Mika's Song, Chapter 23
The smooth marble felt cool under Mika's feet as he stepped into the temple courtyard after climbing the tall stairway. He was surprised to find the entrance filled with more merchants selling animals for offering and jingling coins. His eyes scanned the crowd of customers lingering around the booths, then he dashed past them. In the middle of the immense courtyard he stopped, turning slowly to look all around. Around the periphery of the courtyard, sheltered by an overhanging ceiling, were more merchant booths. There were also priests sacrificing animals. In the middle of the courtyard Mika saw another stone structure surrounded by more stairs. He climbed up and up to the wide veranda for a better view, but there were so many people....
Approaching a nearby door, he found himself looking into another courtyard. He stood for a moment before walking slowly across the courtyard searching ever face he saw. Across this smaller courtyard was a group of people who appeared to be giving their sacrificial animals to a priest, standing at the top of another set of stairs. Behind him, beyond a row of pillars, was yet another courtyard. Mika noticed that only a few men carried their sacrifices into this courtyard, but no women.
Slipping past the crowd of people and bellowing, baaing, chortling animals, Mika moved around a pillar and peered into this third courtyard. Stopped and caught his breath. Never had he seen so much blood in all his life. At that moment, a respectable-looking Yisra'el man was bringing a lamb to a priests. When the priest took the lambs lead, at first the small animal balked slightly. Then Mika saw the priest draw and sharp knife towards the animals throat. Mika did not flinch. He had seen animals butchered for feasting and sacrificing for as he could remember.
But now as he watched, he remembered the prophecies he had learned to repeat with the Maga, prophecies that called the Messiah the lamb of God. What could it mean, that he would be taken like a lamb to be sacrificed? He wandered as he watched the innocent animal crumple in a small furry white heap. Blood gushed from the lambs neck and into a brass bowl the priest held.
No one had noticed the small, poorly dressed boy in the large courtyard, but here someone saw him and shouted at him. Mika jumped down the steps quickly, avoiding the curious looks, and ran back through the front door onto the veranda.
He stood on the edge of the steps feeling small and alone.
"Are you lost, boy?" Asked a kind voice behind him.
Mika turned and looked up into a face that would have reminded him of Mamân had it not been very much older and more wrinkled. "Yes," at first Mika answered in his own tongue, then corrected himself. "Have you seen the Magä Masters?" He asked, sure she would have noticed if they had come and gone already.
"Magä Masters? In the inner court??" The old woman looked both surprised and amused. "Child, there are only Yisra'el in this temple."
She pointed at an inscription on a stone nearby. Mika hadn't learned to read Yisra'el, and instead looked questioningly back at the woman. "'No Goyim beyond this point.'" She read out loud.
Mika opened his mouth to say he was goyim, but then he thought better. "I--I'm their servant," he finally stammered, seeing the concern in the kind ladies eyes.
"Well, then, we must find them!" Said the kind lady, firmly grasping Mika's hand and looking out over the crowd. He thought he was really much too old to be held by the hand this way, but it had been so long since he had known a woman's kindness, and her hand was so warm and reassuring, he did not pull away. In fact, he suddenly realized he was hungry.
"What are you and the Master's doing in the holy city?" the woman asked, looking over the crowd.
This time it didn't occur to Mika to pretend anything but the truth. "We are looking for the Messiah," he answered truthfully. "The Maga have followed his star from the east."
The woman looked down suddenly at Mika, but he saw no contempt. On the contrary, he thought she looked suddenly pleased. She bent closer to him, "What star?" She asked quietly.
Mika was almost relieved it was too early to see the night sky. He would have hated to be questioned as to why the star was no longer visible. "The star appeared many months ago, as we were preparing the harvest," Mika began, and found himself pouring out the whole story to the very interested woman. Not once did she disagree or ridicule him. In fact, when he finished, he thought he saw tears in the woman's eyes, and heard here whisper, "Praise Yawhe!"
"You believe the Messiah has been born?" Mika asked curiously.
"I not only believe," said the woman, "I have seen him."
Now it was Mika's turn to look at the woman as though she were crazy. "When? Here??" He asked incredulously.
He listened as the woman told of a poor couple who brought a plain newborn baby boy to the temple, and how, when she saw him, she knew he was the One sent by Yawhe. The more she talked, the more doubtful he became. His heart fell. The old woman must be mad, thinking that a peasant child had been the Messiah. It was almost worse than if she had laughed at him.
"Mika!" Master Ghasaan stood at the foot of the steps motioning for him to come. "Where have you been??" asked Master Ghasaan, obviously annoyed, "I told your father I would care for you as my own son, and I have been looking all over for you!"
Mika had pulled his hand out of the old woman's and hurried down the steps. The woman followed. Mr. Ghasaan nodded at her quickly before taking Mika's hand himself and turning to leave.
"Excuse me, please," the woman called hesitantly, unsure if Master Ghasaan spoke Yisra'el.
"Yes?" he turned impatiently.
"Is it true, you come seeking the Messiah--you have seen a star--"
Master Ghasaan looked sharply at Mika, then nodded at the woman. "What do you know of him?"
"He has been to the temple, for dedication, with his parents," the woman responded. "I have seen him and touched him."
Now Master Ghasaan was really listening. "Then he is here, in Jerusalem?" He asked.
"I don't know," the woman admitted. "They only seemed to be passing through. The star, it will guide you to him I'm sure."
