The Gonkers Time Travel

by Mary Pearson

descended upon the house. No one was dressed in a billowing bridal dress like their aunts wore at their weddings, but the teen bride wore a garland of flowers in addition to her other ornaments. The groom’s belt was ornamented and he wore a turban. There was no priest, no exchange of rings. But all of the food was brought in and even more wine was served from the alabaster jars and the minstrels’ tempo became faster, the music brighter.

  The girls found themselves squished against a wall-- the room was now packed. They were taking in the strange sights and sounds and everyone seemed happy, except for a few of those who were attending to food. They were huddled in a corner, whispering anxiously.

  Fred started to fuss again and Lily couldn’t blame her. It was so hot in the room with all those bodies and she and her baby sister were bound tightly together, making them even hotter. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered to Molly.

  Water into Wine

  This was no small task since no one was willing to get out of the way for invisible people but they couldn’t exactly pass through peoples’ bodies, so there was much inching and waiting and inching along again. Fred Therese was crying in earnest by the time they got outside. A man was talking to a woman and the man looked up at them, completely aware of the girls. His eyes were amazing. When the baby saw Him she stopped crying immediately. He held their gaze for a moment, then turning to the woman, in English, He spoke, “Woman, what is this to thee and Me. My hour has not yet come.”

  But the woman turned to some of the anxious servers who had followed them outside. She said something to them and they looked to Jesus, Who sighed. He motioned to six stone water jars from which people had been getting water to wash their hands. “Fill the jars with water.” This they did. “Draw some out now and take it to the head waiter.”

  When the waiter tasted this water, his face lit up. He clapped his hands and motioned for the wine servers to refill their jugs from those jars.

  Fussy Fred had taken to crying again and Lily was afraid that, if she took her little sister out of the carrier she’d somehow get left behind. No way was she putting her baby sister down! If only she could find something for her to play with. Molly tried pebbles and beads and garlands that had been dropped but she was unable to pick up anything. Then Jesus turned to His mother, for now they were quite certain the woman was Mary, “They have no toy,” He said. She looked confused for a moment, and then, following His gaze, she seemed suddenly aware of Lily, Molly and the baby, who was wailing. Her eyes grew soft with sympathy. She disappeared into the house and returned with a gourd. When she shook it, it rattled. She gave the gourd to her Son, who gave it to Fred Therese, who rewarded Him with her biggest smile.

  Then Jesus blessed them and they left Cana with a jolt.

  Minutes to hours

  When the world had stopped spinning Lily became aware of her mother, back from the bathroom with Mags, staring at the girls with concern. She bit her lip. Lily looked to Molly with big guilty eyes and then back to her mother. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last three minutes, but it was like you two were glued to that book.”

  Lily breathed out. She would have guessed they had been gone hours but minutes was much more easy to explain. “We were reading about the wedding at Cana.”

  A pause. “Good story?”

  “Oh, it was wondoyful!” Molly said, which made their mother frown with confusion.

  She took a deep breath and shrugged. Then she began to unwrap baby Fred, to Lily’s immense relief. “Goodness, you’d think you’d been wearing her for hours!” As their mother grabbed the baby something fell to the floor with a rattle. “Oh, Lil, can you bring this back to the nursery. It’s not ours.”

  Yes it is, Lily thought, but she pretended to do so, pocketing it instead. No way was she going to part with Mary’s rattle, their souvenir from the wedding at Cana.

  The Ark Box

  “I’m pretty sure that hours in the Bible equal minutes back at Cathedral,” Lily said. The children were gathered in the girls’ room with their collection of treasures-- pebble from Bethlehem, reed from the river Jordan, and gourd from Cana-- displayed on Lily and Molly’s bed. “We need a special box for these.”

  “I have a ballerina music box fwom gyamma tayi,” Molly offered.

  “Too girly,” Lucien pulled an empty shoe box from the corner.

  “Not special enough.” Lily bit her lip. “We should go shopping. I have some money.”

  “Girls always want to shop.” Logan rolled his eyes. “We should make something, like the Israelites made the Ark of the Covenant to store their treasures.”

  Molly picked up the shoe box. “We could paint the caydboyd,” she suggested.

