In Chapter 10 of my book, Looking For Christ, I created something I called Automatic Music, which fed off the moods of the listener and created music based on the people in the room.

• Cure-α – the mood-altering audio player – Engadget – www.engadget.com

It looks like that invention is coming sooner than I thought. Silly me, I thought I was being so inventive…

Simon’s fever broke when the moon was highest in the sky. Ambigo fell asleep next to him after about an hour, safe in the knowledge that he would make it through the night. He awoke the next morning to Simon kicking his foot. “Wake up.” Ambigo sat up, confused at Simon’s energy. His coloring was good and he seemed completely unaffected by the previous night. “Lie down, Simon. We need to take it easy. I think we should go back to the shanty town. There’s shelter there, even though it’s rudimentary…”

Simon interrupted him, “That’s where we’re headed, Doc.” Ambigo gathered his belongings that had been thrown down in a rush before they pulled Simon into the lake. They had never set up camp properly and Simon was still wearing Ambigo’s extra tunic. Ambigo had fallen asleep in his wet robe. He gathered Simon’s discarded tunic from the night before and noticed that the fire had already been put out.

Father Garcia helped him gather his things. “We thought we would let you sleep for as long as we could…” his voice hushed to a whisper, “Simon seems to believe that your services will be needed quite desperately in the shanty town…” He paused and looked over his shoulder. “He’s rather insistent that we return. Nothing we could say could change his mind and in the end, we decided that it wasn’t worth arguing with him over it.” Ambigo hiked his pack over his shoulder and replied, “Whatever it takes to get him to a safe place.”

Simon led the team back to the shanty town at a quick pace. Ambigo stayed at the front of the group, watching his progress. For a man who had been crazy with fever the evening before, he looked remarkably well. Because of the problems with his sandals in the past, Ambigo had become accustomed to trailing the team. He now felt uncomfortable leading them, but he didn’t want Simon to get out of his sight. He felt like a German shepherd, wanting to circle around the back of the group to make sure no one was falling behind and returning to the front to make sure of Simon’s health. Instead, he walked in silence by Simon.

“Too many people,” Ambigo muttered in English under his breath. Simon nodded. “I can’t keep track of them all. All these saints look the same to me,” he whispered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Philip, listening intently. Simon called to him in Aramaic, “You want to participate in this conversation?” Philip looked as if Simon had challenged him to a fight and blushed. “I was just trying to understand your language. It’s interesting to me.” Ambigo chuckled. “So, if I had said the same thing in your language, you would have ignored us?” Philip smiled, “Yes, probably.”

Philip caught up to them and flanked Simon’s other side. “I actually had a question for you, Dr. Thomas.” Ambigo looked past Simon. “Go ahead.” Philip looked at Simon and then back to Ambigo. “What was the significance of the baptism of Simon?” Ambigo looked from Philip’s face to Simon’s and then back to Philip’s. “Significance? Simon didn’t see John the Baptist.” Simon shook his head. Philip shook his head. “Last night you baptized Simon. Why did you do it? Why did it relieve him of the demon?”

Ambigo sighed loudly. He tried to think of a way to describe the concepts of infection and fever and hallucination in a manner that Philip’s mind could understand. “Simon was sick. His body temperature was too high and the water cooled him down.” Philip’s forehead crinkled in disbelief. Ambigo tried again. “There wasn’t a demon.” Philip shook his head. “He spoke like a madman.”

Simon stopped walking and interrupted their argument. He turned toward Philip, spitting the question into his face, “Have you ever heard an army of men launching a ground attack?” The eyes of the team were intently watching the exchange. Madi and Jaime quickly positioned themselves to film the interaction. Philip meekly replied, “No.” Simon pulled the man closer to him. “I have. These ears can hear danger miles before it catches up with me. I wasn’t filled with a demon last night. I heard the soldiers attacking the shanty town.” Father Garcia moved to Simon’s side, placing his hand on Simon’s and releasing his grip. “We discussed this earlier, Simon. That’s why we are returning to the shanty town. Philip, do you believe that it might be possible that Simon could hear things that you cannot?” Philip nodded eagerly.

“Then we are in agreement. Should we not continue?” Father Garcia started walking alongside Simon at the brisk pace that they had become accustomed to. Philip continued, “Father Garcia, what you say is law. Why did we baptize Simon last night?” Father Garcia calmly answered his question. “We didn’t baptize Simon last night. We put him in the water to cool him down. Baptism is a far more sacred act…”

Ambigo tuned out Father Garcia’s lesson on the sanctity of baptism. His mind focused on their destination and a ball of fear started winding itself in his stomach. He thought of the residents of the town and his feet instinctively moved faster underneath him. Simon picked up his pace to keep abreast of him. “Do you hear it?” Ambigo replied, “Hear what?” Simon broke into a run. “The crying.”

The rest of the team was stunned at the two of them, running toward the shanty town and hurried to catch up. After they had run a few hundred yards, Ambigo could hear it. “Simon! Stop!” Ambigo couldn’t breathe and Simon stopped, panting heavily. Ambigo panted out, “I can hear it! Are we safe? What if the soldiers are still there?” Simon shook his head. “The soldiers left hours ago. I’m sorry, Dr. Thomas, if you’ve never seen this before, you’re in for a shock.” He started running again and Ambigo rushed to keep up.

The makeshift gathering of tents that they had left yesterday was a shambles. Ambigo made a list in his mind of all the people Where are they? Where is the jovial master of ceremonies at the bonfires, the young man who cooked the meat, the horde of shy and covered women who eyed him warily, and the young girl who sold necklaces? Ambigo’s blood ran cold as he thought of the little girl. He had felt such pride when he saw that her arm was scar-free and healed of all signs of ring worm. Where was she? Where was her proud father? Where was her crazy uncle who was regularly tied down when he became unruly with his insanity? The living were begging to him and he scanned their faces.

The next few hours were a blur of treating the injured. Ambigo treated the superficial wounds of a woman as he watched Matthew and Bartholomew drag the body of the jovial master of ceremonies to the mass grave. He could hear the man urging him to sing and a chill ran down his spine. He returned his focus to the face of the woman. She would wear a scar, but she would live.

She spoke as he treated her wound, “Please, don’t cry, healer. I need you to be strong for me.” Ambigo wiped his tears off with his sleeve. “You need to keep this wound clean. I’m afraid you will have a large scar.” She sighed, holding back her tears. “This wound saved my life. It bled so much that they thought I was dead. I’ll gladly wear the scar.” Madi placed her hand on the woman’s arm and nodded, knowingly.

When the mob of injured had been treated, Ambigo hastily ran to the mass grave. He scanned the dead and made the tallies. There was the young man who cooked the meat and one of the shy and covered women. His stomach lurched at the sight of the father of the young girl who sold necklaces. Where was his daughter? Too many to number, Ambigo sat next to the crazy uncle’s body. Where is your niece?

Father Garcia approached Ambigo and placed his hand on his shoulder. “You are looking at the wrong people, my son. Try searching among the living.” Ambigo stood up. “They’re all dead, Father Garcia. They all died over two thousand years ago. I don’t know why I even tried to help. They’re all dead.” Father Garcia put his arm around him. “I don’t think you’ll talk like that when you see who survived.” Ambigo clenched his jaw and held back more tears.

He allowed Father Garcia to lead him to John the Baptist’s cave. Shivering from her recent bath in John’s underground spring, was the little girl that Ambigo had searched for. “When we found her, she was drenched in blood.” Philip explained, “It’s a miracle that she is alive.” The young girl shook her head while Ambigo hugged her, “No it wasn’t,” she whispered in his ear, “I hid under my uncle and stayed still. They thought I was dead, but I fooled them.” Ambigo looked at her and she continued, “One soldier stood on my foot and I stayed quiet.”

Ambigo hugged her again, “I don’t even know your name.” He inspected her foot and moved the joint around. “It was the other foot. My name is Martha.” Ambigo carefully moved her other foot. He could see the large red welt where the soldier had stepped on her. It would bruise, but the bone was solid. Ambigo looked to Phillip. “Does she know?” Philip crinkled his brow, “She hid under the body of her uncle all of last night and this morning. She must know.”

Ambigo took her by the shoulders. “Martha, your father and your uncle are dead.” She nodded. “Do you know what dead means?” She patted Ambigo like a child, “I know what dead means. My momma died.” Orphan. The word struck Ambigo in the face. He looked to Philip’s face and to Father Garcia. Injured, he could heal. Dead, he could bury. But orphaned, he was lost. All the terror and gore hit him full force and he broke down crying. Martha patted his head and hugged him with her thin arms. “There, there, healer.”

Simon approached them, “I suggest that we evacuate the survivors as soon as we are able to bury the dead. This area is not safe.” Father Garcia nodded. Simon continued, “We could use your help digging the graves.” His eyes flitted to Ambigo, who struggled to hold in the hysteria he felt at the mayhem. Simon lifted him up. “Sorry you had to see this. You thought that earthquake was bad. Natural disasters are nothing compared to what men can do to each other. Help me dig. The exercise will help calm you.”

It was twilight by the time they returned to the road toward the man who heals cripples. They lead the band of refuges from the shanty town toward the safe haven of the lake behind the swell. It was slow going because there were so many injured and when they finally reached the lake, they collapsed, tired and hungry.

“Tad, how are our supplies?” Father Garcia exhaustedly called to Father Judean, “We’re going to have to feed these people. What do we have?” Tad’s rosy complexion lost all of its color as he looked into his satchel. He stayed silent and closed up the satchel looking straight ahead. Father Garcia chided him, “I know we don’t have much. Just tell me what we have.” The priest looked up and took the satchel off his shoulders. “We have plenty of money, but there’s no place to buy food here. Maybe we should continue to the next town.”

Simon stood up and shook his head. “The next town is more than a day’s walk from here. We have a half-day’s walk until we near Marit’s home, but she couldn’t feed all of these people. Just give me the food. We’ll make it work.” Tad handed the satchel to Simon. He looked into the bag and became pale. He sat roughly on the floor. He held the bag toward Father Garcia, but Madi intercepted it, “What’s the fuss about? What could possibly be in there?” Madi reached in and pulled out the contents. There were five loaves of bread and three dried fish.

