fungus bungus by Lorna Heartston

Phillip and Juliana

Dear Reader,
I am writing to tell you the story of Phillip and Juliana. They were in the life and times of Rome. The story you will hear is that of passion and of pain. Sit back and listen to me..I will tell you of life and love beyond all others.

I would not make you to understand my thoughts of the evening. I would not impress on you the overwhelming power that those words had on me. The words that I found while looking for love. On looking into the lives of Phillip and Juliana, I have come to know the most loving relationship ever. I have dated them back into the year 58 B.C.E. Phillip was a trader, a merchant. Now, to some, the life of a merchant is that of travel and long trips to gather the things that the rich could afford, but to those who have experienced it know that it is a life of courage.
On September the 12th, 58 B.C.E . Phillip left his home of a wife and 2 children only to go to the far off lands of the riches that would make the money for his family to live from. He kissed his wife and children and while doing so said a small prayer for them. As he did every time he left, he took a small part of their love with him. His first travels took him from Rome across the Mediterranean Sea. He traveled by ship with 6 other merchants. They were all on their way to gather the varied wares requested by the rich in Rome. It took several days to cross to Greece for the honey and the gathering of slaves that we did. After one night in solitude we once again boarded the ship to our next stop in Syria for more slaves and fine glassware that would bring us money.
When reaching Syria, the merchants all went out their separate ways to find the shops and merchants of the towns to supply the needs they were looking for. One such open market was located by Phillip and he decided to look to it for purchases. At the time of the open slave sale..Phillip was none to wishful that he would find any suitable slaves. Syria was not known for the slaves that they had brought back from different countries. As the slaves began to be shuffled up to the deck, one slave did catch Phillips eye. Surprising to him that a beautiful woman was standing there. She had long blonde hair and was very tired. Her hands were bonded and she was looking down. Philip took to her immediately. He rushed to the auctioneer and bought her before she was opened to bids. He paid an unusual amount for her. The seller was so impressed with the amount that he agreed. He led this woman away and cut her binds and told her he was going to take her back with him. As nightfall came, he was again in solitude. He only could think about the beautiful slave woman on the ship. He was in strange place and yet he felt that home was very close. By morning he had resigned himself to the fact that he was not going home for several months but the comfort he had felt the night before still lingered.
Days turned into a week, and Phillip would go to the holding to check on his surplus as well as the collection of slaves he had picked up along the trip for the rich who paid very high prices. He always paid special attention to the woman whom he first has purchased. He had to do his work, he had to document all his purchases and his log of journey, but as he tried to sit and work, his mind would wander to her face. They had not spoken as of yet but her mouth haunted his thoughts. For each time he would come to her, she would have a smile on her lips for him. As again the times past…a month now……he went ever diligently to her and he began to speak at her. First small words of hello, then to telling her of her beauty. She remained ever silent. She would smile and then blush at his words, to show understanding.
One night in the dead of sleep, Phillip woke to a terror in his heart. He felt he must at once go to her. In his hast he did not put on to much more than a light covering of a nightshirt. He rushed past the guards that were at the time drunk on the benches, bathed in the moon he could see they were asleep. As he approached the holding cell of the sweet woman he had come to think of in fond reproach, he heard her plead in a small but firm voice. He felt a tug on his heart as the voice of the woman hit him. Her voice was as beautiful as her face. Upon my entrance to the holdings I noticed that one of the guards had a hold of her arm and was trying to pull her to him. She was pushing with all her strength….Phillip yelled and the soldier let go. The soldier walked past Phillip and stormed up the stairs. Usually the soldiers would not have given up so fast and Phillip was glad the he did. For although his words were brave, his heart was fearful.
he must go but that he would come back. Later that day he was alone in his The slave girl ran into his arms crying and thanking him. A was of a feeling he had not felt came over him. He comforted her and then he told her room. Looking around and then he saw her, in his mind….the beautiful woman he had had in his arms so few hours ago. Her beauty was too much for him and he proceeded to take his own exquisite release to her memory.
As the new day rose he had the most joyous feeling to him. He could feel the touch of the woman whom had reached for him in her need. She was thankful to him for his rescue. This day he went to see her, she was no longer shy and quiet. She came to him and sat and talked to him. He asked her of her life before he came into it and she told him that she was ripped from her family at a young age and was then sold as a slave. Her last owner died and she was a very kind woman , so she had been lucky about that. But now the fear of who she will be serving was scaring her. Philip began to feel the need to keep her safe. He decided to do what he could to get her to a safe place or to be free.
After two more weeks, he took her from the cells and an took her for small walks on the deck of the ship. He told the other merchants that he was getting her sun and exercise before they got back in 3 months time. The longer they were together, the more Phillip wanted her. She was becoming fond of him as well. He had asked her name and she blessed him with the music that said, Juliana.

