“No!” shouted little Julia as she came running out of the lounge.

But Matron Drusilla was in hot pursuit. Drusilla was a life-long Imperial Matron. The empire was full of matrons, there being dozens of orders. Drusilla was a member of the Divine Hera Imperial Matrons. At this time, she was working in the private sphere, coming off a long stint as Nurse-Matron in the Sector 4 Military hospital. Registered matrons were free to work for private individuals, but they had to remain registered with the Society of Imperial Matrons. This included attending the special events put on by the Divine Heras…suppers, religious services, going to the shows, and, though very rarely, attending a banquet put on by the Lords in honor of the Empire’s matrons. Lord Maximus was the supreme commander of all orders of imperial matrons, and he always said that the empire couldn’t run without the matrons. You could not use the title…matron, unless you were a member of an officially recognized order. Titles like…governess or Imperial Baby-sitter could be used without being a member of an order, but the title of matron required that you be a member of a specific order and in good standing. Drusilla was an Eighth-degree Mistress of the Divine Heras, which put her at the top of the order. She was a fully licensed nurse and teacher. Julia’s mother had died in childbirth, and her father…Marcus Diocles Antonius, a member of an ancient and noble Roman family, was the most important Senator in the Imperial Senate, being the one who ensured that laws proposed by the emperor were passed in the Senate, and represented the emperor at certain meetings and events.

Diocles owned many estates and villas, and he owned the largest olive-producing operation in the Empire. He also owned large tracts of land in Southern Gaul. His position required him to be at the Ancient City most of the time. So he hired Drusilla to be the matron in his personal villa, which is where Julia lived. Julia had the entire third floor as her bedroom. Besides the servants, it was Julia and Drusilla who lived in the villa.

“No!” Julia hollered again.

But when she reached the entrance way into the villa, she stopped. The floor was a tile floor, with very large square tiles. Now Julia had invented a game. You couldn’t just run across the tile floor. You had to jump from tile to tile, both feet at the same time, and if your sandal landed outside one of the tiles…you lost. Julia was very good, and rarely lost. Matron Drusilla was standing close, her hands on her hips, and shaking her head. Reaching the last tile, Julia ran down the hallway and took a sudden left turn. Drusilla walked across the tile floor, her sandals landing well outside the tiles several times, and walked down the hall. Then she stopped.

“Lady Julia, you know that’s a dead-end…come here this instance.”

Matron was right, turning left took you to a small niche. But if you kept going straight, you would run right into a bookshelf. If you turned right, you entered a long hallway that led to the servants’ quarters, kitchen, and…most importantly…the back door leading to freedom. This niche was dedicated to the Household deity, who happened to be…Baubo. There was a five-foot tall marble statue of the goddess, who had a rather strange appearance…

As the story goes, Baubo was a friend of the goddess Demeter. The goddess lost her daughter, and became very depressed. Baubo, who appears to have been Demeter’s nurse, sought to cheer up Demeter. She did this by telling dirty jokes and repeatedly exposing her genitalia. There’s no end to the weirdness found in religion.

“Lady Julia, you know that’s a dead-end…come here this instance.”

Julia slowly emerged from around the corner, with a big white cat in her arms. Drusilla put her hands on her hips.

“Please put Ares down.”

Julia set Ares on the floor, and he took off down the hallway toward the backdoor.

“Julia, come with me please.”

They walked back to the lounge, Julia stopping to play the jumping game. Drusilla shook her head in disapproval. Drusilla sat on the couch and Julia stood before her.

“What do you want to talk about?” Julia asked sheepishly.

“Perhaps we should talk about all the nonsense that’s occurred around here since you got out of bed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, a lady does not run around the villa like a madwoman. And she certainly doesn’t jump around in the entrance way. Not to mention…she doesn’t harass the family’s pets.”

“Sorry,” Julia said. “But what about outside?”

“You can run and jump all you like outside, just not in the villa,” Drusilla said.

Julia nodded. “I understand.”

“That’s fine,” Drusilla said as she adjusted the tiara on Julia’s head. “Let’s go into the living-room.”

Julia rushed around Drusilla, ran into the living-room, and plopped down on her stomach on a couch. She began kicking her legs back and forth and tracing her finger on the floor.

“Julia, what are you doing?” Matron asked.

“I’m pretending to make a letter…A.”

Drusilla put her hands on hips. “It’s not school hour.”

Julia sat up. “Sorry,” she muttered.

“I should think so. Oh, do you remember that Marcella and Matron Agrippina are coming over today?”

Julia’s face lit up. “I know. How long will they be here?”

“Four days this time.”