She stared at them and then looked at the crowd of hungry and injured people. She looked to Father Garcia. Ambigo saw nothing to be surprised by, “That looks about right. I saw you pack before the trip and it has been a couple of days since then. I’m surprised we have that much. What’s the matter with you people?” Matthew swatted him on the shoulder, “It’s not enough to feed the multitude.” They shook their heads. Father Garcia seemed determined, “No, it will be enough.”

Petros scoffed. “Are you kidding? There must be at least a thousand of them.” One of the Thunder Brothers punched him in the arm, “Petros, you’re as dumb as a rock. There are not more than a hundred.” Simon nodded, “I counted. There are eighty-four, including us.” Philip asked, “How are we to feed them with five loaves of bread and three fish?” Father Garcia stood up and took the food from Madi’s hands. “Let us bless the meal. It will be enough.” James started to argue, but Petros silenced him with one glaring look.

Father Garcia blessed the bread and broke it into twelve equal pieces. He tore the fish into twelve equal pieces. He distributed the baskets. “Have the people break up into family units. It will be enough, I assure you.” Each of them looked at their basket. John and James said in unison, “This isn’t enough.” Simon pulled John’s hair and whispered into his ear, “If Father Garcia says it will be enough, then it will be enough. Got it?” Philip looked at the interaction and started toward a family group.

Ambigo held his basket in his hands. It held the tail portion of a fish and a crust of bread. He broke the crust into several pieces, hoping it would go further. Madi put her hand on the crook of his arm. “We can’t change history, Dr. Thomas. I promise you it will be enough.” He looked into her steely eyes. Once again he noticed how dry and small they appeared. She walked with him as he approached the first family. Madi explained, “We don’t have much, but we will share what we have. Please take what you need.”

The woman took a small crust of the bread. “We have some food to share.” She placed some fruit and dried meat in the basket. Ambigo’s basket was returned to him heavier. He turned to Madi and smiled. At each grouping, the family took some and gave some and when they returned to Father Garcia, there was food enough for the team.

Philip returned, his basket overflowing with food. “It’s a miracle. Each family was willing to share what they had.” He turned to Father Garcia, handing him his basket. “You fed a thousand people with five loaves of bread and three fish.” Father Garcia shook his head. “I always wondered how he did it.”

That evening, Ambigo slept uneasy. His stomach was full, but a nagging memory from his childhood nibbled at the back of his mind. Loaves and Fishes. He had done some volunteer work for Loaves and Fishes. He washed the dishes while his church group fed the homeless. He brushed the memory away, but it still swirled until he realized the significance. He sat up in cold sweat. “Lie down, Dr. Thomas.” Simon called from his bundle. “Five loaves of bread and three fishes.” Jaime called to him, “Yeah, we all caught it when Madi pulled them out of the bag.” Philip called out in the night to him, “You participated in a miracle, today, Dr. Thomas. Do you still denounce God?”

Madi sat up, upsetting Martha, who had fallen asleep next to her. “That was NOT a miracle, Philip, and that was NOT five thousand.” One of the Thunder Brothers stretched and threw a small rock at her, missing her, but hitting Father Garcia in the head. “No one said it was five thousand. Go to sleep.” Father Garcia sat up and Madi begged him, “Tell them, Father Garcia. That was not a miracle.” Father Garcia sighed sleepily. “Let’s ask Dr. Thomas what he thinks. If he thinks it was a miracle, then it was.”

Ambigo was swimming in catechism memories of Jesus and the loaves and fishes. Jesus had fed five thousand on five loaves of bread and three fish. As a child, it had made perfect sense to him. Five loaves, five thousand. The fishes were just extra. He had no concept of five thousand faces as a child. Even now, he couldn’t imagine what five thousand faces would look like.

The entire team watched him intently, waiting for an answer. Philip scoffed, “What would it take for you to believe in God? Even this is not enough?” Had he witnessed a miracle today? With all the gore he had seen, he could not say it. How could he tell them that this was not a miracle? “I believe what we saw is the goodness of man. I guess there are miracles within us, just waiting to come out if we are just willing to let them.” He saw Madi nod angrily in the dark and lie back down, waking Martha again.

He added, “After seeing the evil that man can inflict on each other this morning, it was…” he didn’t have a word for it. He struggled with his thoughts. “I’m just glad to see that people can be good as well as evil.” Father Garcia concluded, “Then it is decided. What we experienced today was not a miracle. It was the goodness of man.” Madi added her final words for the evening, “Not a miracle, do you understand, Philip?”

It had become so dark that Philip was just a voice among them, “I’m beginning to believe that nothing could convince Dr. Thomas.” Ambigo shivered and blamed it on the cold. Martha left Madi and put her arm around him. “There, there, healer.”

Looking For Christ Audio: Chapter Two Download

15 K MP3 file recorded at 64 kbps – 32 minutes 11 seconds

Perfection is overrated…

Looking For Christ Audio: Chapter One Download

13 K file – 28 minutes 52 seconds

Update:

Mike put this track through Sound Forge, fixing the volume level a bit and removing the dull hum in the background. To speed the download process, we made them 64 kbps instead of 160 kbps. Since he fixed the volume and noise, we didn’t lose much by reducing the quality and it will download a lot faster. He can’t fix all the little speaking errors, however…

I made it! I just verified my word count with the NanoWrimo people and I’m done!

Thank you, Michael, for proofreading my chapters! Thank you, Mom, for reading the first few chapters and giving me some encouragement. Thank you, St. Lucia, for giving me hope in the beginning when I needed it.

Me sleep now…

Chapter Word Count: 1929

Monthly Word Count: 50,634

The jovial joking of James evaporated after his second visit with John the Baptist. As Ambigo suspected, James had not been allowed to bring Andrew with him when they got to the front of the line. Andrew had to go into the cave alone, just like every other pilgrim. The core team discussed quietly in English whether they should send in another member while Andrew met with him.

“We’re so close. I don’t want to waste another moment here when we are a little over a day’s walk away from him.” Simon fidgeted on the ground. Father Garcia added, “The last time we saw him, we asked about a rabbi from Nazareth. Now, we know that he probably never knew Jesus as a rabbi from Nazareth. We can ask him better questions now.” Ambigo shook his head. “He’s really good at NOT answering questions.”

Jaime suggested, “You go in, Dr. Thomas. You’ve talked to him before. He’ll trust you more and you’ll be able to crack him this time.” Ambigo held up his hands to stop Jaime. He didn’t speak. He didn’t want to relive the experience with John the Baptist. He didn’t want any of the team to experience it. Madi came to his rescue. “Anyone who has truly encountered John the Baptist is not willing to return. I think the only reason James went back is because he wasn’t… paying attention the first time. Look at him…”

The team looked over at James. His hair was wet and his forehead was anointed with oil. He was nothing like the silly boy who had danced for the crowd at the bonfire last night. “Do you think he wants to go back in?” The team sounded a “Nu-uh,” in unison. Madi’s harsh voice replied, “Then don’t ask us to go back in. I don’t know about Ambigo, but it’d take all of you to drag me in there.” Tad replied, “Well, it was different with you, Madi. We wouldn’t ask you to go back in…”

She looked at him angrily. “Good thing, because I’d take you out if you tried to force me back in…” She looked at him with disgust. “St. Jude, my ass.” Tad took a deep breath and tilted his head to the side. “I’ve been patient with you. Ever since our conversation about the potential… only potential, mind you… that some of us might be… might be, Madi… saints, you have been unbearable.” She grabbed his tunic and pulled him closer to her. “Maybe I don’t like being called a slut!”

Tad shook his head and looked surprised. “When have I ever called you anything but your name?!” Father Garcia separated them. “Madi, you might recall that it was I who implied that your name is similar to Mary Magdalene, not Father Judean.” The newest members of the group had noticed the argument and watched in amazement. Madi pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, tucking herself into a little ball. Ambigo patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Madi.” She pushed him away. “Fuck you.”

Jaime shook his head and chided her, “Don’t say mean things to Dr. Thomas.” She looked up from her knees. “Why the hell not?!” Jaime looked at her with his steely gaze. “Because you’ll remember every mean thing you ever said to him when he has to do an adjustment on your eyes.” She stared at him, not speaking, just rocking back and forth. When she finally spoke, she unwrapped her body. “Good point.”

Father Garcia let the angry air dissipate. When the newest members of the group started talking amongst themselves again, he broached the subject. “We agree that meeting with John the Baptist is not a pleasant experience. Do any of you want to volunteer?” The faces scanned each other and in the end, everyone shook their head. Madi ran her hands on her rough tunic. “We should have coached Andrew. He was planning on going in. We should have told him what to ask.”

Philip approached the group. “I’m going in next…” He looked at them uncomfortably. “…that is unless one of you guys wants to go in first.” Ambigo shook his head. “Oh, Philip… Don’t go in there. I promise you, you’ll regret it. Please…” Tad spoke, “I heard Petros trying to convince Andrew not to go. If he doesn’t want his brother to go in, you know it must not be a good thing.” Philip put his hand on his neck and rubbed. He looked to the ground and then looked at Father Garcia. “It’s just… I heard Father Garcia ask for a volunteer…”

Simon stood up and placed a firm grip on Philip’s shoulder and made him sit down on the ground with them. Father Garcia whispered to the group in English, “Did I ask for a volunteer in Aramaic? I thought I was talking in English…” Simon was firm. “No, you were speaking in English.” He increased his grip on Philip’s shoulder. “Ow! Ow! What? What’s the matter? So I can understand you. I can’t recognize all of your words, but I heard him ask for volunteers and all of you shook your heads. I’m willing to go. Ow! Stop it!” Simon released his grip.

Father Garcia calmly responded in Aramaic, “Philip. No one volunteered because we don’t think it’s a good idea for anyone to go in. I really shouldn’t have asked them. When Andrew comes out, you’ll see. Look…” He pointed at James with his brother. “Do you think James would want you to go in?” Philip looked at his friends. The Thunder Brothers looked more like the Cowering Brothers. Philip rubbed his face and tugged on his right ear.

Simon made a decision. “You’re not going in. It’s a waste of time. We are a day’s walk away from the man who heals cripples. That guy…” he pointed to the cave, “…doesn’t know anything about his cousins. He’s not going to help us because he can’t. We have to accept that. I want to be on the road as soon as Andrew gets out of the cave and comes to his senses. I don’t want another night in the rowdy shanty town… I don’t…Father, I don’t think it’s safe to be here.” Father Garcia nodded. “You’re right, Simon. It isn’t wise for us to stay here. Philip, don’t let any of the others enter the cave. Let’s leave as soon as Andrew is able to go.”

