Mona (Part Three)

After two weeks passed, Monalora regained consciousness and sat up.  Her face showed no signs of  the contortions brought on by the palsy and her body also lost the rigidness and twitching.  We helped Jago bathe and dress her and adjust to walking – something she hasn’t done for many years.  Jago’s entire disposition had been changed along with Monalora’s healing. Although he was tough and just into his fifties, he acted shy and child-like every moment he was with this young woman.  

“He’s in love.” Eve announced to me as she sat down at the large table in the main room. “He looks at her with such tenderness and intensity --- she is his reason for living.  He was alone, Joseph.  I can forgive him for killing us with poison to save the one woman he loves.”

“I suppose that I should be grateful for your change in attitude.  I’m glad you don’t want to stab him through the heart again.”  I shaded my eyes from the morning light looking downward as I spoke. “The question is – where do we go from here?”

Jago and Monalora entered the room and sat at the table causing me to move to a different seat to avoid the morning glare.  The woman was dressed in white linen with a thick blue sash around her waist.  Jago politely pulled her chair away from the table and fixed her hair as she sat and got comfortable.  She smiled at the both of us and reached for some fruit from the bowl.

“Good morning.” she said happily.

We returned the greeting and I addressed them both. “We all have to talk about your change Monalora.  Jago have you explained to her what has happened?”

Monalora broke in, “Jago explained everything.  That he and I will be together forever as one.  Our children will grow old but we can stop that with your potion and we all could live forever, together.”

There was a moment of silence in the room. “Joseph.”  Eve said, looking me with her brow furrowed with concern.

I addressed Eve’s concern without her having to explain.  “Jago, Monalora . . . you cannot have children.” I said bluntly.

Jago jumped up as if hot coals were placed on his lap and Monalora sat back with wide eyes glaring as if she had just been severely insulted. “What is this you are saying, Joseph?  We are healthy and strong now.  Why can’t we have children?”

“The ‘medicine’ changed us.  Somehow it took things from us in exchange for the immortality and health.  Eve tried to conceive a child but we realized her issue of blood stopped after taking the liquid. At first we thought she was with child when the monthly flow ceased, but realized it was the medicine that changed this. We have accepted the fact that we cannot have children.”

“Jago, Monalora --- you have each other. That’s a wonderful thing.” Eve added.

Monalora began to weep and Jago’s face faded to hopelessness.  He had been through so many changes and this was another thing that seemed to hurt and confuse him. Without saying anything, they both left the room to Jago’s private quarters. I thought about following them and trying to comfort them, but Eve held me back.  She said that she would take care of this when the time was right and I should let them have this time alone.

After a few days had passed, Eve manipulated Monalora away from Jago to allow her some time to talk and get to know the woman more intimately. Jago and she had become inseparable over the days after her change and neither of us had the opportunity to give her the first hand information she needed regarding her new circumstances.

Eve talked the woman into bathing with her in the stone pool just outside the house.  Three servant girls stood guard over them and assisted with their bathing when requested.  In the ancient past, bath houses were common and bathing outdoors in groups was more social than what it is in the twenty-first century.  Monalora was not the shy type in this situation which surprised Eve.  We supposed it was because so many people handled her when she was feeble, that nothing embarrassed her.

“I am so sorry that all of this is so overwhelming.” Eve said in a quiet apologetic voice. “We learned everything the hard way because we were the first, and now I’d like to share my experience with you and answer any questions.”

Monalora playfully splashed some water at Eve. “I have many questions.  But where to begin is the hardest.  Jago said we cannot die.  Is this true?”

“Yes. Nothing can kill us, but it still hurts.”  She replied.

The younger woman looked down at the water, “Drowning, I suppose, can’t kill us either.  I was always afraid of the water because I couldn’t sit in a bath without slumping over without the ability to pull myself up.  Now it doesn’t bother me at all.  Funny how those things will only be a memory.  But . . . why can’t we have children?”

“In place of the gift the medicine brings it also takes away.  We cannot have babies.  That is just the way it is.  And we can have only one lover as long as we live.”

Monalora thought for a moment. “Jago and I haven’t touched each other yet.  He wants to marry me for all to see. I like that.” she said with a dreamy glaze on her face.

“But keep in my mind my little sister; you can have only one lover.  So if you both separate for some reason, you will truly be alone.”

