Leneeca (Part Three)

The mist residue from consuming the “medicine” was slowly dissipating off of Leneeca.  We hadn’t noticed before, but the ghostly vapor lifted the young woman off of the mat she was resting on and made her hover about five inches from its surface.  In ancient times that would have deep spiritual meaning, but in today’s science we know that the mist is displacing the oxygen around her causing the flotation effect.

The pain inflicted on me by my beautiful, but short tempered wife, subsided and my “genitalia” healed nicely.  After she cooled down from her moment of rage, she came back to where I sat recovering. “Why did you lie to me?” she asked with noticeable anger in her voice. “Why did you tell me the medicine was dried up?  Couldn’t you have trusted me and discussed your thoughts about hiding the potion?” She threw up her arms in frustration questioning why I hid the truth.

“I lied because you keep influencing me to make more people like us.  Now there are five of us.  We are not like the others and it’s wrong to put others through this for all eternity.”  I felt my throat 'lump up' as I spoke. “We have no right to disperse this abominable gift.”

Eve drew closer to me and put her arms around my neck, then squeezed, tightly . . . lovingly.

“We are all the same. We just can’t be touched by death or other human beings.  Jago, Mona and Leneeca are special.  They are like family to us and I don’t regret giving them the gift.  I understand your need to control this, but please include me.  We are in this together.  But I do have one question – how did you know Leneeca wouldn’t drown in her own fluids when given the medicine?”

“I didn’t.  She was moments away from death, so I decided to take the risk.  I am happy she is alive.  She deserves life and she will make the world a better place.”

When the mist disappeared, Eve and I bathed Leneeca and made her as comfortable as possible – we knew she would be asleep for a while – maybe days.  The village people that she tended to and healed were paying vigil outside the shelter she used as a “hospital” for the sick.  They sat praying to the gods that she would be made well.  They felt that she deserved life and  quite simply, everyone loved her and said they would gladly take place in death.

Six days passed and Leneeca finally awoke, feeling hungry and very thirsty.  Eve and several other women from the community helped her get cleaned and dressed and eventually fed.  When the three of us were finally alone, I manipulated the conversation to explain her miraculous recovery.

“We are so glad you are well.” I said.

“I don’t know how this can be.  I am sure I was dying.” She replied.

Eve smiled and kissed Leneeca’s cheek, “You were moments from death but we saved you.”

“I was dying. How?” she asked.

Eve and I both explained how we have this medicine that I made many years ago, that when given to someone will make them immortal and untouchable by death.  We also explained about the body fluids and how we can only have one mate for all eternity because our bodies will adapt to the first immortal person we have sex with.  We encouraged her to consider love before sex at all cost, because she will be with that person for all eternity.

“So if I spit on someone it will burn them like fire?  If a man puts his flesh inside of me it will burn up and only one immortal may be my mate for eternity?”  She repeated all she learned. “My husband was murdered by the Romans.  I would have wanted him to be with me forever.“ 

She began to laugh hysterically and then she wept.  We knew what was to follow – the “crazy time” as we called it.  Just after the potion heals it causes an emotional breakdown that could last for hours or weeks.  (We found out later that this was due to the drastic change in the body’s chemistry. The hormones and physical  / chemical changes it brought were extreme.)

Leneeca cried for three days.  We tried to comfort her as much as we could, but she kept dwelling on her husband’s murder and how there can be no one else but him in this world as her love.  The village women began to talk among themselves suggesting that the sickness had driven the young woman mad --- we quelled the muttering and told them that she will recover if left alone.  From that point on we kept everyone away until the crazy time passed.

One late afternoon we heard laughter then a loud crash coming from where Leneeca had her bed.  We ran to see what had happened and found her table over turned and bed ripped apart.  Eve glanced out of a doorway and saw Leneeca running to the woods, ripping her clothes off as she ran.  We immediately chased after her, hoping that no one was seeing her running through the trees like a mad woman.

