Fiction: Fallen Gods

“Omari, you promised that this year you would explain the human Christmas to me.”

“So I did, Naji. Come, then; let’s take a little walk.”

Omari stretched, curving his back high, and ended up on all four paws. He led the other cat out of the warm shed and down the alley.

“Tell me, young Naji, about Egypt.”

“In Egypt we were worshipped as gods,” Naji replied brightly, “because we were the ones who killed both the rodents that infested the granaries and the fearsome cobras. This knowledge is part of every cat and is every cat’s birthright.”

“Very good,” the older cat said. “But later?”

Continue reading “Fiction: Fallen Gods”

Fiction: The Fatted Calf

Long, long ago, a rabbi told a story about a selfish young man who demanded his share of his father’s wealth and spent it in riotous living. When the money was spent and hard times came, the young man went home to beg his father for a place as a hired hand. The father was overjoyed that his son had returned and had a feast prepared in the youth’s honor.

But the rabbi did not tell the whole story, for reasons that will become clear…

Continue reading “Fiction: The Fatted Calf”