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I was traveling around the world and I landed in Shushan when my horse died from the heat. It was just around the time when Esther was chosen to be Queen by the king himself. Sorry for my rudeness. My name is Benjamin and I am Queen Esther�s long lost brother. We were separated at birth by the doctor who delivered us. My father told the doctor to do that. He left me with a note that he had wrote. It is a long note that I don�t think I should read to you. When I heard that my sister had gotten the job as the queen,
I immediately went to the palace with the hope that I may tell her the truth about her
siblings. Mordecai Estherand I are the last of our family and I must tell her.

When I arrived at the palace I tried to enter but two guards tackled me and threatened
to run a sword threw my neck if I didn�t tell them my business. So I told them who I
was. They got off me and told me they would escort me to the Queen. Instead, they
picked me up and heaved me out of the palace and over the gate. I figured I should go
to Mordecai and introduce myself to him. I figured he wouldn�t recognize me. I was
right but when I introduced myself to him he laughed and gave me a great big hug.
He told me how the other day he had saved the king�s life. He gave me food and water
and a place to sleep. I told him how I had arrived here.

The next day I decided that I couldn�t leave Shushan without any money so I set off in
order to find some work so I can could afford a horse and leave. I wandered the
streets until I found a sign for a job as a high ranking in the Persian army. I decided to
look into it the next day. I went back home to take a nap. When Mordecai came home he told me that when Haman came in his path and commanded him to bow he had spit in his face and walked a way. But he started to sound a little uneasy. He said he heard Haman say something about exterminating all of them and not wanting any survivors left in all of the empire. Haman said that he would have a talk with the king and convince him. But he wasn�t worried at all he was jut bragging. I thought long and hard that night about what Mordecai had said. I awoke the next morning and asked Mordecai if he told Haman that he was a Jew. He said yes and I fainted. When I awoke I looked into getting the job as a soldier. I went to the palace for an interview. The first question they asked me was if I was Jewish. I really am but I said no. They said that is all and they handed me a note that read.

� Dear new recruit for your first order of business as a soldier you shall go down to the weapon making room, get your uniform and all your weapon and go out into the streets of Shushan and prepare to kill every Jew that is in Shushan on the 14th of Adar.

Sincerely yours,

Haman the Aggigite

I knew it. I knew I was right I immediately ran out of the door and back to Mordecai�s house. He was out of the house of course. I went out and found him. I was just about ready to tell him the news about killing the Jews when I saw his face blank with horror. He showed me the sign that was posted. It said that by order of the king himself all of the Jews shall be killed and all of their belongings burned. Have a very nice day. I didn't seem surprised at all. He asked me why I wasn�t surprised. I showed him the note that Haman had signed. He ran away with out telling me where he was going. I followed him until he stopped. He was at the palace. Mordecai saw Hagai and asked him to tell the queen to come out to the gate. We waited for a long time and then finally she came out. She took a look at me and said to Mordecai who is this and why does he not bow in presence. He looked at me and said to me she�s all yours. She had a puzzled look on her face. I explained myself to her. She gasped and took a step back. She shook her head. After the denial stage was over she ran an gave me tons of hugs and said I can�t believe it. Mordecai said okay we will have the family reunion later but now I have more important business. He explained what was going on. He also told her to see the king and talk to him about it. She started crying because she was afraid. Mordecai grabbed her and yelled at her and said all of your people rest in your hands go the king. I command you. He also said some stuff that I can�t say to you. She agreed with unease. I was surprised. Mordecai seemed like a peaceful guy until today. I didn�t want to be in any part of this fight so I called to Mordecai an told him I was going home. As I walked home I bumped into Haman. He recognized me and slapped me on the back. He asked me if I had killed any Jews. waited a minute and said no. I was about to when they ran away from me. I can�t wait till I wring one of there necks. Haman left. I gasped. I can�t believe the words that just came out of my mouth a second ago. I felt so guilty. I couldn�t believe it. I went home. I awaited Mordecai�s return all night. I didn�t know why he didn�t return but I felt I would find out soon enough. I was correct. When he arrived home he sounded so serious. He told me that Esther will go see the king and risk death to tell him about Haman and her real religion. I was so tired the next day that I slept through it. When I awoke Mordecai told me that Esther was throwing a banquet for her the king and Haman. He also said we were going to sneak in. I asked him how and he said leave it to me. So I did. That night we hid in a little room until people came then we shifted our position to the room that Esther will eat in. I waited all night for her to tell the king she is Jewish but she never did. Instead she asked them to come again tomorrow. They agreed. When they all left except for Esther I asked her why she didn�t tell him. She said she was to scared. e gave us food and water and told us to wait here until tomorrow. I said no but Mordecai said yes for me. At night they started eating and then she told her she was Jewish. She also said that Haman was Trying to kill all her people. The king filled with rage he ordered his guards to take Haman away and send out a scribe to tell all his empire that Haman shall be put to death by order of the king. The next day,all the Jews cheered and clapped. The king gave me a horse and some food. I told him I wont need it. I am not going anywhere.

THE END

Purim is one of the few cheery Jewish holidays that takes place on the 8th of Adar, or on this year's Christian calendar, the 9th of March. It celebrates the occasion when the Jews massacred many Persians who had once posed a threat to the Jews of that time. Don't ask me why this is something to celebrate and why it's so... happy, maybe because it wasn't the Jews who were being massively murdered for once? Who knows, I didn't write the Magilah. I wasn't exactly there when the whole Purim fiasco took place, so I'll tell you what they taught me at my day school [picture an Israeli accent]: There was an evil, evil old man named Haman who wanted to kill all of the Jews (I think I'm noticing a pattern in Jewish theology) purely because a brave, pious, Jewish soul named Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. (Mordecai become known because he had saved the King's life earlier by overhearing two guards' plans to assassinate the King and he had reported it.) Conveniently, Haman just so happened to be the King's advisor, and a still-in-the-closet Jew just so happened to be the King's wife. Haman advised the King to kill all of the Jews (kings seem to heed this advice all the time, so what the hell), and the gullible king who couldn't tell his bottom from his elbow and cared for nothing except his beer (and ex-wives stripping at his parties... all right, that's for another day) sent out an order that on the 8th of Adar all Jews were to be massacred. Queen Esther, who happened to be a Jew, was advised by her uncle Mordecai to tell the king she was Jewish and to please not kill her people. Esther could have easily been killed by the king for coming into his holy room with his holy scepter in his holy high chair, so the Jews of the kingdom fasted and prayed for Queen Esther's life and persuasion. When Esther approached the King, he placed his holy scepter on her shoulder, an indication that he would listen to her (heh, I'm picturing Little Nemo at this point). Queen Esther told the King that her people were going to die in a few days because of the order the King sent out, and the King sent out a different order for the Jews to arm themselves and kill any Persian that was even thinking of killing a Jew (a little extreme, don't you think?) The King also planned to hang Haman. The King's plans for hanging Haman were secured when he found Haman falling over Esther in Esther's room later, thinking that Haman was trying to steal Esther away from the King, or rape her, etc. (Haman was actually falling over Esther begging for her to save his life.) Haman was hung, the Persians were all killed, the King remained and idiot, the Jews celebrated, and thus a holiday was born. Woo.

I hope you didn�t mind all my run-ons, and I�m not exactly the Purim master, so I hope this introduction to Purim was sufficient.

The following story is being displayed in the courtesy of David (the author) as an example of a fictional Purim story. More can be found at Routes of Judaism, a site that features many Purim stories written by many, happy little Jewish children. Good work, David!