by Tim Chaffey
“Do not be afraid, Noah, for you are greatly loved.”
Noah’s fear waned a bit as the voice took on a hint of a whisper that somehow mingled with the thundering. Keeping his face averted, Noah struggled to speak. “Who . . . who are you?”
“I am the God of your forefather Enoch. I am the Most High, the Creator of heaven and earth.”
Noah had never imagined how frightening it would be to meet the Creator, and he instantly regretted the times he had wished that the Most High would speak directly to him. The words finally registered in his mind. Enoch was telling the truth.
“Yes, Enoch told the truth and walked faithfully in My ways.”
Trembling over the realization that the Creator knew his very thoughts, Noah asked, “What happened to him?”
“I took him so that he would not face death.”
“Forgive me for being so bold to speak. Is that why You are here now — to take me?”
“No. I have heard your prayers and have come to speak to you. The whole earth has corrupted itself, and the descendants of Adam have grown exceedingly wicked. I am grieved that I made them, so I am going to destroy this world with a flood.”
Keeping his face toward the ground, Noah’s mind whirled and he managed to ask, “A flood?” What about all the people?
“You are concerned about the people. Do you believe that I will do what is right?”
Still trying to come to grips with the situation, Noah nodded. “Yes, I know You will do what is right. What do you want me to do?”
“You are to build an ark. It will be for you, your wife, your sons, your sons’ wives, and the creatures that I bring to you.”
Noah played the words back in his mind and tried to make sense of them. “Sons? But I don’t have . . .” Hope filled his soul, and he fought to control his emotions. “Thank You, Most High.” Build an ark. “How large will it need to be?”
“You will receive that information when the time is right.”
“What should I do until then?” Noah waited for a response, but he sensed that the flame was gone. He slowly looked up and discovered he was back in the clearing. Shakily, he climbed to his feet and scanned his surroundings. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows from the trees, and the log he previously sat upon was about ten cubits away. The unusual trees and little dwelling place were gone. Strange. Noah concentrated on committing the Creator’s message to memory. “The whole world?” he asked himself.
As Noah turned to leave, he tripped over a rock and nearly fell, dislodging the relatively smooth stone in the process. He bent over, picked it up, and set it in the spot where he found himself after the vision. Hastily, Noah gathered six more stones and set them all up in a pile as a memorial. Kneeling down near the stones, Noah prayed to the Most High and thanked Him for speaking directly to him. “My grandfather’s father warned people about Your judgment. I’ll warn them about the flood, if that’s what You desire.”
Near the end of his prayer, Noah’s thoughts meandered back to the Creator’s words about the ark’s future inhabitants. With an ear-to-ear smile crossing his face, Noah stood. Sons? He shook his head and laughed. Amazing.
Chapter 27
Iri Geshem — Noah’s 499th year
The warm wind whipped through Noah’s dark, gray-streaked hair as he surveyed the city that now sprawled on both sides of the river. Iri Geshem’s population had multiplied many times over, and Noah guessed it was one of the ten largest cities in the world. Elegant three-story homes lined the western shore to his right, while smaller domiciles cluttered the eastern bank.
They drifted past the old wharf where the river boats used to be loaded and unloaded. A few fishing boats were tied to the ancient docks where he had first set foot in town. All cargo ships now traveled directly to the large port near the city’s central district. But before reaching their destination, the small river runners needed to pass under the bridge.
Two centuries earlier, Noah had assisted with the construction of a wooden crossing that spanned the broad width of the river. This allowed produce from the farmlands of the east to quickly reach the city. Wide enough for a pair of animal-drawn carts to pass by each other, the structure rested on a series of piers. The trickiest part of the design was creating the system that pulled two significant sections of the deck back in order to permit the boats to sail through without damaging the bridge or the ships.
Noah studied the mechanisms of the lift as they floated by. Those hinges will need to be replaced soon. I’ll let Tubal-Cain know that he should check them. As he turned his attention to the city to his right, mixed emotions bombarded him. The fact that so many people in the city refused to walk in the ways of the Creator frustrated and saddened Noah, but he changed his focus to his wife. Knowing he was only moments away from seeing her for the first time in nearly two whole moons, he could hardly resist the urge to dive into the water and run down the beach road to reach her faster.
A hand grabbed his shoulder. “You look like a giddy child again.”
“I feel like one, too.” Noah faced his longtime friend, Farna. “So, just a couple more runs before you turn the business over to your son?”
“Yeah, I’m getting too old for this. I love being on the water, but I’m looking forward to living out my remaining days relaxing on my small farm up the river.” Farna signaled to a member of the crew, and the ship turned right as it entered the bay.
“I’ll definitely miss having you around. Em and I will have to stop in from time to time.”
“I’d like that. We can kick back and discuss the old days before . . .” Farna looked around and spoke quietly, “before the Nachash followers spread everywhere.”
Noah sighed. “I hope they turn from their evil ways before it’s too late.” He waved to the workers at the shipyard as the craft drifted across the bay, but no one returned the greeting. Must be too focused on their daily work. That’s good. A smile automatically crossed his lips when he saw the hill where he and Emzara had enjoyed their initial sunset together. The boat crept toward the long pier ahead and Noah bounced on his toes in anticipation. He watched the shoreline closely, hoping that Emzara would be there to greet him.
