Now the man whom the Lord called Pebble (Petros), whose other name was Simon, was a carnal man of great girth, much given to eating, drinking, and the things of the flesh. He was hot-tempered, quick to anger and action, but equally capable of pursuing intrigues of his own devising. He was married to a hard woman, who scoffed at him and berated him in public, to the endless embarrassment of his pride.

On these occasions he was fond of reminding the rest of us, particularly myself, that the Lord chose him first to follow him, a fact his brother, Andrew, a timid soul who was chosen at the same moment as Pebble, never dared dispute for fear of Simon's wrath. No one among us disputed his claim to be the one chosen to succeed Jesus when his time came, for the Lord had bade us to be kind and gentle to Simon as to a younger brother who was not quite whole in mind, though one day John did indeed reply to this with the words of the Lord himself that in the kingdom the first shall be last and the last first, therefore we should be humble. Pebble did not speak to John after that for months save for growing red-faced in his presence and making odd gestures at John when the other's back was turned, for he knew Jesus loved John more than himself and it hardened his heart against him.

Now in those days it was customary for Jesus to pick one who was as yet unlearned in the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and to spend several days and nights with him as was written in Mark's gospel for the world to read and wonder. Afterwards, Jesus would sometimes chose that disciple again for further initiations, though of these I have no knowledge myself, having only been so chosen the one time. Before the Lord joined with Mary from Magdala, it was John with whom he most frequently sojourned in this manner, and this further inflamed Simon against John, for Simon had not been granted this privilege even one time.

When it happened as told by Mark, that the rich man whom Jesus raised from the dead spent six days and nights with the Lord, Simon's wrath knew no bounds. It became so great and his behavior toward those of us whom he considered the lesser of the twelve so vicious, that I myself went to Lord to plead with him to be released from our bonds of gentled tolerance.

The Lord then said to me: "The kingdom of heaven is greater than any man and though some may seek to seize it for themselves and though the vultures may nest in its branches, it shall endure and so prevail. Pebble burns with a fire that consumes himself wholly, but only reddens the skin of others. He does more harm to Simon than to anyone else but should you and others rise against him, you will split the kingdom asunder and it shall not prevail. Hold fast to the peace I have given you and allow his wrath to pass as well."

"But Lord," I said. "Can you do nothing? It is well-known that Simon is angered at being denied the initiation into the kingdom which has been granted even to me. Can you not do the same for him as you have for others" "Simon does not want what I have to give him, but something else. Until he wants what I give freely, I cannot offer it to him"

And so I left perplexed, and abided in that state for many days. Then it happened that I was on the boat in the storm the night Jesus walked upon the waters. Pebbles was also in the boat, having appointed himself chief of the expedition. While the sea was still calm and the sky clear, he had thrown off all his clothes and showed his nakedness proudly.

"This is no pebble" he said. "It is more than the rest of you have to offer the Lord. Look at it! Perhaps he is afraid of it's length and girth."

It was then that I understood the Lord's meaning and the cause of Pebble's jealousy. He confused the carnal with the spiritual and presumed the holy initiation into the kingdom and its wonders was a simple connection of flesh to flesh, man to man. I understood too a bit more of what had hardened his wife against him and even the look of fear that Andrew had when he gazed at his brother. I looked away, cast my eyes downward, and practiced continual forgiveness toward Pebble's thereafter and until now.

But now, when the true Petra, who is Mary of Magdala, the wife and successor of Jesus himself, has been defamed, threatened, and banished by Petros, the Pebble, I feel I must write of these things for the edification of those who come after us and know not the truth. I trust that the Lord has secured the kingdom against the vultures, but this vulture has seated himself at the very center of things with only the madman Paul to contend with him and that between his frequent seizures. Already it appears they have reached an agreement to divide the world between themselves with Pebbles taking the Jews and Paul the Gentiles. None of this is right and all of it grievous. Still I shall trust in my Lord and my teacher, to deliver us all from the darkness and ignorance of the present age, though perhaps he may see fit to use this testimony to that end.

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