Christmas Changes Achbar
Chapter 1 Meet Achbar
You may never have heard about Achbar the field mouse, and how he saw a wonderful mystery that changed his life. This is a story that should be told because we all can learn something from it. Before we talk about the mystery, we must get to know the mouse. Without really knowing Achbar, the goodness of this story will not mean as much.
Over two thousand years ago, there was a field mouse named Achbar (Well, mice usually don’t have names, but I call him Achbar, because that is the Aramaic word for mouse.) who lived near Bethlehem. Achbar was old as mice go. He had lived so long because he was selfish and mean. None of the other mice liked Achbar, but he was alright with that because he didn’t like them either. They always wanted what he wanted. Now, Achbar was covetous of everything, and therefore he didn’t share. If he knew of anything that was wanted or needed by another mouse, he made sure he got it first. Such was his greed and malice.
Now, before I go on with this story, you must know one good thing about Achbar—he was not lazy. He didn’t expect anything to be given to him. It was just that once he had something … anything … it was his and he didn’t share.
Let us go back in time to Bethlehem for this story about Achbar and what he sees that changes him. We’ll begin our story in early winter just before the rains come to Israel. Everyone is busy getting ready—harvesting crops and gathering fuel. So, what is Achbar doing to get ready? He is doing the same things.
Every year when the wheat is ready for harvesting, Achbar can be found scurrying along the edges of fields. The farmer and his helpers, unaware that Achbar is there, are using scythes to cut down the ripe seedhead-baring stalks. Others are raking and stacking the stalks into piles for threshing. It is back breaking work, and the men are getting tired. It is about time for them to stop for the day. As they are leaving the field, the sun is almost touching the horizon. Now is when Achbar goes to work. First, he frightens off all the other mice he can see, then he scampers over to the piles of stacked wheat. He begins gnawing off the ripe heads of grain. He fills his cheek pouches to the point of popping. Swiftly, Achbar races off to his winter hide away. Back and forth Achbar goes all night long carrying grain. He knows he must work quickly, because the farmer will carry most of the wheat away tomorrow or the next day and Achbar wants to collect as much as he can. Luckily for him, the field is very close to his winter home. All night long Achbar runs back and forth except for when he is chasing off other mice. By morning, he has a huge cache of grain, but as he falls asleep, he is planning to do the same thing the next night. And he does.
Achbar also raids sorghum fields. He loves the sweet grain. It is his favorite. The stalks are so much larger, and the field is further away, so he cannot bring in as much of it as he does the wheat, but he still brings much more that he can eat in one winter. And because he is greedy, he scares off the other mice until he has all he wants.
Achbar is not above pilfering the gardens of the people who live in Bethlehem. He sneaks in after the women have gone inside. Once he was chased by a woman with a broom. She gave him a good swat. Achbar didn’t like that at all. The swat did not stop him from his marauding though, it only made him more careful about how he enters, always checking to be sure it’s safe. When he’s certain no one is around, he chews open melons to collect the seeds. This is hard to do because of the thick rind, but the sweet melon, which he eats as he goes, makes the job pleasurable. Achbar also collects chickpeas and lentils. Achbar has a fondness for rip figs and olives, too. When they are in season, he sneaks in to feast on them. He longs to be able to store them, but he knows they will spoil. They are a special treat. Still, he is secure in the knowledge that he will have plenty to eat, and he is right, because by time the cold rainy weather of winter arrives, Achbar has a vast amount of food stored.
Just on the edge of Bethlehem is an abandoned cow shed. Part of an outer wall has crumbled and there are several holes in the roof. Despite its condition, it is warmer than sleeping outside. No one has used it for a long time, since the last owners moved away after using it as a woodshed … no one, that is, except for Achbar. Achbar has made this cow shed his home for several years. He has made for himself a very cozy nest in the manger. Achbar has it fixed up every fall so he can stay warm, by replacing the grass and the straw with fresh grass from the hills and straw from the wheat fields. The manger is under a hole in the roof, and he loves to sleep in it on clear nights to see the stars, but on cloudy and rainy nights he sleeps in the hay that is protected from the rain.
