Time Travel - Galilee 4

All Chapters in the Galilee Stories The next morning Frank opened my bandage and studied the cut. Using his goggles to magnify the image he gasped "What are those?" He made a short movie then shot it to my wire. I saw hundreds of nearly invisible dots, moving in and out of the wound.

"How small are they?" I asked.

"About 10 microns in length. They look almost like maggots although they're way too small."

"Can you take a sample?"

"Didn't work. Looks like they evaporate as soon as I remove them."

"Evaporate"

"They're just gone, it's too quick for my camera to resolve."

"What are they, nanotechnology, bioengineered parasites, alien bugs?"

"I've never seen anything like it. My guess is they won't stick around long enough for you to return home to a real lab. As soon as your wound heals sufficiently they'll be gone. So did he say anything to you? This guy isn't just a rabbi doctor."

I was torn. The memories were a little blurred almost as if I had been drugged. "Well he did speak English to me."

Frank said nothing, he just stared.

I continued "I know it sounds crazy but I'm sure it happened. He speaks fluent English."

Frank shook his head. "No Jim he didn't. Get that hallucination out of your head. You must have been dreaming. That's a deep cut, you were bleeding to death, in shock, your mind was making it up."

"So you can explain these parasites?"

"What are you saying, that Jesus is a time traveller?"

"Perhaps he's something else, perhaps he really is..."

"What, God ? Oh please, give me a break. If he's God then why does he need tiny bugs to cure your cut? Can't he just snap his fingers and heal you instantly?"

I waived my hands, dismissing the conversation. After a few hours I was able to walk, that evening the cut seemed to be healed. There was no sign of infection, and as Frank had predicted there was no sign of the bugs. We stayed one more night then left. With my wound healed our mission was unchanged. We had to visit the Temple Mount, lay down a spread of the locusts, then go home.

The walk from Caphernaum to Jerusalem would take 3 days. We stayed away from other people and saw no sign of bandits or Roman soldiers. We had too much time to talk and debate. Late on the second day I noticed Frank was slumping. I was tired too but he seemed ill. I put my hand on his shoulder and asked "You OK?"

He turned towards me with a look of sheer rage and began shouting in a garbled tongue I had never heard. He moved towards me as if to attack and I pulled back staying 5-10 meters away.

"Frank what is wrong?" I shouted. Again his reply was garbled. I pulled my wire and tried to get a translation. The analysis said "ancient variant of Sumerian, no translation available".

Suddenly he switched to Aramaic, shouting "We will kill you, we will kill you all." He picked up a sharp rock and he moved towards me this time breaking into a run.

I ran away and realized my leg was not even throbbing. Frank had not been chosen for this assignment based upon his athletic ability so I was able to pull away from him. When I was about 100 meters ahead of him I noticed a small village ahead. Frank was running directly towards it and I felt I needed to warn the villagers. As I neared the village I noticed about 20 people sitting down near the well. One man was standing speaking to them. I began yelling "Watch out, he's going to hurt someone."

About 10 meters away from the crowd I stopped. I was close enough to recognize the man standing. It was Jesus. I screamed "He's gone insane, he's going to hurt you."

Jesus began walking towards me. His calm Aramaic tone was soothing, "Do not be afraid. He cannot hurt you." He got between us and Frank ran to him screaming again in some mangled language. Jesus held out his hand and said "Stop." Frank halted but continued his rant. Again Jesus said "Stop."

Frank calmed for a few seconds then raised his rock in a vicious stance. He screamed in Aramaic "You cannot save these insects. We will kill them all. I know who you are Jesus of Nazareth. I know where you come from."

Jesus yelled sharply "Silence." Frank hesitated but did not lower his weapon. They stood there at odds for minutes eyes locked, feet apart, ready for battle.

The sun was setting on a cloudy day and darkness rushed upon us. I realized there was a faint blue glow in the space between them. My eyes widened and I rubbed them. "What?" I muttered as the haze did not disappear. Frank dropped his rock, slowly cupped his hands and appeared to be kneading something.

