by Tracey West
Then he rubbed his head on the ground, so that the hair on his head looked fuzzy and curly.
“I’m Joseph! I’m in a bad mood!” Bo said.
“Wait, is that supposed to be me?” Joseph asked.
Mary tried not to laugh. “It’s totally you!”
Bo pretended to be Mary again. “Oh no, look! Here come the dogs!”
Bo nodded to Ruth and Dave. “That’s you guys!”
Ruth started to pant and wag her tail. “Uh . . . woof, woof! Throw me a stick and I’ll bring it right back!”
Then she turned her head to look at her tail. “What’s this. A tail? Ooh, I’m gonna get you, tail!”
She started to run in circles, chasing her own tail like a dog would. Dave rolled his eyes.
“Seriously, we’re doing this instead of the Royal Caravan?” he asked, and then he flew away.
“No Ruth!” Bo told her. “You’re a scary dog! Just be meaner!”
“Meaner? You mean like this?” Ruth asked.
She made a really scary face and snarled like a mad dog. Then she pounced on Bo.
Bo kept pretending to be Mary. “Oh no, they’ve got me! All is lost!”
Mary and Joseph stared at Bo.
“There’s something seriously wrong with these animals,” Joseph said.
Mary frowned thoughtfully. “I think Bo’s trying to tell us something.”
Ruth and Bo jumped up.
“Come on! Come on!” Bo urged Mary.
Mary leaned toward him. “I think he wants . . . a belly rub!”
“What? No!” Bo yelled. “I mean, yes, always, but not now. Ugh. This isn’t working!”
Dave flew back and pointed down the road with his wing.
“Guys, I hate to break this up, but we’ve got trouble!” he shouted.
Bo and Ruth looked down the road. In the distance, they saw the Hunter and his dogs making their way through the crowds.
“Oh, those guys?” Ruth asked. “Yeah, they’ve been following us since we came down the cliff!”
“Couldn’t you have pointed that out sooner?” Dave asked.
“Oh no!” Bo cried. “They followed us right to her.”
“Why don’t we hide with that big flock over there? That’s what a sheep would do,” Ruth suggested. She nodded at a large group of travelers gathered around a well. Vendors were selling food.
“Great idea!” Bo agreed.
Bo bit down on the end of Mary’s shawl and looped the end of it around her wrist. Then he pulled her down the road.
“Bo, what are you . . . Joseph!” she called out.
“Right behind you!” Joseph yelled.
He picked up the cart and jogged after them. Ruth and Dave followed. Bo didn’t stop moving until he got to the well.
“Wow, he must be really thirsty!” Mary remarked, when Joseph caught up. She took a bucket from the cart. “I’m going to grab some water. Do you want some?”
“Sure. I guess I’ll take a look at that wheel, then,” Joseph said. He pulled the cart to a small hill so he could work on it, and put a stone under the wheel to keep it from rolling away.
Mary began to fill the bucket with water from the well. Bo, Ruth, and Dave got a drink of water from a nearby trough. Bo studied the crowd, looking for signs of the Hunter.
“Do you see anything?” Bo asked.
“What are we looking for?” Ruth asked.
Dave groaned. “Here we are, minutes away from being chopped into tiny little pieces by a knife-wielding psycho. We could have been riding with royalty, but no, you wanted to babysit humans!”
“I, for one, love babysitting,” Ruth said.
Bo gasped. “Look!”
He saw a big, hulking figure pass through the crowd. Was that the Hunter?
“They’re here!” he cried. “Dave, let’s try to lead them away. Ruth, you stay here and guard Mary. If they find her, let us know.”
Bo ran away, and Dave flew after him.
“We should have a secret signal!” Ruth called out.
“Sounds great!” Bo called behind him.
Bo charged into the crowd, searching for the Hunter. Then he spotted the tall, hulking figure with broad shoulders he had seen before.
But it wasn’t the Hunter! It was a man carrying a goat on his shoulders.
Bo started to look through the crowd again.
Back at the well, Ruth spotted the Hunter’s dogs.