“Why only one?” she asked.

Eve moved toward Mona and sat next to her in the water. “This is why. It will hurt for a moment, and then you will heal.”

The younger woman was frightened but she let Eve continue.  Eve placed her finger in her mouth and wet it down with saliva.  She moved directly upon Monalora and placed the wet finger over her lips then in her mouth.  Monalora screamed in pain as Eve’s saliva seared her mouth like hot boiling oil.

“Be still,” Eve said, “it will heal.”

Less than sixty seconds passed and the younger woman was fine.  She felt her lips in disbelief and turned to her mentor questioning her relief from the pain.

“This is what will happen if you try to make love with one of us after you are with Jago --- and to any normal person you are as deadly as liquid fire.  The other people cannot harm you, but you can kill them with a kiss or your if you open your loins to a normal man.  So Jago will be with you forever after . . .”

The woman stared down at the water for several moments absorbing the new information as her lower lip quivered from the revelation … "FOREVER"…  She looked up at Eve and with her large brown almond shaped eyes and began to laugh and cry at the same time with the word "FOREVER" echoing loudly into her mind.  Eve has seen hysteria before but not in such a quiet and controlled form as this.  The young woman reached out her arms and Eve hugged her tightly as water splashed around them.  Monalora began to sob loudly, and then lost her breathe as a silent scream whistled from her open mouth as she continued to hear "FOREVER". . . .

“It will be alright,” Eve said as comforting as she could, “it will pass. Trust us.” 

Eve thought to herself, “What will happen next?”

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Mona (Part Two)

“Jago, you shouldn’t make fun of Monalora’s pain.”  Eve scolded. “Why would you say such a horrible thing to this poor woman to give her false hope?”

Monalora sat in her chair by the table writhing and twitching uncontrollably as one of Jago’s servants fed her pieces of chicken and bread.  If it weren’t for the palsy, she probably would have attracted many young men.  Her wild black hair was full and long, and her dark eyes were beautiful and almond shaped -- her body, if not for the illness, probably would have been as alluring as Eve’s.  But the reality of the situation was that she did not have long to live in such a progressive state of the illness.

“I wasn’t making a joke or telling a lie!  I love her and want to marry her.  She is a wonderful woman and she loves me too.” Jago defended the relationship.

“Jago,” I questioned him, “it is admirable that you would do such a thing, but how does Monalora feel about all of this?  Does she agree with this?”

The young woman was listening to our conversation and in anger, she slapped her hand on the table to get our attention.  She looked up from eating and with tears and drool rolling from her face she said the best could through slurred words, “I love him.”

A tear rolled down Eve’s cheek.  I wasn’t sure if it was for Monalora’s condition or for Jago’s confession of love.  She later told me that it was for both of these things.  Eve gave me that look again and I told her “no”.  She looked away in frustration knowing that I was not easily persuaded in matters of the medicine. I thought about it too, about giving the potion to this young woman with the hope she would be healed and made whole.  But I also knew the outcome if her body was not compatible with the medicine.  I shook my head and walked away to relax in the partitioned off area Jago gave us for privacy in second large room.

Eve eventually joined me on the mats set up for us behind several interlocking dividing walls setup for our privacy.  As we lay in semi-seated positions talking softly about Monalora, Jago peeked in smiling and looking for an invitation to join us.

“Come in my friend,” I said with a gesture, “what is on your mind?  That smile of yours has always brought some task for us.”

Jago laughed, “Ha! I just want to share a bit of wine with old friends. I owe you both so much!”

“Sure, but only if it’s your best wine,” Eve joked.

Jago poured the liquid into wooden cups and sat with us.  It was sweet with a hint of sour that reminded me of my home so long ago.  Eve also drank it quickly and took another cup and we finally began to relax as Jago spoke.

“When I came to this village I realized I needed to work hard to please the gods so they would smile down on me and show me what to do with the gift you had given to me.  In Thrace I was a skilled hunter and trapper so I went about the early morning hours in the dark to find game for meat and fur to sell to the people of this village.  After twenty-five years of building this market and making a good fortune and eventually having others work for me, I was finally been able to settle down and go about my business of helping the poor and the sick.  But I became lonely and helping just wasn’t enough.”

Eve interrupted with a loud cough -- she had a look of panic in her eyes.

