The First Book of Samuel by SAREJESS (unputdownable books .TXT) 📖

/> These words so startled Samuel that he drew back as if he had been struck a physical blow. Who could this strange man be? For surely he could not be the prophet himself come to warn Samuel that the way he was now following was a path to destruction.
"Pray sire" asked Samuel “Art thou the prophet Mohammed?"
The man sobbed as he flung himself against a tree. "I am he" the man sobbed in broken tears "now I spend my nights trying to warn those who are falling into this trap to turn, turn back I say for I am bound to spend eternity in hell fires for my sins and deceptions. Oh that I had never been born he sobbed" before fading away. For a moment longer Samuel lingered in the garden, before awakening with a cramp in his neck and a numb hand. For a while he lay on his bed, the cool night air of the desert blowing in. Samuel contemplated this strange vision. Had he really met with the ghost of the doomed prophet? Turning his head he found lying on the bed next to him the rose which the apparition had plucked from the bush.

Rising, our hero paced the room in some confusion before turning to his writing desk. Here he began resolutely to make up his accounts for he had determined that in the gardens of Aribiy there was no salvation to be found and only destruction.

The following morning he sold all his property and left the city of Akbar never more to return to that accursed place.

978 AD Constantinople Samuel wonders
It was a place of wonder. Samuel found himself looking from one thing to another he had never seen a place more populated with people then the jewel of cities. Constantinople was all and more then he expected. A mother of all cities, daily the poor people of the city were fed from the bounty of the emperor. “Not much chance of establishing an inn here” he thought as he was drawn along amidst a crowd of people going to a shrine where a sacred relic of the true cross was held. “Then of course there was so much to see people from all the known world came here to look in wonder at the great church, which was said to have its roof held up by the very heavens.” The Haggai Sophia was a church of gigantic proportions with its roof held up by a great number of very slender decorative pillars.

When the center of the government of the empire had moved to this far-flung corner of the earth Samuel had thought it but another fad of the wise emperor Constantine. But now that he beheld the wonder of the place he wondered what the followers of the carpenter could do in his name. Indeed it was a great city. With many churches of all descriptions and types masses were said day and night through out the city in worship of God.

The harbor of the city was always very busy with ships coming from all over the known world bringing produce to feed the great multitudes of people. In fact, many people had left their countries in the distant parts of the empire to come and seek their fortune in this great city. Many were to be disappointed. Those who returned to their own homes though would have stories to tell of the wonders of the great city. How did it compare to ancient Jerusalem which was now but a distant memory. When it came to splendor well there too were incomparable. Jerusalem was a holy city designated so by God himself. Had not Abraham offered his own son as an offering to God on the mount and had not God intervened and shown Abraham the ram, which took the place of Isaac? Constantinople for all its wonder was not a holy city as far as Samuel was concerned. It was a city of great wealth and beauty build to honor God but it was not Jerusalem.

Samuel found himself now under the great balcony on which was displayed on feast days the burial cloth of the carpenter. The cloth bore an image burned there when the young carpenter had risen from the grave. The image was forever etched in the cloth; neither painted nor copied it was an image that had been actually burned into the ancient cloth. The burial cloth was displayed to the masses of believers who would look up at the balcony in wonder whispering their prayers of adoration to their Lord and savior. As they prayed they fingered their rosaries, remembering the prayers that the village priests had taught them in places as far of as Spain France and Germany. There were even some Saxons from the distant Briton here who looked in disbelief at the cloth, wondering by what method the face of the holy savior had come to be on the cloth. A monk was busy explaining to them in their barbaric tongue the operation and bidding them believe in the miracle which they beheld. When the monk had finished speaking, the Saxons made the sign of the cross and fell to their knees and began to pray.

At mid day the great throng of people who were pilgrims and the homeless in the city assembled in the great square of the city where large three legged pots contained stew. Here the food was handed over to the people. Whoever presented his bowl received a portion of the stew and a crust of bread sufficient to last them until the next meal. When the people were fed there were a great many houses of refuge in the city where one might enter if there was room to spend the night. This, the wise emperor had decreed and paid for from his own pocket lest any member of his empire might be found wanting in the great city with out a place to rest his head. This was said to be that they should remember that even at the time of his birth Jesus did not have a place of his own to rest his head. Samuel with a knowing look, acknowledged this; not without a certain amount of guilt.

