Chapter Eight
Hananiah led the group towards a tent that looked tall and expensive.
"Look, family, there is another camp ahead!" said Hananiah. They walked forward some more, and Hananiah spotted something. "They have camels! They must be very wealthy! Shalom!" He greeted the occupants of the camp.
The camp was decorated ornately with gold and beads and satin cloths. A woman stood by the campfire wearing gold pants underneath a multi-colored satin skirt, a purple satin shirt with poufy sleeves and gold tassels around the elbows, and a purple headdress lined with gold.
"Oh, Lord, look at her," muttered Dean.
Another woman stood next to the campfire, wearing a pink robe with a round headdress, the gold shawl hanging down her back. A boy dressed all in black stood in the back. To the right, two camels—one with a red shawl, and one with a purple shawl—sat next to another campfire.
"Well, there is our camel," Sam muttered to Dean.
"Are those camels real?" asked some teenage guys at the front.
"Of course the camels are real," said Hananiah. "How could fake camels bring people across the desert?"
Sam and Dean looked at each other and laughed. Hananiah took a place at the front of the fence, and Ruth stood at the back of the fence.
"Shalom, travelers," said the all-satin-servant. "Come and gather around our fire. It is a cold night, and I and the other servants," she gestured to the other two, "are keeping the fires going for our masters."
"Thank you for sharing your fire," said Ruth. "Who are your masters?"
"They are very wise men, Magi from the east," said the pink servant. "We have traveled a long way over desert and plains."
The all-satin-servant stood at the tent opening. "Kind masters, we have a traveling family warming at our fire. Would you desire to see them?"
"Yes, yes, we would," came a deep voice from inside the tent.
The servant pulled open the shawl in the mouth of the tent, and three men walked out of the tent. The first was a shorter man with a black beard. He wore a black tunic with a silver jacket and a silver headdress. The second man was the tallest with a tan tunic and a red jacket with a red headdress underneath a gold crown. The third man was another short man with a tan tunic and green jacket with a silver headdress that fell down his back. The black-tunic-man stopped at the fire by the tent. The gold-crown-man stopped directly behind the fire, and the green-jacket-man stopped over by Hananiah.
"Guests, I bring you greetings from a land far from here," said the black-tunic-man. "You are welcome to share our fire."
"Shalom, gracious, sirs," said Hananiah. "Family, show them respect." Hananiah and Ruth bowed low. "We are the family of Hananiah. We are traveling for the Roman census."
"We have seen a very unusual light in the eastern sky, a special star and we are on a quest to follow it," said the green-jacket-man.
"You are following a star?" asked Ruth.
Black-tunic-man gestured to all-satin-servant, giving her permission to speak.
All-satin-servant nodded at him. "Yes, it is a very bright star. You can see it behind you through the trees." She pointed up behind them.
Sam and Dean turned with the group and saw an electric star situated on top of something behind some trees. They all turned back around.
"We have reason to believe from our studies, this star will lead us to a King," said the gold-crown-man. "Your people call Him the 'Messiah.'"
"Our Messiah!" said Hananiah and Ruth. "Praise God!"
"We intend to see King Herod," said green-jacket-man. "He will surely know where the new King of the Jews is."
"Oh, do be careful," said Hananiah. "King Herod is a very wicked man. He has had many of his own family killed."
"I do not want to go," said gold-crown-man.
The group laughed.
"We'll talk about it later, Belthezar," said black-tunic-man.
"The Magi have brought gifts for the Messiah, that they might approach Him and then worship Him," said pink servant.
"May we see the gifts?" asked Ruth.
"Yes," said gold-crown-man, Belthezar. Pink servant handed him a gold chest. He stepped toward the group, opening the lid. Inside were many gold coins. "The first is the gift of gold—befitting the King of Kings."
Pink servant handed green-jacket-man a gold box with a clear lid.
"From this gift, expensive incense is made," said green-jacket-man. He opened the lid, showing a box of what looked like white rice to the group. "The gift of frankincense—appropriate for the Priest of Priests."
All-satin-servant handed black-tunic-man a giant silver metal bottle. It was carved very intricately.
"And this is used in the Holy anointing oil in the Temple," said black-tunic-man, holding the bottle high. "The gift of myrrh—for the gift of sacrifice."
The servants replaced the gifts on a chest that sat on the ground.
"Do you really believe our Messiah is coming soon?" asked Hananiah.
"Yes, all signs point to His coming," said Belthezar. "We will follow His star until we find Him and then we will worship Him. His coming brings hope to all who receive Him."
"May God bless your journey," said Hananiah. "We must be going. Shalom, kind sirs."
"May your God lead you," said black-tunic-man. "We are going to rest. Servant, keep the fires going through the night."
As the group began following Hananiah away from the scene, Dean looked down at the rotisserie spit stationed over the campfire. Three chickens hung over the fire, smoking.
"Man, I'd like me some of that chicken," Dean told Sam.
"Oh, you cannot have any," said Belthezar as he passed toward the tent. "That is pork chicken, and you are Jewish."
Sam laughed as Dean stared at the wise man. The wise men all smiled, stifling their laughter as they entered the tent. Sam grabbed Dean and pulled him along with the group as they followed Hananiah, Ruth bringing up the rear.