O Poveste de Craciun - versiunea Irod.

 In mijlocul noptii, Irod nu poate dormi, invartindu-se si foindu-se continuu. Deja trimisese doi paji la moarte pentru ca ceaiurile pe care ei le adusesera nu ajutasera la lungile nopti nedormite. Dar in realitate, stia ca pajii nu erau de vina. Imediat ar fi adormit cu acele ceaiuri – dar ii era prea frica sa inchida ochii. De cate ori o facea, imaginile celor trei magi erau proiectate in mintea sa.

Primul venise un mag, un print, mai mic de statura cu parul lung si pielea destul de alba, considerand provenienta lui estica. Era o seara acceptabila pentru Irod – tocmai isi satisfacuse nevoia de a vedea sange executand pe loc unul din mult prea desii conducatori de rascoale.  Dar acest prim vizitator neasteptat ii strica toata ziua.

“Am vazut in stele ca un copil trebuie sa se fi nascut; Un fiu regesc trebuie sa se fi nascut.  Nu este el aici?”

Cuvintele magului il tulburara mult pe Irod dar acesta facu un exercitiu de auto-control si nu arata asta, si raspunse clar si raspicat ca nu se nascuse nici un print in castelul sau, dar ca este foarte interesat si il ruga sa ii explice ce a vazut.

„Am vazut o stea foarte luminoasa, cum niciodata n-a mai fost si niciodata nu va mai fi vazuta. Trebuie sa fie un rege important – probabil chiar un fel de zeu”

Irod isi aminti ca in cultura evreiasca era ceva de genul acela, asa ca ii chema pe marii preoti sa discute cu magul, dupa care il ruga pe mag sa ii spuna ce a descoperit.

„Este minunat!“ acesta ii spuse plin de entuziasm. „Profetul Isaia spune ca <>.  Sunt 100% convins ca acesta este copilul nascut! Mesia cel promis ni s-a nascut!”

Irod deja era complet pierdut. Regele regilor? Cineva pe care evreii il vor considera cu siguranta mai mare decat el s-a nascut? Nu se putea!

“Mai mult, stim si cum il cheama! Tot Isaia ne spune <>”

Irod isi aminti ca acum ceva timp se facuse o recenzie. Poate va gasi acest nume pe undeva... dar nu avea sa-i spuna asta magului!

“Nu numai asta, dar avem si perioada exacta cand s-a nascut. Ingerul Gavril i-a spus lucrul acesta profetului Daniel: putem astfel calcula data nasterii lui Mesia, si daca nu gresesc – deja s-a intamplat de ceva vreme, ceea ce coincide si cu aparitia stelei!”

Irod il ruga sa-i spuna data exacta cand a aparut steaua.

“Ah si inca ceva, am aflat si unde: Mica ne spune ca in Betleem. Mai mult de ce am nevoie?“

De-odata intra un al doilea mag.

“Am venit de la cutreierarea orasului. Am intrebat diversi oameni daca au auzit sau au vazut ceva ciudat in perioada in care a aparut si steaua. Lucruri ciudate s-au intamplat in jurul Betleemului aud. Un inger apare in fata unei fecioare si o anunta ca va naste un fiu, desi nu s-a culcat cu nici un barbat! Un inger apare in visul celui ce aeva sa-i fie sot si ii spune sa nu o lase! Legiuni intregi de ingeri apar in fata unor bieti pastori si ii anunta ca s-a nascut un anumit Mesia. Se pare ca acestia l-au gasit intr-o iesle... ce trist nu? Un copil ce se naste in fan, alaturi de animalele puturoase si murdare. Daca TRAIESTE sigur va fi un miracol! Dar nu prea ma intereseaza: steaua este mult mai magica decat toate lucrurile acestea. Deci? Putem sa-l vedem pe printul din acest palat?”

Irod nu se mai putu abtine si se uita ca trasnit la cel de-al doilea mag. Profetiile se implinisera? Imposibil! Cum putea sa se nasca tocmai atunci? De ce tocmai cand era el rege? In sfarsit venea pedeapsa pentru toate atrocitatile pe care le comise? Pentru pofta lui de sange? Nu! Va vedea mai mult sange. Ba chiar mai mult... va vedea sange de Mesia!

