12-21-2020, 10:30 PM
Just before they rounded the corner to where the others waited, a group of four soldiers marched somewhat wearily from the
opposite direction to that from which they had come, making for the inn. Joseph eyed them, and nervously gulped "Herod's men.
They're certain trouble."
Ninurta looked at the soldiers and snorted. "Not so much. there's only four of 'em. Leave 'em to me if they get problematic."
Joseph just stared at the stranger like he was a crazy man, but said nothing. Obviously, this fellow had no idea when it came to
trained soldiers. Mary's husband figured that maybe the cold had gotten to the tall, skinny man's brain, but said nothing.
In the stable, Joseph started unpacking the donkey and setting up accommodations for Mary as far to the back as practicable,
after they had lit a couple of lamps for light. The rest set out clearing straw from the floor to build a fire.
"This'll have to be watched close..." the GunMan muttered "...All this straw makes this place a tinder box, but we gotta have
it fer the lady over there."
After the straw and detritus had been sufficiently cleared away, Ninurta scooped out a pit in the floor to help contain the fire and
lit it, using a bit of straw to kindle it and some broken sticks laying around to build it which BIAD and Tibbs had gathered up.
Not long after everything was set up, Mary went into labour in earnest. Joseph was lost, and somewhat frantic.
He'd never attended to a birthing, and the realization suddenly hit home.
In common with first-time fathers throughout the ages, he had not a clue what to do. Ninurta didn't, either. He wasn't any sort
of a doctor, beyond patching up battlefield wounds long enough to get the victim to a real medic. Boy In A Dress came to the rescue,
sidling up to Ninurta and whispering "all those folks in the inn - there's bound to be someone there who can help. A midwife or doctor
or something. You might want to check into that.... soon?"
It was as if a light bulb had lit up above his head - 2000 years before there even was such a thing.
"Grand idea, BIAD! Maybe you ought to comfort Mary -you'd be better at it, I think, than anyone here." Raising his voice a bit more,
he spoke to the dwarf. "Tibbs,.keep a eye on that fire - don't let it get out of hand."
Then to Joseph "JOSEPH! Yer makin' the critters restless with your bad nerves. Come with me. We got to find a doctor or something.
Let's go" and started for the inn.
The flustered father-to-be, not knowing just what to do, automatically fell in with the command.
At least here was SOMETHING he could do.
After making a few inquiries inside the bustling inn, Joseph finally found a real live midwife. Not a resident there, but a guest, just
passing through for the census. She said she's be out directly, after she'd gathered a few things up that would be necessary.
Joseph and Ninurta headed back to the stables.
As they cleared the door of the inn, the soldiers -all four of them -followed and stopped them outside.
"You there! Did I hear you right, saying a birth was about to happen?" Ninurta and Joseph stopped dead in their tracks, but it was the tall
man that turned around. "Why sure! what of it?" he grinned - the toothsome grin, not the happy one. It looked as if his estimate of what
these soldiers would do had been a bit off.
"Show us where. We've a job to do." the soldier replied with a girded-tone of authority.
"And what sort of 'job' have you got involving an infant?" Ninurta responded as the soldiers approached closer.
"That's not your concern, you idiot! Who are you to question the kings men? Lead us to it -NOW -or life is about to get hard for you, serf."
Joseph was near frantic, but the Gunman's grin got even wider, showing more tooth. "Idiot, am I? Well cap, with a winning personality
like you've got, how can I refuse? And I SURE don't want MY life getting rough!" He looked back to Joseph, who gave all appearances of
being prepared to strangle the taller-man with his bare hands.
"Joe, you go on and check on yer ass, whilst I show these gents to the birthing room" and he threw Joseph a wink. "It's right THIS way,
gentlemen" Ninurta said to the waiting quartet and with an almost servile stance to the soldiers, he indicated a direction that went between
two nearby buildings, rather than the path to the stables.
"We've got 'em all snugged up in a storage shed over here.... follow me" and he set off for the alleyway.
The soldiers followed, and Joseph skittered back to the stable with a warning - they'd have to pack up and get out of there, before the
soldiers finished flaying the oddly-acting Gunman. He had to wonder at the tall man's apparent willingness to sacrifice himself for strangers.
A few minutes later, Joseph was standing in the mouth of the stable with a pole in his hand, watching, as the rest were pretending to pack
up at his warning. Pretending, because the Man-Girl had realized that, no matter what, Mary was in no condition to travel now.
That was when Joseph glanced over his shoulder and saw a tall, lean figure approaching, appearing to coalesce out of the snow storm itself.
Just one.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized Ninurta, but he kept peering into the storm behind Ninurta, his knuckles whitening with
his death-grip on the pole, looking for the soldiers. "Where'd they go?" he asked easy-strolling Ninurta when the other had approached
close enough for hearing. "Oh... they recalled another engagement" the Gunslinger responded simply.