Drusilla and Matron Agrippina were close friends, and routinely worked together while on public duty within the Divine Heras.  Marcella was Julia’s cousin, and they were the same age. Sometimes Drusilla and Julia would stay a couple days with Agrippina and Marcella in their villa, and then Agrippina and Marcella would stay with Drusilla and Julia.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Julia pushed past Drusilla, ran toward the front door, played the jumping game, and opened the door. Agrippina and Marcella were standing there. Agrippina reached down and lightly pinched Julia’s cheek.

“My, Julia…what a beautiful young lady are becoming.”

Julia smiled. “Thank you, matron, I hope you are well.”

Agrippina nodded, and headed toward the living room. Julia suddenly turned around and stuck her tongue out.

Marcella stood at the entrance way. Then she stepped back and pulled out a wooden sword.

“Hey, Julia…I’m not afraid of anyone.”

“Where did you get that sword?

“Uncle gave it to me before he went to the Ancient City.”

Marcella’s parent died in a barbarian raid some years ago. Like Julia’s father, the family of Junius Bracius Longinus were wealthy, and so they had hired Agrippina, another Divine Hera. Once her parents were dead, Marcella was raised in the house of her uncle…Nero Claudius Asiaticus. He was friends with Julia’s father, and he too was usually in the Ancient City, going about his duties in the Senate. Marcella had developed an intense respect for Agrippina, who she thought was always right. This influence lasted throughout Marcella’s life, and when she was an adult in imperial service, she frequently referred to Agrippina. What Matron Agrippina would think of something, what she would say about this thing or other…etc.

“It’s not a real sword,” Julia countered.

“I’ll get a real one!” Marcella shouted.

“When?” Julia shouted back.

“When I learn to be a great warrior.”

Julia nodded.

“Aren’t you gonna be a great ruler?” Marcella asked.

Julia’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I will.”

Marcella posed again with her wooden sword. “Can I be in your army?” she asked.

“Oh, sure! I’ll make you a general.”

Marcella nodded in approval. Then she smiled. “Do you want to run?”

“Yes!”

Suddenly, Marcella turned around and, waving her wooden sword over her head, took off at a sprint.

“I can run faster than Julia!” Marcella shouted.

“Oh no you can’t!” Julia hollered.

Now to be fair, Marcella had a head start. But Julia was quickly closing the gap. Then…she tripped and fell to the ground. Marcella realized what happened, and walked back to where Julia was. Julia jumped up and brushed dry grass off her clothes.

“This is one of my new togas, matron will be mad!”

Julia’s father was constantly sending new clothes back to the villa to become part of Julia’s wardrobe. There were several large closets on the third floor crammed with Julia’s clothes.

Marcella walked up to her. “Are you alright?”

Suddenly, Julia looked down. “Hey, look!” she said, pointing at the ground.

Marcella kneeled down, then her eyes lit up.

“It’s pumpkins!”

Julia walked a little further and found more.

“Hey, I know what! Let’s take the pumpkins to the villa, and the servants can make a pumpkin-lunch.”

“Hey…that sounds good!”

Suddenly, Marcella gave Julia a long look.

“I can carry more than you can!”

“No you can’t!”

Each girl picked up as many pumpkins as she could, and headed toward the villa, dropping pumpkins along the way.

Drusilla and Agrippina were sitting on couches in the lounge. They set their lunch-plates on a couple of trays, and the servants took them.

“That was a good lunch…it’s a lucky thing the girls found those pumpkins,” Drusilla said.

Agrippina took a drink of wine. “Indeed, it is.”

The two matrons called their charges. Julia and Marcella ran into the room.

“It’s nap time,” Drusilla said. “Why do ladies take naps?” Agrippina asked.

Julia and Marcella looked at each other…

“To feel refreshed for the rest of the day,” Julia and Marcella muttered in unison.

“Very good,” Drusilla said.

Then Julia and Marcella turned around and walked up the stairs, with Ares the cat following closely. Then they entered Julia’s room, which had extra beds in it. Both girls started putting on their sleeping gowns.

“Hey Julia, are you sleepy?”

Julia nodded. “A little, those pumpkins were heavy.”

“Yes, I guess so.”

Both girls got into their beds to take their midday nap. Ares the cat looked at Julia, and then Marcella, and chose to jump up on Marcella’s bed to take his midday nap. A couple of hours later, Drusilla and Agrippina walked into the bedroom and woke up the two girls. While they were changing, Drusilla led Agrippina around a corner to a large, round table. It was covered in statuettes…some were made of gold, silver, iron, marble, granite, and some were made of wood.

“Why are there so many?” Agrippina asked.

“Julia’s father is constantly sending these back for Julia.”

This is true. Julia’s father was constantly sending these statuettes back to the villa. Julia was still young, and didn’t really understand their real significance. So she played with them as if they were dolls, and had a habit of marrying them off to one another. This became awkward at times, such as when she married Zeus to Jupiter.

“Can you name them?” Drusilla asked.

