So, what if…?
No, there was no way.
Jonah brushed the sand off of his tunic and looked around. “You don’t happen to know where my other sandal is, do you?”
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
That was when he suddenly stood up and declared, “We need food.”
I looked up and down the beach and at the rest of the land beyond it. The hills went on forever. My stomach was eating itself inside out. I adjusted my position in the sand and heard a crinkling sound somewhere on me. I patted my tunic and found a fold in the clothing. I pulled the item out and laughed.
“I have…bubblegum,” I said, holding up the candy. It was from inside my jean pockets from three days ago. I didn’t know how it ended up with me. It was still soggy from the saltwater.
Jonah frowned. “What’s…bubblegum?” He stared at me blankly.
I froze. I could have kicked myself.
I shoved the bubblegum back in my tunic. “What? Uh…nothing, never mind…ha ha.”
Jonah eyed me. “No, seriously, let me see it.”
“I was kidding,” I said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jonah reached for the bubblegum. “Oh, come on. Yes you do.”
I hesitated. I didn’t want anyone to know I was from the future. So far, I didn’t know what kind of ripple I was causing on time, but however it affected it couldn’t be good. But Jonah was insisting, and at this point, I didn’t have a choice. I set the candy in his open palm.
“You chew it and you can blow bubbles with it if you do it right,” I explained. He inspected it, turning it around with his fingers, then popped it in his mouth.
“No!” I shouted. “Spit it out!”
Jonah gagged and spat the gum out fearfully.
I giggled. “You have to take the plastic wrapper off.”
He mouthed “oh” and peeled back the soggy outer covering to unveil the pink, soft candy. He put it in his mouth slowly this time.
“Mmm, what is in this stuff?” he asked, mumbling through sticky teeth.
“It’s watermelon flavored,” I responded.
“How do you put another food in a tiny little thing like this?” Jonah wondered, turning the wrapper over and examining it.
I laughed again. It felt really good to laugh. “No,” I answered, smiling. “It’s just the flavor of watermelon.”
“What do you do? Squeeze the juice out?” he asked, smacking his lips.
“Kind of…”
Jonah gulped hard.
I smacked my forehead. “Don’t tell me you swallowed it.”
“I wasn’t supposed to swallow it?” Jonah squealed, his eyes wide.
“It’s not poisonous!” I quickly reassured him. “It’s just, you’re supposed to chew it, then spit it out.”
“You could have warned me.”
A breeze blew in from the north, reminding me of where I was.
“Jonah…how did we get here?” The image of the whale was playing on repeat in my mind.
Jonah’s face went serious. “I think we both know.”
I was silent for a moment. “So, what now?”
Jonah got to his feet. “We’ll stay here tonight. Let’s make a fire. You’d be surprised how cold it gets at night.”
I gathered wood and sticks for the fire while Jonah figured out how to start it. When I came back with my second bundle of dried driftwood, he had already started a campfire with my first load. I dropped the bundle beside the smoky pile. “Well done.”
“Thank you.” He made one last gentle blow on the fire. We’d moved farther inland where the sand morphed into soil. “We’ll stay here for the night and begin in the morning.”
I kicked a pile of sand. “Begin what? There’s nothing for miles.”
“The trek to Nineveh.”
I shifted my feet. “And you were going to tell me this…when?”
Jonah sighed and gazed inland somewhere far off in the distance.
“You were going to leave me here, weren’t you?” I confirmed, lowering my voice.
Jonah fed the fire. “I was going to at first. It didn’t make sense for you to come with me. Nineveh is a dangerous city.”
“How do you even know where it is?”
Jonah paused. “Well, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
“What do you mean?”
Jonah exhaled slowly and glanced at me. “This all started with my disobedience. I was told to go to Nineveh and preach to the people. But I didn’t listen. I didn’t want to listen. I was scared they wouldn’t believe me and they would kill me, so I fled. I boarded a boat that was supposed to go to Tarshish.”
He continued, “I knew God was angry. I could feel his everlasting presence near me, reminding me of my mistake everywhere I went on the ship. God has a peculiar way of speaking, and I thought I could hide from my wrongdoings.” Jonah gazed into the flames that were now licking the air.
“But my mistake throbbed in my head and wouldn’t go away. I found myself sleeping most of the time to wear away my depression. That’s when the storm hit. I was in the lower deck when a sailor came to get me. It was my fault the storm was happening, so I told the crew to throw me overboard. That’s when I saw the tail in the water. Whatever it was, it swallowed me. Spit me out onto this beach. It sounds crazy, I know. But I should be dead. And nothing is clearer now. I have to go to Nineveh. Even if it costs me my life.”
I knelt down beside Jonah, watching the flames send sparks into the sky.
“You aren’t crazy.”
Jonah was quiet. He rested his head on his arm, his face illuminated by the glow of the fire.
“And I believe you about the whale.”
I was remembering my three days spent in the belly of the beast. I remembered the dark chasm. The echoes resonating in the air. The dank smell. The sea sickness.
The memories were clearer now, and something in me knew they weren’t dreams.
