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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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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Jago (Part Three)

Jago did not adapt quickly to the idea of immortality.  You see, my dear reader, in the beginning, it didn’t seem like we were immortal – we lived life day-by-day, and looking at life as long-term didn’t occur to us - so we didn’t really know how special we were until much later.  When we explained about the medicine and how we couldn’t die, Jago would just grunt and smile, then laugh and say we were crazy. Eve thought him to be insulting because he made stupid remarks about what we were trying to explain to him and he seemed to regard our mercy and the medicine as nonsense.  After a few days of this, Eve became so frustrated with him that she pulled a dagger from beneath her ‘peplos’ (tunic) and jabbed it into his heart.  As he lay slowly passing out from loss of blood or what he perceived to be death and dying, he exclaimed, “Why?!”

Eve stood over him and laughed, “You dumb child!  You’re not dying - you’ll pass out for a second and then get up good as new.”  She no longer could take his irreverence to our situation and had to teach him to accept what he was . . . now . . . not later.  I then realized that we’re going to be connected to this person forever and Eve was already showing little tolerance after 3 days with him healed and at his peak.  (There are many stories regarding their arguments).

When he understood that the sting of the blade had subsided and he was no longer bleeding, he jumped up, tore open his vestments and looked down at his hairy chest for a wound.  Eve found this to be humorous and went up to Jago and handed him the blade and said, “Do you want to take a turn?”  She opened her tunic exposing her breasts. “Right about here you’ll pierce my heart … just thrust the . . . .”

I interrupted, feeling the anger flush my face. “Eve, stop this nonsense and cover yourself.  He is in shock and needs our help to accept the reality of his new circumstances.  You’re not helping.”

“It’s true then?  I cannot die?  You are both not just two crazy people who were kind enough to take care of me and feed me and make me well?  Are you demons? Have I become a demon, too?”

I sat him down by the camp fire as the sunset warmed our backs.  I explained how I created the ‘medicine’ and how it saved Eve and me.  We are people like everyone else with the exception that we have a gift of long life and we are safe from death.  He buried his face in his knees as he lifted his legs up for warmth.  After I finished with my story, he sat with his eyes blank gazing into the fire.

“Joseph, I’m sorry.” Eve apologized. “I just couldn’t take his indifference any longer.  I acted childish and I should have more self-control for an old lady my age.”

I looked at her with a harsh scowl and then laughed, “But it was funny.  You should have seen the expression on his face when you stabbed him and when you opened your tunic.”

She looked away holding back an impish grin. “He has such potential to change things.  Now he has the gift of life and I hope he uses it for the good of all.”

Jago stood to his feet and walked over to us.  “If I am like you and cannot die by sword or of old age, then who will want me?  Joseph, you have Eve and I hear the both of you moaning with ecstasy every night in your tent.  Will I have someone to walk with in this life?  Will you give me Eve when I want her?  Will you share?”  He directed his anger toward us. “Why did you make me like this if I cannot have what you both have?”

“Jago, you cannot have a normal woman or Eve.  The potion has seen to that.  My body is set to Eve’s body.  If you kiss or if any of your fluids touch her or if her fluids touch you, it scalds and burns like boiling oil.  One man for one woman . . . be patient.  We have all the time in the world to find someone for you.  I promise it will be good.”

“Good for who?  Will it ease your guilt when I am sad?  Look at me…woman loved me as I was.  Not I can be with only one (if I am lucky) for the rest or eternity?”

Eve walked over to him and gave him a hug.  “Jago, I am sorry I was so mean, but you wouldn’t listen or believe. What can I do to make it better between us?”

He looked at me then turned to her, “Well, you can open your tunic again.”

(TO BE CONTINUED . . . .)

Jago (Part Two)

I cared as much about Jago as Eve did.  He made us laugh and had such a peculiar way of looking at life in these times, that you had to wonder how the world would get on without him.  The clay jar in my hand was still almost full back then.  It contained the most wonderful, serendipitous concoction, created by a one in a billion chance from a rock that fell from the night sky.  The medicine didn’t evaporate burn or separate and its consistency was similar to mercury.  I took this potion to make me well after being ill for many years and I wasn’t always called Joseph.  After ingesting the potion (or medicine as we fondly called it) I became Joseph – reinventing myself.  My name was D’Ardo before the change and it’s the only name that I haven’t spoken out loud in many years.  It was the name my parents gave to me and the name I left buried underwater with my people.  Eve’s name in the beginning was Helen and she too was from Greece --- like Alexander.  She has remained beautiful and perfectly preserved because of the ‘medicine’.

Jago hovered near death with fever raging and his breathing was more labored as dehydration began to wither his body and his will to live.  Yet he had enough strength to smile when he saw Eve and enough humor to raise his thick black eyebrows to silently suggest ‘hubba-hubba’ when my wife approached him.  We loved him as a parent would love their child and felt compelled to take away his pain and hopelessness.

