Act 5: The Lamb
"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out
and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And
ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason,
and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason:
and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning."
Aaron continued his early morning study of the Haggadah when Lee and Amanda
entered the room. He looked up and said, "Shalom!" Aaron gazed intently
at Lee's face and noticed the welts on his face were healing. "That extra
day of rest has done you good!"
Lee shook his head in agreement as he put his arm around Amanda's shoulders.
"We would like to thank you Aaron for your hospitality..."
"Oy!" Aaron replied, "It's nothing! Stay! Stay! My family will do all we
can to protect you from the Hezbollah. We know all too well the terror.
I just hope that your friend finds her husband."
"Yeah," Lee agreed, "In fact, Amanda and I are on our way..." Lee stopped as
he saw Christina walk down the stairs to join them. "Oh, hi!"
Christina echoed Lee's greeting as she reached the last step. "Good morning
everyone." It was obvious she was putting on a good show of bravery. All
could see, she wasn't getting enough sleep.
Amanda walked over to grab Christina's hands in her own, "Lee and I will be
right back. We're just running over to the hotel to get our things."
"Be careful!" Aaron chimed in, "It'll be busy. Today's Good Friday."
***
Lee looked down at Amanda from his position in the stairwell of the hotel.
He motioned to his wife that the coast was clear. She stepped behind him
and gently put her hand on his back as they crept out the door into the
hallway.
As they quietly walked down the hall to their room, Lee heard a soft
crash. He nodded at Amanda and motioned for her to stand to the side of the
door. Amanda nodded silently as she thrust her shoulders and back against
the wall.
No gunfire erupted as Lee opened the door to their room. He relaxed
slightly. Everything seemed okay. Just as Lee was about to open the door
wide, a man in a black hooded jacket burst out of their room and tackled him.
Amanda watched in shock as Lee struggled to contain his attacker with a
wrestling hold. Just then, a maid came off the elevator, which was located
across the hall from their room. She accidently pinned Lee's foot with her
cart so the intruder was able to break away from Lee's grasp. The poor
frightened woman gasped in terror as they watched the intruder flee down
the hall and race toward the stairwell.
Everything had happened so fast, Amanda didn't have time to react. Her eyes
widened as she watched as the maid hastily shove her cart back into the
elevator and close the door. Lee was left staring up at his wife from his
position on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Amanda asked and smiled weakly at her husband as she offered
her hand to help him to his feet. She glanced over toward their room and
could see overturned furniture and pilphered through suitcases through the
open door.
Lee brushed off his pants and sighed. With an urgent tone, he said "We
better go." He firmly placed his hand at the small of his wife's back and
guided her toward the elevator. "I've seen that guy before."
"Hmm?" Amanda inquired as she tried to hide the fear in her voice.
"He was one of those Hezbollah 'interrogators' I had the pleasure of meeting
the other night", Lee said sarcastically. "They must think we're getting
close. Seems like it's time we put Doogie's map of old town Jerusalem to
good use." Lee patted the map in his breast pocket.
***
The cabbie drove through the Japha gate and dropped Lee and Amanda off at
their destination in Old Town. Lee tipped the cabbie before assisting his
wife out of the cab. He looked at Doogie's map and pointed toward an alley
now lined with people. "Amanda, I think this is near where Doogie made the
drop."
Amanda nodded as she took her husband's arm. Lee looked down and squeezed
his wife's hand. He wasn't going to let anything seperate them this time if
he could help it.
They began to walk through the crowd when Lee noticed that people seemed to
be lined up on either side of the street. Before he had a chance to wonder
why, he spotted a familiar black hooded jacket across the way. Lee released
Amanda's hand and shouted "Stay here!" as he ran off after the man they had
seen at the hotel.
Amanda watched her husband leap after their attacker and was tempted to rush
after them. "No. Better not." she told herself, "I remember what Lee said.
Stay here." Amanda grimaced in disappointment as she reluctantly backed up
against the wall. She looked longingly after her husband as he continued to
pursue their man. As she leaned back, she didn't realize that her body obscured
the tiled street sign. It said 'via dolorosa'.
Lee continued to push his way through the thickening crowd. He was almost upon
the man in black when a passerby innocently bumped into him and pushed him
in the way of an approaching throng. Lee watched the hooded figure run away
from where he lay in the dirt.
As he scrambled to his feet, Lee looked up and gasped. A man carrying a cross
was approaching him. The man with the cross looked over at Lee with surprise.
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, a zealous onlooker
yelled "You! Carry his cross!"
Lee looked up. The real actor playing Simon of Cyrene was rushing to get into
position before it was too late. The "soldiers" were about to place the cross
on Lee's shoulder just as 'Simon' slid into place. Lee nodded respectfully
as he stepped away and then broke into a run to pursue his attacker As he
ran, he pondered the devotional he and Amanda had had this morning...