“Here we go again.” I said to Eve as we stopped to gain our bearings.

(To Be Continued . . . .)

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Leneeca (Part Two)

Our time in the Celtic community was filled with the constant stress of working with the Romans as well as attempting to convince Leneeca and the village chiefs that we wanted to help them.  We couldn’t lift the oppression they were under, but we were able to convince the Roman liaisons to spare lives wherever and whenever possible.  Eve spent many days assisting Leneeca with her work of healing and comforting the families who passed through the village and were attempting to migrate away from the battles being fought in their homeland.  Eve’s actions are what convinced the young woman that we were not filthy Romans, but compassionate people, wanting to make the world a better place.  Thanks to Eve’s persistence, Leneeca finally decided to let her guard down and speak openly.

“Why do you help me day after day?  You’re a Roman, not slave – yet you aren’t afraid to touch the sick or get the blood of my people on your hands and clothes when binding their wounds. And Joseph plays with the children and teaches them when he should not. Isn’t educating Roman enemies against your laws?”

Eve thought for a moment and then smiled at Leneeca. “We are not Romans.  I’ve told you this many times before.  I am Greek and Joseph … Joseph is from a faraway place.  We are with the Romans because we live in Rome and the senate asked us to record the events in York and the surrounding areas to send them news of all the events here.”

Leneeca moved closer to Eve to speak.  Eve was amazed at how much taller this young woman was than she.  When they both stood up straight, the younger woman was at least a head and a half taller than Eve.  Her height gave her the respect she needed when dealing with the men on the village council. 

Eve spoke, “Joseph loves children and would give his life to protect them (all his lives she thought to herself), and he was against the conquering of your people and openly spoke of what could be done to make offers to the Celts instead of coming into your lands with swords drawn ready to kill anything that moved in order for the Romans to press forward to own the whole of the world. Joseph is a good man and I agree with everything he believes in.”

Leneeca looked away from Eve with tears of shame in her eyes.  “I am sorry I judged you to be filthy and full of greed as the Romans are . . . Let’s begin a new day today and start fresh, as though we are first meeting.”

Eve agreed and from that moment on, she and Leneeca became like sisters.  It was in the eighth month of the occupation of the village when Leneeca took ill.  While working with the sick, she had caught a respiratory bacterium that quickly turned into pneumonia.  The young woman was distraught and in agony because she could not tend to the sick and injured as she did every day.  Eve’s heart was torn to watch such a beautiful and caring young woman quickly wasting away from the unseen killer ravaging her body.  I held Eve tightly in my arms and tried to comfort her while she was mourning for the young woman who was dying after she helped so many to get well.

We both sat by her side as she lay helpless and unmoving and then I thought of the medicine. Years before I had told Eve that the medicine had dried up, that we couldn’t make anyone else like us.  I couldn’t see a whole army of immortals running about trying to rule the world like the Greeks and the Romans, so I made the medicine disappear.  But I lied to my wife and she was the only person I should have trusted with the potion.  I looked down at Leceena and thought that the world would be such an ugly place without her warmth and compassion.  The young woman broke my thoughts as she struggled to speak.  “I can’t die.  Eve, Joseph, who will take care of them.” She wept. “I love them and they need me to get through all of this.”

Eve wept with her and leaned down to hug her tightly in her arms. “My dear sweet sister, I have grown to love you so much.  Please know that I will take your place and take care of everyone in your name and in your honor.”

Leneeca gasped and coughed --- Eve laid her down gently to make her more comfortable.  I looked at my wife and saw the agony in her eyes and there was only one thing I could do.  I reached into a secret pocket in my robes and pulled out the clay jar.

“Joseph, you lied!” Eve yelled.

“We’ll talk about it later.  Right now, just sit Leneeca up and help me so we don’t spill any medicine.”

