Tabitha smiled at the fisherman’s little girl. “What is your name?” she asked. The girl’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Aw, do not bother with Sophia,” her father said. “She has been a mute since her mother died.” He tousled his daughter’s hair. She slipped behind his knee.

Jesus and Tabitha shared a look.

The opposite shore approached quickly. The sisters stepped from the boat and Jesus asked for directions. The fisherman pointed northward. “We will gladly accompany you,” he added. He tied his boat to a tree. “Our home lies on the way to Nazareth.”

As the men walked ahead, Sophia crept alongside her father, glued to him like a third leg. Intrigued by the girl, Jesus smiled down and pulled a silly face. When this failed to elicit a smile, he threw back his head and let out a corky raven’s call. Within minutes, two glossy birds circled above them, calling out to their hidden companion. Sophia’s face lit up at the ravens’ arrival and she clapped her hands with delight.

“Do you want to learn how to call the birds for yourself?” Jesus asked her.

Sophia ducked again behind her father’s leg.

Jesus extended his hand. “Have no fear, Sophia. Come with me and I will show you the way.”

After several minutes of careful consideration, and much to the fisherman’s surprise, Sophia slipped out, almost despite herself, and took Jesus’s hand. In one fluid motion, Jesus lifted her onto his shoulders and hurled another cry skyward. Sophia clapped with glee as the birds echoed the cry. The others laughed in amazement at Sophia’s sudden opening.

For the next several hours, Jesus spoke with the child and demonstrated various raven calls, showing her how to round her mouth and puff the air through a relaxed throat. Sophia was able to mimic his every move but never produced a single sound. Jesus seemed unbothered by this omission and praised her all the same.

By the time they reached the fisherman’s village, Jesus felt his leg, the one that had been broken in The Narrows, stiffening. “Is it far to Nazareth?” he asked.

The fisherman peered toward the horizon. “It is far,” he answered.

Ruth signaled to Jesus. She was eager to keep moving. Jesus thanked the man for his guidance, gave Sophia a chuck under her chin, and turned back to the road. The three had not taken ten steps when a raven cried out behind them. Confused, they turned to see Sophia, tossing her head skyward, her voice clear as glass.

Tabitha jumped up and down. She took a deep, careful breath before saying, “She can talk! She can talk!”