adapted from Matthew 2:1-12 by Marianne K. Hering

Twelve-year-old Kashan knew the stars better than he knew his mother’s face. Every night for five years he had studied them from a tower deep in Persia. And every night for five years he had longed for a normal life. But his fate as a magus’ apprentice was as predictable as the waxing and waning of the moon.

I’m going to serve in the temple until the day I’m buried—which won’t be long because I’ll die of boredom, he thought as he calculated the position of Venus. He marked the coordinates on his chart and began on Jupiter.

Jupiter is bright tonight, he noticed. Wait, that’s not Jupiter. That’s not Saturn . . . or the Arrow star.

Quickly he located the constellations. He found the Bull, the Twins, the Fish and the others.

All stars accounted for, he noted. This one is new!

Kashan’s neck hairs pricked up like porcupine quills.

"Balthazar!" he yelled, racing down the tower stairs to his master’s suite. "A miracle. A new star."

A month later Kashan was staring at the miracle star from a new position—flat on his back. The smell of spices, burnt wood and sweaty camels clung to his thin bedroll. Kashan didn’t mind the pungent odors or sleeping on the ground. Any hardship was worth the fun of following the star.

After rising, the miracle star had fixed itself above the region of Judea. Kashan and a small band of magi were trekking west in the star’s wake. Balthazar was sure the star signified the birth of a new Jewish king.

Now in Jerusalem, the magi planned to seek out King Herod and his Jewish scholars to discover the child’s birthplace. Kashan moped because he was not allowed inside Herod’s palace. He waited with the servants, watching the camels chew their cud. But Kashan quit his sulking when Balthazar and the other magi returned.

Balthazar slapped Kashan on the back and said: "We have Herod’s blessing. He, too, wants to find the new king and worship him. The Jewish holy book predicts a great ruler will be born in Bethlehem. I’m sure this is the star’s meaning."

The star led them to a plain house in Bethlehem. To Kashan, the child looked like any other.

Could the star be wrong? he mused. Surely a king would live in a palace.

Kashan watched Balthazar and the rest of the magi worship the boy. They gave him gold and expensive spices. In return, the child’s mother handed Balthazar something wrapped in a scrap of the child’s clothing.

That night before returning to King Herod, Kashan watched Balthazar open the gift. "Why did the Jewish woman give you a rock?" Kashan asked.

"A rock is a symbol of a strong and solid faith," Balthazar said.

Kashan nodded, feeling guilty for doubting. Maybe he wasn’t meant to be a magus. "May I see the rock?" he asked, hoping it would help him believe. He inspected the ordinary granite. In disgust, Kashan dropped it in the dirt.

Later that night, Kashan woke as a blaze of fire sprang from the rock. The flame leapt 30 feet. Kashan fell facedown in front of it, trembling in fear. A voice strong as the rush of a waterfall filled the silence: "Do not go back to Herod. He means to harm the child. Leave by the northern road. You have done well." As quickly as it came, the fire disappeared.

When Kashan stopped trembling, he realized Balthazar and the other magi were awake. By the looks on their faces, he knew they had all seen the same dream.

The child is a king, he marveled. And God spoke to me! Kashan’s doubts faded like a winter sunset.

When Kashan and the magi returned to the tower-castle, he begrudgingly resumed his stargazing duties. His greatest joy was tracking the miracle star, which still shined over Judea. He was happy to serve a God of surprises who revealed the star, the dream and the humble child-king. But like a pearl in an oyster, he still felt trapped inside the temple.

One night Balthazar came to him, a stern look on his face.

"Tomorrow you will leave," he said.

Kashan was shocked.

"No!" he cried. "I want to become a magus."

Balthazar patted him on the shoulder: "No, God did not create you to sit and ponder the stars. You would hate studying the ancient writings even more. He has shown me a dream. You are to tell all of Persia about the new King. There is more than one way to serve God."

Kashan looked up at the miracle star for comfort and guidance. But it had vanished. Suddenly Kashan knew that Balthazar spoke the truth.

The miracle star is gone, he thought. Now I must be the one to tell the world about the new King.

He ran down the tower stairs without once looking back.

	Q: What do pigs write letters with? A: Pig-pens. Alejandro P., 12, California Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe