“We have a buyer!” cried the auctioneer, looking relieved and slightly astonished. Others in the crowd raised their eyebrows and shook their heads. Some laughed out loud.
Eager to finalize the transaction at once, the auctioneer summoned me onto the block and reached for my purse. As he counted the coins, I asked him what the girl was called.
“A name as peculiar and barbaric as she is. Hebrew, I think: Bethesda.”
Looking at her, I spoke the curious word for the first time. “Bethesda,” I whispered. “Now I know the name of the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
The auctioneer looked at me as if I were crazy. So did Bethesda.
So began the next chapter of my life.