《Sign of the Timez: Where you there?》


 Chapter 1: Just like Hollywood

    The high priest looked in my eyes, "You will be sacrificed to the Gods. We will be in their favour again."


    I screamed no. I did not believe they would kill a child, I could see the high priest raising a knife. Then I shouted that "I should have listened in history class."


    Before the priest could kill me. The clouds went very dark. It was like nighttime.


    Everything went black.


    When I woke up, I was so happy that I was not dead. However, I was not home.


    I was standing in the middle of a large crowd. I looked around and thought the buildings and the way the people were dressed was from an old Hollywood movie about the Romans. I knew that I was not at home. I must be in Roman times. At least there would be no dinosaurs or witch doctors here that hated me.


    Let me remind you of how strange my life was. I was a normal girl that lived in 2020. I had a perfect life and a perfect family. The problem was that my history teacher thought I never paid attention in class. She gave me this old book about history. This was no ordinary book. It threw me back in history. I was a cave girl until now. I tried everything to get back home, but it appears as if that cruel book decides when I am ready to go on in history.


    Now I would experience Rome. I must admit that I always loved Roman films. Roman princesses had the nicest clothes and flowers in their hair and slaves and servants to do everything. I knew that I was no princess. I had an old linen dress and a head veil. I was barefoot. I looked around to see if I had a family. I was hungry! The problem is how I would recognize my family in such a large crowd. The smart thing was to wait in one place and wait for my family to come to me.


    There was a Roman man standing and trying to talk with the crowd. Beside him, two men were standing in chains. One of them was strong and looked like he could be in action films. The other one looked weaker and was covered in blood. He had thorns on his head. I thought he could be Jesus himself, but this man did not look like anything I have seen in movies and paintings. He was not that tall and his skin was dark and he was not that good looking!


    The Roman asked who should be set free, and the people started shouting "Barbados". The Roman looked like he was in doubt and kept asking the people if they were sure. The crowd got angrier and angrier and demanded that Barbados would be set free. It was scary. The crowd was fanatic as they raised their fists and demanding that the man with the crown of thorns would be executed. At one stage, the Roman soldiers came in and hid behind their shields. It looked as if they would attack the crowd at any second. I will admit, that I was afraid. The crowd did not seem afraid. They held on to their demand.


    The Roman did not care. He washed his hands and told the crowd that he was not responsible. He told the crowd that Jesus would be crucified.


    I slumped to the ground. I remember this from the film I saw about Jesus. He would be hung on a cross and have so much pain. He would know that I did not shout his name, My silence helped his verdict of death on the cross.


    I must have fainted as this older girl asked me if I was ok. She asked me was I hurt and led me away from the crowd. She took me to what appeared to be a shack outside town. There were other children there. I was confused and did not recognize any of them. They all started asking questions at once, which made things more confusing. They asked if I was hurt.. do I remember this place... do I remember the children here... do I remember my own name? I just stood and the only thing I could say was "Jesus".


    The other children thought I lost my memory. They told me that my name was Stephanie and I was a Jewish orphan. They were also orphans so we moved around wherever we could find shelter. We begged and stole to survive. One of the girls said that I was their leader. This made me smile. At least I was not at the bottom of the hierarchy as I was with the cave people. I looked around and figured when I had time, I had to find a better place to live.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    There were 9 children, including me. There was 2 the same age as me and the rest of them were younger. For street children, they looked very clean although they needed new clothes. The little hut where we were was dirty and dark. No one would ever think humans would live in such a place. It would be hard to find us here.


    I told them that a man was about to be crucified. This made them laugh and remind me that someone was crucified every day. I was not smiling. I told them that this man was Jesus. He was the son of God and came here to save us from her sins. He did not deserve to die.


    After I said this, they all went silent. One of the older children looked at me looking as they were mad. She warned me not to let anyone hear what I just said. It was blasphemous and I would be in real trouble. She said that if people thought I was a follower then they would arrest me, maybe torture me and who knows what punishment I would get. I could even be sold as a slave!


    I looked at her thinking that children cannot be punished and then I remembered that the cave people wanted to sacrifice me.


    I told the children I would be back and started to go back to town.


    I have seen a crowd around the gate and went closer. Jesus was carrying this heavy cross. It looked so heavy and he could hardly carry it. The Romans must have had the same thoughts, as when Jesus fell, a man was told to help Jesus carry the cross. Even with help, you could see the pain and agony in Jesus'' face. He must have been so afraid. He knew that he would die on the same cross he was carrying. There was no Amnesty International to help him. I wished that I could help in some way. To be honest I was afraid that everyone would see that I followed Jesus. I did not want to be sold as a slave.


