Holidays

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[Author's note:
'The Interruption'
and 'A Burst of Light'
precede this story.]
____________________________

...there
was no place
for them
in the inn.
[Luke 2:7]
**********************
Nathan is standing in the
wooden doorway. He rubs
his forehead, sleepily, and
yawns. He hasn't slept all
night: ever since,
that nervous young innkeeper
had come knocking on his
guest room door.
After that interruption,
had come his
last trip outside... with the
leftover misery of that
hideous inn's meal for supper,
.....and, then...
came that bright light
shining in his face, through
the small window, while he
lay tossing and turning on
the strange smelling,
guest room pillow.
Nathan grimmaced; it hadn't
woken up his WIFE, at ALL!
Lor'nah could snore,
and sleep through ANYTHING!
How could she not have AWAKENED?
It had happened just in the
small hours of the morning,
while the stars could still
be seen in the night sky.
Nathan shook his aching
head, yawning again;
no: it was probably just a bad
dream. But....he DID raise
his head from the badly
smelling pillow, and squinted
his eyes in the LIGHT! He
KNEW he did....because
he remembered sitting UP,
and hitting his knee, on the
little rickety wooden table
beside the bed. Nathan
shook his head, again:
reaching down to finger
the sore spot on his knee.
What a wretched PLACE!
He couldn't WAIT to leave,
and register with
that damned CENSUS..
and then...go HOME!

Just then, Nathan squints
down the path, from
the front door of the inn;
there are two Roman soldiers
speaking to a man, down by
the inn's well. The man is
obviously a Jew, like
himself. Nathan squints
with loathing, at the
two Roman soldiers. He
frowns: what do THEY want?
Weren't they causing ENOUGH TROUBLE..?
Demanding that all the Jews
travel back to their place
of BIRTH, at this time
of YEAR? What were
they ASKING the poor MAN?
Would they also come over
to HIM......?
...And QUESTION HIM,
and his family, as well?
Nervously, Nathan turns
from the doorway; he must
hurry up his wife and five
children: they need to
be on their way.....what is
TAKING Lor'nah, so LONG?

About to call out to his
wife, Nathan suddenly stops.
He turns around, and squints
once more at the Jew, who
is now trudging down the
path toward the well.
That's HIM: the man who was in
the entryway of the inn,
last NIGHT...the one who
was WAITING.. while the inn
keeper had come to knock
at Nathan's DOOR! YES......
Nathan remembered his
face in the dim candlelight;
and his young wife, who was
obviously in distress. Were
they still HERE? Hadn't
the innkeeper told them
.....to LEAVE?

Nathan cursed to himself,
ashamedly; damn! Hadn't
he himself, whispered
loudly to the nervous young
innkeeper, standing at his door:
"Put them in the BARN....for all I CARE!"
Nathan bit his upper lip;
had the innkeeper
LISTENED to his ADVICE?
Had he indeed TOLD them
to LEAVE....and go stay in
the BARN?

"DAMN!" Nathan put a
warm palm to his already
aching head. "Oh......."
Nathan felt very badly;
he had acted like one of
the PHARISEES....back, HOME!
THEY were the SNOBS of
the town, and would never
be bothered with the
troubles of the poor, or
those in need. Wasn't HE
always telling his own
CHILDREN...to HELP their
NEIGHBORS? Just like
the TORAH said?

"Oh......damn. I feel very
bad." Nathan muttered,
to himself. "Please, Lord...
PLEASE FORGIVE me."
He sighed, again,
and covered his aching eyes with
one hand. "Uh..." Nathan
groaned. Why hadn't the
innkeeper taken the
young couple, to his OWN HOUSE?
Ah, yes...yes;
now, Nathan remembered:
there were Roman SOLDIERS
staying there;
the innkeeper had TOLD him.
Yes....yes;
that was right. That was
right....he COULDN'T have
taken them, there.

