FINAL FANTASY VII
'A Countdown To Easter'
The Crucifixion
So the SOLDIER's took charge of Aeris. Carrying her own cross, she went
out to the place of the Skull. Here they crucified her, and with her
two others-one on either side and Aeris in the middle.
Rufus had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: AERIS
OF MIDGAR, THE QUEEN OF ANCIENTS. Many of the ancients read this
sign, for the place where Aeris was crucified was near the City of the
Ancients, and the sign was written in Ancient language. Barrett
protested to Rufus, "Do not write 'The Queen of the Ancients', but
that this woman claimed to be queen of the Ancients."
Rufus answered, "What I have written, I have written."
When the SOLDIER's crucified Aeris, they took her clothes, dividing
them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment
remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to
bottom.
"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot
who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
So this is what the SOLDIER's did.
Near the cross of Aeris stood her mother, Barrett's daughter Marlene,
Tifa the bar hostess, and Cloud Strife. When Aeris saw her mother
there, and her friend whom she loved standing near by, she said to her
mother, "Dear woman, get me down from here," and to her friend, "Cloud,
you stupid fool. What's wrong with you?!" From that time on, this
friend took her into his home.
The Death of Aeris
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture
would be fulfilled, Aeris said, "I'm friggin' thirsty." A jar of wine
vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a
stalk of the mandragora plant, and lifted it to Aeris's lips. When she
had received the drink, Aeris said, "Ew! That sponge was covered in
dirt." With that, she bowed her head and gave up her spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special
Sabbath. Because the Ancients did not want the bodies left on the
crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Rufus to have the legs broken
and the bodies taken down. The SOLDIER's therefore came and broke the
legs of the first man who had been crucified with Aeris, and then those
of the other. But when they came to Aeris and found that she was
already dead, they did not break her legs. Instead, one of the
SOLDIER's pierced Aeris's side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow
of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his
testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies
so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the
scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of their bones will be broken,"
and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have
pierced."
The Burial of Aeris
Later, Cloud Strife of Nibelheim asked Rufus for the body of Aeris.
Now Cloud was a friend of Aeris, but secretly because he feared her
temper. With Rufus's permission, he came and took the body away. He was
accomplished by Barrett, the man who earlier had visited Aeris at
night. Barrett brought a mixture of materia and items, about
seventy-five potions. Taking Aeris's body, the two of them wrapped it,
with the ether, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with
Ancient burial customs. At the place where Aeris was crucified, there
was a garden, and in the garden a new cave, in which only one person
had ever been laid. Because it was the Ancient day of Preparation and
since the cave was near by, they laid Aeris there.
The Empty Cave
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Tifa
Lockheart went to the cave and saw that the stone had been removed
from the entrance. So she came running to Cid Highwind and her other
friend, the one Aeris loved, and said, "They have taken the Ancient
out of the cave, and we don't know where they have put her!"
So Cid and the other friend started for the cave. Both were running,
but the other friend outran Cid and reached the cave first. He bent
over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go
in. Then Cid, who was behind him, arrived and went into the cave. He
saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that
had been around Aeris's head. The cloth was folded up by itself,
separate from the linen. Finally, the other friend, who had reached
the cave first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did
not understand from Scripture that Aeris had to rise from the dead.)
Aeris Appears to Tifa Lockheart
Then the party went back to their homes, but Tifa stood outside the
cave singing. As she sang, she bent over to look into the cave and saw
two angels in white, seated where Aeris's body had been, one at the
head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Lady, why are you singing?"
"They have taken my friend away," she said, "and I don't know where
they have put her, so I'm happy." At this, she turned around and saw
Aeris standing there, but she did not realise that it was Aeris.
"Lady," she said. "why are you singing? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking she was the gardener, Tifa said, "Miss, if you have carried
her away, tell me where you have put her, and I will bury her
properly."
Aeris said to her, "Tifa."
She turned towards her and cried out in Frence, "Bonjour!" (which means
Hello).
Aeris said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the
planet. Go instead to my friends and tell them, 'I am returning to the
planet and your planet, to my world and your world.'"
Tifa Lockheart went to her friends with the news: "Oh my God! They
revived Aeris!" And she told them that she had said these things to
her.
