Journey for Truth: Chapter 5
| January 22, 2020"Why did you assume there was any escape, all I said was disappearance!”
1500s, Prague
T
he deliveryman was brought into the orphanage cellar and told to sit on a short, wooden chair. The lady in black and the priest made sure the door to the cellar was locked before proceeding with their interrogation.
“Before we begin this interrogation — and you know good and well what it’s all about — I need to begin by getting something off of my mind….”
The priest stepped forward menacingly and the vegetable seller swallowed nervously.
“The last four shipments of your carrots were absolutely horrible! Carrots are supposed to be hard and crunchy, not soft and mushy!”
The man blinked in confusion.
“Um, sorry?”
“Apology accepted, as long as moving forward your carrots taste the way they’re supposed to!”
“You have my word.”
“Good, good. I just needed to take care of that important issue. You know how disgusting it is to eat a rotten carrot, don’t you?”
“I don’t eat the produce I sell, so actually no, I don’t…”
The lady in black growled angrily at the priest.
“Enough chitchat about your silly carrots! Do you think we have time to sit around discussing your food preferences? There are more pressing issues at hand! This man may very well be an accomplice in the child’s disappearance!”
“So that’s what this is all about? I can tell you right now: I never helped any girl from the orphanage escape.”
“How did you know I was talking about a girl?
“Oh, I-I j-just guessed, because, um, this is a g-girl’s orphanage, after all.”
“You’re a stammering mess already, aren’t you? And why did you assume there was any escape, all I said was disappearance!”
“Another lucky guess, that’s all…”
“You’re a liar! Look at his face, he’s sweating profusely and his cheeks are redder than a tomato!”
“You’re right, Eva! He’s the one who helped her and there’s no doubt about that! Also, it’s a good thing you mentioned tomatoes. The tomatoes he’s been delivering have also been disgusting lately. Why would I want worms with my chicken sandwich? They don’t taste very good, do they?”
Eva rolled her eyes.
“Would you just stop. Enough with the food talk. Now back to the interrogation. Let’s head over to the church and alert the authorities that this man was an accomplice in helping a poor, misguided Christian child escape into the dangerous, dirty hands of the Jews!”
“I’ll go right now and tell them! But I don’t want to stick around to see the punishment they’re going to inflict on this man. I can’t watch on a full stomach….”
“Stop! STOP! Okay, I’ll tell you everything, just don’t tell the church."
Listen, I found her inside my wagon, underneath a bale of straw. She paid me to take her along with me. I dropped her off in the Jewish Quarter.”
“You greedy, disloyal dog!” the lady in black hissed.
“Don’t tell the church! I’ll take you to the last place I saw her.”
The lady in black scoffed. “Fool, I don’t have time to accompany you around the Jewish Quarter in that old, smelly wagon of yours. Take the priest and bring me back that girl. If you don’t return with her before midnight, I’m informing the church about your despicable actions. And punishment won’t be long in coming.”
*****
The vegetable seller and the priest set out immediately to recapture Mariah. The vegetable seller sat in front, steering the horses, and the priest sat glum-faced beside him.
“My name is Jan, by the way,” said the vegetable seller.
“I don’t care. I’m supposed to be back in the orphanage now eating my daily snack, not out in the cold chasing misfits with peasants like yourself. So just don’t talk to me and keep driving the wagon.”
“Fine, I just figured if we’re going to be working together it’s important that you know my name.”
“Fine. My name’s Arthur.”
“Wonderful name. After the famous King Arthur?”
“No, after my uncle who died after getting drunk, which caused him to forget to tie his own shoelaces, which led to someone making fun of him, which led to him trying to chase that person down, which led to him tripping on his own feet and falling down in front of an oncoming wagon.”
“Tragic… so, his name was Arthur?”
“No! Why would they name me the same name as that fool? They gave me a different name, but claimed it was in his memory because my grandmother insisted.”
“Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Want a carrot? In memory of your uncle.”
“Okay, thanks. This one actually looks decent.”
The priest bit into it and stared down at a tiny worm making its way across the orange vegetable.
“Ugh…”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Tomato?”
*****
Eventually the pair arrived in the Jewish Quarter. They circled the streets for several hours to catch a glimpse of Mariah. Finally, their efforts paid off.
“There she is!”
The priest pointed in the direction of a girl making her way across the street in front of them.
“I don’t recognize her, to be honest. I only met her once and it was very briefly.”
“Trust me, Jan. That’s her. Look. She’s even started to dress like the Jews. She must think she’s very holy now! What a joke!”
“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s get her!”
“Wait, wait…” The priest grabbed Jan’s arm. “Not so fast, tomato man. Let’s first see where the little nuisance has been staying all this time. The family that hosted her must be punished for their involvement. I’m sure the church will charge them with nothing less than kidnapping a Christian child!”
To be continued…
(Originally featured in Mishpacha Jr., Issue 795)
Oops! We could not locate your form.
RELATED CONTENT
“So… the boy I thought I killed because of my creation survived after all.” Shabsi stared at Sylvester
Shabsi lifted his head from the ground and saw something rising from the dirt. So tall, so powerful
Shabsi threw his body on top of the scrolls, but it was too late. Shimshon’s razor-sharp mind had already scanned the entire thing
Shimshon could only watch as two more darts flew. In seconds, he was also fast asleep, swinging silently above the forest ground
Sylvester howled in anger and pain as he plunged his arms into the fire and knocked the scrolls out of the flames
They whirled around just in time to see a young man on horseback come galloping out of the trees, a massive branch in his powerful hands