Master Ghasaan looked disappointed, but he nodded thankfully at the woman before turning to leave.
"Where will you go now?" asked the woman.
"To the palace, naturally," he answered.
The woman's face fell. "Ah. You will not find him there." She said.
"And why not?"
"The Messiah has been born to peasants," she answered, and repeated, "I have seen them."
"Thank you," Master Ghasaan bowed respectfully, and Mika could see he did not believe the woman, either.
Then, firmly grasping Mika's hand, he moved toward the exit.
Slipping past the crowd of people and bellowing, baaing, chortling animals, Mika moved around a pillar and peered into this third courtyard. Stopped and caught his breath. Never had he seen so much blood in all his life. At that moment, a respectable-looking Yisra'el man was bringing a lamb to a priests. When the priest took the lambs lead, at first the small animal balked slightly. Then Mika saw the priest draw and sharp knife towards the animals throat. Mika did not flinch. He had seen animals butchered for feasting and sacrificing for as he could remember.
But now as he watched, he remembered the prophecies he had learned to repeat with the Maga, prophecies that called the Messiah the lamb of God. What could it mean, that he would be taken like a lamb to be sacrificed? He wandered as he watched the innocent animal crumple in a small furry white heap. Blood gushed from the lambs neck and into a brass bowl the priest held.
No one had noticed the small, poorly dressed boy in the large courtyard, but here someone saw him and shouted at him. Mika jumped down the steps quickly, avoiding the curious looks, and ran back through the front door onto the veranda.
He stood on the edge of the steps feeling small and alone.
"Are you lost, boy?" Asked a kind voice behind him.
Mika turned and looked up into a face that would have reminded him of Mamân had it not been very much older and more wrinkled. "Yes," at first Mika answered in his own tongue, then corrected himself. "Have you seen the Magä Masters?" He asked, sure she would have noticed if they had come and gone already.
"Magä Masters? In the inner court??" The old woman looked both surprised and amused. "Child, there are only Yisra'el in this temple."
She pointed at an inscription on a stone nearby. Mika hadn't learned to read Yisra'el, and instead looked questioningly back at the woman. "'No Goyim beyond this point.'" She read out loud.
Mika opened his mouth to say he was goyim, but then he thought better. "I--I'm their servant," he finally stammered, seeing the concern in the kind ladies eyes.
"Well, then, we must find them!" Said the kind lady, firmly grasping Mika's hand and looking out over the crowd. He thought he was really much too old to be held by the hand this way, but it had been so long since he had known a woman's kindness, and her hand was so warm and reassuring, he did not pull away. In fact, he suddenly realized he was hungry.
"What are you and the Master's doing in the holy city?" the woman asked, looking over the crowd.
This time it didn't occur to Mika to pretend anything but the truth. "We are looking for the Messiah," he answered truthfully. "The Maga have followed his star from the east."
The woman looked down suddenly at Mika, but he saw no contempt. On the contrary, he thought she looked suddenly pleased. She bent closer to him, "What star?" She asked quietly.
Mika was almost relieved it was too early to see the night sky. He would have hated to be questioned as to why the star was no longer visible. "The star appeared many months ago, as we were preparing the harvest," Mika began, and found himself pouring out the whole story to the very interested woman. Not once did she disagree or ridicule him. In fact, when he finished, he thought he saw tears in the woman's eyes, and heard here whisper, "Praise Yawhe!"
"You believe the Messiah has been born?" Mika asked curiously.
"I not only believe," said the woman, "I have seen him."
Now it was Mika's turn to look at the woman as though she were crazy. "When? Here??" He asked incredulously.
He listened as the woman told of a poor couple who brought a plain newborn baby boy to the temple, and how, when she saw him, she knew he was the One sent by Yawhe. The more she talked, the more doubtful he became. His heart fell. The old woman must be mad, thinking that a peasant child had been the Messiah. It was almost worse than if she had laughed at him.
"Mika!" Master Ghasaan stood at the foot of the steps motioning for him to come. "Where have you been??" asked Master Ghasaan, obviously annoyed, "I told your father I would care for you as my own son, and I have been looking all over for you!"
Mika had pulled his hand out of the old woman's and hurried down the steps. The woman followed. Mr. Ghasaan nodded at her quickly before taking Mika's hand himself and turning to leave.
"Excuse me, please," the woman called hesitantly, unsure if Master Ghasaan spoke Yisra'el.
"Yes?" he turned impatiently.
"Is it true, you come seeking the Messiah--you have seen a star--"
Master Ghasaan looked sharply at Mika, then nodded at the woman. "What do you know of him?"
"He has been to the temple, for dedication, with his parents," the woman responded. "I have seen him and touched him."
Now Master Ghasaan was really listening. "Then he is here, in Jerusalem?" He asked.
"I don't know," the woman admitted. "They only seemed to be passing through. The star, it will guide you to him I'm sure."
Master Ghasaan looked disappointed, but he nodded thankfully at the woman before turning to leave.
"Where will you go now?" asked the woman.
"To the palace, naturally," he answered.
The woman's face fell. "Ah. You will not find him there." She said.
"And why not?"
"The Messiah has been born to peasants," she answered, and repeated, "I have seen them."
"Thank you," Master Ghasaan bowed respectfully, and Mika could see he did not believe the woman, either.
Then, firmly grasping Mika's hand, he moved toward the exit.