My Father's Universe

by Mitch

  In the distance, Joseph heard the dreadful screams of inhuman barbaric men. Men who didn’t care if they were detected. The angry yells of the vicious wild men drowned out the pounding hoofs of the approaching horses. With eyes blazing, the horses, showing their fright and not understanding the need for speed, did what they were trained for—Run.

  Joseph quickly woke Mary and helped her and the boy mount the camel. He sent them ahead and followed behind to provide whatever protection he could. Thankfully, the camels had rested enough to have gotten their second wind. They were running faster than Joseph thought they ever could. But the raving horsemen were getting closer and closer! Joseph realized that they would not be able to outrun them much longer! He cried out in prayer, “Lord, please stop those howling, charging nightmares!”

  The night Careah and Kedar said goodbye to little Yesuah, they left Bethlehem, heading south, having a fantastic time using their wings and Careah testing her mysterious light. Since they could fly, it would not be too long before arriving home. The excitement of what happened to them began building. They were bubbling over with joy, rushing home to show their friends the gifts that were rewarded to them. The sun would soon rise, they needed rest more than more than anything else. On the second night, the moon just began to peek above the horizon. Careah and Kedar were having a glorious time enjoying the warm air, testing their marvelous wings and performing acrobatic feats beyond their comprehension. As Kedar watched Careah’s fluorescent light glowing brightly, he spotted a small fire ahead. His curiosity got the better of him and he flew to see what was going on. As Careah turned following Kedar, she spotted two wild riders in the distance.

  Suddenly, her intuition told her that something sinister was riding on the horses. She exclaimed to Kedar, “We need to get going and find out who those horrible riders are after! They are acting like something coming from Hades!” Heading toward the fire, she saw people rushing toward the camels. She screamed, “I knew it! I knew it! I’m sure those two madmen charging like mad bulls are after those people!”

  Getting nearer the fire, Kedar realized it was Joseph jumping on his camel and taking off as if the Devil himself was after him. Ahead, he saw the other camel carrying Mary and little Yesuah. In a flash, Kedar remembered the warning from the wise men and realized that the vicious riders were after Joseph and his family! Kedar was frantic, “I need to do something to stop those lunatics. Those men have to be crazy riding like that!”

  Careah’s heart was pounding savagely when she screamed, “What can we do, we are so small?”

  Kedar bellowed, “Small or not, I have to do something before those evil infected fiends reach Joseph and his family. They are gaining ground faster than a mad hornet.”

  Careah cried, “Too bad we’re not armed with stingers. We could strike them in their faces, forcing them to give up going after the best friend anyone could ever have!”

  Kedar shouted, “Hey! That gives me an idea! I’ll fly like an arrow straight into the first brute’s eyes, the pain should force him to stop to see what hit him. Hopefully, the other jerk will stop to see what’s wrong. That may give Joseph and his family the time they need to hide.”

  Careah screamed, “No, Kedar, you cannot do that insane stunt! Isn’t there something else we can do?”

  “You tell me what and I’ll do it!” responded Kedar.

  Careah cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I don’t know what or have the slightest idea, I can’t even think straight!”

  Kedar took a deep breath, “Well! I guess I must at least try to stop the first idiot. Maybe you can think of something to stop the maniac behind him if he doesn’t stop?”

  Ball of Light

  Starting his daredevil flight toward the first target’s eye, Kedar picked up speed; much faster than he had ever flown. Careah was flying right behind him and calling out through sobs, “I love you, please don’t do it!”

  Kedar paid no attention, nor did he hear her scream, “Yes! Yes! I’ll get him!” She fixed her eyes on the target that Kedar asked her to get. His speed increased, leaving Careah behind, flying as fast as an arrow released from a hunter’s bow, straight and true, as if he were the arrow itself heading for a perfect bullseye. The wind coming off of the hot sand slashed against his eyes, forcing him to squint; the howl of the wind whistled in his ears.

  “Are you sure you want to do this,” cried Careah?

