**Disclaimer: In no way does The Passion of the Christ belong to me. I am merely the storyteller here to spread the tale.
Veronica's Veil
I stepped outside at the call of a small child, cup of water still in my hand. There was a great commotion and crowds of people were scrambling to the streets. I pulled the child to so she could be safe from the stampeding throng. As soon as the group had passed, I followed to the road they were headed for. I stood in the midst of the gathering and watched.
There was no doubt who it was marching though the street, bearing a cross on the back. He was covered in blood, sweat, and was struggling to support the cross cast on his back, despite the fact that another man was helping. All around, people were laughing and mocking the one who many called the Messiah. They jeered and spat upon his face as if he was a criminal. Few others were crying, sobbing for this man who suffers. I had never met him, and yet I feel that he is truly the holy one; I had faith in the tales I had heard of him. Though I had never seen his face before, I trusted what I was told for years. He had fed a group of thousands of people with five loaves and two fish, leaving enough left over to fill twelve baskets. He had taught sinners to sin no more, healed the sick, and showed kindness to those least pure. He turned water into wine, walked on water, and raised the dead. There was no doubt; this was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
It pained me to see him suffering like this, when he was the least deserving. As soon as the guards were distracted, I stepped through the crowd. He was in much pain. I knelt down and took the veil from my head, offering it to him to clean his face. He gave me a look of gratitude as he took the cloth and pressed it against his face, the blood soaking into the cloth. I watched, suddenly seeing him… hardly any different than any other person. For the moment he was cleaning his face, he seemed more human, as if he was just one of us, instead on the one who was sent to redeem us. He held the cloth to me, and I handed him the cup of water, hoping to quench his thirst. He accepted it and was about to drink it, when a soldier knocked the cup away from him, spilling the precious liquid on the road. He then took me by the arm to watch from the edge of the street. The procession moved onward to the hilltop.
I stayed behind, clutching the precious cloth in my hands and knew what was to happen. To crucify the Messiah would be a grave mistake.
**A/N: Yes, I know, it is very, very, very short, but this is what I felt was needed. I saw the movie on Good Friday and really felt (how can I put this?) a lot of… emotion. I knew I could write about this, and so I did. I haven't made a final decision about this yet, but I may do up to three more fics on The Passion. The title comes from the document that Veronica was based on in the movie, Veronica's Veil. Whether you enjoyed it or not is for you to decide; like I said before, I am just the storyteller. Pls let me know what you think of it. Salamat to GoldAngel2 for beta-reading this fic and for giving me some great pointers, and to you for reading!