Simon retrieved Andrew from the cave and gave him a large bear hug. Petros hugged his brother from the other side and they inched him away from the cave. Soon, Simon had the entire group on the road toward the man who heals the cripples, leading the way. Ambigo brought up the rear and walked with Philip and Bartholomew. “How long have you been able to understand us?” Philip shrugged. “Since the beginning, I guess. The more you talk amongst yourselves, the more I learn. Petros is right. You sound like the Germanic tribes.”

Ambigo shook his head. “How could you have encountered the Germanic tribes? They are so far away.” Philip kept walking steadily. “I am well educated and I have a gift for languages.” Ambigo called ahead, “Tad, come back here.” Tad approached them and Ambigo said, “Philip would like to learn more about our language. Are you willing to teach him? He says he has a gift.” Tad shrugged. “If I’m going to teach him, I should teach Petros as well. I think he understands more than he’s willing to admit. I’ve seen him react to our words when he thinks I’m not watching. Would you like to learn?” Philip nodded and the two of them walked ahead to gather Petros.

Ambigo was left at the back of the group with Bartholomew. He sighed and stretched. Walking was so much easier when he didn’t have to worry about cutting his feet. He had completely abandoned his habit of kicking sharp rocks out of the road. Bartholomew spoke, “Philip says that you refuse to believe in God, even when faced with miracles.” Ambigo looked at the young man and couldn’t contain his laughter. “How many miracles has he told you I’ve experienced?”

Bartholomew crinkled his forehead, “Well, there were the sandals…” Ambigo answered, “I didn’t have sandals. One of the divers noticed and gave me some sandals. Not a miracle.” “You saved all the divers.” “We carried the divers to the woman on the shore. Philip was with us. He was one of the men to carry the divers. We didn’t lose any because there were so many of us. Not a miracle.” “How many miracles do you need before you believe?”

Ambigo sighed. He had no idea what to say to this man. It was a good question. What would it take for Ambigo to believe in a higher power? “Bartholomew, let’s not talk about God. If you want belief and faith, talk to Simon. If you need to feel healthy and well, talk to me.”

Up ahead of them, Simon stopped walking. It didn’t take long before the group was crowded around him. Father Garcia asked, “What’s the matter, son?” Simon looked around and the landscape and grabbed James’ robe. “Are you sure we’re on the right road?” James looked to John and the two of them answered together, “Yes…” Simon shook his head. “How much further did you say?” John shrugged. “From here, about a day’s walk.” Simon pointed. “There’s water over that swell. We better camp here tonight.”

Father Garcia asked, “Are you well?” Ambigo approached him, putting his hand to Simon’s forehead. He was burning up with fever. “Help me, Bartholomew. We need to get him into the lake. Let’s hope one of your miracles comes along.” Simon fought them. “No! I’m just fine. I just need to rest. I have to talk to Father Garcia. I can hear them!” He grabbed Petros’ robe. “Herod’s soldiers! I hear them. They are breaking up the shanty town!”

If there had been doubt in their minds before, none remained. It took six of them to contain him and drag him to the lake. Bartholomew looked at Ambigo with terrified eyes. Matthew helped hold Simon in the water. He looked up catching Ambigo’s eyes, mouthing the words, “Madmen and Charlatans.” Ambigo shook his head, whispering, “Neither. He’s still sick. He got overheated from the walk and he must still have a bit of…” he couldn’t think of the word “infection” in Aramaic, so he used the English word instead, “…infection left over from when I pulled his tooth.” Bartholomew nodded. “Is infection a demon? He looks like he has a demon.” Ambigo shook his head. “There are no demons, Bartholomew. He’s just sick.”

Ambigo’s stomach felt like he had eaten rocks the previous night at the bonfire. They felt like they weighed him down as they gave Simon a bath in the cool lake. His patient quieted and began to shiver. “We have to take him out… now!” The six of them carried him out of the lake. Simon pulled him close to his lips. “The shanty town! They are massacring them!” Ambigo whispered, “Then we should stay far away from them, don’t you think?” Simon nodded and lost unconsciousness.

All night, they took Simon in and out of the water, bringing his fever down and quieting his demons. The team stayed at the shore of the lake, safely hidden from the road behind the swell. They didn’t even hear when Herod’s soldiers passed.

Chapter Word Count: 3343

Monthly Word Count: 48,705

Ambigo waited outside widow Alphaeus’ house. James and Andrew had gone inside to make the appropriate apologies. He looked uncomfortably at her son. “I… I just met James. Have you known him for long?” The man shook his head. “I vaguely knew him and his brother when we were kids, but…” He shrugged. “…that was before…” Ambigo searched awkwardly for a topic of conversation. “Are you hungry? We could go get some food…”

The young man looked at him with surprise. “I know a place…” The two of them walked to a dingy area of the town that Ambigo hadn’t seen before. “Are you sure you want to eat with me?” Ambigo shrugged. “Why not?” The son didn’t answer and the two of them got some meat from the vendors and sat down with a group of men.

One of the men spoke to the son of widow Alpaheus, “Levi, who’s this?” Levi looked at Ambigo and introduced him to his friends. Ambigo nodded politely and sat with them to eat. “Are you the healer that saved the divers?” He shook his head. “I was there, but it wasn’t me that saved them. There is a woman who lives on the shore. She told us what to do to help the divers through the night.” The man snorted. “Yeah, and we usually lose a couple each time. This time, everyone survived. I collected at Lucio’s last week. He couldn’t stop talking about how much you did.”

Ambigo shook his head again. “It’s an exaggeration. All we did was carry them to the woman on the shore.” The men mulled the idea over in their mind and ate quietly. “So, Levi, how are you friends with the healer that DIDN’T save the divers.” The man smiled at his little joke. Levi shrugged. “He’s friends with the Thunder Brothers.” The group laughed. “That doesn’t answer our question. You’re not friends with the Thunder Brothers.” Levi looked to Ambigo for an answer and he answered, “I believe James wronged his mother long ago. He called on her to apologize… I don’t know why I came along.”

Lucio walked by the group and was shocked to see Ambigo with the group of men. “Dr. Thomas! What are you doing eating with the tax collectors?!” Ambigo looked up from his food and around at the pleasant men he had been enjoying the meal with. “I’m eating, Lucio. I’m glad that you are healthy. Come eat with us.” Lucio shook his head. “You don’t eat with tax collectors.” Ambigo shrugged. “I do. I’m a healer, Lucio. I eat with anyone. Anyone can be sick, and healthy people don’t need me.” Lucio shook his head and walked on.

The group of men looked at him differently. Levi explained, “Most won’t eat with us because they consider us sinners.” Ambigo shrugged. “That means nothing to me. Plus, if they were truly good, they would eat with you. It just seems…” He couldn’t think of the translation for the word “hypocritical” in Aramaic. “It just seems wrong. I don’t visit healthy people; I visit sick ones and make them healthy. Religious people should be the same way.” Ambigo continued eating.

One of the group asked him, “How long are you staying? The healer said you were leaving soon.” Ambigo smiled and realized that the tax collectors collected gossip as well as Caesar’s due. “We are supposed to leave tomorrow if my friend is healthy enough. We are going to see John the Baptist and then going on to visit a man who heals cripples.” The men nodded. Levi commented, “I suppose that as a healer, a man like that would be very interesting to you.”

Ambigo shrugged. “If he’s real, then yes.” He sighed. “The only problem is that I think he might be a con artist… either that or a madman.” The group laughed. Levi responded, “That’s all we deal with: con artists and madmen.” Ambigo laughed loudly with them. “Ah, but can you tell them apart. That’s the hardest part.” The men nodded knowingly. Levi said, “It doesn’t matter to us. They both have to pay.” Ambigo looked at his new friend with surprise. “It doesn’t matter to me either.”

A wave of comfort and relaxation washed over Ambigo. “They’re right,” he thought to himself, “Whether he is the Son of God, a charlatan or a madman, he still has to pay. It doesn’t matter what kind of man he is. He still has to pay the price. There’s nothing I can do to change it… In fact no matter who we are… we all have to pay the price. None of us gets out of this place alive, no matter who we are.” This thought brought a feeling of divine peace to Ambigo. “Hey, Levi. You should follow us. Come with us.” Levi looked at the men gathered and ate the last of his food. “I think I will, Dr. Thomas.”

They said goodbye to Levi’s friends and walked back to his mother’s house to collect James and Andrew. “Where were you?! Oh…” They sounded disappointed. “You didn’t eat with HIM, did you?” Ambigo nodded happily. “Yes I did and guess what?! He’s coming with us to see the man who heals cripples.” The looks on their faces showed how unsavory they thought the prospect. Levi spoke, “Maybe I should just stay home.”

Ambigo grabbed his arm and pulled Levi closer to him. “Absolutely not! You’re the first man I’ve met in this land who can tell a charlatan from a prophet. We need you with us!” He looked sternly at James and Andrew. “Father Garcia will agree with me, I’m sure.” Andrew replied, “Not when he learns that Levi is a publican.” Ambigo shook his head. “He won’t care. If I say Levi is a friend, he will be allowed to come with us.” James shrugged. “Who cares what Father Garcia says? I’m not traveling with a publican.”

Andrew shook his head. “What Father Garcia says is law.” James looked to Ambigo to verify it and Ambigo nodded. James shrugged. “Well then, let’s take it to Father Garcia.” James squinted at Levi, but Levi stood up to him. “You don’t scare me, thunder boy. I’m going to find this man who heals cripples. If he is a con artist, I’ll be able to see right through him. You’ll be glad I came along.”

Father Garcia was kneeling and packing supplies when the small group came upon him. James spoke first, “The healer wants to bring a tax collector with us on our journey! Tell him how inappropriate that is.” Father Garcia looked up at the four of them. “Sit down.” They sat down next to Father Garcia and he continued wrapping up the essentials that they would need on the trip. Father Garcia looked at the new man. “Is it Levi or Matthew?” They were all surprised. Levi stuttered out an answer, “B-both, actually. My given name is Matthew, and my nickname is Levi.” Father Garcia was quiet and Levi continued, “I think… I think it might be because I levy taxes, but I’m not sure… Nicknames… nicknames are strange things.” Father Garcia nodded, answering, “The worst thing about nicknames is that we don’t get to choose them. What would YOU like me to call you?”