As one of the crew tossed a rope to a dock worker, Noah asked, “You’ll have my crate delivered to the shipyard?”
Farna nodded. “As always.”
“Excellent.”
When they finally docked, Noah said a brief farewell to Farna and his crew and practically leapt to the pier, only to be stopped immediately by a cargo inspector. Moments later, the man finished his examination of Noah’s bag, satisfied that it was free of any taxable items. Slinging his belongings over his shoulder, Noah ran to the beach, weaving in and out of crates and cargo wagons along the way. He turned right and hustled across the sand toward the familiar milknut grove, but running through the soft sand tired him out more than he remembered. He slowed to a walk to catch his breath as he reached the trail that led to the house.
Before reaching home, he passed by the once-small place he and Aterre built. It had been expanded over the centuries, but it currently needed several repairs. Garun and his family had lived in it for several years before finding a place of their own. After that, it had served at various times as a home for a few of Tubal-Cain’s children, a storage place for shipyard items, and a guest home, but now it was vacant.
Honoring Ara’s wishes, Noah and Emzara had moved into her childhood home. Although it was difficult for the first few years to be reminded regularly of the tragedies, they eventually opted to remodel the interior. As the exterior came into view, he reveled in the peace the sight gave him. It looked almost the same as it did when Ara lived there, thanks to Noah’s regular maintenance and Emzara’s meticulous care of the grounds.
No longer able to contain his anticipation, Noah ran the remaining distance and entered his house. “Em, I’m home.”
“I’m in here,” Emzara called from the sitting room.
Part of the r
enovations included moving their sitting room away from the front door. Puzzled that Emzara had not come running to greet him, Noah dropped his bag on the floor and hurried to the room on the opposite side of the wall on his left. “You won’t believe . . .” Noah stopped when he saw several people in the room.
“Welcome back!” Several voices mingled together in greeting.
Tubal-Cain stood before him. “Great to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back. Although, I didn’t want your face to be the first one I saw when I got home.” Noah chuckled as he scanned the room. To his right, Adira, Zain, and Kmani sat on one of the large cushioned benches, but he had eyes only for Emzara. As his beloved approached, he held his arms out wide.
Emzara engulfed him in a massive hug, her familiar fragrance washing over him as he closed his eyes and cherished her touch. “I missed you.”
“And I missed you too.” As he pulled away, he saw three more guests. To the left of where Emzara had been, reposed Elam and Zedakal, with a very young girl sitting on her lap. “What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect you to be in town.” He took Emzara’s hand and followed her to her recently vacated spot. She sat and scooted close to Zedakal, giving Noah space to sit beside her.
“So what’s everyone doing here?” Noah asked as he settled in to get comfortable.
“We couldn’t turn down Emzara’s offer of evenfeast to celebrate your return,” Zain said. “And we wanted to surprise you. Looks like it worked.”
“It sure did, and I look forward to that meal as well.” He leaned forward and turned to Elam. “I was just near Zakar a couple weeks ago. What are you doing in Iri Geshem?”
Elam pointed at Zain. “I had some business with Zain this week, and when I heard you were returning soon, we decided to extend our stay. Emzara was kind enough to offer one of your guest rooms to us. My father sends his greetings as well.”
“Please give my regards to him and the others in your village when you return,” Noah said.
“I will.”
Emzara patted Noah’s knee. “I needed some company since you were away so long. Besides, they brought their daughter, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play with her.” She held her arms out to the little girl. “Come see Memma?”
Elam’s daughter’s green eyes sparkled as she smiled with a drool-covered fist against her mouth. She leaned forward for Emzara to catch her.
Emzara hugged the child. “Noah, say hi to Rayneh. Rayneh, can you say ‘Noah’?”
Rayneh played shy and buried her face against Emzara.
Noah gently placed his hand on the child’s head and stroked her wispy, light brown hair. “It’s great to meet you, Rayneh.” He looked at her parents. “Congratulations on another beautiful child. She’s adorable. I didn’t know you were going to have any more.”
Elam and Zedakal had met about ten years after she moved to Iri Geshem with Garun’s family, when, as an aspiring seamster, Elam accepted Zain’s offer of an apprenticeship at Noah’s recommendation. He and Kal bonded deeply during those years when he lived with Noah and Emzara. Noah thought back to the many things they had in common. Both had been kidnapped when they were young. Both had scars on their upper arms resulting from efforts to blot out the awful marks burned into their flesh. And Noah had played a role in rescuing both of them, although much more directly in Elam’s case. After Elam finished his apprenticeship, they moved to Zakar, where the people were ecstatic to learn she was Aterre’s sister. The Creator blessed them with nearly two dozen children, all adults by now, so this little one surprised Noah.
Kal smiled. “We didn’t either, but we’re thrilled to have her.”
