the ground. “There, that’s where it stays until next spring.”

“Surely you can’t be serious!”

“It’ll rust!” Junia agreed with Tiria for once.

“No, I’m just teasing.” Noah put on a charming smile. “But thank you for your concern, old ladies.”

“I hardly call sixteen old!” Tiria smirked. “But, of course, when you’re only a boy of thirteen…”

Noah’s eyes snapped. “I’m a thirteen year-old man! We’re Jews by blood.”

“I’m half Greek and half Lydian,” Junia volunteered to say with a smile to soothe Noah’s prickly mood.

“Completely Lydian,” Tiria made a dramatic facial expression.

“Greek,” Polycarp spoke flatly.

“I’m Roman,” Julia glanced around, “such as they are.”

“And I’m Eli!”

Junia craned her neck to see Paul and Eli poking their heads around the bushes with huge smiles. How did they get here? Paul gave her a little wave.

“And I’m Paul!” Paul charged around Eli and glanced up at everyone. “It’s time to eat. So come!”

“Sire!” Lucius saluted to the little boy, and Paul saluted back.

Junia grabbed Paul’s hand before he could run off again. “Now stay with us. It’s not safe.”

Paul gave her a scowl in reply, then pulled on her hand to walk faster. When they arrived back in the cave, newcomers were there and so was Matthias.

A Few Greek Words:

Fil'os: friend

Meh'tehr: mother

Pah'tehr: father

Adher'fi: sister

Adher'fos: brother