an instant they found themselves in a dark cave.
The caves were packed full with people, men in the main. They were all crowded around a respected elderly man. Michael naively tugged the sleeve of one of the youths standing next to him and silently pointed at the preacher. The young man looked at the two unusual looking boys in some surprise and said something in reply. Michael didn’t understand much of what he said, but both he and Ben caught the name Peter. Everyone was gazing at the Wise Old Man with immense reverence. And even though the cousins didn’t understand the language he was speaking they began listening very attentively. After some time they felt themselves to be early Christians themselves, who, risking their lives, had come here to this cave by secret routes because there were soldiers and other people everywhere whose job it was to catch Christians, subject them to the most horrible tortures and demand that they reject their faith. This came home to the cousins with a jolt when two people who had been detailed to keep watch cried: “Danger!”
Immediately a group of people lead the Wise Old Man away and everyone quickly melted away in different directions. But a couple of the more elderly men were not able to flee so quickly. The guards were already running towards them when Michael and Ben having pressed their “invisibility” buttons grabbed the two old men by the arm and calmly lead them past the guards, out of the cave and into safety. And thus they were saved from a horrible death. They soon ducked into a nearby door. But once in safety, the two men could not understand what had happened: who had grabbed them by the hand and lead them away from the guards? They hadn't seen anyone… They came to the conclusion they must have been helped by the very Angels of the Lord that Peter had just been preaching about. And to think that they had just doubted him! For a long time the old men remained astonished at this miracle and the next time they came to the cave they told Peter about everything that had passed. In silence, he simply raised his hand to heaven thus letting them know that that was where their salvation had come from.
The boys were walking along the street, happy that they had been able to help someone when suddenly not far from the city centre they heard the most pitiful weeping. The street they were on lead to a crossroads and there, near one of the buildings, stood a big crowd of onlookers. The boys drew closer and saw that the building had bars instead of windows. On the massive iron doors next to them hung a huge lock. And next to the door stood a guard who seemed totally oblivious to what was going on around him. Behind the window bars the cousins could make out a boy, about sixteen years of age, who was covered in blood and obviously being held prisoner. It was clear that he had been very badly beaten. The boy held two sticks in his hand that had been tied together into a cross.
“Oh dear God, that means that this boy has been captured for being a Christian,” said Michael to Ben in horror.
“And it looks like they’re getting him ready for something even worse,” replied Ben.
Not far from the dungeon, the boys could see an arena very similar to a circus, where a large crowd had already begun to gather. On the other side of the arena there stood a number of cages full of lions. That was why the poor boy was weeping so bitterly! Once again Michael and Ben tried to think what they could do? How could they help the poor child? However, they soon found themselves just bursting into tears from the sheer pitifulness of it all. The onlookers, initially with surprise, and then with unconcealed interest began to scrutinise the cousins. Then out of the blue a young man came up to them and addressing them in Bulgarian said:
“Let’s get out of here; I know what needs to be done!”
And quickly he made his way from the accursed place taking the cousins with him. Michael and Ben were overjoyed that at least one person shared their pity for the poor prisoner. But the most important thing was that now there was a small chance that they might be able to help, so they ran full speed behind their new found ally. For some time the young man lead them from one backstreet to another until they found themselves standing in front of a small house with two windows facing out onto the street. The young man quickly rapped on one of them. A minute later another man with a small beard appeared. His inquisitive gaze quickly ran over all three figures standing in front of him. The young man who had knocked on the window expressed no surprise and looked at the cousins with interest. He started saying something very quickly to the bearded man, pointing to the cousins and then up to heaven. The bearded man’s reaction was instantaneous: having placed some money into the young man’s hands he showed them that they needed to go back to where they had just come from.
Meanwhile, he rushed out of the house with uncommon speed, literally running to the centre where the rich patricians lived. In the meantime the Bulgarian speaking youth, set off at such a pace that the cousins could barely keep up. On the way he ducked into a local shop, grabbed a small rolled bundle from the shopkeeper and then ran straight towards the circus arena.
All the most distinguished Roman citizens were already gathered in their boxes: the senators and the richest patricians. But for the time being Caesar’s box was empty. Further round the stadium sat the free citizens of Rome and then the poor and foreign visitors who had come to watch the spectacle.
As Michael and Ben came running into the coliseum they noticed that the bearded man was sitting with the most important and respected citizens. Right behind him were a number of young men, many of whom the cousins had seen at the gathering of early Christians in the catacombs. The thought flashed through Ben’s head: “That is a group of support that could come in handy.”
Very soon the crowd became noisier and more excited: one of Caesar's consuls had appeared. Everyone, and especially those in the front rows, obsequiously smiled and bowed to him. Then the cruel and bloodthirsty show began in earnest. First, the lion was let out. He let out a terrifying roar and began to run around the arena. Meanwhile Michael and Ben were standing unseen in the passage, they had noticed how their friend the young man had sneaked on to the arena opposite the lion and, unseen by anybody, had quickly thrown the bundle right under the overhanging edge. The lion was quick and clever and sidled up to the unseen package lying in the shade and in a couple of seconds had swallowed the meat - package and all. Happy and sated he stretched himself out on the edge of the arena and like all cats after a good feed, promptly fell asleep. This all happened so quickly that the audience failed to notice anything, especially the high ranking spectators who were sitting right above the arena wall where the lion was so soundly asleep.
In the meantime the poor child had been brought into the arena. Someone had at least washed him and dressed him in some respectable clothes. The lion continued to sleep peacefully on the other side of the arena and didn’t even twitch an eyelid at the appearance of the poor boy. While this was going on the cousins noticed how the man with the beard had greeted the consul and handed him some sort of scroll. The consul’s face dissolved into a big smile and he invited the man to sit next to him in his box. Before he had even sat down the man with the beard whispered something in the Consul’s ear, pointing at the poor defenceless boy in the arena. The Consul made a helpless gesture and quietly said:
“Free him."
That very second the group of young men took up the cry and soon the whole crowd was following suit. After a little while the Consul pronounced in a much louder voice: “Free the brave young boy. Look… even the lion is afraid of him."
And immediately the fortunate child was lead to safety. A little bit later the boy was taken away from the frightful arena on horseback.
“Who is that man?” -Ben asked himself out loud, because it was he who had organised the miraculous rescue of the child. Michael looked at Ben unable to answer. And then someone nearby said:
“That is Paul.”
It was the Bulgarian speaking young man who was now standing right next to them.
“And another thing… Thank you both,” he added.
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br /> “What for? We did nothing to help; it's you who did everything." The cousins replied in unison. “It's us who should be thanking you.”
The young man smiled:
“You were so sorry for that boy that you were prepared to immediately rush to his aid. Only in these troubled times it would have been difficult for you to have known how to act and you could have suffered yourselves. You see for this merciless crowd the greater the number of victims the better the spectacle. But your desire to help the child was like an immediate summons for us.”
And with that, the young man disappeared and melted into the crowd.
Later when they were back on the starship, the Angel told Michael and Ben how the boy had later been sent by Saint Paul to be brought up in one of his churches. Consequently he went on to become one of Paul’s best students.
Michael and Ben, who had been so talkative before, had been so affected by what they had seen in Rome that they sat in silence for a long time. Then Ben began to say something in a quiet but strong voice:
"Faith is a virtue, but a virtue tempered by necessity is… well… it’s patience.”
Then Michael took up his line of thought:
"And patience
The Stolen Star Page 22