  The pagan rider had his eyes focused on the camels and didn’t see Kedar flying toward him. As Kedar got within inches of Felix’s bloodshot eyes, in that microsecond, Kedar’s body exploded into a ball of white blinding light! Felix had no time to blink. The black-hearted rider jerked his head back and lost his balance, sending him backwards off his horse. He bounced, landed on his clenched sword hand, and heard a loud, cracking noise before the pain told him his wrist was broken.

  Kedar, not realizing what happened, somersaulted several times, straightening out in time to get Rufus’s evil eyes lined up. Within a second, his body erupted again into a ball of blazing white light! Rufus yelped, “What the…,” and jerked the reins causing the horse to lose its footing and slipping sideways, violently throwing its rider. The snap of the rider’s sword arm was far louder than his friend’s wrist breaking, which now hung loosely. His horse got up and galloped in the direction of the other horse, both heading toward Joseph!

  It was not until Kedar’s perilous actions were over that he realized the riders had been unbalanced by a very bright, illuminating light. Nervously looking around, he knew Careah was not in front of him when the brilliant light flashed. Still shaking, he could feel something happening to himself, he was dumbfounded at what happened. Grinning from ear to ear, he saw his forehead flashing beautiful light beams. Careah shouted, “I love you, you are so courageous!”

  “Why are you saying I’m courageous? I’m not courageous. I knew I had to do something, and it was by God’s power that I did it, not mine. Yesuah gave me the gift of light too? Wow! Fantastic! Thank you so much, Lord! Careah, I love you too; I owe you a lot!” Then it began to sink in what had happened to him as both embraced. Again, in awe, both realized this was another miracle of Yesuah. They flew after Joseph and his family to tell Yesuah how very grateful they were and say goodbye once again.

  Joseph knew his camels could outrun any horse, but the camels were tired and exhausted. He turned around to see how close the yelling horsemen were getting. To his surprise, he watched small balls of bright light explode in front of the riders, then witnessed the riders being knocked off of the horses, as if hit by a large tree limb! He knew there were no trees in the area and decided it was an act of the Lord. He watched the horses coming toward him, pulled his camel to a slow walk, and called to his wife telling her it was safe to slow down.

  Once the horses reached their side, they slowed to a trot, then moved to the front. Joseph noticed Roman brands on the horses which made him realize the men were up to no good. Every now and then, the horses stopped, turned their heads looking back, each gave a low whinnying, then resumed the lead. He decided it was best to leave the horses go wherever they wanted to go and leave well enough alone.

  After an hour or so, the horses no longer stopped, they would move their heads up and down, giving a soft nicker, kicked up their rear hoofs and kept going. Joseph realized the thoroughbreds had made up their minds to accompany them all the way to Egypt. In fact, the horses led them in a different direction from where they were heading. Each horse would paw the ground with their hooves, shaking their heads up and down, motioning for them to follow. Careah and Kedar were flashing their headlights to get Yesuah’s attention. That wasn’t necessary, He knew they were there and waved goodbye to them. All three seemed to be saying, “I love you.”

  Careah and Kedar knew they were very close friends of God’s Son and wanted to go with Yesuah, but knew it was not meant to be. Flashing their last goodbye, they headed home to show the miracles the boy, Yesuah, had given them. It was marvelous, neither one wou
ld ever have to travel in the dark again!

  The Assassins injuries were so severe they would no longer be effective soldiers. They knew all too well that failure meant Herod would have them executed. So, they headed for Gadara, located southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Even though they only had the money each had saved while in Herod’s service, it was enough to start a small swine farm. People living in the area, at first, gave them a lot of trouble because of the swine until they found out they were Roman soldiers. Although they were distrustful of them, they were afraid to do anything to stop them from operating the swine farm, so it flourished. Rufus and Felix became very rich and hired many of the Gadarenes to work on the swine farm. Their swine farm increased over the years—close to five or six miles in each direction—making it the largest farm of any kind in the country.

  When other people complained about their raising swine, the Gadarenes would force them to leave their part of the country. The swine farm was called “RUFFLES,” after the first part of each of the owners’ names. They also had a branding iron made with the first initial of each of their names, "RF," which was used to brand the swine to prevent larceny. Finding a swine with their brand on it in another person’s possession, the thief certainly would lose their head.

  Whether it was fate or not, many years later, this may have been the place where Yesuah had cast out the demons and permitted them to enter the swine, which made the swine run violently into the sea!

  Egyptian Hospitality

  When Joseph and his family arrived at a small town in Lower Egypt, the Town Mayor welcomed them. While talking with Joseph, he noticed the horses standing beside the camels and decided to look them over. “These are the most beautiful, graceful horses I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot in my day.” He asked Joseph, “Would you consider selling the horses?” Joseph informed him the horses did not belong to him, therefore, he could not sell something that did not belong to him. “I’m curious as to how the horses happen to be with you.”

  Joseph relayed the story of the Angel and the men from the East warning him of Herod’s decree to have his son, Yesuah, killed. Then he remarked, the strangest thing he had ever seen, “The two strangers after us were knocked off their horses as if by an invisible hand. The two riders went flying through the air and bounced hard hitting the ground. For some unknown reason, the horses led us to your town.”

  The Mayor stated, “We have a law; if someone finds anything and no one claims it, after forty days, it belongs to the one who found it. I suspect that those assassins won’t be coming here. Even if they did, they would wish what would happen to them was a nightmare. So, in forty days, the horses will belong to you and I would like to buy them. I am willing to pay handsomely for them, my good man.” When the forty days were up, the Mayor bought the horses. Joseph insisted he was not entitled to the money, but the Mayor would not have it any other way.

  Since Joseph was a master carpenter and painter, he painted a portrait of the horses and presented it to the Mayor. The Mayor rented Joseph one of the best houses he owned at a very reasonable price; one with palm and fruit trees and a deep well which had the best cool, refreshing water in the land. He took notice of extraordinary happenings in his town since Joseph and his family had arrived. It seemed that everyone, including himself, were becoming very prosperous, far beyond their wildest dream. He knew in his heart that God had sent them this good fortune, and thanked the Lord for everything, including leading Joseph and his family to their town! He informed everyone in his town, “You see, it always pays to be hospitable and to never turn your back on strangers or those in need.” Joseph, the Mayor, and their families became very good friends. Joseph, being a master carpenter, began teaching his son carpentry at an early age. They had plenty of work from which to earn an excellent living. He, his wife, and his little boy lived in Egypt until Yesuah was near the age of twelve.

  Surprise at Home

  Arriving home, Careah and Kedar shared all the happenings from the time they left home until they returned. The adventurous trip took a little more than two wonderful years. Then Careah had something to tell everyone. Even Kedar didn’t know what she was going to say. Smiling, she announced there was going to be additions to their family. Kedar’s mouth opened, he was speechless. In fact, he was in shock! He hardly believed he was going to be a father. His chest swelled with pride! Careah’s news spread like wildfire throughout the country. On the day Careah was ready to deliver, the whole village came and waited for the joyous tiding.

  The question on everyone’s mind was, would their children be born with wings? Many believed they would, and others said there wouldn’t be wings. Of course, there were those who were envious and others who begrudged this thing didn’t happen to them. When the midwife shut the door and pulled the window shade down, they knew something was about to happen. The birds flocked around in the trees, holding their songs of merriment. The air vibrated with fascinating sounds, the time had come for the delightful news, wings or no wings. Suddenly, silence fell over the anxious crowd, and there was a peaceful stillness in the warm air. The suspense was overwhelming, not a soul was moving, everyone was holding their breath; even the leaves became quiet. Inside the house, someone yelled, “Praise God! Then there were convulsive, squeaky sounds, and the door opened. Kedar appeared with a big smile on his face and announced in a loud voice,”I have a son and daughter, and there are wings!" The crowd shouted, rejoiced, and sang songs giving God the Glory. In all of the cheering, hugging, and back-slapping, someone shouted above the blare of the crowd, “Do they have lights?”

  Not a sound came from the crowd. You could have heard a pin drop on a cotton ball. One from the crowd scolded, “How could you have forgotten about the lights?” His face turned red from embarrassment; he had not thought to check for lights. Racing back into the house, at the bedroom door, his jaw dropped open, and he lost the power of communication. Standing as if in a trance, he marveled at a miraculous sight. Four Nano babies flew out of the house, in and around the crowd, showing their ability to fly and blinking their little headlights. Everyone stood in awe at this majestic wonder, watching God’s little blinkers showing off, doing astonishing acrobats.