The food that the emperor paid for out of his own pocket was for the reason that he would not have it said that in the greatest city of the realm people died in the streets of hunger.

"Come friend" said a man who had many sores upon his face "Show me the way to the well of healing." Samuel as a visitor had not heard of this place and had informed the man of his ignorance. "Why friend how be it that you are in the city of wonder, the city of God yet you have not heard of the well of wondrous healing?" asked the man. "I am not of this city. I like you am a visitor to the city." replied Samuel. "From where did you set out?" asked the man now curious to Samuel’s origin "I am a citizen of the city of Jerusalem in Israel." said Samuel "Ah blessed city of the savior; the city of our God" said the man. "One day I hope to make a pilgrimage there. To behold the sacred tomb of our savior, to stand atop Golgotha’s hill to look down on the city of God, what a wonder to behold." said the man.

"Indeed friend it is a beautiful city, one which I am proud to call home." said Samuel "But come friend the line draws near let us stand ready to receive the daily portion of the wise emperor’s bounty" said Samuel. "Alas friend I have no bowl I was hoping to get a crust, which I could soak in water." said the poor man. From deep within his soul Samuel found compassion in his heart handing over his bowl he said "Here take my bowl. I am not hungry." although the hunger pains gnawed at his stomach he found a peace at doing some thing for his fellow man.

Samuel’s new friend hailed from Silesia in the great eastern European hinter land, the area had first come under the influence of Saxon priests in the 7th century. Thomas as his Christianized name was, had been afflicted by an ailment for which the only cure was to wash from and drink the water of the Holy well of ST Catalina at Constantinople. Thus he had undertaken a journey of thousands of miles and many months now on this day he had arrived penniless except for the offering of a few copper coins for which he was to pay for the healing water of the well. Having received the crust of bread and the bowl of stew he moved on while Samuel received only a crust of bread.

“I thank you friend for the use of your bowl” said Thomas “I do not know what I would have done. I have not eaten in many days” he said as he slowly spooned the hot steaming mix of vegetables and meat into his mouth. “I would like to give you some thing in exchange for offering up your meal” he said, “but alas I have nothing. Maybe if you go with me to the healing well the Lord our Father would see it fit to bless you too.” “I am indeed interested in this well of wonder” said Samuel, “for if knowledge of it could have reached half a continent away then it must indeed be some thing to behold” he said.

“Oh friend Samuel you would find it a place of healing. I have heard that there was a cripple who left his crutches behind and walked all the way back to Silesia. I hope and pray our holy mother will find it in her heart to do a wonder for me and restore my poor health” continued Thomas.

“Pray friend Thomas what is it that exactly ails you?” asked Samuel. “I was born in to a good family, good farming stock, all my brothers were healthy. Growing up there was little sickness in our home. Did I tell you that I have eleven brothers and six sisters? Well as I was saying, I was the only one in the family who did not enjoy good health from my birth. I have had a problem with my skin it breaks out in sores and no one really liked me. Because of it they thought I was a dirty lad but it is not a matter of washing which I do regularly, five, some times six times a season. It is the skin you see, it becomes dry and brittle. We have tried many things, goose fat, the liver of Oxen and for a time it works but then the old sores break out again. And I have to go about with my head covered our local priest said to me. Thomas you must have committed a great sin when been born this is why you have this affliction. I suggest you go to the Holy well of ST Catharine in Constantinople and ask the holy mother to heal you. So that is how I come to be here. I have walked half way across the continent to be here and most of the way I have had a stone in my shoe as penance for my sins. Now the end of my journey is almost upon me I am quite excited at the prospect of been healed by the waters of the well. It is like the pool in the bible the priest told us of where the lame man lay and the Lord our Saviour came and healed him. Maybe you know of the pool of Siloam.” said