Ruth found the entire effect captivating. And though she harbored reservations about the disguise, there was no doubt that Anna could, once again, thrive as a man called Jesus. And for now, she hoped, he would keep them safe.

After the meal, the sisters’ eyes grew heavy and Tabitha fell quickly asleep. But Jesus could not rest. His heart raced with the rush of his new identity.

The farmer’s wife had not even given him a second glance!

He felt a strong desire to roam in his disguise. To know, again, the freedom and the world’s sanction. When Ruth fell asleep, he slipped outside.

The night drifted down to meet him, bathing his indigo tunic in starlight. In the distance, an owl questioned the dark. The crisp air woke Jesus further and he decided to walk the village’s perimeter. After a time, he came to a dwelling set at a distance from the others. Its roof sagged with age, threatening to collapse on its occupants at any moment. A soft light ruffled the window frame. Voices whispered inside. Unable to deny his curiosity, Jesus snuck up to the dwelling. He peered inside and saw a woman bent over a small boy. She was laying strips of damp linen on his forehead. Her husband stoked a meager fire nearby. The mother placed a hand on the boy’s cheek. She looked back and whispered, “Abel, his fever is rising. What shall we do?” The father’s face fell for lack of answers.

Jesus observed the boy closely. His color was sallow and gray, his forehead fevered, his arms clutched tightly at his stomach. Jesus recognized the symptoms. He had once seen a Sister suffer in the same way when she accidentally consumed spoiled milk.

Perhaps, in his hunger, the boy had eaten something rotten?

Taking care to remain hidden, Jesus’s hand drifted down to the pouches in his tunic. Among the many cures he had gathered before their flight from the caves were the seeds used for stomach ailments. His fingers danced over the small pods. He knew that he could help the boy.

But should he risk exposing himself? What if the parents discovered his secret and sounded the alarm? What if the villagers sought out Ruth and Tabitha and attacked them while they slept?

He looked again into the woman’s eyes and saw the look of desperation he had once seen in the eyes of his own mother. He felt his heart ripping in two.

How could he put his friends at risk? Yet how could he turn away?

Without another thought, he wrapped his tunic about him and walked to the dwelling’s entrance. He lifted the camel hide and said, “Blessings on your house.”

The father stood and lifted a pot over his head. The mother spread herself across her son.

“Who are you and what business have you here?” Abel asked, shaken by the intrusion.