“Oh no. He’s here!” she exclaimed. “He’s here! The signal!”
She inhaled, and then let out a scream.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Bo’s head spun around. The dogs were standing a few feet behind Mary, barking loudly. The Hunter looped the chain attached to their collars around a post and slowly approached Mary. Bo could see the knife gleam in his hand.
“Noooo!” he cried.
“I’ll handle this,” Dave said. “Looks like it’s up to me!”
He flew toward the Hunter. The big man looked up at Dave and glared. Dave did a U-turn in midair.
“Nope,” he said. He flew over to Ruth. “Ruth, looks like it’s up to you!”
“Me?” Ruth asked. “I knew this day would come.”
Then her eyes narrowed. “For the flock,” she said.
She ran up to the Hunter.
“For the flooooooock!” she cried.
The Hunter brushed her aside with his foot and kept creeping toward Mary.
Bo thought quickly. He trotted over to Joseph’s wagon and kicked out the rock that was keeping it in place.
Bo watched the cart roll down the hill. In a few seconds it would hit the Hunter.
But then a man pushed a wagon right into the cart’s path. Bam! The cart crashed into the wagon.
The wagon fell over, bumping into a food stand. The stand fell over, knocking down the one next to it. Then the next stand came crashing down. People screamed, and fruit, bread, and eggs rolled across the sand.
Mary looked up to watch the commotion. The Hunter took one more step closer. He raised his arm to strike her with his knife.
Bam! Another food stand toppled over—and this one crashed down on the Hunter. He fell right into the well!
“Yes!” Bo cheered.
He ran to Mary and started braying loudly. Then he chomped down onto her dress and started to try to pull her away.
“Bo, are you okay?” Mary asked. “What has gotten into you?”
By then a crowd of people had gathered around the well, pointing at Bo.
“That donkey did it!” one man yelled. “He destroyed everything!”
Mary look at Bo. “Did you do this?”
Bo scrunched up his face, embarrassed.
Mary sighed. “Oh boy.”
She led him away from the well. Ruth joined them.
“Bo! We stopped him! That went great, right?” she asked eagerly.
Dave swooped in and shouted at the dogs, who were still chained to a post.
“Hey, ya big mutts!” he taunted them.
Thaddeus strained against his chain. “Come here!”
Dave just grinned. “Hope your boss knows how to swim!”
Rufus snarled. “You just messed with the big dogs!”
He lunged at Bo, but the chain pulled him back.
“What’s the matter, fellas? All tied up?” Dave teased. He landed on a fence and started to do a victory dance, shaking his tail feathers.
The dogs snapped at him.
“That’s it! You’re dead!” Thaddeus yelled.
“I’m so angry, but I can’t look away!” Rufus wailed.
Thaddeus strained even harder, nearly reaching Dave’s tail. The dove froze for a beat, then hopped one step away and shook his tail once more before flapping away.
“I hate that dancing bird,” Thaddeus growled.
“I know,” said Rufus. “He’s so talented.”
He flew toward Bo, who was racing through the crowd without watching where he was going. Then Bo suddenly bumped into a pair of l
egs. He looked up.
It was Joseph, and boy, did he look angry.
“Uh-oh,” Bo said.
Chapter Fifteen
Leaving the Flock
Joseph pulled the cart, which held Mary and the few supplies they hadn’t lost when the cart went crashing down the hill. Bo, Dave, and Ruth trailed behind them.
“Joseph,” Mary began.
“No, no, I do not want that donkey near you or the baby!” Joseph said firmly.
He looked back at Bo and shooed him away with one hand.
“Go! Get outta here!”
Bo felt sad. He had just saved Mary’s life. Didn’t Joseph understand how much he loved Mary?
“Joseph, it’s fine,” Mary said kindly.
“Fine?” Joseph asked. “Mary, this is not going well. I just promised four people I’d repair the carts that he smashed.”
“Yeah, trying to save her life,” Dave whispered to Bo.
Ruth felt bad for Bo. “Maybe if you pulled the cart, Joseph would want you to stay,” she suggested.
“He’s just too much to deal with,” Joseph told Mary.
