Week 3 Story: The Miraculous Boy

The current updated version of the story is here: Justin's Portfolio

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 this side of Egypt. They came to this city because of word of this famous festival. In the evening, they settled down and Mary washed her son 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 Josephs'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 says. "What do you mean healed?" Joseph says with a perplexed look at her. "I have had leprosy my whole life mister, but by touching this water, I am healed!" Says the girl as she is struggling to hold back her excitement. Joseph responds, "Oh I see, you touched the water of my young son Jesus. Do you have a place to stay?" The girl joins them on their journey. A few towns later, they come to a town with a giant palace and they stay at an inn next to it. While playing around one day, the girl runs into the prince's wife. The wife loves children so they spent some time playing around with each other. The girl notices a sad expression on the wife's face as they are about to leave, and she discovers the wife is having problems with her husband. She bore him a son with leprosy and the prince ordered her to kill it or get rid of it somehow. However, the wife had a great love for her son and did not want to do that. After voicing her feelings to the girl, the girl tells the wife of Jesus and his healing abilities. The wife is skeptical, but she asks the girl to sprinkle water from Jesus on her son. Her son is instantly healed from the water. "It's a miracle!" The wife exclaims. Afterward, the prince and his wife host an extravagant supper for Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and the girl. 

Mary and Jesus: Via Pixabay

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. I removed most of the original story thus far. My story starts just before the girl meets the family, and I replace the beginning of the original with the family attending a festival. I also slightly change the context of the girl being healed and I added dialogue where the girl asks to join the family. Once the family and girl arrive at the palace, the original story has the girl and the prince's wife seemingly meet intentionally. The dialogue between them is much longer than what I adapted, but the message between the two is similar. Once the wife finishes explaining her problem to the girl, the girl speaks about Jesus and how his water healed her of leprosy. Then the wife throughs a feast for the family of Jesus, and afterward the wife washes Jesus and sprinkles the water on her son and he is healed instantly. Lastly, the wife thanks the family and sends them gifts as they leave the city. So I changed some of the interactions between the characters, but I do not add many new things to this story. 

Bibliography

Infancy: Curing the Leprosy. Edited by Rutherford H. Platt, Jr.