Jesus rolled his eyes upwards and the electric blue haze began to pulse around him. Frank opened his hands with palms pointed at Jesus. A faint yellow gush suddenly shot from Frank's hands crashing against Jesus who stood motionless. The rest of us however were blown off our feet as if by a violent wind. Dates fell from the trees and dust rose from the ground clouding our view.

Jesus raised his palm and yelled "Enough." Frank was blown backwards 5 meters. He crashed and rolled to the ground. Jesus ran to him and held him down with one hand, he raised the other hand in the air and then chopped sharply at Frank's chest.

The most terrible scream I could imagine came from Frank's mouth but then came from a point above him and rose into the air. The noise was like a thousand brutally tortured men. I looked up and again saw some type of blue haze accelerating towards the sky. The scream intensified for a few seconds. I covered my ears and dropped to the ground in pain. The sound faded to a loud roar and I watched the sky as the scream flew to the heavens.

I looked down at Frank who was unconscious, then up at Jesus who said to me in English "Go home, now, tonight." It was not a request.

Time Travel - Galilee 3

All chapters in the Galilee Stories As I walked out from town a few days later I smiled. It amazed me that such a simple person could become the most important leader in human history. We had only spoken for a few hours but I felt that I had seen into his heart. He had radiated simplicity and caring. Our discussions of resurrection and salvation had rekindled a faith which I thought would never return.

My path now lay towards Jerusalem. We had identified this as the riskiest part of the assignment. Powerful forces focused on the Temple Mount and that was my final destination. I needed to leave behind a few bugs to capture some of the most important events in history.

As I meandered down the road my daydreaming distracted me to the point where a passing gang of bandits caught me by surprise. I fought them off but not before one of them had given me a deep knife wound. Even before the blood started gushing I knew I was in trouble. Before blacking out I was able to swallow a nanoprobe, a coagulant, and send a distress signal.

I woke up back in Yeshua’s house. One of his friends had found me on the road and dragged me back to town. I looked into his eyes and saw the fear. He knew I might die. He spoke in whispered tones “You must try to survive the night. The Healer is coming tomorrow, if you still live he will heal you.”

The drugs and pain were clouding my mind or else I might have realized why this was confusing. I survived the night and saw a note on my wire that help would arrive in a few more hours. I sat quietly, conserving my strength. Something was bothering me and after a while I realized that Yeshua was supposed to be a healer, why did he need someone else’s help? Who was “the healer”?

I heard the commotion outside the window. Shouting and cheering, a few women sobbed with joy as the noisy crowd drew closer. I wanted to stand, peek out the window to watch, but soon I did not need to. The Healer entered my room.

Instantly I felt a wave of joy and calm. I looked into his eyes and nearly cried. A feeling of electricity passed between us. He opened the dressing on my wounds, closed his eyes, then sent everyone away to search for some medicinal native plants. There was now no doubt in my mind, Yeshua was just a rabbi, a wonderful and prayerful man. It was the Healer who had been eluding me these past few weeks. Somehow I had not asked the right questions, I had forgotten about the miracles, focusing on the theology. But my revelation paled to what happened next.

As soon as everyone had left the house The Healer turned to me and in perfect English said “You should not be here.”

Thinking I was hallucinating I said in Aramaic “I don’t understand.”

Again he spoke in English “Of course you understand. You must leave, you must return home. There are forces here beyond your comprehension. This world stands on a precipice, your interference could destroy it.”

“What are you saying, how can you speak English?”

“I am the Incarnate Word, I can speak all languages.”

“What, what are you? This is impossible.”

At the sound of footsteps outside he switched to Aramaic. “Your wound is deep but you will not die. It will be a few more days before you can walk from here. Then you must go home.” His eyes made it clear this was an order.

