be angels or something?” Lucien squinted. “It’s just really bright.”
“Mary and Joseph never saw the angels.” Lillian bit her lip. “I suppose we’re due for some shepherds pretty soon, though.”
“I’m due for some sloppy joes pretty soon,”Finne grumbled.
“I want to see Baby Jesus,” Logan got up and kind of peered into the cave. “I bet He looks wise. Do you think they would mind?”
“We’ll just be really quiet,” said Lily. “Babies always look wise. Even Fred Therese.”
“They pyobabwy can’t heew us.” Molly followed her older sister.
“We’re flies on the wall,” said Lucien, the picture of stealth.
“I’m so hungry.” Finne followed with a sullen pout.
Once he was inside even Finne forgot he was hungry. If time passed the children were unaware. The inside of the cave was like a portal to Heaven and no one could look away from the Face of the baby. As Logan later said there were no words to describe His eyes-- so much more fathomless than the eyes of Fred Therese.
There was a perfume about the cave like no flowers which have ever grown on the planet since the garden of Eden was sealed off. Even the animals remained in rapt adoration. When the shepherds arrived the children followed them in a line, each bowing to kiss the child. The moment that Lily’s hand touched the Face of baby Jesus the cave vanished, the dizziness returned and they found themselves in the pulpit of Cathedral. Lily breathed out, “That sure is some Bible,” she muttered. “Sharper than any two-edged sword,” Father Andrew said from behind her.
“C’mon,” he put a hand on Logan’s back. “I had the cooks save you some dinner. I promised I’d round you guys up for your mom. She’ll be back soon. She just drove the little guys home to your dad.”
One more miracle occurred: their mother wasn’t even mad at them for wandering off. After they were home in their beds Lily realized she still had the pebble Logan had been fingering while they were waiting for Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. Souvenir. She showed it to the others and none of them could figure out how their ghostly selves could have brought back something so solid, but they were glad . Otherwise it would have been impossible to believe it really happened. Lily’s last waking thought was to wonder if something so amazing could ever happen again.
Second Time
“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was umm… Mom made us go last Easter…I think.”
“Go on, Son.”
“I ignored a do not enter sign. Ducked under that gold cord thing. Was a bad example to my little brothers and sisters. That’s all I can think of… “ Logan hesitated. “I mostly just wanted to ask you something… “ he blurted. “About the Bible.”
“Yes?”
“Well, we were really there, you know…”
“That’s the Bible for you.”
“No, I mean really.”
“Scripture is inspired reading.”
“I’ll say.”
“So for your penance pray--”
“Wait-- I just want to know if it was real. I brought back a rock.”
“You always bring something back, Son. Now, then pray two Hail Marys and may God the Father of mercy ….).
And that’s all he got from Father Andrew. Which told him nothing that he didn’t already know. He would just have to try again and see if they had only imagined the trip to Bethlehem. No time like the present, only the girls weren’t with him, and neither was Finne. It was just Logan and Lucien and their dad. But Dad was talking with some people from the church. Dad wasn’t a Catholic but was thinking of becoming a member.
“C’mon,” Logan dragged his brother towards the altar. “Quick, while they’re not looking. He opened the Book randomly and began to read in a whisper , “A voice of one crying in the desert ‘prepare the way of the Lord--”
That was all it took. Queasiness. Greyness. A traveling sensation. This time they landed in water.
Baptism
If it was a strange sensation to be slapped by sand which they could barely feel, standing in water that didn’t get you wet was even weirder. The sky was clear blue and there were a lot of men and boys with them in the stream, which was not particularly clear but was flowing. Most of the people were just clad in a short whitish tunic with a sash at the waist.. Logan was wearing his jeans and crocs, of course, as was Lucien. They almost felt damp, like when the dryer broke and the clothes only got almost dry after an hour and a half of tumbling.
