BACK in the days of the Byzantine Empire, the people of Paros heard that pirates were yet again patrolling the coast of their island.
As it was the Feast of St John the Evangelist, they ran to a remote monastery dedicated to the saint, shut themselves in, and offered fervent prayers.
Presently, the frightened townspeople noticed a ram in the church, with a curious light between its horns.
The ram trotted over to a hole in the wall, just above the ground, and little more than two feet square, and disappeared.
Torn between hope and doubt, for the opening appeared to lead into the ground, the faithful crawled in after the ram one by one, only to find themselves safe and sound in a clearing some distance from the monastery.
The hole in the wall can still be seen today, in the tiny cave-church of St John.
Précis
The people of the Greek island of Paros hid in a church to escape marauding pirates. Suddenly a ram with a light between its horns appeared, and immediately left through a hole that led into the ground. The people reluctantly followed, and emerged some distance away, safe from the pirates. (50 / 60 words)