Conversation

Carved stone stair steps lay immersed in the pool. They saw two curving wooden staircases leading up to the ceiling and terminating flush against it. Grooves in the ceiling outlined two square trap doors.

Sophia said, "Okay, now I finally know where we are. The altar is overhead, right? This is the mikvah. The B'nei Hannebim use this place. And this is where kids are baptized, Mel. Don't you remember? We were taken down here after we turned seven."

This mikvah used flowing spring water. Overflow from the pool poured out through a straight tunnel that led to daylight. The New RIver was born here.

Nico stood on a ledge next to the water. “Here, exactly here, ladies, is where Dimai and Hawa first went to Kemen. That is straight out of the Book of Covenants.”

Sophia was incredulous. “Is this really what you wanted to show us?”

“Isn’t it enough?”

“In a museum in Havana there are two skulls of Christopher Columbus,” said Melody, quoting Mark Twain, “one when he was a boy and one when he was a man.” #WJ