THE PRIEST OF SANTA MARIA

  ( CHAPTER  38 )  -  { PT.  1 }                                                                Christiano lay on a kingsize bed gazing contemplatively at the concave ceiling above him. The walls surrounding him were papered with trees abundant with robins and butterflies perched on lush, verdant leaves. The black notebook and the framed parchment were by his side. Angelica breezed out of the en-suite bathroom, changed, refreshed and ready for a little rest before dinner. Are you okay? With his thoughts disrupted, he turned to face her. Do you believe that premonition? That we are the reincarnation of Mary and Joseph? Have you translated the parchment already? I was going to take a look after dinner, but to be honest, I do not see Kurush as an incompetent man. And to fabricate all this would be an orchest...

{ PT.  20 } - His screams curdled the blood running through my veins. Then his body transformed into an obelisk that stood tall and firm. A man appeared dressed in long black robes, with a red sash and a ring of gold with a large amethyst stone. His hair was a lustrous white, with a streak of silver running through its centre. The man's hands were thick with blood, and it dripped on to the obelisk, which caught fire and devoured him. The voice spoke for the last time. Follow the road to Rome, to an enclave by the Tiber. There you will find the Emperor who has strayed. He will lead you to the Messiah. So I say to you, Jannara that was, go forth and ensure you meet the wishes of Mother Mary. You will know what to do, instinctively, as you are Jannara and your Soul is imprinted with the Messiah's instructions. Christiano looked up from the little black notebook through a new set of eyes--like a new-born seeing for the very first time. He found no words nor questions to catch Kurus...

{ PT.  19 } - He pointed beneath his left eye where I saw a cross etched into his skin. Christiano paused and made a visible gulp as the implausible took hold of his senses and sunk its teeth in. He looked round at the others to see Kurush looking round at the others to see Kurush looking at him with a confident smile and a told-you-so glint in his eyes. Christiano dragged his gaze away and back to the book, clearing his throat before proceeding. I was pulled to the left, lined face to face with the woman, whose hair fell from her head, leaving it naked. She turned around and ran her fingers from the centre of her earlobes to the center of her head. Where her fingertips met there appeared the very same mark. I was thrust back to my place. She faced me now, her hair fully grown. I watched in fright as her abdomen swelled and a baby sprung forth. As she held the child in her arms, the voice spoke once more. Jannara, Mary and Joseph will be reincarnated once more in the time of your s...

{ PT.  18 } - The central star, the one I did not recognise, was the brightest of theme all. The others I knew as Zarasta's Royal stars, Aldebaran, Antares, Fomalhaut and Regulus. A light appeared running from Aldebaran to Antares and from Fomalhaut to Regulus and ended on the central unknown star, which shone brighter. Then once more, each star dazzled one by one in the order of Aldebaran, Antares, Fomalhaut, Regulus, and then the unknown star. The voice spoke once more, Jannara as I speak, so my words and the vision drawn upon the heavens are imprinted in your Soul for eternity. The secret compartment will remain locked until the fiftieth year of your second and final incarnation, and must only be unlock by following the exact sequence of the Royals, as shown on the heavens. You are to heavens. You are to scribe the following riddle on the underside of the main compartment. I am Jannara. On the fiftieth year of my second and final incarnation, follow the status of each Royal thro...

{ PT.  17 } - I held it, and kissed it and laid it upon my eyes, calling upon my elders to bear witness to the miracle that was. And we knew without doubt that it was the truth. And my elders gave it to me, the treasurer of our tribe, for safe-keeping. That same night a vision was bestowed upon me, whereupon me, whereupon I saw His mother, Mary, and Joseph standing before me. A circle of light crowned Mary's head, and she welcomed me with the same reverent smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but the voice was not her own. It did portend to the future demise of the Messiah. The voice then commanded me to fetch the swaddling with which the Lady Mary had gifted me. I retrieved it from my home and presented it to Her, upon which She continued, Listen carefully to my words Jannara, as the Messiah himself chose you for this task. You must construct a box from the wood of the Cypress. In it, you will place the swaddling for safekeeping. In the lid of the box, you must construct a secret...

{ PT.  16 } - His father granted our wishes and my own eyes fell upon the heavenly creature, the Saviour predicted to summon the new age and save the Jews from their prescutors. When looked upon the Saviour's face, my life was changed, implicitly. His mother, Mary, allowed me to hold him in my arms, and his fingers touched my face, and my heart ripped open. I wept like never before, as I have wept many times since. I believe his essence lives in my body and now guides my life through its motions. I still feel the lightness with which he has left my mind and body. We gave him our gifts, and before our parting, Mother Mary gave me one of His swaddling bands as a gift. I thanked her reverently. Her angelica presence was filled with such humility and peace. As we journeyed home that same Star that had guided us to the Messiah, guided us safely back to our homeland, avoiding the route of Herod's kingdom. Once home we shared our experiences with our tribe and elders, showing them the...

  { PT.  15 } - But there are five stars, said Angelica. Yes, this one, in the center, is what Jannara refers to as the unknown. It materialised in the sky for the first time that night, five years ago, and disappeared the moment I plunged the pin into the central hole. It was all over the papers the next day. I have a copy here if. . . Yes, I remember reading about it in the paper, interrupted Christiano. It appeared just beneath the Pole Star and flickered for about five minutes before disappearing. And it has never been seen since. It was named The God Star. That's correct. That was our star. Now to the parchment. It is long, and I have transcribed it into a notebook for you to read yourselves. You will need to keep an open mind. He pulled on the middle drawer and removed a small black notebook, opened it to the relevant page and placed it on the table before them. Will you read it aloud please, Christiano? requested Angelica. I will, but first, I read Ancient Greek too. I ...