They travelled in silence. Joseph walked in front leading the donkey. Mary sat uncomfortably on the donkey, the cloak Joseph had thrown over it's back, did little to alleviate the jarring effect that went through Mary's body, with every step. Really it wasn't the cloak or the donkey's fault, the real reason for Mary's discomfort was the fact that she was far advanced in her pregnancy.
She tried to keep the spasms of pain she was experiencing to a low moan, inside her head....she was screaming!
The moans did not go unnoticed by Joseph. There was little he could do, he had stopped frequently to give Mary a chance to stretch her legs, but now he had to hurry, light was failing and they wanted to make Bethlehem before nightfall.
The cord Joseph used to lead the donkey had been slack most of the day, the donkey followed at it's own pace. Now there was a tug-of-war between the beast and man. The man had increased his pace and the donkey was having none of that.....no stranger was going to dictate it's pace. Joseph and Mary would have made the journey by foot under normal circumstances. Mary's condition had forced Joseph to borrow the donkey, as the long journey on foot was out of the question for a pregnant woman. Many of Mary's friends had questioned the wisdom of the decision to travel to Bethlehem, but Joseph's mind was made up. Mary did not want to challenge her husband's decision, she felt indebted to him for keeping and marrying her, knowing full well the child she was carrying wasn't his.
Mary could suppress the pain no longer, she leaned forward and called to Joseph, taking deep breaths between each word "We....have...to...stop.....I can't...go on...anymore!"
Joseph rushed to Mary's side, dropping the lead rope. The minute the donkey felt the cord go slack it stopped of it's own accord.
Besides trying to comfort her, with typical niceties that everything would be OK, Joseph didn't know what to do. The women of the village would normally be taking care of anybody in Mary's condition. The men would keep their distance either celebrating with new wine or, as in Joseph's case, spend time thanking and praising God for the gift of a new life.
Mary was staring up ahead, her face full of lines made by her tears in the dust that had settled on her skin. Joseph followed her gaze, up ahead was a light. It could be nothing but perhaps it could be a place to rest.
"Do you think you can make it "
Mary didn't answer but nodded.
As they neared the light, it became clear that the light was actually a fire, but in their condition, tired and travel weary, they were drawn to it like moths. Anything was better than the depressing darkness that fell around them like a dark cloud that descends before the storm.
The fire was some way off the road and Joseph moved slowly not knowing what might lie ahead...or who! He knew that there would be robbers who frequented this road at night and he and his wife could be walking right into their camp. Suddenly, the donkey, who either felt that Joseph was going too slow or sensing that it's journey might be nearly at an end picked up speed and passed the stranger, who had been pulling it along for the last hour or so, oblivious to the human clinging onto it's back, made straight for the fire.
Joseph had to let go the lead cord, lest he be pulled off his feet, and running and stumbling in the dark, followed the donkey into the camp.
