Animals We Made [RETURNS June 7, 2024]

Consider Lily | Part 2

Riding into a village known as Jericho, the girl and the soldier prepared themselves for the horde they'd encounter in the market. Above them, dresses twirled from clotheslines.

Lily's stomach gurgled.

"You'll have your meal," the Roman assured her.

The scent of freshly baked bread caused the girl to drool. An old merchant hobbled by with armfuls of rugs.

"Five silver denarii each." He winked up at the pair on the horse. "Finest quality in Judea."

"I've seen rugs for cheaper." Lily peeked out from behind the Roman. "Finer quality rugs than yours."

The merchant spat on the ground. "You pest."

She wiped the drool from her chin, and the Roman laughed.

"No thank you," he told the elderly merchant, who shuffled off, hissing curses.

Lily felt bad.

The Roman turned to her. "For this, you will have not just bread, but cheese."

Her scowl lifted and parted into a grin.

Adonai remembers.

Lily feasted.

Men and women hooted and yapped.

Invading the street, the civilians rammed into one another, flailing and stumbling, and she was glad to be atop the barrel, where the Roman left her as he guided his horse by the reins toward a nearby post.

She munched her bread.

It was staler than she was used to, hard on her teeth, but the cheese went down easier.

"Your abba." The Roman tied his horse to the post. "Describe him. Now."

"He has a beard," Lily said.

The Roman palmed his face. "Every grown man in this region has a beard."

"You have no beard."

"That's because I'm a Roman citizen."

"Ah, so you were born beardless."

"No man is born with a beard, either. Have you ever heard of shaving?"

"Uh-uh."

"Were you raised in a tomb?"

Gobbling up the last of the bread, she finally indulged in her cheese.

The Roman scoffed. "What is your abba's name?"

"Abba."

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Meshach." Lily sniffled. "That's his name."

"You had trouble remembering."

"A daughter never calls her father by his name."

"Shouldn't she at least know it?"