    I followed the procession and decided I would keep Jesus company, so at least he was not alone!


    It was hard to look at. Jesus was struggling with his cross and he was getting weaker and weaker for every step he took. When Jesus fell again, I collapsed to the ground and started crying. I whimpered that they did not know what they were doing. Everything was too much for me. I always believed in God. I didn''t pray that much, but I tried to speak with him once in a while. Now it was too hard to see the son of God suffering and about to die.


    As the Roman soldiers were whipping Jesus to get back up, some people were asking me if I was one of his followers. I didn''t answer. I just cried. They were shouting that I should be arrested. I was not even afraid of this. I was just thinking about the pain and humiliation that Jesus was going through.


    As people started to try and grab me, this old woman appeared and told them to be ashamed and reminded them that I was a child! She took my hand and led me away from the group. She gave me a hug and told me that I had to be strong.


    Jesus passed where we were standing and looked at the old woman. It was then that I realized that she was his mother. She looked older than the statues of her that I have seen at the church. I could see how hard it was for her. The son that she loved was now about to die in the worse possible way. This was the son that she took care of as a baby, comforted, and sang songs to. He was her pride and joy and now she had to experience his death. Mary had to look at her son in so much pain and humiliation.


    I gave Mary a hug.


    We arrived at a hill they called Golgotha. Jesus was hanging on the cross. I saw the crucifixion in movies and on crosses, but the reality was far worse, People were teasing and telling him if he was God''s son, he could just get off. They were mocking him as he just hung there. You could hear that Jesus was fighting for every breath. He seemed like he was afraid. He was in pain, a pain that no one could imagine.


    I wanted to help him but did not know what to do.


    Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)


    Were you there when they crucified my Lord?


    O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!


    Were you there when they crucified my Lord?


    Were you there when they nail''d him to the cross? (Were you there?)


    Were you there when they nail''d him to the cross?


    O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!


    Were you there when they nail''d him to the cross?


    Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)


    Were you there when they pierced him in the side?


    O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!


    Were you there when they pierced him in the side?


    Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)


    Were you there when the sun refused to shine?


    O sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!


    Were you there when the sun refused to shine?


    ( Composed by enslaved African-Americans in the 19th century)


    When I was done, I saw Jesus look down at me and smile a bit


    Then he let out a long moan of agony and shouted, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: ... "


    We could hear the last breath of Jesus and then silence.

 Chapter 2: Leader of the gang

    Jesus took his last breath and died. It was noon and yet the sky became black and the earth trembled. There were thunder and lightning. I could hear some people screaming and asking what they have done. We just killed the son of God. While these same people were mocking him before, they could now see that it was a mistake. It was too late to realize this. We all stood there as Jesus was dying on the cross. No one helped or consoled him. He was just humiliated and teased, while he was in extreme pain.


    I left the hill and walked back to the orphan children. They were asking me where I was and if I was a follower of Jesus. I responded that I just went for a walk to try to remember things. Then I sat in a corner trying to sort out everything I experienced. This was very personal. I experienced something that people still talked about in 2020. It was far worse than any story I heard or any film I have seen. The bad thing was that I could do nothing to stop it.


    I closed my eyes and prayed to God telling him that I was sorry that I could not help. I wished that Jesus was no longer suffering, and he knew that some friends still loved him and cared about him. He was not alone. In fact, I knew that billions of people would believe in him in the future. This should have been some consolation. The problem was that I remembered seeing Jesus in so much pain.


    The older girl sat next to me and whispered. She knew where I was. She knew that I went to see Jesus on a cross. She reminded me that the children here looked up to me and considered me as a leader. What would they think if they knew that their leader was a follower of someone accused of blasphemy? I looked at her and did not answer if I was a follower or not. I also suspected that she wanted my status as a leader and was jealous. Maybe it would be best just to let her have this status.


    I was about to say that she could be the leader as I looked at the other children. I felt sorry that they didn''t have the same family as me. Well, at least the one I had. They never had a mother or father to give them any hugs or read any stories. These children had no other than me. I was not even a teenager, how could I be a parent for these orphans? Still, they have chosen me to be their leader. It would be wrong for me to give it to a girl that I did not like.


    Jesus was dead. No one talked about him except that the Jewish priests were looking for his followers. I figured that they must be afraid. They would also be put in some prison or die on a cross. I remembered something about Jesus rising from the dead. I was not going to tell anyone this. They would think that I was totally insane. Who would believe a small girl?