Along the South wall are three old wooden milk pails. They are where Achbar stores his food because they are protected from the rain. He fills them with the wheat, sorghum, chickpeas, and lentils. He also has a gourd that had been used as a ladle and another old milk pail. This pail has several broken staves but can hold water up to about half full. He can climb up the side to drink. Achbar has dragged the gourd under one of the spots where the roof has a hole in it. The pail, luckily for him, is already under a hole. The gourd and pail fill with water when it rains. Achbar has everything he needs in his fiercely defended cow shed. This would be a very nice arrangement for many mice, but Achbar chases away any other mouse that tries to come in. This is his home, his food, and his water. Even though he has room and food enough for many mice, he will not share, he cares only for himself. The other mice don’t even try to come into the shed anymore. They know Achbar will not let them, so why pick a fight. Achbar is happy to be left alone in his snug well provisioned shed. He sleeps with the clear conscience of those who have forgotten how to care for others—how to love.
One early winter morning, Achbar is very lucky. While he is hiding in a woman’s garden near to his cow shed, he hears something drop on to the ground just outside the garden gate and a groan from the woman. He carefully peeks out between ready to harvest chickpea plants, from which he is planning to collect more, to find out what had made the noise. Achbar cannot see, but his nose tells him something wonderful, something he dreams about often, but seldom gets, is close to him. He looks around quickly to ensure no other mouse is nearby, because if his nose is right, he wants this all to himself. Stealthily he approaches the gate as the woman closes the door to her house. “Yes!” he exclaims to himself, the chickpeas forgotten, “A cheese!!” Achbar runs to collect the chunk. Before the woman comes back for the piece that fell, Achbar is halfway home with his treasure. Once safely inside, he carefully wraps it in a leaf and stashes it in the cool north corner. He is so happy about the cheese that he doesn’t go back to the garden for the last few chickpeas he had coveted. It is just as well because the perplexed woman pulled up all the plants just a few minutes after he left. She had come out to get the fallen cheese, but it was gone. She was sure she’d dropped it. After a search, she shrugs her shoulders and finishes harvesting her chickpeas instead, wanting to get them in before the rains start. Back in the shed, Achbar looks at all he has stored and is very pleased with himself. He has big piles of grains safely stored in the pails. He will be comfy this winter. So, yes, Achbar works hard, so he lives well. Achbar smiles to himself and says, “Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread’, and so it is. I will not want this winter!”
Chapter 2 Meet Yosef and Mariam
Meanwhile, in another town about four days walk away from Bethlehem lives a couple who are excited about the coming birth of their first child. They live in Nazareth. The husband, whose name is Yosef, traces his family back to the village of Bethlehem. Yosef is a descendent of King David and a carpenter. His wife’s name is Mariam. But their excitement turns to concern when they learn that Caesar Augustus has declared that a census be taken of the whole Roman world. And further decrees, that each man, along with his family, must go to his province of origin to be counted. For Yosef that means he will have to travel to Bethlehem in Judea and take Mariam with him. This is a terrible time to be making such a trip. Winter is cold and rainy. The roads will be a muddy mess with so many people traveling making the journey slow and hard. They also worry because Mariam is in an advanced stage of pregnancy and the child she is carrying is special. All babies are special, but not like this one.
Let me tell you why this baby is so special: Less than a year ago, Mariam had an unexpected visitor—the Archangel Gabriel. Mariam was quietly working on her weaving, when suddenly Gabriel appeared in her room. He told her not to be afraid, because she was highly favored by God. He promised that she would soon have a baby, a boy. That this boy would be the son of the Most High and she was to name him Yeshua (which means “he who saves” in Hebrew), because he would save the world. She was confused and told him that she was wasn’t living with her husband yet. Gabriel assured her that God would send the Holy Spirit and the child to be born would assume the throne of King David and be God’s son. He went on to say that all things are possible with God, because her relative, Elizabeth who was an old woman, was six months into a pregnancy. Mariam answered that she was willing to do the angel’s bidding. When she returned from visiting Elizabeth, she and Yosef celebrated their Nissuin, the second part of a Jewish wedding when the bride moves in with the bridegroom. Mariam was already three months pregnant when she moved into Yosef’s home.
Now, back to the story. Yosef and Mariam talk about how to make this four-day journey. Mariam assures him that she is young and strong. “If we bring the donkey, I can ride when I get tired,” she tells him confidently. Yosef is less sure, but he has no choice. They decide to leave the next day because the weather looks to be good given the color of the sky at sunset—a grayish rose, with stars coming out and almost no wind. They pack blankets, a lantern and extra oil, jars of water, a cheese, dried goat meat, and some bread. Because they will be hoping to stay in khans (places for travelers where they can rest their animals and cook but sleep outside unless they can pay the owner to stay inside), they pack a pot, a knife, some onions, and some dried lentils. Yosef packs a few tools. “You never know when you’ll need a hammer and pegs or a hand saw,” he says with a smile. They set out before the sun comes up.
