She'd always been a good girl our Mary, not perfect, but good, she had a cheeky side to her when she was small, she liked playing tricks on us, or making little gifts and hiding them where she knew we would find them. Mary liked to make people smile! She was also a dreamer, she loved stories and would often make up her own, as she grew older she liked to tell her stories to the younger children who would hang eagerly on her every word.
But this was different, this was an outrageous story, this was a shocking story, this story of an angel messenger and a baby. Outrageous, shocking and far fetched. She'd always been such a good girl! Yet there she stood, open faced speaking quietly and calmly, with none of her usual storytelling flourish, terrible words falling from her lips.
I didn't know what to say; congratulations hardly seemed appropriate, she had broken one of the most solemn commandments, and she had dishonoured us, her parents, brought shame upon us. She'd always been such a good girl.
When I found my voice I started asking questions, when was this baby due? In nine months time she said, well then I knew that this whole thing was impossible, nobody knows straight away, it must have been a dream, perhaps she was worried about her forthcoming marriage. Yes that would be it, we needed to have a woman to woman talk.
I stepped forward to hug her, to reassure her, she hugged me back, I suggested we should sit and talk.
She said it wasn't a dream, and I wasn't to worry, didn't I remember the prophecies about a virgin birth. I was even more worried now- was she going mad, had her mind turned? No matter how I tried to reason with her she stuck to her story.
Then I began to worry, what would Joseph say, they were due to be wed next month, this would change everything. I began to plan what to do, my mind was working quickly, I'd send her to Elizabeth her cousin, Elizabeth loved Mary, she'd get to the bottom of this outrageous story if anyone could....
She'd always been such a good girl our Mary, how could this be true?
