The breath of spring in the new year makes people feel happy, and Amar is in an equally happy mood today.
Although the harvest in the village is not very good this year and everyone's life is a little difficult after paying taxes, this does not include Amal, because he has ways to generate income in other ways.
Amal woke up early and looked at his own image in the mirror. It was very good and there were no flaws. Satisfied, he picked up the hidden cross and put the shiny silver gadget into his pocket.
.
This is his way of making extra money, so there can be no surprises. Otherwise, his income of one bag of wheat a month will be wasted.
"Hallelujah."
Amal made a decent gesture of the sign of the cross on his chest, elegant and skillful. He believed that God would also understand him, and that he would be forgiven by God if he pretended to be necessary for survival.
After praying in his heart, Amal said goodbye to his wife and left. Before leaving, he also looked at his two lovely children.
The village where he lived was 8 kilometers away from his destination Zabadani. In order to make time, he got on his donkey and hurried out of the village.
There was a Christian church in Zabadani, and that was his destination. Originally, his attitude towards this church was the same as everyone else's. Why didn't His Majesty the Sultan's officials drive these heretics out?
Now, he believes that these heretics still have some effect. Of course, this is his understanding from the past two years. At that time, the old priest of this church left, and two new young priests came, and then this church in Zabadani
The Christian church has changed.
The two young priests were not like the old priest who kept nagging people to believe in God. Instead, they claimed that as long as they believed in God, each person would receive a bag of wheat.
Although the remarks of these two people were denounced by the respected imam as selling their souls to the devil, they still made many people who were short of a bag of wheat sneak away to feel the breath of God.
It was at that time that Amar also felt the breath of God, and each of them actually received a 50-pound bag of wheat.
Then the new Father Bran announced that since everyone felt the Lord’s care, they needed to read the Bible. Of course, he considered that many of the people present were illiterate, so he announced another decision, that is, everyone
During the service, he would explain the Bible to them, and anyone who could remember it would receive two bags of wheat.
And because he remembered the most, he was awarded two extra bags of wheat.
In addition, Father Bran also gave him a benefit. He went to church every week to teach others about the Bible, and he also received a bag of wheat every month. This kind of income was not low at all, and it was as much as his income from farming.
.
You must know that after the harvest, after deducting the rent and taxes, he can get more than a thousand pounds of grain. And this is not just wheat, but also a lot of miscellaneous grains.
Therefore, Amal cherishes the income from wheat. Although he only has God in his heart, why can't he earn food from pagans?
Along the way, Amal was planning this year's income, whether he could buy something for his wife and two children, and whether he could save some for the future.
He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice at all that as he approached Zabadani, there were a surprising number of pedestrians on the road. Moreover, the faces of these people were a little different, with a hint of nervous expectation, and even a look of getting their wish. Even
If you pay close attention, you can see that there seems to be something inside their robes.
"Eh!"
At this time, Amal, who had come back to his senses, realized that today's situation was a little different, because at the gate of Zabadani town, he saw a crowd of people standing at the intersection of the town, and the respected Agali Imam was standing there.
On a high platform that had been set up, he was speaking to the dark crowd in front of him.
"By Allah, ever since those two infidels came to town..."
The imam's speech made Amal understand what was going on. Originally, the Christian church and the mosque were inseparable, and Su Ri'an could not understand each other, but they could still maintain a balance. But this time the two priests
A private joke was made between them, which involved the Prophet, and this happened to be overheard by others. So the word spread that the two priests had insulted the Prophet.
Now the Imam Agali of the mosque quit his job. He had long seen the dissatisfaction of these two pagans in bribing God's people, and now he dared to insult the Prophet, not letting them know how powerful they were, and thought that the Green Sect was easy to bully.
So under the call of the imam, young adults from all over the country gathered together. On the pillars on the side were hung several people who had been killed. These people were known to Amal and they were all people who had been to church many times. He also talked with
One of them, named Ali, drank coffee together.
"broken!"
Seeing this scene, Amarna could not understand what was happening.
But at this time, he couldn't care about other people, because he was so desperate that someone pointed at him and shouted, "This is the traitor who often went to church before. He betrayed Allah and went to listen to the voice of the devil."
As soon as someone pointed it out, Amar immediately realized that something was wrong. At this time, any rebuttal was useless, and he ran away without saying a word from now on.
There was nothing to say, so Amar got on top of the donkey and slapped him hard on the butt without caring about the donkey.
The stinging mouth of the donkey let out a ho-ho-ho cry, and Saya ran into the town, but no one caught him.
Amal, who was riding a donkey and galloping all the way, realized something was wrong when he rushed into the town, because the road was surrounded by people. Judging from their makeup and the various weapons in their hands, they were all mobilized.
***.
"It's over!"
After groaning inwardly, Amar could only bite the bullet and rush forward. They would not let him go if he stopped.
Facing the donkey knight charging straight at him, a strong and powerful man smiled ferociously and raised his scimitar and pointed it at Amal. It was obvious that if he charged down, his life would be at risk.
How could Amar stop at this time? To stop would be to seek death, so he could only rush in with his eyes closed.
"Crack!"
A gunshot gave Amar a chance, because the strong man who was wielding a machete fell down unwillingly, clutching his bleeding chest. Others on both sides were shocked by the gunshot, which gave him a chance.
.
The donkey broke through the blockade and headed directly towards the church, because the gunfire just now came from the church two hundred meters away.
Only after Amal rushed over did those who blocked the place react. They immediately wanted to rush to the church with angry expressions.
"Crack!"
Another shot hit one of them, causing him to scream, and this sound made these people control their emotions, so they retreated again.
And Amar rushed into the church in one breath. At this time, the door of the church was opened. Father Bran held a rifle and waved to him. "Come in quickly, Amar."
Amal, who wasn't paying attention to the donkey, rushed in with three steps at a time.
As soon as he entered, he found that the situation was not good. Except for the two priests holding guns, the other six or seven original church members were only holding sticks and knives.
"Amar, thank God for blessing you."
After Father Bran patted his shoulder, he took out a stick and handed it to him. "Take it to protect the church. We need to wait for the rescue of the Ottoman army in Damascus."
Father Bran's words did not encourage Amal, because they were 60 kilometers away from Damascus. Although it was not too far, half of it was mountainous, and it would take at least a day to wait.
And can they wait a day?
Looking at the growing number of irritable people outside, Amal was not confident. Moreover, he saw that they had already taken out torches.