Levi looked at him and seemed to grown two inches in height. “I… I would prefer Matthew… It’s not that I am ashamed of my nickname…” He looked at James. “…or my profession. It’s just… It’s the name my father chose for me. I would prefer to honor him.” Father Garcia nodded. He looked at James and Andrew, “From this moment forward, everyone will call you Matthew. Welcome to the team, Matthew.” James and Andrew started to argue, but Father Garcia held up his hand.

“Dr. Thomas, was Jaime or Madi with you when you met Matthew?” A dull panic filled Ambigo’s chest. “No.” Father Garcia nodded, continuing to pack. “I’m going to ask you to keep one of the two of them around you at all times. When we first came to this land, Jaime didn’t trust you, so he watched you carefully, but you’ve gained his trust and he has stopped following you about. Considering your healing talents, it is essential that you keep one of the two of them with you. No more wandering off alone, understood?” Ambigo felt the shame of his actions and mumbled, “Yes, Father.”

Father Garcia looked up from his work. “I want you to introduce Jaime to Matthew. I have a feeling that they will feel like… brothers. I want you both to tell him how you met and how you,” He pointed at Matthew. “decided to join our party. Is that understood, Dr. Thomas?” Ambigo nodded and stood up, lifting Matthew. He nodded and whispered to Matthew, “He’s right. You and Jaime are going to really like each other.”

Ambigo and Matthew described their meeting to Jaime. Ambigo directed the conversation to include as much detail as he could. He had no idea why certain things were significant or why Jaime clenched his lips angrily, but Father Garcia had told him to describe the meeting so that Jaime could document it. “Oh yeah… um… Father Garcia said I have to stick to you like glue.”

Jaime burst into English, “No shit?! He thinks that might be a good idea?! You go with James and Andrew to the ALPHAEUS house,” he pointed at Matthew, “and you don’t think to bring one of us along?!” Ambigo held up his hands, continuing to argue in English, “I was chosen for my medical skills, not my Biblical knowledge. I had no idea he was Matthew. He told me his name was Levi.”

Matthew’s gaze went from Ambigo’s to Jaime’s during the argument. “I thought you said he’d like me.” Ambigo and Jaime stopped arguing. Jaime responded in Aramaic, “I do like you. I’m just mad at Dr. Thomas right now.” Matthew didn’t believe him. “Why?” Jaime looked at Ambigo and sighed. “I guess…” He looked back to Matthew. “I guess because I wanted to be with him when he met you…” He shrugged. “He didn’t know that, so he went without me…I’m just… I just felt left out.” Jaime smiled at Matthew. “I am very glad to meet you. We are going to be great friends, I promise.”

Jaime looked to Ambigo. “Does Petros know we are bringing a tax collector?” Ambigo shook his head and Jaime continued, “Considering his fear of the Romans, he should find out as soon as possible.” He turned toward Matthew. “Don’t let Petros get you. He doesn’t trust anyone. Ambigo had to save Petros’ mother-in-law before he trusted him. He will have to be just as scared of you as he is of us.” Matthew nodded. “I’m well aware of Petros’ nature.”

Jaime asked Ambigo, “We were going to have a… conversation with Petros. Do you know what became of that?” Ambigo shrugged, shaking his head. “I think all of that went out the window when Simon…” Ambigo looked away. “…when Simon changed his vote to yours.” Jaime turned to Matthew. “Let’s get you packed. I hope you have a good pair of sandals. We have a big walk planned.” Matthew smiled at Jaime. “I’m a tax collector. All I do is walk.” The two of them went back to Matthew’s home, while Ambigo looked for Petros.

“The Thunder Brothers beat you here.” Petros looked at Ambigo. He was also packing for the trip. “They already told me that you invited the son of Alphaeus. They expected me to be angry or fearful.” Ambigo looked at the items Petros was hoarding away. “Are you?” Petros shook his head and smiled. “I asked them if Father Garcia approved and they said that Father Garcia already knew him and it wasn’t a question.” He stopped packing and looked at Ambigo. “You are not Romans?” Ambigo shook his head. “You are not from the land of Tamaros?” Ambigo sighed, “I don’t think so. When you first mentioned the name, it sounded familiar to me. I talked with everyone at the group. We weren’t able to come to a decision about where this land may be. In the end, everyone decided to leave it in God’s hands.”

Petros laughed skeptically. “Everyone? You included?” Ambigo shrugged. “All I can do is my best. I make mistakes. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I do great things. Frankly, I make mistakes a lot more often than I do great things, but that’s not going to stop me from trying.” Petros took a deep breath, pondering the issue. “If you, the man who does not believe in God, has decided to leave it in God’s hands, then I can.” Ambigo shook his head. “Ahh, Petros… Don’t say that. It’s not like I’ve decided to leave it in God’s hands. It’s more like I’m going to do the best that I can and not worry about these men who gave you a mysterious warning. Sometimes worrying about things wastes so much energy that you fail because of the worrying.”

Petros shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what you call it, Dr. Thomas. Whether you decided to stop worrying, or you decided to let God take care of it. Either way, it’s the same action. If you are willing to take this action, then so am I…” He started packing again. “As far as Levi is concerned, I don’t care if he comes along. It doesn’t matter to me how he earns a living. It doesn’t matter to me if he associates with the Romans. If he wants to see the man who heals cripples, then we are brothers…” He sighed and looked up at Ambigo. “Let’s just hope this man is the Jesus fellow you’re looking for. If he is not, I will not help Simon interrogate every citizen of every town from here to Egypt. I will return to my fishing, and my boat, and my wife…” Ambigo nodded. “Understood. If I wasn’t called to this mission, I would be tempted to just join you.”

The next morning, they gathered to leave. Father Garcia looked confused. “I feel as if we’re missing someone.” Simon nodded. “Philip.” Father Garcia nodded and then shook his head. “No, I know Philip isn’t here. I feel like we’re missing someone else.” Just then, Philip ran to Petros’ house with a thin young man in tow. “I’m sorry I’m late. I thought if it was alright for Dr. Thomas to invite Levi,” Father Garcia interrupted him, “Matthew.”

Philip rolled his eyes. “Matthew… then it would be alright for me to bring Bartholomew.” Father Garcia nodded. “Oh yes. Welcome, Bartholomew.” Petros looked at him surprised. “Did Philip tell you he was bringing another friend?” Father Garcia shook his head. “No, it just didn’t feel right somehow. I felt like we needed another traveler.” Petros shook his head. “Too many, if you ask me. Any more than eight people and things get too confusing for most people. It makes me think that people can’t count higher than eight sometimes.” Father Garcia laughed, “I assure you, Petros, that I can count far higher than eight.” He chuckled. “In fact, I have been known to count as high as twenty before I start losing track of myself.” The team laughed quietly to themselves and started walking on the road to John the Baptist’s cave.

Ambigo was used to Simon leading the group, but the Thunder Brothers took the lead. This was their show. They were taking their friends to find the man who heals cripples. Simon walked slowly and methodically with Ambigo at the rear of the group. “Petros is right. The group is too big now.” Ambigo laughed.

“You’re just bothered because James and John found him before we did.” “I guess I am. You know… we would have found him if I hadn’t had trouble with my tooth.” Simon smiled to himself. “I’m just glad we got it out in one piece. I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to get you home with it.” “Yeah. Well, I’m not going to worry about that. You know, last night, Petros said a really nice thing to me. He said that worrying wastes too much energy. I have to save all my energy to get better.” “That punk… He stole that from me.” Ambigo looked at Petros at the front of the group with the Thunder Brothers. “Well, you should have said it to me instead of him. He’s still worrying and I’m the one that needed the advice.” Simon sighed. “You know, he asked me again if we’re from Tamaros.” “What did you tell him?” “I told him that we decided to let God take care of the people from Tamaros.” “I told him the same thing.” Ambigo confessed, “Lucky thing our stories checked out.”

They walked along slowly and silently. Had Simon been at full health, leading the group, they would have walked at a much brisker pace. With John and James at the head, they strolled leisurely, which was exactly what Simon needed in Ambigo’s opinion.

“You know, the day I joined the team, Father Garcia said that you had enough religious conviction in your little finger for the whole team.” Simon breathed heavily. “Is that a question?” “You just seemed down when you learned that I had to pull your tooth. I guess… I don’t know…” Ambigo didn’t know how to say it. He struggled with the thought. “Are ya worried that I’m not keeping up your share of religious conviction?” Simon guessed. Ambigo laughed, trying to hide his underlying fear. “No…” He snorted. “Yes… I don’t know. I just didn’t like seeing you down. I… I kind of depend on you to be the strong guy who will protect us. Seeing you sick and unhealthy is nothing compared to seeing you…down.”

Simon shook his head. “First thing, Doc. Everyone has trouble with their faith. I don’t care who it is. I don’t care if the Pope himself says the opposite. If you are a thinking man, there are going to be times when you question things. There are going to be times when God doesn’t seem as real or present in your life. It’s not knowledge, Dr. Thomas. It’s called faith for a reason. Only a halfwit can say that he has never questioned the existence of God.” They crunched on the road and Ambigo tried to ignore the reproach of his sandals.

“Second thing, I’m not a superhero.” Simon lowered his voice to a whisper, drawing Ambigo close to him. “We are going to be seeing some pretty scary stuff… things that I can’t control. I don’t know about anyone else, but when they come for Jesus, I’m giving the good fight. Even though I know that I can’t change history, I’m not letting him be taken away without dropping a few of their men, you hear me?” Ambigo nodded. “You know what else?” Ambigo kept walking, but kept looking Simon straight in the eye. He shook his head. “I know I’m not going to be able to stop them no matter how hard I fight. I know that I’m going to lose. It’s not going to keep me from fighting, but it’s a fact that I can’t escape. You need to face it too, Doc.”

They walked in silence for a few more steps while Ambigo absorbed Simon’s thoughts. Simon sucked in a large breath of air and started walking quickly. “We got a lot of ground to cover and these bozos are just dinking around.” He hurried to the front of the team, pulling ahead of James and John. “Get a move on. We’ve got to get to the cave before the party at the shanty town. I’m not missing one minute of the bonfire.” He called back to them and everyone on the team stepped up the pace a bit after seeing Simon at the front of the pack again.

