Fractured Paradise
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Loruhammah was a priestess in
Cren's Temple at
Magdala. Her mother
Mawlat, was descended from a long line of
priestesses serving there. It was in this context that
Loruhammah came to know the temple
intimately, in addition to the ceremonies held there, and the town of
Magdala itself.
As a young girl, before she was old enough to participate in the ceremonies at the temple, she would wander off and explore Magdala and the surrounding areas, including the Sea of Galilee which stretched out towards to eastern horizon from the edge of town. She enjoyed walking along the shoreline throughout the day and night, watching the shorebirds feed and the boats come and go from the harbor. On the outskirts of the western side of town there were many farms dedicated to the raising of doves used in temple ceremonies. Because of her love for the doves, she was a frequent visitor to these farms and the people at these farms came to know her well, all of them eagerly anticipating her visits, preparing special treats for her to eat when she arrived. After a greetings and a snack, they farm owners would take into the barns where the doves were raised. They would close the doors and release a few doves so that they could fly inside the barn. To the continuous surprise and amusment of the farmers, the doves would never fly frantically away from the visitors when Loruhammah was present. As a matter of fact, they would fly to her and gently perch upon her shoulders, head and arms, which she would extend in greeting. She felt that she know all of the doves in all of the farms, and that she could recognize each of them as they were released at the climax of temple ceremonies, and as unlikely as that may seem, the farmers were all convinced that this was so. All of the farmers were convinced that their doves reproduced at a greater rate after her visits and that their offspring was more beautiful and healthy as well. As a result, there was friendly competition between the farms to have Laruhammah visit their doves first and more frequently. But Loruhammah follwed her own schedule and visited farms in a sequence that they could never understand, but regardless of however long it took for her to arrive, she was always warmly welcomed and their doves were ever more strengthened by her presence. On days when she was not on the shore or at the dove farms, she was watching people at the markets, which lined the streets of Magdala from dawn to dusk. It was here that she would hide beneath tables and peek out at passersby from between woven blankets and sheepskin garments. She felt as though she was invisible as she took note of the goings on around her. When she became hungry, she would simply avail herself to the dates, figs breadloafs sitting in baskets waiting to be sold. Normally, the shopkeepers would chase away children who where in their way and stealing food, but Loruhammah was blessed with a charming smile, soft and beautifully dark skin and a known association with the priestesses at the temple. Her presence was considered an event of good fortune, so she was welcome, if not encouraged, to be there and seen by potential buyers of the shopkeepers goods. But there was an impishness to Loruhamma that would sometimes get to even the most patient and adoring of shopowners, and when she cross their line of tolerance they would take after her, chasing her through the crowds of the marketplace. This was the case on a warm summer day when the heat was putting everyone in the marketplace on edge, anxious for the night to arrive. Loruhammah was playing hide and seek with the elderly man who ran a leather shop. He was trying to piece to together and sew the parts to a pair of sandals that had been order by a customer when Loruhamma slipped a pair of sandles onto her feet and started running around the tent housing the man's shop. Suddenly, the merchant sprang from his stool and took off after her, tripping over one of the stakes to which the tent was anchored. As the tent collapsed, Loruhammah leaped into the the crowd around her with the shop owner close behind. It wasn't too long before Loruhammah's youth outlasted the elder many's experience and he dropped behind and stopped, then slowly worked his way back to his fallen tent. Meanwhile, Loruhammah, not aware that her pursuer had given up, continued to run until she was about to collapse, when suddendly, she ran headlong into another girl her age, both of them falling to the ground and tumbling over each other. In the process of colliding, the clothes of the two girls became loose and their bodies came directly in contact with each other and both girls, even though they were both prepubescent, had felt themselves aroused by the contact. They were blushing profusely from the mutual feeling and looked curiously at each other. Loruhammah looked at the other girl and asker what her name was. "Miryam," was the answer from the other girl who was awash with heaving breath and embarrassment. |
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