“I met Monalora on the streets.  She was abandoned by her family at the age of ten and I took her in and looked after her and gave her a place to live.   After the years had passed and she became a grown woman I began to feel a love for her that was deeper than friendship . . . I love her the way you love Eve.”

I heaved a loud cough and both Eve and I fell over twitching in agony, spewing vomit onto the mats and our clothes.  “Jago, what is this?”  I asked as my body heaved and went rigid.

“Now I will have someone like you Joseph.” He said calmly, “I will be able to have sons and I can hold a woman I love in my arms and lay with her forever.”

Eve shouted her last word, “What . . .?”

“I am sorry my friends that I had to poison you.  I know you won’t die, so this is all good.  I am sorry you are suffering discomfort, but I need the medicine to make Monalora well so she can be with me.”

Jago knew where the medicine was in my caftan.  He knew about my secret pockets and found the container quickly.  Neither Eve nor I could stop him from bringing certain death to the young woman --- but on the other hand, it could make her eternal like us.  I felt myself lose consciousness as Jago walked away saying, “Thank you my friends”.

I’m not sure how long we were unconscious, but it was the middle of the night when both Eve and I came to and went to the area where Jago’s big table sat.  We saw him standing over Monalora’s body covered in mist as she lay naked on the table.  Eve gave me a sideways look of relief and grabbed my arm as I approached him and the young woman.

“Joseph, she will live and be healed.” She said. “Give him a moment and be merciful.  I will kill him few moments after that.”

I don’t know if she was joking or if she meant to stab him through the heart again, but she was very angry --- more so than me.

(TO BE CONTINUED . . . .)

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Mona (Part One)

They say that for every person there is one mate in the world that not only fulfills their desire, but gives them the a happiness and love that fuses together their two separate souls into one soul for all eternity. Eve and I have this and the ‘medicine’ enhances it a billion fold.  Each day that I spend with her is better than the one before and the one before that . . .

Is this true love?  I suppose – although there were times when we could strangle each other until our heads fell off, but we never stopped loving each other.  And as the decades rolled by the love making was as if it were the first time, filled with excitement and such anticipation that we would explode in ecstasy several times before forcing ourselves to stop. It’s like that or better every time we are together.

Eve understood what Jago would be missing.  She thought about him daily for the next 30 years, contemplating how we could have done things differently with him – maybe we could have been more attentive and nurturing.  Her soul was tormented with guilt that grew as the years pushed forward.

We traveled to Rome and looked for Jago there.  This was one of the largest cities we would travel to during those harsh times, but we loved the excitement and sounds that surrounded us.  The textures and smells of that era are like no other you could experience or write about unless you were there.  One moment you would smell a horse, then smoke from torches or campfires, and then maybe the horrid body odors of people that haven’t bathed for several months.  This all balanced out with the aroma of the freshly cooked food and natural perfumes that saved our senses from the decaying stench of the streets. How could I forget the smell and taste of the freshly cooked fish or chicken in its natural flavor, untouched by the chemicals and our modern processes? Most people here were friendly in the market areas, but many were leery of strangers like us.  No matter where we went, we seemed just a little different – hair style, clothing, and accent -- somehow people knew we weren’t like them.

We stayed in Rome for three months and then headed south to return to Sicily.  We were passing through Ostia Antica when we heard a voice call out to us from one of the merchant’s tents in the village square.

“Joseph! Eve!” the voice cried. “Joseph --- wait!”

From about 12 tents away Jago came running out with a huge smile and his arms extended wide enough to hug us both.  His demeanor and his tone were much different than when we last saw him.

“Jago”, Eve said with surprise and uncertainty in her voice, “is that you. It can’t be -- you look wonderful and happy.”

“I am happy. I have come to know myself and what I am.” Jago pounded his chest twice to show us he was sound and fit. “Let me take you to my home for food and comfort, like you provided for me so many years ago.”

He led us to a small house not too far from the village market.  We entered and found two rooms – they were spacious and colorful.  Jago sat us down and brought us bread, meat and his best wine.  He told us the story of how he wandered for months in confusion and despair, until he decided to try to end the pain inside by burning himself to ashes. He built a large  pyre, set it ablaze and stabbed himself through the heart.  He awoke days later reconstructed and intact from the ashes. This experience convinced him that he must look for a way to please the gods and thank them for the gift Eve and I gave to him. It brought him to Rome then to Ostia Antica where he now sells the fur and meat from the animals he traps. He helps the poor and the sick however he can and these people have grown to love him and depend on him.  After his stories, we told him that we were thankful that we had found him and have been looking for him for many years with the hope that we could bring him peace and comfort to pay for what we had done to him.  Eve told him that it looks like he found his own peace and comfort.

