by Sandi Rog
The ray of sunlight spread over the deep pond. The cold waters rippled like fingers, caressing her legs and waist, as if whispering to her, waiting to take her life. She gazed into the dark pool, unable to see her feet.
“I don’t want to be alone,” she said to David’s God.
The ray of sun lit up the flowers on the other side of the banks. David’s God was gentle enough to form each delicate petal.
God took time to make this flower and its delicate petals. David’s words flooded her mind. How much more do you think He cares about you?
She looked down at her hair as the ends floated around her. David once said his God knew how many hairs were on her head. If his God found it important enough to know how many hairs were on her head—something she could care less about, and she loved herself quite a lot—then how much more would He care about her heart? Her soul?
A bird swooped down from the sky and back up again. “You care for the birds. Not one of them falls to the ground without Your knowing it.” She recalled David telling her that. “What about me then?” Her shoulders shook as she cried.
If she fell to the ground, or drowned herself, would it matter?
No God is worth dying for. Her own words haunted her.
But He died for you.
Yahshua had died. Her thoughts turned to Him. “Yahshua gave his life . . . for me.” She lifted her hands. “But why?”
Passion.
She wiped her nose. So, David’s God wanted a relationship with her.
A relationship.
And He wanted to save her from the agony of this miserable life. If she allowed Him to rescue her, she wouldn’t have to fear a second death.
Now she understood. She did have a friend, someone who had always been here for her from the very beginning.
How ironic. To become a Christian would actually take away her fear. If she were a Christian, she could live forever. More importantly, she would live with David’s God. He would take care of her and always be there for her. She would finally have a friend she could trust. He would be her mpampas.
But would He want her? She’d been so wrong. So wicked for lying. But wasn’t that the whole reason Yahshua died? Because of sin? Her sin?
“Dear God of David, please . . . I want You now as my God, my only God. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. So sorry.” She cried, hearing in her mind the echoes of David’s screams from the whip, knowing that Yahshua suffered the same and more. “Please forgive me. How do I come to You? Help me find the way.”
“Mistress?”
Alethea turned to the voice, wiping away her tears.
Ace.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, surprised.
Swiping the tears from her eyes, she quickly worked her way to shore, splashing water up the rest of her stola. Had he heard her talking? What was he doing here? She trembled. How much had he heard?
“I was returning from the other side of the hill. The men are working there.” Ace offered his hand to help her out of the pond.
“I just needed to be . . . a—alone,” Alethea stammered.
“Alone in the water? Outside the villa?” He raised his eyebrows.
Her cheeks warmed.
“Are you well?”
She nodded.
“Portia told me what happened yesterday. I’m sorry Paulus betrayed you.”
She looked up at him. His concern and genuine show of sympathy melted her reserve. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m not even a Christian.” This time she said the words out of despair that she truly wasn’t a Christian, rather than out of denial, but he wouldn’t know that.
“I see nothing wrong with being a Christian.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “You don’t?”
Ace shook his head. “I’m a Christian.”
The world spun. Where did he find the courage to come right out and admit it like that?
“Do you want to become a Christian?” he asked.
Her heart leaped out of her chest. “More than anything.” Her own words surprised her. How long had she really ached to become a Christian and didn’t because of fear?
“Do you believe that Yahshua is the Son of God?”
“Yes.” Alethea nodded. “I believe!” It felt funny to actually speak the words, especially when she wouldn’t have dared confess that just this morning.
“What do you know about Yahshua?”
“I know that He died to save us from our sins. Then He raised up from the dead. I remember that quite well.” She smiled. “David taught me.”
“And you believe it’s true?” Ace asked.
“Yes, of course.” She looked down at his sandals. “I’ve just been afraid.”
“Do you believe that you’re a sinner?” He crossed his arms and lifted his brows as if he knew of her confessions to David of having no sin.
Heat crept from her neck to her cheeks and she stared at the ground. She thought of David and what she had done to him. “Yes, I am a sinner.”
“Are you sorry for your sins?” His voice softened.
“More than ever.” Her nose burned as tears flooded her eyes again. She was probably the worst of sinners, especially after what she’d done to her only friend. Paulus’s betrayal of her was nothing compared to her betrayal of David.
“And are you willing to sin no more?” Ace bent close to her.
“Yes.” But what if . . . her head snapped up. “But what if I make a mistake?”
He half smiled. “You will sin again, mistress. The point is, are you ready to change your heart and do your best not to sin? If you are, then God is willing to forgive you.”
“I don’t want to sin anymore. I want to do what’s right.”
“Then you must be immersed to wash away your sins.”
She turned toward the pond. “We’re here, let’s do it.”
She went back down into the water. It didn’t feel as cool as the first time she went in. Ace followed. When the water came to her chest, she shivered and turned toward him.
