~Thomas Mahon~ On the return from Bethlehem to Nazareth, Mary’s infant Jesus was identified by the town fathers as just another in a long line of illegitimate children who landed there, stretching back through history. His mother would not divulge the father, and who would believe her if she had? But the town leaders knew how to treat such scum. There had been plenty of bastards before him. He would not be allowed in the synagogue. As he grew, the other boys would not play with him. Girls shunned him when he came of age, knowing his offspring for generations would share his shame. All this for a sin he had not committed.