Phillip walked down into the holding cells. He was excited to take Juliana for their now daily walk. he comes to her cell and he see her in partial undress, and he is surprised but doesn’t look away. through the small window on the side of the room, the sunlight hinted off of her bare neck. : his heart stirred as he saw her skin. her gown was off of her shoulder and she had her hand on her skin rubbing soft small circles to massage out the knot in her neck. he watched her as her fingers went open and closed again as they rubbed on her. he was feeling things he could not feel with her, he was married and he was having the thoughts of a man with no wife. He held the keys in his hands so hard that they were digging into his palm. He felt the pain and suddenly dropped them to the ground. Juliana suddenly stopped and turned, thinking that the guard had returned. She saw Phillip and smiled. His heart jumped. Her smile said everything that his heart was asking. She had passion in her eyes. He rushed down and picked up the keys again. He winced at the pain that they caused to the deep cut that they had made when he squeezed them. He fumbled with them to find the one he wanted and then he stuck it into the lock. He flung open the door and rushed in with his arms open wide. She walked right into them and they kissed. First deeply, then softer. The hunger was released in the first seconds of the kiss. Now all the feelings that have been building up over time was showing in their pounding hearts. He had his hand on her face, caressing her jaw as he kissed her lips tenderly. As he looked up, he could see his love in her tears that were running down her face. He kissed each tear before it fell to the ground. He knew at that moment that he did love her. In his heart he was in love and he was feeling the love returned to him. As they held each other, kissing and touching each others face, they both cried for the moment of touch that was now here. As for the love of another person came to pass, they became one. Entwined together, they held the other so close. The air between them was only the sweet breathe of their own. Slowly Phillip pulled off the clothe that she had draped around her. It slipped off and down to the ground to a soft small pile at the bottom of their feet. She stood there completely naked to him. He stood back and looked at her. She had the scars of pain all across her body, from the life that she had, the torment she had to endure for all of her years. He reached out and touched one scare and she pulled his hand up to her mouth and kissed it. He came back to her and quickly started to undress himself. She stopped him by putting up her hands to his shirt and started to unbutton it. She pulled off his shirt by putting her hands on his chest and pushing it off of him over his shoulders. He shuddered from her touch. He reached out to her and she glided into his arms and they kissed passionately. Soon his pants were down and they were working their way to the bed. They stood so close together that they could feel no air between their bodies. He pulled her down with him as he laid down on the soft mat that she used as her bed. He could feel the pounding of her heart against his. He rolled her over and now he was hovering over her. She was laying on her back and looking up into his eyes. As they lay together in love, Phillip turned to her and spoke words of love…he was truly in love. They slept in quiet silence until the morning sun awoke Phillip and he knew that he was not to be there when the guards came around for serving the morning meal. He kissed her good bye and expressed his love as he left her behind in the prison he knew she must stay. Being back in his own quarters, he threw himself onto the bed and he shed tears of sorrow for what he had done. He had now betrayed his wife and sons. But the tears were only for the fact that now he loved them both and that was not fair to anyone. He ate and worked and went about his day as if he had not actually now changed his future forever. Every waking moment he thought of Juliana and the passion they shared. He tried to think of what he was doing but her face was there, her touch was there, her love was there. Later in the day he went to her again and again they made love over and over. They did this for the several months that they were at sea. Phillip was so in love and Juliana was very much in love as well.
The time was getting closer to when they would finally reach Rome. Phillip knew that soon Juliana would be sold to a rich family to become all that the family required to live the day to day ways. He was trying to think of ways to have her for him but he knew that he was not in the situation to keep both her and his own family. He knew that her living with another family would be the best for her and he could still meet her and be with her when he could. The announcement that there was only a few days left made them see that the end was near and the night that this was the thoughts in their mind, they just lay in each others arms and cried and told each other what they meant to each other. Both knowing that the love would remain but their time together was now coming to an end.
One days journey from Rome a storm began to surge the skies. Blackened rain began to fall. The ship was tossed around and the people on board began to fear. Phillip was so far away from Juliana and he started to rush to her so she would not fear the storm. On his way to the stairs that led down to the holdings, Phillip was hit in the head with a barrel that rolled out of the shelf it was on. He fell to the ground. As the storm grew, so did the waves hitting the ship. Suddenly a huge fierce wave came upon the ship, hitting the bow with a force as big as a volcano explosion. Phillip was washed off the side of the ship and so were many others. Juliana, locked in the holdings, said a small good bye to her love as the power of the water washed over the ship. She knew she would never see or feel his touch again. The ship itself was twisted and bent, soon to break apart and go under. The souls on board were lost.
Phillip awoke to the sun upon his face. He was on a skid of wood, looking at it closely Phillip realized it was a piece of a ship…his ship. He looked around and saw debris all over the water, lifeless bodies and floating survivors holding on to whatever they could. He started to yell out her name…Juliana, Juliana…were are you. Nothing. He spent the next several hours paddling around looking for her and only finding the blank, frightened faces of those with him. Soon a ship happened past and gathered all the survivors. Phillip knowing that his love was gone was sad and the deepest depression came to him. He would not talk or eat. He would weep day after day.
After the last of the trip was done, docking in the town of which he had started his journey…Phillip now knew what he was to do. He was to return to his family and start his life again. He walked to his house with the slowness of a snail. Not wanting to become the husband he was. Not becoming the father he was. He wanted to be the passion he felt for Juliana. He wanted to be the happiness he was with her.
He stopped at his door and looked up at his home. The door opened up and out came his two children and they flew into his arms. He kissed them and loved them much. Then looking up, he saw the smile on his wife’s face. He smiled back. They hugged and kisses a small simple kiss. He was home. He was loved. He would never forget Juliana, but he still had a life to live and people to count on him. He had to move on.
The bodies never were found again. But Phillip knew that his love was safe and that he was again where he needed to be. He often thought of her over his life. He often compared his love with her to his wife. He knew he was never the same again. His wife did also. But she knew not to ask. He was home with her. That is all that mattered. He never again went on a ship. He never again dealt in goods or slaves. He began to work as a craftsman. He made the most beautiful furniture and sculptures. His most famous piece was the beautiful bust of Juliana that he made. He kept it in his home for years until his death. It was sold off and became a most wanted piece among the rich. So even in death, Juliana was remembered and was able to live in a place of comfort.
Farewell Phillip and Juliana. Farewell. Love will find you together in heaven with the angels.
So that is my story. I hope you find comfort in it as did I. Go home and hug your family in such the way of power of grace will give you. Love to the greatest amount of passion you have to share. Peace to you all.
copyright 2006 hk
edited for content