I was in a whale.
It was insane to say it, but then again, I had the feeling that wasn’t the last of the crazy coming my way.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“‘Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?’”
Jonah 4:11 NLT
We set out for Nineveh in the morning.
I still had no idea where we were or why we were going there in the first place. But Jonah was my best chance of survival. I didn’t have much of a choice. The best I could do was pour water on the embers of the fire and follow after him.
The sun cast orange and red streaks across the yawning sky. The beach was chilly, a strong wind coming in from the north. I wrapped my tunic around myself and shivered. We walked along the beach for a few miles. It was only after we came upon a massive cluster of cliffs and rocks that jutted out into the ocean that Jonah changed directions.
We were headed inland.
I glanced at the ocean warily and scanned the horizon for the boat. Maybe it came back for us? But the ocean gave me a silent answer in response, so I turned and followed Jonah.
We walked in the silence of the morning for a long time. I didn’t know how Jonah knew where we were going, but somehow, I trusted him.
After what I thought was an hour that had passed, a figure in the distance caught our attention. A man in a dark cloak was fussing with a camel, pulling on its rope. The animal didn’t seem to want to budge.
“That’s one of those traders. They travel from city to city and trade goods,” Jonah said. He approached the man.
“Do you need a little help there?” Jonah took the ropes from the man’s hands. The man glared at him.
“I don’t need help. This good-for-nothing camel won’t move, and I need to get to Nineveh,” the man spat, taking back the reins.
“Did you say you were traveling to Nineveh?” I asked him. I glanced at Jonah, who gave me a look.
“Yes, I need to get there to trade my grain,” he answered.
“If I get the camel to move, will y
ou take us with you?” I said.
The trader laughed. “But you are only a girl,” he mocked.
“Do you have a problem with that?” I glared. I stopped. I couldn’t get offended here. Women’s rights hadn’t exactly become an accepted concept yet.
“You can try,” he said laughing.
Jonah watched me, amused, as I marched up to the camel and tugged on its reins. The beast eyed me from above. I tugged again. This time, the camel took a step forward. I glanced smugly at the trader. He grinned.
Why was he smiling?
I stepped forward and fell flat on my face. The camel’s hoof was right on my loose strap. I stared up at him, annoyed. He chewed and batted his long eyelashes slowly.
I got up from the ground and brushed myself off. I could see the man and Jonah stifling a laugh, but I ignored them. But as I got up, I lost my balance again and landed in a bag of grain. It was open and all of its contents spilled onto me. Dust rose from the grain and I started coughing.
The men couldn’t hold it any longer. Their giggles turned into loud bellows. I tried to glare at them, but as soon as they saw my face, they howled again.
The grain fell away from my knees and landed on the ground as I stood up, my face hot. I didn’t bother picking it up. A pair of lips tickled my ear. I yelped and spun around. The camel licked my shoulder where the grain landed. I smiled to myself as an idea sprung into my head.
“Hey fellas, look!” I shouted to Jonah and the trader. They gawked as I moved from left to right, the camel following after me.
I stopped and rubbed the animal’s muzzle. “So? Is it a deal?”
After the trader picked his jaw off the ground, he shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose we have a deal.”
I looked towards the never-ending rolling hills.
What have I gotten myself into?
The days passed by slowly.
By the third day, I was falling over in hunger and thirst. The traveler had nothing to give us. He could not give us the grain because he had to trade the grain for money once he got to Nineveh. The sun scorched mercilessly down on our heads. The wind pierced our clothes with such ferocity every night we felt it the next morning. The ache dulled our spirits. It dulled our thoughts. It dulled our movements. The landscape was nothing but bare earth for a few days.
Finally, a river in the distance came into view. We traveled towards it, then early that morning, it flowed its wonderful self at our feet. We all cooled ourselves down by splashing water on our faces. Even though my stomach ached, the water would have to be enough for now. Even so, it still resembled a source of hope for us. It meant we were getting close.
After the river was left behind in our wake, we continued on towards Nineveh. On the fifth night, we traveled under the gaze of the stars, a cool breeze brushing my cheeks. The air was so wonderfully pleasant and the sky was so clear.
We knew we’d made it to the city from a mile away.
Nineveh’s outer walls were massive, towering over our heads mercilessly. As we got closer, the guards standing attentive at the gates tensed at the sight of us. They stopped us when we tried to get past them.
“State your business,” the first guard pressed.
“I am a trader. I am here to exchange grain for money,” the trader answered in a small voice.
The guards searched the trader’s bags. They prodded us with the ends of their staffs, glaring at us menacingly. One of them nodded and the gates opened. I turned to Jonah and smiled. We were going to make it inside.
But he wasn’t smiling. His face was as white as the moon, and his eyes were as dark as night.
I frowned. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.
I looked over my shoulder at the city as the gates crept inward, revealing to us what was inside.
This was not like the last city. This was much worse.
We followed the trader through the entrance, Nineveh opening up to the rest of the world.
