From Night On: Magdalene

Chapters 1-2

Chapter 1:

As She Meant To

Meira was born on the 15th of December in the year 746 Ab Urbe Condita (64 BCE). The western regions of Bilad al-Sham, known as Syria today, was then an expansion of the Roman empire, though it's cities predated the founding of Rome by thousands of years. It had only been thirty years since Rome had annexed the western part of Syria, when Meira came into the world, screaming with a force that called neighbors in fear that the child had been dropped into an awaiting battle.

The city she was born in was then known as Dimasq, now called Damascus. It was a major cultural hub during the later years of the Hellenistic period as silk, spice, produce, and wine trade routes made the city explode with prosperity and diversity. Her home was nice and spacious, her father's trade business offering the family a stable status in the community along with luxuries just above commoners. As Meira's screams brought new visitors, many gods were called and prayed to for the health and well being of this tiny new life who had entered the world. She came into being with such theatrics that a passing guard joked, "No need to pray to the gods. I'm sure they can hear her, themselves."

Years would pass, as any parent sees their child grow faster than they had expected, and Meira's presence in the city became more and more prevalent. Her father was a well off, though not rich, merchant, who traded in wines and silks. Very early on, Meira demonstrated a skill in sparking conversation with others, showing a fearlessness with approaching people. No matter how old, big, or strange they may have looked, she addressed them all with the same kindness wrapped around a stern agenda: to learn about them and bring them to her father fora sale.

She loved listening to the many languages that passed by her and often asked for her father to teach them to her. In fact, she demonstrated a desperate curiosity of the world in general, listening in on philosophical debates around the city's social gathering spots. With something new always being presented either by the day or within the week, Meira was never at a loss for some bit of the exotic, foreign lands to hear about.

Unfortunately, this was not an era or a time for young girls, or women at all, to be so forward with others. Her father, Yeshua, often heard from others about how peculiar it was for him to "allow" her to speak to strangers so unfettered. Early on, people warned Yeshua that, should he allow her to indulge in such habits, she would get herself into trouble. "She needs to be kept safe at home," was a common argument against him allowing her to follow him to his place of business.

"It is more dangerous to keep her inside. If you want her, try to take her! See what happens!" he would holler with laughter. When those people would look at her, after making such an argument, she wouldn't growl or snarl. She wouldn't yell or scream. She wasn't a feral child. She wasn't mischievous or held any bit of a temper, but she had a will behind her eyes that would bring even some of the most war experienced guards to a dead halt. Born with a wrinkle between her brow, people often wondered if it was an early scar that would someday fade. When she made that face, though, it was quite clear that she came into this world by her own intent that nobody would have denied her.

As a child, this trait was accepted as endearing to some. The passing guards who knew her turned it into a game to see who could make her use her "Centurion's Stare," encouraging her to be strong and willful. Her father often called her his "little Magdala" an Aramaic word meaning "tower," as her stare made her presence feel ten feet tall. Unfortunately, as encouraging and supportive as her father was of her independence, as she grew older, she would learn that society felt differently.

"Nobody will want to marry a woman who will not submit," her mother, Eleora, told her one day as she combed her hair. The statement seemed to confuse the young girl as if she had just heard her mother speak a foreign language she had never heard before. She was only ten years old at the time.