Dupa ce magii ii promisera ca il vor anunta cand il gasesc pe Prunc, ca sa poata sa “se inchine si el lui Mesia”, acestia plecara. Dar trecura zile, saptamani si nu il mai anuntara. Pana cand a aflat ca magii au fost vazuti parasind tara. In furia lui, acesta ordona sa fie omoroti toti copii din regat sub 2 ani. Doar baietii. Fu linistit dupa acea. Cateva zile dormi bine. Ce se mai purtea intampla rau? Nu mai era amenintat, toti ii stiau de frica, a vazut sange cat pentru o viata intreaga si adormea pe plansul parintilor – un dulce cantec de leagan.

Dar nu dura mult. Constiinta incepu sa functioneze in mintea sa. Dupa cativa ani ajunsese intr-atat incat sa nu mai poata dormi. De cateva saptamani nu mai putuse dormi. Reveria nu dura mult dar fu dureroasa. Un paj veni sa-l anunte ca un important lider al unui popor din est voia sa il vada. Spre oroarea lui, un al treilea mag.

“Am venit, o prea nefericitule, sa te anunt ce am citit in stele dupa ce marea stea  ce il anunta pe Mesia a disparut de pe cer.”

A disparut? Inseamna ca murise, nu asa se spune? – se gandi Irod.

“Nu, nu a murit. A scapat. Fiul lui Dumnezeu a fost protejat de mania ta. A scapat in Egipt alaturi de parintii sai. Dar El se va intoarce si va duce la implinire planul Dumnezeului celui mare! Va muri pentru pacatele omenirii si va invia a treia zi si se va inalta la cer, la dreapta Tatalui. Dupa aceasta, mii de ani el va domni in inimile oamenilor. Dar cel rau i se va impotrivi, asa cum a incercat si la nastere. Asa este, Irod, tu niciodata nu ai domnit, ci ai fost sclav – sclav celui rau. Dar planul nu i-a reusit nici lui, nici tie. Asa cum a incercat prin tine, el va incerca si in viitor sa se impotriveasca. De exemplu, oamenii vor uita sa sarbatoreasca nasterea, si in loc sa-si aminteasca de prunc, ei se vor lasa mintiti, ca tine, de Satan: ei vor sarbatori cadourile, bradul, decoratiunile, pe Mos Craciun, mancarea, petrecerile. Dar Isus se va intoarce pe nori de slava, si pedeapsa va fi adusa celui rau si celor ce s-au lasat pacaliti de el, iar cei ce vor serba Craciunul, adica pe Isus Cristos, in inima lor, zilnic si in orice moment al existentei, vor domni alaturi de El in vecii vecilor”

La foarte putin timp dupa ce al treilea mag il vizitase pe Irod acesta muri, si Isus s-a intors in Israel si a indeplinit si fiecare profetie facuta, mici portiuni din planul sau de mantuire pe care Dumnezeu le-a dezvalui omenirii, si va continua sa o faca.

And she flies down...

