The Innkeeper’s Wife
written by: Judith Partelow
The inn, that all referred to as the Inn of Bethlehem, was small by comparison to inns in other districts, but it was a well-kept one, thanks in large part to the innkeeper’s wife, who was busy (and bossy) from early morning until late at night sweeping, cooking, laundering, cleaning, gathering produce and meats, while reminding the innkeeper to be sure the animals were well-fed and the barrels for beer and for wheat were kept scrubbed, and to be sure to do any other heavy work too much for her to handle, as if he didn’t know. But they were content with their life and took pride in their inn. Sometimes he would laugh at her to himself because she had the wildest dreams and would recount them to him in the morning as they washed and dressed, in between giving him instructions and reminders about his tasks for the day.
On this particular morning, just at dawn, she excitedly told him she dreamt they were to receive very important visitors to their inn that day. He wasn’t really listening, since he’d heard her prophetic dreams before, that never materialized. But she was quite adamant that he should make the most effort possible to impress the guests. He must polish their two treasured pieces of silver so they gleamed! He must scrub the floors to their original sheen! He must be certain all the chairs and tables were sturdy, and the beds in the rooms placed away from drafts and the wood adequate for each one’s warmth throughout the night. The lanterns must be cleared of any soot and ready to light. All must be magnificent for the important guests she knew would come.
As the day went along, travelers began to arrive. He would pass by his wife, who was busily cooking a feast for a king (just in case it would be a king to arrive!) while showing the guests to their room. She’d rush out to him on his way back to the front hall and ask if they were the important guests. He would always reply, “No, just travelers like all the other travelers we’ve ever hosted here; but of course, we must treat them ALL as important,” he chided his wife. “Well,” she told him, “Be sure to leave the best room open tonight. Do not let just any commoner into it, for I’m certain the important visitors will arrive.
Finally, all the rooms were occupied, save one. Every guest had been fed one of the best meals they’d ever tasted, and all were on their way to bed. The innkeeper’s wife was most distraught, for she’d been so certain her dream was a true vision. When the innkeeper was about to extinguish the lantern in the window, there was a knock at the door. His wife excitedly followed her husband so she could stand out of sight and listen to who it might be! Surely these would be the important guests she was awaiting! But, alas, it was only another commoner with his donkey, and a woman with child on the donkey’s back. The innkeeper asked them to wait and whispered to his wife the circumstances of this couple. He pleaded with her to allow him to give them the room that was empty and ready for weary travelers. But the innkeeper’s wife would not for a moment give up on her belief that the room should await the important visitors who would come, surely, at any moment. She told him to take them and their donkey to the stable where they could lie down on the hay and find warmth there with the animals. And so, the innkeeper, who never liked to argue with his wife, took his lantern and bade them follow him to the shed where the livestock were kept, and showed them a pile of straw on which to rest themselves. He bid them a good night, and went back to his inn, where his still expectant wife and one empty room waited and waited for the very special visitors, all night long.
- The Innkeeper’s Wife - December 20, 2025
- Fear of The Unknown - October 19, 2025
