“Yes! I have just spoken with him,” he replied. “He said you might be in need of counsel.” The priest looked over the man beneath him. Noted his disrepair. The wild roll about his eyes. Unafraid, he sat beside him. He let a moment pass and then said, “The truth is, your father has serious concerns about you. He seems to believe that the godless influences that once preyed on your community have now come to roost, shall we say, closer to home.” He let his words sink in before continuing. “And he further believes, as do I, that these influences are bringing an undue amount of suffering upon your head.”

Yoseph listened intently, his mouth agape.

“But do not think that in your time of need the Lord has abandoned you. Oh no! Rather, you must believe that through your trials He has been testing you. Calling you to a higher purpose. One for which your past actions have shown you to be amply prepared.”

When the priest paused, Yoseph felt a lump expanding in his throat. Feeling the weight of his burdens suddenly lifted, and having little strength with which to contain his relief, he broke down and wept.

The priest laid a hand on Yoseph’s back. “There, there, my brother. Have courage! And let us, together, consider how you might best serve the Lord. How you might help rid yourself, and your fellow men, of those who would spread their evil among us.”

Long before the sun rose, even before the roosters crowed, Anna woke, her head heavy from a sleepless night. She went to check on her mother but a voice stopped her.

“Your mother will rest today,” her father said. He was kneeling by the fire.

Anna wanted to disobey, but the dull ache on the side of her face made her fear crossing him a second time.

Yoseph pulled the pot from the fire and poured two cups of tea. He watched his daughter step a wide arc around him. Her bright, emerald eyes hung dark and dazed. A swollen knob rose from her cheek.

“I thought you could come with me today to Sepphoris,” he said, offering a smile.

Anna’s eyes hugged the floor. She felt the pull of the marketplace. The spices, the musicians, the colors, the adventure. Anyplace would be better than home. But the temptation did not outweigh the concern for her mother. She shook her head.

“No?” Yoseph asked, his smile fading. Her disobedience fortified his convictions. It was clear the girl had already been tainted. First by the old woman. And now, no doubt, by her mother.

Behind them, the cow urinated with a loud fizz.

Yoseph grunted. Then chuckled. A strange eerie cackle that made the hairs on the back of Anna’s neck tingle.

She held still, her nerves on alert.

Without warning, Yoseph sprang to his feet.

Anna toppled back.

“Bring my father’s tray,” he commanded. Then disappeared through the camel hide.