A vast darkening blue sky – on which just a few scattered clouds were floating, not caring that beneath them a crazed world was going in its round-about path... He really envied them... They couldn’t be caught in the turmoil of the world, as he had long been caught. Sadness, hatred, jealousy, business, betrayal, selfishness, lies and... loneliness. What a world to live in! And yet... dullness; just dullness. Nothing changes. Everything is a continuous circus, never-ending and everlasting. Yeah, all is just playing. Up and down, down and up, up and down. Just like the skyline... From the roof of the building he worked in the skyline of the town could be well seen, especially at sunset, as the light was diametrically opposed to his eyes and all buildings were black objects against a blinding blood-red background. Monotonous.
Thinking is too hard. He gave up caring about anything. Calmly, he took a cigarette out and held it between his lips. He lit the red-brown cigarette, giving off a strong, lingering cherry scent mixed up with the usual nicotine smell. He put the pack back in his pocket and closed his eyes. He continued to smoke while he rested his eyes that way. When he felt the cigarette was almost finished he blindly drew the small pocket-ashtray from his left pocket and put the stump in it. For a few more seconds he stayed with his eyes closed, feeling the evening breeze. Those were the only moments in which he felt at ease... in which he could forget about everything and be ... nothing and no one...
Yet this trance-like feeling was short, interrupted by a change in the flow of air. He could feel a more violent breeze, like in that produced by an object moving fast. He opened his eyes to see a small person rushing towards the edge of the roof. He thought she (for the small person was wearing a tan coloured dress) wanted to jump over, so he flickered, but quickly loosened up, as he remembered the edge was protected by a fence. He closed his mouth (he realized he was ready to shout after her) and watched her. He unconsciously drew the pack out of his pocket and lit another cigarette. While smoking he observed the girl with interest.
Yes, she was indeed small – somewhere around 59 inches. Probably just a primary school kid. Her golden locks fell over her shoulders, way down her back, perfectly matching her dress. The shoes were also in tone – a light brown. But even more interesting was the teddy bear she was gripping hard by an arm. He suspected that she was around twelve but after seeing the plush toy he decided she had to be somewhere under nine – else the bear made no sense at all.
She was very young considering he was in his mid thirties. He could be her father. He resented the though. Being a father? Him? Not one chance. He even went as far as forcing his wife to commit abortion! Of course, this led to her death... One more reason to hate children! He closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to send these thoughts somewhere in the depths of subconscious.
 As he opened his eyes he saw the young girl continued to walk towards the fence, slowing down little by little. When she finally reached it she grabbed the teddy and hugged it tightly to her chest – as if she was seeing someone very dear off. In the short while he finished the cigarette and without taking his eyes off the child he tried to draw the pack out of his pocket, but to his surprise he found out that it was nowhere to be felt. Concerned, he started looking for it with his eyes too. After realizing that it was not in any of the pockets, he looked around, even stood up thinking it was under him. Not long after he found it lying next to the wall of the entrance – it must have rolled there when he had put it down unawares when the girl had come on the roof.
The girl! He suddenly got a really bad feeling so he turned his attention to the child quickly, just to suddenly feel his feet     like jelly – she was on the other side of the fence! He tried shouting after her but the sound wouldn’t propagate further than his mind. Although barely being able to stand firm on his own feet he started advancing towards the girl. When he saw her detach her hands off the bar of the fence and leaning a bit more in front, he lost it – everything was in small motion, it seemed as if he had detached himself from his own body and was watching a movie from afar. He didn’t quite care anymore – actually he couldn’t even feel indifference. He just watched as his body had a rush of adrenaline and reached the fence in less than a second grabbing the girl and dragging her over the fence back into the safe zone. The girl shrieked in pain when she was slammed on the bar of the fence while being dragged over it.
The next thing the man realized was that he was in his room sitting on a chair with his head on the bed. Sleeping sound in the white adjustable bed was a small girl. Suddenly it hit him – everything that happened the day before. He cautiously rose and went to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror, to see his distressed figure. He didn’t want to be seen like that by the young girl so he washed his face and shook it to expel the negative thoughts. He then went to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast. The years of living alone had taught him how to cook so he skilfully handled the frying pan and the eggs and bacon. While he was putting the fried eggs on two plates the young girl showed up at the entrance to the kitchen looking at him expressionlessly. Anxious, he sketched a smile and finished laying the table and wiped his hands. Then he went over to the girl and squatted so as to be at the same eye level:
“Good morning” he said, smiling widely. The girl didn’t answer, keeping the poker face. Although starting to worry, he stood up, then gently took her to the bathroom, turned on the light and showed her in:
“Don’t forget to wash your hands and then come to the kitchen – you need to eat” Then he closed the door and went back to the kitchen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sit at the table, with his eyes stuck on the door. After he took a sip of the coffee he lit a cigarette and continued waiting for the girl to come. After a few minutes he impatiently went to the bathroom and knocked at the door:
“Hey, are you alright?” No answer. “I’m coming in!”
    He opened the door and was surprised to find the girl staying where he had left her, motionless and in the same position. He then took her hands and washed them then wiped them with a soft towel. After that he led her to the kitchen where she sat at the table. He took a seat next to his cup of coffee and the unfinished cigarette in the ashtray. After taking another sip of coffee he put his hand on the table and started asking her:
“What is your name?” No answer. “How old are you?” No answer. “Who are your parents?” No answer. He started getting irritated thinking that she was mocking at him. “What were you doing on the roof?” The girl glanced at him, then she turned her eyes to the plate with food, closed her eyes as if praying, then started eating. He watched her eating half-satisfied – at least he now knew she wasn’t retarded.  But in the middle of eating, she suddenly stopped and started looking around worriedly.
“Are you looking for something” She looked at him with a pleading figure, as if ready to burst into tears. “Hmm... might it be... the teddy bear?” She opened her mouth a bit but quickly closed it to nod fervently.
“Oh, it’s in the bedroom. You slept with it, remember? You wouldn’t let it go.” No sooner had he finished saying anything than she rushed to the door, to come back in a few seconds with her teddy-bear tightly gripped in her hand. She once again had the poker face sketched on her figure, but for a second he thought he had glanced a small smile on her face – maybe he was wrong.
Later that day he went with the girl to the police to ask if anyone was searching for her and report that she was with him. They asked him to take care of her until somebody reported a missing girl. He then went with her home and as it was dinner time he once again laid the table and invited her to the bathroom. This time he stayed outside of the door making sure he heard the sound of running water. Seconds after, the girl got out of the bathroom and went in the kitchen. He sat next to her. She once again closed her eyes as if in prayer. He sipped from his coffee and opened the news paper, curious about the latest news. Trying to steal a glimpse of her, he noticed she was glaring at him. Curious about the reason why she was looking at him, he folded the papers and looked at her trying to see if she would answer an unspoken question. She then closed her eyes once again, to open them and look at him, as if asking if he’d got it.
“You want me to pray with you?” he asked her, convinced that she was mocking at him. She nodded slightly and then closed her eyes. He did the same, thinking he could fool her – but how he underestimated a child’s intellect! Not more than two or three seconds after he got in the praying position she placed a professional’s kick in his shin under the table, making him squeal. As if she hadn’t been prepared for it she shuddered, to regain her composure and start glaring at him again.
“What now?!” he snapped at her. Almost imperceptible she drew back as if scared of his anger – did she think he’d hit her or anything? He felt sorry for what he did so he calmed down and asked her more tenderly:
“Sorry... what do you want me to do?” She regained her calmness and closed her eyes and opened and closed her mouth, miming speech.
“Oh, so you want me to pray out loud? Smart girl...” He closed his eyes and quickly thought what to do. He hadn’t prayed ever since childhood so... was he even allowed to do that?
“Umm... so... Lord, I thank you for umm... letting me meet this girl and.... ummm.... uhhh... bless this food. Amen” The little girl nodded as if saying amen too and then started eating, sometimes sending him some glares, as if not fully satisfied with his prayer.
“I guess you come from quite a religious family then... Don’t you miss your parents?” he asked her in hope she’d utter a word – not a chance. She sent him an angry glare and then stopped eating. She fixed her sight in the floor. She must’ve missed her parents... But although he felt sorry for her he decided to just ignore it and continue reading his newspaper and drinking his coffee; he would’ve felt guilty if he had continued smoking, so he gave up the idea.
 She eventually finished eating – though it did take quite some time. Still feeling bad for upsetting her he decided to make it up with her in a way he thought girls liked.
“We don’t know when you will have to go back so we’d better go do some shopping, don’t you think?” She quickly raised her head and looked at him interested. She reminded him of a puppy – he had had one when he was living with his parents; it was cute and it was all over him whenever he got home and it had exactly the same reaction as the little girl whenever he mentioned the word < walk>.  Yet he never had liked it too much – a small and frail living creature which could be crushed whenever and however - just like children. He was... afraid of dealing with such things.
“Yeah... you need a spare of clothes – that dress you are wearing won’t stay clean forever.” She perked up and ran back to the room to come back with the teddy in one hand and her shoes in the other, ready to go. He giggled, but waited no more and went to the entrance to his two-room flat, put on his shoes and opened the door – she was way faster than him at putting on her shoes. After closing the door he locked it twice, then took the girl by hand and started walking.
In the shopping district the girl started running around looking in the window of each shop she saw. He was quite happy to see her that lively. She suddenly turned towards him and waved, then entered a shop. He went in after her. Everywhere around there were clothes. He spotted a chair somewhere next to the counter and sat there, waiting for the girl to find something she liked.
