Historical Setting, 562 C.E. Gaul
Ezra tells me the story of what really happened on that night when Jesse came for Eve. “You should know that Jesse’s wife’s family are shouting close neighbors to the sisters of Colleta. Her cousin Jesse told us what happened that night before. At both houses they heard him pounding their doors pleading for help. No one would go with him. They blamed the storm but in case it lessened they excused themselves saying it would be their duty to attend the Christ Mass at the church if it weren’t for the weather. Turned away by Christians Jesse came through wind and sleet all these miles down here for Eve. He believed family rumor that Eve is a pagan troll and so he could find help and also spite the Christian abandonment.
“Eve found the mother was already dead. Jesse expected a servant of evil would surely be able to restore her to life. Eve insisted it was too late. ‘Angels were already about waiting to take her spirit to Heaven;’ so she gave him the task to hold onto the mother’s shoulders so angels could tug her soul away while Eve hid her work with a blanket to learn if the baby is to be of earth or of Heaven. Eve told Jesse to shout the Christian prayer as loud as he could so the angels would be sure they had a Christian soul here. She had to teach it to him line for line. He shouted it to show us he had not forgotten it. ‘Holy parent in Heaven! Your Kingdom come! Your will be done! On earth!’ and then the baby cried. He knew it was of earth so he stopped praying, but Eve made him say it all anyway. In fact the ‘troll’ herself made him shout the whole of the Christian prayer over again and again. ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven now and forever and ever Amen.’
“So when Colleta and I arrived I think Jesse was glad to see us though all he talked of was the kindness shown by Eve. All this praise stroked the furs of calm backwards and ruffled Colleta’s envy. He even wanted to name the baby ‘Troll’ after Eve. Had it not been for the sweetness of the baby I think Colleta would have been riled to misfit by her jealousy. But Colleta took the baby to her breast and all was peaceful. Jesse and I found Eve had already cleaned the bedding and the body and had wrapped the mother for burial. Jesse carried her to the cart and we buried her.
Under the coating of ice we found the ground had not yet frozen.”
(continues tomorrow)
Lazarus Ink 