The men mostly had beards like Father Andrew wore, some with long curls, on either side of their faces. Their long hair was either flowing or gathered at the nape of their neck in a loose braid which flowed down their backs. All of them were traveling toward a central figure who was dunking them one at a time under the water. He was saying something as he dunked them under but, as with the last time, the boys didn’t understand the words. Then there was a disturbance in the flow of those waiting to be dunked and suddenly words rang out clearly understandable to the two boys: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness.” And the man dunked the person who had said this. Suddenly in the sky from a cloud which had not been there before, descended a huge and graceful white bird. The bird rested upon the man who had been baptized, lightly fanning its’ wings.
There was lightening in the cloud, too. “Cool!” Lucien turned to his brother, “Did you see that?”
Then came the thunder but like the words of the baptized man, they could understand the booming thunder as English words: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Logan grabbed Lucien’s shoulder and jerked him, “Did you hear that?”
Then there was a sucking noise and the cloud was gone, the sky blue again and everything was normal, except that everyone was staring at the baptized man in shock. But the man was looking right at the boys. Whereas they were invisible to everyone else it was clear He could see them.
“Jesus!” Lucien breathed out loud.
There was a pause and then He opened His mouth. “I am,” he said in English. Then He made His way out of the water, everyone mutely watching. When He passed by the boys He lifted His hand as if to bless them. But then He broke off a reed and handed it to Logan. And this sent them back with a jolt.
Girls’ Turn
“No fair!” Lillian was livid when she found out that her brothers had gone without the rest of them.
“But we had to check if we could do it again,” Logan defended his action, “and we had a good opportunity.” His eyes shifted but then he set his chin firmly. “You would have done the same thing.”
“Maybe,” Lily conceded. “But Molly and I get to go on one without you guys to make it even.”
“So ask Mom to take you to confession like I did.”
“I hate confession.” She pouted.
But the next Saturday found the girls in church. Lily went to confession but didn’t bother trying to get Father Andrew to talk about the Event. It had gotten Logan nowhere. It had turned into sort of a girls’ outing even though only Lily was old enough for confession. After she had prayed the penance prayers in front of the Statue of Mary as she had learned when she had her first communion her mother handed the baby to her. “Hold Fred Therese. Mags needs to go to the bathroom.”
“She’s heavy,” Lily whined.
“You can wear her.” Her mother deftly wound the long scarf back and around, then securely tied the baby to Lily. “It will only be a few minutes,” she said as she led Maggie towards the stairs.
Plenty of time to accomplish their task, though. This time Lily had done some prep work. She and Molly loved weddings and she knew exactly where to find the Wedding of Cana in John’s Gospel.
Molly by her side and Fred Therese securely tied to her she opened the Book and read, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana and the mother of Jesus was there.” And they began to spin.
When they stopped spinning Fred Therese was totally freaked out and crying. “Shhh!??
? Lily tried to imitate the jiggle the way her mother did to get her sister to stop fussing.
When this didn’t help Molly got in front of her little sister, making funny faces and swooping in and out until Fred couldn’t help but forget to cry and her mouth broke into a wide smile. Not as wide as when she was born, though. Winifred-- that was her real name-- had been born with a cleft lip. Before it was surgically repaired her smiles were enormous. Now there was just the hint of a scar where the gap had once been.
Now that Fred was quiet the girls were able to take in their surroundings. They were in a large room lit by candles and men and women were milling, biblically dressed in long robes, with sashes at the waist and bright veils on their heads. Some of the men wore turbans and most were wearing necklaces and bracelets, earrings and anklets. Even the men wore jewelry. There was a feeling of waiting, as though something were about to happen. Great bowls of figs and nuts and other unidentifiable exotic foods were being brought in. There was the smell of bread and meat and women were tending something large which was being roasted in a pit outside. There were three people making music with pipe and rhythm instruments which the girls had never seen. This added to the feeling of anticipation.
As the people waited they were drinking something which was being served from stone jars along the wall. Everyone seemed happy and excited, like when the children had given a surprise party for their grandmother on her fiftieth birthday.
Then a large group of mostly teenagers