Three Wise Men?
“The newborn King of the Jews?” Patrick called. “Do you mean Jesus?”
“Jesus?” Apellus asked. He slowed his camel so Patrick could catch up.
“You know, Christ the Lord, the newborn King,” Patrick said. “Like in the Christmas songs.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Apellus said. “But we know a new King has been born. My father tracked the star that marked His birth. That’s why we’ve traveled here.”
Patrick thought about this news for a while. Then he asked Apellus, “Are you carrying gold and myrrh with you?”
Apellus glanced at him. “We have gold and myrrh,” he said. “And frankincense. They are gifts for the King.”
Patrick rode on in silence. It was a lot to think about. He’d had many adventures in the Imagination Station. But he never expected to meet the baby Jesus. Or would he? He couldn’t remember what happened to the wise men in the Bible.
The caravan passed through a grove of bushy olive trees. The air was dry and warm. The scent of olive oil made Patrick think of Italian food.
Finally, the caravan came to the gates of Jerusalem.
The city spread out over the hillsides. A gigantic stone wall surrounded it. Tall buildings towered above the wall. Their color and rectangular shape reminded Patrick of sand castles.
Old Neb stopped suddenly, and Patrick jerked forward. He grabbed the saddle with both hands. He felt himself slipping off. But he held on and soon settled himself again. He looked back at the long train of men and camels. He silently counted the number of men dressed in rich robes. One, two . . . seven! he thought. It can’t be!
“Apellus! Who is your dad? And who are the men with him?” he asked.
Apellus answered, “They are the seven wise ones from my country. Some would call them kings. My father is their leader.”
“Not three?” Patrick asked. “There should be only three.”
Apellus looked puzzled. He tapped his camel with the branch, and it stopped. Old Neb stopped too. The camels behind them came to a halt, too.
“What’s this talk of three wise men?” Apellus asked Patrick as he climbed off his camel.
“I thought there were only three,” Patrick said again. Old Neb let out a mighty groan. The old camel folded his legs and settled on the ground.
Patrick held on as his seat swung back and forth. He was glad to climb off. His back and legs felt stiff. “I guess the songs got it wrong,” he said.
Apellus shook his head at Patrick. “Songs?”
“Never mind,” Patrick said. “What are we doing now?”
“We’re waiting for my father,” Apellus said. “We shouldn’t enter the city without a formal message to the king.”
Patrick looked back at the caravan. That could take a while, he thought. “Will you tell me your secret while we wait?” he asked. “How did you do the trick at the water hole?”
The young man nodded. “I’ll tell you,” he said, “because now we’re friends. But it wasn’t a trick. It was knowledge.”
“Knowledge?” Patrick asked.
“My father experiments with different salts, elements, and compounds,” said Apellus. “He knows which ones to mix to create smoke. He knows which ones to mix to create light.”
“Oh! You mean science?” Patrick asked.
At first Apellus looked confused. “Sigh-ants?” he asked. Then he smiled and said, “Oh, you mean scientia. That’s Latin. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Someday I hope to learn everything my father knows.”
“How did you make the smoke?” Patrick asked.
Apellus held open his outer robe. Patrick saw many hidden pockets sewn inside.
“I simply mixed several salts and elements. I always carry pouches of them in my pockets,” Apellus said.
Then he pulled a pouch out of a pocket. “I threw this mixture on the ground. When it made the cloud of smoke, I stepped into it. Nobody saw me until the cloud disappeared.”
“Could you teach me some of your knowledge?” Patrick asked. “I’d love to show this to Beth.”
“I’ll teach you when we have time,” Apellus said. “Right now my father is coming.”
An older man walked toward them. He had a long white beard. He wore a green robe with white fur trim. A long green feather was on the top of his turban.
“My son,” Datis said as he came close. He bowed slightly.
“Hello, Father,” Apellus said. “This is Patrick. He’s looking for his cousin. I invited him to travel with us.”
Patrick bowed too.
“Do you know where your cousin might be?” Datis asked.
“No,” Patrick said.
Datis looked toward the palace. “Perhaps King Herod will know,” he said.
“King Herod?” Patrick asked. Something about the name sounded familiar. He had a feeling it was something bad.
Datis said, “Herod has men watching his city. They report all news to him. He may have heard about your cousin.”
Patrick gazed at the palace. He had a feeling that he would find Beth there.
“You may come with us to see King Herod,” Datis said.
“Is that where we’ll find the newborn King?” Apellus asked.
Datis shook his head. “The star didn’t place the Infant here. He was born in another town.”
“Then why did you come here?” Patrick asked.
“To pay our respects to this king,” Datis replied. “Come.”