Rachel weeps
The old man stood in the shadows, leaning on the doorway, letting it bear his weight. He gazed at his wife as she sat in a corner of a now dark room. She held a small boy in her lap; she hummed and stroked his hair.
"Is she going to be alright?
"Oh Anna! You have come again. Thank you. I do not know...I do not know...will any of us be alright? She sits and rocks him -- will not put him down. The first nights she slept by his bed ~ when she slept. This is a nightmare -- thank you, my friend, for coming. I could not leave her without knowing you were with her and John."
"Such a child. See, he sits so still in her lap. It is like he ... knows. As long as you need me, I will come. But I have thought, in this grief we can rejoice...they did not come to your door."
"Simeon thinks he would not dare to touch the son of a High Priest ~ I wonder if the monster even knew of us and our son ...and ... and ... I am grateful, so very grateful! God be praised they did not come for John. But all the other boys, all the mothers and fathers...oh, Anna. And as I help prepare their baby boys for burial ... I ...I see John. I must go -- so many families, so many...not since Moses' day..." Breaking down he wept letting the tears coarse down his cheeks and drip from his beard onto the ashes that covered his face and clothes.
"How could a man, even such a monster as Herod, do this? Why -- why?"
"It was the Kings, the magi."
"I do not understand -- I had heard there were strange kings here, but ..."
"Their books still hold the story of Balaam. They saw the star and they came to bring gifts to the new king...of course they came to Herod, thinking he had had a son. I do not understand how, but somehow that monster knew...he called for us, asking us where the Messiah was to be born. It was all we spoke of here...and then we found Micah's words and they went and told him it was Bethlehem. Herod told the kings that he wished to worship the child too. He asked them to return when they had found him ~ and they did not."
"Elizabeth's cousin -- their son, Jesus -- Oh Zechariah!!!"
"No, it is fine. They are gone -- Joseph sent me word." The grief lifted from Zechariah's face as he spoke. "A young man brought me a note in the last hours of the night...just before...here let me read it to you."
Zechariah,
Do you remember when we spoke of my namesake? How he was a dreamer -- I have had another dream. The angel who came before to tell me about our child, he came again tonight. Zechariah -- he told me Jesus is in danger. He said Herod will search for him and try to kill him. Mary wanted to come to tell you, -- I dared not, lest someone see us there in Jerusalem and carry word of our escape to Herod's throne. And in fact I could not take the time to come ~ the angel said we must be well on the road before the sun. So I send this note to bid you and Elizabeth good-bye, and to tell you to protect John. The angel said that we were to go and so we follow him, the other Joseph -- how odd that we should seek shelter in the land where Rachel's sons were slaughtered. I will get word to you when I can. Take care, my friend.
"Then he is ~ "
"Our Messiah? Yes, yes I believe he is."
"Oh, Bless the Name of God!
Go Zechariah...I will try to get her to eat."
"Thank you, Anna."
"Is she going to be alright?
"Oh Anna! You have come again. Thank you. I do not know...I do not know...will any of us be alright? She sits and rocks him -- will not put him down. The first nights she slept by his bed ~ when she slept. This is a nightmare -- thank you, my friend, for coming. I could not leave her without knowing you were with her and John."
"Such a child. See, he sits so still in her lap. It is like he ... knows. As long as you need me, I will come. But I have thought, in this grief we can rejoice...they did not come to your door."
"Simeon thinks he would not dare to touch the son of a High Priest ~ I wonder if the monster even knew of us and our son ...and ... and ... I am grateful, so very grateful! God be praised they did not come for John. But all the other boys, all the mothers and fathers...oh, Anna. And as I help prepare their baby boys for burial ... I ...I see John. I must go -- so many families, so many...not since Moses' day..." Breaking down he wept letting the tears coarse down his cheeks and drip from his beard onto the ashes that covered his face and clothes.
"How could a man, even such a monster as Herod, do this? Why -- why?"
"It was the Kings, the magi."
"I do not understand -- I had heard there were strange kings here, but ..."
"Their books still hold the story of Balaam. They saw the star and they came to bring gifts to the new king...of course they came to Herod, thinking he had had a son. I do not understand how, but somehow that monster knew...he called for us, asking us where the Messiah was to be born. It was all we spoke of here...and then we found Micah's words and they went and told him it was Bethlehem. Herod told the kings that he wished to worship the child too. He asked them to return when they had found him ~ and they did not."
"Elizabeth's cousin -- their son, Jesus -- Oh Zechariah!!!"
"No, it is fine. They are gone -- Joseph sent me word." The grief lifted from Zechariah's face as he spoke. "A young man brought me a note in the last hours of the night...just before...here let me read it to you."
Zechariah,
Do you remember when we spoke of my namesake? How he was a dreamer -- I have had another dream. The angel who came before to tell me about our child, he came again tonight. Zechariah -- he told me Jesus is in danger. He said Herod will search for him and try to kill him. Mary wanted to come to tell you, -- I dared not, lest someone see us there in Jerusalem and carry word of our escape to Herod's throne. And in fact I could not take the time to come ~ the angel said we must be well on the road before the sun. So I send this note to bid you and Elizabeth good-bye, and to tell you to protect John. The angel said that we were to go and so we follow him, the other Joseph -- how odd that we should seek shelter in the land where Rachel's sons were slaughtered. I will get word to you when I can. Take care, my friend.
"Then he is ~ "
"Our Messiah? Yes, yes I believe he is."
"Oh, Bless the Name of God!
Go Zechariah...I will try to get her to eat."
"Thank you, Anna."
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