Nathan groaned. He wasn't
a bad PERSON; he felt very
ashamed, right now. The
long trip, the worry over
the Roman soldiers along
the way, Lor'nah's complaining,
and the children's weepy whining,
along with the bad food
served by the nervous
innkeeper for supper.....all
had put him in a very foul
mood. And, he had acted
just like one of those very
PHARISEES...whom Nathan
secretly dispised, back home.
THEY would have acted just
the way, HE had:
turning their BACKS, with
their noses high in the air,
and making sure that their
pious hands touched nothing
that was unclean:
demanding that the innkeeper
send the poor,
young couple AWAY:
into some such place, as
the nearest BARN!

"She probably gave BIRTH,
in there.....last NIGHT;
damn!" Nathan shook his head;
glancing toward the
spot in the path, where he had seen
the poorly dressed Jew
walking wearily toward the well,
and carrying a small empty wooden bucket.
He must DO something....
to make up for his
dispicable behavior.
He had turned his back...
on one of his own people:
even if they happened to be in
a more lowly SITUATION, than himself!
No....no;
he MUST do something...for them.
He was NOT going to lower
HIMSELF....by acting like
one of those SNOBS:
the PHARISEES!

Nathan quickly walked
back into the shadowy
hallway of the inn. It
was thinning out, now;
people had begun to leave
early this morning; most
of them on their way toward
the center of town, to be
registered for the census.
Nathan could see the nervous young face
of the innkeeper, as he was sitting
on a small stool, and chewing
forlornly on a piece of
dry bread. HE didn't look
as though HE had slept much, either!
It seemed as though,
NONE of the folk,
of this wretched little
town....had slept very much,
last night!

"Sir! SIR!"

(Gulping down a stale
morsel of bread.)
"Yes, SIR? Is there
SOMETHING I can do,
for YOU? You already
PAID your bill....last NIGHT!"

"Yes, YES!
I KNOW!
But......I, uh...
I wanted to GIVE you
some MONEY....."

(Respectful tone.)
"For WHAT, sir?"

"For....hm......"
(Nathan sighed;
he could feel his plump
face growing red, with
embarrassment.)
"Hm.....I REMEMBER that
COUPLE...from last NIGHT."

(Stop chewing. )
"Ah.....ah, yes."
(Nod.)
(Shrug.)
"Well, sir; I put them
in my BARN!"
(Nod, again.)
"Just as
you....
youself....SUGGESTED!
I was actually quite
GRATEFUL to you,
about IT!"

(Nathan groans;
he covers his eyes,
once more, and
shakes his aching head,
that now feels as though
it is going to explode.)
"Yes! YES!
That is EXACTLY,
what I wished to TALK
to you ABOUT!"
(Nathan reaches into
the pocket of his
outer robe, and
pulls out a small
leather pouch.)
"HERE.
I want you to GIVE this....
to that COUPLE! Right
NOW!"

"Uh....huh?"

"GO! NOW!"

"But......I don't
understand......?"

"GO! NOW!
TAKE this POUCH,
with YOU! NOW, GO!"

(The nervous little
innkeeper slips off
his small kitchen stool,
dropping the dusty,
dry-looking piece
of bread. He is staring
at his guest, as if the
man had just lost all
his senses. Reaching
out to catch the man's
leather pouch, hefty with
many coins....the innkeeper
secretly hopes that he will
not be anywhere around
when the guest's wife,
a rather abrasive, shriekish
matron, discovered what her
husband had done.

Smiling, and shaking his
head in disbelief,
the innkeeper quickly makes
his way toward the inn's
barn; even before
he reaches the barn's entrance,
he can hear the small,
muted cry of a newborn
infant. The mother and
child would have been
well secure in there; the
barn, full of sheep and cattle,
was usually the
warmest shelter at this
time of the year. The
traveling Roman soldiers
would have had no interest
in the animal shed....
and the barn was very close
to the inn's well.
The innkeeper had been able
to produce a couple of woolen blankets,
from his own house; he
had preferred giving them to
this poor young couple,
rather than to the
two horribly obnoxious,
and demanding Roman soldiers,
who had taken advantage
of their authority,
and were using his home,
without paying for their
keep. Yes; at least, he had done
THAT for them....and had
provided some foodstuffs,
as well.

