THE MERCHANTS
Gaza, City of Ports from the East, Philistines’ valuable pearl, at your foot was the Mediterranean’s flowing bluish, the sea’s current ever curving waves. To your minarets came the warm rushing wind blowing from the desert; the Arabs salute you! The merchants fully loved your sweet-scented fragrances, the aromas of your terrains, and the afternoon cool summer breeze before proceeding to enter the everlasting boundless dunes of Etham and Paran. Gaza is at the edge of Palestine’s wilderness and the first desert’s Oasis.
The cracked, torn tower where the Collared-dove can nest year-round, through these bird’s lasts, was their sweet soothing sounds emanating from a distance. The Rufous Nightingale’s, were singing their powerful sounds and beautiful rhyming, carried by the beguiling wind in the meadows scattered with dazzling beautiful flowers. Those thin, graceful white Gazelles, with their curved, ringed horns, were roaming around their mountainous hillsides, and from the rich greener pastures were the long-haired goats grazing.
When an Arab man was sitting in his Camel’s back and gave a penetrating look, analyzing the reddish boundless skies; when he saw what spreads on his foot, were dried, devoid, eerie and accursed sand; when his throat quenched from thirst and in desperation to find one more spring; then he will shout aloud to enliven and revive his Camel’s soul; then closed his eyes, imagining Persian’s garden in a pleasant, gorgeous terrain, scattered with flowers all over. And across those undulating, glowing hot sands that can dry throats and burn eyelashes…………….was Gaza, with tens of his fields, palms, cool springs, and peaceful people, truly merciful to strangers, good-natured and friendly to different races. In this mode, will the Arab sing and enrich his imaginations to give the stoic Camel an act of courage. Gaza was like Arab’s real town; his love and affection for those fortresses were equal to his love and respect for his tents and horse.
For leaving Gaza, and to enter and travel to Egypt was a point of no return. Reaching the Syrian flat land, will he turn around to look for his last goodbye. And if those palms and minarets were no longer in sight, realizing that the hot sand, steaming vapor’s air that burn skins were welcoming him, then he knows that this is a sign of dangers and undetermined adversities were awaiting him. For this reason, lamenting and extreme anguish will escape his lips. Perhaps tears of distress will flow through his bronze-colored cheeks.
Gaza City, the merchants meeting place from Jerusalem and Egypt, and the Arab’s business beehives; at the city’s edge, where they hurl their camping tents, and his ports were the marketplace. From there, they spread like honeybees looking for flowers to suck-up, to fill-up and make his business a fortune.
Gaza’s location was at the lengthy mountain ridge, where the sea waves were constantly beating it’s valleys. Watching from a distance were their white houses, looking like herds of sheep, and just like a group of goats going to bathe. In the year 599 before Jesus was born, Cyrus, King of Persia, built the fence around it, and after two months, he attacked them and triumphed. Since that attack, the destroyed fortresses were restored and became a charming resting place for his peaceful people, especially in the summertime. And one morning before sunrise, the Holy Family arrived in this City.
Just how much suffering the travelers had endured from the entire time they were traveling abroad. They sleep in the deserts, in the dark caves, slippery cliffs, and the filthy dense jungles at night. But according to history, in Bethlehem, there was a cavern where the Blessed Virgin stayed by herself throughout the day, while Saint Joseph went to Jerusalem, knowing that endangering himself was a certain. The purpose of the Patriarch’s travel to Herod’s City that persecutes them was unknown. Perhaps he’s looking for a group of merchants in the surrounding area but he did not find one. Maybe to sell his wife’s gems to use for their expenses, the help they absolutely need for their long and difficult journey.
Joseph stopped beside the Sycamore tree and helped Mary get off from that poor ride, and then he had her situated under that foot’s tree. Unloading some valuable items from the tired donkey, Joseph scattered them around the trees, the Nazareth’s Family’s entire treasure. Dimas kept his promise, for one white lamb was jumping beside Mary, and the Blessed Virgin was gently pointing to her child the bandit’s gift.
—“Mary,” said Joseph after he finished his works. —“God gloriously delivered us here at the desert’s doorway, safe and unharmed; God will also be the one to protect and keep us calm from the duration of our final destination, from this desert’s tremendous immensity.
—“God is Almighty,” Mary replied. —“For all the great and astonishing fascinations of humanity, were God’s wonder.”
—“Great is my pleasure and appreciation when you express your approval, but I have to leave for a moment. We also need to do everything we can so that our journey would not be too difficult. We are truly poor……………but I am hoping that we can save some money to afford your fare for the first conveyor to Egypt.”
Then Joseph went, holding the bridle, leading the donkey, and went to Gaza City. The fortresses were just about one hundred steps afar from their location. Mary was left alone bearing her child, sitting under the Sycamore tree’s shades. From her blue eyes, filled with sweetness and kindness, was a drop of tear flowing through, a quiet, silent tear for her gentle horse that served well throughout their journey. The Blessed Virgin gave her tears of emotional sadness, bidding her last farewell to her faithful mule, that never before will come a time for their complete separation, for Joseph was on his way to Gaza’s town to sell her good donkey.