When the sun comes up over the horizon, Yosef and Mariam are a few miles from Nazareth already. As the sun warms them, they stop for breakfast and to let Mariam rest. She cuts a slice of cheese for each of them and tears apart a piece of bread. They eat slowly to make what they have last. Finally, Yosef offers Mariam some water. She thanks him with a wan smile, takes a drink, and gives the jar back to him. He starts to put the cork in without drinking, but Mariam scolds him. After he drinks, the jar is tucked away, they each take a piece of dried meat to chew, and they continue walking.
It soon becomes clear to Yosef that Mariam cannot keep up the pace needed to get to Bethlehem in time to register. They discuss this as they walk. She does not want to burden the aptly name donkey, Shechem, which means to shoulder, any more than the poor beast already is. Yosef takes the water jars, packs of food, and his tools off Shechem and slings them onto his own back. Then he helps Mariam get on the little beast. Shechem does not complain. He begins walking docilly behind Yosef’s lead. Mariam smiles and gives Shechem an affectionate pat on the neck. Shechem nods his head in acknowledgment. Yosef smiles because they are making better time now.
As night is falling, Yosef knows they need to push on a while longer. He glances at the sky as the sun goes down and frowns to himself that it is streaked with clouds and is an orange color. The sky tells him that it will turn cold and rain tomorrow. He wants to use the road as far as possible while it is still hard packed and not yet turned to mud by the coming winter rains. He can see that Mariam’s head is nodding and Shechem’s pace has slowed. Much as he wants to push on, Yosef stops by one of the few patches of green grass he has seen. He helps Mariam off Shechem’s back and leads him to the grass. Gratefully Shechem begins to eat. Yosef takes a knife and cuts a large amount of grass to take with them for Shechem. All too soon for Shechem, Yosef takes the reins and leads them all back to the road. Mariam askes to walk for a while and Yosef cannot dissuade her. Together they follow the glow of Yosef’s lantern on the road.
About two hours later, Mariam can go no farther. Yosef reluctantly agrees that they must stop for the night. He knows she must rest. They are not near a khan in this deserted part of Israel. In the dim light from the lantern, he finds a few sicks for a fire and a long one to erect a shelter. After eating a few cooked lentils, cheese, and bread, they lie down. An unburdened Shechem, munching on some grass, lies down beside them. The wind picks up and a light cold drizzle begins about an hour before daybreak.
In the chilly gray morning, Yosef leads them back onto the road for another day of walking. As he feared, the day is colder, and rainy. He puts a wool blanket around Mariam and another on himself to keep some of the rain off. The road is still firm, but he knows that if the rain continues that will not last. The sky is promising that the dry hard road will not last. And true to its prediction, the next day they trudge along a muddy path in a cold rain and the next day is even worse. By time they finally see Bethlehem, they are wet, cold, and hungry because most of their food has run out, even though they have been eating sparingly. Yosef knows of a khan in Bethlehem and hopes they can stay there. He has a few coins that might mean a night inside if it is not already full. Along the road the last two days, they have encountered many other families going to Bethlehem. Most of them had carts, so they passed Yosef, Mariam and the tired little Shechem. No one offered to help them either. Yosef bore no grudge, though, because the carts were all too full to take them. Still, he knows that there is a very good chance there will be no dry place in the khan. He keeps this worry to himself not wanting to upset Mariam.
As the day is fading to darkness, they round a bend in the muddy road. Yosef sees Bethlehem on the next hill. There is still a valley to cross, but they will be there in about an hour. He gives Shechem a handful of grass and tells Mariam that the end is in sight. She smiles faintly and quietly voices her happiness. She has been keeping something from Yosef, too. She has been feeling little pains that have grown stronger for the past several hours. She is sure the baby is ready to come. Mariam makes a small silent prayer of thanksgiving that they are almost there and asks that they find a nice dry place for her to give birth.