Joseph's eyes narrowed. "Another engagement? In this?" he peered at their new -and seemingly enigmatic escort, more closely.
"Where are they REALLY? We've got to get out of here before they come." he said in a worried tone. "You can only misdirect them
so far... but they'll be back"
Ninurta pulled Joseph aside and whispered "they're not gonna be a problem - unless we're still here when this snow melts."
Tibbs looked up from his task and decided to remain quiet. Good or bad, Ninurta did what he did best and no amount of
rebuking would make any difference. He kept on with sweeping the floor.
Joseph stared without comprehension at the man in the buckskin attire, so the man with the dangerous eyes added
"They're in a snowbank out there. I don't want to still be here when it melts off of them, get it?." he stated simply.
Joseph wasn't believing that, not for an instant. "Four armed and trained soldiers of the king, against only you, and you're
telling me that they've been vanquished? By just YOU?"
Ninurta gave him a lopsided grin, and said "Yeah, I know. They were outnumbered from the start. Didn't have a chance."
Joseph studied this character in an already situation of chaos for a moment, looking for any sign of guile.
Finally, he said "So you're a soldier, too?" "Used to be" Ninurta responded. "Don't know if I am now or not. I don't really
know WHAT I am now. Traveling guardsman, I reckon, but whatever I am, those soldiers ain't gonna bother any one any more."
Then, the GunMan abruptly switched the subject, to cut off any further questioning. "So what is it YOU do fer a living, Joseph?"
Joseph, still not sure of whether they were really safe or not, simply said "I'm a carpenter" in a distracted sort of way.
"Izzat so? My name used to be Carpenter." Ninurta commented, staring into the swirling snows, and noting the approach
of the midwife, finally.
Joseph, having a sudden thought, said with widened eyes "Tell me the truth, mister. Are you folk angels? Did God send you?"
That question took Ninurta by surprise.
"Angels? Why hell no, I sure ain't no 'angel'! I reckon it's like Tibbs told you - we're just here to help."
As the midwife entered the ranshackle stable and set about her business, Ninurta stared at the swirling, nearly hypnotic snow,
and suddenly realized he was back on Earth - a home that no longer existed in his time. A place he thought he'd never see again.
After a moment, he cleared his throat and wiped an eye, and answered in a subdued voice.
"As far as who sent me, I can't be rightly sure of that. All I can say for certain is that it's good to be back home for Christmas."
Joseph looked perplexed. "For what?" This tall scrawny fellow sure had an odd way of expressing himself with strange foreign
phrases.
...........................................
(To Be Continued)
opposite direction to that from which they had come, making for the inn. Joseph eyed them, and nervously gulped "Herod's men.
They're certain trouble."
Ninurta looked at the soldiers and snorted. "Not so much. there's only four of 'em. Leave 'em to me if they get problematic."
Joseph just stared at the stranger like he was a crazy man, but said nothing. Obviously, this fellow had no idea when it came to
trained soldiers. Mary's husband figured that maybe the cold had gotten to the tall, skinny man's brain, but said nothing.
In the stable, Joseph started unpacking the donkey and setting up accommodations for Mary as far to the back as practicable,
after they had lit a couple of lamps for light. The rest set out clearing straw from the floor to build a fire.
"This'll have to be watched close..." the GunMan muttered "...All this straw makes this place a tinder box, but we gotta have
it fer the lady over there."
After the straw and detritus had been sufficiently cleared away, Ninurta scooped out a pit in the floor to help contain the fire and
lit it, using a bit of straw to kindle it and some broken sticks laying around to build it which BIAD and Tibbs had gathered up.
Not long after everything was set up, Mary went into labour in earnest. Joseph was lost, and somewhat frantic.
He'd never attended to a birthing, and the realization suddenly hit home.
In common with first-time fathers throughout the ages, he had not a clue what to do. Ninurta didn't, either. He wasn't any sort
of a doctor, beyond patching up battlefield wounds long enough to get the victim to a real medic. Boy In A Dress came to the rescue,
sidling up to Ninurta and whispering "all those folks in the inn - there's bound to be someone there who can help. A midwife or doctor
or something. You might want to check into that.... soon?"
It was as if a light bulb had lit up above his head - 2000 years before there even was such a thing.
"Grand idea, BIAD! Maybe you ought to comfort Mary -you'd be better at it, I think, than anyone here." Raising his voice a bit more,
he spoke to the dwarf. "Tibbs,.keep a eye on that fire - don't let it get out of hand."
Then to Joseph "JOSEPH! Yer makin' the critters restless with your bad nerves. Come with me. We got to find a doctor or something.
Let's go" and started for the inn.
The flustered father-to-be, not knowing just what to do, automatically fell in with the command.
At least here was SOMETHING he could do.
After making a few inquiries inside the bustling inn, Joseph finally found a real live midwife. Not a resident there, but a guest, just
passing through for the census. She said she's be out directly, after she'd gathered a few things up that would be necessary.