“I am happy to be as I am.  The gift you have given me has allowed me to help many people and to soothe those that would have never had any joy in their life.”

Our conversation was interrupted by several people entering the room. They were carrying a young woman on a chair to join us.  Eve and I felt sorry for her.  She was lame with Palsy and could not walk without assistance.   Her speech was slurred and drool dripped from the corner of her mouth when she spoke.  Her hair was wild and black like Jago’s and she had a scar running down the side of her head that looked like it was left to heal on its own.  She needed assistance when she would relieve herself and we were told later that she could barely dress herself.

Jago raised a hand, “Joseph and Eve, my two most beloved friends, I would like you to meet Monalora, the woman I love and intend to marry.”

Eve and I looked at each other and back at Jago and Monalora.  I immediately saw her expression change and knew what she was thinking.

“Eve . . . no!” I said sternly.

(CONTINUED . . . .)

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Jago (Conclusion)

As time passed, days turned to weeks and weeks to months.  Jago persisted in testing his new condition by drowning, jumping off of cliffs and falling on swords.  Eve and I could clearly sense his bewilderment as he watched his wounds heal in a matter of minutes.  He even went so far as to cut off his hand so he could watch it grow back.

He would weep, “You said you could make me well but you both cursed me! You are demons and you made me a demon too.”

You see my dear reader, I understood that era and the superstitious mentality of the time – but we had to reprogram Jago’s mind to accept his new circumstance – he still believed in the old superstitious religions where luck and life were handed down by the gods.  His mind firmly accepted that Hades has touched him and condemned him to walk the earth as a demonized freak.

Eve did her best to sort out and try to pick apart Jago’s dogmatic beliefs.  She would mostly  try to comfort him by singing beautiful songs of love and happiness at the evening campfires.  This seemed to have a calming influence on his state of mind for periods of time, but Jago had to come to grips with his new reality on his own.  334 BC was still a barbaric period and Jago had moments of rage and torment that caused this barbarism to surface. One example of this was when he would bring back game from hunting -- it would be smashed and clubbed beyond recognition.  This was not acceptable behavior for that period as well as in our 21^st century.

“Joseph, what will do with our immortal ‘wild child’?  He can’t adjust to the gift you have given to him.” Eve was concerned and felt responsible for his misery. I felt helpless to fix the situation because this was a learning experience for me.  He is the first since Eve to survive the potion and Eve didn’t react the same way as Jago to the change.  From the time I was changed to the time of Helen (or Eve) I tried to give the potion to 3 others.  They all died horribly before Eve came with me around 1179 BC and was saved by the potion that same year (that’s a whole other story).

About eight months after we gave Jago the ‘medicine’ that caused his transformation, the worst thing that could have happened occurred on a stormy autumn evening off the shores of Sicily. We found Jago huddle in a tent staring wildly at nothing, humming a lullaby his mother sang to him when he was a small child.

“Jago?” Eve called out to him. “Jago, please be yourself again.  Be that sarcastic and amusing lovable young man we helped. Please . . . .”

“My mama sang me a beautiful song of heaven and going to the gods in glory to live in happiness forever.  She said that if we are found worthy by Zeus we would enter Olympus and serve there forever.  Forever . . . . Forever . . . . Forever!!   Instead I will walk in this world ---FOREVER!!  I HATE YOU BOTH!!”

He screamed as loudly as he possibly could drowning out the thunder from outside, ripped off all of his clothes and ran from the tent.  Still screaming he headed for the woods up the steep hill as the storm poured down rain.  Eve wanted to run after him but I stopped her.

“He will need to find his own way from here.” I told her talking loud enough to be heard over the wind and rain. “He cannot die, so he will come to grips with his future.  He will find us or we will find him – until then we must leave here and head north to Rome.  We haven’t been there for a while and I have a feeling he will eventually wind up there.”

As we turned back to our tents we heard Jago’s faint screams echoing down from the hill.  A single tear ran down Eve’s cheek as the rain washed it away.  She felt responsible and hoped to see him well . . . .

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