Agrippina began naming them, until she got to a three-foot tall wooden statue. This one was much bigger than all the others. Once, Drusilla was sitting in the lounge when she heard a large bang come from Julia’s room. She went upstairs to find a large number of statuettes on the floor. Matron put her hands on her hips as she looked around. Julia was holding the big wooden statue.

“What happened?” Drusilla asked.

Julia held up the wooden statue. “He did it,” she declared.

“Can you name them?” Drusilla asked.

Agrippina reached over and picked up the large wooden statue, turned it upside down, expecting to see a name carved into the bottom. But there wasn’t one.

“I have no idea,” Agrippina said.

Drusilla smiled. “Me either.”

It was now school hour. Julia and Drusilla had the same tutor…a Greek named Alexandrus. He had a very good reputation, and so the matrons hired him. He knocked on the door. With him was Asidius, a Roman military expert. He was training the girls in archery and horsemanship. Alexandrus was led into the lounge for a mug of wine. Asidius took the girls outside for a training session. Both became crack shots with the bow, and excellent equestrians. Years later, after the new empire had been founded, an assault was made by Publius. This involved Publius’s soldiers storming the beach. Julia and Marcella ran along the city wall, firing arrows at the enemy soldiers, and laughing with delight.

“I can shoot more than you can!” Marcella declared.

“Oh no you can’t,” Julia hollered.

So they began counting how many soldiers they were shooting. Suddenly, Marcella called out….15…17. Julia stopped.

“You’re cheating!”

“No I’m not…the last one was fat.”

Julia smiled. “Oh, fat guys count as two, huh?” Then she began scanning the beach for a fat soldier to shoot.

But once Asidius was done with his session, the two girls went inside. There was a table in the living room, and Alexandrus was sitting at it. Julia and Marcella sat down and picked up their wax tablets, and did their arithmetics. This went well, so Alexandrus moved on to that day’s science lesson.

“Now Marcella, what is the word for the air we breathe?” Alexandrus asked.

Marcella paused for a moment. “Oxygen,” she called out.

“Excellent! And what makes oxygen?”

“Trees, and plants and stuff.”

“Stuff?”

Julia raised her hand.

“What about pumpkins?” Julia asked.

“Huh?”

“Do pumpkins made air?”

Alexandrus paused as he thought. Meanwhile, the two matrons were standing behind the girls. Drusilla shook her head.

“Pumpkins again, Julia? Are you still talking about your lunch?”

“Sorry,” Julia muttered. Agrippina smiled and raised her hand.

“Well, do they?”  

Alexandrus paused. “To be honest, I don’t know. I’ll have to look it up.”

Drusilla handed the large, wooden statue from Julia’s room to Alexandrus.

“Who’s this?” she asked.

Alexandrus took the statue and began looking at it. Then he turned it upside down thinking the god’s name would be carved on the bottom. It wasn’t.

“I don’t know, I’ll have to look it up.”

And it turned out that over the years, no one was able to identify the name of the god.

So Math lessons were done. It was alphabet time.

“Ok, girls, let’s make letter…C.”

Both girls wrote long rows of C’s on their wax tablets. Alexandrus leaned over and scanned Julia’s tablet.

“Those are excellent C’s. Now, tell me a word that begins with the letter C.”

Julia scratched her head. “Begins with C? Oh, that’s a tough one.”

Now what should have been very fortuitous, quickly became a lost opportunity. Ares had appeared, and he jumped up on the table and sat in front of Julia.

“Well, Julia…tell me a word that begins with C.” Alexandrus said.

Julia scratched Ares behind the ears. “I can’t think of one.”

Alexandrus looked at Marcella. “How ‘bout you?”

Marcella thought and thought. “I don’t know.”

Drusilla and Agrippina were now standing behind the girls. Julia’s eyes lit up.

“P is for pumpkin,” Julia declared proudly.

The matrons threw their hands up in the air.

“Let’s have some more wine, dear,” Drusilla said.

“Great idea,” Agrippina said.

Alexandrus looked up. “I think I’ll join you.”

Later, when it became evening, Drusilla and Agrippina were talking and laughing in the lounge. And they were eating figs and carrots. There was a loud clomping noise coming from the front entrance of the house. It was Julia and Marcella. Julia taught Marcella the jumping game, and now they were trying to prove that one or the other was best at it.

“Your sandal went over the tile!”

“No it didn’t!”

“You’re cheating!”

“No I’m not, you are!”

The matrons had had enough of this. They called the girls into the lounge. Drusilla smiled.

“Matron Agrippina and myself have thought of a fun game.”

“What,” Julia asked expectantly.

“It’s called…early bedtime.”

Both girls demurred and fussed.

“That’s not a fun game!” Marcella declared.

Drusilla and Agrippina smiled. Agrippina spoke…

“Oh yes it is.”