    In the next few days, I have experienced what it was like to be a street orphan. We did not eat a lot and breakfast was what was leftover from the day before. This was hardly anything. Then I would help the small ones to wash and brush their hair. I wanted them to know that even though we did not have a lot of food, a decent place to live, or nice clothes, we could at least have pride and look our best.


    We would spend the day walking around Jeruselum. The younger children would beg for money or food, while the older ones also tried to do some errands. I never experienced this before. My parents were well off and even if they lost their jobs, we would not be begging. We would get help from the government. It was not the same back in Roman times. There was no help and this meant that these children had to fend for themselves.


    Begging was humiliating and something I could not get used to. It made me think that history classes at school never taught how hard it was for children in the past. Now I was one of them and I had to survive with them. Most Romans would look at us and sigh and complain orphan children were pests. The rich Jews were the same, even their priests. The strange thing was that it was often the poor people that gave us something. It was obvious that they also spent day to day surviving.


    When we met at night, it was tense. We were hoping that everyone would return, If someone did not, we would sit in quietness wondering where they were. There was always a danger that someone would be hurt or even kidnapped by some slave traders. When an orphan was late, we would sit and thinking the worse. It was all forgotten when the child showed up. We then would pretend to have a feast with what little we got that day. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I cried at night as I knew I was stuck here. I knew I could try many things to get back to 2020 and my family, but this failed when I was a cave girl. Maybe the magic of the history book sends me home. The problem was that I would not know where or when. There was also a possibility that it would not send me. I could be here for the rest of my life.


    Until something happened, I could not trust that magic would send me away. I decide to do my best for the orphans. I talked with them each and heard about their lives and what they liked and did not. They all had ambition and wanted to be someone important. It was as if I was no longer just a child. I was also responsible for others. Not only that, but I cared about them all and loved them as they were my own brothers and sisters. They were my adopted family.


    A few days later, I decided to walk where Jesus was buried. It was basically a cave. I walked into the cave as the stone was moved aside. There was nothing there except a flat stone. Then I remembered the easter story where Jesus rose from the dead. I figured that this must be the reason why he was not there. It made me smile, as it showed that Jesus no longer was suffering and beat death itself. The good guy won at the end. I fell on my knees and started praying.


    As I was praying, some Roman soldiers coming towards the cave. I could hear them shout and ask what I have done with the body. I did not answer. I ran and ran as fast as my legs could. I could hear the Roman soldiers coming after me. I was so afraid! Luckily, I was a fast runner. When I entered the city, I went through a maze of smaller streets. I knew that if the Romans captured me, it would be the worse thing that ever happened to me.


    In the end, I was exhausted but relieved when the Roman soldiers gave up.


    When I came back to the hideout, the older girl started yelling at me, "Where were you? They say they are looking for a poor girl that was spotted from the grave of Jesus. That must be you! While you are visiting a dead blasphemer, one of the small children has not come back. This is all your fault."


    I just sat and told the others there was nothing to do. We waited all night. I was still awake as the others fell asleep. I could not sleep as I felt responsible. The missing child should have been back by now. I was worried about what happened to her. Was the child hurt or even killed? Was the child captured by some slave traders? Not knowing was a very bad feeling. I could not find out where the missing child was or what happened.


    The next day, I went looking for the missing child. I went to all the places that we usually went to and could not find her. I was hoping that someone nice pitied her that she was homeless and adopted her from the streets.


    I had to be careful as I went around the streets. I heard people say that the Romans were looking for a young girl that was at the grave of Jesus. This made me somewhat afraid. What would the Romans do if they arrested me? How did they punish children? I would probably have to work as a slave. I did not want this to be my life and the orphan children needed me.


    I also heard some say that the followers of Jesus were saying that he rose from the dead. No one believed in these rumours, but it made life more dangerous for his followers. The Romans would consider them as rebels and want to arrest and kill them. I knew differently. I knew that Jesus has risen from the dead and billions would follow him in the future. I felt like it was an honour to be present at the most historic moment in history.


    I was happy about the resurrection and unhappy about the child going missing. To make things worse, some roman soldiers noticed me, so I gave them another chase through the streets and alleyways. I was, of course, afraid and did not know why they thought I was so bad or dangerous. I was afraid they would throw their weapons at me or do something to hurt me. I had no intention of roman soldiers whipping me or selling me as a slave. I was relieved when they gave up once again.


    When I came back to the orphans, everyone was still afraid and sad. The silence was deafening. I wanted to cheer them up, so I told them that Jesus rose from the dead. The smallest orphans were interested in the story, and asked did this mean that he was the son of God? When I nodded, the oldest orphan once again got mad. She told them that this was a trick by the followers and they just stole the body to make it look like he rose from the dead.


