Jesus held his breath and scanned the crowd for the woman who had been speaking. But he could not find her. Soon the people’s barricade broke apart. A dozen or more soldiers rushed through the gaps seeking the perpetrator.

“Seize her! Seize her now!” a priest cried out.

But when the soldiers could not find the woman, the priests threw up their hands in frustration.

Furious, the soldiers began stripping garments off the onlookers. But none was found wearing a plum-colored robe.

“She is gone!” Jesus cried.

“Who is gone?” Peter asked.

“The woman who was speaking. She has vanished!”

Amidst moans and clanking chains, the angered soldiers led away naked and bleeding onlookers.

Jesus looked on with concern. “What will happen to them?”

“To who?”

“The people they are taking away …”

Peter shrugged. “I hope they will be made an example of,” he said and stuffed another date into his mouth.

Night fell on Jerusalem like a blanket knit with torch flames. Flickering shadows distorted faces and narrowed alleyways. The smell of burning oil weighed down the air, making it harder to breathe. Exhausted from their adventures, Peter and Jesus went to find a place to sleep. On the way, they wound through the priests’ richly appointed houses, built around courtyards filled with fruit trees.

“I am thirsty,” Jesus said, making his way toward a well.

“Hurry,” Peter urged, “or we will not find a place to sleep.”

Jesus dropped the bucket into the water. When it splashed at the bottom, he heard something move nearby. “Who is there?” he asked into the dark, keeping his voice firm. When no one answered, he crept around the well. On the far side he found a girl cowering behind the stones. “Bring the torch!” he called to Peter.

The girl flinched, afraid for her life.

“Be still,” Jesus said. “We will not harm you.”

Peter held the torch to the girl’s face. She swiped a veil of matted hair from her eyes and faced the boys head-on. Her eyes were large with fear and laced with cunning. She was scared, but clearly not out of options. Looking her over, Jesus suddenly recognized her. She was the girl who had leapt onto the soldier’s back! To protect the woman in the plum-colored robe!

Jesus recalled her bravery and felt an instant affinity with the girl. As he was remembering, her gaze fell upon him. When it did, he felt his insides spark with flame, then settle into a profound calm. Her look was not casual. But piercing. Her eyes, carved broadly in her face, shone with the silver of mirrors. Beneath the right one rested a handsome birthmark that rose and fell as an accent to her every expression.

Gazing upon the shepherd, the girl struggled to conceal her emotion. Then, despite her efforts, her lips surrendered into a smile.

Anna the lamb tentatively approached the strange girl, sniffing. She lowered her head and gently butted her knees.