  “No,” Lucien yanked the box from her. “It needs to be made of wood. Let’s get Dad to help.”

  When the box was completed the children gathered together on Lily’s bed. “We should light a candle or something,” suggested Lily.

  “We aren’t allowed to light candles,” Lucien plopped down next to his sisters, making the box bounce on the bed.

  “Well, some kind of ceremony anyway. This is our ark, isn’t it?”

  “Cool!” This was Logan. “Do you think a Holy Spirit cloud will form over it like for the Israelites in Moses’ time?”

  “Maybe. Only one way to find out.” Lily put the souvenirs from their three trips inside the box and shut the lid. They all waited for something big to happen but nothing did.

  “Ok, then.” Logan sat on a chair and faced the others. “So who gets to go next?”

  “Me,” said Mags in her very little voice. “I never got to go.” This was true, but she was only three.

  “It’s the boys’ turn,” said Lucien.

  “It’s my turn.” Mags stuck out her lower lip.

  “So take Mags with you.” This was Lily.

  “What if she has to go to the bathroom?” (Logan)

  “She won’t.” (Molly).

  “She’s still potty training. She goes all the time.” (Lucien).

  “I’ll hold it.” Mags’ lip started to tremble. “It’s my turn.”

  Lily put her hands on her hips and faced her brothers. “Be fair.”

  “Ok,” said Logan, “but she has to wear a diaper, in case.”

  “I don’t wear diapers,” said Mags. “I’m a big girl.”

  “Just this time.” Logan was firm.

  Mrs. Collins

  It was getting a bit suspicious going to confession every week, so the kids decided to ask if they could go to Adoration Thursday afternoon. During a six hour period the Eucharistic Jesus is displayed for people to come and visit or pray with Him. They went with their mother and this time Lily and Molly distracted her so the boys, with Mags, could sneak up on the altar to read from the Bible. While not heavily attended, there were the people in charge and a few others every hour. When they huddled around the pulpit, the lady in charge came up behind them. “Gonker children!” she looked at them suspiciously.

  This was just the sort of occasion for which Lucien reserved his dimples and charm. He stepped forward. “Mrs. Collins. My brother and I were just arguing-- well disagreeing , really-- about something Father read in the Bible. We just wanted to look it up ,” Lucien brightened his smile, “to see who was right.”

  “Oh,” she said, “well, could I help you with that?”

  “We were really wanting to look it up ourselves,” Logan said quickly, “to practice.”

  Sue Collins considered them for a moment. But after all she was a mother to several sons. She really was partial to boys. “Oh, ok. Just be careful with the Book.”

  The boys nodded.

  “And let me know if you need help.” Since they continued to smile and wait she hesitantly returned their smiles and left them to it.

  “Read, quick,” Lucien nudged his brother, “before Mom gets back.”

  “Aww,” Logan whined a bit, “I wanted to find something good…”

  “Just read,” Lucien nudged his
older brother out of the way. “I will then!? and he read: “He came to Nazareth where He had grown up and went, according to His custom, into the Synagogue--”

  That was all it took.

  Nazareth

  If you’ve ever been to a synagogue from Jesus’ time you will notice one thing. There are no women there. In this case there were men and boys wearing robes with tassels, three jeans-clad Gonker boys and Magdalene in her bright colored leggings and smiley face tunic. “I went potty on the toilet” she announced to the nearest man. When he paid her no notice, she tried to tug on his sleeve, to no avail.

  “They don’t care Mags.” This was Logan.

  “But I’m a big girl!” She was indignant.

  “I care,” Logan clarified. “I’m very proud of you but, to these people,” he gestured around, “you’re just a ghost. Or something like that.”

  “I am not a ghost.” Mags thrust out her lower lip. “I’m a big girl.”

  “Big girls sit and listen.” Logan pulled her onto his lap. All four children were sitting cross legged on the floor.

  “There’s Jesus!” Lucien pointed.

  Jesus was reading aloud from a scroll in front of the room:

  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me

  because He has anointed Me

  to bring glad tidings to the poor.

  He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to captives

  and recovery of sight to the blind,

  to let the oppressed go free,

  and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

  Rolling up the parchment He handed it to the attendant and sat down. Everybody was still staring at Him as He said, “Today this Scripture passage is