And there he was, one hour later, finally paying for the clothes she chose. He didn’t see them but only saw the combination of black and purple – too much of an adult combination in his opinion. But he still bought the clothes (despite the intriguingly high price) and was very glad to leave that shop – he then promised to himself never to bring a girl in a clothes shop.
The girl walked next to him with a broad smile, content and fully satisfied with the gift she had received from the man. They stopped by a pastry shop and bought some assortment of cakes (the little girl chose only strawberry shortcake, but he also got some cheesecake and tiramisu) and then went home. He prepared some tea (he found an appealingly smelling raspberry flavoured tea – probably a gift, as he didn’t know it was there) and they sat and ate the sweets. He had an enjoyable time watching the girl savouring the cakes (though she didn’t like the coffee-flavoured one) and he kept asking her if she liked it – she just nodded fervently and smiled at him. A warm feeling filled his chest – was that one of those moments some parents talk about, the magical ones when you are so happy for having a child? If so, it was worth it. Why didn’t this little girl come to him sooner? Why hadn’t he realized this earlier? Why had he had to make the most terrible mistake in his life already... Although suddenly sadness replaced the fuzzy and warm feeling he continued smiling... for the girl.
That night he dreamed a woman driven to insanity after abortion. While watching from afar his most beloved one jump off the cliff, he realized his hands were stained with blood. He woke up from the monochrome dream sweating all over – it was the sad reality of his past.
He looked around but didn’t see the young girl. He jumped out of bed and searched for her everywhere in the house. She was nowhere to be found. Freaking out he made ready to go to search her outside, but as he was putting on his shoes he noticed the flashing red light of the phone – a message had been left overnight. He didn’t have time for it! But maybe it was something urgent... He pressed the button and heard a man’s voice speaking in with an official tone. As the message ran his expression changed – from haste to surprise, from surprise to sadness... from sadness to realization.  Her adoption procedure had been terminated – the ones who were supposed to adopt her, after giving her the hope of a family, had decided they wanted a younger child.
The message had not finished yet when he ran out of the door – he even forgot to close it. He was running with all his might, expelling the very idea of losing even one second. She must have heard that message while it was sent... huh... how ironical – he had killed his own unborn son, she was abandoned. Grief and repentance. The world is full of irresponsible people...
He soon reached the office building where he had met the girl. It was a publishing company where he had come to see his editor. He tried the elevator first, but just like in a third-rate drama it wouldn’t come down so he rushed to the stairs. He opened the door to the roof slamming it. As expected...
The girl was on the other side of the rail fence. He first took a deep breath then shouted at her and started running towards her. Being on alert he started noticing every detail. In the silence of the morning (although it was already 5 am it was Sunday so there weren’t many noises) his running footsteps were very loud, as if stomping. The girl slowly turned and looked at him. No surprise was to be seen on her face. Just a blank expression – no feeling. This was more than the poker face he had seen at the time he met her. At that time he could see her determination and fake – she was trying to put on such a face. Now it was different – she had reached the point where she discarded all feelings. Suddenly she opened her mouth.
“Stop right there, please”
... He stopped. He stood frozen at the spot he was when she spoke. He was... astonished. Not because she spoke... Her voice and tone were far above his level of his processing capacity. They did not fit the image he had of her. The deep feminine voice and firm, unwavering speech, cold and expressionless, shocked him to the point of blanking out. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. He was seeing everything from inside his body as if he were not there.
The girl gracefully detached her hands off the superior bar of the fence and stood firm, with her locks wavering in the morning breeze. She slowly revealed an object she had kept stuck to her chest – a plush toy, the teddy bear. She looked at it for a while. The symbol of her childhood. The only thing that had been with her all the time. The only thing she had ever truly loved. Yet, without a single trace of emotion she violently threw it away in what suddenly seemed to him as a hellish abyss. Not one wink. No sadness at the loss of a dear friend. It was a terrifying scene – just as if witnessing murder. Cruelty.
She then turned back and with a simple move she passed over the fence back to the safe zone. She then walked lithely towards the entrance to the roof, her gait as graceful as a bird’s flight. In the eyes of the man she looked totally different: taller, more feminine, more elegant... Dressed in a long dark purple blouse with a deep V neckline and short sleeves with kimono finished cuffs, pitch black tights and leather boots she was as beautiful as an idol. She was wearing the clothes he had bought her...
Even after the girl disappeared from sight, he couldn’t move an inch. For minutes on end he stayed like that. He was still feeling really weird. He had something on his face... When he finally found it in him to move he dragged his poor self to the wall sustaining the door and sat there, resting his back against the wall. He looked at the sky. A bright blue imagined beyond the blurriness of his eyes. He buried his face in his palms. After a few minutes his tears were dried. He lit a cigarette and tried to smoke. It tasted bad. Worse than ever. Smiling sarcastically he threw the half smoked cigarette and looked again at the sky. The monotonous, vast plain only a fool could see had changed in his eyes. Everything made sense now...
The girl was never to be seen again, even after thorough search.