Eve had a scowl and a hint of a smile on her lips (something I will see many times in the future when I screw up). She helped me drop a sip of potion into the young woman’s mouth and Leneeca swallowed, then gasped and then went rigid as we all did.

Eve looked up at me, “You really are going to have to explain this to me.” She said with anger in her voice. “You never lie to me, why now?”

“Okay, so this is going to hurt, isn’t it?” I asked, knowing her bad her temper may escalate. After all she killed Jago twice.

She smiled and faster than a flash of lightening, kicked me with all her might, straight between my legs.  I fell to my knees in excruciating pain.  I gasped for air and looked up at her and asked, “I guess you’re a little upset.”

(To Be Continued . . . .)

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Leneeca (Part One)

Neecie’s heart is as big as she is tall.  She stands about six foot, but when she wears heels and has her thick brown hair piled up on top of her head she stands tall at a firm six foot five.  She is the tallest one in our little family and she will always take care of others before she does anything for herself.  That is her nature and that is how we found her in a small Celt community 30 miles south of York.  It was around 77 AD, a few years after the Romans conquered the north of England.  Neecie (or Leneeca) was the only person in her village that had the knowledge to treat illness and injury and she was kept busy from day to day treating her people due to the unrest in her region and the Roman conquest.  When we met her she was twenty years old (middle aged for that time period) and bore heavy responsibilities regarding her duties to the to the chiefs and elders.  Her people were conquered and beaten down by the Romans, and the wounded rebels that remained were hidden in her village around the outer areas within the hills and caves.  Eve and I happened upon the village when traveling with the Roman legions to record the events for the senate back in Rome.  We were privileged while with the Roman’s and were treated well by their leaders and generals.  Although we walked freely among the conquerors, we felt very badly for this proud conquered people.  We had been among them for two months when we met Leneeca and instantly took a liking to her.

Leneeca had an intense concentration and focused on what was in front of her with all of her attention, listening keenly to every word spoken to her, as though if she misunderstood what someone was saying it would cause the end of the world.  Eve befriended Leneeca soon after they met and would help her with the wounded and the sick whenever she could.  One day, after a long childbirth and acting as midwives, they sat before an evening fire to converse.

“So Leneeca, how did you come about tending to the sick?  Do you have formal training as a physician? “  Eve asked as they relaxed after the delivery of a baby.

Leneeca changed her posture and turned her full attention to the conversation, “My father was one of the King’s physicians. He taught me everything I know and encouraged me to continue helping our people.”

“Where is he now?” Eve inquired.

“He was murdered by the Romans, along with my mother, brothers and husband during the conquest --- murdered by you and your kind --- filthy and uncaring Roman people.”  She said this without emotion in a beaten down monotone voice. 

Although spoken emotionless, there was a tinge of challenge in the words she said to Eve.  Eve sensed this and replied, “I am not Roman.  I am Greek, and I can’t really say what Joseph is.  We are not here to conquer but to record history for those that requested it.  I am so sorry for your losses and I wish you could feel relief from the silent grieving you must be bearing.”

Leneeca stared blankly at Eve.  She had the perfect “poker face” and Eve could not read what she may have been thinking. After a moment of silence Leneeca broke in, “You are guilty just by being with them.”  She got up and went to her quarters for the night without saying anything else to Eve.

“Did the baby come without any problems?” I asked Eve as she came into our tent and laid down beside.  She pulled my arms around her for me to hold her as she nestled into a comfortable position.

“The baby was fine, but Leneeca has a problem with us.  She thinks we are filthy Romans.”

I gently moved her auburn hair to the side and looked at her face. “We are not Romans.  She is a complex young woman that has the entire world on her shoulders.  We can spend more time with her and show her that we are different.  She needs to know not everyone is evil and we can help her as long as we are here. Isn't that our eternal purpose?”

“I suppose you’re right.  I just hate to see people wasting away because time slowly consumes them.  She is such a good and caring person with a great passion for making people well.  She is very unique to our time.”