Chapter Word Count: 2822

Monthly Word Count: 45,362

“No, that’s too big. I don’t want pliers. I… I don’t think I should try to pull it. I don’t want to break the tooth.” The local healer shook her head. “What do you care? The tooth is bad. If it comes out in two pieces or one, it’s the same. The cure is to remove the tooth before it goes to his mind.” Ambigo ran his hand along his forehead. “This tooth is important. It needs to come out in one piece.” She shook her head. “I looked in that boy’s mouth. It’s not so special. I saw a Roman woman once who had a replacement tooth. You could go to Rome and replace that tooth if it’s so important.”

Ambigo just looked at the woman and blinked. He didn’t know what to say to her. “Okay, okay. If the tooth is so important, no pulling. We’ll cut it out. It’s just so risky cutting. The patient swallows the humors and it makes them sick.” Ambigo nodded. “You’re right. We need to make sure he doesn’t swallow too much blood.” She produced her tools and Ambigo looked at them greedily. “All the folks are saying that you saved the divers.” He took his eyes off the instruments. “No. I didn’t even know what to do. It was the woman on the shore. The only thing that was different is that there were lots of us there to help her.”

The healer nodded. “I taught her how to massage the sickness out of them… They didn’t even call for me that night… It kind of makes me feel useless when the town doesn’t call for the healer.” Ambigo realized that he had stepped on her toes without even knowing that her toes had been under his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone. I had just come to town that day.” The woman nodded and he continued, “We’re leaving again when my friend heals.” She kept nodding.

When she finally spoke, Ambigo was more than willing to hear her. “We’ve never had divers sickness and didn’t lose one or two divers. I didn’t even know it was possible to save them all.” He waited to see if she had anything more to say, but she was quiet. He carefully replied, “I think the only difference is that we had more people. There were seven healthy and five divers at first. If there was some kind of alarm that the woman on the shore could sound that would bring lots of people, then I suspect you would hardly lose any. Maybe a bell or a gong that she could sound. Then, the town could come and help her instead of just you and her alone.” The healer nodded and said no more.

“I’ve never seen a man drink that much and still stay standing.” Petros shook his head and handed Simon another bottle. Simon quietly kept drinking and swished the alcohol in his mouth. “He’s a big guy. It takes more liquor to knock out a big man than a small one.” Simon called out in English to Ambigo in a slurred voice, “Hey Doc! Maybe I could just swish with alcohol every day and that would fix my tooth and I could keep it and I wouldn’t have to be stranded here and I wouldn’t have to go to India with you. I’d really like to go home when all this is done. I was gonna retire after this mission, you know. I thought maybe I’d be able to find a girl if I retired.”

Ambigo patted his back and replied in English, “Listen to me Simon. I’m going to try to get the tooth out intact. It’s a long shot, but I thought that if you swallowed your tooth a couple of hours before we’re supposed to be zapped home, it would probably work for you. You have to let me do the extraction, though.” Simon’s glassy eyes looked back at the doctor. “You’d do that for me? I promise to… Wait… This is another test, isn’t it, Doc?” Ambigo shook his head. “No…”

Simon nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes it is. I’m supposed to say that it’s God’s Will and whatever he wants, is a-okay with me, right?” Ambigo shook his head. “Sure, Simon. It’s God’s Will. Whatever he wants, will be and we can’t stop it. Do you know what God wants right now?” Simon shook his head. “No, do you?” Ambigo nodded. “God wants you to go to sleep and he wants you to stay asleep until I get your tooth out. Can you do it?” Simon nodded. “I’m gonna sleep right now, -k-?”

It was as if a light turned off and Simon fell back into the bed, mouth wide open. At first, Ambigo thought that Simon was faking, but he had really passed out from the alcohol. The extraction went very quickly. The decay had gotten so bad that the tooth would have collapsed had Ambigo applied even a small amount of pressure to it. He showed the healer proper surgical technique, from washing to suturing, even though the wound only needed two stitches. She asked educated questions and he realized that she was trained far beyond what he expected from her.

“I don’t think he swallowed any blood, so he shouldn’t be too sick. I just hope we can keep it from getting…” He didn’t know how to say “infected” in Aramaic, so he just cut his sentence short. Simon continued to sleep while Ambigo washed the instruments. “Thanks for letting me use your tools.” She sniffed. “Where did you train?” Ambigo looked at her. “In my homeland. You did very well. Where did you train?” She looked around and whispered, “I trained in Greece. All the best healers train in Greece, but you do things differently. That white stuff that stopped the humors…”

Ambigo brought out his pouch. “It’s aluminum sulfate. It doesn’t work if the humors are… squirting out. It only works for smaller wounds. Don’t let the patient eat it… they will vomit. A little bit will stop the bleeding. His mouth was so dry, it worked. It usually doesn’t work in a mouth, only on the body. Would you like some?” Ambigo divided his stash in half. The woman gratefully took it. “Where did you find it?” He sighed, “I don’t know where we were. I found it in the sheep country…”

The woman stuck her finger in the powder and tasted it. “Ahh! Cake alum! This is cake alum! The curriers use it to tan the leather in the sheep country!” A chill went down Ambigo’s spine and he could hear Madi’s angry voice screaming at him days ago. “It’s curriers, you idiot. He’s the patron saint of people who tan leather.” The healer handed her half of the stash back to him, laughing. “My husband’s brother has a large supply of this! I had no idea it stopped bleeding!” Ambigo nodded at her jovial spirit, trying to shake off the chill.

“You will never guess what we have heard, so we will tell you!” Philip was so excited that he burst into Petros’ home, bringing two men. They were tall and dark-haired, but fair in skin. “We have to tell Simon! He will be so happy!” Philip ushered the men into the small room where Ambigo had nursed Petros’ mother-in-law to health.

“Simon! Wake up! You will not regret the loss of your precious tooth any longer when you hear what the Thunder Brothers have to say to you!” Simon rubbed his eyes while the rest of the team crowded into the small room. Petros looked at the visitors. “James and John! How long you’ve been away! I had heard that you were to see John the Baptist. I went there myself and brought back this crowd.” The two men nodded at the gathering in the small room. “What news do you have for us?!”

“Apparently, it’s world-shaking news of interest to your visitors. We just thought it was a passing story for you. Philip makes us think it might be more important than we thought.” Simon sat up. “Okay, Philip. Tell me the news. Maybe it will be enough to make Dr. Thomas let me out of the bed. I am sick to death of the flavor of cloves and I long for a walk.” Ambigo saw him chew down on the packet of crushed cloves that he had made for him. Madi and Jaime came to the other side of his bed. “Who are these guys?” Madi asked unceremoniously.

The young men smiled at her, allowing their white teeth to show. They said in unison, “The Thunder Brothers!” They made a thunder noise together and jostled each other in what little space they could in the small room. Jaime asked for more specific information. “What are your names?” They looked to each other and the taller one spoke, “I am James and this is my brother John. We are the sons of Zebedee. We have been traveling and we heard a story that we thought Petros would find interesting, but Philip thinks all of you want to hear it.” John spoke, “He thinks this story will heal your friend and send us all on a trip. We just got home and he thinks that we will take him on a trip!”

Madi and Jaime looked at each other and then looked at the rest of the team. Ambigo realized that these young and rambunctious boys must be more of Jesus’ disciples. He sighed heavily and hoped that they lived up to their legends. Father Garcia urged them, “Tell us the story, then.” The brothers looked at each other and then faced Simon. James spoke, “While we were waiting for John the Baptist, we heard of a man who is able to heal the crippled.” Simon asked, “Do you know where he is?” John nodded. “A day’s walk from John the Baptist’s cave. A little over two days’ walk from here. We can take you if you are suddenly healed by this information.”

Simon looked at Ambigo. The Thunder Brothers looked at Ambigo. Soon, every occupant of the room looked at Ambigo. Father Garcia asked, “Dr. Thomas. When do you think Simon will be healthy enough to see this man who heals cripples?” Ambigo sighed, “He can leave in two days if you promise to walk slowly. We must take the walk to this man in three days. I fear that Simon would push himself faster than he should.”

Simon nodded. “Your story has healed me. We leave in two days!” The room shook with cheering. John exclaimed, “Well, this man has healed a sick man that he never even met. He must be a miracle worker in person!” Ambigo pushed the visitors out of the room in an effort to allow Simon as much rest as he could before they left.

“So, James. Tell me about your experience with John the Baptist.” Petros asked them in a friendly, but serious way. James shook his head. “I know you said it was moving, but we just hated him.” John nodded in agreement. “They wouldn’t let us go in together. We had to go in alone.” Petros nodded. “Oh yes. I forgot you two might be sensitive about that. When you were with him, did he give you interesting ideas?”

James shrugged. “I have to apologize to widow Alphaeus for shearing her cat.” Andrew laughed loudly. “That was you?! You know, widow Alphaeus blamed me for that. She hasn’t said more than two words to me since then and we were, what… I don’t know… I think we had twelve years. She hasn’t spoken to me for eight years!” James ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m supposed to apologize to you too for letting you take the blame. I’m supposed to bring you back to him if you accept my apology.” Petros, Madi and Ambigo nodded, well aware of their own pacts made with John the Baptist.

Father Garcia added, “Well, you’d better make your apologies soon. We leave in two days.” James nodded his head. Petros asked, “So, John, what of your visit with this man? Do you have to apologize for kissing Ruth?” John’s forehead crinkled. “No. I didn’t even think about Ruth… She should apologize to me for marrying Zachariah instead of me.” Petros laughed loudly. “Maybe she wanted only one husband instead of two. You and James are never apart enough to entertain a wife properly. If not Ruth, then what?”

John looked at the group sheepishly. “I don’t know about James, but he told me not to talk to anyone about it.” Petros’ face blushed and the mirth that had been there a second before evaporated with the coloring. Ambigo chimed in, “You’re right, John. You don’t have to share your experience. A meeting with John the Baptist is not pleasant for most people.” Madi nodded and averted her eyes from the group shyly.

Father Garcia tried to revive the merriment that had flown from the room. “So, you saw John the Baptist and then you saw the man who heals cripples. You’ve had a momentous journey!” James and John shook their heads and spoke in unison, “We didn’t see the man.” James continued speaking, “We just heard about him when we waited for John the Baptist.” John picked up where his brother stopped, “There was much… waiting.” James laughed. “There was much partying! Every night, there was a loud, noisy party! You didn’t tell us how much fun the town is!”