“The gospel is all about Yahshua dying for our sins. He died for us and then was buried. But like you said, He rose again.” Ace made a fist. “He defeated death.” A victorious gleam sparkled in his eyes. “In the same way Yahshua died for us and rose again, you too will die and rise again into new life. This is what it means to obey the gospel.” Ace motioned to the pond. “This water will be your grave. Here, you will die to your sins.”
Alethea couldn’t believe the irony of his words. A moment ago, this water might have been her grave, but not so she could gain eternal life.
“Then you will come up out of this watery grave as a new person.” He grinned. “I immerse you now for the forgiveness of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Ace placed his hands on her shoulders and dipped her into the water.
She held her breath as the cold enveloped her. Then she came up out of the water. Her hair and stola clung to her body, and she wiped the moisture from her face. Now David’s God was hers. She could pray to Him, and call Him her God rather than David’s God. Elohim would be her one and true friend.
Ace stood smiling. “You are my sister in Christ.” He kissed her cheek. “The angels rejoice over your salvation.”
A chill of excitement ran through her. She wrapped her arms around Ace and laughed, nearly knocking him off his feet. He chuckled. God had forgiven her of her sins. Now David was sure to forgive her as well. But even better, she had a friend. A Friend for eternity.
Ace hugged her back and they laughed together.
She had never felt so free. Nothing else mattered in the world. She had God. Just then, a realization came over her.
“You were an answer to my prayer,” she said. “I just now prayed that God would show me how to become a Christian, and suddenly you were here.”
Ace smiled.
She sighed. “I suppose prayers about spiritual matters are a priority,” she said, thinking about Mpampas.
“Come, mistress.” Ace helped her to shore. “We had better return to the villa.”
“Please, call me Alethea. After all, you are my brother now.” She had gained a whole new family. What a relief. She was more than happy to replace the family she already had. Could there be more Christians than Ace? The idea seemed impossible. “How many others are there?”
“We will meet together behind the stables before dawn, and you can see for yourself.” He winked.
Her heart sang as they made their way back to the villa. She skipped ahead of Ace, and shocks of pain went through her back, but she was too happy now to care. She wanted to shout from the rooftops the new life she had found, but she’d keep it a secret for now. She couldn’t afford another beating from Grandfather, and she wasn’t exactly ready for a death sentence, even if it meant she would live forever.
Ω
Before dawn, Alethea crept out of bed at the appointed hour. She padded through the house and into the courtyard. The cool night air was still and quiet and she tightened her cloak around her shoulders. The light from the moon helped her to see the way, and she caught glimpses of torches moving toward the stables.
She went through the stables and came out the other side. Some of the horses whinnied as she crept by. She was startled to find a large group of people.
Some came toward her, one of them, Ace. “Come sister, meet the family.”
She stepped into the group and recognized several slaves. The stable boys were there, other household slaves greeted her, but then she recognized Portia. Cold fear poured over her. It was a trap, and now Portia was here to turn Alethea in to her grandfather.
“What’s troubling you?” Portia’s smile faded and she stopped in front of her.
“You!”
Ace stood nearby. “What is it, Alethea?”
“It’s a trap. This is all a trap!” She stepped away from the others.
“We are all Christians here,” Portia said.
“But . . . .” Could she accuse Portia of taking part in what her mother did to her father? It felt wrong to accuse her. “You . . . you brought the letter to Grandfather. The next day they killed him.” Alethea’s hands trembled. She had come, expecting joy and love but was met with doubt.
“I feared you had seen me that night, and now I know it’s true.” Tears welled up in Portia’s eyes. “I didn’t know what Cornelia had written in that letter.” She sniffed back tears. “I knew it was important, since she sent me away by night, but I now know she intended to leave.” Portia’s desperate expression met Alethea’s gaze. “She never meant for him to be killed. She’s terrified of Aloysius, and I don’t think she’ll ever forgive herself for what happened.”
Alethea had always loved Portia, and it pained her to place Portia with all the others. It never felt natural. Portia’s behavior was always more caring than the others. She was always there when Alethea was hurting. After Grandfather’s beatings, she tried to ease her pain, though little helped. So this was not a trap, she had not been betrayed. Relief washed over her.
“Will you forgive me?” Portia said, her eyes pleading.
“Oh, yes,” Alethea cried, and she wrapped her arms around Portia. Finally, she found a real family. She was bound to these people in a special way. No one could destroy or take away the sudden friendships God had provided. And their friendships would carry on to the next life.
The others gathered around them, and one by one they greeted Alethea. They were all slaves and greeted her formally.
They settled down on the ground, forming a circle. Some of the men said a few prayers, then everyone sang songs of praises to God. They read from one of the scrolls Ace had in his hands, and shortly thereafter, Ace held out a basket of unleavened bread, and in his other hand was a large goblet of wine.
“We pray to You, Father, and thank You for the body of Christ who suffered and died in our stead. It’s in His name we pray, Amen.” He broke off a piece of flat bread and passed it around the circle, each one breaking off a piece and eating it. “We do this in memory of His death. The bread is a symbol of His body that was sacrificed for our sins. And the wine represents his blood.”
