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Love at the Garden Tomb

By R F. Whong

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Chapter 1

Jerusalem, Israel.
Summer 2010.

“The tomb needs your help!” An urgent cry came from the garden.

Lily dropped the communion cup and ran toward the grape arbor.

Before she reached the ancient winepress, a woman’s high-pitched yelling slammed into her ears. “Do you know who I am? Can't you guess?”

She hurried down the steps, the hair lifting on the back of her neck. Will I run into Josh?

She shook her head hard. Why do I keep thinking of him?

In front of her, a woman perched on the enormous rolling stone once used to close the tomb. Clad in a white robe that accentuated her tanned skin, she waved her arms and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Go and fetch the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah. Bring them to Mount Carmel….”

A few tourists nearby remarked aloud, “So high. How did she manage to climb up there?”

Mary, Lily’s housemate, stood under the giant stone with her hands outstretched like she was ready to catch the woman if she fell.

As Lily approached, Mary let out a long breath. “Fortunately, we’ve just opened the door. The tour groups haven't arrived yet, but they’re coming in a few minutes. We’ll need to get her down soon.”

The woman ignored them and kept telling stories from the Old Testament.

Lily said a silent prayer. Lord, please give me wisdom.

An idea crept into her mind. She raised her gaze and shouted, “I know who you are. You are Elijah, the powerful prophet, right? If my guess is correct, please come down and let us meet you in person.”

The woman stopped talking to stare at Lily. Then she flipped down from above like an acrobat and landed in front of them unharmed.

Mary moved forward to take the woman's arm. “Elijah, it’s nice meeting you. Let me take you to a special place.” While she spoke, she half-carried and half-dragged the woman toward the office.

Lily heaved a sigh of relief. Thank you, Lord.

She returned to the communion preparation room to continue preparing for the sacrament. The first group had lots of people. It would take some time to get two hundred cups ready.

After filling the last cup, Lily wiped the bottle of grape juice with a paper towel. She looked up, and her housemate was standing by the door. “Is that woman gone?”

Mary walked in. “Yeah, it took quite a bit of effort. But with some coaxing, she agreed to leave.”

Lily placed the bottle back in the small refrigerator. “What is going on with her? Why did she come here to cause a scene?”

Mary glanced at her. “Have you heard of the term ‘Jerusalem Syndrome?’”
“No. What’s it about?”

“According to my Google search, the Jerusalem syndrome is a set of mental phenomena that are triggered when someone visits Jerusalem.” Mary pulled out a chair to sit down. “A person who seems perfectly fine suddenly becomes psychotic. It often involves religious, obsessive ideas, delusions, and psychosis-like experiences.”

Lily’s eyes snapped open with amazement. “Are you serious? Is there such a thing?”

“I’ve been serving at the Garden Tomb for two months. Strange things happen all the time.” Mary tapped her fingers on the table. “Three weeks ago, a man claimed to be Isaiah. He wandered around while stripping off his clothes and proclaimed he would walk naked and barefoot to be a sign and wonder upon Israel and the United States.”

“Sounds really interesting.” Lily leaned forward with piqued curiosity. Then she remembered the job at hand and glanced at her cell phone. “Tell me more later. I have to take the cups and bread over to the meeting area. The large group probably has finished listening to the introduction about the Garden Tomb.”

Mary stood up. “Wow, you have so many cups. Let me carry some for you.”

After placing the trays of communion cups and bread in the designated table, they ambled back, and Mary asked, “We have our weekly dinner gathering tonight. Are you coming?”

Lily's heart sank. Should I go? Will Josh go too?

Her thoughts came in and out of focus, along with recollections of what had happened last week. She’d just arrived, and Mary invited her to the dinner party. While strolling on the path from the volunteers’ housing complex into the garden, she saw him standing under the arbor amid other co-workers.

He hadn’t changed much—the same chiseled face with fine bone structure and a straight nose. Once long with messy bangs, his wavy black hair was now cut short with tapered sides. Under the lingering rays from the sky, his skin looked more tanned. The rest was the same.

For one instant, Lily’s surroundings faded into the background, leaving the two of them in the center. She gazed at him, a strange agitation pulsing through her body. She wanted to escape back to her apartment. At the same time, she yearned to talk to him. Did you marry that girl from your church whom your parents loved? Why did you come here?

Before she had a chance to act, he walked toward her. “I heard we got a new volunteer named Lily Young. I didn't expect it to be you.”

His baritone voice hadn't changed either, except it was now laced with thick emotion. She responded in a calm, casual tone that disguised the churning in her stomach, “There are thousands of Chinese women with the name Lily Young.”

He seemed about to say something more, but the group had started moving. They followed their colleagues out of the main gate in silence. They sat at the opposite ends of the table and never had an opportunity to speak again all night.