Petros looked at the members of the team and they felt the shame of their actions. “I wasn’t really able to enjoy the party…” James and John looked at him incredulously. “You couldn’t enjoy the party?!” they responded in stereo. Petros shook his head. “It’s actually a funny story when you look at it. These guys thought I was going to run away, so they tied me up and because they attacked me and tied me up, I pretty much thought they were going to kill me, so I was worried about that instead of enjoying the party.” Father Garcia added, “It’s actually not a funny story at all, is it? I’m sorry about that, Petros.”

Petros shrugged and smiled jovially. “It’s alright! I remember the meat. It tasted good.” James and John nodded happily. Ambigo asked, “There was a little girl there selling necklaces. Did you see her?” The brothers looked at each other and then back to him. James spoke, “No… did you fall in love?” Ambigo laughed and shook his head. “No! She was a young girl, too young even for you.” The boys shook their heads. John teased him. “Why do you care? Did you want a necklace?”

Ambigo shook his head. “I was just wondering if she was still sick. I gave her some medicine and I was hoping it helped her.” The boys shrugged. James replied, “We’ll be back there soon when I take Andrew to see John the Baptist.” The team groaned. Jaime responded, “I don’t want to wait for him again! Dr. Thomas, didn’t you say that it was bad for us to see him?” Ambigo shook his head. “I wouldn’t recommend it, Andrew.” James laughed. “Don’t let them scare you. You only have to fear if you are not living a life with God. I know you, Andrew. You walk the path of God every day.” Andrew’s eyes flitted nervously.

James added, “It is fun to wait for John the Baptist because there is a celebration every night!” He jumped, “I almost forgot! You have to hear the new song we learned while we were gone.” James and John stood up, ready to entertain their friends, unafraid and unashamed. They sang in perfect harmony and were happy to share their new song with the strangers and loved ones.

He was a timid traveler with a story to tell. She was a woman of the street. They met at a well. He said, “Bring me some water.” She said, “How dare you speak to me.” He said, “Sit right here and I’ll tell you a tale Of how life should be.”

Stop telling stories, don’t you worry Go into the country, be a good wife. Plant a little garden, reap the wages Gather the fruit of eternal life.

Philip and Andrew laughed and clapped at the song. Andrew called loudly, “Teach us to sing it! I’ve never heard a song like it in my life!” Madi whispered to Ambigo, “It’s amazing! It’s the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.” Ambigo shuddered and replied, “No it isn’t!” He and the rest of the team were appalled to hear the song, parroted back to him in Aramaic to the tune of “Blow Up Your TV.”

Chapter Word Count: 2730

Monthly Word Count: 42,540

Bethsaida was a dead end. The carpenter in that city was from Kadesh, a town just north of the area. The team knew he was not the man they were looking for before the he said a word about his origins. He was so dim-witted that it was obvious that this carpenter was not the one that they were looking for. They spent the evening camped under the open stars.

“Remember when we first got here? We used to boil the water every single time before we drank it? Now, we just drink wherever we know the locals drink.” Jaime squinted at the fire. Ambigo felt it was his duty to comment. “It’s still a good practice to boil the water to prevent sickness. If any of you get food poisoning, I don’t have the antibiotics to help you through it… Still, I must admit that I trust the water a lot more now than I did when I came here. Ever since that rotten meat incident…” The team chuckled and Ambigo finished, “… I just trust my instincts, I guess.”

They quieted and watched the fire. Ambigo felt lost. They had been too many years too late to catch Jesus in Egypt and he had no idea where to go next. Simon spoke, “I think we should go back to the towns near Nazareth and interview the inhabitants there. That’s the only plan of action I have at this point.” Father Garcia nodded thoughtfully, stretching out his arms. “Jaime, what do you think?” The thin young man continued staring at the fire. “According to the time line, Jesus is supposed to be preaching in Capernaum right now, but we know he’s not there. I… don’t really know…”

“Madi, do you see the aura the fire is giving off?” Madi crinkled her brow at Jaime’s question. “No… What do you mean?” Jaime shook his head. “I don’t really know… Since the last adjustment, things are… I don’t know. Sometimes they are really clear and focused. Like those divers… Other times, I’m getting strange auras… like this fire… Is this different wood?” Madi commented, “I don’t know. It’s just wood I found over there…” She pointed away from the campsite to a grove of bushes.

“Tad, stop cooking that meat over the fire and don’t start cooking anything else. I’m going to have Madi show me the trees.” Ambigo stood up and helped Madi to her feet. “In fact, all of you back away from it. I don’t want you inhaling the fumes…” He shrugged. “Just in case.” The two of them walked over to the bushes and Madi showed him the dry wood that she had gathered around the bushes, but she didn’t need to say a word. As soon as they got close enough to them to see, Ambigo recognized them.

“Wolfs bane… either that or oleander. Either way, it’s bad.” Ambigo showed her how to identify bushes from the Apocynaceae family. “Not all plants in this family are poisonous, but these ones definitely are. Come on. Let’s gather some different wood.” Ambigo and Madi walked further and found bark and branches from some substantial trees and brought back enough for the evening. By the time, they got back, Simon had already put out the fire. “I figured there must be something wrong with it. If not, I’d start another one, but I didn’t want to risk it. Was the wood bad or something?”

Ambigo and Madi put down their new stack of clean, dry wood. “Tad, you better throw away that meat.” Without question, the priest removed the meat from the stick he had been using. Then he held up the stick to Ambigo. “I guess I should toss this, too, huh?” Ambigo nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even look at the wood Madi gathered. It looks like it was oleander. Any water that comes in contact with this plant is poisonous. Any food cooked over the fire is poisonous. It’s nasty stuff. Lucky thing Jaime questioned it.”

Jaime shook his head. “Hope this doesn’t mean I need another adjustment.” Madi scoffed. “Are you kidding? We got you to the point that you can tell a fire is poisonous and you can see further distances than humanly possible. I’m not touching your eyes until you’re blind…” She breathed deeply. “I’m actually considering having an adjustment to see if we can get my eyes as good as yours.” The entire team shouted, “No!” Jaime shook his head. “Sorry, Madi. I’m not touching your eyes until you’re blind…”

She looked at them and sucked in a breath. “Oh… yeah…” She shook her head. “Yeah… you’re right.” Simon expertly cleaned out the fire pit and built a new fire. Afterward, he washed his hands several times until Ambigo finally assured him that he was clean enough. Tad reviewed his supplies and a smaller piece of meat was produced. “We’ll be eating slim tonight. I’m glad I hadn’t started the veggies yet.”

They settled back around the fire while Tad cooked their meal. “There we go. That’s how it’s supposed to look,” Jaime commented and pointed to the fire. Father Garcia responded, “We’ll just have to trust you on that, son.” Ambigo breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little ashamed that he hadn’t taught Madi to spot poisonous plants before. It had completely slipped his mind and he felt the sting of it.

Simon continued their conversation from earlier, “The question at hand is whether we should return to Capernaum before we interview the towns around Nazareth.” The team sighed with the thought. Father Garcia responded first, “I have no idea. What do you folks think?” Simon had a ready answer, “I think we should let Petros and the others alone. They should stay in Capernaum and wait for Jesus to come collect them. I think we should avoid the town on our way back to the south. Maybe Jesus only made it as far as Samaria… I don’t know…”

Ambigo made a noise, “…humph…” Simon questioned him, “What was that for?” Ambigo shook his head. “I guess I thought that you would want to take Petros and them along with us.” Simon lifted his chin a bit. “Why?” Ambigo shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess to protect them from the Romans… or the atheists… whatever they are.” Father Garcia asked, “Is that what you think we should do, Dr. Thomas?” Ambigo sighed. “I don’t know what to do. It’s all so confusing.”

Tad interceded, “I think we should give Petros a choice. We should tell them what we are planning to do and ask the three of them if they want to come with us or stay at home. Considering the long journey we have recently taken, I suspect they will choose to stay at home. Giving them the choice is the best option.” Madi interrupted, “You just don’t want to make a decision. Giving them the choice without giving them all of the information doesn’t absolve you from the responsibility, Tad.”

“You’re not suggesting that we tell Petros EVERYTHING, are you?” Jaime placed his hand on Madi’s arm. She nodded, “Since he was the one who was approached by the Romans or atheists or second team or whatever, I think he is the one we should talk to. We should tell him what we think and give him the full choice of whether to come… and whether to endanger his wife…” She looked at the fire. “I don’t see anything. Do you see an aura with this fire?” Jaime nodded. “Yeah, but it’s the normal aura fires have. Not that weird mustard stuff. It’s just the normal green…” She muttered, “…green… I don’t see any green…”

Father Garcia sighed. “We all know what becomes of Petros’ wife.” Ambigo scanned his memory, trying desperately to pull old catechisms out of his head. Madi blew out a puff of air. “I know… I just… didn’t expect her to be so pretty… especially when Mary was…” The entire team sighed in agreement and then looked at Ambigo. Tad asked the question that was on their minds, “So, what was the matter with her?”

So much had transpired since they had been chased out of Nazareth that Ambigo had almost forgotten about their encounter with Mary and Joseph. “Oh?! Well, um, I think that she has Huntington’s disease. The constant feeling of choking, the paranoid delusions, that swaying, they’re all symptoms of the disease… It wouldn’t explain the hallucinations, however.” The team looked at him questioningly and he answered, “You know, the visitation from the angel before the birth of Jesus. Huntington’s doesn’t have outright hallucinations as one of its symptoms, especially that early at the onset…” They looked at him strangely. “Have I said something wrong?”

Madi folded her arms. Tad responded, “No, Ambigo. We just wanted to know what her problem was. Is it hereditary?” Ambigo nodded. Jaime asked, “Do you think Jesus might have this disease?” Ambigo sighed. “It’s a fifty-fifty chance. It usually gets worse when passed from a mother to a son… Of course, if you believe that God placed Jesus in Mary’s womb, then heredity is just another science that is irrelevant… like… evolution.” He glanced over at Madi. She was still fuming on the other side of the fire, staring into it.

Things got quiet and Father Garcia asked, “Jaime, you haven’t said what you think about Petros.” Jaime stretched and unclenched his fists. “I have decided to put it in God’s hands.” Simon shook his head. “It’s people like you who give religion a bad name. Make a decision. If we avoid Capernaum, we make a decision. If we go into the town, we make a decision. How can you just leave the decision up to God?” Jaime looked at Simon, unblinking. “I just decided that God is going to guide us. I’m not going to interfere with His plan. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to.” Simon responded in disgust, “Bah!”