(The innkeeper sticks his
young balding head in the
crack of the barn door. He
doesn't wish to intrude
where the young mother
and child are resting. He
eyes the poorly-dressed
man, in one corner, and makes a
whispered, low whistle.)
(The slightly older man
looks as though, he too,
is about to nod off:
his weary head against the
warm hay, like his wife,
and infant child.)
"Pssst! Psssst!"

(The older man,
first glancing,
protectively,
at his sleeping
young wife, and
baby: whispers,
in response.)
"Yes?
YES?
What IS it, sir?"

(Low whisper.)
"Come HERE!
PLEASE come...HERE!
I have....something
FOR YOU!"

"Yes.....what IS IT?
I must THANK you....
for giving us SHELTER..
so late, last night! My
wife could not have gone
another STEP. She was
with her first CHILD...."

"Yes. YES! I KNOW!
Uh....hm..one of the
GUESTS..staying here at
the INN...would like you
to HAVE this...perhaps..
to help you and your
family, a little....while you
are staying here, in town.
"HERE! TAKE IT! The
man would be most insulted..
if you did not take THIS!
PLEASE! There are SOLDIERS, still here!
I do not want any TROUBLE!"
PLEASE, SIR! TAKE IT!"

(The older man pauses;
he then nods,
glancing toward the
young woman dozing
in the warm hay...
and the tiny, little
infant tucked up
in the corner of her
arm. He gives a
quiet, simple reply.)
"Yes; thank you.
I will take it."

(The innkeeper
smiles.)
"What is your NAME,
sir?"

"Joseph."
(Gentle smile,
full of great
love.)
"My wife's name
is Mary."

(Nod.)
"Ah....I see. Well, I'll
make sure to tell the
gentleman who gave this
to me, that you are most
grateful. He seemed very
anxious, about insisting
that you received this."

(Weary nod.)
"Thank you, sir.
And...please thank the
traveler.....I must get
back to my family, now.
My wife is still feeling
poorly."

(The innkeeper turns to
leave the barn. Then he
looks back.)
"Oh...uh, JOSEPH?
And..what did you,
and your wife name the
baby.....is it a BOY?"

(Tired nod.)
(Smile full of love,
and peacefulness.)
"Yes....a little boy."
(Quiet pause.)
"We were told ...to name
him....'JESUS'."

"Ah.....I see. I see."
(Nervous nod: after
a moment, of slight
confusion.)
"Well.....I best be getting
back to the inn; yes, and
oh, PLEASE keep the
blanklets! I INSIST!
Breakfast will be served,
soon. I will have my wife
bring out two bowls of
it, for you and your wife.
She just had her first little
one...not ten MONTHS, ago:
she will be a welcome sight
to your wife, Mary, I am sure!"

(Quiet voice.)
"Yes, sir.
Thank you, sir.
You are very kind, sir."

"Till later, then."

(Quiet nod.)
(Smile full of great
relief, thanksgiving,
and peace.)

The nervous little innkeeper
feels his heart pounding,
as he makes his way back
up the beaten path. He
He is glad that they were
all able to do something for the
young weary couple, of the
previous evening.

As the innkeeper trudges
back up the stoney path
to the inn, he suddenly
remembers what he had
wished to ask the other
guest, Nathan. He had
been curious to ask him if,
he, too,
had awoken up last night,
from the sudden,
and amazingly bright
flash of lightening.
But, when he got back to the inn,
the guest and his family were
already gone: their cart
and donkey could be seen
off in the short distance,
lumbering along. Suddenly,
the cart stopped, and Nathan
turned around, and waved
toward the direction of the
little innkeeper.
The innkeeper gave a slow,
purposeful nod, and waved,
again. Nathan, up in the cart
seemed to understand, and
returned the long, low nod.

Both men: one on his way
to the town census to register
with his brood in tow,
and the other,
a young businessman
who was still feeling
a little perplexed,
and bewildered by
all of the events
of the past few days....
both felt like it was
a brand, new morning:
and, a strangely different
new world.
*******************************
Be not afraid;
for behold,
I bring you
good news
of a great
joy.
[Luke 2:10]

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