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cc&d v182

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Charred Remnants
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 Charred Remnants, the 2008 Down in the Dirt collection book
Entrepreneur

Gerald A. McBreen

    Scars across his back a painful reminder, made Saul cautious even in a friendly crowd like this. A lesson learned the hard way curtsey of Roman whips.
    He was leery about approaching women. They were seldom alone and rarely did they have payment. But there was something about this young girl’s well scrubbed face that told him she was approachable.
    He stood next to her. With his toe he drew the symbol. Cautiously Saul opened his robe enough for her to see the necklaces. Her nose turned up and her lips curled as she scoffed, “Rocks?”
    “Ah! Not any rock my child, my lamb,” he continued in a lower conspiratorial voice. “My fellow follower.”
    Her foot scrapped the dust obscuring the clumsily drawn fish symbol.
    “These rocks were chiseled from the rolling stone at the side of the crucified one’s grave,” he told her. “Surly you have heard of its power.”
    Her eyes grew wide wanting to believe. “I hear it can cure the ill,” she offered. Saul was shamed by her innocence. He almost walked away. Instead he shifted his robe to the other side revealing pendants of tiny crosses more pleasing to a woman’s eye. Leaning closer he whispered, “Made from his own cross. The Romans cast it aside because they were afraid to use it again.”
    She chose a cross not haggling over the price. Actually Saul took any price offered and if a client was truly poor, as many were, he simply lowered the price until they could accept it. After all, to him, it was all profit.
    He had already made several sales when he saw the man he had made a deal with earlier. The man, calling himself Joseph, didn’t have funds then, but he promised to see Saul tonight. Saul approached tentatively. Making sure no one was close behind them he squatted next to the younger man forcing a disgusting sound from his back side. Both men ignored the vulgar rumble. Saul’s gnarled fingers drew a crude symbol in the dust.
     Looking around Joseph quickly rubbed it out.
    Saul reached into his robe and pulled out a rock which was cradled on the end of a piece of twine. Joseph clutched it to him. Eagerly he gave Saul his price and moved away tying the pendant around his neck. Tonight he would wear it openly in honor of the disciple. Tomorrow he’d hide it under his garment where Roman Centurions couldn’t see it.
    People who came to hear the disciple were always in a festive mood. They were quick to smile and greet their neighbors even in a host of strangers. Saul was aware that when the the disciple started catechizing people would stop whatever they were doing and pay rapt attention to his every word. Business would halt. That’s why he came early, to catch his prospects at the peek of their excitement anticipating the sermon.
    Thus, the entrepreneur made his fortune. Selling rock and cross pendants among the followers. And Saul never ran out of stones or wood even though the gullible multiplied.



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