Chester (Part Five)

After three days of waiting and watching Chester, the thick white mist engulfing his form began to dissipate. Eve and I were amazed at what we saw when the mist was gone – Chester was no longer obese and his skin and muscle tone were as good and as fit looking as anyone’s.  We cleaned him as he lay sleeping, oblivious to what has happened to him and what he has become. 

“He’s a handsome young man.” Eve said smiling as she pulled a clean linen robe over his head.  “He will be happy to be able to move around like everyone else – without someone helping him move his weight around.”

“He’s in for a shock once he sees the change his body has gone through”, I said, “He’s also going to have a tough time with being an indestructible immortal.”

“We’ll help him.  Haven’t we always helped everyone we’ve made?”

I nodded in agreement. “Sure.  We’ve helped them, but we can’t do anything about the crazy time he will go through.  We don’t know what to expect.”

We lied to our men and leaned on their religious beliefs to help us explain what happened to Chester and what caused his change.  We told them that the gods smiled on him, healed him and changed him.  We said Jupiter sent a messenger made of fire to visit Chester to reward him for his kindness to all the people he has helped and been generous to by healing him and taking away his excess weight.  Fortunate for us, these men were fanatics that were trying to destroy all the “others” that believed in the “One God” ---  they were elated to praise Jupiter and have actual evidence that he existed, allowing them to share this and spread the news that the “others” were blasphemers.  This gave them all the more reason to come down on the old women’s house and their small army of thieves.

The following morning, Chester awoke and asked for some food.  It took a few moments for him to notice that he had changed.  He stood up and gasped in shock. He didn’t hear a word when we said that we have many wonderful things to tell him.  He kept feeling himself, first his stomach, then legs and rear, then his face and arms.  For about fifteen minutes he touched and felt himself in disbelief until he finally went to look at his reflection in the polished iron mirror in his parent’s quarters.

“What has happened to me?” he finally asked. “That’s not me in that reflection.  It’s someone else that looks like me but is strong and  . . . .”

“Handsome.” Eve interrupted. She moved to Chester’s side and tried to comfort him.  “You have been given a great gift from Joseph and me.  You were dying.  Do you remember?”

Chester continued to stare at his reflection as Eve spoke on. “The old women’s husband and sons came in and beat you with their hands and feet and they killed Joseph buy running him through with a blade.”

Chester turned away from the reflection and examined Joseph with his gaze. “He is alive, not dead.  Look . . .” he gestured for Eve to look at me, and then returned his gaze to his reflection.

“He is alive because he took the same medicine that we gave to you.  It healed you and changed you.  There is no magic here, just alchemy.”

Chester looked up at the both of us.  He stood about six feet four inches and was as strong as he looked.  We figured that his strength came from carrying around all of the excess weight --- it made him strong enough to lug his bulk around.  He has chestnut brown hair that was quite light for a Roman and large hands --- the kind you would expect from a ship’s mate.

“The old woman let them beat me?  And her husband and sons kicked and punched me hoping I would die?” His voice became louder. “Those sons that mocked me and tormented me every time they saw me?  The sons that pushed me around and made me do things until I cried? I was a small boy all alone . . . .”  At this point he took a deep breath, looked up to the sky and began to weep and wail loudly.

Eve looked at me and quietly said, “Oh,oh.”

Chester ripped the linen garment from his chest and screamed a shrill cry of anger.  Years of suppressed emotion were surfacing causing his body to shake with rage at the thought of what everyone put him through --- how everyone tormented him and used him. With his face as red as the morning horizon he looked about and picked up a sword, swung it a couple times to get the feel and he ran toward the doorway.

Eve and I looked at each other and knew where he was going.  I shook my head and looked at Eve and said, “Oh, oh.”

(To Be Continued . . . .)

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