Johann Quisumbing

A short story by JQuisumbing

Continued…

They arrived at Cadasa just before the sunset. Elpida hopped off the cart she was riding on at the outskirts of the town. Saying a fond farewell to the old cart driver, she headed for a pathway that skirted the town’s perimeter wall. She came to a cluster of farm houses and went straight to the farthest house. As she came close, she can hear a little girl’s screaming. Elpida quickened her pace. Not hesitating, she didn’t bother knocking and pushed open the door to find a woman, her cousin, and a young lad struggling to calm a smaller child girl shaking and thrashing on the floor.

Elpida embraced her daughter as she squirmed in her arms. Eventually, she calmed down and fell asleep. Elpida nodded to the young lad who came and carried the little girl to her sleeping pallet.

“I expected you four days ago,” said her cousin calmly and like she expected her. “I hope you were successful this time.”

“No. I just missed him in Galilee. But now he is nowhere to be seen.”

“So, what is your next plan, cousin?”

“I intend to search for him closer to the source. You remember my friend, Demacli, the one who wrote and told me about the man of Nazareth who is performing God-like miracles throughout the lands of the Jews. He convinced me to move to his city at Hippus… one of the free cities of the Greeks. He said that this healer will again stop by to his city.”

“How does he know this and why would this Jew go there… a city not of his own?”

“Demacli was just like my Yllana, in fact, he was a lot worse. I would know, he came to me once, but I could not help him. This man…” she paused in thought and then said, “This God-man freed him from not just one or two evil spirits, but a legion of them. He is the one I have been searching for. Yllana and I will leave the end of the week.”

To be continued…

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