The stolen sheep saga continued. With a stressed expression, Cyndy sighed and continued.”I, as John, knew it was no good to lie or deny about a missing sheep. It would make matters worse. Lying does seem to have that effect.”

Jill was concerned now. “What did you ever do?”

“I knew I was sunk and would soon be summoned to the Abbot’s office. But I went looking along the perimeter of the fencing to see if I could find any evidence that Stewy could have gotten out on her own. There didn’t seem to be any low areas of the stone walls. Sheep can jump quite high, however, not as high as those walls.”

There was a myriad of possibles from the group. 

Karin shared her speculations. “Could someone have removed some stones and beckoned…” she couldn’t help herself from laughing…”Stewy the sheep out into the street?”

Mary Jo had another theory. “ Cyndy, you mentioned one scoundrel. Maybe there wasn’t just a single scoundrel. Possibly he had a second scoundrel helping him. Could two strong scoundrels lift a sheep the size of Stewy? I’m trying to be serious here, but the name Stewy cracks me up.”

Cyndy continued the report of her dilemma. “I finally bit the bullet and headed inside, well aware of the fact I would soon be on my knees.”

Somara tsked as she said, “No way to avoid the inevitable reckoning.”

Cyndy immediately agreed. “Right. So when I told him of my investigations and some of my speculations which incidentally matched yours, Karin and Mary Jo, he had plenty to say. He did not care if someone stole our sheep, it was vital to our wellbeing. 

“He essentially morphed into ‘stolen sheep shaming’ telling me I’d have to go without woolen mittens and woolen socks and woolen cowls and possibly a lantern.”  

I couldn’t help but remember how important they were when I had to go out into the bitter cold to milk the cows back in the 16th century. I would have to thank Evelyn/James once again for the care shown at that time.

“The Abbot asked me, ‘What would we do if we ran out of wool for our lanterns wicks and the entire monastery was plunged into darkness with you to thank? Or your brothers had to go without socks?’ referring to the Coptic socks I knitted.

“After haranguing me for what seemed like an eternity, he gave me my penance or sentence. In addition to going without woolen articles, he told me that for a full week, I was to circle the sheep pasture reciting the rosary praying for the monastery’s missing sheep’s return. I was to do that four times each day as a reminder that we had, and he put great emphasis on yelling each word in staccato ‘had four sheep’.”

I gave the air around us time to settle. There was an air of mutual smoldering as several agreed that to make John/Cyndy go without those vital pieces of woolen articles during the winter was unjust.

Karin added her voice. “I have to pose a question rooted in my experience as 16th century Abraham. “Which would be worse, having to go without or having to wear double of everything? I was reported for talking to one of the brothers of another set, which as you know was a big ‘no’...’no’. My penance was to wear double of everything on a very hot day and on a free day when we could talk. However, I had to keep silence.”

“I remember that day. We were wondering what you were doing wearing a cowl & mittens on such a hot day,” said Jill.

Karin retorted with a gallows chuckle. “You didn’t get to see my double-socked feet in my straining sandals, very uncomfortable.”

Mary Jo groaned at that new bit of information. “So great a choice. Is it frostbite or heat exhaustion and dehydration you’d prefer?”

Turning the tone to a more positive emphasis, I continued my individualizing of acknowledgments and followed through on my self-promise to thank Evelyn/James. “And sweet Evelyn, you were James. I know you must have gotten your interest in medicine to become a nurse, for this century, way back in the 16th century. 

“As James, you helped me when I was such a mess from having to be out in the bitter freeze, milking the cows. It was just a little shed of sorts. I don’t know how the poor Jerseys stayed warm with a tiny flame burning for them in a couple of lanterns.

“The tips of my fingers on both hands needed attention and there you were with your comforting guidance. It’s a good thing you had cautioned me to dress warm. I put those woolen Coptic Socks on that you knitted, Cyndy as John. I’m glad I followed your direction, Evelyn as James. 

“And thank you, Cyndy as Brother John, for knitting our socks and those warm cowls and mittens, even though it seems Abbot Richard might have thought we’d be throwing rotten tomatoes at you for losing Stewy. 

And you are still knitting today. You even brought some with you.  Things were looking pretty bleak for a while at the end. I did think when and if we ever talked again that I would tease you about us making big money selling the Coptic Socks you knitted. I thought they’d be a real crowd pleaser.

“Sorry to be sticking a knitting needle in the spokes of progress, but I am not going to ever knit those socks in this lifetime.” There was a teasing of moans and ‘oh no’s’ and a raucous round of gallows laughter. Some were patting Cyndy on the back, indicating love and support.