Noah loved Kal’s smile. In it, he saw Aterre again. Though he sometimes struggled to remember exactly what his friend looked like, some of Kal’s expressions refreshed his memory. Noah touched Emzara’s arm. “Well, I’m very pleased you’re all here, and I look forward to catching up with everyone. But if you don’t mind giving us a moment, I need to speak with my wife privately.”
“Right now?” Emzara’s eyes widened. “Is everyone well? Your parents?”
Noah nodded and stood. “Everyone is fine. This shouldn’t take long. I have something very important to tell you and I really can’t wait.”
“Oh, well I have some news for you too.” Emzara kissed Rayneh’s cheek and then handed her back to her mother.
Kal grinned and nudged Emzara with an elbow.
“Alright.” She reached for Noah’s hand and he pulled her up.
“Whatever it is, you can just say it in front of us.” Zain chuckled and slapped Noah’s leg with the back of his hand. “We’re like family here.”
Noah smirked. “And I plan to tell all of you later, but Em needs to hear it first.”
The women whispered to each other and Kal put a hand over her mouth to contain her giggles.
Noah shook his head slightly, feeling as if he had missed an inside joke. I’ll ask later. “Come on.”
Noah led Emzara back through the front room and down the hall to their room. After closing the door behind them, Noah placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “I love you. It’s so good to be back.”
Reddening a little, Emzara said, “It’s good to have you back, and I love you too, but what did you need to tell me that couldn’t wait?” She took a couple steps back. “Or was your plan just to get a longer kiss?” She grinned.
Noah snorted “No, but I’m not going to pass up the opportunity.” He gestured to their bed. “You may want to sit down.”
She arched an eyebrow and slowly sat on the edge of their sleeping pallet. “I’m ready.”
Noah let out a deep breath. “This is going to sound very strange, but I can assure you it’s true.”
Emzara cocked her head and squinted, clearly confused.
Noah swallowed and glanced at the floor. “He spoke to me, Em.”
“Who?”
“The Creator.”
Her eyes snapped wide open. “What? Are you teasing me?”
Noah held her gaze. “No, He truly did.”
“What do you mean?”
Noah shook his head. “I’m not really sure how to describe what I saw.” Without warning, his eyes welled up. “It was surreal — the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. He was terrifying and beautiful at the same time.”
Emzara reached forward and placed her hand on his arm. “What did He say?”
“He said He was going to destroy the world with a flood because of all the wickedness.”
She covered her mouth. “What? When?”
“He didn’t tell me.” Noah sat down next to her and lightly rubbed her back.
Emzara lowered her head, stared at the floor, and spoke slowly. “What will happen to everyone?”
Noah grimaced. “I wondered that too, and I’ve been thinking about it the past two weeks.” He turned to face her. “He told me something else too. He said I need to build an ark.”
Emzara faced him. “A boat?”
“Yes, it’ll be a big one, but I’m not sure how big.”
“Larger than the ones you already make?”
“I think so.” Noah bit his lip. “He said that He would send animals for us to take on board.”
She straightened. “How many animals?”
Noah suppressed a smile. “I don’t know.”
“Wait.” Emzara gestured to Noah and then herself. “Us? We’ll be spared? Why? What about our friends and everyone else?”
“Believe me, I’ve been trying to understand His message, and we can talk about that later. But Em, there’s more.” No longer able to hold it in, Noah grabbed her shoulders as his volume increased. “He said that it’d be for those animals, along with you, me” — he gave her a quick peck on the cheek — “and our sons and their wives.”
Emzara’s jaw dropped and she put a hand to her chest. “Our . . . sons?”
“That’s what He said.” Noah chu
ckled. “So I guess that means the flood won’t happen for a while since . . .”
Placing a gentle finger over his lips, she smiled and her glistening eyes danced. “Maybe not as long as you think.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. “We already have one on the way.”
Her midsection bulged slightly and he stared at her, dumbfounded. “How long have you known?”
“Since right after you left.” A tear streaked down her face. “You don’t know how hard it was not to be able to tell you until now.”
Noah hugged her tightly. “Praise the Most High. He has answered our prayers.” The strange behavior of the women in the other room suddenly made sense. “So all our guests already know, don’t they?”
She pulled back and wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. “Yes. They’re here to celebrate with us.”
Noah kissed her again. “Then let’s go celebrate.”
Chapter 28
It was so good to see everybody again. And Elam and Kal — what a surprise.” Noah leaned close to his wife. The flickering light from the oil lamp picked up the sparkle of her eyes as the two sat on their favorite overlook by the sea. Though it was too dark to enjoy the view of the water other than the occasional crest of a small wave, his ears stayed attuned to the rhythmic splashing below them. Near the docks to their right, workers loaded and unloaded crates from large seagoing ships his company built. The lights from the city and the harbor dimmed Noah’s view of the evening sky. “It’s even better to see you.”
Emzara snuggled in close and breathed out a happy sigh. “I’ve missed you. So much has happened while you were away.” She put her hand to her midsection and smiled as she slowly shook her head.
Noah wished he knew a way to prolong the evening and simply take in her nearness.
“And your experience is beyond anything we’ve imagined.” She paused and her voice turned somber. “But your news about the flood made it more difficult to enjoy the time with our friends. Did the Creator say anything else about it?”