Mika's Song, Chapter 25
Nothing could have kept the eager band of travelers from rushing to Bethlehem in the bright light of the star that night. Nothing, that is, except a band of shepherds and their dim-witted animals filling the southbound road out of the city of Jerusalem. Mika had pulled his dap out for an energetic ballad to the star and the great anticipation in his heart, but the interruption in their journey made him restless, and he was now padding along after the sheep, wishing he had a way to hurry them along.
Nothing could have kept the eager band of travelers from rushing to Bethlehem in the bright light of the star that night. Nothing, that is, except a band of shepherds and their dim-witted animals filling the southbound road out of the city of Jerusalem. Mika had pulled his dap out for an energetic ballad to the star and the great anticipation in his heart, but the interruption in their journey made him restless, and he was now padding along after the sheep, wishing he had a way to hurry them along.
Just then a little shepherd girl with a long stick appeared from around the flock, busily keeping the animals together. When she saw Mika, she moved right up beside him as if she had known him forever, and said with a great air of irritation, "Ugh! If I have to go all night like this I'm going to just faint, that's what I'm going to do!"
Mika looked at her curiously, and when he did not say anything, she kept on. "We NEVER do this! By now I'm usually sitting on my mat by the fire getting ready for a good nights' sleep!"
Finally Mika satisfied her by asking, "Why are you traveling at night?"
"Well," she answered, "Baba wanted to sell some sheep at the temple, so he asked me to help him drive them from Bethlehem yesterday. I'm the best at keeping the lambs from wandering!" she said quite proudly.
Mika very much doubted that. How well he knew what it took to follow the flocks and keep strays close. This girl was so little, he didn't think she'd be very good at it, but he couldn't help but admire how well she kept up. Just then she let out a yell that made him jump and thwacked a ewe at the edge of the flock.
"Ugh, these naughty sheep!" she huffed, but she seemed happy to show off her talent.
"At least it's not so dark," Mika said.
"Yeah, you like that star?" The little girl said, then hurried on without waiting for an answer. "That's just like the angel star, we saw them, they talked to us and I was there! I think it is the angel star, I think they've come back to visit the baby."
"What baby? What angels?" Now the little girl had Mika's full attention.
"When I was just a little girl they came," the girl said, "I was sleeping, and I woke up because I thought I heard a song. Not a regular song like the shepherd's sing, those always make me fall asleep. This was a different kind of song, only when I woke up, I didn't hear it anymore. But when I looked up at the sky, I saw a funny light."
Mika stared at the little girl in the silvery light, his heart beating excitedly. She yelled again and ran to collect a straying lamb.
"That's Buba, she's SO naughty! I wish she would just stay with her mother and--"
"So it was an angel??" Mika asked impatiently, his hurried footsteps measuring his excitement.
"What?--Oh, the light, yeah, so then the light grew and turned into this shining angel, and--" she was interrupted again by the wandering lamb, and Mika thought he would burst.
"--And Baba and my uncles and Isak--he's my brother--they were afraid, but I wasn't afraid, I just looked right at that angel and didn't even try to hide. Then the angel told us Meshiak was born, and we could find him in a stable, and--"
"In a what??" Mika interrupted.
"A stable, you know--Oh, see all these people were in the city for the census, and so the stables were full of camels and donkeys--more than usual. Sometimes when Isak works in the stables, so he told me how crowded they were. Mostly donkeys, but sometimes rich people like you guys come on camels or horses. I'm glad we don't have to stay in stables, I like being outside--"
"So why was the baby in a stable?" Mika asked impatiently.
"He was in the stable because there wasn't any more room in the inn," the girl said.
"So they didn't live in Bethlehem?" Mika asked.
"No, they came for the census."
Mika's heart skipped a beat. The baby HAD been born in Bethlehem, but what if he wasn't there any more? If his family came for the census months ago, certainly they would have returned home by now!
"Where did they come from?" Mika asked hurriedly.
The little girl didn't know, but she seemed frustrated that Mika was getting ahead of her story. "So the angel said the baby was wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger--"
"What's a manger?" asked Mika.
"You don't know what a manger is?" The little girl asked, annoyed. "It's where the animals feed. Anyway, so as soon as he was done talking, all of a sudden the whole sky got bright as day, and it was angels--SO MANY angels, I never saw so many angels--well, I never saw any angels, but anyway, they were singing us a song about Yahwe's name and peace and everything."
"What did you do?" Mika wanted to know.
"Baba said, 'Let's go right now and see this baby!' and we all ran together into the town." She stopped to catch her breath. "You know, all those angels, they went back up into the sky, and they turned into a big star, just like that one!" She pointed up at the light. "I think that's them again. I never saw any other star like that!"
"Me either," said Mika, remembering how he had awakened to it's light many months before. "So what did you find in the town?" He asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, so we went to the stables and, sure enough! There was a man and a lady inside and the tiniest baby you ever saw!" the girl was almost breathless recalling the story. "The lady let me hold him," she said proudly, "I got to hold Meshiak." The girl stopped suddenly and became very quiet.