    Then she looked at me and shouted, "I seen roman soldiers chase you today. I knew that you were the girl that they were looking for. You are dangerous. You will get us all killed! You are trying to corrupt us with all this Jesus talk and now the Romans want you. I heard the Roman soldiers will be sending a legion out tomorrow just to look for you! You are no longer welcome here. Leave us now and never come back."


    I sat there, not knowing what to do or say. Then some picked a stone up and said if I did not leave, they would stone me.


    I walked away from the hut. I needed a place to hide, as the Romans were looking for me

 Chapter 3: Wanted Dead or Alive

    I could not believe that they kicked me out of the group. I loved them and cared about them. Now I felt like I was being punished for things I could not be responsible for. It could not be my fault that a child was gone missing or the soldiers were after me. I was upset and ever so sad. I felt like they were a family. I cared for them and did my best to take care of them.


    Now I was alone, and I will be the first to admit that I was afraid. I hid in some bushes close to the hut. I was hoping that the gang would come and invite me back to the group. I had to accept that now I was alone. I was alone and very frightened. Every sound I heard was dangerous. I thought of wild animals and insects that would love to have me as a meal. I tried shutting the darkness and sounds out, but I could not, My heart was beating very fast and I could not rest or sleep.


    I snuck into Jerusalem and thought it would be less dangerous. I finally found a good hiding place in what looked like it was some abandoned shed. I finally got some sleep and tried to forget how screwed up my life was.


    The first thing I heard when I woke up was some Roman soldiers that marched by. I was told that they were looking for me! I wanted to go out and beg for food. However, I was too afraid. I decided that I would stay in the shed. This was so boring. There was nothing in the shed except some skins. There was nothing to drink or eat. It was just as bad that there was nothing to do. I sat in the dark shed all day, remembering my old tablet in 2020 and remembering the different types of food we had.


    Time went by and I was there for a few days. This seemed like it was years. In the beginning, I would draw on the dirt floor. I would sing a song and tell myself a story. I began talking to myself, which is never a good sign. I felt so dirty and missed taking a bath or even toothpaste so much. Besides slowly going insane, I was very hungry. It was so bad that I even tried eating an ant! How far worse could things become for me?


    I remembered when the magic sent me back to the cave days, and when they were about to sacrifice me, the magic sent me to this place. Now that it was so dangerous for me, maybe the magic would interfere once again and send me home. The Romans would just be a bad memory and I would once again ice cream!


    As I was imagining what ice cream would taste like, this fat man opened the door and shouted and asked why I was there. He started saying bad things about the orphan children and rose his cane as he was about to beat me with it. I used what little strength I had and ran from the man and his cane. Every bone in my body ached as I ran.


    I was in an alleyway when I collapsed to the ground. I used my last energy to move my body at the edge. Then I fell asleep.


    When I woke up, I was confused about where I was. Then I remembered how I got there. The strangest thing was that I had no hunger pains. I had no pain. The only discomfort I had was that my lips and throat were so dry. Otherwise, I was just weak and could not move. Over the next few days, I just drifted in and out of sleep.


    I was happy when I was asleep. I was with mom. She would be showing me new clothes she got for me or we would be baking something. Mom would be smiling and telling me how much she loved me. She would promise me that we would go to the mall the next day, I would not be dirty in these dreams. I would not be hungry or being wanted dead or alive by the Romans.


    When I did open my eyes, I would realize that this was all just a dream. I would also realize that I was hardly breathing. I knew that this meant that I would die soon. I did whisper "help" as people passed me. They just scowled and scoffed saying that homeless children were a plague. I would close my eyes again and think I would never open them again.


    I was surprised when I opened my eyes after so long being ignored by bypassers. I noticed that a woman was kneeling beside me. I recognized her. She was the mother of Jesus. She was talking with two men, telling them that I was the girl that sang a song for her dying son. She ordered them to pick me up and carry me.


    Everything went black then.


    When I woke up, I was in a small bed in a small room. A woman and daughter were nursing me. When they have seen my eyes open, they smiled and started praising Jesus. I wanted to ask where I was and what was happening. I had no strength to ask. I closed my eyes again.