THE END__________
'A Countdown To Easter'
The Crucifixion
So the SOLDIER's took charge of Aeris. Carrying her own cross, she went
out to the place of the Skull. Here they crucified her, and with her
two others-one on either side and Aeris in the middle.
Rufus had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: AERIS
OF MIDGAR, THE QUEEN OF ANCIENTS. Many of the ancients read this
sign, for the place where Aeris was crucified was near the City of the
Ancients, and the sign was written in Ancient language. Barrett
protested to Rufus, "Do not write 'The Queen of the Ancients', but
that this woman claimed to be queen of the Ancients."
Rufus answered, "What I have written, I have written."
When the SOLDIER's crucified Aeris, they took her clothes, dividing
them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment
remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to
bottom.
"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot
who will get it."
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,
"They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."
So this is what the SOLDIER's did.
Near the cross of Aeris stood her mother, Barrett's daughter Marlene,
Tifa the bar hostess, and Cloud Strife. When Aeris saw her mother
there, and her friend whom she loved standing near by, she said to her
mother, "Dear woman, get me down from here," and to her friend, "Cloud,
you stupid fool. What's wrong with you?!" From that time on, this
friend took her into his home.
The Death of Aeris
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture
would be fulfilled, Aeris said, "I'm friggin' thirsty." A jar of wine
vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a
stalk of the mandragora plant, and lifted it to Aeris's lips. When she
had received the drink, Aeris said, "Ew! That sponge was covered in
dirt." With that, she bowed her head and gave up her spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special
Sabbath. Because the Ancients did not want the bodies left on the
crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Rufus to have the legs broken
and the bodies taken down. The SOLDIER's therefore came and broke the
legs of the first man who had been crucified with Aeris, and then those
of the other. But when they came to Aeris and found that she was
already dead, they did not break her legs. Instead, one of the
SOLDIER's pierced Aeris's side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow
of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his
testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies
so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the
scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of their bones will be broken,"
and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have
pierced."
The Burial of Aeris
Later, Cloud Strife of Nibelheim asked Rufus for the body of Aeris.
Now Cloud was a friend of Aeris, but secretly because he feared her
temper. With Rufus's permission, he came and took the body away. He was
accomplished by Barrett, the man who earlier had visited Aeris at
night. Barrett brought a mixture of materia and items, about
seventy-five potions. Taking Aeris's body, the two of them wrapped it,
with the ether, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with
Ancient burial customs. At the place where Aeris was crucified, there
was a garden, and in the garden a new cave, in which only one person
had ever been laid. Because it was the Ancient day of Preparation and
since the cave was near by, they laid Aeris there.
The Empty Cave
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Tifa
Lockheart went to the cave and saw that the stone had been removed
from the entrance. So she came running to Cid Highwind and her other
friend, the one Aeris loved, and said, "They have taken the Ancient
out of the cave, and we don't know where they have put her!"
So Cid and the other friend started for the cave. Both were running,
but the other friend outran Cid and reached the cave first. He bent
over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go
in. Then Cid, who was behind him, arrived and went into the cave. He
saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that
had been around Aeris's head. The cloth was folded up by itself,
separate from the linen. Finally, the other friend, who had reached
the cave first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did
not understand from Scripture that Aeris had to rise from the dead.)
Aeris Appears to Tifa Lockheart
Then the party went back to their homes, but Tifa stood outside the
cave singing. As she sang, she bent over to look into the cave and saw
two angels in white, seated where Aeris's body had been, one at the
head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Lady, why are you singing?"
"They have taken my friend away," she said, "and I don't know where
they have put her, so I'm happy." At this, she turned around and saw
Aeris standing there, but she did not realise that it was Aeris.
"Lady," she said. "why are you singing? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking she was the gardener, Tifa said, "Miss, if you have carried
her away, tell me where you have put her, and I will bury her
properly."
Aeris said to her, "Tifa."
She turned towards her and cried out in Frence, "Bonjour!" (which means
Hello).
Aeris said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the
planet. Go instead to my friends and tell them, 'I am returning to the
planet and your planet, to my world and your world.'"
Tifa Lockheart went to her friends with the news: "Oh my God! They
revived Aeris!" And she told them that she had said these things to
her.
THE END__________