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:7
tbc
"Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out
and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And
ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason,
and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason:
and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning."
Aaron continued his early morning study of the Haggadah when Lee and Amanda
entered the room. He looked up and said, "Shalom!" Aaron gazed intently
at Lee's face and noticed the welts on his face were healing. "That extra
day of rest has done you good!"
Lee shook his head in agreement as he put his arm around Amanda's shoulders.
"We would like to thank you Aaron for your hospitality..."
"Oy!" Aaron replied, "It's nothing! Stay! Stay! My family will do all we
can to protect you from the Hezbollah. We know all too well the terror.
I just hope that your friend finds her husband."
"Yeah," Lee agreed, "In fact, Amanda and I are on our way..." Lee stopped as
he saw Christina walk down the stairs to join them. "Oh, hi!"
Christina echoed Lee's greeting as she reached the last step. "Good morning
everyone." It was obvious she was putting on a good show of bravery. All
could see, she wasn't getting enough sleep.
Amanda walked over to grab Christina's hands in her own, "Lee and I will be
right back. We're just running over to the hotel to get our things."
"Be careful!" Aaron chimed in, "It'll be busy. Today's Good Friday."
***
Lee looked down at Amanda from his position in the stairwell of the hotel.
He motioned to his wife that the coast was clear. She stepped behind him
and gently put her hand on his back as they crept out the door into the
hallway.
As they quietly walked down the hall to their room, Lee heard a soft
crash. He nodded at Amanda and motioned for her to stand to the side of the
door. Amanda nodded silently as she thrust her shoulders and back against
the wall.
No gunfire erupted as Lee opened the door to their room. He relaxed
slightly. Everything seemed okay. Just as Lee was about to open the door
wide, a man in a black hooded jacket burst out of their room and tackled him.
Amanda watched in shock as Lee struggled to contain his attacker with a
wrestling hold. Just then, a maid came off the elevator, which was located
across the hall from their room. She accidently pinned Lee's foot with her
cart so the intruder was able to break away from Lee's grasp. The poor
frightened woman gasped in terror as they watched the intruder flee down
the hall and race toward the stairwell.
Everything had happened so fast, Amanda didn't have time to react. Her eyes
widened as she watched as the maid hastily shove her cart back into the
elevator and close the door. Lee was left staring up at his wife from his
position on the floor.
"Are you okay?" Amanda asked and smiled weakly at her husband as she offered
her hand to help him to his feet. She glanced over toward their room and
could see overturned furniture and pilphered through suitcases through the
open door.
Lee brushed off his pants and sighed. With an urgent tone, he said "We
better go." He firmly placed his hand at the small of his wife's back and
guided her toward the elevator. "I've seen that guy before."
"Hmm?" Amanda inquired as she tried to hide the fear in her voice.
"He was one of those Hezbollah 'interrogators' I had the pleasure of meeting
the other night", Lee said sarcastically. "They must think we're getting
close. Seems like it's time we put Doogie's map of old town Jerusalem to
good use." Lee patted the map in his breast pocket.
***
The cabbie drove through the Japha gate and dropped Lee and Amanda off at
their destination in Old Town. Lee tipped the cabbie before assisting his
wife out of the cab. He looked at Doogie's map and pointed toward an alley
now lined with people. "Amanda, I think this is near where Doogie made the
drop."
Amanda nodded as she took her husband's arm. Lee looked down and squeezed
his wife's hand. He wasn't going to let anything seperate them this time if
he could help it.
They began to walk through the crowd when Lee noticed that people seemed to
be lined up on either side of the street. Before he had a chance to wonder
why, he spotted a familiar black hooded jacket across the way. Lee released
Amanda's hand and shouted "Stay here!" as he ran off after the man they had
seen at the hotel.
Amanda watched her husband leap after their attacker and was tempted to rush
after them. "No. Better not." she told herself, "I remember what Lee said.
Stay here." Amanda grimaced in disappointment as she reluctantly backed up
against the wall. She looked longingly after her husband as he continued to
pursue their man. As she leaned back, she didn't realize that her body obscured
the tiled street sign. It said 'via dolorosa'.
Lee continued to push his way through the thickening crowd. He was almost upon
the man in black when a passerby innocently bumped into him and pushed him
in the way of an approaching throng. Lee watched the hooded figure run away
from where he lay in the dirt.
As he scrambled to his feet, Lee looked up and gasped. A man carrying a cross
was approaching him. The man with the cross looked over at Lee with surprise.
The two men stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, a zealous onlooker
yelled "You! Carry his cross!"
Lee looked up. The real actor playing Simon of Cyrene was rushing to get into
position before it was too late. The "soldiers" were about to place the cross
on Lee's shoulder just as 'Simon' slid into place. Lee nodded respectfully
as he stepped away and then broke into a run to pursue his attacker As he
ran, he pondered the devotional he and Amanda had had this morning...
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:7
tbc