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A Travel Consultant with Wings

© Arnvid Aakre

Or a donkey named Buuuh?



Once upon a time - far away in ancient Alexandria, where the Nile Delta kiss the Mediterranean, the Seventh Cleopatra and Mark Antony had their meeting and dwelling place, which was all but to end when their dream for a free Egypt was crushed by Octavius - and a snake who once again ended a paradise... There was no forbidden apples around this time - nor any garden to be expelled from, but the snake's result is still around.

Octavius became Emperor Augustus - an Emperor with an urge for counting. So strong was this new Emperor's urge for real numbers that it became an obsession. He could have counted stars of course, but someone had done that before him - so he decided to get all the inhabitants in his Empire counted...

That included even Joseph, a virgin called Mary and their donkey named Buuuh* - all from Nazareth. So off they set to be counted. But the virgin was pregnant and gave birth in a stable in King Arafat's city of Bethlehem. A birthday party was held & among the participants were three wise men and a star.

King Herod who suffered from "New-Kingophobia" - was planning a gruesome deed against all newborn baby boys, to prevent the rising of a new king. The Happy Family and guests did not know - and the guests (wise as they where), left the celebration early and Joseph started to count sheep...

"...And when they where departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and the mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying , Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Math. 2.13-15)

So you almost forgot THAT part of the 2000 years celebration, didn't you? The winged travel consultant and the Egyptian journey I mean...

Cairo 1998. years later, endless rows of cars filling the streets. Loudspeakers from minarets filling the air - in hard competition with the twang & horns of traffic. A city with a hangover you think; no my friend - but many flyovers to transport some of the metropolis' 15-16 million inhabitants. On one of these flyovers connecting the Heliopolis area and airport with the downtown, suddenly a large picture on the facade of one of the churches gets close. We are both on same level, thanks to the flyover...

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