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"This is it," Joshua said "Co to have John baptize me today"

"Which will make it different from yesterday in ay?"

"You'll see I have a feeling" And off he went

The new guy prairie-dogged up out of his pit He was tall, the new guy, and the ht on his bald scalp as he looked around He noticed so where Joshua had just relieved himself Lush blossoms of a half-dozen vibrant colors stood surrounded by the deadest landscape on the planet "Hey, were those there yesterday?"

"That always happens," I said "We don't talk about it"

"Wow," said the new guy "Can I tag along with you guys?"

"Sure," I said

And thus did we become four

At the river, John preached to a s as he lowered Joshua into the water As soon as Joshua went under the water a rift opened across the desert sky, which was still pink with the dawn, and out of the rift caht And everyone on the riverbank said "ooh" and "ahh," and a big voice boo, "This is my son, hom I am well pleased" And as quickly as it had coatherers at the riverbank stood with theiryet into the sky

And John ca, and lifted Joshua out of the water And Joshua wiped the water out of his eyes, looked at the croho stood stunned withopen, and he said unto them: "What?"

"No, really, Josh, that's what the voice said, 'This is my son, hom I am well pleased'"

Joshua shook his head and chewed a breakfast locust "I can't believe he couldn't wait until I came up You're sure it was my father?"

"Sounded like hied Actually it sounded like James Earl Jones, but I didn't know that back then

"That's it," said Joshua "I' into the desert like Moses did, forty days and forty nights" Joshua got up and started walking into the desert "Fro from my father That was my last locust"

"I wish I could say that," said the new guy

As soon as Joshua was out of sight I ran toto Bethany, and another hour asking around before someone could direct me to the house of Jakan, prominent Pharisee and ed lih wall around the courtyard Jakan had done very well for himself, the prick You could house a dozen fauys a shekel each to stand by the wall so I could climb on their shoulders

"How much did he say this was?"

"He said it was a shekel"

"Doesn't feel like a shekel"

"Would you guys quit feeling your shekels and stand still, I' to fall"

I peeped over the top of the wall and there, sitting under the shade of an awning, working at a sed, it was only that she'd become irl I was stunned I guess I expected so that ht have shaped a ht, perhaps the disappointment was yet to come She was married to a rich man, a man hen I knew him, had been a bully and a dolt And what had always really e, and her wit I wondered if those things could have survived all these years with Jakan I started to shake, bad balance or fear, I don't know, but I put my hand on top of the wall to steady myself and cut myself on so the top

"Ouch, dammit"

"Biff?" Maggie said, as she looked ht before I tuuys

I had just cliie came around the corner and hitwith lips She kissed me so hard that I could taste blood frolorious She sirl sweat - and felt better than memory could ever allow When she finally relaxed her eth, there were tears in her eyes And mine

"He dead?" said one of the blind men

"Don't think so, I can hear hi"

"Sure smells better than he did"

"Biff, your face cleared up," Maggie said

"You recognized "

"I wasn't sure at first," she said, "so I was taking a risk junized that" She pointed to where rabbed that betraying rascal, shirtfront and all, and led ate by it

"Co, but we can catch up Are you okay?" she said, looking over her shoulder, giving me a squeeze

"Yeah, yeah, I' to think of a metaphor"

"He got a wouys say

"Yeah, I heard her drop Boost me up, I'll feel around"

In the courtyard, with Maggie, over wine, I said, "So you really didn't recognize me?"

"Of course I recognized you I've never done that before I just hope no one saw me, they still stone women for that"

"I know Oh, Maggie, I have so much to tell you"

She took my hand "I know" She looked intobeyond me

"He's fine," I said, finally "He's gone into the desert to fast and wait for a e from the Lord"

She smiled There was a little of my blood in the corners of her mouth, or maybe that ine "He's come home to take his place as the Messiah then?"

"Yes But I don't think the way people think"

"People think that John ht be the Messiah"

"John isHe's"

"He's really pissing Herod off," Maggie offered

"I know"

"Are you and Josh going to stay with John?"

"I hope not I want Joshua to leave I just have to get hi on Maybe this fast"

The iron lock on the gate to the courtyard rattled, then the whole gate shook Maggie had locked it behind us after we'd entered Atrouble with his key

Maggie stood and pulledin Cana next month with o, he's got so Joshua"

"I'll try"

She ran to the closest wall and held her hand in a stirrup "Over"

"But, Maggie"

"Don't be a wuss Step, hands - step, shoulders - and over Be careful of the pottery on top"

And I ran - did exactly as she'd said: one foot in the stirrup, one on her shoulder, and over the wall before Jakan could get in the gate

"Got one!" said one of the old blind guys as I tumbled down on top of them

"Hold her still while I stick it in"

I was sitting on a boulder, waiting for Joshua when he ca hi me catch hi He had been sh to coat all the exposed parts of his skin with mud, probably , but in a few spots on his forehead and hands the one, burned to raw flesh His arirl's, they swam in the wide sleeves of his tunic

"You okay?"

He nodded I handed hi cool in the shade He drank in little sips, pacing himself

"Locust?" I said, holding up one of the crispy torer

At the sight of it I thought Joshua would vo," I said I whipped open the s, olives, cheese, a half-dozen flat loaves of bread, and a full wineskin I'd sent the new guy into Jericho the day before to bring back the food

Josh looked at the food spilling out of the satchel and grinned, then covered his mouth with his hand "Ow Ouch Ow"

"What's wrong?"

"Lipschapped"

"Myrrh," I said, pulling a s it to him

An hour later the Son of God was refreshed and rejuvenated, and we sat sharing the last of the wine, the first that Joshua had had since we'd coo

"So, what did you see in the desert?"

"The Devil"

"The Devil?"

"Yep He te I turned him down"

"What did he look like?"

"He was tall"

"Tall? The prince of darkness, the serpent of temptation, the source of all corruption and evil, and all you can say about him is he was tall?"

"Pretty tall"

"Oh, good, I'll be on the lookout then"

Joshua said, pointing at the new guy "He's tall, too" I realized then that the Messiah ht be a little tipsy

"Not the Devil, Josh"

"Well, who is he then?"

"I' with you to Cana tomorrow"

Joshua wheeled around toto Cana tomorrow?"

"Yes, Maggie's there, Josh She's dying"