“He’s just a donkey,” Mary said.
“Just a donkey?” Joseph asked. “Yeah, he is just a good-for-nothing donkey who has only ever brought us trouble.”
Bo stopped walking. Dave and Ruth stopped too.
“Come on, Dave,” Bo said quietly. “Let’s go.”
He turned and started walking in the opposite direction. Dave flew onto his shoulder.
“Um, where are we going?” Dave asked.
“Where do you think?” Bo replied. “To the Royal Caravan. Where we’ll finally get to do something important.”
Ruth still hadn’t moved. She watched Mary and Joseph go off one way, and Bo and Dave go off the other way.
Then she hurried to catch up with Bo. “Hey, Bo. Wait a minute,” she said. “What about the Star? It means something; you said so yourself.”
“You follow the Star,” Bo replied. “I’m done with that.”
“But . . . what about our tiny flock?” Ruth asked. “Flocks stick together.”
“We’re not a flock,” Bo said. “I never should have followed you.”
Ruth stopped, stunned and hurt. Dave stared at Bo. He’d never heard his friend be mean before.
Bo kept walking, and Dave flew to join him. The two friends left Ruth behind.
That’s when Mary realized Bo was gone.
“Bo? Bo!” she called out.
Bo heard her, but he didn’t turn around. He walked and walked across the desert, not saying a word. He walked up and down the sandy hills. He walked until he couldn’t walk anymore, and then he collapsed with exhaustion.
Then his ears twitched. He heard the sound of bells jingling. He looked up.
“Is that the Royal Caravan?” he asked.
Dave flew up to get a better look. “I can see them!”
Bo hurried up the next hill so he could see too. Dave landed on his shoulder. There, crossing the next hill, was a long parade of tall horses, people in brightly colored clothing, and fancy wagons. The Royal Caravan!
Excited, Bo charged down the hill. The bandage came loose from his leg and got picked up by the wind. Bo watched it fly away—toward the brightly burning Star.
He stopped. He was so close to the caravan. So close. But what had he left behind?
“The Royal Caravan! The Royal Caravan!” Dave cheered.
“Dave, I don’t think I can go with you,” Bo said quietly.
Dave smiled. “Of course you can! What do you mean?”
“Look, I know we’ve always talked about joining the Royal Caravan,” Bo began. “Seeing the world. Being part of something important. But now that we’re here . . . I don’t think this is it. Mary may not be big and royal, but she’s important. To me. I know this was your dream, and even though I can’t go, I think you should go. Without me. I’ll be fine.”
He paused. “Say hi to the horses for me.”
Dave glared at Bo, angry. He shook his head. Finally, he spat out a reply.
“Aw, come on!”
“No really,” Bo said. “I mean it.”
“Bo, yes, you’re right,” Dave said. “The Royal Caravan was our dream. But the best part was . . . that it was gonna be us.”
Bo stared at his friend. Did he really mean that much to Dave?
“If all I wanted was to flap around a bunch of fancy wagons, I could have gone and done that a while ago. I mean, I can fly, you know. You realize that.”
Bo nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I had more fun watching you walk in circles than I’d ever have with those stuck-up nags,” Dave said. “So look, you lead the way, and wherever you go, your best friend, Dave, will be right behind you.”
They both paused to gaze at the caravan as it made its way toward Rome. Bo took a deep breath. He and Dave both turned to look up at the Star, which shone more brightly in the sky than ever before.
“You ready?” Bo asked.
• • •
While Bo and Dave were walking across the desert, a crowd had gathered around the well. The rope dangling into the well creaked and shuddered.
Then the Hunter’s massive hands appeared, grasping the edge of the well. He still held his gleaming knife in one hand. He pulled himself up and ran to the dogs.
“We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!” Rufus wailed.
Whack! The Hunter slashed through the post with his knife, freeing the chain.
“We’re gonna live! We’re gonna live!” Rufus cheered.
Thaddeus narrowed his eyes. “Someone’s gonna die.”
Chapter Sixteen
Breaking Down
Joseph pulled the cart toward Bethlehem. Mary looked behind, hoping that Bo would show up. But she only saw his friend the sheep.