Joseph and Ninurta headed back to the stables.
As they cleared the door of the inn, the soldiers -all four of them -followed and stopped them outside.
"You there! Did I hear you right, saying a birth was about to happen?" Ninurta and Joseph stopped dead in their tracks, but it was the tall
man that turned around. "Why sure! what of it?" he grinned - the toothsome grin, not the happy one. It looked as if his estimate of what
these soldiers would do had been a bit off.
"Show us where. We've a job to do." the soldier replied with a girded-tone of authority.
"And what sort of 'job' have you got involving an infant?" Ninurta responded as the soldiers approached closer.
"That's not your concern, you idiot! Who are you to question the kings men? Lead us to it -NOW -or life is about to get hard for you, serf."
Joseph was near frantic, but the Gunman's grin got even wider, showing more tooth. "Idiot, am I? Well cap, with a winning personality
like you've got, how can I refuse? And I SURE don't want MY life getting rough!" He looked back to Joseph, who gave all appearances of
being prepared to strangle the taller-man with his bare hands.
"Joe, you go on and check on yer ass, whilst I show these gents to the birthing room" and he threw Joseph a wink. "It's right THIS way,
gentlemen" Ninurta said to the waiting quartet and with an almost servile stance to the soldiers, he indicated a direction that went between
two nearby buildings, rather than the path to the stables.
"We've got 'em all snugged up in a storage shed over here.... follow me" and he set off for the alleyway.
The soldiers followed, and Joseph skittered back to the stable with a warning - they'd have to pack up and get out of there, before the
soldiers finished flaying the oddly-acting Gunman. He had to wonder at the tall man's apparent willingness to sacrifice himself for strangers.
A few minutes later, Joseph was standing in the mouth of the stable with a pole in his hand, watching, as the rest were pretending to pack
up at his warning. Pretending, because the Man-Girl had realized that, no matter what, Mary was in no condition to travel now.
That was when Joseph glanced over his shoulder and saw a tall, lean figure approaching, appearing to coalesce out of the snow storm itself.
Just one.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized Ninurta, but he kept peering into the storm behind Ninurta, his knuckles whitening with
his death-grip on the pole, looking for the soldiers. "Where'd they go?" he asked easy-strolling Ninurta when the other had approached
close enough for hearing. "Oh... they recalled another engagement" the Gunslinger responded simply.
Joseph's eyes narrowed. "Another engagement? In this?" he peered at their new -and seemingly enigmatic escort, more closely.
"Where are they REALLY? We've got to get out of here before they come." he said in a worried tone. "You can only misdirect them
so far... but they'll be back"
Ninurta pulled Joseph aside and whispered "they're not gonna be a problem - unless we're still here when this snow melts."
Tibbs looked up from his task and decided to remain quiet. Good or bad, Ninurta did what he did best and no amount of
rebuking would make any difference. He kept on with sweeping the floor.
Joseph stared without comprehension at the man in the buckskin attire, so the man with the dangerous eyes added
"They're in a snowbank out there. I don't want to still be here when it melts off of them, get it?." he stated simply.
Joseph wasn't believing that, not for an instant. "Four armed and trained soldiers of the king, against only you, and you're
telling me that they've been vanquished? By just YOU?"
Ninurta gave him a lopsided grin, and said "Yeah, I know. They were outnumbered from the start. Didn't have a chance."
Joseph studied this character in an already situation of chaos for a moment, looking for any sign of guile.
Finally, he said "So you're a soldier, too?" "Used to be" Ninurta responded. "Don't know if I am now or not. I don't really
know WHAT I am now. Traveling guardsman, I reckon, but whatever I am, those soldiers ain't gonna bother any one any more."
Then, the GunMan abruptly switched the subject, to cut off any further questioning. "So what is it YOU do fer a living, Joseph?"
Joseph, still not sure of whether they were really safe or not, simply said "I'm a carpenter" in a distracted sort of way.
"Izzat so? My name used to be Carpenter." Ninurta commented, staring into the swirling snows, and noting the approach
of the midwife, finally.
Joseph, having a sudden thought, said with widened eyes "Tell me the truth, mister. Are you folk angels? Did God send you?"
That question took Ninurta by surprise.
"Angels? Why hell no, I sure ain't no 'angel'! I reckon it's like Tibbs told you - we're just here to help."
As the midwife entered the ranshackle stable and set about her business, Ninurta stared at the swirling, nearly hypnotic snow,
and suddenly realized he was back on Earth - a home that no longer existed in his time. A place he thought he'd never see again.
After a moment, he cleared his throat and wiped an eye, and answered in a subdued voice.
"As far as who sent me, I can't be rightly sure of that. All I can say for certain is that it's good to be back home for Christmas."
Joseph looked perplexed. "For what?" This tall scrawny fellow sure had an odd way of expressing himself with strange foreign
phrases.
...........................................
(To Be Continued)
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.