As he stood to leave I begged “Please, may I speak with him alone?” The women immediately understood and left. The men had to be asked again, but finally they did leave.

Returning to English I asked “What forces are you talking about? What is going on?”

He replied “You have the scriptures, you need nothing more. The forces of darkness led by the Fallen Angel wage war against this planet. Only through me can humanity survive and live forever.”

“But those are just myths, they aren’t real.”

“Of course they are real.”

“So where are the forces of darkness in my time, nobody on Earth is possessed, or attacked by demons in the 22nd century.”

“Nobody on Earth”, he said.

“You mean Satan wages war in outer space? Against whom?”

“Your world need not be concerned with this. You are safe for awhile longer, until they return. My death will drive them from this planet.”

“This is a fantasy, where is the proof?”

“I’m speaking English, a language which will not exist for another 1000 years. I know you were born in Albequerque, New Mexico. What other proof do you want?”

I hung my head in fear. None of my training, none of our contingency plans had allowed that core Christian teachings about Jesus might actually be true. I had never wanted to argue with him, never have substantive conversations. I just wanted to say hello, set loose the bugs, and go home to watch the video we would dig up 2100 years later.

I felt his hand on my shoulder. “James, great things are in store for you back home. Go there, stay there. A year from now you will have a son. Teach him about me. Prepare him for hardship, for everyone in his generation will suffer greatly.”

I showed him the locusts. “Will you allow me to complete my mission?”

He smiled and said “Yes, but I’ll have to make sure my cousin John doesn’t see them. He says they taste great with honey.”

I couldn’t help the laughter, it poured out of me. My wound was throbbing, my entire worldview was collapsing, but here I was laughing hysterically at a joke told by Christ himself.

That afternoon my relief arrived. Frank was surprise to see me healthy. “After that emergency call we didn’t expect to find you alive.” I briefly explained that Jesus himself had healed me. But I kept most of the encounter private. I wasn’t sure if he or anyone else would believe me.

The next day Jesus left the village. He was trailed by a small army of followers. I was strong enough to stand and wave. I have no doubts he saw me.

Time Travel - Galilee 2

All chapters in the Galilee Stories Nazareth. What am I doing here? I wanted to stay out of sight in the backwaters, now I'm at the center of the universe. There are 2 main trade routes in this world: Baghdad to Rome and Cairo to Damascus. Those 2 paths intersect right here in Nazareth. Thousands of travellers pass through this city every year. Hundreds of caravans. At least nobody will wonder where I'm from. Half the people in Nazareth are just visiting from somewhere else.

I tried a few carpenter shops asking about some farming instruments. The prices were all over the map, there certainly isn't any price fixing here. Unfortunately none of the carpenters were very friendly, and none of them knew a carpenter named Yeshua.

I found an inn on the outskirts of the city and rented a room. It had a straw mattress on a wooden frame, a chamber pot, and a window with a woven curtain. The air was stale and the lighting poor. But I had privacy which was been rare since I arrived.

I sat against the door and opened my pack. I reviewed my 15 bugs, a wireless receiving station and lamented that I had no place to put any of them. "If I can't make any progress in Nazareth I'll start bugging the synagogues and then return home" I muttered. I reviewed some of the pictures and video on my shoulder cam. What a wild place. Camels and donkeys everywhere, children running in packs laughing and scrounging. A few Roman patrols can be seen on major streets, but Nazareth appears to be a calm and peaceful marketplace.

Not trusting the "lock" on the door and not trusting the bedframe to be sturdy enough I lie down in front of the door, wedge my back against it, and let myself nap. I dreamed that I was crying while standing on a beach watching fishing boats. My best friend is gone and he's never coming back.

I'm jolted awake when my wire buzzes. I answer it in a soft voice, hoping nobody can hear my English.

"Agent Jensen, what is your status?"

"I'd rather ask you for your status. Has the bug in Caphernaum been recovered?"