“Jago,” I drew closer to him and saw that his breathing was very shallow and watched him struggle to inhale, “I have something that would either make you better or kill you in a most painful way.”

He stared up at me blankly through half opened eyes while on the makeshift cot  inside of our tent and let out a low grunt to acknowledge what I said.

“Do you want to take that chance?”  I asked.

He blinked his eyes in acceptance and gave a faint nod to tell me ‘yes’.

I looked up at Eve with hesitation as she gave a slight but undecided gesture of encouragement for me to be brave and save Jago’s life. I recalled what had happened to another young man we tried to save and the trauma of watching helpless as he was consumed in pain while drowning in his own fluids, finally suffocating to death.  I keenly remember the look of terror on his face, making the recollection of his death even more horrifying.

I made my decision.

“Jago”, I said as I lifted his head and shoulders upright, “just take one small sip of this.  I pray this will not harm you, my friend.”

I gently laid Jago’s head back on the cot and he gave a small whimper, followed by a loud gasp that jerked his chest upward. Eve had a look of panic on her face and ran to comfort the man, as he began to writhe and then stiffen where he lay. 

“Jago, I’m sorry!” she cried. “Please forgive me, forgive us.”

“No, it’s alright.” I said with excitement. “This is what happened to you when I gave you the medicine.  Keep watching.”

The young man slowly began to calm and relax back onto the cot after the seizure.  Eve went to wipe his forehead but backed off when something strange began to happen. 

“Joseph, what’s going on” she asked, with her eyes opened wide.

“He’s going to live Eve, that’s what is going on!”  I said with excitement.

A thin film of liquid formed over his skin and steam began to rise from every part of his body.  The smoky substance hovered on Jago and didn’t rise, but settled around him from head to toe.  It also gave off a sweet smell like honey and roses.

“This is what happened to you, my love. You were covered in smoke for about an hour, almost like you were being cooked in a stone oven.  When the substance subsided you awoke very hungry and energized.”

“I don’t remember anything.  I just remember eating and going back to sleep for a long time . . . but I felt very good with no normal aches or pains.” 

After a while, Jago eventually sat up slowly and asked for a drink and said he was starving.  Eve fed him two whole chickens and he drank a skin of wine.  And like Eve when she had taken the potion, he lay down and slept for three more days.

(TO BE CONTINUED . . . .)

Jago (Part One)

After the disappointment of not having the support I thought I would receive from the great and wonderful power the ancient coins gave to us, I began to reflect on how we all came together and how diverse we continue to be, going different directions and still needing each other. Let me tell you how I met all of the people in our group and how they came to be immortal.

It was around 330 BC and the lands were running wild with battles and wars created by Alexander the Great.   Thracian Troops would accompany Alexander when he crossed the Hellespont to make war with Persia.  Jago’s tribe was one that was enlisted by Alexander to fight.  To make a long story shorter, there was a battle and Jago’s battalion lost on that day.  He was the last survivor on the battlefield.  Eve and I happened upon him when we were crossing the hillside on the outskirts of the battle after observing the fighting from afar.  We heard moans coming from a position to our left as we carefully made our way in the thick of the night to avoid harassment from Alexander’s troops.  We mainly did this for Eve’s protection since most of the soldiers hadn’t seen a woman in months.

When we finally found Jago, he was semi-conscious clinging to life.  He was partially covered by a fallen comrade, hidden just enough not to be lanced by the opposing soldiers.  No one took prisoners in those dark days.

Eve is a strong woman, so she was able to support Jago’s weight as we carried him to a safe place to camp for the night. I carried our supplies and tents on a sturdy cot that I had placed two rear wheels on for pulling our small load.  We both cleaned his wounds and administered advanced medical attention to speed along his recovery. (Where I came from these things were common knowledge – of germs, bacteria and infection).

We traveled two more days with Jago piled on the cot amid our belongings, until we found a safe place to setup our tents so we could sit for a while.  Once situated Jago began to speak as much as his state of recovery would allow.  Even though he was weakened, Jago had a sense of humor, enough to make both us laugh and wonder who this man is and how he came to be on the battlefield. 

Eventually he was strong enough to sit and eat with us and he told us a bit about himself.  He told us he had sixteen brothers that would abuse him on daily basis because he was the youngest of the brood.  His mother was the fifth wife of his father and she bore the man three daughters until Jago was finally born – the youngest of his entire family.  Jago thought that joining Alexander’s army would give him the respect of his brothers and father once and for all.  Many of his brothers joined the Ctistae to become philosophers and priests, but he wanted to show his father that he was strong and able to take control in order to hopefully gain control of his tribe.  But, this was Jago’s first battle and his last.  He laughed when he talked about how he raised his sword for the first time but the other guy was faster and attacked first, leaving Jago on the battlefield to die.  He joked and said he guessed he should have ducked instead of attacking.

