Chapter Four - Part Three (18,015 words)

I must confess our visit with my father was much more pleasant than I had expected. He was kind to us and hospitable. He cooed over Jeremiah and loved to show him off to the people in the village. Jeremiah loved all the attention he was getting and was doing a fine job and playing to the crowds. The time for us to leave came quickly. I was relieved to be returning to our home but I was also a little sad. I felt for the first time that I had a father who truly loved and cared for me. I felt as if I had finally forgiven him for the way he treated me as a child and young woman. I still could not forgive him for all he had done to Akiva. I do not know how he would have welcomed Akiva and I would never have a chance to find out. It was hard to say if my father was remorseful of the way he had treated us both before. If he was, never apologized or made it know. But at least in our visit, he was kind and warm. I had actually begun to think that he had changed. What a fool I would turn out to be.

It turned out that we left Magdala later than planned. We had planned to leave soon after sunrise but did not truly leave until midday. This meant we would have to stop and camp along the way, as it was not safe for us to travel after sunset. Fortunately, Elias had brought along tents and supplies in case of the need for setting up camp. I felt uneasy about camping that night. Elias continually reassured me that he had set up camp at night many times and he had always been safe. He also pointed out that we had quite a few servants with us and I had no need to worry. This did not settle my fears. Something inside of my body told me it would be better for us to press on in the dark. Elias would have none of that and we set up our camp.

I insisted that Elias have one of the servants stay up through the night to stand guard. He thought I was overreacting. I would not relent and finally he agreed. The servants were going to take turns staying awake throughout the night. This made me feel somewhat better but still did not ease my fears entirely. I retreated into our tent as soon as the sun touched the horizon. I did not even wait for it to fall fully dark. I climbed inside and held Jeremiah to my breast. He fell asleep instantly but I lie awake listening to the sounds from outside the tent. Long after the sunset, when Elias crawled in beside me I was still awake and had not slept a wink. Elias took Jeremiah from me so that I might rest easier. Elias stroked my hair as we lay in the dark, desperately trying to calm my fears; but they would not be calmed.

I drifted off to sleep at some point not long after Elias came to my side. It was still dark when I awoke with horrible pains in my belly. I was in agony and knew I had to get out of the tent for fear that I would wake Elias. I climbed out of the tent and told Nadar, the servant on watch, where I was going. I scrambled into the bushes to relieve my pains. It was then, while I was huddled in the bushes that evil swept through our camp. I did not know what was happening but would hear the tale later from the sole servant to survive the onslaught.

Bandits from Magdala that had heard of our visit to my father had kept a close eye on us when left to return to Tabgha. My father, the fool that is, often boasted in town of the wealth of his son-in-law. This sparked the interest of these bandits who sought to take some of that wealth. They had followed our party the whole way from Magdala to our camp; always keeping a safe distance behind so that we would not suspect we were being followed. They waited for us to set up camp and for night to fall. Their plan was not to wait for me to leave the tents, it just so happened that way. This was all in Yahweh’s plan.

The bandits crept up to camp and ambushed Nadar. He put up a brilliant fight but in the end the four bandits were too much for him and they killed him. The bandits proceeded to each tent, ransacking what was inside and slaughtering the occupants. The commotion awoke Elias who called out to me. Jeremiah was screaming. Elias tried to hush him but saw that it was no use. He handed the child off to Mala, one of the servants we had brought, and told her to run back to Magdala with the child and that my father would give her shelter and protection. Elias went to look for me but met the bandits first.

“This is the man!” they cried out when they laid eyes upon Elias. They rushed to him and seized him. They started beating him but did not kill him right away. One of the bandits caught Mala and Jeremiah and drug her and the babe back to the camp. Mala, my husband and my son were the only three left alive. One took Mala away to have their way with her, leaving the other three with Elias and Jeremiah. The one who seemed to be leading the raid spoke, “Let us kill the heir.”

There, before Elias’s own eyes they slaughtered our son. Jeremiah cried out in anguish as they slit his throat. Elias called out to Yahweh.

“Yahweh will not save you now. Your riches will be ours and you will go to Sheol and live in the memory of how you were not man enough to save your family.”

The head bandit walked to Elias and instead of sparing him the pain and killing him quickly, he thrust his knife into Elias’s belly and turned it slowly. It was my husband’s cry that I heard from the bushes. They gathered up the remainder of the belongings and left Elias there to die on the road. I saw the bandits as they ran away and once I was sure they were out of sight I ran to my husband’s side. He was still alive, although barely.

“My love, my love. Please do not leave me!” I cried out through my sobs.

Elias had little strength but he was able to find some to speak to me, “It is time for me to join Yahweh.”

“Jeremiah! Where is our son?”

Tears filled Elias’s eyes as he managed to point to a bloody pile of clothes a few feet from him. Understanding hit me like icy water and I began to wail. The men I had loved were taken from me right there in the blink of an eye. All that was my world my life was gone. To this day the last words of my husband haunt my soul: “Mary, Yahweh has much planned for you. Go on, be strong. You will always have my love; now Yahweh is calling me home.”

My husband died in my lap. After he breathed his last I collected my son in my arms and lay down between their bloodied bodies and wailed. I called out to Yahweh and begged Him to take me too. When He refused I cursed Him.