I could smell fear. It billowed in the smoke from the streets. I felt sick and threw up on the side of the street. Whatever was left of what I had earlier was gone now. Two young men stumbled out of an alley, the stench of alcohol on their breath. My heart beat faster. They pulled at my hair as they ran by. A fight had broken out in the middle of the street already, and blood splattered into the air. I heard several screams coming from the next street over, but the few pedestrians who were walking didn’t even blink. Jonah grabbed my arm and we ran down the street. The trader had already deserted us.
“It’s not safe here,” Jonah whispered. I stumbled forward, anxiety making my spine crawl. My sandals landed in a pool of blood and I vomited again.
“You can’t stay,” Jonah said. He searched the street anxiously. “Nineveh will be like this until I show them God, but you could be killed in the process. Both of us could. That gives me all the more reason to try to find a way to get you out of the city.”
“No, Jonah. I’m alright. I want to come with you,” I protested.
“This is a mission meant for me. I have God on my side and will turn these evil acts of the city around. I have enjoyed your company, Genesis, but you must go,” Jonah said firmly.
I stared at him, debating what to do. After a moment, I exhaled slowly. “I wish you the best of luck.” I tried to touch his shoulder, but my skin was pixelating right before me. My hand disintegrated into the air. I stepped back, dust and sand swirling around my body. Jonah was gazing fearfully into the street, but then determination hardened his gaze. He took a step forward into the city.
That was the last I saw of him before everything around me collapsed into nothingness.
Chapter Thirty
I felt myself drifting into the wind’s fierce stroke. It turned me in circles, the world around me blurring into darkness.
Then everything stopped.
A strong breeze grazed my sides. I opened my eyes.
The world was split in two blurry halves along the horizon line. As my eyes focused, a stone ledge standing in front of me came into view, the waist-high wall overlooking a cliff. I took a tentative step up to the edge. My heart skipped a beat.
Sandy plateaus and ridges rose over the horizon line. Mountains of rock and sand riddled the landscape, reaching miles and miles across. There was a massive lake in the distance reflecting a gleaming sun. The water was still, save for a few small waves lapping at the edges.
I inhaled slowly. The scenery was breathtaking.
I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun around. A girl close to my age stood in front of me, looking just as startled.
My eyes widened. The city behind her brimmed with life. Toddlers chased each other through the narrow pathways built between the stone houses. A cluster of women carried clay pitchers in their arms. A man helped an elderly woman into her home. The clustered buildings were all constructed from stone. And all of this was over 1,000 feet off the ground on a mountain cliff at the end of the Judean desert.
I turned my attention back to the girl. Her lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear her words. What was she doing? I felt dizzy. Dark spots appeared in my vision again.
Where am I?
The world went black.
“Is she dead?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
I opened my eyes. The sun shone through the small openings in the room. A fur skin was pulled up to my chin.
“Go and see.”
“I don’t want to. You go.”
“I don’t want to touch her if she’s dead. She might be cursed with bad spirits.”
I tried to sit up.
“She’s moving!”
“Are you sure? I didn’t see anything.”
“Boys, enough! Go make yourselves useful.”
“Yes, Mother,” the two voices chorused. I could hear their bare feet on the stone. There was a cold hand on my forehead.
“You’re awake.” The woman left, then came back with a clay pot. Her face appeared beside me. Liquid swis
hed inside the container.
“Drink this. You will feel better.” The woman helped me to sit up and put the clay pot to my lips. The broth tasted bitter, but I was so thirsty.
I was in a simple room. There was another straw bed, a fire pit, and a shelf built into the wall that held clay pots and dried herbs. Small rectangular windows let in sunlight at the top of one side of the room. The door was open to let in a crisp breeze.
I recognized the girl immediately when she walked in. She met my eyes and knelt down beside the woman. Her wavy brown hair poked out from beneath her head covering.
“You should feel better now. Sarina told me you collapsed, so we brought you here. The heat must have gotten to you.”
It took me a moment to find my voice. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Only an hour. You were lucky Sarina found you when she did.”
“Where am I?”
“In Masada. The great desert fortress built by King Herod, then taken by us, mighty Jews. It is a great fortune to be here. Now, no Roman can stand in our way!” Sarina explained with pride in her voice.
Her mother just shook her head. “You have more pride than it’s good for.”
“I am just confident.”
Sarina’s mother turned to me. “It’s true, Masada is big, but most of us know each other. We have never seen you here before.”
The two boys from earlier barreled inside, wrestling each other.
“Boys! What did I say before? Out!” their mother scolded again, leading the boys out the door for the second time.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully avoiding her question.
Sarina laughed. “Those are my brothers. They get into so much mischief at times it’s hard to keep track of them.”
“Is this your home?” I ventured.
“Oh no! My father is one of the advisors of Masada. Our home is near the other side. This is just the apothecary room that mother works in from time to time. May I take you to my home? We could find a room for you to sleep in…or would you rather sleep here?”
I looked around at the small room. The thick scent of herbs made my stomach ache.
“No. If your mother doesn’t mind, I would rather go with you,” I said quickly.
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