Father Garcia prodded Ambigo, “Do you have a decision yet?” Ambigo stood up and paced a bit. “I… I just don’t know the rules. It would be easier if I had some underlying facts. Is it possible to screw up history? No? Then why were they so worried about contamination? I don’t know how to answer because I don’t know what we’re dealing with. Based on what I know, I think it would be better to leave them alone. Let them stay in that little town. We’ll keep looking on our own. That way, we don’t have to risk further contamination. If we do give them a choice, however, I believe we should tell Petros everything. Maybe not the others, but Petros should know everything.”

Ambigo sat down by the fire again and Father Garcia rubbed his eyes, drawing the greedy attention of Madi and Jaime. He sighed deeply and rubbed his entire face. “So, we have two votes for giving Petros the choice, two votes for avoiding Capernaum and looking on our own and one vote saying we should let God decide. I can’t make this decision tonight. I think we should all sleep on it and vote again tomorrow morning. Maybe things will look different then.” The team sighed in agreement and ate Tad’s food gratefully.

Simon shook Ambigo awake the next morning. He whispered, “Hey, Dr. Thomas.” Ambigo sat up and scanned the team. Everyone else was asleep or pretending they were asleep. “What is it, Simon?” Simon looked uncomfortable. “I’ve got to talk to you…” He looked at Jaime, who was quite obviously awake, but keeping his eyes closed. “…in private, okay?” Ambigo stood up and followed Simon away from the warmth of the fire.

They wandered over by the oleander bushes and out of earshot from the team. “Do you think we should save some of this, you know, just in case?” Ambigo was still groggy. “Just in case, what? You could snap a neck so quickly no one would see it. What’s poison compared to that?” Simon looked at the bushes fearfully. “I don’t know. It just seems like a good thing to have… you know… just in case.” Ambigo shook his head. “That stuff isn’t coming near my satchel. I don’t want it making all my medicinal herbs poisonous. No way.” Simon put his hand to his fuzzy head and nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

Ambigo started to head back to the fire, but Simon stayed by the bushes. “Aren’t we going back?” Simon shook his head and fidgeted. “I’m sorry I threatened to punch you in the nuts.” Ambigo tried to remember the last time Simon threatened him and gave up. “Simon, if I believed you every time you threatened to hurt me, I’d be as paranoid as Petros.” He stretched, trying to wake up. Simon folded his arms, staring at the ground.

“Just tell me what it is, Simon. It can’t be that bad.” Simon shook his head and looked Ambigo in the eye. “It’s my tooth, Dr. Thomas. I think it’s going bad and I need you to look at it. At first, I thought it was just headaches. Sometimes when I’m in high pressure situations, I get headaches, but this…” He shrugged. “…this is nothing… Last night, it got worse and it’s just on one side, and I…damn…” He looked away. “…I think it’s my implant.”

Ambigo’s stomach sunk to his feet. “Open your mouth.” Simon opened his mouth, but Ambigo was far too short to see anything. “Lie down.” Simon immediately lay on the rough grass and opened his mouth, expertly keeping his tongue away from his teeth. The gums had receded from the tooth and were red and tender. “Simon…” Ambigo stood up and started pacing. “It’s not good, Simon.” He shook out his hands, uncomfortable. “Is it the tooth with the implant?” Ambigo couldn’t bear to say it. He looked at Simon and shook his hands.

Simon sat up and clasped his hands around his knees. “I’ll have to ask Madi about Simon the Zealot. I don’t remember him being martyred. Maybe I’ll go to India with you. You’re going to India, you know.” Ambigo shook his head and paced. “I can’t take care of this on the road. If I pull that tooth, you need at least a week’s rest. If I don’t pull that tooth, the infection could kill you. Hell, pulling the tooth could kill you.” Ambigo shook out his hands. “I can’t do this out in the open. We need a safe place.”

Simon stood up. “I guess Jaime got his answer.” He walked back to the campsite and Ambigo followed him, sick with the situation. The team had gotten up and was stoking the fire for breakfast. “Father Garcia…” Simon paused and looked at everyone. “Everybody, listen. My tooth with the implant has gone bad. Dr. Thomas has to pull it out.” Madi cried out and several other members said, “…no…” Simon held up his hand to quiet them.

“Listen to me. I knew the risks when I joined up on this team. We’re going to have to go to a safe place to do this. It’s not like back home where you go to the dentist and he just pulls out your tooth and sends you home. Dr. Thomas said I’d need a week’s rest.” Simon put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “I should have listened to you, man. I… I think we should go back to Capernaum and stay with Petros or Andrew. It’s the safest place I know of right now. If I survive this…” He didn’t speak. He just stood there with his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “I don’t know why I keep needing to learn this lesson…”

Simon’s face became hard as stone and he stood in front of them, just staring ahead. Madi came up to him and gave him a hug with her tiny, scarred arms, but he just stood still. She let him go and he sat in front of the fire. “When I escaped from the desert, I promised God that I would follow his will. I would do what he wanted…” He looked at Jaime. “Last night, the only person who voted on God’s side was you.” He shook his head. “I failed the test again. I can’t believe it…”

Chapter Word Count: 3338

Monthly Word Count: 39,810

“Father Garcia, Simon and Madi! I need you to come outside with me!” Ambigo had Petros firmly in his grip, dragging him out the door of his home. His beautiful wife looked up from the pot of water she had started to boil, but Madi assured her everything was fine. The rest caught up with Ambigo just as he threw Petros to the ground roughly. “Repeat it! Repeat… word for word… what you just told me!”

Petros’ face was filled with terror at Ambigo’s violent reaction. “I… I’m sorry! I didn’t know if I could trust you!” Ambigo growled aggressively, “Repeat it! Word for word!” Petros looked from face to face. Madi squinted at him expertly, getting every nuance of his timid face. He squeaked, “Okay! Okay! I told Ambigo that I had heard the name Jesus before. You know… at first you didn’t even call him Jesus… You just kept calling him the rabbi from Nazareth, so I didn’t make the connection.”

Ambigo lifted Petros up and faced him toward Madi. “Quit making excuses and tell them… word for word… what you told me!” Petros screamed back at him in a panic, “I don’t know what it is you want. I don’t even remember what I said to you.” Father Garcia intervened, separating the two men. “Calm down, Petros. You’re not in trouble. I’m sure Dr. Thomas is just excited about some bit of information that you forgot to tell us earlier. Breathe deeply, son. You’re safe. Simon will protect you.”

Simon nodded expertly. “I punch Ambigo in the nuts if he goes for you again. How’s that?” Petros laughed timidly. “No, don’t hit him. He… he won’t hurt me.” He took a deep breath. “What I told Dr. Thomas was that I had encountered some Roman guards and countrymen earlier in the year.” He looked at each of the faces and focused on Madi, distractedly. “You never blink. That’s what is so unnerving. You don’t blink when you look at me. I can never think when you look at me like that.”

Father Garcia patted Petros’ back. “It’s just how she is, Petros. We got used to it. You will too. She’s our special sister. Tell us what you know. It sounds as if it is very important.” Petros kept his eyes on Madi and continued, “These Romans spoke in Latin to me, so I had a hard time understanding them. I know Latin, but not as well as I should, I guess.” Ambigo interrupted him, “Get to the point, Petros!”

He looked at Ambigo with fear and spoke with a tremor in his voice, “They said they were looking for a man named Jesus. They told me that he was a disruptive influence on this territory and that they wanted to talk to him.” Father Garcia and Simon gasped briefly, but Madi held still, filming him expertly. Petros looked at them and then back to Ambigo. “Tell them… word for word… what they said.”

Petros turned toward Madi again. “They… also warned me.” He folded his arms and took a deep breath. Then he put his hands on his hips. Ambigo was going to entice him again, but Father Garcia sent him a warning look to silence him. Petros wiped his hands on his robe and shook them out. “They said that I should avoid any people who say that they are from the land of Tamaros. I asked them where such a land is and they said that it is a place far outside the reaches of the Roman Empire…” His voice trailed off and he looked to Ambigo for approval.

Father Garcia queried, “Tell me more, my friend. Tell me everything that you can remember.” Petros ran his hand over his nearly smooth head, rubbing the soft fuzz that was overgrown with hair just a few hours before. “I asked him where Tamaros was, but they wouldn’t tell me a location. All they would say was that it was outside of the Roman Empire. It seemed like that was enough of an answer for them…” He looked at Ambigo agaian. “You people are very strange…”

He took in a deep breath and the words came out in one long string. “You must be from Tamaros because Ambigo’s eyes became as big as plates when I said the word. He was much more surprised than when I told him that the Romans were looking for Jesus. He was only mildly surprised that the Romans might know who this Jesus fellow is, but when I said ‘the land of Tamaros’ he grabbed me and pulled me outside. Just tell me! I have to protect my wife. You won’t even tell me the name of where you’re from. If it is so far away, why can’t you tell me the name?!”

He sputtered out the last words at Father Garcia. “Petros… Petros…” The priest approached him and put a loving arm around his shoulder. “I was born in Peru, but I was moved to America when I was five years old. I have lived in America for most of my life. Madi, tell Petros where you’re from.” She spoke clearly, moving her mouth, but keeping her head perfectly still, “I was also born in America. I came to Judea once, but it was only for a visit.” Simon joined in, “I was born in America. I’ve been to Judea and Egypt and most of the Roman Empire. I’ve also spent a lot of time in the land of the Confucians. It was called China when I was there. I don’t know what they call it right now.”

Father Garcia prodded Ambigo, “Dr. Thomas. You seem to be interested in this land of Tamaros. Are you from there?” Ambigo shook his head, incredulous. “Uh… no… I was born in San Diego, which is a city in America. My father was stationed there when my mother gave birth to me. I… I’ve never been outside of America before this trip…” He was suddenly confused and looked from face to face. Father Garcia asked him, “Where have you heard of this land of Tamaros before?”

Ambigo crinkled his forehead. It seemed incredible to him that they would miss the significance of the pronunciation of the name. He stalled for time as he thought. “It… sounded very familiar to me…” He looked to Father Garcia for direction. The priest gave an ever-so slight shake of the head. Ambigo made up a lie. “I could have sworn that… Father Judean was from Tamaros…” Father Garcia’s eyebrows perked up and a tiny nod of appreciation was directed his way. “Simon, call Father Judean out here.” Simon ran to the door and retrieved Tad.

