The Young Messiah Page #2

Hush.

(COUGHING)

What do you mean?

You're not to ask.

Why not? Teacher always

answered my questions.

So did the rabbi.

Uncle?

You've got to tell him sometime.

(COUGHING)

I'll get water. Joseph!

(CLEOPAS WHEEZING)

Cure him! Cure him!

I know you can.

I can't!

They told me not to.

I don't understand.

Don't you love him?

(CONTINUES WHEEZING

AND COUGHING)

(BLADE SCRAPING)

You know what they say about

Herod the Dead, don't you?

Do you mean Herod the Great?

They say he choked to death

on the blood of children.

You've killed children before.

So have you.

No doubt I'll kill more.

You didn't tell the men.

A few officers know.

They'll keep watch

for him and so will we.

I don't want to start

a general panic.

No.

And when we come across him,

we'll do our duty.

It's a small task.

It's a small boy.

I do as ordered.

The boy must die.

CLEOPAS:
Praise to the Lord!

I will sing praises to God!

But no,

not to so-called princes,

kings, tax-mongers,

bandits, mercenaries!

(CLEOPAS COUGHING)

He's scaring everyone.

I'm going to get him.

Leave him. If he's to die,

let him die as he wants.

By the River Jordan,

raving over king and taxes

and shouting at the Lord.

O Lord of Zion,

you shall reign forever

as you wash me

in your living waters!

Father?

SALOME:
Father?

Oh, Lord, everyone yet

to be born will hear me,

praise your faithfulness!

Happy am I,

brother to the

prophesized virgin,

uncle to the promised.

Lord Father, let us keep him.

God, I ask this.

Is this too much?

Let us keep him, please,

for as long as you will.

Did you see that?

He's a healer.

That little boy,

I saw him do it.

That man was sick and now he's

well, and the boy did it.

(INAUDIBLE)

Maybe it's the Devil.

Nonsense.

Give him to me.

MAN:
We should rejoice!

He's fine!

How do you know?

Because of who he is.

This is dangerous.

It's a miracle!

There are witnesses.

MAN 2:
They're charlatans

using our faith against us.

Rabbi, praises!

MAN 3:
We saw.

MAN 4:
They'll hurt us

all, don't you see?

Bless the Lord!

Son...

(LAUGHING)

Where's the food?

(LAUGHS)

Drink.

(CLEOPAS LAUGHING)

(LAUGHS)

He's all better.

Are you mad at me?

How could we be mad at you?

We love him, too.

We just have to be careful.

Am I dangerous?

No, but others are.

And we need

to keep away from them.

Because of me?

Because I can do things

nobody else can?

There were angels at the river.

I couldn't see them,

but they were there.

How do I know that?

You have to stop

asking these questions.

Why won't you tell me?

Because you're

too young to know.

When will I be old enough?

When your father

decides you are.

Mother?

I prayed for my big

brother to get better.

And he did.

(LAUGHING)

Let that be enough for today.

(HORSE GALLOPING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

We're done. Go. Leave!

Well?

They claimed to have seen a boy

heal a sick man

at the Jordan River.

A miracle.

What happened to the boy?

They don't know.

(GROANS)

Anything else? Names?

Other people

traveling with them?

Something distinctive?

No. Just Jews.

Same story again.

Yes. It's a popular one.

They all love their miracles.

There's only one miracle.

That's Roman steel.

Mother?

(STRUGGLING AND GRUNTING)

Come.

(GRUNTS)

MARY:
Joseph!

Come on, come on, come on!

(GRUNTS)

(WOMAN SCREAMING)

(CRYING)

Stay away! Stay away!

Shh.

It's all right.

I won't hurt you.

Stay away! Stay away!

JOSEPH:
Shh.

Stay away! Stay away...

Shh.

I won't hurt you.

(ATTACKER GROANS)

Are you...

What? Unclean?

That's not what I meant.

I just wondered if he...

Yes, he did.

And he'd do it to you, too.

He killed my master and his

wife, then burned the house.

I hid in the tunnels.

Tunnels?

Under the house.

But he found me.

Bandits. They're like locusts,

destroying everything in their path.

He was taking me

to Sepphoris to sell.

I was born in Sepphoris.

It's not far from here,

near Nazareth.

You're good Jews.

Don't go there.

It's a world on fire.

Here. You'll need these

to walk to Nazareth with us.

Am I going to Nazareth with you?

Joseph will decide.

We're safe. All of us.

He's buried.

No one will find him.

Father, can she come with us?

As a sister?

Yes.

Smells like Egypt.

Nephew. Nephew.

It was a killing,

but it wasn't murder.

The wrong was his.

Not hers, not ours.

The water...

The purification ritual...

God himself gave it

to the Jews on Sinai.

Yes. But now I know why.

This is good.

Hand me the tunic.

You should be with your mother.

Go now. Go on.

What are you doing?

CLEOPAS:
Listening to him.

You might consider

doing it yourself.

Can't you see he's

bursting with questions?

He's seen a lot for a little boy.

For that matter, we all have.

What are you implying?

(LAUGHING)

I don't imply. If I have

something to say, I say it.

Then say it!

He needs answers!

We need answers.

I don't have them!

He has them! Must I remind you

that we are men of faith.

He's just a child.

No.

I was just a child,

and so were you.

But, he...

He is not just a child.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(SNIFFLING)

JOSEPH:
Come with me, boy.

MARY:
The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie

down in green pastures.

He leadeth me

beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul.

He leadeth me in the paths of

righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the

valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil

for thou art with me.

Thy rod and thy staff,

they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies.

Thou anointeth my head with

oil, my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow...

(DOG BARKS)

all the days of my life.

And I will dwell in the

house of the Lord forever.

(CONTINUES BARKING)

Keep on, son. Keep walking.

Keep walking.

Eyes down. Do as I say.

Do as I say. Eyes down.

(BARKING)

(CLEOPAS CHUCKLES)

Nazareth.

Right where we left it.

JESUS:
Mother,

are we almost there?

Yes, it's just ahead.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

(EXCLAIMS)

(CHUCKLES)

(HORSE NEIGHS)

Jews!

Stay where you are.

Look at you.

(SQUAD LEADER LAUGHS)

All the Nazarenes that are

left gathered here together

in one courtyard.

Let's crucify them.

We're not guilty of anything.

Not one single rebel among you?

Not one escaped slave?

We can't go back

without someone.

I'll go. Take me.

No!

I was saved at the river for this.

To die for the family.

No. If someone must go,

it'll be me.

State my crime.

It should be me.

You all know why.

I like her idea.

My lords!

Quiet! An old lady speaks.

(SHUSHING)

(LAUGHING)

My lords!

I would bow, my lords,

but I'm too old for that.

And you are young men.

I offer you sweetcakes

and the best wine

from the vineyards

of our kindred.

You'd feed an army that's

crucifying your own people?

I'd offer you ambrosia

from the gods of Mount Olympus

and conjure up dancing

girls and woodland nymphs

if you would spare these

children of my father's house.

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