Mary’s tug on her sleeve pulled her thoughts back to the present. “Josh told me you knew each other from before. Where did you meet?”

Josh, why did you tell Mary about us? Let bygones be bygones. She forced herself to answer. “We used to go to the same church when we were studying at Ohio State University.”

Mary’s jaw dropped. “It must have been quite a few years ago. Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to imply you’re old.”

Lily’s lips curled up into a bitter smile. “It's okay.”

Mary gave her a sheepish grin. “Lily, you still look young and beautiful. You only have a few strands of white hair on your head.”

She heaved a heavy sigh. Mary, do you have to be so straightforward?

***

Standing under the arbor, Josh waited for the visitors to stream in.

The tour guide waved a flag at him. “We’re ready.”

Josh turned to the visitors. He cleared his throat and spoke in Mandarin, “Welcome to the Garden Tomb. Although Christians in the world commemorate the death and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth at many different locations, where you are standing is special. This is not because we claim to be the burial place of Jesus, but because so many elements here seem to match the description in the Bible. My hope is this short tour will make the resurrection of Jesus more meaningful for you. Please come with me to the viewing platform that overlooks a hill called Golgotha.”

They strolled down the pathway lined with flowers of different colors and bushes of various heights. Facing the Skull Hill, Josh explained why and how Jesus was likely crucified in this area. From there, he directed the group toward the garden before the burial site. He relayed the story from the Bible about how Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body and placed it in his own new tomb. “The most important thing is that this tomb is empty. He is not here because He has risen. Since He is alive, we can have a relationship with Him today.”

One by one, the Chinese tourists followed him down the steps and entered the ancient hollow carved out of rock. Some knelt inside the chamber and refused to budge. An old woman began to wail.

Which denomination is she from? After waiting for a few minutes, Josh moved over to the crying, grandma-like person and whispered, “More people are waiting to enter. Please follow me out. During free time, you can come back to pray.”

He led the woman out and re-entered the chamber to make sure the line snaked along according to the schedule.

Once everyone saw the burial chamber, Josh guided the group toward the meeting site.

A man came up to him. “I’m Pastor Lee. I’ll lead my people to celebrate the Lord's Supper.”

Josh shook hands with him. “Nice to meet you, Pastor. The cups and bread are already here. If you don’t need me, I’ll take my leave now.”

He strode past the communion preparation room, where Lily bustled inside with numerous small wooden cups in front of her.

Should I go in to talk to her?

A river of memories flooded his mind. He sat on the stone bench outside the room. Heat gathered behind his eyes, yet he held back his tears.

What would he say to her? “How are you? How is your mother? Did you heed your mother's advice and marry that rich playboy?”

He let out a sigh and walked to the office.

“Josh, how did it go?” Adam, his housemate and old friend, leaned against the door frame.

He shrugged. “Usual. Some of them lingered a bit too long at the chamber. I was able to move them along.” He stepped in to peep at the computer screen. “Peter, when is the next assignment for me?”

Peter grinned. “Do you know Spanish? The next group is from Chile.”

Josh gave out a small laugh. “You need Mary, not me. Where is she?”

Adam turned toward them. “Mary is off today. But she is around. I saw her earlier with Lily.”

At the mention of that special name, Josh frowned again, his emotions plunging further.

Peter checked the volunteer list. “Who else can speak Spanish? Amanda, Betty, David, Omer, Frank… Ah, yes, Pablo. Could you please fetch Pablo from the gift shop for me? Just tell Nellie we need him for this Chilean group.”

As Josh walked together with Adam, his buddy patted his arm. “You’ve been looking rather gloomy during the past few days. What’s bothering you?”

He pressed his lips together to conceal the feelings boiling inside of him.

Adam gave him a meaningful look. “Is it anything to do with Lily? Mary told me you two knew each other from before.”

Why did I tell Mary about Lily? Josh hitched a silent breath and changed the subject. “Are you going to the gathering tonight?”

“Yeah, of course.” Adam glanced at him. “How about you? I thought you liked it. Since our arrival, you attended it every week.”

Josh halted. “I sense a headache is approaching. Could you please go ahead and fetch Pablo? I’ll go back to our apartment for a short break before my next assignment.”

Later in the afternoon, Josh didn’t go to dinner with the others. He went to bed early but didn’t sleep well. It had been a long time since he’d thought of Ohio State University. Yet it showed up in a fragmented dream full of different incidents. One moment he was ambling around Mirror Lake with Lily by his side. He hooked his arm through hers and stopped to admire a grove of bushes with yellow, orange, and red flowers. The scene changed. A group of them—he, his parents, Lily, and her mother—flew in the air. While they laughed and floated, thick mist swirled in, and a dark cloud gobbled Lily up.

“No…” He woke up in a cold sweat.

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