Eve and I grew to love him over the weeks he was with us.  He seemed to be growing stronger until one day he had trouble getting up to join us by the morning fire.  Eve felt his head and found he was burning with fever.  His condition centuries later would be related to malaria, unfortunately untreatable in the time period we were in, especially in Jago’s frail state of recovery.   Our new and loved friend Jago was slipping away into death’s hands and we were helpless to heal him by conventional means.

“Joseph,” Eve came to speak to me at the campfire by our tent, “Jago is dying.  You saved me from dying - can’t you save him by giving him the medicine?  He deserves to live, Joseph.  He deserves to see more tomorrows.”

“Eve, it worked for you and for me, and we tried it on one other person that died horribly from ingesting it.  What if it doesn’t work for him?  What if he takes the medicine and bloats, then suffocates horribly like the last person we gave it to?”

“I only know that he will die regardless of giving or not giving it to him.”  A tear rolled down her cheek.  “Please, Joseph.  Please try.” She pleaded on his behalf.  “Please, for me.” 

I pulled the thick clay jar from a hidden pocket  beneath my robes and looked into her eyes. “It frightens me that he may die painfully because of this”.  I held up the jar and looked at it.

(TO BE CONTINUED . . . .)

The Reunion (Conclusion)

The group calmed down after Tommy’s demonstration and sat at the long dining table in our dining room.  After finishing off four large pizzas, five pounds of hot buffalo wings and a quarter barrel of beer, the group was more sedate and relaxed as they continued their conversations... everyone but Jago.

“So Tommy, what else can you do with Joseph’s coins?  Do you have x-ray vision?  I bet you do and you secretly look under the ladies clothing with x-ray eyes and remember what you see for later.”  Jago broke into loud laughter, but (as usual) everyone else just stared at him, ready for the next predictable and pointless comment to leave his lips.  Jago had a problem with keeping things to himself.  You would think after centuries of being thrashed by soldiers, crowds, and religious groups - that he would learn to just shut up. “Come on Tommy”, he said as he moved from his end of the table toward the younger man, arms raised mocking him, “fly for us, breathe fire for us or maybe walk on water.”

“Enough!”  I exclaimed as I stood up and pounded my fist on the table.  “Do you always have to be so crude  . . . so crass?  I am tired of this Jago!  I am tired of babysitting all of you!” I tried to control my outrage, but couldn’t. “We have a chance to do something good that is well above and beyond anything anyone has ever done for humanity and half of you are either afraid of a change as momentous as this or worried about exposure to the world.  Don’t you have any foresight?  Have you become so complacent over the centuries that you have forgotten the wonderful things we have done in the past?  Jago, why are you still so arrogant after all this time?  Your Greek and Sicilian blood line makes you so verbally aggressive and loud … only Mona can stand you --- most of the time.” 

Jago stood in silence, sinking his head down like a puppy that knows it was bad to pee on the carpet but couldn’t stop from doing it.  “I’m sorry Joseph.” He said as he returned to his chair.

I shook my head from side to side and continued.  “Do you think this is bad?  Did any of you object when I gave you the brew that saved your life and changed you into a time walker, an immortal? “There was complete silence in the room.  They didn’t like it when I got upset…I suppose that came out of respect because I am the senior among them, the alpha.

“Jago, you were the next one to receive the gift after Eve.  We found you dying, the last survivor on a battlefield in Thrace and brought you to our tents.  We nursed you and brought you back to health and befriended you.  We decided to give you the medicine when an infection from your wounds set in and we thought you were going to die -- this saved you. We did this because we loved you --no other earth shaking reason -- just because you were unique to us and still are. After you we found Adam who had lost his footing on a mountainside and fell.  He too was dying, but we saw warmth in his eyes and through his pain he smiled to thank us for being with him in his last moments.  We were touched by that and saved him too.  Then we saved Mona from death because Jago loved her, then Chester, then Neecie, followed by Dani and finally Tommy and Lori.  All off you dying and we saw something wonderful in each of you to save.  Longevity and regeneration are side effects from the brew that changed our body chemistry.  The purpose of giving it to you was to save you because you made the world a better place.”

“We all appreciate that, Joseph”, Adam broke in, “more than you will ever know, but this thing with the coins is too much.  It’s not for all of us.”

Neecie added, “We just want to live -- not be tied down forever to humanity and be looked upon as its only hope to fix their lives”.

Lori was listening intently to the issues being presents and spoke. “Some of us want this and others do not.  I say, those that want to test and eventually use the abilities the coins give us to help people will do so, and those that don’t want the coins don’t have to take them.  Let’s not have this split us apart.  We have been together as a family for so long, that we have learned to love each other in spite of ourselves.  Take them or leave them, but don’t leave our family.”

