Kohlea stretched out on the grass beside his father, wriggling his butt to find a more comfortable spot. The night was warm the stars were bright, the sheep were safely closed up in the fold and his stomach was fill. So he lay back, arms cushioning his head and listened with contentment to Bek the oldest shepherd tell the old tales. Tonight he began with the stories of Daniel, the Prince who was captured as a slave and who by following the true way, with the blessing of the Great Lord and hard work became the Grand Vizier of not one but two empires. He was telling how the Great Lord gave Daniel a vision, the vision, the most important vision, the one which prophesied about the coming of the Hero. The Hero would destroy the Roman overlords and make the Jews a mighty nation again. The Hero would make the Jews the rulers the whole world. Kohlea’s mind drifted away from the story as he imagined the palace he would live in when they ruled the world. Gold and emeralds featured heavily, he’d never seen either but he’d somewhere learned that gold was bright yellow like the sun and emeralds were green like olive leaves and sparkled like water on a sunny day.
Something Bek said grabbed his attention, dragging him back from dreams of fountains and thick carpets. “…Once I was at the temple and heard Simeon and Annus arguing…” Kohlea was astonished, everybody in the kingdom knew those names, but it was not usual to speak of them together. Annus was the High Priest of the Great Lord and much respected and feared by the common people. Simeon was an aged low cast priest who should have retired years ago but by doggedly turning up to the temple every morning at first light he continued to work in his place as doorkeeper to the Court of Dedication. He was much loved by the people and almost every oldest son under the age of 60 could claim to have been held and blessed by him as a babe. Kohlea had been. So had his father. Simeon remembered each one and would greet you by name each time you visited the temple. Why would Annus stoop to argue with a priest whose existence he barely acknowledged? And what would stir the ire of placid Simeon so much that he would make an issue of it? Deep throated murmurs and exclamations came from all corners of the listening circle of men telling him the other shepherds were wondering the same thing, this was a new story.
“What about?” That was his father, lying beside him, he could feel the grasses bending as his father rolled on to his side to face Bek, interest sparked.
“Annus was telling Ciaphus that the time for the prophecy was almost up, that in 35 years the Hero would appear to destroy the Romans. Simeon heard them and took issue with the interpretation; he said the Hero was going to save us from evil.”
Kohlea frowned wasn’t that the same as the Romans? They were the cause of all evil as far as he could tell. Not that he’d come across much evil or Romans in his 12 years.
“They’re the same thing.” Nald on the other side of the fire was thinking the same as him.
“Simeon didn’t seem to think so, said something about unseen enemies that we were oppressed by…” Beks voice trailed off in uncertainty, then he continued “… something about us breaking a contract with the Great Lord and the Hero coming to pay the forfeit and renew the contract.” The others were listening carefully, “Sounds nothing like what the priests teach,” said his father thoughtfully. “But I always liked Simeon more than Annus, for all he is the high priest…”
The other shepherds signaled assent in murmurs, then Nald asked, “When was this Bek?” The old man riffled his white beard with his fingers, “Must be five years ago.” Kohlea’s father sat up and leaned forward into the circle. “That means the Hero should be destroying the Romans in about 30 years. Assuming he is a man, full grown when he does this, he should be being born any time now.” Kohlea felt a thrill run up his back, he sat up too. Others round the fire were stirring. Bek chuckled, “When’s your next due Tarsh? Maybe you’ll be the father of the Hero.” The others laughed “Tarsh has got so many kids he has an unfair advantage.” Nald made a crude gesture with his hands, Kohlea’s father laughter rumbled full chested across the fold. “Remember hearing a priest read a passage of the scriptures years ago, when I was a boy in Jericho, said the Hero would be born in Bethlehem, so I decided to move here, glory by proximity you know.” Bek looked up, “Your right I remember that prophecy, haven’t heard it in an age, priests always quote the smiting the Romans ones these days.” Nald interrupted “But only when the Romans aren’t around to hear them, when they are they talk peace and love. Hypocrites the lot of them!” he growled. “The hero won’t be one of mine” said Tarsh, redirecting conversation into less contentious lines. “Going to be a son of the royal house, remember your catechisms, ‘Son of David.’ Probably born here because of the Winter Palace, we’ll never see the kid till he pops up full grown to do his heroing with a suit of armor, an army of trained soldiers and a real fancy accent.” Interested, Kohlea said “Mama’s Da was from the House of David.”
“Kohlea could be the Hero” Nald said the joke evident in his tone, fire light illuminating the teasing smile. Tarsh grinned rubbed his sons head and said “Lily’s father was the youngest son of long line of youngest daughters, the link is tenuous at best, none of mine will be the Hero but I like to think they’ll join his army. Besides there’ll be magic signs portents at the birth of the Hero, so that everybody knows he’s the Hero.”
“What kind of signs?” asked Kohlea
“Stars” suggested Bek
“Comets” guessed Nald
Others put in their suggestions.
Kohlea looked at the stars, one of them seemed to be growing, coming closer, “Something like that?” he asked, jumping up and pointing. The other men followed the direction of his point, the star was bigger now, brighter than the stars around it and coming closer. Bek stood up as if the extra height would give him better insight. “Just like that,” he whispered, the others were standing also. Suddenly as if the star had torn through the sky it jumped in size from a large star to something bigger than the moon, figures of fire could be seen outlined in the stars brightness, which dimmed in comparison and faded into invisibility as the night sky was turned to day by the brightness of the visitation. “Elementals,” the word croaked out of Kohlea’s fear tightened throat and he threw himself full length on the ground hiding his face from the brightness of the beings. Around him he could hear and feel the thud of the other shepherds landing on the springy grass.
“Fear not” and the brilliance seemed to fade a degree, Kohlea risked a look, one of the elementals had stepped forwards, and held out a hand in invitation. There was no way Kohlea was going to take that hand; it would singe his arm off to the elbow. “I come to bring you glad tidings, tonight the Hero, the Son of David is born.” The elementals voice resonated great joy; deep, rich and dark it tingled up his back bone. “He will save the world from evil and bring healing from on high.”
“Where?” The one word question came from his father.
“You will find him lying in a manger. Wrapped in swaddling clothes” and the elemental band began to recede, brightness diminishing, music wafting behind them as they slowly ascended back the way they had arrived.