Down they go into the valley and up to the far edge of town where the khan is. This last leg of the trip seems to take a very long time. They are all so tired, and the muddy road makes the walking hard work. By now the rain has stopped which is good, but the wind is very cold chilling them because their clothes are wet. Yosef leads Shechem to the khan with a sinking heart. The outside pen is filled with other donkeys and makeshift tents. He goes to the door to ask about space inside. The owner tells him that they are full. Yosef mentions Mariam’s condition in hopes that the owner can find at least a corner for them. He says yet again that there is just no room. Yosef turns to go. Then the owner whispers to him that an abandoned cow shed is about half a mile down the road on the left. It may be empty still and could provide some sort of shelter. “Better than sleeping outside.” He assures. Yosef nods his thanks and goes out to tell Mariam the bad news. She groans inwardly and agrees to try the cow shed. Shechem follows Yosef with a quietly weeping Mariam on his tired back.
Chapter 3 Intruders
Achbar has just finished a wonderful meal of chickpeas and wheat topped off with a few sorghum grains as dessert. Because of the rain, he has plenty of water in the gourd for drinking, and to wash is sticky hands and face and extra in the pail for later if it doesn’t rain again for a while. Achbar looks up through one of the holes to see that stars have come out. He decides to change the bedding in the manger under the hole so he will be dry as he looks at the stars while drifting off to sleep. He carefully scatters out the wet straw so it will dry and replaces that with dry straw and some sweet-smelling grass. Then a tired and contented old field mouse burrows into his fresh bed for a long night’s rest. He gazes up at the twinkling stars wondering for the hundredth time what they are. Soon, he can no longer keep his eyes open.
As Yosef leads Shechem out of Bethlehem, the clouds break up and stars come out. The wind is blowing and it quite cold. Finally, in the feeble light of Yosef’s lantern, they spot a path diverging off the road to the left. In about a hundred feet they find the cow shed. Even in the lantern light they can see that it is in dilapidated condition. Yosef tries to open the door, but it won’t budge. The old iron hinges are rusted fast. Mariam moans and Yosef turns to her. She tells him that the baby is ready to come. Yosef hurriedly goes around the shed to look for another door but finds only a space where the wall has crumbled. The gap is just large enough for him to squeeze in on his hands and knees. Once inside he walks to the door and using all his might, pushes it open. Shechem and Mariam come in.
Achbar is startled by the crash of Yosef’s shoulder on the door and annoyed by the rush of cold air let in by the opening. He peeks out of his cozy manger to see a man leading a donkey with a woman on its back into his cow shed. “What are they doing here?” he asks himself. This has never happened in the past. He has always had this shed all to himself with no intruders. Achbar is very unhappy about this, very unhappy.
Mariam tells Yosef that she will need a fire and water. It is with great relief that Yosef spots stacked wood in a far corner and the broken pail with water in it. Yosef clears a place on the floor and builds a fire. He spreads out a blanket on a pile of straw for Mariam who is pacing and moaning softly.
Next Yosef pulls the door completely closed and gives Shechem the last of the grass he cut and some he found in the shed. Shechem gratefully eats. Yosef takes the wet blankets and hangs them on pegs to dry and to create a little room for Mariam that is warmer than the rest of the shed. He searches the bags for more food finding only a hand full of lentils and a few onions—all the cheese and meat are gone. He puts the pot over the fire and begins cooking the lentils and an onion. Mariam stops pacing when the pains become strong and close together. She goes into her warm room and lies down. Yosef comes to help. Even Shechem helps by providing a pillow for Mariam’s head and extra warmth. She stokes his nose and whispers her thanks between pains.
Achbar is watching with fascination and irritation all the things Yosef and Mariam are doing. They have made a little tent-like structure over in the driest part of his shed and took all his straw! They even took his sweet grass for the donkey! “These people are behaving as if it is their shed!” Achbar is getting more and more angry. He hears the man tell the woman that this is the last of the lentils and all the other food is gone, too. Achbar looks over at his cache of beans and grains and worries that they will find them and the cheese he got today. He is sure there is nothing he can do to protect his food and that makes him even more angry. And to top it all off, he can’t get back to sleep because of her moans and cries, which are coming very often now. He wishes they were somewhere else—anywhere but in his shed.
Suddenly he hears a different cry. Achbar peeks out again. The man is rummaging in the bags again. This time he brings out a bundle. He opens it to withdraw several long strips of cloth and a piece of string. He goes back inside and then hurries out with a baby! The man washes the baby with some of the water and then takes it back inside the tent. The baby wails loudly, but then the crying stops. The man stirs the pot of lentils. He tries some, smiles, nods, and scoops some into a bowl. Then he takes the bowl into the tent. In the quiet that now reigns, Akbar manages to sleep.
