Prompt 66 - Hue and Cry - "Facing the Future" - ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
spikespetslayer
Oct. 27th, 2007 11:59 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
dedra.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tamingthemuseTitle: Facing The Future
Pairing: None
Fandom: None
Warnings: None, really
Summary: She could hardly believe what was to come--she knew that they could never believe it either.
It was harder to face the wrath of her mother than it was to face the rest of the community.
Mary had always been a good girl. She went to synagogue with her family and observed all the holy days that were sacred to her people, but when she missed her first period, she knew all that was behind her and she would have to face the elders of the council. She doubted that they would believe her; it was hard to believe herself. How do you explain that you were still a virgin and pregnant?
She didn’t have an answer to that.
As she sat in her room, waiting to hear the council’s decision, she thought back on that night. The moon was high in the sky and there was a chill in the air as she wrapped herself tighter in the loosely woven blanket that she had made—her first attempt, actually. There seemed to be a mist creeping about her feet as she moved from her bed to the seat by the window, her restlessness keeping her awake and unable to relax long enough to sleep or even lie down on the hard pallet.
As she watched the moon, it seemed to grow larger in the frame of the window, filling its wide aperture with glistening light. Her mind fogged as she drifted in and out of her reverie, thinking of nothing in particular when a man appeared before her.
The light that surrounded him blinded her with its brilliance, but even more terrifying was the sound of his voice. It reverberated in her soul and echoed in her bones as he spoke of blessings and great tidings. He told her of a son that she would bear and a life that was alien to her, that of a martyr’s mother.
Drawing all her courage to the fore, she asked him for proof. It was bold of her, but in her youth she had no experience to prevent her forthright attitude and mystical things like this did not happen to a young girl of her social standing.
To her surprise, he laughed. He spread his hands and showed her fantastic sights that she could never imagine—thousands upon thousands of people calling her name and bending their knee in honor of her. He showed her what the nearer future held and it brought tears to her eyes at the thought of what her offspring would have to endure. He showed her many wondrous things that her mind could not wrap itself around and she told him so.
When his revelations were complete, she watched with suspicious eyes as he approached her, his steps slow and measured as he moved across the room without lifting his feet. His hands reached for her and rested on her stomach, a golden light shining from his hands as they touched her. She felt her body warm under his touch as his hands rested on her belly above her womb.
She felt a flutter deep inside her, a feeling so completely foreign that she could not describe it in later years. The glow enveloped her from head to toe and she felt the heat course through her veins, warming her from the inside and chasing the chill from her skin.
Wonder filled her face as she looked up at him.
Her mother interrupted her musings when she appeared at her door. “The council will see you now,” she said flatly, turning and leaving her behind.
She walked into the elders’ circle, ready to hear their instruction. She wasn’t afraid; somehow, reviewing the miracle that had taken place had strengthened her resolve and carried her on fleet feet.
She listened to their decision without rancor. At least they hadn’t decided to turn her into the streets like they had the Magdalene, as she was called now. She was to marry and move to Nazareth, far away from her family and everyone that she knew to keep her shame from spreading to their clan.
It was more than she could have believed. Then again, she knew that there was more to come in her future than even they would believe.
Pairing: None
Fandom: None
Warnings: None, really
Summary: She could hardly believe what was to come--she knew that they could never believe it either.
It was harder to face the wrath of her mother than it was to face the rest of the community.
Mary had always been a good girl. She went to synagogue with her family and observed all the holy days that were sacred to her people, but when she missed her first period, she knew all that was behind her and she would have to face the elders of the council. She doubted that they would believe her; it was hard to believe herself. How do you explain that you were still a virgin and pregnant?
She didn’t have an answer to that.
As she sat in her room, waiting to hear the council’s decision, she thought back on that night. The moon was high in the sky and there was a chill in the air as she wrapped herself tighter in the loosely woven blanket that she had made—her first attempt, actually. There seemed to be a mist creeping about her feet as she moved from her bed to the seat by the window, her restlessness keeping her awake and unable to relax long enough to sleep or even lie down on the hard pallet.
As she watched the moon, it seemed to grow larger in the frame of the window, filling its wide aperture with glistening light. Her mind fogged as she drifted in and out of her reverie, thinking of nothing in particular when a man appeared before her.
The light that surrounded him blinded her with its brilliance, but even more terrifying was the sound of his voice. It reverberated in her soul and echoed in her bones as he spoke of blessings and great tidings. He told her of a son that she would bear and a life that was alien to her, that of a martyr’s mother.
Drawing all her courage to the fore, she asked him for proof. It was bold of her, but in her youth she had no experience to prevent her forthright attitude and mystical things like this did not happen to a young girl of her social standing.
To her surprise, he laughed. He spread his hands and showed her fantastic sights that she could never imagine—thousands upon thousands of people calling her name and bending their knee in honor of her. He showed her what the nearer future held and it brought tears to her eyes at the thought of what her offspring would have to endure. He showed her many wondrous things that her mind could not wrap itself around and she told him so.
When his revelations were complete, she watched with suspicious eyes as he approached her, his steps slow and measured as he moved across the room without lifting his feet. His hands reached for her and rested on her stomach, a golden light shining from his hands as they touched her. She felt her body warm under his touch as his hands rested on her belly above her womb.
She felt a flutter deep inside her, a feeling so completely foreign that she could not describe it in later years. The glow enveloped her from head to toe and she felt the heat course through her veins, warming her from the inside and chasing the chill from her skin.
Wonder filled her face as she looked up at him.
Her mother interrupted her musings when she appeared at her door. “The council will see you now,” she said flatly, turning and leaving her behind.
She walked into the elders’ circle, ready to hear their instruction. She wasn’t afraid; somehow, reviewing the miracle that had taken place had strengthened her resolve and carried her on fleet feet.
She listened to their decision without rancor. At least they hadn’t decided to turn her into the streets like they had the Magdalene, as she was called now. She was to marry and move to Nazareth, far away from her family and everyone that she knew to keep her shame from spreading to their clan.
It was more than she could have believed. Then again, she knew that there was more to come in her future than even they would believe.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-28 12:47 pm (UTC)that of a martyr’s mother I don't know why, but somehow it's always the slightest turn of phrase that catches me off guard. This is lovely.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-28 10:15 pm (UTC)~Nebula
no subject
Date: 2007-10-28 11:03 pm (UTC)