Legend 1: The Miraculous Boy

*OPTIONAL: Listen to this Egyptian music while reading the story. I recommend starting at the 4:07 mark and ending at the 10:55 mark. Try changing the playback speed to 1.5 and see if you like that speed better.

Mary, Joseph, and their son Jesus were at a local festival in an Egyptian town named Hebva. There was much dancing going on with colorful costumes, loud music, and some of the best-looking food on this side of the Nile. They came to this city because of word of this famous festival.

In the evening, they settled down and Mary washed Jesus. Mary decided to save the water for later use, so she placed the bucket outside their door for the night.

Late in the night, a girl with leprosy was walking the streets looking for a comfy place to rest and she came upon Mary and Joseph's door. The girl decided to wet her hands with the water and instantly she was healed from leprosy. Astonished, she ran in circles dancing, and then curiosity hit her. She knocked on their door. Joseph was awoken from slumber and answered the door. "How was I healed by this water?" the girl said.

"What do you mean healed?" Joseph said with a perplexed look at her.

"I have had leprosy my whole life, mister, but by touching this water, I am healed!" said the girl as she struggled to hold back her excitement.

Joseph responded, "Oh I see, you touched the water of my boy Jesus. Do you have a place to stay?" The girl joined them on their journey.

One day on their journey, the girl ran up a large sandhill and she rolled down from the top all the way to the bottom. She immediately hopped up and shouted out with joy. Jesus noticed how fun that looked, and he squirmed in Mary's arms out of his blue blanket he was wrapped with. She placed little Jesus on the ground thinking he would play in the sand, but he rolled down the hill! Mary and Joseph ran after their boy! They were worried that he may hurt himself, but at the bottom of the hill, he rolled back up and stood with the biggest smile on his face. The girl ran over and hugged Jesus. She was shocked that an infant would do what she did, but it was not a steep hill so there was little real danger for him. The girl thought maybe Jesus is not so different from her. He may have healed her, but he is still a human boy. From then on, when people heard of and saw the miracles of Jesus they did not see him as normal, but through her intimate experiences with Jesus, she saw him as her normal brother.

A few towns later, they come to a town with a giant palace and they stayed at an inn next to it. While playing around one day, the girl ran into the prince's wife.

"What is your name, little girl?" said the wife.

"My name is Sitre!"

"Lovely to meet you, Sitre. My name is Iset, and I am the princess of this great town."

Iset loved children so they spent some time playing around. For hours they played games and told tall-tale stories. Sitre noticed a sad expression on Iset's face as they were about to leave.

"Why do you look sad?" said Sitre. "Have I acted wrongly?"

"No, of course you haven't! I just have been having arguments with my husband recently, and I am worried he is going to banish me from his presence. Playing around with you has reminded me of my love for my son and the future I desire with him."

"Why would your husband banish you?" said Sitre.

"Well, I bore him a son with leprosy, and he has ordered me to kill it or get rid of it. I love my husband so much, but I also love my boy." Iset was noticeably fighting off tears.

After Iset voiced her feelings to Sitre, Sitre told of her experience with Jesus and his healing abilities. Sitre explained how Jesus healed her from leprosy. Iset was skeptical, but she asked the girl to sprinkle water from Jesus on her son. Her son was instantly healed from the water. "It's a miracle!" Iset exclaimed.

The next evening, the prince and his wife hosted an extravagant supper for Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and Sitre.

Author's Note

My story of The Miraculous Boy is inspired by a story edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr. called Infancy: Curing the Leprosy. The story starts out with the family (Mary, Joseph, and Jesus) traveling through some unnamed cities where they find entertainment and respect from civilians. They then reach a "famous place" in a new city where a woman is struggling against Satan who takes the form of a serpent. The woman then seems to recognize Mary and Jesus and asks to touch Jesus and when she does the serpent runs away. Later on, the same woman washes Jesus with perfumed water and then washes a girl with leprosy with the same water and the girl is instantly healed. The girl then joins Mary, Joseph, and Jesus on their journey. For those of you that are familiar with the Bible, you may question where this is in the Bible? You would be right to question because it is not in the Bible but it is a part of a separate ancient apocryphal tradition.

From the original story, I removed the character of the serpent in favor of focusing more on Jesus and Sitre. I added dialogue between Sitre and Joseph to add some context to Sitre's relationship with Joseph. I wanted Joseph to seem more inviting and that he could serve as a mentor or father figure to Sitre. I did not expand on that relationship because I want that to be something the reader chooses to assume or not rather than me explain it out. I add the event of Sitre and Jesus rolling down because that is something I would have done with a sandhill, but mainly to show that Jesus still acts like a normal boy. Other people see him for his power, and rightfully so because they do not know him. But those close to him like Sitre, see him on a more personal level. I do not introduce Sitre's name until her time with Iset, because I wanted that to symbolize their relationship is special. Also, because Jesus cannot talk yet. The last paragraph's purpose is to explain why Jesus is a legend, and to give further context about the qualities of a blue legend.

This story was about a legend named Jesus. Jesus is a legend for many reasons. Quite frankly, he represents every good quality about blue. Blue also has many religious ties, which puts Jesus in a perfect position among the legends. In Christian art, blue symbolizes hope, and hope is vital in Christian beliefs. Not only does Jesus represent blue, but he goes on from this story to perform many miraculous deeds across the region of Earth he is in. From walking on water to healing more people of diseases, Jesus's adventures are truly spectacular. He goes on many more adventures to better the lives of everyone he meets and that is what makes him a blue legend.

Bibliography

Infancy: Curing the Leprosy. Edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr.
Image Information: Mary and Jesus: Via Pixabay
Resource regarding Christian Art: Colors in Christianity