Mika couldn't speak, either, imagining the scene. How, he wondered, could the great deliverer be born in a stable? Certainly he couldn't be there now, after all these months. The poor parents must have been eager to go back to the comforts of their home. Mika looked up at the star and thought of the messengers who had come to the Maga, and he made up his mind to believe, just like old Master Bobac, who's faith never seemed to change.
Mika was so deep in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear Master Ghasaan calling to him from ahead of the sheep. They had gotten around and just finished hearing the shepherd's story as well. "Mika! Where are you, boy? Let's go!"
Without saying goodbye, Mika ran ahead, skipping carefully between the moving sheep until he came to the camels and the Maga who were eager to pick up the pace once again.
Mika looked at her curiously, and when he did not say anything, she kept on. "We NEVER do this! By now I'm usually sitting on my mat by the fire getting ready for a good nights' sleep!"
Finally Mika satisfied her by asking, "Why are you traveling at night?"
"Well," she answered, "Baba wanted to sell some sheep at the temple, so he asked me to help him drive them from Bethlehem yesterday. I'm the best at keeping the lambs from wandering!" she said quite proudly.
Mika very much doubted that. How well he knew what it took to follow the flocks and keep strays close. This girl was so little, he didn't think she'd be very good at it, but he couldn't help but admire how well she kept up. Just then she let out a yell that made him jump and thwacked a ewe at the edge of the flock.
"Ugh, these naughty sheep!" she huffed, but she seemed happy to show off her talent.
"At least it's not so dark," Mika said.
"Yeah, you like that star?" The little girl said, then hurried on without waiting for an answer. "That's just like the angel star, we saw them, they talked to us and I was there! I think it is the angel star, I think they've come back to visit the baby."
"What baby? What angels?" Now the little girl had Mika's full attention.
"When I was just a little girl they came," the girl said, "I was sleeping, and I woke up because I thought I heard a song. Not a regular song like the shepherd's sing, those always make me fall asleep. This was a different kind of song, only when I woke up, I didn't hear it anymore. But when I looked up at the sky, I saw a funny light."
Mika stared at the little girl in the silvery light, his heart beating excitedly. She yelled again and ran to collect a straying lamb.
"That's Buba, she's SO naughty! I wish she would just stay with her mother and--"
"So it was an angel??" Mika asked impatiently, his hurried footsteps measuring his excitement.
"What?--Oh, the light, yeah, so then the light grew and turned into this shining angel, and--" she was interrupted again by the wandering lamb, and Mika thought he would burst.
"--And Baba and my uncles and Isak--he's my brother--they were afraid, but I wasn't afraid, I just looked right at that angel and didn't even try to hide. Then the angel told us Meshiak was born, and we could find him in a stable, and--"
"In a what??" Mika interrupted.
"A stable, you know--Oh, see all these people were in the city for the census, and so the stables were full of camels and donkeys--more than usual. Sometimes when Isak works in the stables, so he told me how crowded they were. Mostly donkeys, but sometimes rich people like you guys come on camels or horses. I'm glad we don't have to stay in stables, I like being outside--"
"So why was the baby in a stable?" Mika asked impatiently.
"He was in the stable because there wasn't any more room in the inn," the girl said.
"So they didn't live in Bethlehem?" Mika asked.
"No, they came for the census."
Mika's heart skipped a beat. The baby HAD been born in Bethlehem, but what if he wasn't there any more? If his family came for the census months ago, certainly they would have returned home by now!
"Where did they come from?" Mika asked hurriedly.
The little girl didn't know, but she seemed frustrated that Mika was getting ahead of her story. "So the angel said the baby was wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger--"
"What's a manger?" asked Mika.
"You don't know what a manger is?" The little girl asked, annoyed. "It's where the animals feed. Anyway, so as soon as he was done talking, all of a sudden the whole sky got bright as day, and it was angels--SO MANY angels, I never saw so many angels--well, I never saw any angels, but anyway, they were singing us a song about Yahwe's name and peace and everything."
"What did you do?" Mika wanted to know.
"Baba said, 'Let's go right now and see this baby!' and we all ran together into the town." She stopped to catch her breath. "You know, all those angels, they went back up into the sky, and they turned into a big star, just like that one!" She pointed up at the light. "I think that's them again. I never saw any other star like that!"
"Me either," said Mika, remembering how he had awakened to it's light many months before. "So what did you find in the town?" He asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, so we went to the stables and, sure enough! There was a man and a lady inside and the tiniest baby you ever saw!" the girl was almost breathless recalling the story. "The lady let me hold him," she said proudly, "I got to hold Meshiak." The girl stopped suddenly and became very quiet.
Mika couldn't speak, either, imagining the scene. How, he wondered, could the great deliverer be born in a stable? Certainly he couldn't be there now, after all these months. The poor parents must have been eager to go back to the comforts of their home. Mika looked up at the star and thought of the messengers who had come to the Maga, and he made up his mind to believe, just like old Master Bobac, who's faith never seemed to change.
Mika was so deep in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear Master Ghasaan calling to him from ahead of the sheep. They had gotten around and just finished hearing the shepherd's story as well. "Mika! Where are you, boy? Let's go!"
Without saying goodbye, Mika ran ahead, skipping carefully between the moving sheep until he came to the camels and the Maga who were eager to pick up the pace once again.