Eve spoke, “I love you all and would be heartbroken if anyone rejected another.  As Lori said – take them or leave them.”

Jago interrupted with his loud voice, “Hey!  I lift my glass (or beer bottle) to all of you.  I am sorry to have been so crass.  Let us take from Joseph Ancient’s House of Ancient Coins and Curios what we will have and to those who need no adventure, leave the coins where they lay.”  He stretched his bottle upward in a toast. “To us … the children of Joseph and Eve, may we be together forever --- no matter what.”

They all cheered in agreement then I spoke.  “This has been a memorable reunion.  As always we will spend five years together then move on to other places and adventures for another forty or fifty years until the next reunion.  So whoever wants some coins, come and get what we have tried and take them with you.  If you have any questions, Tommy can help you. Be careful not to let anyone outside of group see you use them.”

I was surprised when Jago took coins and that Mona joined him in agreement to try them.  Chester took 3 coins but Dani took none. Adam and Neecie didn’t take any, but wished the others well in their endeavors in learning how to work them as well as when to work them.  I told them all to check my website at www.ancientscoin.com for coins that give us abilities. They will be highlighted as specials and they could get them from me this way if they want them.  We still don’t know what these coins will do to us --- if there will be side effects, but nothing has happened to Tommy or me ---- yet.

The Reunion (Part Five)

My two favorite red heads have been staying with us for three days now, making our family of ten complete.  It’s been a bitter sweet reunion because of the new discovery Tommy made several years ago regarding the ore the ancient coins are made of and our body chemistry.  I am not sure how far I need to go to prove that this is good for us. All I ever intended was to help our fellow humans along their path.   I don’t want us to be super heroes - just benevolent shadows assisting and saving where ever possible. If it wasn’t for House of Ancient Coins and Curios, we never would have found the coins and we would have just kept existing and eventually seeking death but never finding it.

So my dear reader you ask, “Just exactly how old are you, Joseph?”  As fantastic as it sounds, I am very, very old.  If I answer, what would you think of me --- and all of the others?  I have told normal human friends my age and they laugh and ask “How is that possible?”   I will tell you that the youngest of us was born before America was named.  But I am the oldest and have been with Eve for a long time and I hope to be with her for all eternity.  You see, we cannot make love to normal humans.  Our body chemistry doesn’t allow it.  Once one of us mates with another, our chemistries are bound together for eternity and we cannot be with anyone else without our body fluids harming them severely.  We can touch skin, shake hands, but never exchange our fluids with others.  We are poison to humankind in that respect.  But the best part of one mate for all eternity is the fact that when we touch and come together, the euphoria we experience each and every time is unlike anything you could imagine.  We are addicted to each other and no one could ever break this.  Regrettably we cannot bear children because of the change we went through due to taking the “medicine”, but the ten of us have each other to walk through time as eternal companions.  Enough of rambling through this blog!  I will continue the story.

“The others are apprehensive about the coins, aren’t they?” Tommy questioned.  “Neecie and Adam are downright frightened and want to completely bury the fact that we can do these amazing things.  Why Joseph?  We have been trudging along through decades wondering why we are here and are different, and now that we have an answer (of sorts) why do we need to run from it?”

I shook my head and smiled, “I suppose we should embrace change since so much of the world tends to repeat itself right before our eyes.  Granted, it will break the boredom of our longevity, but also lend to the possibility of exposing us to the world.” I got up from my chair and moved to the light switch to illuminate the impending darkness.  The dim light of sunset was filling the room and Eve passed by carrying a bowl approving my actions.  She and Lori were preparing a surprise feast for our group in the kitchen and Tommy wanted this chance to speak with me in private.

“We’ve spent a lot of energy hiding and avoiding helping those around us.  Why should we be here at all if we can’t at least give hope to those around us?“

I returned to my seat. “The others will be here shortly, what can you present to them to change their minds?”

“Maybe one of these.” Tommy sat up and pulled an ancient Roman bronze coin from his pocket. “A token from www.ancientscoin.com.”

The others arrived two by two within thirty minutes time.  The usual chatter echoed throughout the house with moments of Jago’s loud laughter overpowering nearby conversations. I cherish these moments, when we all come together to share the time we have been given.  

So much time . . . . Will it end?

After our feast of chicken and rice (Eve named this the “peasant’s feast” after the meals we had so long ago) we slowly settled into the living room.  Some sat on the floor while others got comfortable on the furniture.  Just as all was quieting down, Tommy floated into the room as though he were swimming through water in a pool.  The others stood and looked up at him through their startled expressions.

Jago broke the silence, “Does he have to do that?”

(TO BE CONTINUED . . . .)