“Tad,” Father Garcia started, “Would you please tell Petros where you were born?” Tad looked from face to face. “It… was far away…” he hesitated. The priest prodded him, “It’s okay to name the name of the city.” Tad shrugged. “I was born in Taranto… It’s in…” Simon helped him. “It’s in… the Roman Empire… isn’t it?” Tad looked to him and a realization came over him. “Yes… yes, of course. It is a small town in the heart of the Roman Empire. It’s closer to Greece than Rome, but there is the sea…” His eyes became glassy with tears and his eyes turned toward the Sea of Galilee. All of them followed his gaze and the light was glinting off the water, sending tiny blinding rays to them. “We lived… right on the sea.”

Father Garcia asked, “Did you live there your whole life before you were brought to America?” Tad answered, unable to remove his eyes from the water, “Yes. I… had never been to America before then. I lived in Taranto my whole life… I visited Rome once, but it wasn’t home…” Father Garcia turned to Ambigo. “You’re right, Dr. Thomas. Taranto sounds very much like Tamaros, but they are different places. Taranto is definitely in the Roman Empire, so they must not have meant Father Judean’s homeland.” He placed his hand on Petros’ shoulder. “Was there anything else they said? Any little thing that you might have forgotten?”

Petros looked at them and then thought deeply. “They… they were hard to understand. My Latin is not sharp…” Tad looked at the five of them, confused. Ambigo patted him on the back. “They said that these people from the land of Tamaros were very dangerous and that I should avoid them at all costs…” He looked up at Father Garcia. “That’s all I can remember right now, but if anything else comes to me, I’ll tell you. I promise it.” The priest nodded his head gave Petros a hug. “Thank you for telling us. It is good to know that other people are looking for this man.” He faced the rest of them. “Be on guard for people from the land of Tamaros. We should avoid them as well.”

Petros’ wife called out the door asking for help carrying the boiling water into the room. The six of them headed back into the small house to help her, Simon and Tad at the front of the line. Ambigo brought up the rear, confused, but willing to see what would become of this information.

“Simon,” Father Garcia commented, “visited the town’s carpenter yesterday, Ambigo.” They rested in Petros’ small house. Petros looked at him sheepishly while Simon related his experience. “It seems that Petros forgot how long he has known the carpenter in this town. The two of them played together as boys, but somehow… Petros forgot that. He is not the carpenter that we are looking for.” Ambigo nodded.

Father Garcia continued, “I believe that just the core team should take a walk to Bethsaida to interview their carpenter. The three of you should tend to your affairs here in town.” Philip looked alarmed. “Sir, I would prefer to travel with the team.” Father Garcia smiled at him. “We have walked far together, Philip. Let yourself rest. Let yourself fish. When we return, you will feel refreshed and ready to travel with us again.” Simon interrupted. “Unless, any of you actually know the carpenter in Bethsaida. Maybe you played with him as a child?” He looked at Petros with a reprimand in his eyes.

Ambigo laughed to himself, waiting for an answer. The three men shook their heads. Father Garcia asked, “Simon, is there time to get to Bethsaida before nightfall tonight, or should we leave tomorrow morning?” Simon looked out the door for the answer. “I think there’s enough time today, but we wouldn’t be able to get back here tonight. We would have to spend the evening in Bethsaida.” The priest took a deep breath. “That’s acceptable. Andrew, could you please distribute the gifts and food? Firstly, they should go to the woman on the shore and if there is any left over, the rest should go to the poor in the town. Can you do that for us?” Andrew nodded.

Within the hour, Ambigo found himself on the road to Bethsaida, testing his new sandals. With every step, he heard the words: Divers… might… have… died. The minute they cleared earshot of Capernaum, Father Garcia started talking in English. “An interesting development has occurred. We should thank Dr. Thomas for wheedling it out of Petros.” Jaime and Tad sighed. “Yes, tell us what happened!”

Father Garcia told the story, “Petros received a visit from a small group of Roman soldiers and countrymen. They told him in Latin that they were looking for Jesus because he was a disruptive influence on the area.” The two of them gasped just as Father Garcia and Simon had before them. “I’m not finished. They went on to warn Petros about a group of people from the land of Tamaros.” He let the words sink in.

Ambigo spoke, trying to justify his actions, “To me, it sounded like the word ‘tomorrows.’ I thought the Romans were warning him of us, people from the future. Of course, I forgot that no one speaks English here. I didn’t even consider there might be a city called Tamaros that they could be referring to… I don’t know. It sounded like such a strange warning that I thought I should let Petros tell you about it.” His words hung between them while they walked: Divers… might… have… died. “Ok, that’s a lie. The second I heard him say land of tomorrows, I thought that he had gotten a visit from another team from the future, warning him to avoid us… I guess I’m just letting Petros’ paranoia wear off on me.”

Father Garcia corrected him, “No, Ambigo. Your instincts were very close to mine. I just didn’t know what to do about it and I didn’t want to alarm Petros.” Simon added, “In all my reading, I’ve never come across a land of Tamaros.” Tad agreed with him, but Jaime interrupted, “Just because we haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It could be an area that we called by a different name.” Father Garcia asked him, “Jaime, you have done extensive research on this time in history. Have you ever heard of a land of Tamaros?” Jaime paused and Ambigo listened to his footsteps: Divers… might… have… died.

“No, I haven’t. Have you?” Father Garcia shook his head. “No, but you’re right. Just because we haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.” Madi sighed deeply. “So, what do we do?” Simon answered, “The way I look at it, there are two scenarios. One, there is another team here, looking for Jesus. That means we failed. Not only that, they are trying to warn Petros to avoid us or trying to warn us to avoid him. That means we interfered and that Dr. Tate was wrong and we CAN change history…” Simon kept trudging and leading the team to the town. “The other scenario is that they were actually real Romans. If that’s the case, we’re a lot further behind than we thought.”

Father Garcia sighed. “I don’t like either scenario.” Ambigo chimed in, “There’s a third one.” Everyone turned to look at him, stopping in their tracks. He had brought up the rear of the team, even though his feet were safely snuggled in his cursed sandals. He felt like the back of the team was his place, even though he had no trouble walking. But now, they had all stopped to look at him and he stood before them.

He shrugged. “Dr. Tate didn’t seem like the kind of scientist who is very particular about where his funding comes from. He seems like he’s pretty willing to take funding from anyone.” They looked at him questioningly. “I… wouldn’t take funding for a lung cancer study from Phillip-Morris, but I don’t really think Dr. Tate has those kinds of scruples…” He kicked a sharp rock out of the road. “If he did, he probably wouldn’t have taken money from the Catholic Church…”

That seemed like enough to Ambigo and he wondered why they didn’t continue walking. Tad asked him, “What do you mean, Dr. Thomas?” Ambigo held up his hands. “Isn’t it obvious? If a group came to Dr. Tate telling him that they wanted to go back in time to prove that Christ did not exist. I don’t think Dr. Tate would have a problem with that. He just… didn’t seem like the kind of scientist that worried about the motives of his sponsors. As long as he got his funding, he looked happy.” Madi and Jaime squinted at him and he remembered that his words were being recorded. “Of course… I only met him one day before we left. I think the only conversation I had with him was the one in the Physics lab… I guess you guys would know better.”

Madi turned away and started walking again. Simon followed her and eventually overtook her, leading them to Bethsaida. Ambigo breathed a sigh of relief when the team started walking again. The team was silent and he was left with the chiding from his sandals: Divers… might… have… died… Divers… might… have… died. They kept repeating the phrase to him while they walked and eventually, he spoke just to stop the constant reprimand. “I guess that’s probably a little paranoid. I need to stop talking with Petros so much, I guess.”

Madi broke into a litany of harsh words, “I don’t know if I’m more angry at you for suggesting that Dr. Tate would take money from atheists or at myself for not seeing this myself. I don’t know what’s the matter with you atheists. For not believing in God or Jesus or anything holy, you bozos spend a lot of time trying to prove it wrong. If you really didn’t believe in it, I don’t think you’d spend so much time worrying about it.”

Father Garcia tried to calm her. “Now, Madi…” She interrupted, “Don’t ‘Now, Madi’ me! I stayed quiet the whole time he contaminated their minds with all that evolution shit and now he’s saying that we might be in a race to see who gets to Jesus first. If they win, they’ll just quietly take him out of the picture and if we win, we have to just sit and watch him be crucified. I don’t know which is worse! I don’t think we should be here. I don’t think anyone should be messing around with history. Sure, they said that we couldn’t change recorded history, but the next sentences that came out of their mouths were all this stuff about contamination. I don’t know who to believe. I don’t even think they know what they are doing. What the fuck are we doing here?!”

She stopped walking and had turned to Father Garcia, maintaining her hold on the conversation. “They have sent us here with barely a background check. For all I know, you think you’re Jesus Christ himself and are planning on taking his place on the cross. Let me tell you, I’ll stop you personally.” She grabbed him and started shaking him with surprising force. “If you think that you are some kind of messiah, you’re wrong. I know Jesus. I know him with every fiber of my body and you are not him! Don’t you think for a second that you are Christ! I’ll personally kill you if you try to interfere with him!”

Simon removed her hands from Father Garcia and held her in a huge bear hug. She struggled against him, screaming more curses into his chest. She pounded against his strong frame and wiggled, trying to release herself. Ambigo remembered resisting Simon and knew how futile her efforts were. They waited until she calmed down. When she took a deep breath, Simon released her. She silently started walking again and the rest of the team followed her.

After many reproachful steps, Father Garcia finally spoke. “That was a helpful insight, Ambigo. I never considered the idea that Dr. Tate might send a team that wanted to prove that Christ never existed. It… never… occurred to me.” Ambigo lifted his hand to his head, expecting to run his fingers through his hair. He was surprised at the soft fuzz that met his hands instead. “When you think about it… I don’t know… It kind of boggles the imagination.” He ran his hand over his head, rubbing softly. “From the point Dr. Tate invented the time machine, to the future, there are an infinite number of chances for them to send a team back to this time. This place should be crawling with people from the future…” He faltered. He didn’t know what to think about the idea of time travel. “I just… I just don’t know…”

Tad responded, “It almost makes me think that something happens to suppress it.” Jaime asked him, “Suppress what? Time travel or the fact that we went back here and what we learned?” Tad shrugged, “Both.”