Achbar is dreaming about nibbling on a very ripe cheese when his is awakened by a rough rocking motion. He is being tossed side to side in his manger. Through a slit between boards, he can see that he is being carried toward the tent. The man is moving his manger away from its position under the hole! “How can I watch the stars now?” Achbar wonders to himself, feeling anger building inside of him again. Then the man goes back into the tent. “These people need to go, and they need to go now! What will they do next to disrupt my lovely winter home?” About as soon as that thought goes through his brain, he sees the man come out of the tent holding a bundle. Achbar remembers that the woman called him Yosef, and he called her Mariam. As Achbar watches through the boards of the manger, Yosef walks up to Achbar’s manger and places the bundle on top of him. Then Yosef covers the manger with a blanket. The bundle moves, and Achbar realizes that the bundle is the baby! “What am I going to do now!”
While Achbar is wondering what to do next, there is a banging on the shed’s door. Yosef goes over and opens it. He takes a step or two back, and in walks a group of shepherds and several sheep. One of the youngest shepherds is carrying a small lamb. The shed is filled with the smell of unwashed bodies, wet wool, and smoke from the fire in addition to another blast of cold air. Achbar is most unhappy about this noise, the cold air, the smell, and the weight of the baby. But he is curious, so he wiggles to a position away from the baby and watches through an even wider slit in the manger. The shepherds are all talking at once making a loud din. Soon the baby, who was sleeping above him, starts crying again. Mariam comes over to comfort him, calling him Yeshua, and he quiets down. Finally, Yosef askes one of the shepherds to speak for the whole group. They all want to tell the story, so the din grows louder. He selects an old, grizzled man in ragged and muddy clothes with a long-matted beard, and deep-set dark eyes. The man is pleased to be the spokesperson. He steps forward. When he opens his mouth, Achbar sees that he is missing several teeth. The old shepherd, leaning on his crook, begins his fantastic story.
“While we was sittin’ on the hill above town over yonder,” he points with his crook, “with our flock and eatin’ our bread, the stars began to sing.” Yosef opens his mouth, but the old shepherd holds up his hand and nods his head vigorously. The others do, too. “Yes, they was singin’ to us. We all dropped our bread and sat up. Then as we looked up at the stars, the sky was filled with beautiful beings. I aint never seen an angel, but I reckon that’s what they all was. I mean, there was hundreds of ‘em. Aint that right?” He looks at the others who all agree with him. “We’d never seen such a sight as all them angels. And they was singin’, too. They was singin’ so sweet. They told us that right here in Bethlehem a King had been born. Right here!” He looks over at his companions for confirmation and encouragement. They are smiling broadly and nodding, so having gotten what he needs, he continues. Stamping his crook on the shed’s floor he asserts, “Right here in Bethlehem! Then they told us to come and see. To come and see this Savior, whatever that means. So, we gathered up a few sheeps and a lamb or two to give to the King.” He points to the animals with him. He looks back at Yosef, “He’s supposed to be in a manger wrapped in swaddlin’ cloths. We’re here to see him, just like the angels told us to do. Can you show us the King?”
Mariam gestures for the shepherds to come over to the manger. She removes the small blanket. Achbar, who has moved to just below the straw, watches as one by one the shepherds remove their caps and go down onto one knee. Achbar can see in the firelight, the look of awe that comes over each one’s face. It is a look he has never ever seen on a human face before. A deep, profound, and reverent silence fills the shed as the shepherds gaze on the baby. Mariam picks up the child for them to have a better look. The youngest shepherd gives Yosef his small lamb, telling him it is a humble gift for the King but that they have nothing rich or fancy to give, so they are giving what they have. Yosef accepts the lamb saying it is wonderful gift. The boy blushes as a large shy smile spreads across his face. Achbar sees a tear roll down the lad’s cheek. The other shepherds have tears in their eyes, too. They leave another lamb, two sheep, and back out of the shed, caps in hand, bowing as they go.
Achbar is confused by what he has just seen. “Why were the shepherd so moved?” Almost as soon as they had closed the shed’s door behind them, they began shouting that a King has been born. They sing the song the angels sang to them—Glory to God in the highest and Peace to all on Earth! Some people at the khan and in houses shout for them to be still, and others ask where to find this King. All night long people come and go having the same reaction to the baby as the shepherds did. Achbar gets no sleep, but he wants no sleep. He is curious about this baby.