Suddenly, one of the wheels on the cart struck a rock. Joseph yanked the wheel over the rock, but when it slammed back down, he heard a loud snap. The wheel’s axle broke in half, and the cart tipped over. Some of their belongings spilled out onto the road.
“No, no, no!” Joseph cried, frustrated.
“Let me help,” Mary offered.
She climbed out of the wagon.
“Mary, you’re in no condition to help,” Joseph said as he crouched down to examine the broken axle.
“Stop saying that,” Mary said. “I’m fine!”
Joseph stood up. “No, you are not fine! None of this is fine!”
“Joseph, God chose us,” Mary reminded him.
“But why? Why us?” Joseph asked. “Look at us! We’ll be lucky just to make it to Bethlehem. And we’re supposed to raise the Son of God?”
Mary listened. She understood Joseph’s point.
“This must be part of God’s plan,” she said.
Joseph frowned. “Well, so far this plan is going great! I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
He knelt down again and turned his attention to the cart. Mary walked away. The sun was setting and a mist had risen up from the sand.
Ruth nervously approached Joseph and smiled.
“What are you looking at?” he asked crossly.
Ruth scurried away and hid behind the broken cart. She watched as Joseph tried to fix it, and another piece snapped. Joseph dropped to his knees, and then looked up at the heavens, closing his eyes in prayer.
“Lord, I can’t do this,” he said. “I am not the father of a king. I am just a carpenter. Please give me a sign.”
At that moment, he felt something on his shoulder, and opened his eyes to see Bo nudging him, with Dave perched on his back. Joseph looked back up at the heavens.
“Really? The donkey?”
Bo pushed Joseph harder. Joseph stood up and picked up one of the bundles. Bo pushed him again, in the direction that Mary went.
Joseph finally got it. He looked into the mist.
“Mary?” he asked.
He dropped the bundle and hurried down the road to find his wife. Ruth
poked her head out from behind the cart.
“Hi, Ruth,” Bo said.
Still hurt, Ruth just stared at Bo.
“Look, I’m sorry for what I said back there,” Bo said. “It was mean. And I’m glad we followed you.”
“Really?” Ruth asked. “Oh, that’s so good to hear, because once I saw the Star I tried to get my flock to follow me, but they wouldn’t. So I struck out on my own, which has been hard ’cause, well, I’m a sheep.” She smiled at them. “Thank you for coming back.”
“Yeah, well, don’t read too much into it,” Dave replied, but it was clear he was happy to see Ruth again too.
Bo smiled. He nodded toward Mary and Joseph’s things. “Can you help me with these? For Mary?”
“Of course!” Ruth replied. “Good leaders are always willing to lend a hand.”
Dave frowned. “I am done with this one,” he muttered under his breath.
As the animals got to work, Joseph hurried to find Mary. He found her sitting at the foot of a hill.
He ran to her side. “Mary, are you okay? I’m so sorry.”
She turned to him with tears in her eyes. “No, Joseph. You were right.”
“I was?” Joseph asked. “About what?”
“This is hard,” Mary replied. “Trust me, I know it is. Just because God has a plan, doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. And that scares me.”
“Hey, I’m scared too,” Joseph admitted. “But I’m here. And I’m yours. And I will give everything I have to keep you and the baby safe.”
He took her hand and kissed it. She smiled.
“I mean, it may not be a lot, but . . .”
A wind picked up, clearing the mist. On the other side of the hill, they could see the road to Bethlehem.
“Uh, speaking of which, what happened to all our stuff?” Mary asked.
Joseph looked behind them, remembering that he had left the broken cart. But just then, Bo, Dave, and Ruth appeared. Bo was carrying all their bundles on his back!
Mary gasped. “Bo!” she cried happily.
“I always did like that donkey,” Joseph said. “I always did. I didn’t say it enough, that’s true.”
“Oof!” Mary suddenly exclaimed. “Hello!”
“Did the baby kick?” Joseph asked.
“No, that was something different,” Mary said, looking into his eyes.