After the Blessed Virgin wiped her flowing tears from her cheeks, she then spread a leather skin, a poor’s mat, and laid her child. Then she prepared a meal, palm leaves containing some fruit produce, a well served breakfast for her beloved husband’s return.
Since Mary was busy working and amused by her work, she did not notice that not too far from her was two Arab tents, surrounded with ten or twelve resting Camels. She did not also recognize the few people, moving back and forth near the water well, filling-up their big leather bags with water, then slowly lay it on top of their Camel’s curved backs—–the agile Camels, born intentionally for the desert.
One of these people was an older Arab, and if giving a quick glance can be identified as the group leader. He gives orders, not minding the excessive sweating of his comrades from the heavy works. This older man was walking to and fro with his arms folded. From their tent and across the broken hut was a water spring. As he turn around while walking, his eyes riveted to the Blessed Virgin under the Sycamore tree. Then in a sudden, the Arab turned pale like he saw a relative.
As he stand still, he carefully watched, fixated his eyes thoroughly to that Galilean woman who was too busy to her child. Mary did not heed that an Arab man was watching her. At last, he starts nodding his head, the quiet observer of the Blessed Virgin, then with his determined and outlined plan, he went to that tree where Mary and Jesus were resting.
—“Woman, peace be with you,” uttered the old man, then he bowed his head a little.
—“Arab, may that peace protect you,” the calmed Mary answered.
—“Forgive me if my questions may sound uneducated,” the Arab reiterated, —“but the manner of your clothing, to my viewpoint, were from Galilee?”
—“I am from Nazareth,” Mary’s soft reply.
—“And your child were also born from Nazareth?” the old man asked.
—“He was born in Bethlehem in Judah,” Mary said
—“Therefore, you are the fortunate Mary, the mother whom Abraham’s Angels sang and whom the Eastern Kings offered honors and respect!” asked by the surprised old Arab.
—“My child was the one who earned that big honor,” the soft reply of Mary.
—“Forgive me again for asking more questions, but what are you doing in this place? Isn’t this too far from your town? Where are you going?” asked the old man.
—“I am waiting for my husband, and I am going to Egypt,” Mary answered.
—“To Egypt?” the Arab man shouted, he was taken aback by Mary’s response. —“But I don’t see any Camels and companions to usher you?”
—“God is grand and merciful. Who can read his thought? I know nothing, other than I am going to Egypt.”
Mary’s mysterious words, the sweet and soft melody of her speech worries the old Arab, and he immediately responds like this:
—“Fortunate woman, Kings offered you honors in high regard, who lived in a stable and now preparing to travel to that enormous desert of Etham and Paran. A dangerous quest that will carry out by walking alone? With no instructions or guide? I respect you even if I don’t understand you. Please tell your husband, when he returned, that Arab Hassaf is leaving today to Heliopolis, the Sun City, and will continue to Alexandria. I am offering my friendship and my Camel. I will wait in my tent, hoping for his acceptance.”
That Hassaf was none other than the Arab who was at Elias’s water well and in Bethlehem. He bade farewell to the Blessed Virgin and returned to his companions.
After an hour, Joseph came back from Gaza City and went straight to his beloved wife. The old man was gloomy and seemingly contemplating. Mary greeted him with a smile on her lips and asked his reason for being lonely.
—“Why do you feel bad, my loving husband?” the affectionate Mary asked.
—“We may need to go on our own, with no guide to accompany us; we did not even know that endless ways. We don’t even have the Camel to make our journey quicker.” the Patriarch said.
—“God doesn’t forget his good people,” Mary replied in a caring voice.
—“God sent us a merciful merchant while you were at the City looking for some groups that we can pay and could take us to Egypt, but the old man was offering to usher us to Sun City without fare.” Mary’s voice was elated.
—“Is that true?” Joseph asked in amazement.
—“Hear me,” the Virgin continues. —“Can you see that old man walking around, with his arms folded to his chest in front of his tent? Well, that man was the group leader, that one standing beside those ruins? They are leaving right now to Heliopolis, and they offer to take us with them.”
Joseph was ecstatic, and he went right away to see the Arab man. This man offered Joseph one Camel for Mary to ride with no compensation.
—“Jew,” said Hassaf to him. —“I have nothing to offer you but just one Camel, the only one left. The rest of my Camels are all taken, rented by the merchants from Gaza. They are going to bring their merchandise to Alexandria. I am sorry, but you have to walk along with my servants.”
—“That is so sweet,” Joseph replied, filled with joy, —“I am fully satisfied to see my beloved wife and my child content and not worn out in this journey.”
Full of excitement and pleased to find a group of polite merchants that offers them favor, provided a relief, free of charge for generosity and kindness, Joseph the Patriarch forgot and did not care for the threatening hardships awaiting him from that immense desert.
All he wants was to have means of transport for his mother and child.
Preparing to leave, the Galilean put on top of the borrowed Camel, the Arab lend them, a big secured bag, containing his carpentry tools. His only hope in Egypt, to earn a living and cover all their needs for hard work, like when they were in Nazareth.
After a while, all were ready, the merchants from Gaza joined the Egyptians, and Hassaf the Arab man, ordered to put their tents away and begin to journey!………………………………………..
Sapphire Blue Diamond 