"Not yet, the signal is so weak we are having trouble locating it. It appears to be buried roughly 2 meters beneath the old synagogue ruins. The Israeli authorities are none to keen to let us randomly dig in the hopes we'll find it. We'll need more precise coordinates before we can retrieve it."

"When"

"Probably 2 more days our time, that's 6 hours your time. Where are you?"

"Nazareth."

"What?"

"I know I know, but there was no place else to go. I tried Cana and Mt Tabor and several fishing villages on the Kinnaret. Nobody knows a carpenter or rabbi named Yeshua."

"How many people have seen you in Nazareth?"

"A few hundred, but nobody cares. This place is like a major airport. Thousands of people travel through here every week. I'm just another stranger."

"But you are still changing hundreds of lives. That's just a lot more energy we'll need to refocus the timeline. When can you get out of there?"

"I guess a few more hours won't make much difference. Unless there's a secret rabbi carpenter around here".

A few hours later I was walking south a few hundred yards behind a caravan. They were strewing garbage as if they needed to unload ballast. "What a waste, this is such a beautiful place." I pulled off the road at the town of . This time it was worth it. A poor family outside of town offered a crust of bread. Chatting with them I learned of a carpenter up the road named Yeshua. He had finished rabbinical training and was on the verge of moving to Caphernaum. His mother's named was Mary and his father had died long ago. When I took my leave I left behind a gold coin, probably enough to feed them for a year. And I accidentally left a second in an obvious spot.

Whistling as I neared town I found my heart beating wildly. It was really him. In preparation I loaded 2 of the locusts and attached them to the edge of my cloak. They should last 5 years before they burrowed into the dirt for their 2000 year nap. I would release them near Jesus and walk away and go home and wait for them to be dug up.

Time Travel - Galilee

Chapter 4 is posted ! All Chapters in the Galilee Stories

Chapter 1

Cautiously I peered over the ridge, waiting for the Roman soldiers to pass by. I was dressed in rags to intentionally look like the poorest of the poor. Not only was this my best method of avoiding the authorities it should make it easier for him to find me. Looking around for signs of life I decided to risk using my goggles. I pulled them on and adjusted the lenses. I turned my gaze upon Caphernaum. I could make out a few dark boats floating on the Kinneret and wondered if he sat in one of them. I took a few stills and put the goggles away. I began walking.

Behind me the city of Tiberius faded into the distance. Gauging my pace I estimated I would arrive near dusk. Despite the secret padding built into my sandals my feet hurt. They were also disgusting and I was actually avoiding the piles of manure which littered the path.

Suddenly hearing laughter I paused and looked for cover. Seeing none I crouched near the side of the road and began mumbling. Three men and 4 children came up behind me and didn't even pause as they passed me. I glanced at them and marveled at their indifference.

I stopped for lunch near the shore. I squeezed my canteen flat and pushed it under water. Osmotic pressure filled it with pristine water in a few minutes. I waded out into the water washing my feet and looking for a wayward fish. After a couple of fruitless minutes I walked back and chewed on a protein bar.

More voices echoed behind me, this time the reeds hid me well enough. I sat listening as the voices faded. I caught a few words but could not hear the entire conversation. As the sun began its downward journey I gauged my progress would get me to Caphernaum by dinner time. Nobody else crossed my path the remainder of the journey. When I reached the village I asked a few people for dinner and the third one agreed. He was a fisherman named Andrew but he had no brother.

I slept on a mat in Andrew's living room that night pondering his answers to my questions. No carpenters lived in Caphernaum, he knew 2 men named Yeshua but neither was a carpenter nor had a mother named Mary. He was only vaguely aware of the name of the Roman procurator, and certainly not keeping track of the number of years since the last one. In short I still had no idea exactly where I could find Jesus, or where I would go next. After everyone was asleep I pulled out goggles and read through the histories. This would be more difficult than we had planned. There were only a few hundred thousand people in this part of the world, but they were so spread out it could take weeks to find him.