And why had she never asked?
Alberto continued: "Sophia, or God's mother nature, had a certain significance both for Jews and in the Greek Orthodox Church throughout the Middle Ages. In the west she was forgotten. But along comes Hildegard. Sophia appeared to her in a vision, dressed in a golden tunic adorned with costly jewels ..."
Sophie stood up. Sophia had revealed herself to Hildegard in a vision ...
"Maybe I will appear to Hilde."
She sat down again. For the third time Alberto laid his hand on her shoulder.
"That is something we must look into. But now it is past eleven o'clock. You must go home, and we are approaching a new era. I shall summon you to a meeting on the Renaissance. Hermes will come get you in the garden."
With that the strange monk rose and began to walk toward the church. Sophie stayed where she was, thinking about Hildegard and Sophia, Hilde and Sophie. Suddenly she jumped up and ran after the monk-robed philosopher, calling:
"Was there also an Alberto in the Middle Ages?"
Alberto slowed his pace somewhat, turned his head slightly and said, "Aquinas had a famous philosophy teacher called Albert the Great..."
With that he bowed his head and disappeared through the door of St. Mary's Church.
Sophie was not satisfied with his answer. She followed him into the church. But now it was completely empty. Did he go through the floor?
Just as she was leaving the church she noticed a picture of the Madonna. She went up to it and studied it closely. Suddenly she discovered a little drop of water under one of the Madonna's eyes. Was it a tear?
Sophie rushed out of the church and hurried back to Joanna's.
The Renaissance
O divine lineage in mortal guise
It was just twelve when Sophie reached Joanna's front gate, out of breath with running. Joanna was standing in the front yard outside her family's yellow house.
"You've been gone for five hours!" Joanna said sharply.
Sophie shook her head.
"No, I've been gone for more than a thousand years."
"Where on earth have you been? You're crazy. Your mom called half an hour ago."
"What did you tell her?"
"I said you were at the drugstore. She said would you call her when you got back. But you should have seen my mom and dad when they came in with hot chocolate and rolls at ten this morning ... and your bed was empty."
"What did you say to them?"
"It was really embarrassing. I told them you went home because we got mad at each other."
Joanna shrugged. Just then her father came around the corner with a wheelbarrow. He had a pair of coveralls on and was busy clearing up last year's leaves and twigs.
"Aha--so you're friends again, I see. Well, there's not so much as a single leaf left on the basement steps now."
"Fine," said Sophie. "So perhaps we can have our hot chocolate there instead of in bed."
Joanna's dad gave a forced laugh, but Joanna gasped. Verbal exchanges had always been more robust in Sophie's family than at the more well-to-do home of Mr. Ingebrigtsen, the financial adviser, and his wife.
"I'm sorry, Joanna, but I felt I ought to take part in this cover-up operation as well."
"Are you going to tell me about it?"
"Sure, if you walk home with me. Because it's not for the ears of financial advisers or overgrown Barbie dolls."
"That's a rotten thing to say!