“Well, my love, I said, “I think this will be an interesting chapter in our ongoing story.”

(CONTINUED . . . .)

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Billy (Interlude Number One)

“Here is a story within the stories.”  -Joseph-

Billy sat viewing a video on his computer laptop that he had taken three weeks ago of a neighbor’s backyard gathering.  A beautiful woman spewed fire into the sky from her mouth as he hid in a tree secluded from site with his camera about five houses away from where the Ancient’s lived.  He shivered as he watched the scene over again and again.  This isn’t the only strange event he has witnessed from this neighborhood home – he saw a man floating in the air in the middle of the night in the same backyard.  He had heard that the group of people who frequented this house was different, but he never dreamed they were like this – more than human.

He began to watch the house about six weeks ago and found that ten people (or five couples) were constantly coming and going at all hours of the day and night.  They were quiet and no one seemed to complain about any strange things happening at this location, but Billy’s gut told him that he should wait and watch.  He played the video of the beautiful woman (whom he discovered was Eve Ancient) sending a huge cloud of fire into the sky with one breath.  What is this?  He kept asking himself if this was a trick of some sort, that maybe he would see an apparatus or chemicals being handed to her to allow such a huge fire ball to come out of her mouth.  But there was nothing – just a coin someone threw to her before she heaved the fire.

In his research he found that the house belonged to Joseph and Eve Ancient.  They both owned several web sites and one of the websites sold coins, curios and artifacts.  He went to the site and found “Joseph Ancient’s House of Ancient Coins and Curios” (http://www.ancientscoin.com). He had to admire the strangeness of some of the curios as well as the detail and authenticity of the ancient coins.  So the wife was tossed a coin and then came the fire?  He pondered the series of moves that led to the fire breathing of Mrs. Ancient.

“What about the others?” he asked himself.  How are these people related?  We have the two red heads that stand out in the crowd along with the beautiful wife and tall girl that has a shorter husband.  There’s that scruffy “John the Baptist” looking guy and his wife that always seemed to be standing instead of sitting. And then there is the ordinary girl and boy next door couple that seemed to be the “quiet ones” in the group.  These are ten people with different styles and personalities that look like they would have nothing in common.  Who are they?  Where did they come from? Why care?  Billy was curious and needed to know more.  Since his divorce he has been bored and lonely, but at thirty-two years old he was making great money as an electrician and “wiring guy” – there are plenty of companies needing to run category 5 an 6 wiring for their network systems and he always had contract work from other companies that had more work than they could handle  He made enough money to take two weeks off a month to spy on his neighbors and still have plenty of time to party and meet new ladies until the next booked job.

In all, the entire group down the street consisted of young twenty-something’s -- except for Joseph Ancient, who was noticeably older, bald and had a different demeanor about him --- almost like he was always on his guard with his eyes shifting like he was looking for something or waiting for something to happen.  Billy felt uncomfortable just thinking about having to talk to him face to face.  “How could such a homely, scary looking guy as this get such a hot gorgeous wife as her,” he thought, “must be lots of money in those pockets.”

“I guess I will have to take a closer look at these people and hope they don’t see me,” Billy said aloud to himself.

He began to type on his laptop keyboard looking for clues.  His screen brought him to the Missouri Public Records website.  He thought this would be a good place to start his new

hobby . . . .

(End of Interlude Number One)

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Mona (Conclusion)

“Joseph, maybe we should just leave here and do what you did for Jago --- let her come to grips with her destiny in her own time.” Eve addressed these concerns for Monalora to me as we sat trying to relax late at night while waiting to see if the young woman would recover from this morning’s revelation.

I looked into her eyes and took her hand as we sat at the table in the large room. “Each of us adjusts to this new idea of never dying and never growing old in different ways.  Monalora will have her awaking as we all have.  I believe the medicine changes not only our bodies, but our minds as well.  That’s why Jago went insane and why Monalora is hysterical.  You on the other hand, my love, merely shaved your head and sat in ashes naked for three days without eating or sleeping.”  I said this jokingly to invoke Eve’s memory of her transition. “Monalora will recover.”