    This happened for a while. I would wake up and the girl and her mom would be next to my bed and trying to get me to drink a small bit, I did my best but would just drift back to sleep. This happened again and again, but I could see that each time, I could stay awake longer and longer. Each time, they praised and thanked Jesus, especially when I had some soup. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    When I was well enough to sit up in the bed. The girl told me that her name was Ruth. She had heard that I was at the crucifixion and sang a song for Jesus. Ruth was a nice girl. She was by my bedside all the time, and at times, I could hear her praying. She told me that I was nearly dead when they found me. The fact was that Ruth liked talking. She would chatter and chatter. It made me think of my friends from 2020. I missed them.


    I was now well enough to get out of bed. I helped to cook. I liked cooking. It was nice making food that tasted well and no one stressed me. It was like I was learning new things all the time. I also loved it when the women spoke. Despite the Romans could come and arrest anyone at any time, their friendship and their faith in Jesus was strong.


    Ruth told me that the followers of Jesus stayed in this large house. It had a yard that was was closed off. The yard was surrounded by a big gate and high walls. Ruth said that it was dangerous being a follower of Jesus. However before he went back to heaven, he gave them the Holy Spirit. This meant that some men were now confident enough to go out and preach about Jesus. It made me smile that Ruth was so enthusiastic about talking about Jesus. It''s something I never have done with my friends in 2020.


    Mary heard our conversation and smiled. She told Julia that I already had the gift of the Holy Spirit. She did not understand why. Mary said I was on a special mission. I wanted to ask her if she knew about the magic book, but I was too afraid to reveal that. Who would believe that I travelled in time?


    Life at the camp of the early Christians was blissful. Everyone helped each other and wanted the best for the community. I was known as the orphan that sang to Jesus. Despite that I missed my real family, I had so many adopted parents and brothers and sisters here. I felt like I was protected and loved by everyone. I was kept busy by cooking and cleaning, but it was not a chore. I was contributing to the community in the best way I could.


    Ruth became a very good friend. I loved her spirit and how she cheered everyone up with her smile. She spoke a lot and I wondered if she knew what she was talking about most of the time. Still, she had a heart of gold and I figured she would never be enemies with anyone, as she did not know how to be cruel.


    I trusted Ruth, so one day, I told her my story. I told her that I lived in the future and was a Christian there. Then some magical book sent me back in time to the cave days. After I told her what happened there, I told her that the magic sent me here. There was silence and I was thinking I made a mistake, and Ruth thought I was insane. However, she just smiled and said that she knew that I was special. Ruth told me that God was sending me on a mission.


    Our conversation was cut short by a lot of commotion in the courtyard. An older man came through the gate and collapsed. He quickly was put on a bed and the old women nursed him. We found out that three men went out to spread the good news. They were arrested by the Romans and tortured. He was set free. This was the last thing that was said. Despite that he had the best care, he died on the bed. At least he died with the community that he loved.


    One of the older men said that we had to leave. The man was released by the Romans to show them where we lived. This caused a big panic, and people were worried about the future. They wanted to know where a safe place would be. Some tried to calm others down by saying they must trust in Jesus. He will help and protect.


    I could see that Ruth was no longer smiling. I sat down beside her and told her that I remember that early Christians were persecuted. However the Roman empire would be Christian at some stage and in a few hundred years, there would be no Roman empire. Christians would be the largest religion in the world. In the end, Jesus would have won!


    Ruth had this confused look on her face as I explained the future. She did stand up and shouted so all could hear her. She wanted everyone to fall on their knees and pray to Jesus. She told us that we all had so much to be grateful for. Ruth also reminded us that we should pray for the Romans... our enemies,


    As we were praying, the Roman soldiers broke through the gates. Everyone remained on their knees praying. No one tried to fight the Romans. This made some soldiers laugh as they swung their swords left and right, killing everyone in sight.


    Then there was chaos and panic. I heard screaming and pleas. I have seen the Roman soldiers go crazy and just kill everyone. This was murder and very bloody. I felt like I would be sick as it was so sad seeing people I considered as a family being slaughtered. The worse bit was that I could not see where Ruth was. I hoped that she would survive this. I decided to close my eyes, as I could not look at so many innocent and peaceful people were being murdered.


    Then I heard a man laughing in a wicked way. When I opened my eyes, a Roman soldier was standing in front of me. He had his sword lifted and it was clear he intended to try and cut me into two


    Before the soldier could kill me. A fog started rising from the ground and there were thunder and lightning. The clouds went very dark. It was like nighttime.


    Everything went black.


    When I woke up, I was not home. It was like I was in some cage on a wagon entering a town. People were standing at the side of the road cheering at us. I could see that some Roman soldiers were escorting me. The problem was that I was in chains in a cage.


    To be continued on the sequel


    Signs of the Timez - Princess Hostage