Chapter 4 Changes
Finally, morning comes. Mariam and the baby are asleep. Yosef has put out the oil lamp and he is leaning against a supporting pillar soundly asleep. Achbar thinks now is the time to get a look at this baby, this King. He wiggles out of his straw bed, and slowly climbs up the inside of the manger toward where the baby is sleeping. Achbar is very quiet, but Yosef opens one eye and springs to catch him. Achbar barely escapes, diving into the wood pile. Yosef sits back down after putting another stick on the dying fire. Akbar hears Yosef’s stomach growl.
The baby begins to whimper. Yosef picks him up and walks around the shed to give Mariam a bit longer to rest. Yosef puts his little finger into the baby’s mouth and Achbar can hear the sucking sound the baby makes all the way from where he is hiding. When Yosef’s back is turned, Achbar races back to the manger and dives under the straw. Yosef turns in time to see his escape from the wood pile back to the manger. Yosef goes over to the manger and places Yeshua on top of Achbar again. The mouse peeks out between pieces of straw. Yosef reaches down to cover the baby. While doing so, he gently reaches for Achbar. Slowly he removes the mouse and strokes his back. Achbar looks into Yosef’s kind face and sees him wink. Then Yosef replaces Achbar to his spot beside the sleeping Yeshua.
Mariam soon appears. She asks Yosef if there is any more pottage from last night. Yosef shakes his head. She nods and reaches for the baby saying she hopes she will be able to feed him. She sits down in the hay and sadly begins to nurse Yeshua. Shechem comes over to see the baby, and so do the sheep. Neither Yosef nor Mariam shoos the beasts away. When Yeshua is finished eating, Mariam holds him up for the animals to see. Yosef mentions that there is another animal in the shed—a mouse. Mariam shrugs her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Achbar can no longer contain his curiosity. He wants to get a good look at this baby. Despite the chance that he will be seen, and maybe unwanted by the woman, he climbs out of the manger and races over to Mariam. Achbar sees no fear or revulsion in Mariam’s face. In fact, she smiles at him and holds the baby so he can see. Achbar cannot believe what he sees. There is something about this baby that he cannot describe. Yeshua is an innocent little baby, yet he has the eyes of a wise old man. He is a tiny new-born, but larger than the universe. He is weak, yet power radiates from him. Achbar bows to this child as his heart melts within his breast. Achbar has never loved anyone but himself, but now his heart is overflowing with love for this little King, and the parents. Then he says to himself, “The shepherds brought gifts, but I have nothing to give that is fit for a king.” He feels his heart breaking. But then he remembers…
Achbar scampers over to Yosef, who is sitting, leaning against a post. Achbar jumps onto his lap and looks him in the face. Then he jumps off and starts to run away. He turns back to Yosef and repeats this several times before Yosef gets the idea. “You want me to follow you, is that right?” Achbar jumps and does a little dance. Yosef gets up and follows Achbar. With joy in his heart, Achbar leads him to his stash of wheat, lentils, chickpeas, and even the sorghum. Yosef wonders why the mouse has so much. It is more than a mouse could ever eat in a winter. Then he wonders why he has only seen one mouse in the shed. There should have been several if not dozens. “I’m guessing this mouse is not good about sharing. That’s too bad.” Yosef says to no one, but Achbar hears him and hangs his head. Then he shows Yosef his beloved cheese, too.
Yosef and Mariam discuss what to make with the newly found food supply, while Achbar jumps and dances to entertain the baby and because he feels so happy. Achbar cannot keep still. He runs to check how much water is in the pail. He carries over a sorghum seed head for them to chew. He runs up Yosef’s arm to watch him cut the onion. He supervises Mariam as she measures out wheat and chickpeas. Achbar wants everything to be perfect. Yosef gives him an affectionate stroke as he puts the pot over the fire. Achbar nibbles at his ear lobe. Mariam checks on the baby under Achbar’s watchful eye, then she nestles down for a nap. He tugs the blanket to be sure her arm is covered and then curls up in the manger with Yeshua after arranging his blanket, too. Achbar has never felt so much love before and he is giddy.
Mariam gratefully eats the pottage Yosef made from Achbar’s store. She strokes Achbar, who is sitting on her shoulder, and lets him lick a bit off her finger. He has never been happier. Yosef eats quickly and sets out with Mariam and Yeshua to register after putting things in order in the shed. Shechem is quietly munching more of Achbar’s sweet grass sharing it with the two lambs and the sheep. All is quiet in the shed, except for Achbar’s conscience. There is something he knows that he must do.