  Careah opened the window of her home and all eyes turned toward her. She was gently smiling, “We owe everything to the LORD!”

  One of two strangers standing close by said, “That’s a guarantee!”

  And the other added, “Amen!”

  Not one of the small villagers realized another miracle would take place the next day. Through the night, every Nano person in their country became taller elongated humans with lights and wings. The people of Humble felt so blessed because of the deeds done by Kedar and Careah, they decided to show their appreciation. They purchased the area of land along the river, where Kedar and Careah had begun their adventure, and presented it to them to raise their new family. This all happened because of Careah’s love for Yesuah and her determination to give Him the Awn of Golden Barley. The angel announcing Christ’s birth to the shepherds in hills of Bethlehem did Change the World Forever. It was no longer an "eternity from BETHLEHEM."

  Mysterious Cavern

  Careah and Kedar hadn’t seen Yesuah and His family since they went into Egypt. He would be 12 years old now. Entering Jerusalem, they saw Him coming out of the temple. The meeting was a joyous one. He thanked them for calling him Yesuah; most called Him Hoshayah. He loved the name Yesuah; His father chose that name. After several evenings, saying their goodbyes, they agreed to meet again in the future. Until then, He would be preparing to take up His father’s business.

  It was about 18 years later; Yesuah’s 30th birthday was several weeks away, on the Day of Atonement. They were going to try their best to find where He would be and wish Him a happy birthday. Starting out as the evening light faded into a deep blue, urged them on their way. The first star would soon come out and shine like a small bonfire. Moonlight lay weirdly upon ghostly boulders making eerie shadows come alive. Nobs o
f craggy rocks thrust up along the spike of the ridge, showing a gigantic wall of beauty, serpentining many miles in every direction. Using their neon lights alternately, flying through the night, enabled them to see a night world of hidden beauty that most never see. Just before sunrise, they watched the sky turn into an inverted bowl of white puffy clouds arching on the horizon. The sun began to peak over the ridge, making the sky tufted with bits of orange and rose color clouds, preparing for an autumn morning rain. It would be the kind of sky that hovers on beautiful days, just before it starts a lazy mist before turning to a light drizzle.

  Kedar was emphatic, “I’ve seen drizzles turn into cloud bursts forcing everything to flee for their lives.” It was ordained, the clouds faded from white to gray, just above the dreaded trap of lava lying still and hot under the hard crust. Nothing moved on the barren land caused by the volcano’s eruption, spewing out its wrath not too long ago. In the far distance, many miles away, they could see the volcano’s white smoke and steam drifting, toiling lazily upward, elevating its deadly fumes into the atmosphere.

  Dawn of a new day was approaching, they had to find a safe place to spend the day. The rough surface of the hardened lava forbid seeking refuge there. Without keen eyesight, they would have missed seeing an opening in the hillside, camouflaged by heavy bushes. Entering, they found themselves in a cavern. Kedar suggested removing their bows and arrows from their quivers in case they would be needed.

  Because of their size, Kedar decided they needed some sort of defense against a would-be enemy. His dad, a master carpenter, knew what wood to use to make small powerful bows. The bows were made of shittim wood, indestructible by insects because of its hardness. It is remarkably perfect for bows. No other wood had the ability of springing or snapping back without becoming weak or breaking when the string is pulled beyond the point where it will spring back fully and not cause the hand holding the bow to vibrate; it was a perfect bow. Kedar designed bows like no other. The bow had a hinge in the middle so it would fold in half and fit in the quiver. No other bow could out-shoot it. Its fine grain was seen in beautiful furniture. Arrow shafts were light strong reeds and the heads were made of shittim wood cut in a triangular shape, very thin, polished razor sharp. Every arrowhead was tested for sharpness by splitting hairs lengthwise. A slit was cut in the shaft end for the arrowhead to fit perfectly and then dipped into a rosin like varnish, bonding it into one piece. On the other end of the shaft, a notch called the nock was cut for the insertion of the bowstring. A set of three feathers were glued just ahead of the nock which kept the arrow going straight and true to its target.