The night darkness began to fade as the red morning sunrise seeped into the house through the windows and arches.  In the quiet of the morning, Jago and Monalora startled us as they entered the room without a sound.  They both sat down across from us at the table and pulled the bowl of fresh fruit closer and took some grapes and figs.  The four of us sat in silence staring at the each other, wandering who should speak first. 

Monalora spoke. “Eve, I am sorry about yesterday.  I don’t know what came over me.  It all became overwhelming when I realized the truth – this is forever.  Joseph, I want to thank you for this wonderful gift.  I will use it as wisely as I can.”

We were amazed at the difference in the young woman from yesterday.  Monalora was twisted and shivering when we last saw her, but now she is calm and aware and sensitive to her surroundings.  Her long wild black hair was combed back and held by a strand of blue clothe (no doubt the servants assisted in her grooming). Her dark almond shaped eyes were piercing and added to her beauty.  We realized Jago saw through the palsy – he saw her beauty although she was diseased – this is what made him fall in love with the woman he took care of since she was ten years old.  He saw a frail but beautiful woman with a strong will to hang onto life and live as much as she could in the state she was in.

“You look beautiful.” Eve complimented. “I am sorry that I was not more comforting to you.  I felt that no matter what I could have said, it wouldn’t make a difference until you rationalized your own circumstances. Joseph and I hope to answer all of your questions.”

“I have told her as much as I know.” Jago stated. “I also have some questions about things I should have asked the day this was given to me.”

As morning turned into afternoon we left the comfort of the large room and walked the paths on the outskirts of the village, conversing and enjoying each other.  There were many questions posed regarding our lives as the ‘deathless ones’.  Monalora asked the same questions as Jago; “Are we demons?”; “Will this allow any peace in our lives?”; “Do Eve and I regret never having children?”; And the biggest question – “Where do we go from here?”

Jago seemed very happy – especially when he talked of their marriage in the village for all to see.  He wanted to have the largest gathering and celebration his house could afford. In Thrace, wedding celebrations were the biggest gatherings outside of military victory celebrations and Jago wanted to celebrate for as long as the wine and food would last.

“Jago, you can’t have a wedding in this village.” I said.

“What? Why?” he asked with Monalora looking on.

“How would you explain Monalora’s miraculous healing? There are people here that would possibly call you demons and kill you both or much worse, they will want to know how she was healed.  We can’t allow ourselves to be discovered.  That would be bad for us and the entire world.” 

“But Joseph, these are all the people we have grown to know and love.  They would never harm us.” Jago said.

“I know these are good people, but there are others outside of this village that would cause great harm to us, and remember we can’t die, but we can feel the pain of death.  I don’t want this for any of us.”  I put my arm around Jago’s shoulder as we walked, like a father counseling a son.  “Jago, you must leave here and pay your servants not to tell where we have gone.”

Monalora interrupted, “Joseph is right. We must leave here.  It would be good to see the world and to learn wonderful new things.  I was in that old diseased body and now I am healthy and have so much energy . . . I want to go, Jago.”

After a time of persuading, Monalora got her way. He agreed to leave and travel with us for a time and to be married in Rome in the temple.  We went back to the house and while Eve and I were bathing, we heard Monalora and Jago consummating their love in their private chambers.  Their ecstasy was so loud that it made the horses in the stables nervous and made us also aroused.  Eve smiled at me and said, “I think I know where we are going from here.”

Mona and Jago are together today in the twenty-first century.  They have had over two thousand years to get to know each other and their story continues toward the future. And to this day Eve has killed Jago about ten times over the centuries --- he still gets under her skin.

This ends the story of Mona’s translation into immortality.

-JA-

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