Nostradamus free e-book novel - The Greatest Sinner Ever

gradually opening. The peculiar newcomer was fighting as if his life
depended on it and the expulsion stage was exhausting. The labor would
take as many as ten hours. Finally, the little head emerged, the wide-open
eyes critically taking in the world. Jean and Jacques were amazed and
looked at each other with great joy. The shoulders were next, after which
the rest of the little body slid out, without any problems.
“Michel!” his mother proudly welcomed the wet little bundle. Jean
carefully picked up the slightly bloody baby, who was still attached to the
umbilical cord, and put him on the mother’s belly. The boy was born with
a caul * . Michel de Nostredame appeared at exactly high noon on
December 14 of the year 1503, with the church bells of Saint Rémy loudly
ringing in the background. His parents were overjoyed with their first
child, who would have a safe future as a Catholic. Jacques and Reynière
were both descended from old Jewish families, but several years earlier,
all Jews had been forced, under pain of death, to convert to Catholicism.
There was still a menorah on the table, however, symbolizing the Jewish
festival of lights, Hanukkah, that was being celebrated that month. For
these special holidays, the tradition was secretly honored and Jacques
always read from the Talmud. This time, he ceremoniously addressed his
newborn son, surrounded by the entire family, and told him that the
Talmud speaks about the wonder of Hanukah. Michel, securely wrapped
in swaddling cloths, only heard some paternal sounds.
When the little one, crawling and later walking, began to discover the
world, he showed himself to be a very curious little boy. He wanted to
investigate everything in sight and examine every object. He
enthusiastically attacked visitors and sometimes liked to play with their
hair. He quickly expanded his boundaries to outdoors, where he ignored
the other children his age. He thought they were playing aimlessly round
and round. Once, he extinguished the fire in the fireplace with water and
sat there looking at the clouds of steam with great fascination. During his
first visit to the market, his gift came to light. The family was walking past
the booths displaying wares. Because of his limited height, Michel was
amusing himself with what was going on underneath the wooden tables:
fish remains, rotting fruit, blood waste, broken jute sacs, an occasional rat
chewing on things, and countless shuffling feet. His mother was keeping a
close eye on him. The De Nostredame family stopped at a booth with
glassware and wanted to buy something pretty for the holidays. In the
previous century, one only saw drinking glasses among the socially elite,
but nowadays glass was being produced on a larger scale, which made it
more affordable. The eager market merchant quickly grabbed the most
delicate bowl between his teeth, trying to impress the young mother.
* with the membranes wrapped around the head: clairvoyant children
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