Now she understood why outsiders believed Christians were cannibals. When the bread and wine came to her, she broke off a piece and took a sip, bringing to mind all of what David had told her about Christ’s death.
eighteen
In bare feet, Alethea danced for the first time with joy before her family. She danced for God, not for them. She swung her sash around her and sang out in Latin. It didn’t matter what language she sang in anymore, she knew in her heart to whom she belonged.
The words were about love, but she sang the words to her God. She even invented some of her own lyrics. Of course, she made them sound like love songs; they could have been sung to a man or a woman. Though the others would be fooled, she knew in her heart, and her God knew, that they were meant for Him.
The things that normally bothered her seemed like petty troubles to her now, except for her marriage to Demetri, but she had time to deal with that later.
She sprang across the room then stopped to hit the low notes good and hard. Funny. She noticed that her voice sounded much better when her heart was in it. She spun around her grandfather, snubbing his smiles, and glided past Demetri’s couch. He watched her with an intensity she had never noticed before. He used to ignore her.
She gave the sash one last wave and flung it into the air, watching it plunge to the ground as she held her note. When the sash touched the floor, she ended her song. The family cheered and encouraged her to sing again.
Ω
Alethea waited on the balcony for the boy to return with a message from David. Apparently, David knew she had become a Christian, but all these months she had heard nothing from him. She twirled her hair nervously. She was now fourteen, so Demetri had a right to marry her.
Finally, the boy returned. “What news do you have?” she asked. The boy neither smiled nor frowned.
“Mistress. Damonus sends word that if you truly are sorrowful, you would have made things right by now. He said to live by your name.”
The words pierced her heart. He still hadn’t forgiven her.
“That will be all,” she shouted to the boy, though the knot in her throat made it sound like a hoarse cry. She turned on her sandals and headed back down the stairs. What could he mean? At least he had spoken to her this time. Normally, the boy would have no message except that she was not forgiven.
How was she to make things right? What did he expect of her? She shuffled to her bedchamber and threw herself on the bed. Tears welled in her eyes. Live by her name. What did that mean? She needed to speak with someone.
She sent for Portia who came immediately by her side.
“What’s troubling you?”
Alethea wrapped her arms around Portia and cried onto her stola. “What must I do to be forgiven?”
“But you have been forgiven, dear. If you’re truly sorry and confess your sins to the Lord, He will forgive you.”
“Perhaps the Lord has forgiven me, but Damonus has not. Oh, Portia. I told that horrible lie. They flogged him because of me.” She went on to tell Portia the entire story, and when she finished, Portia was able to help Alethea understand what David’s words meant. It was time to undo the lie and tell the truth.
Ω
David walked into the plaza. What a relief it was to be out of those shackles. His legs felt light and he couldn’t help but wonder if each step he took was much higher than necessary. Of course, he was allowed to be free of the shackles when he was sparring in the gymnasium, and despite the chains, Titus still expected David to stay in good physical condition. He’d gotten creative with his exercises and stretches, and tramping up and down the Vibian Hill helped.
David stopped and eyed the stakes. He hadn’t looked at the wooden pillars since he was last flogged two years ago. They loomed over him like mocking giants, and their wooden scent wafted o
ver him in the slight breeze. He shuddered. When he was at the villa, he’d only been allowed to remain in the gymnasium. Surprisingly, Aloysius never asked for David to come juggle for the family, but that was probably because Titus could do that himself. That meant David never had to step a foot out of the sandy arena.
All was quiet. No one was around. The entire family had gone to the Vibian Hill to worship Mars, and Titus left David alone to become reacquainted with the villa. An animal’s paws clicked on the stone tiles. David turned to see a dog wagging his tail and coming toward him with a friendly greeting. He licked David’s leg and nuzzled his hand. The only creature there to greet him.
He wondered what happened to Alethea. He half expected her to pounce on him when he arrived. Not that he was anxious to see the little child. Yes, he was grateful she finally told the truth, but it sure took her long enough. Besides, he was happy at the vineyards with no master constantly looking over his shoulder, scrutinizing his every move. Now he hoped Aloysius would do just that. Scrutinize everything. David planned to impress him in every way he could. He’d do whatever it took to earn his life back.
As for Alethea, it’d be best not to go anywhere near her. As soon as he learned he would return, he determined not to get close to her again. The farther away he stayed from his master’s granddaughter, the better off he would be. And the greater chance he would have of being set free. Now that Aloysius knew the truth, David hoped to begin where he left off in earning his freedom. He prayed Elohim provided this as his opportunity.
He wandered toward the stables, curious to know how much had changed. Not many slaves were around, and he wondered if he’d meet up with the stable boys or if they were forced to join the family. He was anxious to meet his Christian family again, and he was curious to know how things were going with the master’s granddaughter having joined their gatherings. He’d done what he intended while working in the vineyards and planted the church there. David smiled at the irony of it all.
