One of these things first

(... - One of these things first)

Altogether the ass, the ox, one chicken and the corps of another sat beside the little bed. It's sheets still drenched in the soft crunchy remains of what used to be the excrements of a bastard child. The shepherds have taken what manageable cattle what was left. Joseph has by now left the house, he 'needed to think'. The manger is left a bit empty. And as long as there is enough hay and water, the 3 animals see no reason to leave the scene.

The place still stinks of the celebrations of last night. A few shepherds came by with some of their cattle to take refuge from the cold night and the comet in the sky. The husband and wife that they found there could use a drink. A very difficult dispute had began when the husband could not recall conception. The scene has little of use left, a few clay writing tablets with last weeks news. They are not edible, as the ass had already uncovered.

It wouldn't be until the evening that the scene was accompanied by seven dromedary from the desert, as the sun began to set. The ox questioned to the dromedary: "Wow, you came all this way?" The dromedary respond, unstintingly: "Our owners have been following this thing in the sky for almost a week now. And it's arrow lead them here. But it is gone now. I'm Jeff by the way, nice to meet you two!"
The ox looked at the ass, and together they decided that it probably was better not to ask the over enthusiastic dromedary something. As it has come quite apparent that it's expressive means of talking made the manger a havoc for saliva hating creatures. The remain chicken was gone by now. And as the sun set the ox and ass saw how the 4, sharply dressed gentlemen, sat down with their water and food. The three load bearing dromedary were given some time of to relax from their supplies and gifts. They walked towards the ox and ass and saved them from the widely over-active Jeff. They were wise dromedary, and they told how the 4 men were called Magi. Who had been send to a quest to discover what message Ahura Mazda had given them.

The ox, nor the ass being very interested in astrology didn't give the matter much interested, but did wonder why they came here. In response the other three dromedary looked at each other and gave the clear expression of not being quite aware of this matter.

A few hours later the father returned to the manger, only to discover that his wife had left him. The father however recognised the wardrobe of the three noble men from the receding empire. And explained him his story. How he never slept with his much younger wife. And how amazed he was that she was the first person to ever bear child after a year of marriage. His previous wives all died young, and for some reason they never gave birth. He wondered whether the god had bestowed him with slow 'man resin'. To which the 4 magi replied that if he needed resin they still had 2 dry kinds in their bags. 

It became a laughing show as the father and the 4 men laughed about his misery of his, probably bastard, child. They give him a few samples of resin, and a few gold coins to pay for the chicken they found on his terrain. The father went to sleep. And the ox and ass decided that this was all a bit too weird for them. So the ass spoke to the ox: "Yĕhō, let's not speak of this again it makes me feel uncomfortable, I get the idea people will abuse my name, you do know what he called the child did you?"
To which the ox replied: "Ow šuă' don't be such an ass, do you really think that the name derived from the front from an ox, and the back from an ass is going to make such a big deal. Those men just needed a good story for returning empty handed"
"Still I don't feel so comfortable, let's find some good quality grass aye?" šuă' Replied.
"Now that is a good idea!" said Yĕhō.
And so did the two set of in the horizon to forever be connected together.

Moral of the story?
Why take life too serious when you can choose to make it a little bit more fun, and yet still 'historically' correct?