Achbar slips out of the shed while the animals are eating. He scampers to the places other field mice live. He must tell them about this King and invite them to his shed. But he is worried that no one will believe him. The mice don’t like him, and they don’t trust him. He hopes his idea of how to win them over will help them to believe that he is a different mouse now.
When he stops at the first mouse community, they shun him and don’t want to have anything to do with him. The story he tries to tell them is too fantastic for them. They throw stones at him. He hurries off to another place. There they listen to him. His is still not trustworthy in their minds, but they are interested enough to go along. At each place he stops, he gives them a sorghum grain. Then he tells them about Yeshua, the baby King, Yosef, Mariam, the shepherds, and the story of the angels, if they will listen. Some believe him and others don’t. Some come back with him to the shed. Others, like the first ones, angrily chase him away but keep the sorghum. He understands why he is treated as he is. He is sorry for all the years of being mean and greedy. It is hard for all the other mice to believe that he has really changed. There is nothing he can do to convince them, other than to live a better life. He vows to do just that.
Yosef, Mariam, and Yeshua are already back in the shed when Achbar arrives with the field mice who were willing to believe him or were at least curious about the baby. Mariam takes Yeshua out of his manger for the mice to see. All the mice see what Achbar saw. They bow. While the other mice adoringly stare at the baby king, Yosef is packing up. Achbar goes over and climbs up to his shoulder to watch. Yosef tells him that tomorrow before the sun comes up, they will leave to go back to Nazareth. Achbar is sad to think of them leaving. He knows they cannot stay in the shed, but he loves them so much that he will miss them.
Yosef puts some of Achbar’s grain into his food bags and breaks the cheese leaving part for Achbar. There is still plenty of grain for Achbar to live on all winter and more. Achbar sees that Yosef is taking only what he will need for the trip. Yosef is not greedy. There is a lesson in Yosef’s action and Achbar learns it. He runs down Yosef’s arm leaping to the floor. Achbar races over to the other mice telling them he needs to show them something else. The mice follow him because they are beginning to believe in him. Then he shows them his stores. They gasp at how much food he has. Then Achbar explains that they, and the other mice, can come anytime they need more food, because he has plenty. The other mice are surprised to hear him say that. This makes it even clearer to them that he is not the mouse he used to be. Achbar insists that he means it and lets them all take what they can carry home with them. Yosef watches what is happening. He smiles and nods to himself. He is proud of Achbar. Achbar sees the smile. He renews the vow to be a better mouse.
That night, Achbar sleeps next to Yeshua in the manger. He is so contented to be beside the baby King, and so happy that Yosef and Mariam allow him to be there. “O how I will miss them!” he sighs as he slips into a deep sleep.
While the stars are still shining, Mariam picks up the sleeping Yeshua. She adjusts her sling for carrying Yeshua while they travel. Yosef and Mariam have been busy—the tent is already down and packed up. Now, Yosef is loading up Shechem’s back. He rouses the sheep with his walking staff and then stamps out the fire. Achbar sits on the edge of the manger sadly watching all the preparations. His cow shed will feel so lonely. A tear slips down his nose dropping onto the straw. “But I can have other mice live with me here. I have plenty to share and lots of room,” he says. “That way I won’t be lonely, and they will learn that I am a changed mouse. I will tell them today!” This idea makes him happy.
Next, Yosef moves the manger back under the hole in the roof. Achbar’s heart is breaking at that gesture because he loves to look at the stars. It was so thoughtful of Yosef to move it for him. Mariam walks out the door holding Yeshua in his sling. She turns and waves. Yosef drives the sheep out before leading Shechem through the door. Achbar sees them move away from the door as another tear falls and then another, followed by several more. Learning to care about others sets you up to feel pain. Achbar has never felt pain like this before, but he promises himself that now that he knows love, he will show love, because it is worth the pain.
A heartbroken and changed Achbar begins to burrow down into his manger again when a light falls on him. He looks up to see Yosef’s smiling face shining in the light of his lantern. He holds out his hand to Achbar. Achbar doesn’t have to think twice. He races up Yosef’s extended arm to perch on his shoulder. Together they go out into the starry morning to join Mariam, Shechem, the sheep, and the King.
The End